The Parable of the Nets

[0:00] Turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 13. Chapter 13. I will begin reading at verse 31.

[0:11] ! May we hear our God speaking to our hearts as I read.! Verse 31. He told them another parable. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.

[0:28] 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.

[0:44] He told them another, 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.

[1:00] 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 through the prophet.

[1:13] I will open my mouth in parables. I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world. And then drop down or drop over to verse 44.

[1:27] Verse 44. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again.

[1:39] And then in his joy went out and sold all that he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.

[1:53] When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish.

[2:11] 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.

[2:23] This is how it will be in 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.

[2:40] Have you understood all these things? Jesus asked. Yes, they replied. What do fish think about all day?

[2:55] Well, I don't know. No idea. But I can imagine it. And isn't it wonderful that we can imagine being a fish and we're not fish ourselves.

[3:07] Fish can never imagine what it's like to be us. But we can certainly imagine what it's like to be them. And so that's what I want you to do right now is get down into the water.

[3:19] Get down into the water. Get inside that little fishy head. And what are you thinking? Well, I bet you're thinking what Dory and Finding Nemo thinks, which is just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swim, swim, swim.

[3:44] Oblivious and completely unaware about what's going on above you, what's going on up above the water with those men in that boat.

[3:55] And maybe every now and then you could see a flash of an arm or legs walking through the water. Something's going on, but you don't know what.

[4:07] And you're blissfully unaware. And it's blissfully this thought that whatever is going on up there has nothing to do with what's going on in your little lake life.

[4:23] And so it's swim, swim, swim. And then all of a sudden it's splash, splash, splash. Splashes all around you. And then it's coming.

[4:35] A wall of fish. And you've never seen anything like this in all of your little fishy life. And that wall of fish is getting closer and closer. And maybe you're asking yourself, what are they doing?

[4:48] What is going on? Why are they all coming towards you? Why aren't they swimming away? Why are they crowding closer and closer together? And you've never seen anything like it before.

[4:59] This is new. And this is scary. And then you see it. There's a net. And all kinds of fish.

[5:12] All the fish you ever knew. All the mommy fish and daddy fish and little boy fishes and little girl fishes. Old fish, young fish, blue fish, red fish.

[5:27] All caught in the net. Now those loud splashes that you heard was the net. Was the weights on the net that sink the net to the bottom?

[5:39] That was them hitting the ground or hitting the water. And the other splashes were some of the floats on the net that keeps the net from altogether sinking to the bottom.

[5:50] And now everything is getting caught in the net. And you can't get away. You swim left and you can't escape.

[6:01] You swim right and you can't escape. And finally, you're in it. You're caught up. You're swept away with everyone else. And now strong arms are dragging you ashore.

[6:20] Heave. Heave. Heave. And then the net with all the fishes are coming to the top side. Coming on the beach.

[6:31] And for the first time ever in your life, the sun is shining straight on you. And everything that was going up above has everything to do with what's going on in your life at this moment.

[6:44] And you can't get back in the water. You can't go back to that little fishy life. You can flip and you can flop, but you can't escape. And strong hands, strong hands that you can't stop are now grabbing you and throwing you into one pile or another pile.

[7:04] And all of the fish are divided. And some go into the basket. Maybe you go into the basket. And the people on top, they're so glad to see you.

[7:15] You're the ones that they were looking for. You're the ones that they came for. And they're so happy when they see you. Or maybe you get thrown into the burn pile because you're not what they were looking for.

[7:26] You're no good to the people on the top. And so into the burn pile you go. Now, that's what the kingdom of God is like.

[7:42] That's what the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven is like. Now, our Lord Jesus loved to talk in parables. Parables. The Old Testament word for proverb was translated as parable.

[7:57] So a proverb and a parable are very similar things. A proverb and a parable are both little pictures, little snapshots of reality. Little stories that capture reality.

[8:10] So a snapshot of the way things really, really are. Now, Jesus loved to teach in parables.

[8:21] And you need to understand and know that the parables divided people. Our Lord told parables. And some people understood them. And they understood them.

[8:31] They got them. And they embraced them as heavenly wisdom. They saw this truth that Jesus was bringing. And they needed it.

[8:42] And they wanted it. And they saw it for the vivid, wonderful reality that it is. And so they said, no one has ever taught like this man has taught.

