Transcript
Speaker: Welcome to Growing in Grace with Pastor Victor Morrison. This is a ministry of First Baptist Church located at 1700 Milam Street, Columbus, Texas. We are praying that God will bless you as you listen to this message.
Speaker: If you would like additional information on worship times and ministries at FBC Columbus, you can find out more at our website, fbccolumbustx.org. And now, take your copy of God's timeless Word as Pastor Victor gives today's message.
Speaker: Welcome to Growing Grace. I'm Victor Morrison, the pastor at First Baptist Church in Columbus, Texas, and I'm so glad you're listening today. I've got a word that is from um just the area of fishing that I would like to share with you. So why don't you call your friends who like to fish and tell them they're going to really like this message. You know, this message is from Matthew 13, verses 47 to I've given it the title, The Ultimate Fishing Trip, but Matthew 13 is filled with parables.
Speaker: ah There are seven parables that Jesus gave in this one chapter. He begins sharing these seven parables in Matthew 13, verse 3. But I got to thinking, you know, everyone may not be familiar with what a parable is You know, the word parable in the Greek language, which the New Testament was written in, the Greek term for parable is parabole.
Speaker: Well, it means something thrown alongside for the sake of comparison. So Jesus would draw, let's say, a parable or picture that everyone understood from the physical realm in order to illustrate a spiritual truth.
Speaker: I think that Jesus was such a brilliant, great communicator. There's so much we can learn from him just about communication itself. But I hope that this message today will be a blessing to you.
Speaker: But you know, the Lord called at least four of his disciples from fishing careers. I mean, that's what they did. They were professional fishermen. And he chose to use an analogy of a dragnet.
Speaker: And then the dragnet was used to catch fish back then, and my understanding is even today. But what is ironic is that in this parable found in Matthew 13, verses 47 to 51, he refers to casting a net into the sea, just like Peter and Andrew were casting a net into the Sea of Galilee when he called them to follow him.
Speaker: And so it's just amazing sometimes how the Lord, like I said, he's just so brilliant. And so let me let me just read what he said and then make some comments about this ultimate fishing trip.
Speaker: Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea. and gathered fish of every kind.
Speaker: When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers, but threw away the bad.
Speaker: So it will be at the end of the age, the angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace.
Speaker: In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth Have you understood all these things? They said to him, yes. Well, let's look at this passage together and see what the Lord would say to us as we look at it together.
Speaker: I thought first about the comparison of the kingdom to a fishing net. Again, that says the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet.
Speaker: So let's think about that, a dragnet. You know, um when it uses the word like, it's saying that there's a comparison being drawn here.
Speaker: I think that parables were intended to both reveal spiritual truth, but also to conceal spiritual truth.
Speaker: It may seem hard for us to understand, but in Matthew 13, verses 10 through 17, which I did not read, but which I would recommend that you read at some point if you're really wanting to understand his whole point in parables, there are some people, their hearts are not ready to receive what he wants to say.
Speaker: And so to them, it's going to be concealed. But those who want to listen, not only today and not only to me, but to listen to the Lord or to listen to the word of God whenever it's being read or preached or taught, I think that there can be a mystery there if people are putting up a barrier already And that's why they can't ever seem to really understand it.
Speaker: Or something like this could make it so plain. It's like, I understand. And so you would be saying, Eureka, I get it.
Speaker: But I wanted to look at this word dragnet. In the Greek, it's sagene. It's the word we get, sane. Have you ever heard people talk about a ah fishing net that sains?
Speaker: Well, it's like a long vertical net. And on the bottom of the net are weights. On the top of the net were floats, or sometimes there were no floats, but they would tie ah part of the net, let's say the right-hand side, tie it to something on the dock or at the shore, and then they would stretch the other one out with a boat, and then they would move the boat toward the shore, ah and then they would catch the fish up and down in that net.
