THE EMERGENCE OF THE KINGDOM REMNANTS
INTRODUCTION
Isaiah 1:9 says, “Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.”
The word remnants means, “small remaining portion”. So we are talking about those few that have chosen not to deviate from the ways of the kingdom. Those that the system of this world does not control. Those few that have remained the kingdom representatives in the places they are. These are men and women that can go extra mile in order to see that the course of the kingdom is preserved. Those that the deceptive spirit of this world has not confused. Am talking about that few that can boldly say “No” to sin at every point in time no matter what they can enjoy afterward..
The bible called them remnants because God recognized that they are very few. So the question now is, are you among them? Don’t be too quick to answer.
Remnants are those that do the impossible for the sake of the kingdom. They stand alone even when others have given up. They are not influenced by the crowd. They don’t mind standing alone as long as it is pleasing to God. They are those that have chosen to make the things of the kingdom a priority among every other thing.
The world has a lot to offer those that are ready to compromise the kingdom standards. Satan showed Jesus the glory of this world… The world has her glory, and unfortunately, most people in one way or the other have forsaken God in pursuit of worldly glory, no wonder why God is calling for just remnants…
God is calling for remnants, because He knows that those that claim to be part of the kingdom are still farnfrom the kingdom. The bible says, not those that call me Lord Lord are mine, but those that do the will of the father. The bible spoke about the broad and the narrow road… It is only the remnants that can remain in the narrow path when the chips are down.
REMNANTS ARE PRESERVERS
Once again let’s look at passage. Isaiah 1:9:
“Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.”
This verse shows that remnants are preservers. It takes being a remnant to stop people from living a Sodomic lifestyle. It was the dirty lifestyle of Sodom that brought upon them the judgment of God. So remnants as few as they are bring order, sanity and sanctity to a system and by so doing judgment is withheld. The bible says, I sought for “a man” that will stand in the gap… The bible didn’t’ say I sought for people or community or village. Just a man who is sincere and ready to pay the price is enough for God to use and thwart the plans of the devil.
You can be that remnant God will use to stop the mouth of the lions. The question is are you ready to pay the price? There is a price attached to standing as a remnant, only a few can pay that price. It is just that few among many that the word of God calls the few remnants. In the days of Daniel, they were just four, yet they impacted the whole of Babylon powerfully. See, it doesn’t matter how many of us are standing, if God can just see 1 or 2, He will still flow. In the days of Gideon, only 300 men among 22000 became the remnants the Lord used to deliver the children of Israel.
Demas was one of those the spirit of worldliness stole from the body of Christ. The church is under heavy attack, that is why we the remnants must emerge. Become that parent among many that will still insist on a godly standard for their children. Become that law enforcement agent that will shun bribery at all level. Become that medical practitioner among many, that will insist on purity. Become that student among many that will shun cheating and compromise. Become that businessman/woman among many that will always do your business with the fear of God. There are a lot of things that will discourage you and fight your conviction, along the way, yes they are there, but insist on doing it right even if it involves only you standing.
It is not always easy to stand alone, but you must as long as the reputation of the kingdom is involved. It is in standing alone that your love for God is tested.
Kingdom remnants are those that have taken their stand for righteousness amidst all odds. They are those few God can trust with the treasures of the kingdom.
NOAH A REMNANT
Noah was a remnant in his days. Through his life, I shall be opening up things you must know concerning kingdom remnants.
Gen 6:5-10 (TLB)
When the Lord God saw the extent of human wickedness, and that the trend and direction of men’s lives were only towards evil, he was sorry he had made them. It broke his heart.
And he said, “I will blot out from the face of the earth all mankind that I created. Yes, and the animals too, and the reptiles and the birds. For I am sorry I made them.”
But Noah was a pleasure to the Lord. Here is the story of Noah: He was the only truly righteous man living on the earth at that time. He tried always to conduct his affairs according to God’s will. And he had three sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth.”
I want to believe you read that scripture. If the above scripture on the testimony of Noah did not challenge you, then I see nothing that can challenge you.
Let us analyze the scripture above for clarity.
“When the Lord God saw the extent of human wickedness…”
It is important for us to understand that the Lord still sees. Nothing is hidden from him. You need to hear that. Your life is totally open to God. All you do both in public and in the secret are open to him. We must stop living our life as though the Lord is blind. He sees more than we think and know.
When the Lord looked at that generation, he saw escalated level of wickedness. He accommodated it for a season but, it came to pass He couldn’t bear it anymore. He looked at that generation he saw wickedness except in the life of one man Noah. It was only in the life of Noah that the Lord didn’t see the wickedness He saw in others. The rottenness the Lord saw in others was not found in Noah. The pollution He saw in others was not found in Noah. The instability He saw in others was not found in Noah. The cheating He saw in others was absent in Noah’s life. Why! Because Noah was a remnant.
Get this, wickedness can not find expression in the lives of Remnants. The evil you see in others is absent in the lives of remnants.
The Lord looked at them and saw wickedness. Unfortunately, the trend has not changed with us. When Lord looks at us, what does He see? What does He see in our tertiary institution when He looks? What does He see when He looks at the media industry? In the political sector, what does He see there? What kind of men is the Lord seeing in the senate, house of rep, and assembly? I believe the answer is obvious.
You can now agree with me that there is a need for us to cry out for the kingdom remnants to emerge.
Bring it down to your own family, church, children, don’t hide your face in the mud. Be sincere now, as the Lord is looking towards your direction with respect to these aforementioned areas, what does He see?.. Is the Lord seeing a young lady full of immorality? A young man toiling with his destiny. Looking at your children and siblings, what is the Lord seeing in them? You should know the answer because you are familiar with their ways of life.
