I invite you to turn with me tonight to Matthew 13. Matthew 13, a chapter of parables of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now we know that with the parables, Jesus was teaching about the kingdom of heaven. In some of them, He focused on the king of the kingdom, and others, the citizens of the kingdom. Still others, the nature of the kingdom. And we're going to read a number of them, but we're going to consider verses 47 through 50, which is the parable of the net, or the drag net, as you may know it, where the focus is on the final goal. And Matthew 13 begins with that familiar parable of the sower, the four different kinds of soil, the seed being scattered, some falling on each one. We're going to pick up our reading at verse 24 and read through verse 50. Hear now the Word of God. Jesus told them another parable. The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. The owner's servants came to him and said, Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from? An enemy did this, he replied. The servants asked him, Do you want us to go and pull them up? No, he answered, because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let them both grow together until the harvest. At that time, I will tell the harvesters, First, collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned. Then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn. He told him another parable. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches. He told him still another parable. The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough. Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken to the prophets. I will open my mouth in parables. I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world. Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field. He answered, The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world. And the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their father. He who has ears, let him hear. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. in our text for this evening. Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. May God add His blessing to the reading and consideration of His Word tonight. Well, beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, as Bible-believing Christians, we believe that when the Bible says that there is a heaven and that there is a hell, that there is. And we believe that when the Bible teaches, for example, in Matthew chapter 25, that when Jesus comes again, He's going to gather all the nations before Him, and at that time then He will separate the sheep from the goats, and the sheep, those who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ by the grace of God, He will usher, He will escort them into His heavenly kingdom, and that the goats He will send directly to hell, we believe it's true. But what may surprise some of us on that day is where some of the wicked are going to be separated out of. Now this parable of the net, or the drag net as it's also called, is very similar, as I trust you heard, pardon me, to the parable of the wheat and the weeds. Both of those parables speak of the mixture of unbelievers and believers. Both of them speak of the angels doing the work of separating and casting unbelievers into the fiery furnace. And as well, the parable of the wheat and the weeds seems to focus on the devil planting or placing counterfeit Christians among believers both inside the church and outside the church. We are surrounded by them. He plants them in order to try to hinder God's work and that parable seems to focus somewhat on the present reality of that mixture of believers and unbelievers. While this parable in a sense seems to focus on the gathering of God's kingdom visibly with the inclusion of wicked men and also then focusing particularly on the future certainty of that separation. And therefore, we consider tonight Christ warns the wicked of the final separation. That separation, first of all, from His gathered church. The wicked will be separated from His visibly gathered church. that church which he has gathered together out of the world. Verse 47 says, Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. And our Lord here for his disciples uses a very understandable analogy for them, as he did with many of the parables. He used real-life examples and situations that they would have been familiar with. For example, we didn't read the parable that Matthew 30 begins with, but you know it, I trust, the one of the soils. They would have understood the broadcast method of planting, the bag of seed over the farmer's shoulder and grabbing a handful and throwing it out over the field. And of course, some is going to fall, hopefully most of it is going to fall on the good soil, but some is going to fall on the rocks, some on the weeds, some on the hard path. They understood that. And when it came to the parable of the wheat and the weeds, growing together in a field, they didn't have weed control like our farmers have today. They would have understood that. And again now in this parable with fishing and the net, all of these things were everyday life examples. And he uses this understandable analogy for these fishers of men. Many of whom were fishermen by trade. In Matthew 4, verse 19, Jesus told brothers Peter and Andrew who were fishermen, Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. James and John were also fishermen. At least a third of the twelve apostles were fishermen by trade. And now Jesus uses this fishing analogy to instruct them in the way of the gospel in the world. Using particulars, for example here, the net. Again, they would have understood most likely what is called a drag net. Not, boys and girls, the kind of fishing net that you and I might be familiar with. It's got the pole, the handle, and it's got the bag type of net at the end of it. And as soon as you reel that fish close enough to the boat or close enough to the shore, you scoop it up with that net. Or not even the blanket kind of net that you might throw over something to try to trap it. But in fishing, they would have understood that drag net, which could be quite long. Someone has said up to a half a mile long. It had weights on the bottom of it. It had floats on the top of it. It was most likely used in water that wasn't too terrible deep. Maybe the distance of however the width of the net was. But that net would make some sort of a net wall and it could take