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Parable Of The Drag-Net

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Parable Of The Drag-Net Series

Contributed by Jerry Shirley on Jan 25, 2007

Scripture:

We see in the word that when things are said twice, it is important and we should pay attention. Seven times throughout Matthew ch13, Jesus says “The Kingdom of heaven is like”. I think we can say it is very important for us to study to get revelation of what Jesus is saying to us.

The Kingdom of Heaven is Like:

A man who sowed good seed in his field

Denomination: Baptist

A mustard seed

Leaven

Treasure hidden in a field

A merchant seeking beautiful pearls

Summary: We live in the days of ’invitation’, but there is coming a day of ’separation’ as God examines all those pulled up in the net.

A dragnet

A householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old

Parable of the Drag-Net

Over the past few weeks we have heard from Ps John, sharing o the mustard seed and the leaven. William shared what are you allowing into your heart, for out of flows the issues of life

Proverbs 4:23–25 NKJV

Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you. Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you.

Ps Derrin has spoken on the hidden treasure.

We see in the word that when things are said twice, it is important and we should pay attention. Seven times throughout Matthew ch13, Jesus says “The Kingdom of heaven is like”. I think we can say it is very important for us to get revelation of what Jesus is communicating to us.

The Seven

The Kingdom of Heaven is Like are:

A man who sowed good seed in his field

A mustard seed

A leaven

A treasure hidden in a field

A merchant seeking beautiful pearls

A dragnet

A householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old

Matthew 13:47–50 NKJV

“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.”

Fishers of Men

Of all of Jesus’ parables He has now given to His disciples, I’m sure this is the one they could relate to the best because it uses an illustration from the fishing world, and most of these guys had backgrounds from that industry. Many of them left their nets when He called them saying, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.

Of all of Jesus’ parables He has now given to His disciples, I’m sure this is the one they could relate to the best because it uses an illustration from the fishing world, and most of these guys had backgrounds from that industry. Many of them left their nets when He called them saying, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.

Of all of Jesus’ parables He has now given to His disciples, I’m sure this is the one they could relate to the best because it uses an illustration from the fishing world, and most of these guys had backgrounds from that industry. Many of them left their nets when He called them saying, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.

Types of Nets

There were 2 different kinds of nets used by fishermen. A casting net is small, bell shaped, and an individual could use it by himself. The other kind of net is a drag-net, and is much larger.

In Bible days a drag-net could cover as much as 1 square mile of water surface area. A group of fishermen would spread out the drag-net between 2 boats and would drag it toward the shoreline. By the time they got the net to shore it would be filled with all sorts of sea creatures.

Men on the shore had the task of going thru the catch and separating the good from the bad. It was simply man making a living. They would separate the useful from the useless, the edible from the bluegill! It was discrimination which led to separation.

Invitation and then Separation

This parable reveals to us tonite what God is doing among lost people today. The gospel of the kingdom involves two things: invitation and then separation.

The sea in the parable is representative of lost humanity. It’s a sea of despair and hopelessness. It’s a deep, dark abyss of iniquity.

The net is the church, extending the gospel invitation. In this day of grace God is using us to throw out the gospel invitation. I, for one, am very glad to live in this age of grace, where I could so freely be saved, and now can freely invite others to do so as well. May we never get tired of casting the net / giving the invitation at the end of the service / witnessing to others in the sea.

But then once we get to shore, there will be a separation.

I. The Invitation

The gospel is available to the entire sea of humanity, people of every kind. Nobody is so high the net cannot reach them, and none are so low that the net cannot descend to them. None are so small that the net cannot embrace them. None are so big that the net cannot wrap around them. None are hopelessly lost.

v. 47 The gospel is available to the entire sea of humanity, people of every kind. Nobody is so high the net cannot reach them, and none are so low that the net cannot descend to them. None are so small that the net cannot embrace them. None are so big that the net cannot wrap around them. None are hopelessly lost.

Titus 2:11 NKJV

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,

2 Peter 3:9 NKJV

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

1 Timothy 2:4 NKJV

who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Romans 8:32 NKJV

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

Isaiah 53:6 NKJV

All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

2 of the most beautiful words in the Bible are ‘whosoever will’! The up and coming folks and the down and out. Religious Nicodemus needed to be born again, and so did the thief on the cross.

The gathering.

The ideal church will have mixture of rich and poor, black and white, and everything in between.

