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Secondly, an announcement. We have another mother in our 
midst. Carolyn Ditto is pregnant. So 
we rejoice in another gift from on high for the Ditto family. So we have now, again, since 
Jules has given birth to Lacey, we now have five women again 
with child. So we can rejoice in that with 
them. Well, let's begin our worship 
service then, please, by turning in our Bibles to Psalm 119, Psalm 
119, specifically verse 129. We'll begin reading there. Psalm 
119, 129. This is the word of the living and true God. Your testimonies are wonderful, 
therefore my soul keeps them. The entrance of your word gives 
light, it gives understanding to the simple. I opened my mouth 
and panted, for I longed for your commandments. Look upon 
me and be merciful to me, as your custom is toward those who 
love your name. Direct my steps by your word, 
and let no iniquity have dominion over me. Redeem me from the oppression 
of man, that I may keep your precepts. Make your face shine 
upon your servant and teach me your statutes. Rivers of water 
run down from my eyes because men do not keep your law. Righteous 
are you, O Lord, and upright are your judgments. Your testimonies 
which you have commanded are righteous and very faithful. 
My zeal has consumed me because my enemies have forgotten your 
words. Your word is very pure, therefore 
your servant loves it. I am small and despised, yet 
I do not forget your precepts. Your righteousness is an everlasting 
righteousness, and your law is truth. Trouble and anguish have 
overtaken me, Yet your commandments are my delights. The righteousness 
of your testimonies is everlasting. Give me understanding, and I 
shall live. Amen. Well, stand with me, please, 
and we're going to sing in our larger Trinity hymnal, hymn 269. 
Let's stand and sing 269 together. Let it go. Let it go. ♪ For his wings comely are spoken 
♪ ♪ Zion's city of our God ♪ ♪ He whose word cannot be broken ♪ 
♪ Born before his own the Lord ♪ ♪ On the rock of ages founded 
♪ home surrounded, now they smile 
at all thy doors. See the streams of living waters 
streaming from eternal pines. Well supply thy sons and daughters 
And all fear the quandary brew, You can think of such a river, 
Never flows, never stirs the sway. This, which I, the Lord, 
deliver, Never fails from age to age. While each habitation 
of rain, See the cloud and fire appear, For the glory and the 
glory, Showing that the Lord is near, ♪ Light by light and 
shade by shade ♪ ♪ Swiftly lead upon the manna ♪ ♪ Which we bid 
them lend them way ♪ ♪ Teach the way of Zion's city ♪ ♪ High 
through great South America ♪ Let the world deny your beauty, 
I will glory in my name. Fading is the worldling's pleasure, 
All is ghosted, wonder, and show. Please be seated. We'll go to 
the Lord in prayer now. Now, just a reminder, we do have 
a prayer meeting before the worship service on every alternating 
Sunday. We do a prayer meeting the next 
Lord's Day. Normally we'll do a study in 
the London Baptist Confession of Faith, the second London Baptist 
Confession of Faith. So just a reminder, it's hard 
sometimes to pray for everything under the sun and every person 
under the sun during our time of worship. We do most certainly, 
and we must go to the Lord in prayer, but if you do have prayer 
requests and those sorts of things that you send us or that you'd 
like to send us, We try to include as much as we can when we pray 
up here, but we do have a prayer meeting before the worship service 
and as well on the Wednesday nights before the Bible study. So just a reminder with that. 
But with that reminder, let us now go to our God in prayer. 
Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we do just rejoice 
as you're gathered assembly here that we can gather as an assembly 
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to worship our great triune 
God. We thank you for this privilege, 
for the freedom that we have to gather here, and again, that 
we can gather in freedom, that we are unmolested and unhindered 
by the government, by the opponents of the church of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, that we do not have enemies stopping us from gathering in 
this church to worship you. We rejoice in that, and we do 
pray, Lord God, that you would impress upon us the blessedness 
of that reality, that we would not count it a small thing that 
we can gather here to worship God, but that we would most certainly 
count it a high and heavy honor that we can come into this place 
to worship our great God. And we do just rejoice in the 
gospel of Jesus Christ, our Savior. We rejoice again, Lord God, in 
the fact that Christ Jesus did come into this world, sinners 
to save. We thank you for that blessed 
truth that God was manifested in the flesh, that he was justified 
in the spirit, that he was a scene by angels that he was believed 
on in the world and that he was received up into glory. And we 
rejoice in the gospel of the Savior. And we just pray, Lord 
God, that you would help us even now as we pray to be rejoicing 
in the forgiveness of sins. We thank you that we do have 
redemption through Christ's blood, the remission of sins. And we 
pray, Lord God, again, that you would forgive us of all of our 
iniquities, of all of our transgressions. We do know that we have that 
forgiveness through Jesus Christ, our blessed savior, that all 
those who believe in his name shall be saved and most certainly 
have now the forgiveness of their sins. And we rejoice in that 
truth. And in light of that truth, Lord 
God, we would pray that you'd help us in this lower world to 
conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, 
that we would be found as a church, to be as one man in one spirit 
striving for the faith of the gospel. We ask, Lord God, that 
you would help us to endure in this lower world, that we would 
have that fellowship of the gospel, that we would seek to magnify 
and honor our triune God and to propagate, to preach the truth 
concerning Jesus Christ and the salvation of sinners. We pray 
as we gather now, Lord God, that you would help us to worship 
you aright. We do pray that for none of us 
it would be a weariness to come into this place to worship you, 
to hear preaching, to pray, to sing these hymns, but rather 
that it would most certainly be a delight. And we pray, Lord 
God, that we would not have gathered, having brought any blind or lame 
sacrifices, as it were, but that we would worship you in spirit 
and in truth. And we do pray that you would 
receive all honor and all glory from your saints this day. And 
not only in this church, Lord God, but around the world, we 
do pray that your name would be hallowed that your name would 
be sung by the lips of redeemed individuals singing the praises 
of their blessed God. And we think of the churches 
that are near to us. We pray for the churches just 
across the border in Washington, that you would bless them as 
they gather. In Oregon, in California, we think of Pastor Barcelos. 
We do just pray for the believers down there in Palmdale, that 
you would bless them as they gather together for worship. 
We do pray for churches around the world, Lord God, that your 
ministers would be given divine aid from on high to preach the 
full and saving Christ and the full and saving gospel to those 
gathered before them and that saints would be edified and sinners 
saved to the praise of your grace. We remember Pastor Hoffmeier 
and we thank you for his work in the Philippines. We thank 
you for this presentation we were able to see and hear. We 
thank you for the work that's going on over there. It is most 
certainly encouraging to see that the gospel has gone forth, 
that there are believers in the Philippines. who gather together 
to worship our God just as we do, those gathered together who 
have those blessed articles of biblical truth that they rejoice 
in. And we pray that you would continue that work over there, 
that steady work. We see the simplicity and yet 
the glory of faithful gospel preaching and the planting of 
churches. And we just pray that this would continue to go on 
and that your word would be proclaimed in that nation and many others. 
And Lord, we think of those who need prayer in our midst for 
physical things. Ask that you would be with Sue 
and John Proctor. Just strengthen them physically, 
Lord God. We do pray for Don Neufeld, that you would strengthen 
him as well, that all would work out, hopefully, with, Lord willing, 
with these surgeries, with the surgery. We pray for Mr. Van Schaik, Lord God, that you 
would be with him as well, with his many physical problems, and 
that you would just comfort Mrs. Van Schaik. Lord God, we think 
of We think of Marilyn, we think of this young man, Jesse, we 
think of all these women who are pregnant, Lord God, and many 
other things. We do just pray, God, that you 
would strengthen those who have a need for many physical things. 
