This evening in the gospel we're turning to Matthew chapter 3. Matthew's gospel in the chapter number 3. We'll read the chapter together, not too many verses, so we'll read the chapter together, Matthew chapter 3, and we'll begin at the opening verse of the chapter our Bible reading this evening. Let's hear God's word. In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Elias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his path straight. And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathering girdle about his loins, and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him, Jerusalem and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits, meat for repentance. The thing not to say within yourselves, we have Abraham to our father. For I say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up children onto Abraham. And I also, the axe is laid onto the root of the trees, therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is shewn down and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, But he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire, whose fan is in his hand. And he will throughly purge his floor and gather his wheat into the garner. And he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John to be baptized of him. But John forbid him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering, said unto him, Suffer it, to be so now. For thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him, and Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water, and though the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon him. though a voice from heaven saying this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased amen let's briefly pray together please just another short word of prayer together loving father and good and gracious god we come now lord to the handling of thy word We certainly, Lord, need thy help and the infilling of thy Spirit. Lord, here I am. Lord, I feel as great a novice as I've ever felt. And Lord, as great a need of the infilling of thy Spirit and the help of God in this service. Oh, we understand that we cannot move, Lord, a sinner, Lord, an inch closer to heaven. Lord, not even a millimeter closer to heaven. This is Thy work and Thy work alone. And so, Lord, I give myself entirely to Thee. I give myself wholly to Thee. And I give myself, O God, to Thy will and to Thy power and to Thy Spirit even now. Come, Lord, and fill me, I pray, and give help, Lord, by the Spirit. I pray these prayers and through the Savior's great and precious name. Amen. It only struck me just a few weeks ago, but I wonder have you ever noticed whenever the Lord Jesus Christ, whenever he came to preach, he never employed any illustrations from the carpenter's workshop. You'd have thought that having lived in the home of Joseph the carpenter for 30 years and having been called by others the carpenter's son, that the son of God would have taken illustrative antidotes from carpentry to teach some particular divine truth. However, in my reading of the gospel records, I've never come across one such illustration. I can stand to be corrected tonight and I'm quite happy to be so. Wherever you come to read the gospels, you never read of the Savior ever speaking about wood. That is, as it were, the material that our carpenter uses to fashion his particular furniture or whatever is in his mind, whatever he's going to manufacture. We don't read of him ever speaking about hammers, or chisels, or planes, or saws, or dovetail joints, or dowels. We never use or read of those particular items ever being used. You may say, well, there's no saws in the Bible. But there are saws in the Bible. In the book of Hebrews, we read about those who were sawn asunder. And so there are saws in the Bible. But the Savior never employs any of those particular objects. Now, why that is, I am not too sure, and I'm really not sure. Despite being brought up among the wood cuttings and the wood shavings of a carpenter's workshop, the Savior, in His preaching, rather, drew lessons from the spheres of horticulture and agriculture, rather than carpentry, in order to drive home spiritual truth. The references are familiar to us. Think of the parable of the sower. Whenever the farmer goes out and he sows that good seed into four different types of soil, the Lord Jesus Christ in that parable is simply warning of the reality that those who come to sit under the Word of God, that not all who do so will respond positively and produce spiritual fruit onto eternal life in their lives. You think about the parable of the wheat and tares again from the realm of agriculture. Again, the Savior pointing out that those within the visible church who at times appear at the beginning to be saved, but a time as it goes by, they will be shown to be only professors and not true possessors of saving faith. The Savior spoke about a lost sheep, reminding us of the tremendous lengths to which he the great shepherd would go to in order to find the sheep that was lost, reminding us of the tremendous lengths to which the Son of God, that good, that chief shepherd, would go in order to rescue us from death and ultimately from hell. the parable of a rich farmer, how the Savior in that parable would caution men and women and boys and girls not to focus on earth's possessions to the detriment of the soul's salvation. The Lord Jesus Christ was not the only preacher. who took illustrations from the realm of agriculture to get God's truth across to his hearers. His forerunner, John the Baptist, was another preacher who would employ such illustrations. And Matthew chapter 3 is one such occasion where this happens. Tonight we're simply considering together the words of the Baptist that we find in the verses 11 and 12 of Matthew chapter 3. When John the Baptist said to his gathered congregation that day, I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire, whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor and gather his wheat into the gardener, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Tonight's message I've simply entitled, Earth's Final