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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for January 18, 2010
“The Kingdom of Heaven Is Like a Net”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
Jesus said, “…the kingdom of heaven is like a net…”
Have you ever gone net fishing? You never know what you’re going to catch. Net fishing is not very specific, you just put the net out and pull it back – then you sort out your catch.
That’s what Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is like. It’s like a net that is cast into the sea and catches all kinds of fish.
And inside the net are two categories of fish: good fish and bad fish.
And don’t miss the point – the fish represent people.
Jesus is teaching about the end. The King James calls it “the end of the world.” The NIV says “the end of the age.”
So at the end, a net is cast and both good and bad are brought in. And Matthew 13:49 says, “…the angels shall come forth…”
And, just like fishermen sorting their catch on the shore, the angels will separate the people into two groups: good and bad.
Fishermen keep the good fish, you know. The good fish stay with them, and the good people stay with the angels.
But the primary focus seems to be on the bad people, whom Jesus called “the wicked.”
Jesus said, “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.”
The King James says, “…the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
That’s what will happen at the end. It’s as sure as you are alive and breathing. People will be separated, and some will be cast into the furnace of fire.
Those people are on the very, very bad end of the deal, and you don’t want to be one of them.
On the good end of the deal are “the just,” also called “the righteous.”
So, just be a good little boy or girl and you will avoid the fiery furnace, right? Just as long as your good outweighs your bad – is that the way it works?
Well, there’s one problem with that. Romans 3 says we are all “under sin.” Verse 10 says, “…there is no one righteous, not even one…”
So how does that work? The angels are going to rescue the righteous from the fire, and yet no one is righteous.
Well here’s how it works. No one is righteous . . . on their own.
But thank goodness Romans 3 gives us another route to righteousness. Verse 21 says, “But now a righteousness from God…has been made known…”
Verse 22 says, “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”
Verse 25 says it’s “through faith in His blood.”
And verse 26 says that God “justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”
So we are not righteous on our own. Under our own power we can never be good enough to make the cut. At the end, at that great sorting of the fish, we will be cast into the fiery furnace.
Mark 16:16 says, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”
Believe what?
Ephesians 1 calls it believing the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation.
Romans 1 says the gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.
So what is the “gospel”?
In First Corinthians 15, Paul wrote, “…I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you.” And he followed with this summary of the gospel, “that Christ died for our sins,” “that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve,” and then to “more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time…”
And Paul concluded, “…this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.”
This is what we call becoming a Christian. This is “getting saved.” It is believing the Gospel of Jesus Christ for yourself. It is receiving through faith God’s forgiveness of your sins through the blood of Christ, and becoming just and righteous before the Lord.
The believers are the righteous and just. They are the good fish in that parable.
It’s the parable of the net. At the end the net will be cast, people will be gathered, and then separated.
We believers, made righteous through Christ, we will stay.
And the wicked, they shall be cast into the furnace of fire where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
It’s just like Jesus said.
The kingdom of heaven is like a net.
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2010 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
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