Referring in God's Word to Matthew's Gospel Chapter 13, let me say it is a privilege to come once again to minister God's Word here in Newton Abbey. Let me thank our minister for his invitation to come and to share in the Gospel. It is always a privilege to preach the Gospel and I asked him when he asked me to preach what type of service and he said preach the Gospel and that's always encouraging me to come to preach the Gospel. And let me encourage you tonight, let me thank you for coming. It is always good to see God's people out even when the gospel is being preached. I often tell my own people, you know the gospel evening service is vitally important that you attend because it is a testimony that you believe in Christ. Your attendance, your presence there is a statement that you believe in Jesus Christ, you believe in his power to save, you believe in his blood to cleanse from sin. and so your presence is a statement in itself, it is a great witness to the community and to those that live amongst you that you believe that Jesus saves and his blood makes you whiter than snow. So let me thank you tonight for coming to this service and we're looking to the Lord now that he will meet with us and we will know his help and grace as we come to the preaching of the gospel this evening. In Matthew's gospel chapter 13, we're going to break into the chapter at verse 36 and read down to verse 52. Matthew 13 verse 36. Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house, and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the failed. He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the son of man, the failed is the world, the good seed are the children of the kingdom, but the tares are the children of the wicked one. The enemy that sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend and damage do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire. There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father, who hath ears to hear, let him hear. Again the kingdom of heaven is likened unto treasure hid in a field, the which, when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again the kingdom of heaven was likened unto a merchant man seeking goodly pearls, who when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. Again the kingdom of heaven was likened unto a net that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind, which when it was full they drew to shore, and set down and gathered the good into vessels to cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world. 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. Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven, like unto a man that is a householder, that bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old. Amen. May God bless the public reading of this truth. to each one of our hearts. Let's just ask for the Lord's help now as we come to the preaching of the gospel. We need God's grace, we need the help of the Spirit, so let's fill our hearts and seek God's face this evening. Our Father in heaven, we thank you already for the conscious sense of thy presence. We thank you Lord for the privilege that is ours to come aside and to worship thee, the great King and Head of the Church. Lord, we rejoice in the power of the God that seeks us. We thank You, Lord, that Thou art the One that has sought us out of this world, and Thou wilt separate us unto Thyself, that we might be Thy people, that we might be able to worship Thee and gather round Your Word. And we realise this is such a privilege, it is such an honour to sit at Thy feet and to be instructed from Thy Word. And we pray, O God, Thou wilt come by Thy Spirit this evening, and Thou wilt be the Teacher, Thou wilt be the One that is ministering, Thou wilt be the One that is applying the Word of God to each one of our hearts. Lord, we feel our great need of Thee tonight. We feel, Lord, our need for Thee to come and to speak to our hearts. We pray, O God, Thou wouldst minister to each one. Think of those that are yet in their sin, those that are out of Christ, held by the snare of the wicked one. And we pray, O God, Thou wouldst come to them and liberate them tonight. Set the captive free. Lord, bring them unto Thyself. We pray, O Lord, for Your own people. Encourage them in the Gospel tonight. We ask, Lord, as we come to Thy Word, that we would rejoice in the God of our salvation and the one that has loved us and gave Himself for us. And so Lord, we ask for thy help now. Give us help to preach thy word. For conscious Lord, we need the help of thy Holy Spirit. And so we claim the power that was promised to the church, even unto the end of the word. Lord, come upon us tonight in the preaching of the gospel. Come upon each one that is found in this place. And may God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven. For we ask it in our Saviour's name. Amen. Amen. The parables of the Lord Jesus Christ form a major section of his teaching while he was ministering on earth. In fact, at particular times in his ministry, the Saviour only spoke to the people in a parabolic way. Notice what it says in verse 34 in this chapter we've read together, Matthew 13. All these things speak Jesus unto the multitude in parables, and without a parable speak he not unto them. At times the Lord Jesus Christ only ever spoke in parables. And of course this doesn't mean that the Saviour only spoke in parables. There was occasions when the Saviour spoke with good plainness of speech. He spoke very directly to the people and He gave commands to the people. We can think of the very Very early on in his ministry, in Matthew 4 verse 17, it records how Christ spoke to the people. It says that from that time Jesus began to preach and to say, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And so the Saviour began this ministry by speaking very plainly, very directly to the people. