________________<BrethrenVoice>________________ [which seeks to be guided solely by the NT Biblical pattern, facilitates free flow of Christian info. To God be the glory!] [eMail Moderator: brethrenvoice-owner@...] [<GLEANINGS-FOR-THE-DAY> Archives/Read online: http://associate.com/digests/brethrenvoice/ezmlm.cgi] <GLEANINGS-FOR-THE-DAY> <30 September 2002> Contents: --------- (1) <Exhortational> "A holy restlessness!" - Connie Giordano (2) <Devotional> "Joseph, the beloved of the father" (Pt-8) - C.E.Wigg (3) <Prophetical> "The Redeemer's Return" (Pt-40)- A.W.Pink (1) <EXHORTATIONAL> A HOLY RESTLESSNESS Connie Giordano Are you disturbed by the distance, if any, there is between you and God? Does your soul yearn for a closer walk with Him? Does your heart break for all those - family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and nations - who do not know Him personally and are separated from Him because of their sin? Then this message is for you! There is a cry that heaven is waiting to hear from the Redeemed of the Lord. It is the cry from the depths of their hearts, saying - "Just a closer walk with Thee, Grant it, Jesus, is my plea." Amidst all of the distractions, diversions, pleasures, and idols; heaven is looking for those who will lay it all aside and run after the Lord Jesus out of extreme desperation. Who will get desperate enough to shut out all of the disturbances of this earthly life to seek God - not for what His hand can provide - but for Who He is and for His kingdom to come and His will to be done in earth as it is in heaven? However, we all know that just as in the case of our salvation, we cannot come on our own to Him. We did not just decide one day that we were going to serve the Lord. God, by His Spirit and His Word, drew us unto Himself by His Amazing Grace. Psalm 63:8 - Now that we are saved and have walked with the Lord for some time, it is the same grace that is needed to pull us away from the influences of the world, the flesh, and the devil to "follow hard" after God. Look what the Scriptures have to say - Song of Solomon 1:4 says - "Draw me, we will run after Thee..." "Draw me" - To every Christian, this is a cry for God's supernatural grace. It implies that there is a distance between the Bride and the Bridegroom, and she is desiring to draw closer to Him. There is an earnest, heartfelt desire for communion of a more personal and intimate nature. She knows that she cannot come without His help. "Draw me" - We need the influences and operations of the Holy Spirit to draw us to Jesus. We have too much fighting against us to come on our own. "Draw me" - Perhaps some have been led astray by the evil influences of the world and the flesh. They have grown cold in their love for the Savior. They have lost their zeal in witnessing to others of His glorious power and unfailing love. They have lost their shout, and their eyes are grown dry through the hardness of their hearts. They have lost their joy and the sparkle in their eyes that would arise whenever they would hear conversation concerning Him and His goodness. Who would deny that the Church as a whole has lost so much in her walk with Jesus? She has grown so worldly, carnal, sensual, and fleshly. But there is arising a cry from a holy remnant of believers. With hot tears streaming down their faces, they are actually moaning and groaning with earnest pleas - "Draw me, and we will run after Thee..." Both Prophets - Jeremiah and Hosea - spoke of God's drawing power. The people of God turned away from Him for the idols of the land. Nonetheless, like a Giant Magnet of Love, God drew them back unto Himself. Jeremiah 31:3 says - "...with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." Hosea 11:4 adds - "I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love..." He drew them with His mercies - with mild, gentle, loving, endearing, and sweet methods. He could have used force, but He chose the means of kindness and love - "cords of a man, with bands of love." So it is, that God is desiring to woo us back unto Himself with "cords of a man, with bands of love." But what about those dear loved ones and friends who do not know this Wonderful Savior? How will they ever come to Him? They have no interest in Him. They are so deceived and distracted by the devil. Many of them do not even realize their need for God. The Scriptures instruct us that God's Amazing Grace will draw them to Salvation as it did us - John 6:44 - "No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him..." John 12:32 - "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me." No one could possibly come to God except He influence their souls and enlighten their minds with His Truth. God does such a work of grace in each individual whereby their entire bent is altered. Their delight and desire turns from the things of this world unto the Father and His Glorious Son Jesus by this drawing power called grace. Perhaps you feel as though you are one of God's sheep who has gone astray. Call out to God for His grace. Plead with the Lord - "Draw me..." You may be a Christian who loves the Lord with all your heart, yet you have a Holy Restlessness in your soul that cannot be met. You desire more and more for a closer walk with Him. Cry earnestly from the depths of your soul for God's wonderful grace - "Draw me..." Or you may be a brokenhearted grandparent, parent, spouse, or child whose loved ones are away from God. No matter how much you pray and preach to them, they seemingly get further and further away from Him. Plead with God this day for His Amazing Grace to draw those loved ones unto Himself. 2 Corinthians 1:20 - Lay hold of the mighty promises of God that are "yea" and "Amen" in Christ Jesus. Numbers 23:19 says - "God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: hath He said, and shall He not do it? or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?" He won't change His mind concerning His promises. With "lovingkindness" - "cords of a man, with bands of love" - He will draw them by His alluring grace. In closing, we quote from the rabbis - "He who desires to cleave to the holy and blessed God, God lays hold of him, and will not cast him off." With a Holy Restlessness, cleave to the Holy and blessed God for yourself and for your family. He will not cast you off. May God Bless His Word. Connie --- © Connie Giordano 2000 _______________________________________________________________________ (2) <DEVOTIONAL> JOSEPH, BELOVED OF THE FATHER (PART-8) Charles E. Wigg .... The day of Jacob's trouble: This terrible day is soon to come. We can even see (it seems), the beginning of sorrows now. Israel is yet to experience such terrible trouble, such as has not been since the world began. Though they will be the centre of God's wrath, in that terrible "Day of the Lord", yet the nations who have rejected