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This is the manuscript of the seventh sermon in the series, “The Master Speaks to the Present through the Parables". It is a series based on Jesus’ parables that describe the nature of the kingdom of God. All the parables deal with the same subject, the kingdom of heaven, but each one approaches it from a different angle.
The first was the parable of the sower and about hearing the Savior’s message correctly. The second was the parable about the wheat and tares where the emphasis was on the type of seed that was sown. Good seed by Jesus and bad seed by the enemy who was identified as the devil. The third parable was the one of the mustard seed. In it Jesus said that the kingdom of God, like a seed, contains spontaneity and divine vitality. The fourth was the parable of the leaven which much like the parable of the mustard seed, described the remarkable spread of the kingdom of heaven with one caveat and that is that just like a small amount of leaven or yeast has an amazing effect of a large amount of dough the Gospel has the same effect on the world.
In the fifth sermon we examined the parable of the treasure found in a field. The point of that parable was that the kingdom of God can be found sometimes unexpectedly and that when you find it it is more valuable than any and everything else and it should drive you to get it, no matter the cost.
Last week we talked about a parable where a merchant found a pearl of great value and he sold everything that he had to get it. The point of that parable and the one before about the treasure found in the field is that the kingdom of God has immense value and the one who finds it goes to great lengths to get it.
This parable, the seventh one, has a close connection with the parable of the wheat and tares. In both, the thought is put forward that we will know the difference between the genuine Christian and one who merely claims to be a Christian when our Lord makes the distinction at the end of time as we know it.
Listen to an audio recording of the sermon by clicking on the YouTube link at the end of the manuscript.
You can also watch a video recording of the entire service on the Christ Church YouTube Channel https://youtu.be/_JIWobvwbHY
Vsit the Christ Church website at christchurchlosangeles.org.
Scripture
Matthew 22:1-14 NIV Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless. “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
Introduction
Text:
Matthew 13:47-48 NIV Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away.
Today’s sermon is about the last of the seven back-to-back parables that Jesus told that describe the nature of the kingdom of God. The first was the parable of the sower and about hearing the Savior’s message correctly. The second was the parable about the wheat and tares where the emphasis was on the type of seed that was sown. Good seed by Jesus and bad seed by the enemy who was identified as the devil. The third parable was the one of the mustard seed. In it Jesus said that the kingdom of God, like a seed, contains spontaneity and divine vitality. The fourth was the parable of the leaven which much like the parable of the mustard seed, described the remarkable spread of the kingdom of heaven with one caveat and that is that just like a small amount of leaven or yeast has an amazing effect of a large amount of dough the Gospel has the same effect on the world.
In the fifth sermon we examined the parable of the treasure found in a field. The point of that parable was that the kingdom of God can be found sometimes unexpectedly and that when you find it it is more valuable than any and everything else and it should drive you to get it, no matter the cost.
Last week we talked about a parable where a merchant found a pearl of great value and he sold everything that he had to get it. The point of that parable and the one before about the treasure found in the field is that the kingdom of God has immense value and the one who finds it goes to great lengths to get it.
This parable, the seventh one, has a close connection with the parable of the wheat and tares. In both, the thought is put forward that we will know the difference between the genuine Christian and one who merely claims to be a Christian when our Lord makes the distinction at the end of time as we know it.
Both parables should teach us patience in dealing with people, and tolerance concerning those who do not share every conviction we hold. Let the Master decide who the counterfeit people are, who are Christians but who may be wrong on certain points, and those who are the genuinely devoted Christians who understand the will of God. Let’s be honest, can any of us be bold and boastful enough to claim infallibility in discerning a person's relationship with God?
I. A parable of everyday life.
Now let's look at the parable.
Matthew 13:47-48 NIV Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away.
The net referred to by Jesus, in this parable, is what we refer to today as a dragnet or seine (san) net. It is a net that hangs vertically in the water with its bottom edge held down by weights and its top edge buoyed by floats. Drag nets can be deployed from the shore, or from a boat. In New Testament days, it probably had corks at the top and weights at the bottom, making it stand upright in the water. The fishermen would attach ropes to the four corners and draw it through the sea. Into it were swept all kinds of things including, of course, great numbers of fish. When it was brought to shore, the men sorted out the things caught in the net. The good fish were delivered to the market. The trash and other useless things were thrown away.
B. Most of the disciples lived in the general area where the fishing business prospered so they would identify quickly with this story. They would have often seen what has been called the “drama of the dragnet”, the decision of what has value and what is useless and thrown away. We can almost imagine as we read the parable that we see the squirming, leaping mass of fish with the sun shining on their iridescent scales, some to go to market and some to be discarded and thrown back.
Jesus admired wholesome work and no doubt took great delight in telling a simple story of everyday life to the masses in order that they might profit spiritually. If you remember the first people He called to follow Him were fishermen.
Matthew 4:18-22 NIV As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Now remember as we go through this parable of what I have said the last few weeks. And that is that we should not try to attach special significance to every part of the story. So, let’s not attach special meanings to the net, sea, or beach, or try to force the parable into precise analogies. The simple and obvious meaning in the parable must have been what Jesus intended. He did not expect his hearers in that day, or our day, to look for deep and hidden meanings to his stories. Indeed, the simplicity of Jesus in his teaching was, and is, one of the things that makes him universally attractive to and accepted by all people.