Sifting. Earth's Final Sifting. I remind you all that there is a day of sifting that is coming for us all. A day of separation, a day whenever the wheat will be removed from the chaff and the chaff will be removed from the wheat. And I remind you that you need to make preparation for that day. If as yet you have not prepared for earth's final sifting, then it is my prayer that you will before you leave this place of meeting. As we think about your final sifting, I want you to consider with me in the first instance the person overseeing the sifting process. The person who will come to oversee the sifting process. Now John the Baptist was undoubtedly a firebrand of a preacher. Whenever you're filled with the Holy Ghost you can be nothing else but a firebrand of a preacher. Such was the impact of the Baptist preaching ministry that people were drawn from both urban and also from agricultural areas into the wilderness to listen to the preaching that God would give His servant, the preaching of the Word of God by this particular man, John the Baptist. And what fearless preaching they heard when they came to hear John preach. neither flattered his congregation, Nor was he ever fearful of them. With boldness and unflinching nerve, he would face the crowds and bring to them the message that God had placed upon their heart. One such case example is found in the verse number seven, when addressing the Pharisees and the Sadducees, John the Baptist said, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath that is to come? What a fearless preacher John the Baptist was. Now, the message that he comes to preach on this occasion, it comes to its climax in these two verses that we're considering this evening, the verses 11 and the verse number 12 of Matthew chapter 3. See, what I notice about John the Baptist and his preaching, whenever he preached, he always got to Jesus Christ. Now, undoubtedly, there were various strands to the message that John preached, but all radiated out of this central core truth that really is the vital heartbeat of the gospel message, simply the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. You don't have to stand on the banks of the River Jordan and listen to John's preaching to realize that that was the case. Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. That was the message that John the Baptist preached when he was on this earth. He preached about the work of God and salvation, the Lamb who's come to take away the sin of the world. How? By the sacrifice of himself upon the cross. And so he preaches about the salvation of God. He preaches about how man can escape wrath, how he can escape and flee from the wrath, and be delivered from wrath through faith in Jesus Christ. He preached about salvation, but he also preached about the work of God, not only in salvation, but the work of God in judgment. You don't hear too many messages these days. about God's work and judgment. And yet this is what John comes to preach on this particular occasion. He preaches about earth's final sifting. He speaks about this process that is going to take place, this event that is going to come to pass at the end of the world when he with fan in hand will come and thoroughly purge his floor and gather the wheat into the gardener and yet will in turn burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Here in Matthew chapter 3, really what John speaks about here is the Christ of God who will come to oversee the sifting of the entire human race that will take place at the end of the world. What we have really in these two verses is a summary of the two-fold ministry of the Savior to fallen humanity. It would be a ministry that would see either to man's salvation or see to man's damnation. While John would have baptized and did baptize with water, the Savior would exercise a far greater ministry than water baptism. We're told that He would baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire. No man can baptize with the Holy Ghost. No man can baptize a person with the Holy Ghost, that is the Lord's prerogative. And that he does when he saves the soul, because what happens is that the Spirit of God comes to live in the one who trusts in Jesus Christ for salvation. I say to those in this meeting house tonight who are not yet saved, you need to understand what you desperately need as an individual who is yet in your sin. You don't need to become religious. You don't need to become good living. You don't need to become indoctrinated with the persuasive oratory of a dynamic speaker that will result in some form of outward reformation of your life. What you need tonight is the principle of new life put within you, infused into your soul by the power of the Holy Ghost. That is what you need tonight in the gospel, the principle of new life infused into your soul by the power of the Holy Ghost. I know that sounds strange to you if you're not a saved individual. You're maybe thinking, well, what is that preacher talking about? You maybe have no clue of what the preacher is speaking about. But I say to you, you need a new nature to be implanted into you and replace your old sinful nature. You need life where death presently reigns. And I say to you, sinner, that no man, not yourself, No human being, not this preacher, has the power to produce the principle of new life within. Only Christ is able to cause you to see your sin and embrace Christ in the gospel. Only Christ is able to bring the Holy Spirit to live within your heart and within your life. You need the Holy Ghost living in you. This is what happens whenever you become a Christian. The Spirit of God comes to indwell the heart and the life of the person who trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is what salvation is. The Spirit of God entering the life and that Spirit transforming the life from the inside out. Here's my question. I hope you're listening. Has such a work been done in your life? Does the Spirit of God, does He live in you? Does He reside in you? Does He dwell in you? You may ask, well, how do I know? How do I know if God the Holy Ghost has come to take up residency in my life? You will know because you will bear in your life the fruit of the Spirit at least to some degree. We read of that fruit in Galatians 5 in the verses 22 and 23. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. You'll know that the Holy Ghost lives in you because you will be led by him to walk in paths of righteousness and in ways of holiness and not in the ways of sin. And so I asked you, does the Spirit of God live in you? John, he speaks about the Savior's twofold ministry. He speaks about those who are wheat and those who are chaff. He says that on that great day that the wheat will be gathered into the gardener, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. We read that It's in his hand, this one who is coming, this one who is greater than I, this one whose shoes I am not worthy to bear, this one will have in his hand a fan and he will through thee purge his floor. Speaking of the one who is engaged in this sifting process, this is the Son of God. This is the beloved Son in whom the Father is well pleased as we read off in the verse number 17. This is the work of God Himself. And thus we can conclude two things. Number one, we can conclude that He alone has the authority. perform such a task. He alone has the authority to perform such a task. You see, this purging of the floor, the separating of the wheat from the chaff, the separating of the righteous from the unrighteous, the saved from the lost, at the end of the world is a task that has been entrusted to the Son by the Father. We read of this delegated authority. passages of Scripture. We read of it in John 5 verse 22. For the Father judges no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son. John 5, 26 and 27. For as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself, and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of Man. In Acts 17 verse 31. appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained. He has given assurance unto all men in that He raised Him from the dead. And so God the Son has the authority, He has the right, He is the prerogative to sever the saved from among the unsaved, and He'll do that on the final day. He will separate, He will separate the sheep from among the goats. He has the authority to do that. He has the right to do that. He will do it on the final day. Not only has He the authority to do it, but secondly, we also learn that He has the ability to perform such a task. You see, as God, Jesus Christ, He knows all things. He is omniscient. He knows the true character of every man. He's fully acquainted with the spiritual state of every individual, and therefore, he and he alone has the aptitude and the insight required to sift the wheat from among the chaff. Nay him the prophet, he said these words. He said, the Lord knoweth them. The Lord knoweth them that trust in him. He knows who in this meeting have trusted in Christ for salvation, and He alone. In writing to Timothy, Paul wrote these words, the Lord knoweth them that are His. And in 2 Timothy 2 in the verse number 19, the eternal Son has the ability to decipher who is wheat and who is chaff. He has the aptitude to preserve all those that belong to him in the sifting process. We're told in Scripture that not a least grain will fall to the ground. Amos 9 in the verse number 9. He also has the knowledge of those who have never trusted in him. And for those he will cast. into unquenchable fire. You see, what I'm trying to get across with regard to the Savior's ability and aptitude, what I'm trying to get across to you if you know not Christ in this house tonight, what I'm trying to convey to you so simply is that God will not be fooled, and He will not be hoodwinked by you. God knows exactly who you are. He knows exactly your spiritual state tonight. And you may be able to put on a fair show of being a Christian, but the Lord himself knows them that are his. Those who have genuinely trusted in him for salvation. And so tonight, if you're pretending, stop it. Stop pretending. Get right with God. Trust in Him. Believe on Him to the salvation of your soul. Stop pretending. Get right with God. And so we move from the person who does the sifting to consider in the second instance the process involved in the sifting. John speaks in the verse 12 of the Son of God having a fan in his hand by which he comes to purge his floor. But what is John referring to here? Well he's referring to a process that would have been occurring on a regular basis in the land of Israel during the days that John the Baptist ministered around the Jordan River basin. It most likely still occurs in what we would call developing countries or third world countries today but it's something that has been confined I suppose to the history books of developed nations like our own because of the mechanization of the farming process. Let me try to explain what happens with regard to this process. John really brings us to the threshing floor in order that he might illustrate what happens and what will happen at the end of the world. That threshing floor, well, it was a place, maybe sometimes in the fields of harvesting, where the harvested sheaves of grain, they were thrown in after they had been harvested by the reapers. A team of oxen would have trailed large pieces of wood across those sheaves in that saucer-like basin, and as they did so, they would separate the kernel, or the grain, from the stalk. that crushed up mixture now, that would have been gone through or would have went through then what is known as the winnowing process. It would separate the chaff from the grain, from the wheat. What would happen would be the farmer would stand on some mountainous area where there was a prevalent wind they would throw that chaff and green mixture into the air and as a result of that happening and the wind blowing the chaff would be blown away and the green would fall back to the ground. After the process was completed all chaff would be gone and the wheat would be gathered eventually into the garner or into the storehouse. This fan is not the type of fan that you maybe see some ladies using whenever