God and His Son, will come under judgement also. The "hour of trial" is to come upon the "Whole habitable world". It is then that Christ's brethren, (Israel), will look on Him whom they have pierced, and at first will wail in terror because of Him. But reduced to genuine repentance, they will then exclaim, "This is our God, we have waited for Him! (Isaiah 25 : 9.) What joy will then be their's, as the veil of unbelief is removed from their hearts. They will then begin to understand the wonder of God's plan, the wisdom of His ways. Christ as the Sun of righteousness, with healing in His wings, will then heal the whole world of the terrible desolation and destruction that has occurred during the "Great Tribulation". Just as Israel was settled in the best of the land, (the land of Goshen, the Nile delta), so in that day, Israel will again be settled in His Land, and enjoy the fullness of Jehovah's blessing. The they will dwell in peace, every man under his vine, and under his fig tree. The nations also who have been saved, will rejoice in the wonder of the reign of the once rejected King of Kings. O what a wonderful day that will be! Amen, even so, COME LORD JESUS! All secured for Pharaoh: One final thing to notice is that as a result of Joseph's administration, those under his rule acme to him in their need. First they gave up their money, then their cattle, and finally their land and themselves. Out of gratitude they became the willing servants of their king. They gladly acknowledged the fact that Joseph had saved them. When they had given up all rights to themselves and their possessions, it was all given back to then, and thereafter they gladly gave one fifth of all that they earned , to their king. The result of Christ's rule: The Lord Jesus seeks the same result in the lives of all who acknowledge Him as Lord and King. Happy are those who have learned to willingly give up all to Him. To renounce all rights to anything, and just to use what He gives to them, for His Glory. Joseph is but a poor but beautiful type of Him whose glory excels all. What a wonderful Saviour we have! Well may we love and serve Him with all our hearts, joyfully! Soon He will come for us, then later we will come back with Him. We will see Him loved and adored by every created intelligent being, in the very place where men said "Away with Him, Crucify Him! Lord hasten that wonderful day! [Concluded] --- [Reproduced with permission] _______________________________________________________________________ (3) <PROPHETICAL> "THE REDEEMER'S RETURN" (PART-40) THE TIME OF THE REDEEMER'S RETURN Arthur W. Pink .... 3. Our Lord's Olivet discourse shows that there is no universal triumph of the Gospel before His Second Advent. The Olivet Discourse of our Lord is recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. We cannot now attempt a detailed exposition of these highly interesting and important chapters, but would simply single our from them a few things which throw light upon our present inquiry. At the beginning of Matt. 24 we find that three of His disciples asked our Lord, "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the age?" (vs. 3). What then was the answer which our Saviour returned to these questions? Did He reply saying that the Age would end with the universal triumph of the Gospel? Did He tell them that the Sign of His coming would be a converted world that would be eagerly awaiting His return to it? If so, this clearly decides the issue once for all, for there can be no appeal against the declarations of the One who was truth incarnate. As we read the verses which record our Lord's reply to the questions of His disciples we find that instead of Him painting a picture in bright and attractive colors, He portrayed a set of conditions which were pathetic and tragic in their bearing and nature. Instead of intimating that things on earth would improve during the time of His absence, He showed that they would get worse and worse. Instead of promising an era of peace and prosperity, He predicted a time of blood-shed and famine. Instead of telling the disciples that truth would be universally diffused and received, He forewarned them of the coming of false prophets who should deceive many. Instead of teaching that His followers would grow more zealous and faithful to Him, He announced that because iniquity should abound the love of many would "wax cold." Instead of saying that He should come back here to be received with an open-armed welcome, He predicted that on His return "all the tribes of the earth shall mourn." It is true that He said, "This Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations," yet a little further down in the same chapter He very plainly intimated that it should meet with an almost universal rejection - "For as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be," proves this. It is therefore well nigh impossible for us to imagine anything more directly opposed to the post-millennial theory than what we find here in this address of our Lord's. It would appear from His utterances as if He, with omniscient vision, foresaw the very teaching which is so common in our day and that He designedly and deliberately anticipated and repudiated it. In verses 29 and 30 of Matt. 24 we read, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." The "tribulation" here spoken of is described in verses 21 and 22 of this same chapter--"For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved." How different this from the glowing pictures painted by the post-millennialists! That the things here mentioned cannot possibly have reference to the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus is evident from the fact that "immediately after the tribulation" of those days the sun was not"darkened," the moon did not"cease to give her light," and the Son of Man was not seen "coming in the clouds of heaven." No; these verses describe conditions which are to prevail at "the end of the Age." Observe particularly that it is said, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened" etc., and that "then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven." The conditions then which are to immediately precede the Second Advent of Christ are not those of Millennial blessedness but those of unparalleled tribulation. [To be concluded] _____________________<BrethrenVoice>_____________________ Subscribe, eMail:<brethrenvoice-subscribe@...> Unsubscribe, eMail:<brethrenvoice-unsubscribe@...> FAQs/Faith Statement, eMail: <brethrenvoice-faq@...> <BrethrenVoice> Home: http://associate.com/digests/brethrenvoice/ <eFellowship> Home: http://groups.msn.com/BrethrenChristiansForum/ "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith." 2 Cor 13:5 "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Jn 8:32 _______________________________________________________