Just bless them, strengthen them in body, give them daily gains 
and freedom from pain and all of those things, God. And we 
pray for each and every one of them, that in the inner man you 
would arouse them to a steadfast confidence in the God of of high 
heaven who does bless his saints with peace and with strength. 
We ask, Lord God, that you would be with the persecuted church. 
God, we know that there are many nations that suffer much, that 
there are brothers and sisters in Christ that suffer much in 
many nations, and just be near to them, God. We know nothing 
of the persecution and the trials that they endure. We do just 
pray that you'd be with them, that you would comfort them and 
strengthen them, give them what they need to endure in the face 
of enemies, in the face of of blasphemy and anger and violence, 
sometimes even unto death, Lord God, we pray that you would cause 
them to know daily the confidence that comes by virtue of a Christ 
that is their advocate in heaven, that one who intercedes for them. And we just pray, God, that you 
would give them much strength. We pray that you would deal with 
their persecutors, that you would cause many of those who persecute 
your people to be saved by grace and to join those whom they previously 
persecuted in believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray for 
those who would remain in rebellion, those who will remain in their 
ignorance and in their obstinance. We do just pray that you would 
deal with them temporally, that they might not hurt your saints 
and cause violence upon the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. We 
pray for those who govern over us, Lord, that you would just 
save many who are in positions of power. We do know that the 
gospel is not only for those who are of the citizenry, but 
that you have deemed it well to save from every tribe and 
tongue and people and nation and even those who are kings 
and those who are in authority, Lord God. And we do just pray 
that you would save some, that they might exercise justice and 
equity in the land. And even providentially, Lord 
God, for those who stay outside of saving grace, that you would 
nevertheless turn the hearts of kings, that they might properly 
exercise justice in the land. And we ask, Lord, now that you 
would again be with us as we close in prayer, be with Pastor 
Butler. Just cause him, Lord God, to know that as he grips 
this pulpit, he has the hand of the triune God upon him, give 
him strength, give him confidence, give him the boldness to open 
up the Bible and to preach well the things of Jesus and the sureties 
of your promises. We ask that you'd be with us, 
that saints would be instructed, Lord, and edified, that sinners 
would be saved, that the spirit would be operating in our midst, 
that by spirit and word you would cause saints to be lifted up, 
sinners to be saved, that because it is only possible with you, 
Lord God, each and every tongue would leave this place. singing 
the praises of the Triune God. And it's in Christ's name that 
we pray. Amen. Let's stand and sing together. 
Our next hymn is hymn number 298. If we'll all stand as a 
church here and sing 298. who, distant as each child's 
tread, when sinners flee from heaven's gates. All to Jerusalem from afar, lay 
all that Zion's gates abide. Those who were dead, in sin before, And as the Jews did fall to the 
nations, we hold their off'ring clean. And on one string their 
homage give to their exalted God and King. Away his holy church in place, 
his word and spirit still prevail. On angels sound the greatest 
praise, and saints his glowing glories hail. Please be seated. Our New Testament scripture reading 
this morning will be from Ephesians chapter one. We finished the 
book of Galatians last Lord's Day, reading chapter six of Galatians 
and finishing that epistle of the Apostle Paul. We're now on 
to his next epistle to the saints in Ephesus. We'll read verse 
one to verse 14. Once again, the word of the living 
and true God. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, 
by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus and faithful 
in Christ Jesus, grace to you and peace from God our Father 
and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual 
blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us 
in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should 
be holy and without blame before Him. In love, having predestined 
us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according 
to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of 
His grace by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him 
we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, 
according to the riches of his grace, which he made to abound 
toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery 
of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he purposed 
in himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times 
he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which 
are in heaven and which are on earth in him. In him also we 
have obtained an inheritance being predestined according to 
the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel 
of his will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to 
the praise of his glory. In him you also trusted after 
you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, 
in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy 
Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance 
until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of 
his glory. Amen. One man has said that if 
the book of Romans is Paul's treatise on justification, then 
the book of Ephesians is Paul's treatise on the doctrine of adoption. Though we read much in here, 
we read concerning these things that this choosing in Christ 
before the foundation of the world was unto this reality that 
we would have the adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to himself. Later in chapter 2, we read that 
we were by nature children of wrath, just as the others, but 
then amazing and sovereign and free grace comes And we are made 
to be children of the most high. We have later in verse in chapter 
two, the reality now, therefore you are no longer strangers and 
foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of 
the household. God and in the chapters on exhorting 
the Saints in Ephesus we read therefore be imitators of God 
as Dear children the Apostle Paul in the book of Ephesians 
as we see in many other epistles Follows a particular pattern 
he sets forth the the blessed reality of the gospel of Jesus 
Christ In this case, he sets before his audience by way of 
doxology or words of praise, perfect salvation by the triune 
God. And then based upon that blessed 
theology, he exhorts the saints in Ephesus to live in a manner 
worthy of their calling. In fact, if we were to sort of 
really condense the book of Ephesians into two verses, It would be 
verse 3 of chapter 1 and then verse 4 of chapter 4. Blessed be the God and Father 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual 
blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. I therefore, the prisoner 
of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which 
you were called. Theology comes first, the gospel 
comes first, and based upon those blessed truths, therefore live 
in light of it. Some of the things that we have 
set forth before us here, and there's so much in verses 1 to 
14 that to read 15 to 23 and simply just, you know, comment 
on a few things would do a measure of injustice to the entire chapter. But notice, you see, Ephesians 
chapter 1, and rightly so, is an address of the scriptures 
where we as reformed Christians come to deal with blessed theological 
truths concerning election, predestination, definite atonement, and these 
sorts of things. But you see, in Paul's mind, 
Paul isn't first and foremost setting forth a defense of Calvinism 
or Reformed theology, though in doing so, we can come here. 
But you see, first and foremost, in Paul's mind, is to bring the 
saints in Ephesus to the point that he is at in rejoicing in 
and glorying in the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. This 
is these verses three to fourteen are a doxology. They are gathered 
letters and words of praise in order to magnify the grace of 
God. And it's broken down into three 
sections. Essentially, we have verses three 
to six. God, Paul praising God, the father 
for the father's work in redemption, in predestination, just as he 
chose us in him before the foundation of the world. Verses seven to 
12, it is the apostle Paul praising God, the father still, but for 
the work of the son in him, we have redemption through his blood, 
the forgiveness of sins. And then thirdly, verses 13 to 
14, It is Paul praising God the Father still for the work of 
the Spirit. We have this presentation of 
the perfection of the triune God in the salvation of sinners 
for the Holy Spirit. He is our seal and he is our 
guarantee. And it is again setting forth 
the perfect salvation of the triune God. It is at no point 
a setting forth of any disunity within the Trinity with regards 
to salvation, but rather we have unity. The Father predestinates, 
the Son saves all those who were predestinated, and the Holy Spirit 
seals and is the guarantor of all who were predestinated and 
redeemed. It is from first to last, midst 
and throughout, a glorious salvation of the triune God who saves by 
free and sovereign grace without a helper. And we see here clearly 
the sovereignty of the Lord God. We see the language of the predestination 
is unto the praise of the glory of his grace. And it is according 
to the good pleasure of his will. It is in verse 11, this truth 
in him, we also have obtained an inheritance being predestined 
according to the purpose of him who works all things according 
to the counsel of his will. The end of verse 12 to the praise 
of his glory. the end of verse 14, to the praise 
of His glory. You see, Paul ends where he began, 
giving blessing and honor and praise to the God and Father 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, and he ends to the praise of His 
glory. Whenever we engage in the subject 
of theology, whenever we engage in a pursuit of knowledge, which 
we ought, Whenever we read the scriptures in order that we might 
grow in the grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, it 
is never unto the end of some sort of dry dogmatism, but rather, 
like Paul, we might say, blessed be the God and Father of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, 
we thank you so much for the scriptures. We thank you for 
what we read here in Ephesians chapter 1. We rejoice in those 
blessed truths, Lord God, that you did choose us in Christ before 
the foundation of the world, not because we were holy and 
blameless, but so that we might be Lord God, holy and blameless 
before you. We thank you that in your love 
you did predestinate us unto adoption by Jesus Christ and 
that this was to the praise of your glorious grace. We rejoice 
in the redemption of Jesus Christ through his blood that we do 
have the forgiveness of sins. And we sing your praises, Lord 
God, for the reality that the Holy Spirit is our seal and guarantee. We thank you that this speaks 
of that blessed truth that we read of in the Gospels, that 
Jesus Christ and that the Lord our God holds us in the inviolable 
grip of his sovereign hand and nothing can snatch us from it. 