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. But there were those times in his ministry where he spoke exclusively in parables. And Matthew 13 records one of these occasions. In verse 3 in this chapter, it tells us right there at the very start. And He spoke many things unto them in parables. He spoke many things unto them in parables. There are six different parables in this chapter. And they all have important gospel truth to teach us. They have important gospel lessons contained in them. Christ was teaching these people some of the greatest spiritual truth by using comment. everyday events and scenes and items. The parables of the Lord Jesus Christ have been described as earthly stories with heavenly meanings. And there is a great deal of truth in that. Christ was not just telling interesting stories, he was not just entertaining the people, but rather all of these stories contain great spiritual lessons. Lessons that are applicable. to each one of our hearts and each one of our lives. They contain great spiritual truth. And so the Lord Jesus Christ was teaching these people spiritual truth through His everyday stories. In verse 13, Christ points this out. Previous to this, the disciples had asked the Saviour why He spoke in parables. And in verse 13, the Saviour responds. Notice what He says. Therefore, speak I to them in parables. Because they see and see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. What Christ says is, these people they see, they hear, and yet they do not understand. They do not grasp. They are listening to the story, but that's all they hear. They don't understand the spiritual meaning. They don't grasp the depth of what the Saviour was saying. Yes, they can grasp the sense of the story, of the parable. But the spiritual lesson, it was lost upon them. They couldn't grasp it. Of course, the very same thing continues to this very day. Man and sin has not changed. The same thing continues day by day as the Gospel is preached. How many listen to the Gospel? How many know the historical truths of the Bible? How many know the historical truths and the biblical truths of Christ? The fact that He came into this world? The fact that He lived? The fact that He died? The fact that He rose again from the dead? And yet that truth is lost upon them. They see no application to their lives. It is unimportant. They see no relevance to them. They are happy to know these things and to hear these things. They are perishing their sin. They can say of such people they see, they see and see not, and hear and hear not, neither do they understand. Despite having all this knowledge, they see no value, no worth in Christ. Only God by His Spirit can illuminate the darkened and blinded heart of man and cause him to understand the real value, the real worth in the person and work of the Lord Jesus. We need the Spirit of God tonight in this meeting. We need God to come into this house tonight. We have come to preach the Gospel. We have come to speak of Christ. But you know the Gospel will have no effect upon you tonight unless God comes by His Spirit and gives to you a receptive heart, a heart that is ready to receive. A heart that not only sees, but a heart that understands. A heart that not only hears, but a heart that comprehends and says, I need this Christ. I need this Saviour as my Saviour. Only the Spirit of God can do that. And that's why we need to lift our hearts at this very moment in time and say, Lord, speak to me. I don't know who you are tonight. I don't know your spiritual state. You might be saved. Well, continue to pray that prayer. Lord, speak to me. But if you're in this house out of Christ tonight, without a seat, ask God to speak to you. Perhaps you've sat in gospel evening services, after gospel evening services, and you're so familiar with the truth. You could perhaps even get into the pulpit and preach it better than I could. But you're not saved. You're here in your sin. We'll see God even at this very moment and say, Lord, speak to me tonight. I want to really see. I want to really hear tonight. I want to grasp the truth and to understand the gospel. in all its value and worth. The parable that I want us to consider this evening is found in the verses 47 to 50 in this chapter. Notice what it says, Again the kingdom of heaven was likened unto an eft was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind, which when it was full they drew to shore, and set down and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away, so shall it be at the end of the world. 