If you'd open up your Bibles to Matthew 13,
children, you're dismissed to go learn
about the building of a wall.
And for the rest of us,
would you open up your Bibles to Matthew 13?
We're going to be looking at one parable this morning.
It's the parable of the net.
Or the parable of the dragnet.
And it's in verses 47-50.
I'm going to read that for us now.
This is God's Word.
This is our Lord Jesus speaking.
Matthew 13, 47.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net
that was thrown into the sea
and gathered fish of every kind.
When it was full,
men drew it ashore and sat down
and sorted the good into containers
but threw away the bad.
Verse 49.
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.
In that place,
there will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth.
When you hear this parable read,
you know intuitively
that judgment is in the air.
that there is a sorting going on
in this parable
that should make us all pause.
On the day of final judgment,
when each of us in this room
and in this city
and on this planet,
when each of us stands
before the risen Christ,
He will judge us for everything
that we have done.
Everything.
Now here's what you're not going to care about
in that moment.
You're not going to care about
having the latest iPhone.
When you're standing before the risen Christ,
you're not going to care about
how many promotions and accolades
you got at work.
When you're standing before the risen Jesus,
it doesn't matter what house you lived in.
It doesn't matter what car you drove.
It doesn't matter what kind of clothes you wore,
the trips you took,
the kind of sex you enjoyed
or the sex you didn't get to enjoy.
It's not going to matter on that day.
It doesn't matter the number of followers
you have on Twitter.
It's not going to matter
how many likes you got on Facebook
on that day.
It won't matter.
Here's what will matter.
There was a former professional athlete
turned missionary.
His name is C.T. Studd.
And he wrote a poem.
I've read it before.
I'll just read you the first two stanzas.
Two little lines I heard one day
traveling along life's busy way,
bringing conviction to my heart
and from my mind would not depart.
Only one life which will soon be passed.
Only what's done for Christ will last.
Only one life.
Yes, only one.
Soon will its fleeting hours be done.
Then in that day,
my Lord to meet
and stand before His judgment seat.
Only one life which will soon be passed.
Only what's done for Christ will last.
This morning,
as we get our minds around this parable
of the dragnet,
you will soon realize
that Jesus is referring to that day.
The final day.
The day of judgment.
And this morning,
I just want to ask you,
are you aware of that day?
Do you know it's coming?
Do you need to act
in light of that day?
Are you afraid of that day?
Are you ashamed of that day?
The aim of this parable
is to emphasize
what's going to happen
at the end of the age.
Verse 49.
So it will be at the end of the age.
It's a day in which
all humankind is moving towards.
The reality of that day
should inject a sobriety
into how we prioritize
this day.
We live this day
in light of that day.
And so,
this morning,
here's what I'd like to do.
We're going to look at
the parable detailed.
I'm just going to walk you through
verses 47 and 48.
And Jesus,
as the classic teacher,
uncomparable,
I'm just going to walk you
through the parable.
And then in 49 and 50,
Jesus explains it.
He explains the parable for us.
And so,
we're going to walk through
the parable explained.
And in that section,
I'm going to ask
a series of questions
about the final judgment.
And then,
we're going to wrap up
by applying the parable.
So,
parable detailed,
parable explained,
parable applied.
This is a parable
that is emphasizing
what will happen
at the end of the age.
We live this day
in light of that day.
So,
would you look at
verses 47 and 48?
Let's look at this
parable of the dragnet
that came from
the very lips
of Jesus Himself.
Now,
I want to remind you
that Matthew 13,
3-53,
it's known as
the parabolic discourse.
It's one of five
extended teachings
by Jesus
in the Gospel of Matthew.
And they form
the backbone
of the Gospel itself.
Well,
in this discourse,
there are eight parables.
The first four
are spoken to crowds
on a seashore.
And the last four
are spoken to
Jesus' disciples
in a house.
The house
that was on a waterfront
that Jesus initially
came out of
in verse 1.
And so,
the parable of the dragnet
is the seventh
of these eight parables.
And He's speaking
this parable
to His disciples.
Now,
just a quick reminder
of Jesus' use
of the parables.
Two words,
vertical blinds.
Jesus would use
parables
like vertical blinds.
