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<BrethrenVoice>
which seeks to be guided by the New Testament Biblical pattern, is aimed at reaching
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<Sunday-Gleanings>

16 January 2005
ben@brethrenvoice.org http://associate.com/groups/brethrenvoice/. Subscription details in the end

In this issue:
i) Perfect in Christ Jesus - C.H. Spurgeon
ii) Seed of the women, seed of the serpent (Part 5) - G.Whitefield
iii) <A-Glance-at-the-top-stories-of-the-week> - Ben

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"Perfect in Christ Jesus." - Colossians 1:28
C.H. Spurgeon

Do you not feel in your own soul that perfection is not in you? Does not every day teach you that? Every tear which trickles from your eye, weeps "imperfection"; every harsh word which proceeds from your lip, mutters "imperfection." You have too frequently had a view of your own heart to dream for a moment of any perfection in yourself. But amidst this sad consciousness of imperfection, here is comfort for you-you are "perfect in Christ Jesus.

" In God's sight, you are "complete in him;" even now you are "accepted in the Beloved. " But there is a second perfection, yet to be realized, which is sure to all the seed. Is it not delightful to look forward to the time when every stain of sin shall be removed from the believer, and he shall be presented faultless before the throne, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing? The Church of Christ then will be so pure, that not even the eye of Omniscience will see a spot or blemish in her; so holy and so glorious, that Hart did not go beyond the truth when he said-

"With my Saviour's garments on,
Holy as the Holy One."

Then shall we know, and taste, and feel the happiness of this vast but short sentence, "Complete in Christ." Not till then shall we fully comprehend the heights and depths of the salvation of Jesus. Doth not thy heart leap for joy at the thought of it? Black as thou art, thou shalt be white one day; filthy as thou art, thou shalt be clean.

Oh, it is a marvellous salvation this! Christ takes a worm and transforms it into an angel; Christ takes a black and deformed thing and makes it clean and matchless in his glory, peerless in his beauty, and fit to be the companion of seraphs. O my soul, stand and admire this blessed truth of perfection in Christ.



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Seed of the woman, seed of the serpent (Part 5)
George Whitefield

Verse 9. "And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Adam, where art thou?"

"The Lord God called unto Adam." (for otherwise Adam would never have called unto the Lord God) and said, "Adam, where art thou? How is it that thou comest not to pay thy devotions as usual?" Christians, remember the Lord keeps an account when you fail coming to worship. Whenever therefore you are tempted to withhold your attendance, let each of you fancy you heard the Lord calling unto you, and saying, "O man, O woman, where art thou? It may be understood in another and better sense; "Adam, where art thou?" What a condition is thy poor soul in? This is the first thing the Lord asks and convinces a sinner of; when he prevents and calls him effectually by his grace; he also calls him by name; for unless God speaks to us in particular, and we know where we are, how poor, how miserable, how blind, how naked, we shall never value the redemption wrought out for us by the death and obedience of the dear Lord Jesus. "Adam, where art thou?"

Verse 10. "And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid." See what cowards sin makes us. If we knew no sin, we should know no fear. "Because I was naked, and I hid myself." Ver. 11, "And he said, who told thee that thou was naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I (thy Maker and Law-giver) commanded thee, that thou shouldest not eat?"

God knew very well that Adam was naked, and that he had eaten of the forbidden fruit, But God would know it from Adam's own mouth. Thus God knows all our necessities before we ask, but yet insists upon our asking for his grace, and confessing our sins. For, by such acts, we acknowledge our dependence upon God, take shame to ourselves, and thereby give glory to his great name.

Verse 12. "And the man said, the woman which thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat."

Never was nature more lively delineated. See what pride Adam contracted by the fall! How unwilling he is to lay the blame upon, or take shame to himself. This answer is full of insolence towards God, enmity against his wife, and disingenuity in respect to himself. For herein he tacitly reflects upon God. "The woman that thou gavest to be with me." As much as to say, if thou hadst not given me that woman, I had not eaten the forbidden fruit. Thus, when men sin, they lay the fault upon their passions; then blame and reflect upon God for giving them those passions. Their language is, "the appetites that thou gavest us, they deceived us; and therefore we sinned against thee." But, as God, notwithstanding, punished Adam for hearkening to the voice of his wife, so he will punish those who hearken to the dictates of their corrupt inclinations. For God compels no man to sin. Adam might have withstood the solicitations of his wife, if he would. And so, if we look up to God, we should find grace to help in the time of need. The devil and our own hearts tempt, but they cannot force us to consent, without the concurrence of our own wills. So that our damnation is of ourselves, as it will evidently appear at the great day, notwithstanding all men's present impudent replies against God. As Adam speaks insolently in respect to God, so he speaks with enmity against his wife; the woman, or this woman, she gave me. He lays all the fault upon her, and speaks of her with much contempt. He does not say, my wife, my dear wife; but, this woman. Sin disunites the most united hearts: It is, the bane of holy fellowship. Those who have been companions in sin here, if they die without repentance, will both hate and condemn one another hereafter. All damned souls are accusers of their brethren. Thus it is, in some degree, on this side of the grave. "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat." What a disingenuous [deceitful] speech was here! He makes use of no less than fifteen words to excuse himself, and but one or two (in the original) to confess his fault, if it may be called a confession at all. "The woman which thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree;" here are fifteen words; "and I did eat." With what reluctance do these last words come out? How soon are they uttered are they uttered? "And I did eat." But thus it is with an unhumbled, unregenerate heart; It will be laying the fault upon the dearest friend in the world, nay, upon God himself, rather than take shame to itself. This pride we are all subject to by the fall; and, till our hearts are broken, and made contrite by the spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be always charging God foolishly. "Against thee, and thee only, have I sinned, that thou mightest be justified in thy saying, and clear when thou art judged," is the language of none but those, who, like David, are willing to confess their faults, and are truly sorry for their sins. This was not the case of Adam; his heart was not broken; and therefore he lays the fault of his disobedience upon his wife and God, and not upon himself; "The woman which thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat." [To be concluded]