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. This parable is really the fisherman's version of a previous parable with a farming scene in verses 24 to 30. There we have the parable of the tares and the wheat. They were growing side by side and then the harvest came. They were both gathered in. The harvest came and the tares were taken in and so too was the wheat. And then of course the tares were cast away and the wheat was gathered into the barn. Well this really is the fisherman's version of that parable. We don't have wheat and tares but we have good fish and bad fish. And then there comes a day of separation. There comes a day when these fish are sorted and they're separated one from another. And so the overriding truth here in this parable is that of judgment. It is a parable that speaks to us of judgment. This is a solemn, solemn parable. It is one that God is speaking to us of concerning that final day, that day of judgment, and God shall judge the hearts of all men, and all men will come before Him and give an account of the things that they have done in this life. Richard Baxter, the great English Puritan, commenting on this parable, said, These plain words need more belief and consideration than exposition. They are very solemn. They are very serious words. I want us to look at them. And really if I was to give a title to my message this evening, the title would be simply this. Caught, Condemned and Cast Away. Caught, Condemned and Cast Away. Notice firstly with me here the catching of the fish. Verse 47 says, Again the kingdom of heaven is likened unto a net that was cast into the sea and gallered of every kind. The sea in this parable is a picture of the world. And the fish that are found in the sea represent the people of this world. The saying of the fish and the sea representing man in this world causes us to consider that fallen and sinful man finds a natural and desirable home. in a sinful and a wicked world. Fallen and sinful man finds a natural and desirable home in a sinful and wicked world. I was saying, if someone feels a bit out of place, perhaps if they don't feel relaxed in the company they're in, they feel a bit awkward, maybe they're in company and they're not familiar with anyone else there, and they might well say, well, you know, I felt like a fish out of water. I felt like a fish out of water. And we've all been in that situation, been in a place where we're not comfortable, where we're the odd ones out, and we felt like a fish out of water. The fish lives in water, that is their natural habitat. The fish is at home there. So it is with man in this sinful world. The Bible describes this world in Galatians 1 and 4 as this present evil world. We read in 1 John 5 and 19, the whole world lieth in wickedness. John 4 and 4 says, for ye know that the friendship of the world is enmity with God. Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. And so this world is evil, it lies in wickedness, and friendship with this world leaves a man the enemy of God. And yet man in sin finds this world such a natural environment to live in, such a happy environment for his soul. Just as the fish fails completely at home in the sea, so man fails completely at home in a world filled with sin. But this parable speaks of how God is going to bring an end to this world. Man in sin does not want to leave this world and we are continually being told of all the things we must do, how we must change our lifestyle, how we must change the things that we use and the things that we practice so that this world will be able to survive for future generations. And we are continually being told these things. Yet God has already set a day when all men shall be swept out of this world and from this sinful environment which they delight in. and not puny and rebellious man who will cheat his way forward. Today is described in this passage as the catching of the fish. The catching of the fish. We can think here of the timing of this catch. Verse 47 and 48 tells us what happens. There is going to be a net cast into the sea. Then verse 48 says when it is full, it was full, they shall draw to shore. We are told here that this net was going to be cast in, and then it would fill up. And after it was full, it would be drawn to shore. The net being full speaks of an appointed time. Time for judgment. Time for judgment has arrived. In the Bible we often see that God's appointed time is spoken of as the fulfilling of time. Galatians 4 and 4 tells us how Christ's birth came at God's appointed time. It says, But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son. And so therefore, at that point in time, when it was full, when it was full, that point in time came and God sent forth a son into this world. This net being full points to the truth that in the mind of God, the time for judgment has already been set. That time for judgment has been set. Now, as he lives in this world, he has convinced himself that he can live as he pleases, and he can do as he likes, as he sees fit, and he will never have to give an account. And that's how the vast majority of people live today. I am my own person. I can live as I please. I can do as I want. How dare anybody preach to me or tell me what God requires of me? Psalm 10 says the wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God. God is not in all his thoughts. He has said in his heart, I shall not be moved for I shall