it gets warm. Rather this word fan would be better translated in this way, winnowing fork, a winnowing fork, that instrument that was used like a pick fork we would call or like a grape. throwing it up into the air, this combination, this mixture of wheat and chaff, throwing it up into the air, and the chaff blown away, and the grain, as I said, falling to the ground. And so this mixture would be in place until this process took place. It is a reminder to us all that within the visible church there will always be wheat and chaff. There will be always those who are saved and those who are unsaved who will occupy and find a place within the visible church of Jesus Christ. At present, there is no separation between the two. The good along with the bad. Believers and unbelievers. Those who are converted, those who are not converted. The holy and unholy, they're found among those who call themselves Christians. And they sit in our assemblies. They sit in houses like this. They sit in meetings such as this. They sing the same hymns. They sing the same psalms as we do. They listen side by side to the same messages preached They bow their heads. They listen intently. And so the wheat and the chaff, they continue to be presently inseparable. However, it will not always be that way. Because when Christ comes again, he will take to task the responsibility of separating the wheat from among the chaff. This process of separation is something that is drawn to our attention throughout the Savior's parables. You think of the wise and the foolish virgins, that parable that we have there in Matthew 25. It wasn't until the appearing of the bridegroom that it was even suspected that five of the wise, or the virgins, had no oil in their lamps. Outwardly, everything appeared just the same. Everything right in its proper place, but inwardly, there was a problem. There was no oil. It reminds us that whenever heaven's bridegroom appears for his bride, that only those who have the oil, those who have the Spirit of God, are truly his and will join him in the marriage supper. You think of the wise and the foolish builders, the one who came to build their houses there in Matthew chapter 7. The wise man builds his house upon the rock. The foolish man, he builds his house upon the sand. But it isn't until the storm comes that the building is seen for what it is. The structure collapses. The foundation is not there. And it's swept away. And it is a reminder that whenever the storm of God's judgment breaks, that there's going to be an awful realization among individuals that they did not build on Christ who is the rock. They will be swept away in God's judgment. We think of the parable of the net cast into the sea. There in Matthew chapter 13, the Savior would speak about how that net when it was full will be brought into shore, the good put into vessels, the bad will be cast away. And so he went on to explain that parable, the Savior himself, so shall it be when at the end of the world, That's when it'll be. This is whenever the separation between good and bad will take place. It'll take place at the end of the world that the angels shall come forth and sever from among the just, the wicked from among the just and shall cast them into the furnace of fire and there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. A day of severing, a day of separation will take place at the end of time. That's what happens in the sifting process, separation. What a day that will be. A day of final separation. It'll be a day of commotion. Trump will sound. It'll be a day of revealing. It will be a day of reckoning. It'll be a day of calamity for many. Are you ready for that day? I speak metaphorically here. Whenever the Son of God, whenever He takes up the winnowing fork in His hand and tosses, as it were, the entire human race up into the air, I wonder, will you fall to the ground as grain? Or will you be blown away as chaff? What I'm really asking you, is there any substance to what you profess? Is there any evidence that you belong to Jesus Christ? Where is your interest in spiritual things? You who profess to know Christ, where is your interest in spiritual things? Where is your godly living? Where is your desire to live a life to the glory of God? Where is this putting of Christ first in your marriage? And where is this seeking first the kingdom of God in your home? David reminds us that the ungodly, they're like the chaff, which the wind driveth away. He does that in Psalm 1, and in the verse number 5 of that Psalm, he goes on to say, therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the seat of the righteous, or the congregation of the righteous. Oh, may you not be chaff on that day when the storm of God's judgment carries that chaff away, but may you be found as wheat whose faith is in Jesus Christ, the person overseeing the sifting process, the process itself, what is involved in the sifting. Let's think about the product. And this is our final point, the product of this sifting. When the floor is purged and the separation of the wheat and the chaff is complete, we're told that the one who is overseeing this winnowing process, this sifting process, will gather his wheat into the gardener, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Do you not see how this ties in with this morning's, this afternoon's message? As we thought about the end of the soul of man, when that soul goes out to meet God, the two destinies, we're having it again. It's being drawn to our attention. Sinner, it's being drawn to your attention. Again tonight in the gospel, this difference that is going to take place, this divergence that is going to occur at the end of the world, two ends. The gardener of the fire. For those who are saved, converted, those who are redeemed, born again, they will be gathered into the gardener of heaven as wheat, a storehouse, a grain silo. Really, that's today's equivalent of a gardener, if you're not familiar of what a gardener is. We sing about it at harvest time. It's really a grain silo, somewhere that the farmer will store the wheat, the barley grain, when it is