The Daily Word of Righteousness

The Remnant, #9

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. (Isaiah 40:7)

The works of people, even religious people, are as grass that springs up in a moment and perishes in a moment.

The works of Christ are eternal. They never shall pass away.

The eternal accomplishments of the Kingdom of God are not brought to pass by the strength or wisdom of the flesh but by the Spirit of God.

If we have been caught up in Sardis-type activities we are to "hold fast, and repent." We are to press steadily forward in all good works but to repent of our employment of human talent in the attempt to build the Kingdom of God. If we do not repent of our man-centeredness we will be caught off guard one day and found penniless as to the true riches of Heaven.

There was a remnant in Sardis. There were believers who looked only to the Holy Spirit for the building of the Kingdom of God. They were the Elijah-Elisha company—those who live in the anointing even in "the days of Ahab and Jezebel," in the midst of apostasy on the part of the majority of the Lord's called-out people.

Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. (Revelation 3:4)

The concept that the life of victorious living in Christ brings the believer into a condition of worthiness may be new to us because of extremism in the preaching of "grace." The idea of being worthy to walk with Christ in white is found in the New Testament writings. We must be proven "worthy of the kingdom of God" (II Thessalonians 1:5). We must walk "worthy of the Lord" (Colossians 1:10).

The believer becomes worthy by the righteousness of Christ that is assigned freely to him on the basis of his confession of faith in Christ, and then by the righteousness, holiness, and obedience created in his character as the result of Christ being formed in him.

There was a remnant in Sardis, a few saints who had not "defiled their garments." Our "garments" are our actions, our words, our motives, our thoughts, and our imaginations. The believer who is wearing "dirty clothes" is the one who is unclean in actions, words, motives, thoughts, and imaginations.

We soil our garments with hatred, with spite, with jealousy, with lust, with unforgiveness, with criticism, with impatience, with unbelief, with self-seeking, with drunkenness and revelry, with foolish behavior, with covetousness, with untruthfulness, with dabbling in the occult, with violence and anger.

The believer in Christ who is acting, speaking, or thinking in lust, hatred, violence, criticism, bitterness, covetousness, occult practices, or drunkenness and revelry is spotting his or her "robe" with the filth of the present age.

To be continued.