never be an adversity. That is the attitude of the wicked. Make no mistake about it. There is coming a day, a day when the net of God's judgment will be full and then suddenly it will be drawn to shore. It will be dragged in. You see, sinful man is already in the net. And that's what we must understand here as we think of this parable. Sinful man is already enveloped in the net of God's judgment. And the freedom that men enjoy today is merely the freedom of a fish that is already ensnared in the net of God's judgment. That is the freedom that you enjoy. That is the freedom that man enjoys. People think they can live as they please and do as they want, but they're doing that. And all the time they are surrounded by the judgment of God. And that judgment envelops them. It surrounds them. This is the position that each one in this meeting tonight is found in. Each one of us. Each one of us that live in this world. We live with the judgment of God looming over us. And do you know, in a moment of time, that gnat will be dragged to the shore. Just in a moment. Suddenly. The coming of Christ is described in God's Word as a thief in the night. And that is how the coming of Christ will be. But still, so suddenly, this is the time this judgment will come. God's appointed time when the net is full. Think not only of the timing of the catch here. What about the taking of the catch? Verse 47 tells us that every kind shall be found in this net. That is, every kind of fish. And of course, the meaning is clear. It is the fish that represent people. And that's what the fish do. They represent people. And so the meaning is very clear. It is all people that will be found in this net. Every type of sinner, every type of man that has ever lived will be found in this net. There is not one sinner who will be able to sneak through the net of God's judgment. Not one. Not one. It doesn't matter who you are tonight. You will never sneak through the net of God's judgment. The rich man will be taken, as too will the poor. The religious man will be caught, as will the irreligious. The moral man will be there. and so too will the wicked. The Christian will be there, and so too will the atheist. In short, this net will empty this world of people, completely empty it. 2 Corinthians 5 and 10 says, for we must all appear before the judge in the seat of Christ. Every one, every man, every individual. It will not matter what name of thought in this life. The solemn reality is that every kind of person will be taken in this catch. This truth is inescapable. This is why it is so important to prepare to meet thy God, because the day is coming when you will stand before your God. It is the catching of the fish here. Then notice also not only the catching of the fish, but the condemnation of the fish. Verse 48 tells us, Which when it was full they drew to shore, and sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. As this great net was drawn in, we see what immediately took place. The fish are sorted. The fisherman, one by one, goes through the fish, separating the good from the bad. And this, of course, would have been a very familiar sight in those days. Fishermen sorting their fish, sorting their catch. The good fish would be kept, the bad fish would then be condemned. You should note that the main lesson of this parable was to warn men of the condemnation of God upon the wicked. And that's the main lesson. That is why we only read of the end of the bad fish in this parable. We don't read of the end of a good fish. Because this parable is focused, it's focused upon the condemnation of the wicked. God's judgment has been set before us here. As these fish are sorted, the bad fish, which represent man's filth and sin, they're condemned. They're condemned. See here how that condemnation takes place. We learn this condemnation is in truth. It's in truth. Verse 48 tells us, they sat down to sort through the fish. When Christ spoke, he did not use words for no reason. It's very important to read the word of God that we always remember this. Christ, every word that he spoke was for a reason. And so as he describes here these fishermen sitting down, he was pointing out something. He was pointing out that they took time to go through the fish. This wasn't just some sort of rash sorting, rough graving. But they sat down, and they methodically went through the catch, sorting each fish and examining each one, keeping the good and condemning the bad. As Christ speaks about the judgment in this parable of the good and bad fish, he is drawing to our attention that the judgment of man and the condemnation of man at the end of time will be that which takes place according to truth, according to absolute truth. Romans 2 and 2 says, But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth. And that great and terrible day, our Lord will return and men shall stand before Him. They will come before the judgment seat. And on that day, truth will prevail as it has never prevailed before. Truth will be seen and will be carried out in all its fullness. And there will be nothing but truth on that day. Nothing but truth. Revelation 20, verses 11 and 10 really emphasize this for us. If you turn over there to Revelation 20, verses 11 and 12, we have a judgment scene here in Revelation 