And we rejoice in that truth. And we pray that you'd help us 
now, Lord God, as we continue to sing and as we move to the 
preaching of your word. We do just pray that you'd cause 
us to rejoice in these truths and that we would, with Paul, 
render blessing in doxology unto the God and Father of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. And it's in his name that we 
pray. Amen. Well, let's stand and sing our 
hymn before the preaching. It's going to be in the red psalter. 
You should have one in front of you there, the red Trinity 
psalter. Let's stand and sing Psalm 101 to a familiar tune. 101. ♪ To a mercy and a justice, O Lord, 
I'll sing to Thee ♪ ♪ In a brightness and wisdom shall my behavior 
be ♪ The coming darkness will doubtly 
appear. I'll walk within my dwelling 
place. ♪ I will burn his noble face ♪ 
♪ He's made me for my eyes to be ♪ ♪ I hate unfeelful doing 
♪ ♪ This shall not be to me ♪ ♪ The man whose heart is broken ♪ shall 
from thy presence flow, and nothing that is evil will I consent to 
know. Thou that in all past tempers 
didst give her secret view, The Lord's eyes have caught me. My eyes are with the faithful, 
that he may dwell with me. The man whose walk is upright, 
my way, too, shall be. No man of flesh received from 
within my love shall dwell, nor in my sight shall tarry. The man who lies will tell. Each morning with this caution, 
the wind can now be borne. To bring the people to the city. Please be seated. Please turn with me in your Bibles 
to Matthew chapter 13. Matthew 13, we'll close out the 
third discourse this morning, the parables of the kingdom. 
Remember the larger context, chapters 11 and 12 show the varying 
responses to our Lord's ministry, specifically the rising opposition. And the parables of the kingdom 
are given in chapter 13 to give a bit of an explanation as to 
why that is the case. Remember back in chapter 13 at 
verses 10 and 11, the disciples come to Jesus and they say, why 
do you speak to them, the multitudes, in parables? He answered and 
said to them, because it has been given to you to know the 
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given." 
So there are two types of responses to our Lord. There are those 
who receive the truth, there are those who reject the truth. 
In chapter 11, the Lord Jesus praises His Father for that reality. He says, you have hidden these 
things from the wise and the prudent, but you revealed them 
unto babes. So we come to close out chapter 
13, at least the parables. God willing, we'll look at the 
rejection at Nazareth next Lord's Day. But I do want to begin reading 
in chapter 13, beginning in verse 36. Then Jesus sent the multitude 
away and went into the house. And his disciples came to him 
saying, explain to us the parable of the tares of the field. He 
answered and said to them, he who sows the good seed is the 
son of man, the field is the world, the good seeds are the 
sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked 
one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is 
the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore, as 
the tears are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at 
the end of this age. The son of man will send out 
his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all things 
that offend and those who practice lawlessness and will cast them 
into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing 
of teeth. Then the righteous will shine 
forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father. He who has ears 
to hear, let him hear. Again, the kingdom of heaven 
is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid, and 
for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that 
field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking 
beautiful pearls, who when he had found one pearl of great 
price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Again, 
the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into 
the sea and gathered some of every kind. which when it was 
full they drew to shore, and they sat down and gathered the 
good into vessels, but threw the bad away. So it will be at 
the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate 
the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace 
of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing 
of teeth. Jesus said to them, Have you 
understood all these things? They said to him, Yes, Lord. 
Then he said to them, therefore, every scribe instructed concerning 
the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out 
of his treasure things new and old. Now it came to pass when 
Jesus had finished these parables that he departed from there. 
Amen. Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, 
we come to the scripture. We pray for the ministry of your 
spirit. We pray for cleansing in the 
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. We acknowledge our sin. our transgression, 
we acknowledge the darkening of our hearts and understanding 
by virtue of that sin. And we pray that you would cleanse 
us afresh, that you would help us to take every thought captive 
to the obedience of Christ. We pray that you'd encourage 
your people. We pray that you would challenge unbelievers, 
that you would cause men, women, boys, and girls to see the reality 
of a future judgment. to see the fact that we will 
all stand before a holy God, that we will all give account 
for deeds done in the body, whether good or evil. And God, may this 
be the day of salvation. May you awaken sinners to see 
their need for the Lord Jesus Christ, and may He come by the 
Spirit to save people from their sins. We thank you for grace, 
we thank you for mercy, we thank you for those truths rehearsed 
in Ephesians 1. We know ultimately, God, it does 
not depend upon him who wills, or upon him who runs, but it 
is you who shows mercy. As our Lord taught us, with men 
it is impossible to save a soul, but with you all things are possible. 
So we appeal to sovereign power and sovereign grace this morning, 
and we pray that you would have your way in the hearts of people. 
that you would bring glory to your name through the salvation 
of sinners. And again, may you fill our hearts 
with rejoicing over what you've saved us from. May you cause 
us to reflect upon the blessings that are ours in the gospel of 
our Lord Jesus Christ. And it's in his most blessed 
name that we pray. Amen. Well, we'll take up, as 
I said, the last two parables in chapter 13, and that is the 
parable of the dragnet and the parable of the scribe. And the 
parable of the dragnet is very similar to the parable of the 
tares. Remember, Jesus gives the teaching 
on the parable of the wheat and the tares earlier in the chapter. 
And the emphasis there is on the fact that the enemy comes 
and he sows these tares among the wheat field. And then the 
servants of the Lord or the servants of the householder find these 
tares and they ask the question, what are we supposed to do with 
them? And the master or the homeowner says, you need to leave the tares 
alone. lest when you bring them up or you uproot them, you uproot 
the weed as well. Just leave them and at the very 
end of the age, there will be this final separation. The disciples, 
of course, come to Jesus and they ask for an explanation with 
reference to the tears. And so Jesus points them to that 
judgment day, that end of this age and the ushering in of the 
age to come, and he explains in vivid detail the judgment 
of the unrighteous. And so he does the same thing 
here using a different metaphor, but the idea is the same, this 
parable of the dragnet. And what is conspicuously absent 
in the parable of the dragnet is any mention of the righteous. In the parable of the tears at 
the end in verse 43, it indicates then the righteous will shine 
forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father. He who has ears 
to hear, let him hear. And in this parable of the dragnet, 
there's no reference to the righteous. I think what our Lord wants us 
to do is to consider the stark reality of the judgment to come. He repeats himself. He reminds 
his hearers over and over again concerning this reality. When 
we looked at this parable of the tares, I mentioned that very 
often we live in the here and the now. We don't think there's 
an eternity, or at least we don't live like there's an eternity. 