[8:54] He's got something. But some others heard the very same parables. The parable that I just retold. And they fulfilled what the prophet Isaiah had said would happen.

[9:07] You'll be ever hearing, but never understanding. Ever seen, but never perceiving. That's where some of you are, maybe.

[9:21] You know the stories of the parables. You see them, but you don't perceive them in your heart. You don't perceive them for what they are. Otherwise, they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and turn.

[9:35] And I would heal them. So parables are just like Proverbs. They divide us. They split us. And some hear the problems of the parables and they understand them.

[9:46] And they hear the parable and they say, oh, that's true. That's the way to life. This is what I need. Give me that wisdom. Give me this truth. This is life. This is salvation. And others say, well, that's a nice story and there's nothing more to it.

[10:02] The parable never does anything for them. It never sinks into their heart. It never produces anything. They never see it as their reality. And so they don't turn. They don't turn to God.

[10:14] They go on in their sickness. They go on in their sickness. And they never turn. It's nothing but a bump in the road. So much as a bump. And you keep driving down the highway.

[10:25] Now, I want to look at the parable of the net this morning. But you have to know, already, the parable is dividing us.

[10:38] It's starting to divide us. Some people are already saying, this is the truth I need and I'm hungry for it. I love this truth.

[10:50] And they're learning and they're taking it in and they're living. But others, I'm painfully aware, are hardly paying attention already.

[11:00] And they're going on. Are you listening? Are you listening?

[11:12] Jesus has something to say and it has everything to do with you. Now, in Matthew 13, Jesus is sitting on a boat.

[11:25] And the crowds are all around him and they're crowding him. And there's a lot of them, a lot of people. And so, finally, he needs to get into a boat himself. And he sits down in the boat.

[11:37] And he begins to teach them about the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of God. And he says the kingdom of heaven was mostly what Jesus preached about. He talked about.

[11:47] It was the sum of all of what Jesus taught and preached. And so, you remember, Jesus was baptized. And then he went out into the wilderness. And he was tempted. And he came back.

[11:58] And he came back preaching. Repent. For the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Repent. The kingdom of heaven is near. And now, in Matthew 13, he gives us these parables of the kingdom.

[12:11] The kingdom of heaven is like these things. It's like a farmer. A farmer who sows his seed. And some of the seed goes on good soil. And some of it goes on bad soil.

[12:22] All different kinds of soil. Or the kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed into his field. But in the night, an enemy came and sowed bad seed.

[12:32] And so, there's wheat and tares in the field. And the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. It starts very small until it fills a whole garden and birds perch in its branches.

[12:49] Or it's like the yeast that begins so tiny and yet spreads throughout the entire lump of dough. Or the kingdom of heaven is like a man who's walking along and apparently not looking for anything in particular.

[13:05] And he finds some hidden treasure in a field. He goes and he sells everything he has. And he buys that field in order to get the treasure. Or the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant. He has his eye looking for treasure.

[13:18] He's looking for pearls. And he finally sees one that surpasses everything. And it has a good price. It's going to cost him everything he has. But it's going to be worth it. And so, he sells all that he has.

[13:29] And he goes home. And I'm sure he boasts and brags about the deal that he made. The deal that he found. So, those are the snapshots of the kingdom of heaven.

[13:44] They're telling us how the kingdom of heaven works. What it's like. What's it like to be in it? What's it like to find it? What it's like to not have it?

[13:55] They're snapshots of the kingdom of heaven. And so, he ends with this final parable. Now, you know on the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus ended with that story of the wise man and the foolish.

[14:08] The wise man building a house and the foolish man building his house. And the point of that was to bring his listeners to a point of decision. For them to see that, you know what?

[14:20] Now, everything that they heard, they need to now either believe it or ignore it. But there's going to be consequences. And what is going on here with this final parable after all of these other parables is Jesus is doing the very same thing.

[14:35] He's saying you cannot ignore everything that I've taught. Now, you have to listen. There are consequences. So, he ends with this final parable.

[14:48] He's sitting on a boat. And I can just see it. It's not the only boat on the lake. You've been on the shore with other boats. And so, Jesus could look 100 or 200 yards down the lake, down the beach.

[15:04] And there were men sitting on boats. There were fishermen getting their nets. And whether it just came to him or he had been thinking about it, he said, the kingdom of heaven is like a net.