And so,
depending on someone's
posture of heart
towards Jesus
would determine
whether this parable
would open up
the truth of the kingdom
or not.
And so,
here's how it would work.
So,
Jesus would proclaim
a parable
and depending on
those who received it,
if that person's heart
was tender
and teachable
towards Jesus,
the parable
would open up
and the mystery
of the kingdom of heaven
would be revealed.
It might take
some more explaining,
but it was revealed.
Now,
for those
who had a hardened heart
towards Jesus,
those who were not
willing to learn
from the Savior,
the parable
actually concealed
the mystery
of the kingdom.
Their hearts
were hard.
They were unable
to see.
And so,
a parable
reveals the kingdom
to those
with a tender heart
and it conceals
the kingdom
to those
with a hardened heart.
And these parables
in Matthew 13,
they're all teaching
about the kingdom
of heaven.
Every parable,
the word kingdom
shows up.
Each one is about
the kingdom
of heaven.
And that's a big
concept in our Bibles.
It's also synonymous
with the phrase
kingdom of God.
And so,
what it refers to
is the active
saving reign
of God
to bring
as many sinners
under the reign
of Jesus.
It's a reign
of salvation.
It's a reign
of grace.
On this Mother Day,
I just want to remind you
that when you were born,
you were not born
into the kingdom
of heaven.
You were born
into the domain
of darkness.
You were living
for your sin.
You were following
the prince of the power
of the air.
The Bible
does not
paint pretty pictures
of human beings
before they encounter
Jesus.
But God,
in His mercy
and grace,
He did something
amazing.
He sent Jesus,
the Messiah King,
and He inaugurated
a whole new kingdom.
One that was
a reign of grace.
And so,
what happens is
when someone
sees Jesus
for who He is
and they
humble themselves,
they are brought
into the kingdom.
And so,
what characterizes
a citizen
of the kingdom
is a reverence
for King Jesus
and an obedience
to do His will.
That's what makes us
distinguished
from the rest
of the world.
And so,
all these parables
are helping us
see different aspects
of this kingdom,
of the saving reign
of God on earth.
a reign in which
God delivers sinners
from the domain
of darkness
into the gracious
kingdom of Jesus.
And so,
the question that
we need to be asking
ourselves in light
of verses 47-50
is,
what is Jesus
comparing the kingdom
of heaven to
in this parable?
What is He emphasizing?
And what we see
is that He's comparing
it to
catching fish
in the first century.
So now,
let's look at the
parable itself.
In verse 47,
we see this.
The kingdom of heaven
is like a net
that was thrown
into the sea.
Now,
what you've got to
understand is
there are two
different kinds
of fishing
at the Sea of Galilee
in the first century.
There was the casting
of a net,
and basically,
that was around
smaller net
and around the
circumference of the net
were these little weights
and it was a one-man
operation
and the guy would
throw it out
into the Sea of Galilee
and it would sink down
and he would pull on a rope
and it would pull in
some fish.
But that's not the kind
of fishing Jesus
is talking about.
Jesus is talking about
drag netting.
And what drag netting was
is,
have you guys seen
a tennis court?
You know the
tennis net?
It's basically
a drag net.
And what would happen
is they would
take this net
that looked like
a big fence
and it would be
weighted on the
bottom of the net.
and on top of the net
would be extended
ropes.
And so what would
happen is two boats
would go out into the
sea,
they would throw
this big net in,
it would drop to
the bottom,
and the boats
would take both
ends of the rope
and either circle
a bunch of fish
and kind of
go around them
and pull them up
on the boat,
or they would
bring the ends
of the ropes
to shore
and there would be
men on the shore
who would use
the shoreline
to pull up
the net
and pull up
a catch.
That's what Jesus
is talking about here.
It was more of a
commercial operation
when it came to
fishing on the
Sea of Galilee.
And so you can
imagine
it was a bigger
catch in a drag
net than in
this casting net.
But it doesn't
end with
the casting
of this net,
this throwing
out of this
drag net.
It was
gathering fish
of every kind.
Did you see that?
Verse 47.
Now, when you
read that,
and if you're
kind of like me,
you're always
looking for a
God's heart
for the whole
world.
People from
every tribe,
tongue,
and nation.