obviously several men on each side to pull that net together. But from the floor of the lake or the body of water to the surface. That net then would gather whatever was in its path. Nothing could escape its path. And once they got up to shore, then obviously they would take time to inspect what was in it and toss out the bad and keep the good. Beloved, the sea represents the world. The church is represented by the good fish that are gathered by the call of the gospel, which is represented by the net. The gospel net is a wide net. As the gospel goes forth as Jesus commanded to the length and the breadth of the earth, traveling, we might say, toward the shore of the end of the age, gathering a variety of catch. The text says all kinds of fish another translation says every kind of fish now that may mean as some would like us to think it may mean that the church is built of people from every tribe every tongue every nation every social group every degree of education or intelligence which we know is true the bible speaks of that in other places but it does mean that gospel net gathers both good and bad on this visible earth. It gathers believers, those who are elect brought to faith to believe by the grace of God. It gathers wicked who reject Jesus Christ in their unbelief. God gathers His church through the net of His Word, but the Bible also teaches us that there are some who find themselves within the limits of the visible church, but spiritually they do not belong. Jesus taught of wolves in sheep's clothing. Paul in Romans chapter 9 says, For they are not all Israel who are of Israel. He's teaching there that true Israel, spiritual Israel, is now the church. It's believers. And that Old Testament Israel, the Jewish nation, they are not all believers. They are not all of the church. And we might wonder, well, how can this be that this net of the gospel would catch both good and bad. Well, there is an attraction to the church. Well, for some, there is no attraction, isn't there? There are some people out in the world, to them the church is despicable and they want nothing to do with you and me as believers. And they're very visible, very vocal about it. But for others, there is an attraction to the church. Some see the church as a safe place. Some simply find comfort in seeing a church building. Others see the church as sort of a lucky charm, a good thing to be associated with, just in case. Others see the church as a company of good and honest and caring and giving people who are virtuous and who are filled with morality. And indeed, we should hope that others would see those virtues among us as professing Christians, that they would see the love of Christ here among God's people. There are many, beloved, who want the benefits of being part of the physical, visible church without the responsibilities. And therefore, those who never embrace Christ by faith, there are those who share with believers, we might say, in the water of baptism or in the bread and the wine of the Lord's Supper. They share with believers in the common preaching of the Word with the hope of eternal life through Christ Jesus. being proclaimed, but though many taste the blessings of the kingdom, as the writer of Hebrews says in chapter 6, they visibly, physically participate in the life of the church, though many taste of those blessings. They never spiritually digest them. They do not truly own those blessings by faith. And our Lord is teaching us here that with these, it is hard to tell them apart from the good, that is, from believers. In the same way that the fishermen cannot see the contents of the net when it's still underwater. You see, I believe that our Lord is not necessarily talking here about the wicked whom He says in another place you will know them by their fruit. They are indeed included in those goats. But along with that, as He is teaching us again in this parable and in the parable of the wheat and the weeds, is that there are some who are wicked in their unbelief, but they might be nice and kind and helpful and hardworking and honest and charitable. All these wonderful things. Those whom we would call good people. My neighbor, he's a good person, you see. They may visibly resemble the good fish, that is, true believers, in all of their outward appearance, but not in heart. There's no true faith. And our Lord is teaching us the hard truth that they will be separated from His gathered church, from the good fish. Not good and deserving in and of ourselves. That's not what this parable is about at all. Simply good or bad, believers or unbelievers, but those who have been born again by the grace of God and brought to faith by the work of the Holy Spirit. And the result in them is that they are those who embrace that treasure, that pearl that Jesus spoke of in the other parables. And that treasure, that pearl, is Jesus Christ Himself. It is His saving love. They are those who are brought to recognize that there is nothing more wonderful, nothing more valuable than His salvation and belonging to Him. Nothing more precious than that, young people. And they are those then in the strength of the Holy Spirit who strive to give up anything and everything for Him. And to give up anything and everything that stands in the way of living wholly for Jesus. And those who treat the life of faith like a treasure and fight against Satan's temptation to give up even a part of it. Those who desire to sing, let goods and kindred go. This mortal life also, the body they may kill. God's truth abides still His kingdom last forever. I believe we have been given a current example of this even in this past week as I suspect many of you have heard about the situation with Miss California and the Miss USA pageant. and the question that she was asked by the homosexual judge. And I heard an interview with her on the radio, I think it was on Wednesday or so, and the interview was talking about how even the California state pageant leaders have turned against her and said that she doesn't represent Californians. She doesn't represent you and I, and how did she respond to that? She very simply said, they can take the crown away. they can have the crown. But I will follow God's will. And beloved, may He too grant us that very same courage if we should find ourselves in that situation. Indeed, we confess that at times we know that Jesus Christ and His salvation is that treasure. It is that pearl of great price. There