We don't live like there's an age to come. We live for the 
moment, satisfying our lusts, seeking to gratify those pleasures 
of the flesh, and doing what seems right in our own eyes. So we need to understand that 
by way of repetition and reminder, our Lord is calling attention 
to the fact that each and every one of us will stand and give 
an account to God Most High. It is a most terrifying reality. It is a most descriptive thing 
that Jesus paints for us in this particular parable of the dragnet. So we'll look at it. First, its 
subject. Secondly, its analogy. Third, 
the explanation. I've already mentioned the subject 
is the Kingdom of Heaven. This is the recurring theme in 
all of these eight parables. Verse 47. Again, the Kingdom 
of Heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered 
some of every kind. Jesus uses a metaphor that he's 
already used previously. In Matthew 4.19, when he calls 
his disciples, he tells them to put down their nets. He says, 
I will make you fishers of men. This was a common thing in this 
region of the Sea of Galilee, and it would certainly be an 
image that everyone would be able. to sink their minds and 
hearts into. Note the use of the dragnet. It is thrown out, it is drawn 
in at the end of the day, and then it is examined to see what 
manner of fish has been caught. Now the commentators say there 
were over 20 species of fish in the Sea of Galilee. And what 
Christ says is that the kingdom of heaven is like this dragnet 
that was cast into the sea and it gathers some of every kind. 
It gathers good fish, it gathers bad fish. Certainly this does 
speak to the entirety of the world. The church is part and 
parcel of the world and so we need to understand that within 
the church, at least the professing people of God, there's going 
to be good fish and there's going to be bad fish. We cannot escape 
that particular reality. This has been a theme. Remember 
believers and unbelievers. The good soil versus the bad 
soil. The wheat versus the tares. Jesus 
is using common analogy to bring to bear upon the people that 
they ought not to presume, they ought not to rest, they ought 
not to settle the reality unless they know that they are safely 
folded in the arms of the Lord Jesus Christ. This certainly 
does speak to the unconverted, but it speaks to the hypocrite 
among us as well. We cannot assume that everyone 
who names the name of Jesus Christ is in fact a believer. If that 
was the case, then our streets would look a whole lot different. 
If that was the case, then the divorce rates wouldn't be so 
high among the people of God. If that were the case, there 
wouldn't be abortions going on in evangelical churches. There 
wouldn't be the sorts of things that we see if everybody who 
professed the name of Christ were actually believers. So we 
need to take heed to this reality that this dragnet is thrown out 
into the sea, and at the end of the age it will be hauled 
in, and then the angels will discriminate. The angels will 
separate. The angels will discover the 
good. and the bad. The dragnet is filled at the 
end, the fishermen then drag it in according to verse 48, 
when it was full they drew to shore and sat down and gathered 
the good into vessels but threw the bad away. There would certainly 
be fish According to Leviticus chapter 11, there were unclean 
and clean. There were certain ones that 
a person could eat if they were in the country of Israel, and 
there were those that were forbidden. But it might not just be clean 
versus unclean. It might be edible versus inedible. And so this dragnet goes out, 
it's brought back in, and then it is examined to see what the 
yield is. Now note the explanation in verse 
49. So it will be at the end. of the age." This is the emphasis 
in chapter 13 at verse 39 as well. In the parable of the tares, 
the harvest is the end of the age. The angels will come forth, 
separate the wicked from among the just. The older commentators, 
and I think there's some merit to this particular interpretation, 
saw movement in these seven parables, or these eight parables. The 
parable of the sower, the beginning, the inception, the inauguration 
of the kingdom of heaven, when the son of man goes out to sow 
his seed. They saw what the parables of 
the mustard seed and the leaven, the growth of the kingdom. They 
saw what the parables of the treasure and the pearls, the 
value, the exceeding worth of the kingdom. And this parable 
of the dragnet is a fitting capstone, a fitting end to this survey 
of church history, if you will. The dragnet focuses our attention 
on the reality that there is a coming judgment. The net will 
be brought to shore. The fishermen will survey. The 
angels, who are the fishermen in this particular context, will 
notice those particular things. And as I've said, the Lord Christ 
calls men to consider the future. I would ask you this morning 
to do that very thing. I know that some of you profess 
faith in Christ. I know that some of you do not 
profess faith in Christ. I would ask that all of us consider 
this reality. We're going to be dragged to 
the shore someday. There's not one of us that will 
escape. You've heard the old adage, you 
can't escape death and taxes. May I just say you can escape 
taxes if you don't mind living in a prison cell, if you don't 
mind having your property seized, if you don't mind having your 
goods confiscated, if you don't mind being an enemy of the state. 
You can actually avoid paying your taxes. The two things I 
submit that man cannot escape is death and judgment. Hebrews 
chapter 9 tells us it's appointed unto men to die once, and then 
what? Is it a dreamless sleep? Is it 
annihilation? Is it this idea of ancient philosophers, 
current philosophers? Is it the idea of some false 
religions that when we close our eyes in death, that's it, 
it's over, it's done? That's not what this parable 
teaches us. This parable teaches us that 
when we close our eyes in death, then comes judgment. And we need 
to consider that. We need to think about that. 
We need to realize that within the space of several verses, 
closely compacted together, Jesus Christ directs the attention 
of his disciples and of the multitudes to the reality of the judgment 
to come. The parable of the tares and 
the parable of the dragnet maintain the same emphasis. We do well 
to heed the call of our Lord Jesus Christ and to consider 
the reality of this coming judgment. Notice in verses 49 and 50, So 
it will be at the end of the age the angels will come forth, 
separate the wicked from among the just. We know from the parable 
of the tares that the angels are the agents of judgment. Who's 
the judge? It's the Son of Man. It's the 
Lord Christ. It is the King of kings and Lord 
of lords. It is the one who in his first 
coming came as a babe in the manger. That's the kind of Jesus 
I think man outside of Jesus really likes. We really appreciate 
a babe in a manger because he's someone we can control. He's 
someone we can hold. He's someone we can manipulate. 
He's someone that brings a few fond thoughts to our hearts at 
particular times of the year. But make no mistake about it. 
When Jesus comes in the second advent, when Jesus comes in the 
glory of his father with all of his holy angels, it will not 
be to occupy a manger. It will not be to create some 
sentimentality among creatures, but it will be to take vengeance 
on those who know not God and on those who do not obey the 
gospel. So while we read of the angels 
here being the ones that separate the wicked from among the just, 
we know the judge is the Son of Man. We know it is that Danielic 
Son of Man given to us in Daniel 7, 13 and 14, that Christ will 
come, that the angels simply do His bidding, that the angels 
carry out His particular orders, that the angels discriminate 
and make distinction because of the command of the King Himself. The description, notice in verse 
50, "...and cast them into the furnace of fire, there will be 
wailing and gnashing of teeth there." So the angels come, they 
separate the wicked from among the just. Just like the good 
fish are separated from the bad fish. Now, this is where we can't 
press every detail in a parable. I mean, if you think about it 
for just a moment, the good fish are placed in vessels. What then 
happens with good fish that are placed in vessels? You take them 
home and you put them in a frying pan, don't you? You don't put 
good fish in vessels on your shelf and just look at them and 
stare at them. You see, you can't press every 
detail in the parable. The idea is the separation. The 
idea is the distinction. The idea is the reality that 
the fishermen find the good fish, put them in their vessels, and 
bring them home. That's what happens to the good 
fish in the kingdom. Now, the bad fish, they are burned 
in the furnace of fire. They are cast away. They are 
discarded. There is no benefit to them. 
There is no usefulness for them. There is no way that you will 
bring that garbage back to your home. You don't put it in a vessel. You don't put it on the shelf. 
You don't break it out when you're hungry. You don't cook it for 
your food. Rather, you take the bad fish 
and you discard it. You destroy it, you throw it 
into the furnace of fire according to the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
then note the description of those so thrown into the fire. There will be wailing and gnashing 
of teeth. You ever hear people in their 
follies say, you know, when I get to hell, it's going to be a great 
big party. Or some fools say, heaven doesn't 
want me and hell's afraid that I'll take over. What are you 
going to take over in hell? Are you going to wail the loudest? 