And when you
see this phrase
fish of every
kind, you can
start thinking,
well, he's
talking about
every person
from the world.
And in fact,
there's 20
different kinds
of fish swimming
right now in
the Sea of Galilee.
But that's not
the point of
what Jesus is
talking about.
Jesus is
talking about
basically two
groups of
fish.
The fish of
every kind is
pointing to the
fact that this
huge catch is
going to need
to be sorted.
It's a mixed
catch.
That's the point.
Remember in the
parable of the
weeds and the
wheat, that it
was a mixed
harvest?
That among the
wheat was
planted weeds?
That's what
Jesus is getting
at here.
Our time on
earth, we live
among a people
some are
following Jesus,
others are
not.
Some are in
the kingdom,
some are not.
And the point
is that this
huge catch of
fish of every
kind, it's
going to need
to be sorted.
It's a mixed
group.
But notice
that this
parable doesn't
end with just
this kind of
gathering of
all these
fish.
Look at
verse 48.
When it was
full, men
drew it ashore
and sat down.
It was drawn
ashore when it
was full.
And there is a
subtle nuance
here.
it's unseen.
It's at the
bottom of the
sea.
They would feel
the weight of
the fish in it
of course, but
could they see
it?
It's not until
this net was
drawn ashore
that you could
see the catch.
There is a
hiddenness theme
all throughout
the parables in
Matthew 13.
all the
kingdom of
heaven is
hidden until
it is finally
realized on
that day.
On that
day, the
kingdom of
God will be
fully seen
for what it
really is.
But what I
just want you
to see there
is there was
a hiddenness
to it.
Well, it's
brought up on
shore in
verse 48,
and these
men sit down,
which must
have been the
common way of
sorting fish
that day, and
they sorted
the fish.
Now, if you
fish, you
abide by the
Wisconsin DNR
regulations of
fishing.
I don't fish.
I don't like
fish looking at
me in the face
wanting to kiss
me.
That's not my
deal.
I'm not
interested in
that.
But I do get
the guidelines
that there is a
time and a
place to fish
for certain
fish.
There's a
season.
There's a
size.
And there's
even an
amount.
There's
regulations.
And so, when
you go fishing,
you've got to
sort accordingly.
Remember that
Jesus is
speaking not to
Wisconsinites
living in the
21st century.
He's speaking to
Jewish fishermen.
He's making
an appeal to
Jews at the
time.
And what you
need to know
is that Jews
would have
sorted this
catch of fish
according to a
certain verse
in your Bible.
people.
It's in
Leviticus
chapter 11
verses 9
through 12.
It's a section
that talks about
clean and
unclean animals.
Animals that
Jews could
eat and
could not
eat.
And it was
applied to
fishing.
And so, if
they went
fishing, they
would have to
sort the
catch based
on the
requirements of
Leviticus 11.
And this
is what it
was.
If a fish
had fins and
scales, you
could keep it.
But if the
fish did not
have fins or
scales, you
had to discard
it.
One was clean,
one was
unclean.
The standard
was given.
The judgment
was made.
It was clear.
And what all
this means is
that eels and
catfish were to
be thrown away
because they
didn't have fish
or didn't have
fins and scales.
They were too
snake-like.
But this
parable doesn't
end with a
sorting.
Look at the
rest of verse
48.
The good
into containers
but threw
away the bad.
The sorting
goes beyond
just a
sort.
there are
two
destinations.
The good
fish are kept
in good
containers
but the bad
fish are thrown
away.
They're discarded.
So this
parable ends
with the big
catch of fish
either in a
good container
or thrown
away and
we're left
asking a
question.
You should
be asking
the question
which fish
am I?
But we're
also asking
the question
Jesus what
are you
getting at?
What's the
point of the
parable?
What do
you want us
to know about
the kingdom
of heaven
or the
saving reign
of God?
And for
that answer
we now look
at verses
49 and
50 because
Jesus himself
explains the
parable.
So let's
look at
verses 49
and 50.
What you
need to see
first is in
verse 49
you have
that first
sentence is
an interpretive
key that
unlocks the
parable and
opens it to
us.
And so what
Jesus says in
verse 49
that first
sentence is
this.
So it will
be at the
end of the
age.
