Sermon Notes
Introduction
Here is the word of the Lord, Matthew 13:47-50
Matthew 13:47–50 ESV
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind.
48 When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad.
49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous
50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Let us pray.
We have been studying Jesus’ parables, an entire chapter of them in order to understand the nature and character of God’s kingdom.
Of all the things Jesus spoke about, the topic of the kingdom was the one that the Jews longed to hear. In their minds it was going to be a political kingdom that was going to overthrow the Roman empire. Instead, they were given parables, stories hidden in their meaning only for those true disciples to unravel.
Matthew 13:11 ESV
11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
Now, we’ve unravelled the secrets of this kingdom for a few weeks.
• We saw how the kingdom is born amongst men – by the sowing of the seed, where the sower is the preacher and seed is the word of God.
Preaching in this regard is not isolated to the church pulpit or the conference stage. It is to all preachers, including those who share the word with their friends, their children, their colleagues, and the stranger in the street.
Hence, it applies to all – men, women & children.
• In this parable, we find that there are different kinds of people like the soils of the land. Some receive the truth gladly but produce no lasting fruit, some deny it altogether, but it is the good soil that is ripe for seeding.
• The main point of the parable being that when we scatter the seed, not all receive it as they should. Only the soils that God has prepared, the hearts of his elect, receive and respond to the hearing of his voice.
• Then we saw the parable of the weeds, where the enemy sowed weeds or darnel alongside the grain, and only as they grew could the workers differentiate between them.
• Similar to the parable of the sower, this too was talking about fact that the growth of God’s kingdom will see those who appear to be Christian, but later are proven otherwise.
• And the parable we’re going to look at today is along those same lines.
• We studied the parables of the mustard seed and the leaven, about how God’s kingdom would rise from the earth, instead of descending from the heavens, like a mustard seed that grows into a tree or the leaven that leavens the whole lump of dough.
• After that we looked at the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great value, last week.
• Here, I pointed out how it is impossible for the human mind to grasp the worth and value of this kingdom or of its King. Only the Holy Spirit can illumine our minds and our hearts to this reality.
As Christians, we are new creatures, the old has passed away and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). And it is our mission as the church to build and raise God’s kingdom, which will grow upon the foundations that have been laid by Christ and his apostles.
We are by virtue of our faith, kingdom builders. Matthew 5:13-16
Matthew 5:13–16 ESV
13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
• The scripture does not say that you have to become light or salt, but that you are light and salt. This is how Jesus addresses the genuine, the true Christian convert.
By virtue of our faith in Christ, we already are light and salt, the question is – are we shining bright and seasoning well?
Therefore, these parables are for us to hold deep within our hearts. Understanding the nature of this kingdom and how God plans for it are important for us to understand.
Exegesis
Now, we come to the parable that concerns us today, Matthew 13:47-50
Matthew 13:47–50 ESV
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind.
48 When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad.
49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous
50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
• the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind.
The net used here was a dragnet, and some of your translations will use that word. The reason is that fishing in those time usually involved one of two kinds of nets.
There was the am-fib’-lace-tron, which was the net Peter and Andrew were using in Matthew 4, and it was a net used to catch fish in shallow waters. The fishermen would walk the shallow parts of the lake and look for a good catch and then cast the net over that area. Once he traps the fish, he’d pull on the cord and the net would wrap around the fish and he could haul it to the shore.
However, the net described here is the sagḗnē which was much larger than the shallow casting net. This was the ‘drag’-net, which was cast over a large area either by two boats or between a boat and the shore, and with weights attached one side of the net would sink to the bottom of the lake and the other end had floats attached. So, the net would encircle a large area and the net would be like a wall under water surrounding the fish. Then the fishermen would drag the net to the shore and as they did that this wall of net would pull in all manner of things, including fish of every kind.
• This is a very significant picture. When God asked Peter and Andrew to drop their small nets, he said to them, Matthew 4:19
Matthew 4:19 ESV
19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
But as fishers of men, they weren’t going to go about wading through the land finding whom to catch. They were going to hold a part of the net that was going to cover the whole earth.
When we as Christians share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and bring people into his kingdom, and build his church, we are holding one part of a much larger net. Together throughout generations, this net has ever been growing, encircling every nation, tribe and tongue. Fish of every kind.
• And it must be understood that such a gathering would bring in all sorts of debris.
• When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad.
• It must not surprise us when bad fish are caught in the net of God’s kingdom. The preaching of the Gospel invites all manner of people to the church, but not all are truly the fish of God.
• When it was full. The drawing it ashore is a picture of the culmination as we see in the following verses. This is a picture of the end of the world. But let me ask you beloved, is the net empty, scarce, or full at the end of the age.