20. Notice what Christ says here, Revelation 20, verses 11 and 12. And I saw a great white throne and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was no place found, no place for them. And they saw the dead small and great stand before God. And the books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. Notice here how there's reference to the books. What is that a reference to? It's a reference to evidence. Evidence. The record of our lives. Here we have a judgment scene. And all men are brought before the judgment seat of God. And the books are going to be opened. God doesn't need a book. He's the omniscient God. He knows all things. He knows your thoughts. He knows what you're thinking. He doesn't need a book. But the reason why He speaks in this way is to remind us that we will be judged in truth. It's all recorded. The evidence of your life, the deeds of your life, everything is recorded. And therefore our judgment will be that which is in truth. God in all His holiness shall lift us up just like the fisherman would a fish. He will examine the whole of our lives. That's what He will do. He will examine our thought life. He will examine the things that we have said. He will examine the passions that we have had. He will examine the things that we have done. He will examine even the very things that we have neglected. He will examine the whole thing, just as a fisherman would do with a fish, as he would lift it up and examine it. And you know what? If God finds any sin, let me make it clear to you, if God finds any sin, the slightest sin in your life, you're condemned. You haven't got a hope of getting into heaven. You're condemned. Condemned. There's just but one sin! You're condemned. But if, on the other hand, if God, as He looks at your life, as He examines your heart and your soul, if He sees the blood of His dear Son, if He sees a heart and a life washed in the blood of the Lamb, one that is trusting in Christ, one that has said, I see in Christ all righteousness, all my need, all my acceptance before God, one that by faith has embraced Christ, one that has said, Oh, it's Christ for me! As He examines you, He will welcome you in. And you shall be His. And you shall receive what truth demands. Because you see, when Christ or when God sees the perfect righteousness of His Son, when He sees the blood of His Son, then He sees that which is earned eternal life. And truth demands that you will have eternal life. Oh, your judgment and my judgment, it will be in truth. The books shall be opened. And you shall receive according to the things that have been done in this life. Whether you have rejected Christ or whether you have accepted him, this judgment shall be in truth. Notice not only the condemnation here was in truth, but also notice this condemnation was total. Once the fishermen rejected a bad fish, then there was no hope for that fish. This is something we must not miss here. The end of the fish lay within the power of the one doing the sorting. And that's a solemn thought. Because if you think of the fisherman, he's sorting, he's breeding through these fish. The fish were completely at the mercy of this man. The fish couldn't say, oh no, I'm not a bad fish, I'm a good fish. We would laugh at something that's absurd. Do you know, I believe Christ would want us to see here our own great weakness. We are absolutely helpless and powerless to resist his omnipotent power and judgment. We are but as weak as dead fish in the hand of the omnipotent God. When Moses brought to Pharaoh the word of God, Pharaoh's response was, Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice? I know not the Lord. That was Pharaoh's response. Why should I listen to your God? I'm Pharaoh. But as God started to judge the land of Egypt, we read in Exodus 8-19 that the Magicians said, then the Magicians said unto Pharaoh, this is the finger of God. This is the finger of God. They did not say this is the work of God or this was the hand of God. They said this is but the finger of God. Why did they say that? They said it because they felt their total powerlessness and helplessness to resist this God. And God was coming in judgment upon Egypt. And it was judgment by the plagues. Let me say this, the judgment on the last day will be a far, far greater judgment. It will be an eternal judgment. And if those men felt their total powerlessness before God, how much more shall we on that day, how much more shall we, with the vast majority of people in this world, live like Pharaoh? Who is God that I should listen to Him? Why should I listen to the gospel? I am my own individual. I can live as I please. I can do as I like. What a terrible shock it will be on the judgment day as they feel their utter powerlessness and helplessness as the great judge sorts the good fish from the bad. And so we see the condemnation of the fish here, the catching of the fish. One last thing quickly with me. Notice the casting away of the fish. Verses 48 to 50 talks about how the fish were cast away. So shall it be at the end of the world. The angel shall come forth and sever the wicket from among the just and shall cast them into the furnace of fire. There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. The bad fish were cast away by the fisherman. For