harvested. What is such a place? It's a place of safety. It's a place where the grain will be preserved from those diseases that would spoil a wheat or a barley harvest. We think of rot and rust. diseases that would spoil a harvest. You know, whenever Jesus Christ comes the second time, he will gather his believing people into a place of safety, just as the wheat is gathered into the gardener. It's not left out in the field to be exposed to the elements, to the rain and the snow and the frost. No, it's gathered in. It's gathered into a place of gathering, a place of safety. so Christ, when he comes, will gather his weight, his children, his people into a place of safety, because on to him shall the gathering of the people be. We'll be gathered into Christ Not one sinner who has ever let hold of Christ by faith will be missing on that day. Every grain of wheat, every genuine true believer will be safely gathered onto Christ. Look at what John says. Look at it carefully. He says that the Son of God will thoroughly purge his floor and gather his wheat into the gardener. He'll gather the wheat into the gardener. It's not left to us to see ourselves safely gathered in. No, He'll gather us in. He'll bring us in. He'll make sure that we are gathered in. And so this fretting about your salvation and your preservation, child of God, it needs to stop. God will make sure that you're gathered safely on to Him. You have his word on it. He'll gather the wheat in. Not the wheat gathering itself, but he, the gardener, the husband man, gathering in his wheat. But for those who are unsaved, there is another end. And note there are only two ends. There is the wheat into the gardener. And in Luke's gospel, it's translated or it's put this way, his wheat into his gardener. But then he goes on to say, and he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. You see, the sinner is likened to the chaff that would have been thrown into the fire with this one exception. Well, physical chaff is burnt up and destroyed by fire. It's there and then it's gone. The sinner is never destroyed in hellfire. Never destroyed in hellfire. Forever and forever and forever, the unrepentant sinner will endure the torment of that place where the worm dieth not and the fire is never quenched. From that state of punishment and torment, there is no release, no reprieve, No relief, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. As I bring this meeting to a close, I want to ask you into which of these two categories do you belong? Are you wheat or are you chaff? Are you saved? Are you washed in the blood of Christ? Are you born Again, is your name written in heaven? Are you ready for heaven? Are you ready for home? Can you say, Reverend Schuert, if the Lord were to call me out of time tonight and into eternity, I know that all is well with my soul. I know that I would go to be with Christ, which is far better. Or would you say, Preacher, I'm chaff. I'm chaff. I've never trusted. Christ to be my Savior. I've never got on the narrow way that leads to heaven and to home. I've never repented of my sin. I've never received Christ as my Savior. I've never been to the cross. I know nothing of redemption. I know nothing of salvation. I know nothing of the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. I know nothing of what it is to be born again. Well, if that is your honest confession tonight, let me urge you, let me urge you to leave this place tonight as one that is reconciled to God. Make sure that whenever the winnowing fork or the fan is taken up in the hand of the authoritative Christ, This Christ who is able to discern wheat and chaff, make sure whenever the winnowing fork is employed and you are thrown, as it were, up into the air, that you fall to the ground as grain, as wheat, and not be taken away in the wind as chaff. Is the root of the matter in you? Do you know Christ? Are you a Christian? Was there ever a moment on the journey of life that you put your faith and trust in Christ the Redeemer? If not, and if I can help you in any way, then do speak with me at the door. The final sifting, the purging of the floor. the separating, the saved from the unsaved, all overseen by the Son of God. May you be gathered unto Him. May you be gathered into His garner. May God speak to your heart just this moment. Let's bow our heads in prayer together. Again, I make myself available to you if you want to speak about these matters. If you're concerned about your soul, may God himself draw you to himself just now. May you be gathered on to him in the gospel, and then thank God, and being gathered on to him in the gospel, you'll be gathered on to him on that final day. He'll gather his loved ones home. May you be found in that great homecoming. May you be gathered on to the Savior. Our gracious and loving Father and God in heaven, we come into thy presence again and through the great and precious name of our lovely Savior, Jesus Christ. We recognize, O God, that there is a day of reckoning. There is a day, O God, of sifting, Oh, Father, we can put on a fair show. We can be great pretenders. And yet, Lord, nothing of reality within our hearts, within our souls. Oh, Lord, we pray that all that are gathered here will be weight. Lord, that they'll fall, as it were, to the ground. There's something about it, something of solidness, something of substance to that which we profess. And then, Lord, gathered on to thee, finally gathered home into heaven itself. Oh, may sinners come to Christ. The concern of soul be something that is real and evident in hearts this evening. And may there be an honest acknowledgment that all is not right with the soul. And, Lord, that tonight is a night of salvation for them. Answer prayer, partisan life here. May the blessing and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Rest, remain, and abide upon all of thy believing people until the day breaks and every shadow flees away and we see our Savior face to face to sing the story saved by sovereign grace. Answer prayer, part us in thy fear. We offer prayer in and through the Savior's great, lovely, and holy name.