[15:19] It's like these fishermen. Now, we want to talk about that parable. But first, we need to talk about something else. And we don't want to jump ahead of ourselves.

[15:31] We need to ask the question of what is the kingdom of heaven? It's like all of these things. But what is it? He says repent because the kingdom of heaven is near.

[15:43] And that is necessary for us to know. But we also really need to know what is this kingdom of heaven that Jesus is saying is at hand. It's near. It's really close. It's now coming upon you.

[15:54] What is this kingdom of heaven? We need to get this straight. What's at hand? Why should we repent? So, to put it succinctly, to sum it up, the kingdom of heaven is the saving rule of God come to earth.

[16:14] The saving rule of God come breaking into a sinful, sick, broken, enslaved world.

[16:25] It's the realm. It's the sphere where God's saving power is experienced. God's salvation comes to sinful men, to broken people, to the rebellious.

[16:41] And he brings his rule, his salvation to bear. And maybe in three words, it's his saving power.

[16:51] It's where God's whole salvation is known. Everything that sin has done. Everything that sin is doing. The consequences of sin.

[17:02] The guilt of sin. The shame of sin. The damage of sin. Everything that Satan has been working is destroyed in the coming of this kingdom. Jesus says, I've come to destroy the works of the devil.

[17:16] The devil has been building his kingdom, his way, the path for his destruction, all the rest. And Jesus says, I've come to destroy the works of the devil. So, remember when John the Baptist was in prison and he's sad.

[17:31] He's struggling with unbelief. I think he's depressed. He's feeling down. He had such hope about Jesus. And now he's in prison. And so he sends some of his disciples to go talk to Jesus.

[17:45] And to ask Jesus one question. Are you the one who was to come? Or should we expect someone else? Are you the Messiah?

[17:57] Are you God's king? And how did Jesus answer? We said, go back to John and tell him, report to him, what you have seen and heard.

[18:09] The blind receive sight. The lame walk. Those who have leprosy are cured. The deaf hear. The dead are raised.

[18:20] And good news is preached to the poor. Jesus is saying, John, it's me. I have brought the kingdom of heaven.

[18:31] And wherever I go, it's coming in power. And men are entering into it. Men are experiencing it everywhere I go. I'm bringing salvation power to a sin sick world.

[18:43] I'm bringing redemption. And healing to this whole satanic nightmare. Another time he said, if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

[18:58] Where I go, I drive out Satan. I rob him of the people that he's controlling. And that's why it's the gospel.

[19:09] It's the good news of the kingdom. Because God's salvation rule is good news. It's good news for men. It's God's answer to everything wrong.

[19:23] And we're painfully aware this week. The world is broken. And people are broken. And there is injustice.

[19:36] And there is wickedness. And there are people enslaved to lies all over the place. And they're captured.

[19:48] They're caught. And he says, repent. Turn away from the false saviors. Turn away from the idols. Turn from your allegiance to Satan.

[20:00] Turn from your allegiance to this world and its lies. Turn to the living God that brings salvation. Join yourself to his kingdom.

[20:10] That's what repent means. You turn from all of your old faiths. And all of your old allegiances. And your old opinions about sin. And you embrace Jesus Christ as the king.

[20:22] And so he is the king of the kingdom. And he's invaded our world. And he's bringing salvation. The king is the savior. And so if you want him, take him.

[20:35] Repenting is taking him. That's the kingdom of God. That's at least a sketch of it. And so now we're ready to get to the parable itself. So he says the kingdom of heaven is like a net.

[20:49] It's lowered into the water. And it captures good fish and bad fish. And then it's drug on shore. And then the fish are divided. And some go into baskets.

[21:00] They're wanted. That's what they've been looking for. And bad fish are thrown into the fire to be destroyed. And he says that's what it will be like at the end of the age.

[21:12] That's what it's going to be like at the end of the age. Jesus thought that there was going to be an end of this age. You can't get away from that.

[21:22] And he says this is what it's going to be like. They're going along. Well, right now, people are living their lives.

[21:35] And actually, people are getting captured by this gospel. Is the gospel net gathering people today? Yeah, it is.

[21:45] It's gathering people today. And praise God, he is a clever fisherman. He is a clever fisherman. When he sees the fish he wants, he knows exactly how to get that fish.

[21:58] And so, right now, people are finding the treasure of the kingdom. Some of them are just going along, not even looking happy on their way. And all of a sudden, they trip over the kingdom of God.