Speaker: And so that was a dragnet. That's a dragnet even today. But notice that what we're comparing here, he's comparing the kingdom of heaven. And so he's trying to help everyone get it. Like, what do we mean? What did he mean when we talk about or when he was talking about the kingdom of heaven?
Speaker: So he's talking about God's sovereignty. He's talking about where Jesus reigns. He's talking about royal power or the dominion of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so that's why he's referring to it as the kingdom of heaven.
Speaker: It's not just in heaven. It's even here on this earth. It can be in your heart, in your life. But what he's trying to say is, okay, I want you to understand the kingdom so badly that what I'm going to do is i'm going to make a comparison.
Speaker: So the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet. Well, let's learn more. Because a dragnet, as you might be aware, has to be cast into the sea, has to be thrown. And so again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was thrown into the sea, cast into the sea.
Speaker: You know, an important part of fishing is casting. Casting, whether you're with ah a fishing rod or whether you're with a fishing net, either way, yeah it's very essential that you get that hook or that net out there where the fish are. It's essential.
Speaker: And if you go to Luke chapter five, verses one through 11, there's an interesting story there about casting the net. You see, Peter and his brother, Andrew, and two other brothers, James and John, they were all like fishing buddies.
Speaker: And so they had fished all night. And Jesus asked, may I sit in your boat and teach the people from the boat using the water as like an amplifier and people sitting on the shoreline there? And they said, sure, you can sit there.
Speaker: So then after he teaches the people, he says to Peter and Andrew, to James and John, ah why don't you take the boat out and cast the net?
Speaker: And so Peter's quite honest with Jesus. He says, look, master, we fished all night and we caught nothing. And so we're we're busy here right now cleaning our nets.
Speaker: But at your word, if you say I should go out and try again and cast the net, I'm going to do it. So he did. He just simply did what the Lord said and he cast the net But guess what?
Speaker: This time they had an astonishing catch of fish. it was so There were so many fish in the net that they couldn't hardly get in the boat. They had to fill up two boats full of the nets, full of the fish.
Speaker: And so it's just amazing when you think about this whole analogy that is drawing to a fishing net, When he's saying, just like that, I'm casting the net.
Speaker: I'm casting the net across this area of the country. I'm casting the net across the whole United States, across the whole world. And so the the kingdom of God is constantly being cast, saying, won't you come? Won't you follow Christ? Won't you trust Christ?
Speaker: And some are caught in the net. And that leads us to the third observation from this text. The text is driving the whole message that I want to share with you.
Speaker: The third principle is this, catches for the kingdom within the fishing net. So we've already learned that the kingdom of God is a lot like a net, right?
Speaker: And the so the net is going to be thrown into the sea. But the next thing we're told in the parable is, and the net gathered fish of every kind. it It gathered some fish. I'm sure it didn't gather all the fish, but it certainly picked up a lot of them.
Speaker: And before we go any further, sometime you just got to read the other six parables in this chapter, Matthew 13, because there's ah another parable in the group that's very similar to this parable.
Speaker: And that parable is called the wheat and the tares. And a farmer goes out, he sows a lot of seed, he's going to grow a wheat crop, but what he also got was weeds. So he got wheat and he got weeds, and those are called tares in the parable. But what right now i want you to focus on what he says, that he gathered fish of every kind.
Speaker: you can See, the fish were coexisting in the same waters. They had all kinds of different fish that probably got caught in the in those nets.
Speaker: And so they were caught together and brought in there together. I wonder how many other species of fish there are in the whole entire world.
Speaker: You know, this was in Israel. This was not in the United States that Jesus was ah speaking and, you know, talking from a boat and talking along the shoreline. And so I wondered, well, what about just as far as fish across the world? So I went to the U.S. s National Park Service and I tried to investigate how many species of fish are there in the world?
Speaker: And they said on that website, 33,000.
Speaker: 33,000 species of fish. If you go to Britannica, Britannica takes it up by one more thousand. They say, well, we count 34,000. So I don't know how many different kinds of fish there are.