Are you going to gnash your teeth the most? Are you going to be 
in agony and suffering more than all your equals? Is that really 
what men want us to believe? You see, hell is no joking matter. It was said of Edwards that he 
preached the gospel with an eye on the glories of heaven and 
with an eye on the terrors of hell. The Apostle Paul was able 
to say, knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, what do we 
do? We persuade men. The Lord Christ 
made it an emphasis in his ministry to point men to the reality of 
future conscious punishment in the age to come. This is what 
he says. This is precisely what he said 
in the parable of the tares. Notice in verse 41, the son of 
man will send out his angels. They will gather out of his kingdom 
all things that offend and those who practice lawlessness and 
will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing 
and gnashing of teeth. You say, Pastor Butler, we just 
went over this a few weeks ago. Yeah, he had just gone over it 
a few seconds prior. Why? Because he wants you to 
hear it. He wants you to get it. He wants 
you to understand. He wants you to realize that 
if you're a child, or you're a teenager, or you're an adult, 
this is your future, apart from Christ. Isn't it interesting 
that people want to know what's going to happen to them in the 
coming week, or in the coming month, or in the coming year? 
There's people out there. There's a place right over on 
Yale Road and Broadway. At least I think it's still there. 
You can go get your fortune read. People read tea leaves. Isn't 
that just weird? tea leaves, pyramids, crystals, 
all these things because we're so interested in knowing what's 
our future. If you are outside of Christ 
this morning, this much I can say to you with absolute certainty 
and with positivity, this is your future and it's a bad, bleak, 
grim future. It is a terrifying future. They 
will be cast into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing 
and gnashing of teeth. Some will say, well, that's not 
the concept of the God I love. He is a God of grace. He is a God of mercy. He is a 
God of justice. He is a God of righteousness. 
He is a God of holiness. May I suggest that one of the 
proofs, at least on an emotional or human level, that the Bible 
was authored by God is the reality that it reveals this God. You 
see, we'd only inscribe a God that loved. We'd only inscribe 
a God that poured out grace. We'd only reveal a God of mercy. We wouldn't inscribe one who 
was holy, holy, holy. We would not write of the God 
who the prophet Jeremiah said, who would not fear thee, O king 
of the nations, for indeed it is thy due. See, we like to bring 
God down to our level and see Him as a servant to our happiness. We like to see Him as a servant 
to my wholeness and my well-being. God's not our servant. God is 
not our Our Aaron boy. God is the God of heaven and 
earth. The prophet says He inhabits 
eternity. He is, as Moses says, from everlasting 
to everlasting. He is the God of absolute, unrivaled 
sovereignty and majesty and power and glory and holiness and justice 
and righteousness. It is righteous with God that 
He punishes sin. It is righteous with God that 
he punishes sin. When you see a man engaged in 
a crime and he stands before a judge and that judge says, 
I sentence you to a hundred years hard labor, what do you do? You 
rejoice, don't you? You take a pervert, or a man 
who abuses children, or someone who engages ungodly deeds, and 
he stands before the judge. If the judge said to him, you 
know, I am marked and characterized by love, so I just want you to 
go from this courtroom and be happy and whole, what would you 
do? You say, that judge needs to 
be fired. That judge needs to be thrown in prison. That judge 
needs to be taken out back and dealt with. Isn't that the heartbeat 
of man? Why on that level do we see it? But when we come to cosmic treachery, 
when we come to rebels against the God of heaven and earth, 
who is wholly righteous and just, when he punishes sin, somehow 
it's unfair, somehow it's unkind, somehow it's uncharacteristic 
with who he is and what he's about. No, we've got the problem 
in this scenario. What God does at the end of the 
age is just. It is righteous. It is pure. It is holy. And this is what 
the Lord Christ wants you to get. May I suggest your response 
ought to be this morning. Not, well that doesn't seem right, 
or that doesn't seem fair, or that's not the God of Joel Osteen, 
or that's not the God who Benny Hinn preaches. Come to what Christ 
says and flee to Him. That's the response. Does it 
offend you when men preach on eternal torment? Does it offend 
you when men preach on conscious punishment? Then Christ is offensive 
to you. And you need to change your thought 
process, repent, and forsake it, and flee to Him. If Christ 
is highlighting the reality of sinners, the wicked, being cast 
into the furnace of fire, where there will be wailing and gnashing 
of teeth, don't wail now and gnash your teeth at Him, but 
rather flee to Him and find mercy under the shadow of His wings. 
You see, this judge, this son of man who will come in the glory 
of his father with all of his holy angels, taking vengeance 
on them who knew not God and on those who do not obey the 
gospel, isn't here right now, is he? This hasn't happened right 
now, so what does that mean? There's hope. There's hope. You can flee. You can run. You can hide. You can seek refuge. Lay down your arms. Lay down 
your rebellion. Stop rejecting. Stop trying to 
dispute it. Stop trying to make rational 
arguments as to why there can't actually be conscious punishment. 
Flee the wrath to come. You say, but I'm a sinner. Flee 
to Christ! He came to seek and to save that 
which was lost. Notice how he describes, there's 
two classes of men. There's the wicked and there's 
the just. How does a man become just? How 
does a woman become just? How does a boy become just? How 
does a girl become just? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. 
Believe the gospel of free and sovereign grace. Look and live, 
the Bible says. The Westminster Catechism summarizes 
it in this beautiful declaration that justification is an act 
of God's free grace. Isn't that beautiful? Justification 
is not an act of our hard work. Justification is not an act of 
our good deeds. Justification is an act of God's 
free grace. Where any pardons all our sins. Pastor Cam read this morning 
in Ephesians 1-7, in him we have redemption through his blood. 
Why the blood at Calvary? To wash us from our sins. Why 
the death at Calvary? To purge us from our iniquity. 
Why the satisfaction at Calvary? Because of what the prophet Zechariah 
says, there will be a fountain open for sin and uncleanness. As Calper says, sinners plunge 
beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains. You're guilty 
here this morning if you're not a Christian. I don't care how 
good you think you are. I don't care how good others 
think you are. I don't care how good this civil 
government may look upon you as. If you are not in Christ, 
you are dead in your trespasses and sins. You are guilty, vile, 
and helpless. And the Gospel answers to your 
condition. The Gospel is the remedy. This is the point in Paul's presentation 
in the book of Romans. It deals with man's plight. Romans 
1 to 3. And then it deals with God's 
power and remedy in justifying sinners freely by His grace. 
You see, in the gospel, in justification, we have pardoned for our sins, 
all sin, every sin. Isn't that great? Isn't it the 
case, or isn't it great that it's not the case where God says, 
look, I've dealt with 99.999% of your sin. We're still dead, 
we're dead, we're damned, we're in hell. We go into the furnace 
of fire where there's wailing and gnashing of teeth. We sing 
that song, Jesus, paid it all. What did He say on the cross? 
But it is finished. It's almost finished. It's up 
to you good folk now. No, He pardons all our sins and 
He accepts us as righteous in His sight. Again, not for our 
good deeds, not for our law keeping, not because of our merit, only 
for the righteousness of Christ imputed or given to us and received 
by faith alone. So the moment any sinner in this 
room believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, the moment any sinner 
in this room trusts in the Savior King, you receive forgiveness, 
and a righteousness that avails with God. May I suggest that 
instead of arguing against conscious eternal punishment, instead of 
arguing against the reality that a just and loving God would never 
send someone as nice as you to hell, may I say to you, flee. 