All of a
sudden we're
no longer on
the seashore of
the Sea of
Galilee.
All of a
sudden Jesus
is talking
about this
big picture
time when
all things are
coming to
ahead.
Jesus is
interpreting
the parable
for us.
And what
he is saying
is that this
parable points
to the
end of
time.
Now when
you hear that
word end
of time
be thinking
culmination.
The coming
together of
something big.
God's plan
of salvation
being manifest.
Being brought
into sight.
What Jesus
is comparing
this dragnet
to.
The saving
reign of God
is not just
a dragnet.
What Jesus
is saying
is that this
parable is
comparing the
saving reign
of God
with the
whole process
from throwing
the dragnet
in to
pulling it
up on shore
to sorting
it out
and to
placing
some fish
here and
some fish
there.
It is an
overview
of salvation
history.
In
verse 39
Jesus
already talked
about the
end of the
age and
his
explanation
of the
wheat
and the
tares.
The harvest
is the
end of
the age
he says.
In other
words
in that
parable
he's
comparing
God's
work of
salvation
to a
process
climaxing
and sowing
growing
and reaping.
The mustard
seed starts
small and
hidden
and then
culminates
into fruition
into a
large and
highly visible
tree in
verses 31
and 32.
In
verse 33
the leaven
starts small
it's
concentrated
it's
hidden
and then
it culminates
in being
spread
through a
large
quantity
of
flour
that
is
seen
because
it
gives
rise
to
the
whole
thing.
So
what Jesus
is helping
us see
is this
the kingdom
of heaven
is on
the move
but it's
not this
kind of
narrow line
that ends
in a
period.
The
kingdom
of heaven
is expanding
fullness
moving towards
an end
point
that's
an
exclamation
point.
The saving
reign of God
is God's
active
progressive
work of
salvation
that's
moving through
time towards
a very
public
culmination.
A final
judgment
in which
all will
be seen.
one
implication
is this
despite
what you
may feel
sometimes
despite
what you
hear on
the news
despite
what you
read in
the papers
God
is at
work.
He is
sovereignly
orchestrating
all things
towards
one
great
day.
Furthermore
the emphasis
of this
parable
is not
so much
of what
happens
in the
water
but what
happens
on the
shore
what is
seen.
It's the
culmination
the end
of the
age
that
sorting
that
separating
out
that
judgment.
What Jesus
does here
is in
verses
49 and
50
he
emphasizes
two
end
time
realities.
In
verse 49
he
emphasizes
the
judgment
final
judgment
and in
verse 50
he
emphasizes
hell.
Now
what I'd
like to
do now
is ask
a series
of
questions
of
what we
see
in
verses
49
and
50
and
then
look
to
the
rest
of
the
scriptures
to
help
us
understand
what
God
means
by
final
judgment
and
what
about
hell.
Is
hell
harsh?
Oh yeah
it is.
The question
I want to
ask this
morning is
is hell
just?
So this
parable
is about
the end
of the
age.
It's
about
final
judgment.
So let's
ask this.
Basic
question
number
one.
Will
there
be
a
final
judgment?
Well
according
to
this
verse
this
parable
the
answer
is
yes
there
will
be
a
final
judgment.
Jesus
believed
that
time
is
moving
to
a
point
in
which
all
people
will
be
gathered
before
the
judge
and
all
will
be
judged.
And
that
judgment
will
be
a
judgment
of
perfect
justice.
Complete
justice.
Will
there
be a
final
judgment?
Well
Jesus
is
saying
well
yeah.
He's
talking
about
it
as
a
final
sort
a
final
separating
of
fish.
The
next
question
I
want
to
ask
is
who
will
be
judged
on
that
day
who
will
be
judged?
All
people
who
have
ever
lived
on
the
face
of
this
planet
since
Adam
and
Eve
will
be
judged.
Everyone.
That
includes
me.
That
includes
you.
That
includes
everyone
in this
room.
That
includes
everyone
in our
city.
That
includes
everyone
in your
family.
Everyone
will be
judged.
Now I
want you
to flip
back
to
Matthew
chapter
25
in your
Bible.
This
is
the
last
discourse
that
Jesus
is
speaking.