Lady Huntington, a 19th century wealthy noblewoman, was personal friend of w/ George Whitfield, the great evangelist. She had gotten saved during the great Welsh revival. Someone asked her how a woman of her background came to be saved, she replied,

1 Corinthians 1:26 NKJV

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.

…not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

She continued, “notice that it does NOT say, ‘not any’, but not ‘many’.”

Not many rich get saved because their wealth gives them a false sense of security. Jesus said such conversions ‘hardly’ happen. But he also said, what does it profit if you gain the whole world and lose your own soul!

The gospel net does indeed gather fish of every kind.

William Colgate founded his company over 100 years ago. He was an avid Christian, and his church were praying for souls to be saved, and for church growth. A poor woman had been attending and came forward for membership. Churches in those days would take a vote on receiving someone new into the body, and someone voiced opposition to the poor woman joining. Colgate stood and said, “we need to go back and re-make our prayers.” He elaborated, “we have been praying for God to save sinners, but we need to specify what kind of sinners we want Him to save!” The congregation got the point and the woman was added to their number.

Now, notice that though fish of every kind were gathered, it does NOT say that every fish was gathered. Not everyone will be saved. We are called to Evangelise it.

Paul Said in:

1 Corinthians 9:22 NKJV

to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

And some of every kind is what we have here. I love our church, our kids ministries and thank God for them! This is not a social club. This is a hospital for sinners, not a display case for saints.

Ill.—When Jack Hyles first wanted to start his bus ministry in Hammond, IN he was met w/ criticism from a deacon in the church who said, “Preacher, this new idea of a bunch of kids in church whose parents don’t come…I don’t like it.” Dr. Hyles said, “Brother, this idea isn’t new, D.L. Moody was bringing in hundreds of kids 100 years ago in our area [Chicago].” “Yeah, but all those buses sitting out on our parking lot doesn’t look good.” Hyles replied, “Moody brought them in wagons lined out front of the church.” The man said, but do you know the mess of oil such vehicles will leave?” “Yes, but Moody’s wagons were horse drawn, don’t you know they left a mess, too?!”

In spite of the problems that come as you reach out to all kinds, we to be a church that casts a big net for every kind!

The invitation involves casting and gathering of every kind.

II. The Separation

The interpretation of this parable reaches out into the future. Someday a great separation will take place, and it won’t be the good people going to heaven and the bad to hell. No, it’s the saved and the lost. There are sheep and there are goats, just and unjust.

A. It will be final. There will be no appeals.

But on this day in our text ‘so shall it be’…the end, no more chances and no more hope! Its time we warn our loved ones and even complete strangers because the time is very short!

v. 49 ‘so shall it be’ – No loopholes, no way out…now it is too late.

the devil has some success at convincing people there’s no hell, some he even has believing there’s no heaven, but his best tool he whispers in the most ears is not that there’s no hell or no heaven, but that there’s no hurry! But on this day in our text ‘so shall it be’…the end, no more chances and no more hope! Its time we warn our loved ones and even complete strangers because the time is very short!

B. It will be factual.

God won’t make any mistakes. He knows who is saved and who is not.

But when the books are opened the record will be clear. Some here may doubt their salvation, and they have the preacher fooled and the church fooled and their family fooled, but they cannot fool God!

I dreamed death came the other night and heaven gate swung wide With kindly grace an angel fair Ushered me inside And there to my astonishment Stood folks I’d known on earth Some I’d judged and labeled As "unsaved", of little worth Indignant words rose to my lips But never were set free For every face showed stunned surprise No-one expected me.

and heaven gate swung wide

With kindly grace an angel fair

Ushered me inside

And there to my astonishment

Stood folks I’d known on earth

Some I’d judged and labeled

As "unsaved", of little worth

Indignant words rose to my lips

But never were set free

For every face showed stunned surprise

No-one expected me.

C. It will be fatal.

I know many today are saying that God would never send someone to hell. My response is “I agree! God doesn’t send them, they send themselves as they reject the get out of jail free card offered to them by Jesus Christ!

And I realize many would go a step further and say I don’t believe in hell. But I say, “Jesus did, and now it’s your word against His!” Death is not annihilation, it is separation…from this body, from this world, and part of the separation is believer from unbeliever.

How should we respond to a parable like this? It should burden us to witness like there’s no tomorrow, for there may not be. Reading the newspaper is like reading the book of Revelation. Let’s cast the net and give the invitation before the day of separation comes!

I am not wanting to scare you today, but have you understand the realities of life, not everyone will make it, but we can do our part by casting out our net, inviting people to come.