Flee to the Lord Jesus Christ, the one alone in whom there is 
forgiveness. Young people, children, I know 
you hear this repetitiously. I know you hear it Lord's Day 
In and Lord's Day Out. I know you probably hear it at 
the family altar at home. I know that if you have praying 
fathers and mothers, they are exhorting you. They're calling 
upon you. They're telling you to flee the 
wrath of God. Look at what Christ says and 
see why they do that. See why the emphasis is repeated 
in this pulpit. Because this is the final lot. 
This is the place. There's not a wicked, a just, 
and then you. There's not a wicked, a just, 
and then the rest of us. If anything is underscored in 
this particular section of parables, it is the reality of Matthew 
12.30. He who is not with me is against me. You are either 
with Christ and safe, or you are outside of Christ and damned. That's it. That's the only alternatives. And that's what Christ sets before 
us in this particular passage. The repetition in this parable 
serves to underscore the seriousness of the disciples' task. You see, 
this eighth parable, Jesus tells his disciples how they are to 
function based on the knowledge that they've acquired. So when 
they're hearing this, and they've gone from the tares, and they've 
gone to the dragnet, and they've seen this discrimination and 
separation at the end, and they've seen bad fish being cast into 
the furnace of fire, and they see tares being bundled up and 
thrown into the furnace of fire, the disciples standing there 
listening to Jesus would take seriously the responsibility 
that they would have as scribes concerning the kingdom of heaven. 
as householders who are tasked with bringing things new and 
old and bringing it to bear on the people that would hear them. 
But as well, this repetition, this reminder, this movement 
from terrace to dragnet would highlight again the stark reality 
of the coming judgment of God Most High. Let me just show you 
something very interesting. I know I alluded to it. I'm sure 
it was probably during the terrace. Turn to Revelation 6 for just 
a moment. Revelation chapter 6. I probably 
differ in some particular respects as to The larger issues involved 
in this particular chapter, but there is something noteworthy 
for our study this morning. I've already said that in the 
parable of the dragnet, the angels represent the fishermen. They 
drag the net onto the shore and they start going through it. 
They take the good fish, put it in vessels to take home to 
the master. They take the bad fish, they discard it, put it 
into the furnace of fire where there'll be wailing and gnashing 
of teeth. But the judge is the son of man. The judge is the 
Lord Christ. The judge is the Lord Jesus himself. Now notice something in chapter 
6 of the book of Revelation beginning in verse 12. I looked when he 
opened the sixth seal and behold there was a great earthquake 
and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became like 
blood. And the stars of heaven fell 
to the earth as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken 
by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll 
when it is rolled up and every mountain and island was moved 
out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the 
great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every 
every slave and every free man hit themselves in the caves and 
in the rocks of the mountains. You just read that again, look, 
look, look what's going on. When there's a problem in the 
land, we look to our leaders for stability. When there's a 
problem in the land, we look to our leaders for security. 
When there's a problem in the land, we don't want to see them 
hiding under their desks. Somebody invaded Canada, we'd 
like to know that the Prime Minister was sitting in his chair. He 
had his phone, he had his whatever, and he was orchestrating the 
events to deal with the opposition. We want leaders who say, I'll 
go down with the ship. We want leaders who are not going 
to be like little girls who run and hide themselves. But you 
see, the opposing forces in John's vision are formidable. These 
leaders, these commanders, these mighty men realize that there 
is no way they can withstand the onslaught. They realize there 
is no defense they can offer. They realize there is no fortification 
they can adopt. Who is the enemy? Who is the 
invading force? Who is the opposer of these particular 
men? Verse 15, the kings of the earth, 
the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, 
every slave and every free man hit themselves in the caves and 
in the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and 
the rocks, fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits 
on the throne and from the wrath of the lamb. This same John who wrote the 
book of Revelation records in his gospel in 129, behold, the 
Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Well, when 
the world rejects Him, when you despise Him, when you refuse 
Him, when you say, no, I'd rather engage in my sin or my loss or 
with my friends or with whatever, you will face not forgiveness 
on that day, but you will face wrath. fury and vengeance and 
anger. This is what they say. Fall on 
us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne 
and from the wrath of the lamb for the great day of his wrath 
has come and who is able to stand? What's the answer? No one. None of you. No man out there. I don't care how many muscles 
you have. I don't care how strong you are. 
I don't care how low your cholesterol is. I don't care that you measure 
out every broccoli crown you eat. I don't care that you do 
more cardio than anybody ever. When you stand before the King 
of Kings and the Lord of Lords on that day, you cannot stand. You see why the parable of the 
dragnet is important. This age, the net is in the water, 
but it's coming where that net is brought in. And the angels, 
under the bidding of the Son of Man, will take the good fish, 
place them in the vessels, and carry them to the Master. The 
bad fish will be thrown into the furnace of fire, where, as 
Jesus records, there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 
Spurgeon said, the doom of the wicked is described in terms 
which are terrible to the last degree. Those who would have 
us think lightly of the punishment of the ungodly have no countenance 
in the teachings of the Lord Jesus. Neither does the idea 
that fire causes annihilation find any support from the metaphor 
here employed. For in the furnace fire there 
shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. If annihilation is 
right, then Jesus is wrong. But Jesus isn't wrong, therefore 
annihilation is false. That idea, that doctrine, as 
I've already mentioned, that when you close your eyes and 
you sleep the sleep of death, that it's all over. Oh, wouldn't 
sinners love that? Wouldn't sinners delight in that? 
Wouldn't that be the end of a glorious age of sinful, depraved living? If all you were was worm food. 
If all you were was decay. If all you did was enter back 
in to the circle of life and become fertilizer for some other 
item. I suggest that men desire the 
doctrine of annihilationism to be true, but our desire that 
something is true doesn't make it so. And notice finally the 
parable of the scribe. Jesus said to them, have you 
understood all these things? There's a crescendo here. Yes, 
the parables are spoken to the multitudes. Yes, the parables 
are for us. These parables were calculated 
for these twelve. These parables were instruction 
for these men that would serve and function as scribes in the 
kingdom. It was to them that the mysteries of the kingdom 
were given. Notice in chapter 13 at verse 
16, But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, 
for they hear. For assuredly I say to you that 
many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, 
and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear 
it. These disciples were given this knowledge of the truth so 
that they would then bear fruit that was consistent with this 
truth according to verse 23 and the parable of the good soil. 
And now Christ comes to specifically ask them, have you understood 
all these things? Why? Because the knowledge that 
Jesus Christ has given to them, the knowledge that Jesus Christ 
has revealed to them, comes with specific responsibility. These 
disciples have to function in a manner that is consistent with 
the knowledge given to them. Gil says it this way. Since the 
disciples had such a clear understanding of the above parables and were 
by them and by other things so well furnished to preach the 
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven to others, Christ stirs them 
up by the following parable to a diligent exercise of their 
gifts and to a large, free, and cheerful communication of their 
knowledge to others. This is the parable of the scribe. 
Verse 52. Friday night was really a blessing, 
wasn't it? There's a lot of people here. 
I can't help, in the secret recesses of my remainingly depraved heart, 
to wonder if the pizza had something to do with that. I sent out the email and one 
brother said, you had me at free pizza, but I'm going to be out 
of town. In fact, I mentioned to brother Tony, we ought to 
purchase pizzas. not on Sunday, on Saturday, but 
make them available for our evening worship. Perhaps we'll get more 
of a turnaround in the evening. May I say that tonight's service 
is going to be application of this parable, the parable of 
the scribe? When Paul tells Timothy how he 
is to engage as a good minister of Christ, It fleshes out what 
is being told here by Jesus to these disciples. Notice, have 
you understood all these things? They said to him, yes, Lord. Then he said to them, therefore, 
every scribe instructed. Now I don't believe that Jesus 
is creating a class of New Testament scribes. He is not equating these 
men with the scribes and the Pharisees type scribes. He's 
using a metaphor, he's using an analogy, he's using a concept, 
an office, a function that is there to educate them on a particular. Gil says they are evangelical 
scribes, and I quite like that. Some see in this Matthew's reference 
to himself, verses 51 and 52. You know at the end of Mark's 
gospel, in Mark chapter 14, there's that account of a young man who's 
naked and he runs off? Most people think that's Mark. 