And
in
verse
31
and
32
I
want
you
to
hear
what
Jesus
has
to
say.
Again
he's
speaking
about
the
end
times.
When
the
Son of
Man
comes
in
his
glory.
This
is
verse
31
of
chapter
25.
When
the
Son of
Man
comes
in
his
glory.
Now
that
should
ring
a
bell.
The
Son
of
Man
is
Jesus'
choice
designation
of
himself.
He's
pulling
back
to
Daniel
chapter
7
and
it's
fulfillment.
God
has
given
him
a
kingdom.
An
everlasting
one.
And
he
says
when
the
Son
of
Man
comes
in
his
glory
and
all
the
angels
with
him
then
he
will
sit
on
his
glorious
throne.
Before
him
will
be
gathered
do
you
see
it
in
your
Bible?
Before
him
will
be
gathered
all
the
nations
all
people
from
all
time.
Look
at
Acts
chapter
17.
Flip
to your
right.
Keep
on
going.
You'll
pass
John.
You'll
run
into
the
book
of
Acts
and
go
to
Acts
17.
Paul
is
in
Athens
and
Paul
is
preaching
at
the
Areopagus
and
he's
preaching
to
some
well
educated
people
and
he
says
this
verses
30
through
32
the
times
of
ignorance
God
overlooked
but
now
he
commands
all
people
everywhere
to
repent
because
he's
fixed
a day
on
which
he
will
judge
the
world
in
righteousness
Revelation
chapter
20
11
through
12
there's
this
great
resurrection
from the
dead
of all
people
who will
stand
before
the
throne
and
they
will
be
judged
every
one
of
them
Romans
chapter
14
10
through
12
why do
you
pass
judgment
on
your
brother
he's
speaking
to
Christians
or
you
why do
you
despise
your
brother
for
we
will
all
stand
before
the
judgment
seat
of
God
for
it
is
risen
as I
live
says
the
Lord
every
knee
shall
bow
to
me
and
every
tongue
shall
confess
to
God
verse
12
so
then
each
of
us
will
give
an
account
of
himself
to
God
it's
not
just
everybody
who's
going to
be
standing
before
the
throne
on
that
day
you
will
stand
before
the
throne
on
that
day
2nd
Corinthians
5
10
we
must
all
appear
before
the
judgment
seat
of
Christ
who
will
be
judged
on
that
day
everyone
all
of
us
everyone
whether
you
revere
King
Jesus
and
obey
him
or
you
reject
King
Jesus
and
don't
give
a rip
of what
he
has
to
say
all
will
be
judged
let's
ask
another
question
on
that
day
of
judgment
what
will
we
be
judged
for
what
standard
what
standard
will
this
judgment
be
made
I
mean
the
fish
on
the
shore
in
the
parable
they
were
judged
according
to
Leviticus
11
when
you
go
fishing
in
Wisconsin
you
kind
of
working
with
Wisconsin
D&R
guidelines
will
the
judge
at
the
final
judgment
determine
his
judgments
on
you
and
on
me
based
upon
the
morality
of
our
culture
no
will
he
base
his
judgments
on
us
and
the
law
of
the
land
no
on
what
grounds
will
God
judge
you
and
me
and
the
rest
of
mankind
well
he
says
in
act
17
he
will
judge
the
world
in
righteousness
you
remember
the
psalm
I
opened
up
the
service
with
it's
psalm
96
let
the heavens
be
glad
and let
the
earth
rejoice
let
the
sea
roar
and
all
that
fills
it
let
the
field
exult
and
everything
in
it
then
shall
all
the
trees
of
the
forest
sing
for
joy
before
the
Lord
for
he
comes
for
he
comes
to
judge
the
earth
he
will
judge
the
world
in
righteousness
this
righteousness
is not
some
arbitrary
righteousness
this is
what I
feel like
today
but it's
a righteousness
that is
established
on the
very
unchanging
character
of God
himself
it's a
right way
of loving
it's a
right way
of thinking
it's a
right way
of feeling
it's a
right way
of speaking
it's a
right way
of neighboring
on that
day
we're going
to be
held
accountable
for the
way that
we
interact
with
others
around
us
do you
want to
know what
God requires
of you
do you
remember
Matthew
chapter 5
verse 48
Jesus
says
be
perfect
as your
heavenly
father is
perfect
that should
ring of the
rhythm of
1st Peter
1 16
be holy
for I
am
holy
God has
revealed
his
righteous
standard
not only
in his
own
character
but in
the rules
