ARE YOU A REMNANT PERSON?

ARE YOU A REMNANT PERSON?

                In any given congregation, regardless of denomination or creed, there is a small core of Remnant people who really get it, who really live by the Spirit of God and the Word of God. There is only a small core of remnant people who truly love God with all of their hearts and genuinely love the brethren enough to give themselves to them. So few so- called Christians are willing to love and encourage and help and forgive and bless their fellow Christians. They are the ones that put their money where their mouth is and not just money, but time and effort… not to earn salvation… but just for the love of Christ and for His people.

                These people are learning to live by divine appointment so that whatever the Holy Spirit sets before them to do, they do. They are learning not to live for themselves, but for others… for the Lord… as channels of His Holy Spirit… as of those who have rivers of living water flowing from their innermost being. John 7:38.

                We have played with our traditions and our theoretical doctrines long enough. Now it is time to enter into the living realities of which the Bible speaks.

                Jesus said: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life and it is these that bear witness of Me.” John 5:39

                We can argue points of doctrine all day long and remain unchanged. So until we have actually come to that point of death to all that is intellectual and of the flesh and been born into the resurrection of Christ so that we live by His Spirit, we have nothing. We need that “Living water flowing from our innermost being. It springs forth from eternal life   and it empowers the Christian life and it transforms us into His image and until we are living by that eternal living presence of God in us. (2 Cor. 4:7) it is all just a religious game.

                It is not as though we sit around thinking that we have arrived… neither do we stop our pursuit of Christ and the resurrection that will glorify these mortal bodies. We hunger to be found in His image not having a righteousness of our own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ Jesus, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith. (Phil. 3:9)

                It’s not that we have arrived, but we press toward the mark of our high calling in Christ Jesus. Phil. 3:12-14.

                There is something to be said for hunger itself, for Jesus said: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be satisfied.” Mt. 5:6. Now isn’t that a great promise?

                “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

                “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

                “Blessed are the gentle for they shall inherit the earth.”

                “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be satisfied.”

                “Blessed are the pure I heart for they shall see God.”

                “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.” Wow! That ties in with Paul’s statement in Romans 8:14 that those that are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.”

                “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness for there is the Kingdom of heaven.”

                “Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely on account of Me.”  Mt. 5:3-11.

                Surely we must hunger for all of these things, not as in having arrived, but in pressing toward the Goal of our high calling. If we lose sight of these high goals in Christ Jesus we are doomed to ritual and meaningless repetition.

                In our praying, Jesus warned us not to use meaningless repetition as the heathen do. So some Christians get all worried that if you sing the chorus to a song more than twice you are involved in meaningless repetition. NO…I think it has more to do with continually asking forgiveness for the same sins with no intention of repenting and turning from them. It becomes a ritual rather than a heartfelt sorrow.

                We are getting so close to the end of time now that we need to make sure that our lives are not merely doctrinal and traditional. Doctrines only represent something much deeper, for instance, Hebrews 4 tells us that Israel kept the Sabbath for centuries, but they never entered the Rest that the Sabbath spoke of.

                 Jesus said, “Come unto Me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of heart and you shall find rest for your souls, for My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Mt. 11:28-30.

                So where is our rest today? Is it in a 24 hour day or is it in Christ? Hebrews gives us the answer, for the writer says: He again fixes a certain day “Today” saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before. TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS. For if Joshua had given them rest He would not have spoken of another day after that. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works as God did from His.” Heb. 4:7-10.

                So when is today? Today is the ever present now. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow has not yet come. All we have is today and we are either at rest in Christ today, or we are still trusting and struggling in our own works. So the Sabbath of the Law speaks of a greater REST in Christ for all who have died to their own works and have been born again into Christ… for it is Christ in you the hope of glory. (2 Cor.4:7, Col. 2:28, 29, Col. 2:9, 10, Col. 2:16-17.

                This is why Paul urges us in Col. 2:16, 17 to move beyond the shadows to the very substance which belongs to Christ.

                So when the book of Revelation reveals the identity of God’s Remnant people as those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus, John is talking about a Remnant people who have moved beyond the shadows and into their living realities. They love God with all of their heart soul and might and they love the brethren with a steadfast love and they live by the Spirit of Christ so that they are in a state of rest in Christ.

                Truth never changes, but it is transformed from death unto life as it moves from the Old Testament shadows to the New Testament life in Christ Jesus. And this idea is not new, for it was prophesied in Jeremiah 31:31-33 saying:

                “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them”, declares the Lord. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days”, declares the Lord. “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God and they shall be My people.”

                So the New Covenant is not like the Old Covenant, for it is the New and living way of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. So, while it is not necessary to abandon the Sabbath as a day of rest, we must certainly go beyond that for our true rest is in Christ. If we put our confidence in a day, we will be disappointed, but if we put our confidence in Christ we will be made ready to meet Him in the air at His coming.

                Oh how I long to get these points across without stirring up controversy for indeed we are not doing away with the Old Covenant even by one jot or tittle. It is indeed the foundation on which the New Covenant firmly sits. But we must by all means enter into the new and living realities of the New Covenant for our salvation is in Christ, the true Lamb of God and He has sent forth His Spirit into our hearts by which we cry out “Abba Father,” for we are His children. And there is no other name under heaven, given among men whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

                And the seeds of the New Covenant were planted in us on the day of Pentecost and they are growing in us to bring many sons to glory. Heb. 2:10, 11.

                If you are a Remnant person of God, then the seeds of eternal life have been planted in you. Learn to live by them and grow them and by them until they fill you with the life of Christ Jesus. It is the very Spirit of Christ in you that is making you into His likeness. Romans 8:29