Yet, God used him to rebuild the temple and allow Jews to return to their land. He could have rained fire and brimstone down on them. God even gave prophecy through Isaiah that this very thing would take place. He recognized what was evil because he believed Gods law. Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land which I swore to give your fathers. They had fast horses and were more fierce (more alert, fierce, and sharp) than the hungry wolves that come out to hunt in the evening. Copyright 2002-2023 Got Questions Ministries. C) We place our confidence in Gods ultimate purpose for us. All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven, will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! He had great trust in the truth of God. But we need to grow in faith and obedience. 10 people that God used to accomplish his purposes I. Paul: The one with a shameful past and challenging present (4:18) Colossians 4:18 - I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. The terms Neo-Babylons and Chaldeans are used interchangeably for the people of that Empire. God could by-pass us and do everything himself, but He does not. My ministry is small locally, but gigantic because of the faithful service of others. Two verses later, in Rom. He didnt accept evil apathetically, he was appalled by it. They looked to themselves for their power. In spite of all this they still sinned And did not believe in His wonderful works. He is working all things after the counsel of His will (Eph. Many that people can plan to do much but is God that will always have the final say. They do whatever they want. Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. WebGod will never set man's will aside and use him for a good purpose without his being willing to be used. Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me. Remember my imprisonment. His purpose in creation will stand. They post my sermons on the web and people listen to or watch me preach all over the world. Each time Moses would perform a mighty sign to convince Pharaoh of Gods power but each time God would harden his heart. God doesnt need men, but God chooses to use men at times to accomplish His sovereign will. So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophecy is for a sign, not to unbelievers but to those who believe. Soon they will be raised up from that struggle to full power. The Lord can never be blamed for evil, but evil does not take p. God never does evil Himself. He does this for obvious reasons. In the beginning Satan challenged Gods right to rule. Here are some examples: I sit on no boards. His words imply that all the torment will be tolerable. "Equipping and encouraging people to keep believing in Jesus", Copyright 2020 Keep Believing Ministries. Gods Prophet Jeremiah warned of Gods judgment. 12:35-36). Showing us that our God can and will use anyone even though they dont know Him. But most of the time we wont see it fully until we finally arrive in heaven. They intend to be their own god. 13:17). So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophecy is for a sign, not to unbelievers but to those who believe. Judas solved their problem by volunteering to betray the Lord. But My servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it. But God gave the command, Moses obeyed the command, and in a sense Moses divided the Sea, as the Lord commanded, and in a more ultimate sense God did the miracle and divided the Red Sea. You truly never know God could be doing something right that we wouldnt understand even if He told us. You are going to need it as we search the Scriptures to answer these two questions. But He is unique and who can turn Him?And what His soul desires, that He does. In the healthiest churches, we find a holy conspiracy between pastors who gladly care for the sheep, and sheep who do what they can so that the pastors might serve joyfully. Zechariah 11:13Judas would give the money back. Even those who have a very low view of Gods sovereignty, if they pray, pray because God is perfectly sovereign, otherwise prayer would be an exercise in futility. Grace be with you. 10:17 Paul writes, So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ. When we preach the gospel to someone and they come to saving faith, we dont boast that we have saved them but that God has saved them, though we were the instruments of Gods saving work. We when we dont know if something is Gods will, we pray, Yet not my will but yours be done (Mt. Gods plan even extended to having Jesus buried in a borrowed tomb (see Isaiah 53:9). Here are five specific prophecies that were fulfilled when Judas betrayed Jesus: Psalm 41:9Close friend will betray Christ (see John 13:18). He has not brought us this far to cause us to fail. This doesnt erase tragedy or transform heartache, but it gives us a divine perspective on the hard times of life that enables us to keep on going when wed rather give up and quit. But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive out of those men who went to spy out the land. God is unimpressed. Paul used this verse from Habakkuk to warn the foolish despisers of the gospel. They have heard that You, O. In Acts 13:41 he said, Behold, you despisers, Marvel and perish! And did not believe in His wonderful works. That doesnt lessen his guilt, but it does increase our appreciation of Gods sovereignty over the affairs of men. But what they do is not going to bring them true blessing. That is what moving forward would require, or so it seemed. But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive out of