and guidelines
laid out
in the
Bible
God's
word
sets
forth
a
perfect
standard
of
righteousness
and in
so doing
it exposes
the
deep
seated
sin
in
idolatry
in all
of us
now you
may be
sitting there
saying
well
what if
people don't
have
God's
word
are they
still
accountable
Romans 1
says
absolutely
God
has revealed
his
invisible
attributes
to all
they are
all
without
excuse
what
condemns
people
to hell
is not
a
rejection
of
Jesus
it's
a
disobedience
to doing
the
law
of
God
now
if
you
read
Matthew
chapter
5
verse
21
forward
and you
read it
asking
yourself
do I
measure up
to Jesus
what Jesus
is calling
me to
you would
quickly
realize
that you
fall way
short
that you
seek to
kill people
in your
heart
when you're
angry with
them
that you
commit
adultery
in your
heart
more than
you care
to admit
that you
would rather
retaliate
an eye
for an eye
than turn
your cheek
that you
would rather
hate your
enemies
than love
your enemies
what it
shuts us
up under
is that
we're all
sinners
we're all
in a place
we're all
condemned
we all
fall short
we fall
short of
the glory
of God
all of us
not one
of us
is able
to stand
in the
judgment
not one
of us
what does
God require
what does
he base
his judgments
on
he bases
it on
his
righteousness
he doesn't
lower the
standard
he is
the standard
and we
fall
short
but he's
done
something
about it
who are
the evil
and the
righteous
in verse
49
we read
this
so we'll
be at the
end of the
age
the angels
will come
and separate
the evil
from
the righteous
who are
the evil
and the
righteous
well in
the parable
the fishermen
separate the
bad fish
from the
good fish
and what
Jesus is
saying there
is that
the fish
represent
people
the angels
will separate
the evil
people from
the righteous
people on
that day
all of
humanity
falls into
two groups
of people
on that
day
on that
day
you'll
either
fall into
the evil
group
or the
righteous
group
it's the
same group
of people
that Jesus
talks about
in the weeds
and the
tares
the sons
of the evil
one and the
sons of the
kingdom
the weeds
and the
wheat
the bad
fish and
the good
fish
the righteous
the evil
and the
righteous
we got to
ask the
question
what's the
difference
between the
two
because
whatever
the difference
between the
two is
is what
we need
to pay
attention
to
and the
difference
between the
two is
Jesus
more
specifically
the difference
between the
two is
one's
posture
of heart
towards
Jesus
your
willingness
to come
under
his
gracious
reign
what you
believe
about
Jesus
will
inevitably
show up
in the
way that
you live
your life
and so
when we
read about
these
judgments
to come
and their
judgments
of works
what their
judgments
of are
determining
who rules
your heart
who are
you living
for
what the
Bible calls
good works
or deeds
in keeping
with repentance
also the
fruit of the
spirit
what they
are
works
that
evidence
a change
of heart
towards
God
so the
good works
verify
what God
in his
grace
has done
in your
life
we're not
saved by
good works
we're
saved
for
good works
and so
if you
think about
your
citizenship
of heaven
if you
think of
kind of
like
kingdom
credentials
your
good works
after you
were converted
from sin
converted to
Christ
your good
works
give God
something to
point at
and say
yes he
is converted
yes he
has been
saved
and so
if we
encounter
someone who
professes
to be a
follower of
Jesus but
they're living
like a
little devil
their life
doesn't match
up their
profession
we can see
that and
God can see
that too
who are the
evil and who
are the
righteous
the righteous
are those
who've been
saved by
God's
grace
they've
been
radically
changed
from the
inside
they've
been
given
new
hearts
to
worship
the
one
true
God
and it
shows up
in a
changed
life
that's
who the
righteous
are
but the
