06/01/2026
🎣 More than a Story - Sermon Recap: “The Net Is Still in the Water”
Matthew 13:47–50 | The Parable of the Dragnet
Sunday’s message was a powerful reminder that we are living in the tension between the net and the sorting. Right now, the net is still in the water. Grace is still available. Mercy is still available. God is still drawing people to repentance. But Jesus makes something very clear in this parable:
Judgment is coming. Separation is coming.
This was not meant to create fear or panic — it was a warning and a promise. It will happen.
Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a dragnet cast into the sea, gathering fish of every kind. The net gathers everyone — the broken, messy, doubting, addicted, polished on the outside, struggling on the inside, rebellious, prideful, self-righteous… every kind. God desires that all would come to repentance.
One of the strongest reminders today was this:
We are called to cast the net — not carry the gavel.
Our job is not sorting people, writing them off, or deciding who deserves the Gospel. We are called to love people, point them to Jesus, disciple, witness, and keep casting the net. We are the gatherers. Jesus is the Judge.
✨ How should we live between the cast and the sort?
1. Urgency Without Anxiety
We are called to live with urgency — because we don’t know how much time we have, and we don’t know how much time the people around us have. We cannot delay obedience, avoid conversations, or assume there will always be tomorrow.
But urgency does not mean panic.
God is not chaos.
We plant. We water. God does the increase.
The challenge was clear:
Are we distracted?
Are we wasting time?
Are we listening when the Holy Spirit nudges us to speak, pray, encourage, or simply love someone well?
2. Humility Instead of Judgment
The fishermen gathered the fish — they did not do the sorting.
Too many times we trade the fishing net for the gavel, deciding who is too messy, too broken, too worldly, too far gone.
But Jesus reminded us: the dragnet catches fish of every kind.
If Jesus only came for polished people, none of us would qualify.
We are not the judge.
We are not the sorter.
We are called to love people where they are and keep casting the net.
3. Self-Examination
The message turned inward and asked us hard questions:
👉 Is my faith genuine?
👉 Have I truly surrendered?
👉 Am I following Jesus or just identifying with Christianity?
👉 Am I living ready right now?
Are you living ready right now?
Not tomorrow. Not someday. Right now.
Because while the net is still in the water today, the sort is coming.
One of the most powerful points of the message came from Matthew 13:48:
When the sorting happened, the Judge was seated.
There was no panic. No hurry. No chaos.
The sorting was not random. It was done with discernment, authority, certainty, and complete control.
Jesus is not rushed.
Jesus is not confused.
The Judge is seated.
And that means one day, we will all be judged and separated.
This parable was not meant to scare us into hiding — it was meant to awaken us to surrendered, intentional living.
💛 The net is still in the water.
There is still time to repent.
Still time to surrender.
Still time to forgive.
Still time to witness.
Still time to obey.
But the separation is coming.
And the question repeated throughout today’s message still echoes:
“What are you going to do about it?”
🎥 Missed today’s message or want to watch the full sermon? Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ytfo_OR_jes