Now, one could argue that the word ‘full’ here is used to refer to all the elect and not necessarily a full physical net at the time of Jesus’ final return. However, I don’t see it as being entirely that symbolic with the nature of the kingdom we’ve seen in the previous parables, especially that of the mustard seed.
The picture of fullness or completion is one of abundance. I do believe that in the final coming of Christ, the net, the kingdom of God will be full, and the world will witness that.
• And on that day, the gathering will look as such. Those who gather will sit down and sort the good fish into container and the bad is cast aside.
• So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
• There is an end to this age. We must not forget that we walk on the pages of history, and those pages keep turning. Do not get comfortable with the present times, but march on toward the return of our King.
• The gathering men at the end of the age are the angels. The kingdom of heaven rises out of the earth like a net being dragged out by the angels who come out from heaven.
• And once gathered, they will sort out the righteous from the evil. The good fish are the righteous, the elect, the servants of the most High. 2 Corinthians 5:21
2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
• Whereas, the evil, those who are not ‘in Christ’ will be thrown into the fiery furnace of God’s judgment. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Let us compare this with the conclusion of the parable of the weeds. Matthew 13:40-43
Matthew 13:40–43 ESV
40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.
41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers,
42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
• The angels don’t simply come out of the heavens, here we are told that the Son of Man sends them. They will come to carry out his commandments.
• And they gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers.
Do you see this picture beloved? That at the end of the age God’s kingdom will be manifest and would have covered the whole earth, and it will be full. That when the angels come down to the earth to gather and sort, they are coming down to gather out of his kingdom.
• And note that in that sorting, they will not only cast out law-breakers but also the very causes of sin. It would not just be the defeat of the condemned but the final defeat of sin itself.
And by rule that would be the defeat of death. Romans 6:23
Romans 6:23 ESV
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
If death is the reward of sin, then the defeat of the causes of sin would undo death entirely. Acts 2:24
Acts 2:24 ESV
24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
When Jesus rose from the grave, he broke the curse of sin and death, and established the foundation of his kingdom on earth. And on the final day, he will defeat death once and for all.
1 Corinthians 15:20–28 (ESV)
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
• The resurrection of Jesus is the precedent to the resurrection of his people. Our hope to rise is that he is risen.
21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
• Adam’s curse has fallen on all those who belong to his flesh, and Christ’s righteousness has redeemed all those who have truly eaten of his flesh and drank of his blood.
22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
• Death is the destination of the Adamites and life is the inheritance of the Christians.
23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
• And our own resurrection is reserved for the right order, at his coming.
24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.
• Look at this picture beloved! In the end, the kingdom of God rises up, is fully grown into a tree, is dragged in by the angels like a net full; and all this is described here by Paul as Jesus delivering the kingdom to his Father.
• Jesus came to redeem and conquer. He is the High King, the ruler of this world. And he will be victorious and will present his kingdom to his Father on that final day.
• But the road to that day involves the destroying of every rule, every authority and power. Beloved! Do you see this? Are you hearing this? This, is the outcome that precedes the final day of this age – that every rule, authority and power of this corrupt world is destroyed.
Atheism defeated, abortion defeated, homosexuality defeated, selfism defeated, religious worldviews outside of the Christian faith defeated, authoritarian government defeated, woke universities defeated, terrorism defeated, pornography defeated, divorce defeated, adultery defeated, murder defeated – I could keep going on. It is every rule, authority and power. Not some. This is why Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6
2 Corinthians 10:3–6 ESV
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.
5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
At this point, sin still breathes and we are all sinners. So, I do no believe that these defeats of evil are absolute. That happens when the angels come and remove all causes of sin. However, the defeat of these rules and powers will be significant, and the victory will belong to Christ and his people.
25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
• The reign of Christ in this present age must continue until all his enemies are under his feet.
• For so long I have heard it preached that the only thing keeping Christ’s return is for that last soul he intends to save. This world a sinking ship, and Christ will come and save his people at the end.
But that is not the picture we see in any of these passages. Christ does not come to remove his people from a sinking ship, he comes to remove the wicked from his ship.
• The reason for this present age is the defeat of all Christ’s enemies.
26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
• And that last and great enemy who could not hold him, whose curse was broken by Christ, will be defeated. The wicked removed along with all causes of sin, and death is defeated.
• weeping and gnashing of teeth – fiery furnace. These are phrases that depict the horror, pain & despair of the wicked in that final judgment.
• We so often are quick to deal out in judgment because we feel a sudden desire to be avenged against those who do us wrong.
But we must not be so quick because true judgment when fully unsheathed will not be bearable for even those who look upon it.
• A true view of God’s judgment from the Scripture causes love not anger to rise up in our hearts.
Conclusion
• The gathering is far and wide
• The kingdom draws in many who are not saved. We must be wise
• Our plan must be optimistic and long term
• Look to Christ our King. He rules today.