they are of no value, they are of no worth to him. He rejects them. Cast away. They're trash, they're rubbish, they're of no good. To have bad fish mixed with good fish would only devalue and destroy their good. They couldn't be sold. If bad fish were mixed with good fish, the good fish couldn't be sold. They would be of no worth, they would be of no value. In the parable of the wheat and tares, the same thing is seen. The tares are separated from the wheat. Because if the tares were mixed with the wheat, then the wheat would be of no good. Who would want it? And so the tares are separated and they are cast away. And what both these parables are clearly bringing before us is heaven. Heaven can only be heaven if the wicked are cast away, if they are rejected by Christ. How often it has been said by those who will not come to Christ, if God is a God of love, then he would not cast me into hell. And that has often been said. We often hear that argument from those that would oppose the gospel, those that reject The truth of Christ being the only Saviour. Well, God's a God of love. And if He's a God of love, then He'll never cast me into hell because He's a God of love. The truth is this. Because God is a God of love, He will separate the ungodly and the Christ-rejecter and cast them away. He does it in love. It is because He loves His people that He will do this. If God was to admit sin into heaven, then heaven wouldn't be heaven. It would be a miserable place, defiled by sin. It would just be another fallen world. Fall it would be? Why would we want to go to heaven if there was sin there? There's nothing desirable about that. But in love, God separates the good from the bad. And then he casts away those that will not repent, so that he might take on to himself those that are his, and give to them the joy and the happiness of eternal life. That's what he does. Hell, in one sense, is a manifestation of God's love towards His people. That is a very solemn thought. God is getting rid of wickedness and sin so that it will be no more that we might live with Him in the state of holiness forevermore. Yet at the same time, hell is the place where love and grace and mercy cannot be found. Verse 50 speaks to us of the condemnation of those in hell, a cast into the furnace of fire. furnace of fire. For those who find their eternal fate in this most dreadful place, they shall never have one moment of peace or joy or rest. The place of torment for the unseeth is the worst possible place in all of God's universe for the soul to be in. This condition of being in the furnace of fire is an unending condition. Never shall one soul escape out of the furnace which burns with eternal fire. Never. How many have joked of hell, and do joke of hell, but ponder for a moment on the words and warning of Christ concerning hell. It is the furnace of fire. That is the description that the gracious and compassionate and loving Christ gives. It is the furnace of fire. And such language ought to drive man and send him to flee, and to find refuge from such a horrific place. Verse 50 also speaks of the cry of those in hell. There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Wailing and gnashing of teeth. The cry which rings out throughout all hell will be that of the greatest pain. It will be that of heart-rendering, vain regret. It will be that of absolute hopelessness. Absolute hopelessness. The word wailing means great lamentations and cries. Gnashing of teeth emphasizes the pronounced excruciating pain of hell. Every aspect of suffering is depicted by the combination of these words. There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. You may say tonight, you're trying to frighten me. You're trying to use scare tactics. You're trying to push me into a decision. I'm not. I'm telling you what Christ has said. And Christ speaks the truth. It's all I'm doing. Merely repeating his words. These words are Christ's words. The words of the one who in love died for the ungodly, that he might save people from their sin. These are his warnings. And of such clear warnings and descriptions of hell, if they do not strike fear into your soul, then I would fear for your soul. The truth of hell and of dame eternally cast into such a place should move the sinner to flee into the arms of Christ. To be cast away by God is to enter the furnace of fire. And to be in that place for all eternity, where there's wailing and weeping and gnashing of teeth. Yet the message of the gospel is tonight, you can be saved. You can be delivered from this terrible place. You will but humble yourself, acknowledging that you are a bad fish by nature. Acknowledging that sin, sin has ruled and reigned in your heart and in your life. And yet you acknowledge that you need to be saved. You come to Christ and say, Lord, I confess my sin. I confess my need. I confess I am bad. But I am coming to you that I may be cleansed and washed in your precious blood. And Christ will take you in. This is why we have such warnings in Scripture. This is why Christ speaks these words. Because He is a merciful and gracious and loving Saviour. Do not reject the Gospel tonight. Do not reject Christ, but come to Him. I pray and trust you will. May God even give you grace to do so, for His own name's sake. Amen.