Scripture Reading: Matthew 13:47-52
So it will be at the End
(Matthew 13:47-52)
Intro.
1. The last two parables in this series are summary as well as substantial. They call on us to closely examine our spiritual condition in view of the judgment and in view of the present blessings we possess as citizens of the kingdom.
a. The Parable of the Dragnet does not differ in meaning from the Parable of the Tares, Matt 13:41-43.
b. The Parable of the Householder gives harmonious complement to the parable of the Sower (Matt 13:3-8).
2. The parable teaches us to prepare for the end of the world.
3. Getting ready for the end of time requires faith! (Without first seeing it, we must belief that what Jesus says about it will happen.)
I. THE PARABLE OF THE DRAGNET, Matt 13:47-50.
A. The Net: All will be Gathered to Judgment (47); Matt 25:31-32.
1. All are gathered; none missing, 2 Cor 5:10.
2. All will stand before God, Rev 20:11-12.
B. The Fish: Humans and their Moral Condition, 13:48-49.
1. The Lord makes a moral judgment of men, cf. Jude 17-18.
2. Separation of wicked and just, (49); Matt 25:32.
a. Angels (49), Matt 25:31; 2 Ths 1:7-8.
b. Impartial and accurate separation, cf. Matt 13:41.
C. The Result: Destruction of the Wicked, 13:50.
1. Furnace of fire (42): Hell; eternal torment of the wicked.
2. Hell is:
a. Eternal, Matt 25:46.
b. Punishment, Matt 25:46; 2 Ths 1:8-9.
c. Torment forever and ever, Rev 20:10, 14-15 (second death, Rev 21:8).
II. THE PARABLE OF THE HOUSEHOLDER: WHAT WILL WE DO WITH OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE PARABLES? Matt 13:51-52
A. Jesus Wants Us to Understand His Teaching, 13:51.
1. The parables give understanding, 13:11, 17.
2. Only when we are not able (willing) to listen (due to hard hearts) do we fail to understand, Jno 8:43; 7:17; Matt 13:13-15.
3. The Parable of the Householder speaks of how the individual treats the word of God he has received.
4. The 8th in the series, “like the octave in musical harmony” (Lockyer, 209), it complements the first parable (Sower).
B. What Must We Do with What We Understand? 13:52
1. Scribe: “a profession whose business is the study and knowledge of the law…a class of scholars who…devoted themselves assiduously to the Law” (“Scribes”, ISBE).
a. Expert in the law, cf. Jno 3:9-10; 7:49.
b. They taught but did not obey, Lk 11:46 (Matt 23:1-3).
c. By binding their traditions they had “taken away knowledge”, Lk 11:52.
2. We must be true kingdom-scribes, Matt 28:19; Acts 8:4 (cf. Ezra, Ezra 7:10).
3. We must teach the gospel of the kingdom as it is needed, Heb 5:12.
a. Like a householder uses his resources to provide for his house from the storehouse of his money and goods, we must provide useful teaching and instruction to others from the gospel treasure:
-Sow the seed (Matt 13:3).
-Urgently, constantly, faithfully preach, 2 Tim 4:2.
-Teach ourselves, Rom 2:21.
-Teach others, 2 Tim 2:2.
-Provide good examples by obeying the word we teach, 2 Tim 2:15, 24-26.
b. We are bearing fruit by teaching the gospel (Matt 13:23).
Conclusion
1. Jer 23:5-6: The King came teaching the gospel of the kingdom. He used parables to tell of the kingdom’s growth, influence, value and purposes so sinners can share in its rich blessings and avoid the punishment of the wicked.
2. Will we be ready for the end of the age? If so, we must also be teaching the gospel of the kingdom to those who need its help and healing.