[22:11] And suddenly, it's there. It's God saving grace. God saving rule. And they've got to have it. They have to have it. And so, they throw everything else away in order to embrace it. What a deal. Now, so some people are looking.

[22:24] Or some people are not looking. But some others are. And maybe you're looking. You know that something is wrong. Something is wrong. Everything is wrong.

[22:35] And you look at the news. And there's something dreadfully wrong. Crooked and bent and broken. And not the way it should be in this world. And then you look at yourself.

[22:46] You say, there's something in me. I'm empty. And the truth is out there. But you just can't find it. And you're searching.

[22:58] And maybe you're like one of these merchants looking for a pearl. And all of a sudden, right before your eyes, there it is. You were swimming from one thing to another.

[23:12] And you found nothing to get rid of that nagging sense of guilt. Nothing to take care of your biggest problem. And you're a merchant looking. And then all of a sudden, God puts it right in front of your face.

[23:25] It's there. The answer. The thing you've been looking for. So, you weren't looking for it. And you found it. Other people were looking for it their whole lives.

[23:35] And then out of the blue, God put it right in front of their face. The answer. So, God is fishing. God is fishing right now. And I'm fishing for you.

[23:46] We fish when we preach the gospel. And so, the gospel net is thrown into the water. And it is catching all kinds of people. And I wonder, has God caught you?

[23:58] Has God caught you? God's been fishing. He's been throwing his bait in front of you. And so, the kingdom net is catching fish. And it is near. It is at hand.

[24:09] And so, if you want to be saved, all you have to do is turn around. Open your eyes. And you'll see it. And so, yes. The gospel net is right now gathering people.

[24:22] All kinds of different people. But I want you to notice that Jesus' parable isn't really about so much what's going on today. There are definitely some lessons for today.

[24:36] I think. But mostly, it's about what's going to be. What's going to be at the end of the age. And so, now, I just have these two points.

[24:48] Two lessons from this parable. The first is this. The net is coming. The net is coming. The kingdom of God is like a net thrown into the water.

[25:01] Lowered into the water. And he's talking, again, about a dragnet. That just captures everything. And there's floats at the top. And there's weights at the bottom.

[25:12] And then it's just drug through the water. And it captures everything in its path. And that kind of net is what is coming. God's kingdom is coming.

[25:23] And it's going to be like that dragnet. And so, here we are. Here all of us are. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Thinking that maybe all. Thinking that just this little lake life is all that there is.

[25:36] And we'll live and die happy little swimmers. And this little world is all that there is. There's nothing going on above the water. In the sky. But you know what?

[25:46] A lot is going on above the sky. Or up in the sky. The net is getting ready. It's getting prepared. And it's coming.

[25:57] And it's going to crash into this world. And it's going to sweep everything before it. And everyone is going to be swept up into it. Daniel, the Old Testament prophet, saw it.

[26:11] He saw a rock cut off the side of a mountain. And rolled down. And it smashes this big, beautiful, golden statue to pieces. And Daniel says the statue is all the kingdoms of men.

[26:25] All the governments. All the businesses. All everything that sinful man has built. All of its systems and problems and sins. All of its power structures. All the sinful domination and rule of men.

[26:37] All the kingdoms of man under the sky. In the grips of Satan. Those are the kingdoms of men. And a rock is going to roll down.

[26:48] And smash that kingdom of man. And what is that rock? Well, Daniel tells. He told Nebuchadnezzar. In the time of those kings.

[27:00] The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed. Nor will it be left to another. It will crush all those kingdoms. And bring them to an end. But it will itself endure forever.

[27:13] Revelation 11. The seventh angel with the seventh trumpet. Blares his trumpet. And in response. Every voice in heaven.

[27:26] Says the kingdom of this world. Has become the kingdom of our God. And of his Christ. And he will reign forever and ever. You see.

[27:37] A replacement is happening. A demolition of what's below. For what is coming from above. The kingdom of this world. Has now been taken over.

[27:49] By the kingdom of God. And of his Christ. And so you see. The net. Is. Coming. It's going to land in this world. And it's going to sweep everything into it.

[28:02] It's going to be the end of all the destroyers. The end of every liar. The end of this. All the idols. And the false gods. And the time for honoring yourself. And exalting yourself.

[28:12] Will be over. And every kingdom. Big and small. Your little kingdom. With your little rules. And your.