evil
are those
who persist
in their
sin
they are
living for
things that
are not
God
and when
they're not
living for
God
they're living
for something
in God's
place
which of
course is
idolatry
who are the
evil and who
are the
righteous
the righteous
are those who
belong to
Jesus
the evil
are not
another
question
did you
notice how
public
the final
judgment
is
that on
that day
all the
nations will be
gathered around
the throne
and every
person
will be held
to account
for all
of their
works
it's very
public
do you know
why
it is
God's
ultimate
vindication
it's his
ultimate
step of
saying
I've been
reigning
all along
my justice
is now
full
and complete
all
can see
now
that no
one
no one
can raise
a voice
against
me
on that
day
every knee
shall bow
and every
tongue
confess
that
Jesus
Christ
is
Lord
let me
close with
this
who will
judge
on that
day
who
sits on
the throne
on that
day
who
will you
stand
before
on that
day
what the
scriptures
teach
is that
Jesus
is the
judge
in
Matthew
chapter 5
verse 32
Jesus is
talking about
himself
and he
says
when the
son of
man
comes in
his
glory
and all
the
angels
with him
then he
will sit
on his
glorious
throne
before him
will be
gathered all
the nations
and he
the son
of man
will separate
people
one from
another
as shepherds
separate the
sheep from
the goats
and he will
place the
sheep on
his right
but the
goats on
his left
then the
king
will say
to those
on his
right
come
you are
blessed
by my
father
inherit
the kingdom
prepared
for you
from the
foundation
of the
world
let your
eyes gaze
down
to 41
then he
will say
to those
on his
left
depart
from me
you
cursed
into the
eternal
fire
prepared
for the
devil
and his
angels
Jesus
is the
judge
Jesus
is the
king
in
Acts
17
Jesus
is the
man
that God
appointed
to judge
the world
in righteousness
assuring
all
by raising
him
from the
dead
2nd
Corinthians
5
10
we all
must
stand
before
the
judgment
seat
of
Christ
Jesus
is uniquely
qualified
to be
the
judge
he is
a sinless
man
he is
the only
one
who walked
on this
planet
without
sinning
once
though he
was tempted
in every
way
that makes
him
sympathetic
on his
judgment
seat
but it
also makes
him full
of integrity
when he
passes his
judgments
Jesus
is also
uniquely
qualified
to be
the
judge
because
he
is
fully
God
not only
was he
a sinless
man
but he's
fully
God
his
judgment
is
inscrutable
it's
accurate
it is
true
it's
full
of
justice
he
will
miss
nothing
on the
day
of
judgment
Matthew
12
36
says
that
every
careless
word
that
comes
out
of
your
mouth
will
be
held
to
account
he's
missing
nothing
and
there's
no
spin
none
perfectly
true
everything
about
everyone
will be
exposed
as
J.I.
Packer
says
uniquely
qualified
he's a
sinless
man
he's
fully
God
and
he's
uniquely
qualified
to be
the
judge
because
he's
the
only
savior
he
knows
those
whom
have
cried
out
to
him
and
have
bowed
their
knee
and
with
whom
he
has
shed
his
blood
he
knows
his
own
it's
not
mysterious
to
him
now
check
this
out
if
Jesus
is
your
savior
if
you
bowed
your
knee
to
him
if
you
revere
him
as
your
king
you're
looking
to
obey
him
in
all
the
ways
when
you
step
in
front
of
his
judgment
seat
you're
going
to
be
looking
at
the
one
who
died
for
you
you're
going
to
be
looking
at
the
one
who
hung
on
a
cross
for
you
you're
going
to
be
looking
at
the
one
who
this
judge
who
gave
himself
for
you
already
do you
know
the
effect
that
is
it
casts
out
all
fear
there
is
therefore
now
no
condemnation
for
those
who
are
in
Christ
Jesus
brothers
and
sisters
on that
will you
be
held
to
account
yes
you
will
but
you
need
not
fear
condemnation
because
your
king
who
is
your
judge
is
also
your
savior
on
judgment
day
there
will
be
a
calling
to
account
to
believers
but
it
will
be
a
day
of
mercy
and