Speaker: But what I do know is that he says they gathered fish of every kind. And if you go to the Sea of Galilee, they say that there are 18 species of indigenous fish in the Sea of Galilee.
Speaker: I got that from someone that is a fisherman there in Israel. But the the fish could be tilapia. They might be carp. They might be sardines. There's 18 different kinds. So we don't know all that Jesus had in his mind. But what the point is, there's variety.
Speaker: They're not all the same. And I would say that probably in your church, in our church, wherever we go around the world, the people the Lord draws to himself, they're not all the same.
Speaker: not in any way. And so what I want you to realize is that as the kingdom is moving across the world, people of different races, people with different amounts of resources and so forth, people with different levels of schooling, people with all different kinds of experiences, young people, old people, people all in between, you know, country people, city people. It's just amazing how the Lord wants to reach so many different kinds of people. And so here, it's no wonder that this parable is staying true to that mission of he wants to gather fish of every kind.
Speaker: So then notice, it's kind of sad if you're on a fishing trip, right? Isn't it sad whenever it's finally time to go? i mean, you'd like to stay there, but let's say you're running out of daylight.
Speaker: Let's say your boat is running low on fuel, so you got to get back. Well, it's kind of the same in verse 48 and verse 49. There's two clues that we have that this this dragnet of the kingdom It won't always be pulled across the the mass of humanity.
Speaker: there's ah There's a day coming when there will be a closing, a conclusion of the kingdom for the fishing net. He says, which when it was full, men drew it ashore.
Speaker: And then in verse 49, he goes on to say, so it will be at the end of the age. You see, life is not like a fun fishing trip.
Speaker: I've had some fishing trips that weren't so fun. One time I was out on a huge lake in Canada with a man. We ran over some logs and it punctured the hull of the boat. And so water started seeping into our boat. I'm telling you, it's not always fun out there. I remember as ah as a young boy fishing with my father.
Speaker: And a lot of times i was ready to go play baseball or go do something else, but I didn't want to sit there and hold that rod and reel when nothing was biting. So life is not like a fun fishing trip, but life is like a fishing trip that always, eventually, it's going to come to an end.
Speaker: You see, very very few people on this earth enjoy being interrupted. But I'm telling you that one day, there's a 100% chance that everybody you know, everybody I know, everybody in our communities, all of them are going to die.
Speaker: That's just 100% chance that's going to happen. We're not going to continue to live in this body on this earth forever and ever and ever. There's going to come an end.
Speaker: And so that's what he's referring to is when the end is coming. Romans 11, 25 says, "'Until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.'" You know, the Lord already knows all of the people who are going to receive Christ, who are going to follow Christ. And so we have to think, wow, if there's an ending to this thing, I need to make sure that I get in the kingdom.
Speaker: I don't need to put this off. ah I don't need to procrastinate too long. Yeah, especially when you consider one other wrinkle. Hebrews 9.27 tells us that it is appointed for man to die once, And after that comes judgment.
Speaker: That's Hebrews 9, 27. So death will be an interruption for all of us, for myself included. A time when I'm not wanting to die, when I don't want my life to end, it will end.
Speaker: And so will yours. So will everybody that we know. There's also the the return of Christ. The return of Christ is spoken about by the Lord himself in Matthew 24, verses 38 to 41. And you know what he compares it to?
Speaker: He says, the return of the Son of Man is going to be a lot like whenever the flood came. You remember back in the days of Noah, back in the book of Genesis, there was a flood.
Speaker: And when the flood came, it says that people were eating and drinking getting married and given in marriage. It's just a normal day.
Speaker: And all of a sudden, it all comes to an end. There's an interruption. And so I just wanted you to be aware that as exciting as it is that God is coming to try to get us into the kingdom of God, we have to realize that's only going to be so long.
Speaker: And so someday, There's going to be the end. And so God's going to pull the net to the shore and he's going to say, let's see which fish entered into the net.