[28:23] Sinful human ways of doing things. Will be swept away. All the evil. All the sin. All the rebellion against God. All the misery and death. All the hurts and the decay.

[28:35] It will all get swept away. See. Jesus taught us to pray. Your kingdom come. And we do pray that. And in little ways. We see it coming.

[28:46] Again and again. And again. In this world. It happens when people are saved. It happens when. The. The. The consequences of sin. Are even. Reversed to some degree. It happens when sin is undone.

[28:57] When Jesus becomes. First and foremost. In a person's heart. And so yes. It is coming again and again. But it will come forever. And fully.

[29:10] The new heavens. And the new earth. The home. Of the righteous. And Christ will rule. God will reign.

[29:21] And everything. Everything will be whole. Again. But you see what Jesus is saying. The net is coming.

[29:34] The net is inescapable. The kingdom of God will come upon you. And it will come upon you for your salvation. Or for your destruction.

[29:46] But you have to know. It will come upon you. Just like the net came on the bad fish. And the good fish. The treasured fish. And the fish thrown away.

[29:56] The net is inescapable. And the point is. Is you will have to do. With God. You will have. You must have dealings.

[30:08] With God. At some point. You will have to do with the king. You're going to be swept. Into his power. And into his dominion. Into the kingdom of God.

[30:19] And you won't be able to escape it. You will not be able to defeat it. You will not be able to undo it. Or reverse it. Or somehow. Find some other place to go.

[30:29] Or be. You cannot defeat this net. That is coming. Again. Let's go back to. And finding Nemo. Dory.

[30:40] Along with a whole school of tuna. Are caught in a net. At the epic ending of the movie. And Dory. And Nemo. And all these tuna. Are caught in this net.

[30:51] They're trapped there. And so Nemo. And his dad. Marlon. Get all the fish. To swim down. They're going to fight. Against the net. To not get dragged. Out of the water.

[31:02] And so. They finally convince. All the tuna. To swim. Down to the bottom. And everyone swims. Against the net. And what you see. Is the winch. On the boat. Starts to tighten.

[31:12] And the. The. The steel chain. Or whatever it is. The rope. Starts to tighten. And the arm. That's holding the net. Begins to creak. And at last. The net.

[31:23] Breaks. And all the fish. Get to keep. Swimming. They escape the net. And they just. Get to keep on swimming. Swimming. But that's not how it's going to be.

[31:35] That's not how it's going to be. In the kingdom of heaven. All of mankind together. Could fight against the kingdom. But the net. Will drag them.

[31:47] Above. The net will drag them. Ashore. That's the first lesson. The net is coming. And the second lesson is.

[31:58] There is a separation. Coming. The separation is coming. This is how it will be. At the end of the age. The angels will come.

[32:09] And separate the wicked. From the righteous. And throw them. Into the fiery furnace. Where there will be. Weeping and gnashing of teeth. Again and again.

[32:19] Jesus tells us something. That angels will come for you. So how do you know. Whether to go to the right. Or the left. Well angels will come. Come and separate.

[32:30] The bad. The bad. From the good. They'll separate the wicked. From the righteous. Here's something.

[32:42] Incredibly frightening. The coming of the kingdom. Might be. The righteous salvation. From you. From you.

[32:52] From you. From you. The coming of the net. The coming of the kingdom. Might be God's way. Of saving. Them. From you.

[33:04] Because if this kingdom. Isn't your kingdom. Then you don't belong in it. And there can be no joy. There can't be. Heaven. There's no forever life.

[33:16] With the wicked. Living with the righteous. Now we live together. Side by side. We. Tares. In the same field. Good and bad.

[33:27] But the net is coming. And the gospel is already. Dividing people. Men are entering. Women and. Young men and young women.

[33:39] Are entering into the kingdom. Of God already. They're already slipping away. Not into heaven. But they're slipping away. Out of Satan's kingdom. Into God's kingdom.

[33:50] They're slipping into the. Through the door. And they're making their escape. And they're leaving this world behind. And the kingdoms of this world. And they're slipping now. Into the kingdom of Jesus Christ. And maybe you've seen them.

[34:00] They were just once like you. They were just like you. They had the same thoughts. And the same feelings. You were just like that. But now it's like you and them.

[34:11] Aren't together anymore. They've slipped away from you. They've been caught. Separated. But something bigger.

