Parables of Jesus – Lesson 9 – The Drag Net
by Michael Bailey
● What three things occupy your thoughts the most?
● Why do we call ourselves the Brotherhood of the Book?
● Why should Christians read the Bible?
Psalm 1:1-6 (NIV)
1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. 4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Proverbs 4:20-27 (NIV)
20 My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words.
21 Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart;
22 for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body.
23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
24 Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.
26 Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.
27 Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.
Nehemiah 13:1-5 (NIV)
On that day the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people and there it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be admitted into the assembly of God,
2 because they had not met the Israelites with food and water but had hired Balaam to call a curse down on them. (Our God, however, turned the curse into a blessing.) 3 When the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all who were of foreign descent.
4 Before this, Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God. He was closely associated with Tobiah, 5 and he had provided him with a large room formerly used to store the grain offerings and incense and temple articles, and also the tithes of grain, new wine and olive oil prescribed for the Levites, musicians and gatekeepers, as well as the contributions for the priests.
-Joshua 1:1-9 Keep God’s Word on our lips. Meditate day and night on it.
-Philippians 4:8 Think about whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, etc.
-Psalm 77:11-12 Remember the Lord’s works, reflect on what God has done, meditate on his actions.
Matthew 13:47-50 47
“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (NIV)
● Reading Activity: Read the passage. Ask who, what, when, why, and how questions related to the passage. Write them down. Write the answers to your questions if you think you know them.
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Questions to Ponder:
● What does this passage tell me about God? How does this passage inform how I relate to God? How can I pray to God in relation to what He is teaching in this passage?
● How does this passage relate to me personally? How does this passage inform how I should serve the Lord?
● How would you describe yourself in your Bible reading and study time on the line below? What could you do to move closer to finding delight in your Bible reading and Bible study time?
Discipline ———————————-Desire———————————–Delight