Speaker: But there's something surprising, something that some may not be aware of that's going to also happen. Look at what it says. If we keep reading in what Jesus taught, he says, and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.
Speaker: They threw the bad away. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire, and there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Speaker: So maybe we're not aware that this is going to happen, but that's why God wants me to teach on this and not just skip over it. See, the fact is not everyone will be going to heaven. Not everyone will be entering the kingdom of heaven. Even though God wants everybody to enter into the kingdom of heaven, everyone will not repent. Everyone will not put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ when the dust settles, when the the net, let's say, is drawn to shore and God says, okay, game over.
Speaker: This is the end of the fishing trip. Okay, who's in the net? But even in the net, notice what happens. There's a separation because in the net, there's good and there's bad fish.
Speaker: And have you ever, I remember, have you ever caught a gar? Have you ever caught a gar? i mean, the first time as a kid, when I reeled in a gar with my dad, it scared me so much. That needle nose looking rascal. I mean, I wanted to throw my whole fishing rod in the in the water and say, you can have it, man. I'm not reeling you in. You can reel my fishing rod out. But this is the thing.
Speaker: Sometimes there are fish that we don't intend to to catch. You know, there are blowfish or other kind of fish that are actually poisonous. And so you're not going to want to take those home for supper, right?
Speaker: Well, God is saying, I don't want those who prefer a wicked lifestyle. I'm looking for those who are wanting to let me redeem their life, to let me make a difference in their life, to save them out of sin.
Speaker: I want those who recognize that without Christ, they're not going to make it. And so there's going to be this separation of the wicked. You see,
Speaker: just like in the water, all the fish are together. They coexist. And so if the net comes through, then it may pull up the good and pull up the bad.
Speaker: And so whenever the fishermen back then, they would sit beside the Sea of Galilee and they would simply throw back the ones that were to be culled. And so there were coals from the kingdom out of the fishing net. So I think about any given Sunday at our church, we have visitors come and we're so glad. If you've ever visited our church, please come again. We want you.
Speaker: to visit First Baptist Church Columbus anytime you're welcome to come because we want you to hear the good news that God loves you. We want you to hear the good news that Jesus died on the cross for you.
Speaker: But what we also want you to be aware of is that God will only reach out so long and that there's coming a day when it all ends. And when it ends, if we've not trusted Christ, then we're not gonna be,
Speaker: able to enter into God's perfect heaven because only Christ lived a perfect life. And so that's why all of us need what he did for us on the cross. He died as a substitute or like a sacrifice for our sins so that we could be forgiven.
Speaker: And so we don't have to be afraid of the separation of the wicked. I like the way someone said it, the way to face Christ as the judge is to know him as the Savior.
Speaker: That's all you got to do is say, Lord, I need you to save me. I don't want to be separated from you for all eternity. Because those who are, it talks about they're cast into the furnace of fire.
Speaker: You know, what's really amazing here is the severity of the wrath is what happens after they are cast. Does that word cast bring any, does it ring a bell from what we've just been reading?
Speaker: It does, doesn't it? It's the same word. Just like the fisherman casts the net into the sea. Well, God says, if you don't want to be in the net the loving net that I'm trying to bring the people who are comfortable with the reign of Christ, the people who want Jesus to be Lord of their life. If you're not comfortable surrendering to Christ, then you will have to be cast away from Christ and away from heaven. into a terrible place called hell where there's fire and it's compared to like a furnace. And there, I remember as a teenager when I, not a teenager, but I think maybe I was in my early 20s.
Speaker: I was a youth pastor and I was waiting in my car ah to play softball in a church softball league. And I could hear this music playing and I was going to leave my car in this one location. And some guys were going to come by and pick me up.
Speaker: And I'll never forget my window down and I heard this song and the song said, I'm on the highway to hell. And at the same time I heard the song, I saw guys with bandanas and t-shirts and all these different things. They were cutting up outside of a bar and they were throwing beer bottles in the air and watching them bust on the street.