is nothing like it. And on the one hand, we want to say, yes, I'm willing to give up everything for it, but sometimes it's so hard, Maybe you and I have a besetting sin that clings to us that we just can't seem to shake. Yet our God gives to His people the comfort that we are forgiven of all of our sins by the blood of Jesus Christ and that the Holy Spirit helps us more and more to fight against Satan's temptation. That more and more we would be able to give up all things to live for Jesus. And God's people are comforted, beloved, because they are brought to see by faith that even though the world may ridicule and persecute and make life miserable for Christians and try to make us think that Christianity simply isn't worth it. It's too difficult. Yet God's people understand that with Jesus Christ, the outcome will never be bad. Because it means salvation. It can only be great. It can never be bad, beloved, as one day the bad will be separated from the good. In the second place, for His, for Christ's guaranteed punishment. Beginning in verse 48, When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous, and throw them into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Now you notice that verse 50 is a repeat of verse 42, which was spoken in, again, the parable of the wheat and the weeds. And we are taught in both of these parables, again, of the safety, the security of the good, of God's people. Very briefly, in this one, they will be collected into baskets for safekeeping. But what do we learn here about the separation and the punishment of the wicked? What does the Word of God point out to us? Well, one thing we learn, the first thing we learn is that the separation will be complete. On earth, throughout history, throughout this lifetime, today, believers and unbelievers are mixed together, side by side, even in the church, though we cannot recognize it. But then on that day, no unbeliever will be able to sneak into heaven and no believer will be accidentally left out of heaven because God makes no mistakes. And as Paul says to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2, the Lord knows those who are His, which also means He knows those who are not His. And as Paul says in another place, God will not be mocked. The second thing we learn is that the separation will be calculated or we might say determined. It's determined already on earth, already in this life, it is determined where one will spend eternity. And the grounds for the separation, we talked about it this morning, that God Himself sets the standard. The ground or the basis for that separation very simply, again, is Jesus Christ. And that precious treasure, that precious pearl of His salvation either received by faith, by the grace of God, or rejected in unbelief because of hardness of heart. You see, the unbeliever will not get into heaven because of all the good they may have done, and neither will we. And the unbeliever also will not get into heaven on the shirt tails of another believer's faith. Only personally embracing Jesus Christ by grace through faith will do. The third thing we notice is that this separation is ceaseless, a permanent separation. And what I mean by that is there will be no second chances, as some would have us believe. Whether this life for you and me ends in death or whether it ends by Christ's return first, at that moment one's eternal destiny is settled and clear. It is fixed. and there will be no opportunity at that moment to change your mind to all of a sudden decide to repent if you haven't done so. Again, Satan tries to tell us otherwise. He says, don't worry about it. Don't even consider it. But it's permanent and the outcome is that believers will be secure forever in the presence of God while unbelievers will be shackled forever in the torment of hell. The fourth thing we learn about this separation and punishment is that it will be dreadful. It will be dreadful. That's what characterizes the end of the wicked. And their suffering is characterized, as the text says, by weeping. And in the context of speaking of hell, weeping is pointing to inconsolable, never-ending wretchedness. And utter everlasting hopelessness, absolutely no relief, no comfort will be found for the unbeliever on that day. And along with weeping, the gnashing of teeth, which would have us understand excruciating pain and raging anger. And then, of course, the fiery furnace. As it's called in another place, the lake of fire. Something that you and I simply cannot even begin to imagine. Imagine boys and girls taking a bath in a lake of fire. The point is, you can't. And the torment of hell is that it will be an unimaginable torment. But along with all of this suffering, it seems to me that the Bible also points us to a further suffering of the wicked, the suffering of remembering. And you may remember the story of the rich man and Lazarus. the rich man in this life had all that he could ever want, all that he could ever enjoy. Lazarus had nothing. And on the other side, after they both died, Jesus tells the story that Lazarus is in Abraham's bosom. He's in heaven. The rich man is suffering in the torment of hell, and as the rich man is trying to request certain things, even a drop of water from Abraham, the rich man is told to remember. The good things he enjoyed in life. That he enjoyed without giving thought to God. And that seems to suggest that there might be some sort of a recollection in hell. A recollection of what the unbeliever forfeited by rejecting God. Then they will understand. Though they cannot reach it, they cannot have it. only to suffer forever the absence of God's goodness and favor and to experience the eternal presence of God's wrath against sin. What a torment! But in heaven there will only be one focus, and that is the glory and the worship of God enjoying the pleasures of Jesus Christ. Not being conscious of this earthly life which would only bring any one of us to tears. Dear people of God, this is the Word of God. You see, we as a people, we would never dare, would we, to predict the suffering of hell for any particular individual, would we? We wouldn't dare to do that. And even now, some might say, well, preacher, how dare you even suggest that for a portion of mankind? But this is the very Word of God for those who reject Him. And there's one more thing that we need to notice about this separation, this punishment that is spoken of here, and that is that it