A Ready Remnant Part 1
A Ready Remnant • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Return to Righteousness
Return to Righteousness
Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.
The Prophet Micah’s name means “Who is like Adonai?” In all of human history and civilizations, the god’s of men always demand appeasement through abominable acts of ethical perversion and depravity. But there is none who can be found like our God who delights in mercy, desires relationship and offers forgiveness that can be compared to nothing among all peoples. His chesed חֶסֶד love of eternal proportions is beyond our comprehension and can only be understood by experiencing such forgiveness.
This forgiveness and love is not to be confused with any emotional or philosophical concept in human nature. It stands outside of our space and time in comprehension, yet God chose to insert it that we might receive and know it’s depths.
Let me give you an example. In 1 Samuel 3:10 it reads in then Hebrew first then in English:
Let’s read it in the Hebrew first then in English.
וַיָּבֹא יְהוָה וַיִּתְיַצַּב וַיִּקְרָא כְפַעַם־בְּפַעַם שְׁמוּאֵל שְׁמוּאֵל וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל דַּבֵּר כִּי שֹׁמֵעַ עַבְדֶּךָ׃
And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.”
Now let’s break it down a bit for a better comprehension of what is happening here.
We see here that the Lord God intentionally positioned Himself in a space within the time and space of Israel’s day to a chosen young man to do God’s bidding and answer a call. When God calls to the young Samuel, He spoke as He had spoken to other’s in times past. But it states that God’s voice spoke at a time within in a time. Now, when smoothed out in translation we get that God spoke as He had done so in times past.
But there is more here. God is outside of our time and space. And when God chooses, He stations Himself and does so intentionally, invading our time and space. God’s voice and His Word transcends our time and space. God’s Word defines the times within our space.
Here we find God invading Samuel's time and space, making it seem to Samuel as if his time stands still and his space is consumed by the presence of God. Finally, we see Samuel’s response. When smoothed out in translation it is simply “one who is listening”. In this context, it gives more of a reference to sensory activity. But the text actually reads, “Your servant who will shema שָׁמַע or obey.”
This brings us back to Micah 7:18 and the forgiveness of God for those who are the “remnant of His inheritance.”
Whose inheritance? We are God’s inheritance. This does not refer to something to be passed to another upon one’s death. Instead, it should be properly translated as nahala נַחֲלָה or “possession.” Therefore, this forgiveness, this mercy, this loving kindness is offered to all but only received by those who accept and surrender themselves as God’s possession in obedience to His call, His voice, His way.
“Remnant” in Hebrew is שְׁאֵרִית (šᵊ'ērîṯ) meaning descendants; those who are left. From the root שָׁאַר (sa’ar) meaning to be left behind or better translated, those to be retained.
Christ is God stationing and positioning Himself in our space and time to seal forgiveness upon the hearts of those who would answer the call of salvation as Samuel, “Here I am Lord, your servant, your child, who will receive your mercy and respond to it in obedience with my entire life.” Thus, those who are of the remnant are those who are retained by God’s great mercy.
But leave it to men to complicate it with religion.
Acts 15:1–3 (ESV)
But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers.
In Acts 15:7, the Apostle Peter uses the word for “Gospel” which in the text, is in the Greek, and from the root εὐαγγελίζω (euangelizō : oo-ang-ghel-id'-zo) meaning to bring good news.
Jesus said this about Himself in Luke 4:18-19
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
So, if Jesus Christ came to bring the “gospel”. What is the “gospel”? The “Gospel” was even before Christ came to the earth.
And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
So, what is “the Gospel”? The Scriptures (the Word’s of God) preached “The Gospel” to Abraham. In fact, this would mean that “the Gospel” was even before Moses. So, what is “the Gospel”? It is the promised blessing of God to make for Himself a nation, a people of obedience to His righteousness which was bought for us and brought to us through Jesus Christ, God’s Only Begotten Son.
In Acts 15:3 the Greek word used for “Church” is ἐκκλησία (ekklēsia) meaning a gathering or assembly and is from the Greek root καλέω (kleo) meaning to call or extend an invitation to. So, who or what is the church? Those who answer the invitation. We see this invitation spoken again through the Prophet Joel in Joel 2:12.
“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
“Return” in Hebrew is שׁוּב (sub) meaning to turn back from evil and toward God; return; be restored. This is repentance that precedes forgiveness. Those who do not “return” or turn from evil or deny their fleshly inclination to yetzer hara יֵצֶר הַרַע (evil inclination), will be counted among the lawless.
“Lawlessness” in the Greek is ἀνομία (anomia) meaning to be without a law either by ignorance or rebellion against it. It is to have contempt for what is ethical by God’s standard; to act wickedly or with iniquity. Lawlessness in the Hebrew is חָמָ֖ס (hamas) meaning wrong doing; violence; injustice; that which is unethical.
What is God’s ethical standard? What is the essence of the Law of God? Is it practicing legalistic rituals, religious ordinances, is it religious fasting and a dress code as if the blood of the Christ were not enough? Let’s look at the words given through the Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 58:5-12:
Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the Lord? “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.
This is the kavanah כַּוָּנָה (intent and motives of the heart) that Jesus addressed many times over.
“Fasting” in Hebrew is from the root צוּם (sum) which means to abstain from food. But it comes from the idea of shutting the mouth. Hear what the Scriptures have to say on the matter:
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.”
Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!
You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
So, if you want to show me how spiritual you are? Show me not your religious practice, but your ethical application through the love of the Christ one to another. Is there a place and desperate need for spiritual disciplines? Absolutely. But they are nothing if your heart is wrong. Let obedience to the heart and mind of the Christ follow your repentance. Receive forgiveness and live it out to and before others. Let us make ready the remnant of God’s promises. Let us be a people who live in His forgiveness and shine the light of the Gospel. Let each of us let God invade our space and time in this hour and answer the call to lead others to this great salvation in Jesus the Christ.