Speaker: And I thought to myself, you know, that's so sad these guys are out there. And I i was beginning to feel sorrow about them. And you know what the Lord said?
Speaker: I want you to go tell them that they don't have to be on the highway to hell. And I said, Lord, you mean you want me to go and tell those guys they in front of that bar that? And so he said, yes.
Speaker: So said, okay. So when I went down there, I said, hey guys, I just want to tell you something. I got some good news. And the guy that was kind of their leader, he looks at me so with a mean look and he says, what have you got to tell us?
Speaker: And I said, well, what I wanted to tell you because Jesus came and died on the cross for our sins, you don't have to be on the highway to hell. And they said, what?
Speaker: And I said, you don't have to be on the highway to hell. Because Jesus died for you, you can get on the highway to heaven. And they said, where did you come from? Are you an angel? And so they all got really quiet, you know, and I said, no, I was sitting in that car over there, but I heard the song saying, I'm on the highway to hell. And I just wanted you to join me in following Christ because he's made a highway to heaven.
Speaker: so that we can be with him in the kingdom of heaven. And nobody that day prayed to receive Christ, but you know what? I did my part. I at least invited them. I told them that, hey, someday you don't have to be on the highway to hell, but if you keep going down the same road, that's what's ahead for you.
Speaker: But you know what? I pray that you will be rescued out of that kind of ah environment and that you would come into the kingdom of God because there is no sorrow, there's no wailing, there's no gnashing of teeth for those of us who are in Christ.
Speaker: As a matter of fact, there's joy, joy unspeakable. There's peace that surpasses all comprehension. I mean, you won't even understand the joy and the peace that you have.
Speaker: Well, let me wrap it up where Jesus wrapped it up with verse 51. There is this consideration or contemplation of the kingdom regarding the fishing net.
Speaker: Jesus said to them after he had just told them this parable, have you understood all these things? And they said to him, yes, Lord.
Speaker: You see, we ought to think seriously about this whole idea of our soul and of our eternity. I think that the brevity of our days and the length of eternity that ought to cause us to want to comprehend it, to want to at least understand it.
Speaker: Listen, if you're going to reject Christ, that's your choice. But you know what? You don't have to. You can receive Christ. You can follow him. As a matter of fact, do you know that word that Jesus uses here, understood? Jesus said to them, have you understood all these things? They said to him,
Speaker: Yes, Lord. That word understood is a word that means to put together, to put together different pieces, just like a huge jigsaw puzzle. Have you ever put one of those big ones together?
Speaker: There's a lot of pieces, but whenever you understand, it's like all of the pieces begin to come together. Maybe that's happening for someone here today. Maybe you're realizing, you know what? need i need christ I just now realize it's not enough for me to try on my own. I need what Jesus did for me on that cross so long ago. And so all I'm saying is Jesus made it really clear.
Speaker: He said, repent of sin and put your faith and trust in the gospel. That's really all you have to do. So let me pray for us as we conclude our time. And if you've never done that,
Speaker: Man, I invite you to do that today. It'll be the best decision you've ever made. Let's pray. Lord, I pray for my friends who are listening today. I thank you so much for using something as simple as a dragnet to teach such a profound truth that, Lord, it's like a warning parable that's trying to tell us, are you ready?
Speaker: Because someday the net is going to be withdrawn. Someday the net is going to be pulled onto the shore. And Lord, I want my friends to know Christ. I want them to be with me in heaven, to know what it's like to to experience the love of Christ and the forgiveness of the Lord. So please continue to open their minds and their hearts that they might understand the truths that I've been talking about today. So bless my friends and give them your very best this day.
Speaker: Help us, O Lord, to be prepared to know the Savior so we're not afraid of the judge. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thank you once again for listening to Growing in Grace.
Speaker: This is a ministry of First Baptist Church located at 1700 Milam Street, Columbus, Texas.