is coming. It's on its way. The net is being drugged toward that day. No man, the Bible says, knows the day or the hour of his death. Of course, with medical technology, if someone is diagnosed with a terminal disease, they are given a ballpark figure, but no man truly knows the day or the hour of his death or of Christ's return. But it's coming. And we are called to be ready. And beloved, there's an urgency here. Don't wait. Because for those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ, they are standing, as it were, on a time bomb. They don't know when it's going to blast. But also for those who turn in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ. There's a beautiful urgency there because for those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ immediately, even for you and me now who believe, we are promised that we will, as it were, to use the fishing analogy here with the baskets, be collected with all of God's people one day forever saved from the torment of hell. And even more, today on this very day, beloved, we are able to rejoice with the joy of the Lord as our strength. Even in the midst of a dark world. Dear people of God, the final judgment is coming. And it is something that we all have an interest in, or we ought to. Because it will affect each and every one of us in some way. And we ought to reflect on it, not as some far-off occasion, but as that great day as the Holy Spirit helps you and I to prepare for it right now. If you are here tonight and you know that you don't believe, maybe you're one of those who find a bit of comfort in a church. But you know that you do not have that faith, have not given your life to Christ, if you're thinking, well, I'm going to wait just a little while longer and then I'll think about mending my ways, you're playing with fire. It's dangerous. And you need to understand that simply mending your ways means nothing apart from true faith and trust in Jesus Christ. And the call goes out to you sincerely and urgently to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. That's the only hope. And that is hope, guaranteed salvation in Him. And those who are born again, you see, in the power of the Holy Spirit, they will seek to mend their ways right now because of the beauty of living for Christ. Heeding the Apostle Paul's call in Philippians 2, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose. You know, maybe for some of us we may hear a story like this, and we might nervously ask like some of the disciples on the night when He said, one of you will betray me and some of them said, is it I? Could it be me? Maybe some of us here struggle with our faith a little bit and we cannot help but to say, is it I? Well, very simply, beloved, the truth is found in the heart of the matter and the beauty is you and I can know right now today for ourselves. We can know which side of the separation we will be on. There's one thing that's guaranteed, and that is that simply an association with the visible church will not do. As we said this morning, God Himself says, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. Paul in Romans chapter 5 says believers are justified. Believers have peace with God right now, this moment. We have that comfort today and then by the grace of God we are able to live every day with the confidence that we will never be cast away from Him. And also for the child of God, the joy of salvation then will also be reflected and demonstrated from the heart. It will be visible, you see, just as by sight the fisherman could tell the good from the bad, true faith in Jesus Christ, ownership of His treasure of eternal life, of salvation is visible. and the joy of salvation will then be reflected and demonstrated from the heart, living the Christian life constantly and consistently, which includes confessing our sins and also having the joy of our God's assurance of pardon, and comfort it that God has made me His own because of Christ crucified alone. And beloved, as believers, as those who live with the joy of salvation, Our desire will be, this will be our desire and our hope for others too. Again, we consider that mutual discipline this morning. And for those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, brothers and sisters in Christ, will be those who love each other to the extent that we will encourage and help one another with our walk of faith. As Hebrews 10 says, And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another all the more as you see the day approaching. But also because as believers we know what the Bible says of hell. God's people desire that others will also be rescued from it. Fighting for their souls. And to that end, beloved, have you told your unbelieving neighbor or co-worker or customer or acquaintance at the gym or friend that there's only one way to find acceptance with God and that is through Jesus Christ alone and that it is guaranteed salvation with Him. You see, those who look to Jesus Christ, though they will not win friends in the world, Yet, they will not be disappointed on that day of final separation because He is that great treasure. And He gives that treasure that will not perish, spoil, fade, or lose value. That treasure which we call eternal life. Amen. Let's pray together. Dear Heavenly Father, we must confess, O Lord, that even as we rejoice in Your Word, it is still quite mysterious to us. And we thank You for Your instruction. We pray that by Your Holy Spirit, You would help us to understand it more and more. That for ourselves, for each one of us ourselves, Father, we might have that confidence in Christ Jesus alone, being in Him by faith, never to be separated, but also to have that great desire of the salvation of mankind. Indeed, Lord, we do not know those whom You have chosen to save, but You have called us to be faithful in telling the good news of Jesus Christ and His saving love. May we not become lazy in doing that, but may we be reminded indeed of what they will suffer apart from Him. Understanding that that's what we deserve. May it be our desire that many share in that great salvation, the joy of that salvation, and that great wedding banquet to come of the Bridegroom and His Bride for all eternity. So, Father, encourage us, equip us, strengthen us to that and that we would not keep our mouths quiet. But that indeed we would desire to shout out the good news of Jesus Christ. In Jesus' name we pray these things. Amen.