Most people say that's Mark, including himself, in Mark's 
gospel. Some suggest that because Matthew was a tax collector, 
a bookkeeper, a scribe, that somehow he's indicating in this 
particular section of the narrative his role in the kingdom of heaven. 
That may very well be the case. Christ's point to these disciples 
is that you've been given this knowledge for a particular purpose. Yes, for the salvation of your 
souls. Yes, for your entrance into the 
kingdom of heaven. Yes, so that you will be counted 
among the good fish, you will be counted among the good soil, 
you will be counted among the wheat, but you also have a responsibility 
as scribes concerning the kingdom of heaven. France says it this 
way, the saying envisages disciples in their scribal function, that 
is, as authorized teachers for the kingdom of heaven, in contrast 
with the Pharisaic scribes who have failed to grasp its message. Notice, verse 52, He said to 
them, the disciples, therefore every scribe instructed concerning 
or instructed for the kingdom of heaven is like. It's a parable, 
just like the others. Subject isn't as strict, the 
kingdom of heaven, but rather the kingdom of heaven or men 
educated or instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom 
is like this. a householder who brings out 
of his treasure things new and old. So these men were given 
understanding with a particular focus and a particular reference 
to take the message of the gospel out. The disciples, we can glean 
from this, are to be educated in the truth of the kingdom of 
heaven. This is an important emphasis, and as I said, it's 
going to bleed over into tonight. There are men out there occupying 
pulpits that shouldn't be. I'm sure you have visited a doctor 
before, and you have thought on your way home, that man maybe 
shouldn't be a doctor. Or whenever we've been pulled 
over by a police officer, we say that man certainly ought 
not to be a police officer, because he's messing with me when there's 
robbers and crack dealers out there. It may sound proud, it may sound 
arrogant, it may sound self-serving, but there are men standing behind 
pulpits that should not be there. As I said, it's going to be crystal 
clear tonight in 1 Timothy 4, 12-16. But notice, the disciples 
are to be educated in the truth of the Kingdom of Heaven. Listen 
to what Calvin says. There's a big difference between 
the way it was and the way it is. I looked at a news story 
online somewhere the other day, and you know how you get those 
ads, those little menacing ads that pop up? One of them said, 
no study necessary, click here and become a minister. Pay your fee, get your B, and 
you're a reverend whoever. Listen to what Calvin says, the 
meaning therefore is that teachers of the church ought to be prepared 
by long study for giving to the people, as out of a storehouse, 
a variety of instruction concerning the Word of God. Gill says it 
this way, a large competency Not a small bit, but a large 
competency of biblical knowledge and truth ought to be in place, 
which is necessary to these householders. A second implication we draw 
from this is that the disciples are servants of Christ, and having 
been given this knowledge, they are to instruct others. They are to preach, they are 
to teach, they are to proclaim, they are to declare. That's why 
as a church, it is paramount, it is imperative that we discern 
men that have that gifting, that have that capacity, and we seek 
to cultivate them, and we pray for them, so that we can do what 
the Hoffmeyers have done in the Philippines. Wasn't your heart 
warmed? Wasn't it cheered? Wasn't it 
encouraged with the lack of razzmatazz? With the lack of the super exciting, 
it was a pretty basic presentation. Besides the daily vacation Bible 
school, what has occupied that brother for 30 years? To teach 
men theology and the Bible, to send those men to plant churches, 
and then to keep doing it. Somehow I think at times within 
the church, that's not enough. We gotta have bells, we gotta 
have whistles, we gotta have light shows, we gotta have bands, 
we gotta have everything. No. We need to identify men, 
we need to make sure they're biblically and theologically 
solid men, and we need to get rid of them. They need to go 
elsewhere so that they can occupy pulpits and they can preach to 
the people of God. Every slide that was presented 
there with a handful of believers represents individual Christians 
who then go live in their various parts of the world and they influence 
others. And then they say, I want you 
to come and hear what my pastor has to say. And what do we find 
but the multiplication? We find the growth that Jesus 
promised in the leaven and in the mustard seed. It isn't rocket 
science. Biblical churchmanship ought 
to be simple. When men spend more time reading 
leadership manuals than systematic theology, we've got problems. When men are manipulating crowds 
instead of feeding sheep, we've got problems. When men are entertaining 
crowds instead of putting out hay for the people of God, we've 
got problems. And dare I say, we've got problems. Spurgeon says that scribe had 
need be well instructed, who has to keep on handing out a 
variety of precious truth throughout a long life. I remember getting 
prayer letters from pastors and gospel ministry. I celebrated 
my 40th year at the same church. I used to think, and I still 
think, how? That's tough. How do you be a faithful householder 
and keep bringing out treasures new and old? By being a faithful 
householder and bringing out treasures new and old. That's 
how. It took me a while, but I think 
I finally got it. You just do what God says. What 
you did the first day, you do the day you die. That's it. You do the day you die. And the 
disciples are to bring out of the treasure things new and old. Law, Gospel, Old Testament, New 
Testament, certainly all those things, I think, converge here. 
The idea, I think, in the context is that Jesus, as the divine 
interpreter of the Kingdom of Heaven, is giving these men insight. He's giving them revelation that 
is, in many respects, new. The Kingdom of Heaven was prophesied 
in the Old Covenant. The Kingdom of Heaven was foretold 
in the Old Covenant. The Kingdom of Heaven was talked 
about in the Old Covenant. But sitting under the feet of 
the Master, they have a new interpretation of a basic reality concerning 
the Kingdom of Heaven. Davies and Allison said this, 
the Fathers, the Church Fathers, who I'm beginning to be a lot 
more sympathetic with than our moderns, There's a lot of good 
moderns, but the fathers weren't the wingnuts I used to think 
they were. The fathers who tended to see 
in 1352 a reference to the Old Testament found the verse useful 
in combating depreciation of the Old Testament. You see, it 
is the new interpretation of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it's 
also Isaiah, it's Jeremiah, it's Judges. When Jeho lifts up that 
tent peg and drives it into the head of Sisera, we are to see 
Genesis 3.15. When Abimelech in chapter 9 gets 
his head crushed by a stone, we're to think Genesis 3.15. 
We're to connect that to Colossians 2. We're to see the triumph of 
the Son of God bashing and crushing the head of the serpent. It's 
things new and old. France captures it this way. 
The specific combination of things new and old may have further 
nuance as a warning against neglecting the old in the excitement of 
having discovered the new, as indeed the imagery of the parables 
of the treasure and the pearl might suggest. In other words, 
this man finds the treasure, he finds the pearl, and he forgets 
everything behind him. I think C.S. Lewis was right. 