II. Diversity of the kingdom’s members.
One thing stands out as quite significant in our Savior’s ministry. He had an “across-the-board” approach that reaches men and women of all kinds and lifestyles. Christ has a universal appeal. No other religious leader had the ability to reach people at all levels of life—educational, cultural, emotional, economic.
The oriental religious leaders could not do it because they were too mystical. Greek philosophy could not do it because it was too academic. Islam could not do it because it was too militant. Only Jesus had the ability to pull together all things in the world around himself. He was the source of creation and the goal of creation. We need to see everything, all of creation in relationship with Jesus, His majesty and His kingdom.
III. Don’t be left out.
When the gospel net is flung into the world, it attracts a lot of people. Some, of course, do not respond. They excuse themselves! They choose to be unbelievers and resist every impression the Holy Spirit makes on their hearts. Like the "don’t bother me"; I’m busy crowd we talked about in the parable of the sower.
Another group is those who come into the “net” but are never actually transformed by the Holy Spirit. Like the “hip-hip-hurrah for Jesus” crowd, and the “I love Jesus but love the world more” crowd.
Analogies often overlap and fail to state exactly in detail everything that Jesus is trying to convey. For instance, this parable is similar to the parable of the wheat and tares in that it points to the harvest, or judgment, when a separation will take place. In this parable today, the casting away of the “bad” fish seems to symbolize the testing of the believer to see if his or her works prove the genuineness of their salvation experience. Remember what it says in James?
James 2:18-26 NIV But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
Faith comes first and then works.
One simple fact stands out clearly!
John 3:16-18 NIV For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
Jesus came to save the world – the entire world!
Salvation is made available to EVERYONE. The only requirement is that you confess your sins, ask for forgiveness trust in Jesus' sacrifice as paying for your sin, in other words BELIEVE.
Romans 1:16-17 NIV For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
The kingdom is for everybody, but unless a person is a genuine believer, he or she is not truly a child of God and will not receive the rewards of the Christian life at the end of time.
Many standards or criteria may be suggested to prove someone's salvation experience is real. Remember these standards or criteria are not required for salvation. Salvation is free. These standards or criteria are merely evidence or proof.
Here a a few; Is your life in harmony with the principles taught by Jesus? Do you keep yourselves pure from the polluting influence of habitual ongoing sin? Do you truly love others? Are you genuinely concerned about those who have needs in the world?
These are the kinds of works that come as a result of our faith. As we live, our works are tested.
1 Corinthians 3:11-15 NIV For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.
Our response to the circumstances and events of life reveal our character to those with whom we associate in day-by-day relationships. The full story, however, will not be told until Jesus makes the determination as He described in the separation of the sheep from the goats.
Matthew 25:31-34 NIV “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
Then he explained when He called this group sheep in verses 35-40
Drop down to
Matthew 25:41 NIV “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
These people didn’t do any of the things that made those on Jesus' right heirs able to inherit the kingdom prepared for them. Here is what is going to happen.
Matthew 25:46 NIV “Then they will go away to eternal punishment (the goats), but the righteous (the sheep) to eternal life.” (emphasis mine)
Conclusion
This parable emphasizes the importance of all Christians working together to assure maximum results in God’s kingdom. Divisions in Christ’s work tear the net apart and should be avoided. We see a lot of this going on in the church today. We see a lot of holes in the net because of our division over things that don’t really matter when it comes to the essentials that it take to make you a Chistian. For example, whether you worship on Saturday of Sunday has nothing to do with salvation. Whether you are a Republican or Democrat determines if you are saved or not. This in no way means that we are to compromise basic convictions, but it does mean that we should seek to understand other Christians and work with them.
The net’s efficiency depends on the soundness of the material to make the net, and the skill with which it is woven together.
This is what Jesus said.
John 13:34-35 NIV “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Every part of God’s kingdom should contribute to the other parts to make the net as large and strong as it possibly can be. We need each other, and we need to learn how to help each other further God’s work in the world.
Romans 12:3-8 NIV For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
Each believer has a role to play, and every role is important. There is no small service to God; it all matters. Likewise, there are no insignificant ministries in the church. Some are visible and some are behind the scenes, but all are valuable. Small or hidden ministries often make the biggest difference.
What happens when one part of your body fails to function? You get sick. The rest of your body suffers. Imagine if your liver decided to start living for itself: “I’m tired! I don’t want to serve the body anymore! I want a year off just to be fed. I’ve got to do what’s best for me! Let some other part take over.”
What would happen? Your body would die. Today thousands of local churches are dying because of Christians who are unwilling to serve. They sit on the sidelines as spectators, and the body suffers.
God has called you to a service far beyond anything you could ever imagine. As Ephesians 2:10 says, “He has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for us to do” (GNT).
Whenever you serve others in any way, you are actually serving God.
The net is not to blame because some bad fish get into it. Neither is the fishing a failure any more than the sowing of the seed was a failure because so much that was sown fell on stony soil or weed-encumbered ground. The Lord is continually sending out his fishermen, and they are constantly casting their nets into the sea. We'll never win everybody to Christ, but we need to keep on trying to reach as many as possible!
Matthew 28:18-20 NIV Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Why did Jesus give that commission
1 Timothy 2:1-4 NIV I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
2 Peter 3:9 NIV The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Sermon Audio
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