Sermon Snippet – God’s Remnant
INTRODUCTION – 2700 years ago, the prophet Isaiah emphasized the importance of God’s remnant. Because each individual must decide whether to follow God or not – and because many choose the latter – God’s people have rarely been in the majority; the only exceptions we find in the Bible were in the time of the first family (Adam, Eve, Abel, and later Seth) and in the time after the Flood when only Noah’s family survived. However, the blessings of being part of God’s “little band” are many, and Isaiah explores some of them.
1. OUR GOD IS CONSISTENT AND CONSISTENTLY SURPRISES
In Isaiah 10:20-22, God assures the prophet that “the remnant shall return” (verse 21). The Hebrew for this clause is “shear-jashub,” the prophetic name of Isaiah’s son (7:3). Note the use of “the mighty God” (also verse 21), echoing the Messianic prophecy of 9:6-7; only Jesus, fully God and fully man, could match the requirements of being “the mighty God” and inheriting “the throne of David.” Certainly that combination was unexpected, even though it was specifically prophesied. Note further “the Holy One of Israel” (10:20), a title directly applied to Jesus in Mark 1:24. Especially unusual is the ending of 10:22: “The consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness.” Destruction teeming with (and teaming with) righteousness – that is a unique phrasing! Of course, everything that God does is righteous. Here, He was confronting the Jewish people with their worship of idols. From this sadly necessary chastisement, they would eventually be purified of their evil idolatry. A remnant would return to Israel, and the promised Messiah would be born there. We can be certain that our Savior will never change (Hebrews 13:8 – “Jesus [is] the same yesterday, and today, and forever”) and that He will continue to work through His remnant, however small it may be (Hebrews 13:5c – “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee”).
2. OUR GOD WELCOMES THE OUTCASTS
Isaiah 11:11-16 provides a detailed picture of God gathering people under His “ensign.” At times, we may be a ragtag regiment, too small to be called a conquering army, but we march underneath the standard of our Savior. The world may scoff at Him, at His battle flag, and at us. Paul reminds us that “not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble” respond to God’s “calling” (I Corinthians 1:26). However, Jesus is available to all, including the “outcasts” (verse 12). He does not reach out to only the rich, powerful, and famous. Note “nations” in verse 12; this refers to non-Jewish people. Thus, God is drawing all people to Himself, offering His eternal salvation. Somewhere along the way, someone has ridiculed and disparaged us, labeling us as hopeless. That someone is not Jesus! He said in John 12:32: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me” – yes, including the ones who are shunned – the “outcasts.”
3. OUR GOD OFFERS HIS BEAUTY IN PLACE OF OUR PRIDE
Isaiah 28:1-5 presents a stark contrast. The drunken leaders, filled with the false bravado of liquid courage, are pleased with themselves and wear “the crown of pride” (verse 1). People are not at their best when drinking (at least, I hope they are not!); they often brag loudly, become adversarial and argumentative, and are struttingly self-confident. Of course, we do not even need “strong drink” (verse 7) to display such misbehavior! By contrast, the Lord offers us His beauty, His attractiveness, His personality traits in place of our woeful attempts to puff ourselves up. Each of us requires a transformation, and one is available to us through faith in Jesus Christ, God the Son, Who wore not a “crown of pride” but a crown of thorns and died on the Cross to pay for all of our sins, including the central sin of pride.
CONCLUSION – All three of these Isaiah passages use the expression “in that day,” referencing a time yet future. As we await the full fulfillment of God’s promises, we see powerful evidences now. First, let us not lament that Christians are in a minority. Salvation is a miracle; unbelief is unexceptional. We need to rejoice in our surety of heaven with Jesus and further rejoice when anyone else enters into that miraculous certainty. Second, we must recognize that our relative scarcity necessitates each believer taking the Christian life seriously, for we may be the only ambassador of Christ Jesus that some folks ever see close up. Third, we are assured that all of God’s promises will come to fruition. In partial fulfillment of prophecy, Israel became a nation again in 1948, after almost 1900 years of non-existence. Even more spectacularly, our Lord stated that He would rise from the dead the third day, and He did. That accomplished fact is all the proof that we require to know that all of God’s guarantees will be implemented.