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<A-glance-at-the-top-stories-of-the-week>
Ben

Israel Seals off Gaza Strip but Signals It Will Hold off Harsh Retaliation After Six Israelis Killed in Attack: Israel sealed off the Gaza Strip on Friday but signaled it will hold off on harsh retaliation for an attack by Palestinian militants that killed six Israeli workers at a Gaza crossing, giving newly elected Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas a chance to rein in violent groups.

Sharon, Abbas Eager to Restart Peace Talk: World leaders have urged Israel and the Palestinians to grasp an opportunity presented by the election of a moderate Palestinian leader and the establishment of a new Israeli government that includes the dovish Labor Party.

Strained relations with Russia: Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had called for a special discussion about the deterioration of relations with Russia, which is related to "a very classified problem."

In goodwill gesture, Vatican allowing Jews to view priceless Maimonides manuscripts: The Vatican will loan the work of Moses Maimonides, one of Judaism's most celebrated rabbis and sages, to Israel this year in a gesture meant to improve relations between Catholics and Jews.

Hamas Open to Truce With Israel: A top Hamas official said Thursday that the militant group is open to a truce with Israel and is no longer bent on destroying the Jewish state - a step beyond previous Hamas statements indicating it might accept Israel as a temporary presence only.

Jimmy Carter promoting the principles of the 'Prince of peace': Serving as a monitor for the Palestinian elections the former U.S. president spoke to a group of Christians, Muslims and Jews saying, 'I would like to express my thanks to this group...' -World Council of Churches

Malaria Threat Emerges in Tsunami Zone: Health officials plan to go door to door and tent to tent with mosquito-killing spray guns beginning Friday to head off a looming threat that one expert says could kill 100,000 more people around the tsunami disaster zone: malaria.

Can quakes cause a chain reaction?: The largest earthquake for 40 years and the devastating tsunami it unleashed have raised concerns that further geological disasters might follow in their wake.

Storms Kill at Least 16 in Europe: Fierce storms left more than 250,000 homes and businesses across northern Europe without power Monday as crews from Russia to Ireland began cleaning up the wreckage. At least 16 people died in the weekend storms.

Calif. Storms Said Likely to Cost $100M: The series of deadly storms that pummeled California earlier this month probably cost the state more than $100 million in damage to homes, roads and farms, according to experts still tallying the bill.

Scotland takes a beating: Key points * Met Office issued severe weather warnings for whole of Scotland * Emergency services on standby across the country * Weather office predicting winds will ease today Key quote "Some of the skippers are saying that it's the worst sustained two weeks of weather they have seen in 20 years, with 80 mph to 90 mph winds and huge seas." - Hugh Dan MacLennan, spokesman for Caledonian MacBrayne

Gondolas stuck as Venice waters recede: VENICE, Italy (Reuters) -- Gondolas are running aground and hotel docks hang in midair as Italy's lagoon city Venice, more commonly awash at high tide, dries out because of good weather and an unusual combination of planetary influences.

Meteor roars over area with light and noise: Antigo and Langlade County were apparently in the path of a meteor that brought reports of the strange happenings from South Dakota across central Wisconsin.

Study sees rivals to US power: By 2020 the world's economy will have grown by 80 percent and average incomes will have risen by half as India and China -- which together will account for more than a third of the planet's population -- surpass Europe and compete with the United States as the major global powers, top US intelligence analysts forecast yesterday.

Many Europeans Still Troubled by Euro: Three years after the introduction of euro cash, almost half the citizens in the 12 nations that use the currency still struggle to replace francs, marks and lire in their hearts and minds, a survey released Thursday showed.

European Parliament OKs EU Constitution: The European Parliament gave its overwhelming endorsement to the European Union's first-ever constitution Wednesday and urged EU governments to quickly follow suit.

Gays win in Lutheran church policy debate: A task force of the largest U.S. Lutheran denomination wants it to stop enforcing the church's official ban on ordaining homosexuals.

Va. Court Strikes Down Singles Sex Law: The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday struck down an archaic and rarely enforced state law prohibiting sex between unmarried people.

FLASH: Bush: 'I don't see how you can be president without a relationship with the Lord'...: President Bush said yesterday that he doesn't "see how you can be president without a relationship with the Lord," but that he is always mindful to protect the right of others to worship or not worship.

Evolution ruling gets cheers from scientists: Since 2002, Dr. Kenneth Miller has been upset that biology textbooks he has written are slapped with a warning sticker by the time they appear in suburban Atlanta schools. Evolution, the stickers say, is "a theory, not a fact."

ET Visitors: Scientists See High Likelihood: Decades ago, it was physicist Enrico Fermi who pondered the issue of extraterrestrial civilizations with fellow theorists over lunch, generating the famous quip: "Where are they?" That question later became central to debates about the cosmological census count of other star folk and possible extraterrestrial (ET) visitors from afar.

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Rob Jones
S.A. Bible Believer