I. Binding & Loosing
A. Text: Matthew 18:18-20
“Verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching (concerning) anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father, which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.” (KJV)
B. Agree (sumphoneo; soom-fo-neh'-o )= harmony; compact (sun = with; phone/fo-nay' =voice/speech). So to “agree” is to speak in harmony.
C. Other versions:
“I can guarantee this truth: whatever you imprison, God will imprison. And whatever you set free, God will set free. I can guarantee again that if two of you agree on anything here on earth, My Father in heaven will accept it. Where two or three have come together in My name, I am there among them.” (God’s Word)
“I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be (actually “has been”) bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be (actually “has been”) loosed in heaven. Again, I tell you that if two of you one earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in My name, there am I with them.” (NIV)
“Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” (NKJ)
D. “Bind” ~ to fasten with chains; to tie; to prohibit.
E. “Loose” ~ to break; destroy; melt; dissolve; demolish; to overthrow.
II. Agreement =Of the Same Mind
A. Paul said: “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing (have a uniform testimony), and that there be no divisions (dissensions) among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”
(I Corinthians 1:10)
B. And, in Romans 12:16, he said, “Be of the same mind toward one another.”
C. He told the Philippians to “…stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel…” (Philippians 2:2)
D. Then, Peter stated, “Finally, all of you be of one mind…” (I Peter 3:8)
E. It’s important to be of one mind. When we come into agreement with one another, in one mind, in one accord, the enemy can’t stand a chance!
F. Moses spoke in the Old Testament, that “…one (could) chase a thousand, and two (will) put ten thousand to flight.” (Deuteronomy 32:30)
1. When we come into agreement with one other believer, we multiply our spiritual strength tenfold!
