The Remnant Church: What Remains After the Shaking

Published: 2-9-2026

In this message from The Remnant Church series, Pastor Gary Caudill of Washington Heights Baptist Church explores what God preserves when life, families, and churches are shaken. Rooted in Hebrews 12:27–28 and Genesis 45, this sermon addresses seasons where God removes what is temporary to reveal what is eternal.

Drawing from Joseph’s reconciliation with his brothers in Genesis 45, this sermon reveals how preservation is always tied to purpose. God does not merely keep people alive; He keeps them so healing, repentance, restored fellowship, and the continuation of His Word may remain after the shaking has passed.

This message calls believers and churches to move beyond survival and into spiritual clarity. When pride, denial, and pretense fall away, God’s presence becomes central again. What Remains After the Shaking offers hope for those walking through loss, conflict, or transition, pointing to the unshakable kingdom God is forming.

This message was preached by Pastor Gary Caudill on 2-8-2026 during the Sunday morning service at Washington Heights Baptist Church in Thomson, Georgia. Our church family includes believers from McDuffie County and surrounding communities, many of whom have been through, or are going through, seasons of shaking and renewal, and we’d love for you to join us as we look to Jesus, the Anchor of the soul.

Sermon Q&A

What does “what remains after the shaking” mean in Hebrews 12:27?

Hebrews 12:27 teaches that God allows shaking so that what is temporary, man-made, and unstable is removed, and what cannot be shaken may remain. The shaking is not pointless destruction. It is God’s refining process that exposes what is real, preserves what is eternal, and anchors believers in His unshakable kingdom.

How does Joseph’s story in Genesis 45 connect to the idea of a remnant?

In Genesis 45:7 Joseph explains that God sent him ahead “to preserve you a posterity in the earth,” meaning a preserved remainder, a kept seed, a remnant protected so God’s covenant line and future promise would continue. Joseph’s shaking included betrayal, stripping, silence, and famine, but God used it to preserve people with purpose.

What are the four marks that appear when God pulls the curtain back after a shaking?

This message highlights a fourfold lifestyle stamped into Joseph’s story and meant to shape God’s remnant: Honesty, Humility, Healing, and Honor. After the shaking, God forms a people who stand in truth, come near in humility, rise in restored relationships, and go forward with a message and mission.

What does it look like to “stand in honesty” like Joseph did?

Joseph put the whole truth in the open. He named their sin without softening it, and he named God’s hand without doubting it (Genesis 45:5). Honesty is when truth stands up before anything else can move. When we get honest with God and with one another, the healing clock starts ticking.

Why is humility necessary for healing in the remnant church?

Joseph said, “Come near to me,” and they came near (Genesis 45:4). Humility moves toward truth instead of hiding from it. Pride backs away. Humility comes near. When humility wins the moment, the door opens for what pride always blocks: healing, restoration, and reconciled fellowship.

What does “rise in healing” look like in real relationships?

Genesis 45:15 shows the room turning from fear and silence to embrace and conversation: “he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him.” Healing is when people can interact again without poison in the heart. Tears become holy when God uses them to wash bitterness out and restore tenderness.

What does it mean to “go in honor” after God restores you?

Joseph moved beyond emotion into purpose. He gave urgency, direction, and a message to carry back to his father (Genesis 45:9). Honor puts a message in your mouth and a mission in your feet. God preserves people to preserve others. The remnant is not disposable leftovers, but preserved purpose.

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