grace
that
verse
there
is
therefore
now
no
condemnation
that's
Romans
8
1
Romans
14
12
says
but
we
will
all
give
an
account
before
him
both
are
true
imagine
with me
on that
great
day
you
have
been
gathered
with
all
the
billions
of
people
that
have
walked
the
face
of
the
earth
and
there
is
a
separation
taking
place
by
the
angels
what
will
be
going
on
in
your
heart
in
that
moment
what
will
you
be
thinking
and
then
there
is
this
line
that
forms
I
don't
know
if
this
is
the
way
it's
going
to
happen
but
you
will
know
that
the
throne
lies
before
you
and
you
know
that
everyone
before
you
is
giving
an
account
and
everyone
behind
you
is
giving
an
account
what's
happening
in
your
heart
as
you
move
one
step
closer
what's
going
on
are
you
afraid
or
are
you
anticipating
are
you
looking
forward
to
locking
eyes
with
your
king
and
saying
something
to the
extent
of
I'm
a
mixed
bag
and
you
know
it
but
you
also
know
that
I
belong
to
you
because
you
shed
your
blood
to
me
that's
all
I
got
to
say
that's
all
I
can
say
for
some
the
judgment
day
will
be
horrific
for
others
judgment
day
will
be
a
day
of
rejoicing
for
you
will
see
your
savior
face
to
face
this
morning
I
don't
have
time
to
answer
the
question
is
hell
just
but
if
you
want
to
come
up
afterwards
I
would
be
glad
to
talk
to
you
about
it
then
I
want
to
part
with
just
a
couple
questions
this
morning
you
came
in
were
you
aware
of
a
final
judgment
were
you
aware
of
what
Jesus
taught
and
do
you
agree
with
it
is
it
true
is
there
really
a
point
in
time
in
which
God
is
drawing
us
all
to
do
you
need
to
act
if
you
are
not
a
Christian
you
have
been
warned
and
today
is
a
day
in
which
you
can
cry
out
to
Jesus
now
and
you
can
say
save
me
and
he
will
save
you
if
that's
where
you
are
at
please
come
on
down
I
would
love
to
talk
to
you
other
people
be
down
here
love
to
talk
to
you
there's
a
group
of
people
in
here
that
I
am
particularly
concerned
about
you're
a
professing
Christian
and
presently
you're
actively
engaging
in
unrepentant
sin
let
this
promised
reality
of final
judgment
warn
you
call
you
to
repentance
turn
from
your
sin
turn
to
your
Savior
confess
to
him
that
what
you're
doing
is
wrong
don't
ignore
this
do
you
need
to
act
are
you
afraid
remember
your
judge
is
also
your
Savior
and
so
if
you're
a
follower
of
Jesus
and
you
know
you
belong
to
him
you
can
be
assured
that
on
that
day
you
have
nothing
to
fear
the
last
is
are
you
ashamed
does
this
doctrine
of the
final
judgment
does
that
make
you
ashamed
is that
something
you
don't
talk
about
and are
afraid
to
talk
about
you're
ashamed
to
talk
about
Jesus
is not
ashamed
this
is
something
that
we
should
not
be
ashamed
of
rather
because
if
it's
true
we
should
be
persuading
others
in the
words
of
Paul
we
should
be
helping
them
consider
is
this
true
and
if
it
is
you
need
to
take
to
heart
what
God
offers
you
in
Jesus
today
only
one
life
yes
only
one
soon
will
its
fleeting
hours
be
done
then
in
that
day
my
Lord
to
meet
and
stand
before
his
judgment
seat
only
one
life
which
will
soon
be
passed
only
what's
done
for
Christ
will
last
let's
pray
Lord
Jesus
we
do
thank
you
that
not
only
you
have
died
for
us
and
not
only
were
you
raised
from
the
dead
not
only
are
you
reigning
now
and
that
you
are
advancing
your
kingdom
even
as
these
words
fall
on
our
dear
friend's
ears
but
Lord
Jesus
there's
coming
a day
when
you
return
and
you
will
take
your
rightful
place
on
the
throne
and
that
all
will
be
gathered
before
you
and
you
will
judge
all
with
equity
and
righteousness
and
justice
will
prevail
and
you
will
be
glorified
God
I
pray
that
you
would
make
us
a
people
who
live
this
day
in
light
of
that
day
God
may
we
be
a
people
who
take
care
to
know
that
there
is
a
final
day
it's
your
name
Jesus
we
pray
amen