[34:23] Is. Coming. And the kingdom of God. Is going to crash into this world. And it's going to sweep everything. Into its power. And you will be divided. Not rich or poor.

[34:37] Not male or female. Not liberal or conservative. Not republican or democrat. But wicked. And righteous. Lovers of the king.

[34:48] Lovers of the king. Are usurpers. And rebels. Against the king. And the usurpers. And the rebels. Will be. Dealt with. So they won't hear.

[35:00] They don't need Jesus. You don't need Jesus. You don't want him. And so they don't get him. Their prayer is answered. They don't want the kingdom.

[35:13] They don't get the kingdom. The only alternative. Jesus. Repeatedly says. To the kingdom of heaven. Is fire. Is never ending pain.

[35:25] Never ending sorrow. Never ending anguish. Never ending weeping. And anger. And gnashing of the teeth. You know what it's like.

[35:35] To be ate up. With anger. And sorrow. And misery. That's all that's left. You want this.

[35:46] Sin sick world. Then. You can have it. But everything of God. Of everything of God's salvation.

[35:56] And everything of God's grace. And everything of God's mercy. Is taken out of it. And so you don't want the king. You don't want Jesus. So you won't have him. And again.

[36:08] All that's left. Is misery. And pain. And brokenness. See. You wanted your kingdom. Well here it is.

[36:18] This is what it comes to. Or do you want salvation. Do you want rescue. Then bow.

[36:31] Then bow to the king. That's how you become righteous. Becoming righteous. It's not by doing this or that.

[36:43] It doesn't start there. It starts with realizing. I need something besides me. I need outside help. I need to stop running.

[36:56] And I need to stop ruling my life. The fundamental problem is. I've been in charge. And I've driven the car into the tree. I need to stop running.

[37:06] And I need to stop ruling my life. I need a king. And it starts with seeing. That Jesus is God's king for me. Jesus is God's king for me. And so I bow to him.

[37:17] And you start there. That's where the life of righteousness begins. That's how you receive the king. And his kingdom. That's how you're saved. You don't spruce yourself up. You don't do anything to get ready for it.

[37:28] You just realize. I need this king. I need this kingdom. And you take him. You take him as your savior. Because you need saved. And you take him as your lord. Because that's the only way he comes to you.

[37:40] And so one day the net will be lowered. And all will be swept into the grip of the kingdom of God.

[37:52] And for some it will be everlasting joy. Everlasting life. Everlasting peace. The fruition of everything they've ever wanted and hoped for.

[38:05] And for some it will be never ending death. And sorrow. And I'll end with the question that Jesus asked all those people who are listening.

[38:20] His disciples. Do you understand? Do you understand? Do you understand what I'm talking about? Do you understand?

[38:33] These things that I'm telling you. I set life. And death. Before you. Choose.

[38:45] Life. Let's pray. Lord Jesus. Thank you that you are this great savior king.

[38:57] Coming into a broken world. Coming with power. Coming with wisdom and grace. And thank you that you came to bring the kingdom.

[39:15] And the kingdom only comes to sinners like us. At a cost. It's freely given to us. But Jesus. It costs you everything.

[39:27] It costs you everything to be our savior king. Your life. Your dignity. Even your experienced fellowship with God.

[39:43] And you were treated like a rebel. And you were treated like a usurper. A false messiah. Someone who was in league with the devil. You were treated with all of that indignity.

[39:57] And hatred. And spite. By men. And you were treated with justice. By our God. For the sins of your people. So there was a great price.

[40:09] For being our king. And we thank you Lord Jesus. For paying that price. And we thank you now. That the doors to the kingdom are open. The hands of the king are open.

[40:20] And you are calling sinners. And hurting. And the broken. And the desperate. And the needy. You are calling them to yourself. Let those who are weary.

[40:32] Find rest. Let those who are heavily burdened today. Find soul rest. And relief. Holy Spirit.

[40:43] Only you can do these things. All the words that I have said. Even the words on the page of scripture. Will do no good. Unless you come Holy Spirit.

[40:56] And bring power to bear. On the souls of men and women. And I pray that you would do that. For those of us who are in this kingdom. By your grace. Oh give us. Give us joy.

[41:08] Give us gratitude. And help us to live a life. That is pleasing to you. Help us to live a life of joy. For what you have done for us.

[41:20] We pray this in Jesus mighty name. Amen.