God Likes Leftovers

Intro:

Most of my life I’ve heard some Christians talk about a “great end-time revival,” and for many years I, too, believed there would be an influx of people into the kingdom of God before the second coming of our Lord. Yet, as I have studied the scriptures in light of this idea, I’ve not been able to find any real basis for it. The few scriptures that I’ve ever heard used for this type of thinking were taken out of context. Both secular and scriptural history show that the opposite is true.

Message

The hard, cold reality is not everyone will be saved.

Matthew 7:21 NASB95

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.

Paul stated in our text that it is only the remnant (of Israel) that will be saved; similarly, not everyone who claims to be a Christian will be saved or everyone who goes to church.

Matthew 7:21 NASB95

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.

Matthew 13:24–30 NASB95

Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. “But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. “But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. “The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ “And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ “But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. ‘Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”

Jesus, in the midst of multiple parables illustrating the kingdom of God, puts forth the thought that not all will be saved, even many who appear to be righteous.

Righteousness is not determined by outer works, but by inner truth.

We are righteous today b/c God has declared by His grace that all who will trust Him, to them He will give His righteousness.

I’m not righteous today b/c I feel like it, look like it, or you think I am; I’m righteous today b/c my God has declared it!

What is Remnant Theology

Some of you may not have ever heard of a remnant or even know what it is; yet, the word appears in the Bible some 41 times, and the Bible is replete w/ its theology.

A small group of people who remain faithful to God, despite widespread unbelief or faithlessness around them. God preserves a remnant in order to ensure a renewed and restored people in the future. A remnant is something that is left over. It is only a portion of what once was.

A remnant is something that is left over. It is only a portion of what once was.

The idea of a remnant is primarily an OT thought, but it carries its fulfillment into the NT.

The word remnant means a small portion of what once was, it is used especially of believers.

This word and its thought are used primarily in the Bible to denote a group of people who survive a catastrophe brought about by the judgment of God, especially against sin. It can also be used to describe a group of people left over after an exile.

Noah and his family.

Joseph and his brothers.

7,000 faithful in Israel during the reign of Ahab.

Israel went from 12 tribes to 2 making Judah and Benjamin the remnant of God’s people.

tells us that Jesus appeared to 500 at one time before His ascension; yet, only 120 were in the upper room at Pentecost.

Last week we examined Jesus’ words in that the gate is small and the way narrow that leads to life and there are few that find it.

The scriptures are not intended to be discouraging; they are intended to encourage you. God, through His word, is admonishing us to believe Him and take Him at His word.

This should be good news b/c it is informative.

2 Corinthians 13:5 NASB95

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?

Matthew 7:21–23 NASB95

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

Matt 7

To do the will of the Father is to take Him at His word by being obedient to it.

Its not enough to say you believe if you don’t obey what you say you believe.

People who believe Him are those who serve Him and are His children. They are those whose faith has come through the crucible.

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Their salvation is not based on anything they do or don’t do, but on God’s grace alone.

God chose them b/c they believed Him. The proof of this is in v. 4b when God told Elijah that He had kept (or reserved) 7,000 who had not bowed their knees to Baal, which means they believed God.

Foreknowledge works here b/c God in His omniscience knows who will believe Him and who will not; therefore, He gives His grace to those who will believe.

The choice was made on the basis of God’s benevolence, not on the basis of their faithfulness to the law [AB], or any other merit. God determined long ago to be gracious to all those who truly believed Him.

It’s not about our keeping of rules and regulations; its not about our religious piety, or what we’ve done or not done. Being a Christian means that I trust Him enough to give Him my everything.

The true believer obeys the word, not out of a sense of obligation or duty, but out of a heart of love.

Matt 13:

Matthew 13:36–46 NASB95

Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. “So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

If Jesus is your treasure that you’ve sold all for; if He is your pearl of great price, then I have good news for you: You are the remnant, the righteous who will shine like the sun in the kingdom of your Father.