There's a chronological snobbery that exists. Unless something 
is modern, it mustn't be true. Well, I think that exists with 
reference to our Bible study as well. Sometimes people think 
the Old Testament, what could it possibly educate or teach 
me about God Most High? Hopefully we're seeing in our 
study in the book of Judges, at least that book teaches us 
of His grace, of His mercy, and of His salvation. Don't you know 
what's going on in Judges? Yes, God is delivering his people 
from oppression. Sounds New Testament to me. Sounds 
New Covenant to me. Sounds exactly like what we've 
come to expect in the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus already taught us in Matthew 
5, 17 to 20 not to depreciate the Old Testament. Do not think, 
do not let it begin to rise up in your heart that I came to 
destroy the law and the prophets. I didn't come to destroy. I came 
to fulfill. So I think that's what's going 
on. Jesus gives the seven parables of the kingdom concerning the 
kingdom of heaven. The eighth is concerning those 
scribes instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven. And here's 
their responsibility. Here is their task. Here is their 
blessed privilege. The 12 certainly, and subsequent 
to that, teachers and preachers and faithful witnesses and testifiers. Those are like a householder 
who brings out of his treasure things new and old. Well, in 
conclusion, we learn, well, verse 53 concludes the discourse. I 
don't want to gloss over that. Notice in verse 53, it came to 
pass when Jesus had finished these parables that he departed 
from there. So he's in Capernaum, he now 
goes back to Nazareth, and that will pick up the rejection at 
Nazareth in verses 54 to 58, which I suspect we'll continue 
to see varying responses to the Lord Christ, and the highlight 
being rising opposition to Him and to His ministry. So that's 
verse 53 concludes the kingdom parables, the third discourse 
in Matthew's gospel. So I've already mentioned and 
indicated, first of all, this explains Jesus' ministry. This 
explains Jesus' ministry. While He's going about from city 
to city and from town to town, that is akin to the dragnet being 
in the water. That is akin to the dragnet being 
in the water. When Jesus ascends on high, leads 
captivity captive, he gives gifts to men. The church is then engaged 
in its function. The dragnet is in the water. 
When the Son of Man returns, that's when the dragnet will 
be returned to the shore, and then the angels will make this 
discrimination between the good fish and the bad fish. Secondly, 
one of the things that we ought to appreciate as well, is as 
Jesus gets into this eighth parable concerning the scribes and the 
kingdom, notice what he asks these men. Do you understand 
these things? He doesn't take it for granted 
that they do. In fact, this is key throughout 
these kingdom parables. The good soil, the first soil, 
or rather the first soil in verse 18. Therefore whoever hears, 
hear the parable, I'm sorry, therefore hear the parable of 
the sower when anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does 
not understand it. Understanding plays out several 
times. The good soil, verse 23. He hears 
the word and understands it. If you don't understand what's 
been said in this last 50 minutes, may I say, can you sit with me 
over a bowl of soup and ask? I want to make sure you get it. Sit with Pastor Camp. Sit with 
other brothers that know the Bible. Ask. If you don't understand 
what's been said this morning, ask. Jesus doesn't assume it. He asks, have you understood? 
We learn this with Philip. He walks upon the eunuch sitting 
in his chariot, reading the prophet Isaiah, and Philip says, do you 
understand what you're reading? Thankfully, the eunuch was honest 
and says, how can I unless somebody explains it to me? Fight that 
pride and that tendency. We hate to admit we're wrong. 
When we hate to admit we're wrong concerning the kingdom of heaven, 
the repercussions are serious. Do not be wrong here. Thirdly, 
note the responsibility of the scribes, the first century scribes. Again, evangelical scribes, preachers, 
teachers of the truth. The task of the apostles after 
Jesus died, rose, and ascended into heaven was to go out and 
to bring out of their treasure chest, they were to bring truths 
new and old. Isn't that what the book of Acts 
is? Isn't that what happens? They preach the reality of Jesus 
Christ, and they constantly root it in the Old Testament Scriptures. 
They preach the coming glory of the Son of Man in His first 
advent to bring forgiveness, to bring remission, to bring 
salvation, and they constantly tether it to the Old Testament. 21st century scribes. It's the 
same. What are men of God today supposed 
to do? They're supposed to function 
as householders. They are supposed to bring out 
of the treasure chest things new and old. The metaphor that 
Jesus selects here is the same metaphor picked up by the Apostle 
Paul. How does he describe the Church 
of God in 1 Timothy 3.15? It is the household of God. In 1 Timothy 3, in the qualification 
for the elders, the pastors, the preachers, he said that they 
need to know how to rule their own households so that they can 
take care of the church of God. See, as householders, they function 
in a stewardship capacity. The pastor doesn't own the church. 
The pastor doesn't make his life because of the church. The pastor 
is simply supposed to function as a minister and a servant to 
the church, to teach and preach the Word of God, to bring out 
treasures, new and old, so that the sheep of Christ can be fed, 
fat, and happy. That bothers people today. Oh, 
all you want is feeding and doctrine and teaching. That's what Jesus 
says to do. Do you feed a sheep so it can 
be emaciated? No, you feed a sheep so it can 
be healthy, so it can jump over fences, so it can knock down 
other sheep, so it can resist wolves. No, not knock down other 
sheep. Please don't do that. The application will be at lunchtime. 
Big guys will be knocking kids out of their way. Give me that 
Nanaimo bar. It's a metaphor that's very appropriate 
in the life of the church. Benjamin Keats said, ministers 
have need of great light and understanding or to be men of 
skill and experience. Ignorant preachers are a plague 
and a curse to a people. Ignorant preachers are a plague 
and a curse to a people. Fourthly, we touched on this, 
I hope sufficiently, but I don't want to end without reminding 
us. While there is application in 
this parable of the scribe to the people of God, to the church 
of God, to the well-being and the function of gospel ministry, 
there needs to be a recurring reminder of this dragnet. You 
see, the tendency is going to be, because Jesus tells us it's 
going to be this way, for me to close in prayer, to thank 
the Lord for the food, to go up, to start ladling soup in 
our mouths, and start throwing Nanaimo bars down. Yes, I like 
Nanaimo bars, and there happens to be some. And forget everything. or we'll get on our phone and 
we'll start texting whoever. Can you meet me here later? Can 
you do this later? Can we do this later? Think about 
the dragnet. Just take 10 minutes out of your 
busy life and think and ask. The angels make that separation. 
Am I a good fish going into a vessel for the master's use? Or am I 
a bad fish going into the furnace of fire? or there will be wailing 
and gnashing of teeth. Please think through these things. 
Don't shun it, don't neglect it, don't put it off. Realize 
there is a battle for your soul. I already mentioned. Chapter 
13, verse 19. When anyone hears the word of 
the kingdom and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes 
and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who 
received seed by the wayside. The picture is one where the 
seed gets thrown and then the birds come and they snatch it 
up. The devil is active here. If the gospel is preached, and 
the gospel is simply the life, the death, and the resurrection 
of Jesus. He lived, he died, he rose. So 
that everyone who believes on him will have everlasting life. 
If that gospel is preached, you can suspect, you can believe, 
you can know that the devil is at work to try to snatch those 
seeds, lest you hear, lest you believe, and lest you are saved. You see, it's very important. 
Do not put it off. Do not resist it. Do not forsake 
it. Do not consider this as something 
that is unimportant. This is everything. This is the 
most important. And the way of salvation, as 
I've mentioned, is through Christ. He alone can save to the uttermost. He alone saves to the uttermost. Paul says he's holy, he's harmless, 
he's undefiled, he's separate from sinners, and he is the one 
that saves to the uttermost. All who draw nigh, that means 
come near to God through him. believe and you shall be saved. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank you for your word and we thank you for the vivid imagery 
that is employed to help us to pay attention. And I pray that 
would be the case. I pray that young and old alike 
would think through this parable of the dragnet, that we'd all 
consider where we'll be on that day of judgment and that time 
of separation. God, I pray that each and every 
one here would be good fish. Each and every one here would 
be wheat. Each and every one here would be good soil. We know 
that this cannot be but by your grace. We pray that in your mercy, 
in your kindness, and in your love, you'd reach down and save. And we ask through Jesus Christ, 
our Lord, Amen. We'll close with a brief time 
of meditation, then I'll come back up and thank the Lord for 
the food.