This moment cry out, O Lord, raise kingdom remnants for my generation and make me one of them.
What is in you that the Lord will see and be disappointed? Prayerfully uproot it now from your life. Remember I said earlier, the Lord saw their wickedness, He accommodated it for a while, but it came to pass, He couldn’t again. Now hear me, before that attitude, weakness, habit, relationship disgrace or destroys your life, please take it to the cross. God won’t accommodate it for life, time shall come when that which you refuse to let go in your life will become an issue of concern and reason for your downfall. O Lord raise remnants…
In the midst of this mess, when all are swimming in the pool of immorality, when people are adamant about their rebellious lifestyle. When all men are shamelessly glorying in their rottenness, when people are inventing new ways of packaging iniquity, the bible now said, “But Noah was a pleasure to the Lord”. What a sharp contrast? Can that be said of your own life?
Can’t you see we need some Noahs in a time like this in our generation. Those that carry the mandate of breaking evil trends. Those that will prove to the world that to every generation, there is a remnant. Those that will bring a sharp contrast to evil trends. Those that will prove to the world that not everybody is corrupt. Are you one of such?
While others are becoming thorns on the flesh of God, Noah became a pleasure to Him. Remnants are pleasure to the Lord. Which category do you want to be identified with? Those that bring pain or those that bring pleasure? Bow down now and talk to God.
The crime rate was rising rapidly across the earth, and as seen by God, the world was rotten to the core.
Earlier we saw according to verse 9, Noah was a pleasure to the Lord… Holy Spirit had already helped us to establish that truth. The bible says He created all things for His pleasure, but the rebellion of humanity has suddenly tilted that purpose. How will God feel when He sees the man He created, gave life, made air free of charge for him, make provisions available for him, protects him in his going out and coming in, now proudly living in wickedness without any atom of repentance. It is heartbreaking.
God has emotions. Don’t be counted among those that break the heart of God. When others are breaking His heart through their rebellious attitude, become that one man or woman that will make His heart pleasurable. When God turns round the whole world in the days of Noah, He only sees the escalated level of the wickedness of humanity, except towards the direction of Noah. It was only the record of Noah that was totally different. This is because he was a kingdom remnant
Watch verse 11 again it says, “he was the only truly righteous man living on the earth at that time” (TLB).
How was it possible with Noah. Hear me, you don’t have any excuse. There are lots of witnesses that will rise on the day of the Lord to counter people’s excuses with their own life experiences they survived.
Did you see that word “only” I know you saw it but you may have not paid much attention to it.
Noah was the only man standing for God in his generation. That was very challenging. It simply means that nobody was there to encourage him. Noah lacked men that preached to him. Noah lacked prayer partners. Noah lacked good counselors. It means that when it is time for church, only Noah will come. He was both the priest and the member. No man was there to encourage him. Others were depraved. The only thing they will tell Noah will be something rotten. Yet with all those challenges, Noah stood his ground. My dear, you have no single excuse to fail God
Nobody visited Noah to ask him, this one we didn’t see you in the church today, what happened. Noah must have had some financial challenges and approached some people for help, they will tell him, “you are not in our club get out” and maybe for that whole week, he will be in serious lack, yet he stood his ground.
When Noah falls sick nobody will come and pray for him. Is it not when you’re pleasing to God that He will hear your prayers. Remember, it was ONLY Noah according to the scriptures in his days that was pleasing to God. Noah was flesh and blood so he had his own infirmities (weakness). In Noah’s days, they were so much engrossed in their wickedness that they knew nothing like prayer. Yet he stood…
The life of Noah should challenge us. Just because you were not visited, you stopped coming to church and became angry with your pastor. You can’t be a remnant with such an attitude. You have not suffered what Noah suffered, yet he stood.
Noah had no other person, helping, directing, or comforting him. You that is complaining, at least you have brethren around, you see someone you can pray with. Some of us have a godly background. When you go to church you see people there. You have people calling you to check on you, and pray with you. Yet with all these provisions your faith is still dangling. Can’t you see you need to pray for God’s help. Noah will be standing there on that day to tell you his story. What will be your excuse?
God is calling on you to sit up and be faithful. You have a lot at your disposal that if you sincerely utilize them, your life we become a wonder.
The scripture says;
2 Pet 1:3
“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness”.
God has released all the things you need for proper godly living, look around you, you will find them.
Most people have genuine pastors around them, you have good brethren as friends, it is even possible that your parents are pastors or elders in church… My question is, how are you utilizing all these great provisions? You may not really know what you have until you lose it.
Become that remnant that will prove to others that if it is one person that will stand, then you should be that one person
PRAYER FOCUS
- O Lord I thank you for revealing your word to me
- O Lord cause me not to develop resistance against your word
- Lord Jesus, give me the right spirit that will help me to apply your word in my day to day activities
- Deliver me O Lord from the depravity of this world and cause me to be different
- Cause me O Lord to become a kingdom remnant in my generation
- My Lord deliver me from the deception of the devil in my time
- O Lord I ask that you raise me as a preserver of men
- O Lord release your power in me that will help me to stand in these difficult times
- O Lord cause my life to reveal Jesus to many that will come in contact with me.
- My father uproot from my life whatsoever that will keep you far from me
- O Lord help me to properly utilize the provisions you have made available for me to live a victorious life
- Lord Jesus cause me to manifest your abilities that will make people to glorify your name