those men who went to spy out the land. Be encouraged Christian, God intends to use you in all your multifaceted weakness and obscurity for his glory. God promised to precede Cyrus and destroy all opposition that Cyrus would face: 'I will go before you and make the 3. In this period of Judahs last kings, the Prophets warned of the fulfillment of this covenant promise. I have an unimpressive family background and do not come from a long line of important people. God doesnt need men, but God chooses to use men at times to accomplish His sovereign will. Rejoice that Christ is all-sufficient and always dependable. Does God sometimes use evil to accomplish His plans (Habakkuk 1:5-11)? But Habakkuks confusion was not doubt. This shows the mercy and compassion of God to help the Israelites. We have one life to use, and the usefulness of that one life depends not on our rsum or even how much we know. Email Jack. And how will they hear without a preacher? Isaiah 28:11 warned, For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people. Jeremiah 5:15 said, Behold, I will bring a nation against you from afar, O house of Israel, says the LORD. His silence spoke more loudly than the foolish claims of his lying accusers. In spite of all this they still sinnedAnd did not believe in His wonderful works. New American Standard Bible Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. Compared to you or me, King Solomon had it all wisdom, wealth, fame, power. In the providence of God, the betrayal by Judas actually advanced Gods purpose in the world. God uses pathetic people for his glorious purposes to show his superior power. They were afraid. And He *said to them, Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. God promised to precede Cyrus and destroy all opposition that Cyrus would face: 'I will go before you and make the 3. 10:14-15). God promised to precede Cyrus and destroy all opposition that Cyrus would face: 'I will go before you and make the 3. You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent. God is not the author of sin, but He can use sinful men to attain an objective. Do not begrudge your weakness. WebGod will never set man's will aside and use him for a good purpose without his being willing to be used. At first he ordered the Israelite babies to be killed at birth by the midwives (Ex. The Lord can never be blamed for evil, but evil does not take p. God never does evil Himself. WebWhat if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 1 Peter 2:8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. This warning was made clear in the ancient covenant revealed long before through Moses in Deuteronomy 28. Nothing that happened to Jesus that night or later on Good Friday made sense when it happened. Often in the confusion of life, we cant see the ends, much less the means God intends for us. Your children, however, whom you said would become a preyI will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected. That doesnt make us anything more in Gods eyes. The articles posted on this website are here to provide information about the Bible and specific topics related to the Reformed Faith along with it's application in our daily thoughts and activities. Through one mans treachery, Jesus proves himself a man of peacenot a man of war. (Bible quotations are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.). For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you.. 1 And Saul approved of his execution. Those who read my words are in many different situations: May I repeat what I just said: He has not brought us this far to cause us to fail. He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good. It is a warning to Israel that if they should break Gods covenant, calamity will come upon them revealing the wrath of the offended God. The ungodly show the futility of their rebellion, the awful penalty of sin, and the just wrath of God. This truth about Judas illustrates Gods control of every event in the universe. Although Judas appears to be acting solely on his own initiative, it is clear that his betrayal fits into a larger pattern of eventsone that is orchestrated by the unseen hand of the Living God. He may for a time use the ungodly to bring deserved chastising upon the hypocrites among His own people, and to show his uncompromising wrath upon those left to what we all deserve aside from the work of his grace. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. At times, God enlisted non-believers to help His people through the ages. WebGod Can Use Unbelievers part 1: Cyrus 1. Anyone who resists God risks falling into spiritual deception (2 Eternity will reveal how your faithful service was used by the Lord in amazing ways. Gods Ability To Use Unlikely People Even Unbelievers. even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent. Then the Lord said to Moses, Why are you crying out to Me? Because they did not believe in GodAnd did not trust in His salvation. But they feared to do it during the Feast of Unleavened Bread because of the crowds that thronged Jerusalem. It is not our responsibility to determine how God will use us, but it is our responsibility to be faithful to obey the Word of God. God uses all those who humble themselves before the cross, boasting only in him his strength, his wisdom, his righteousness, his accomplishment. Yet, Solomon turned away from God (1 Kings 11:4, 912). Israel stumbled at the stumbling stone, the suffering messiah (Romans 9:31-33). This seems to be one of the reasons God had Moses lift up his staff and hands to divide the Red Sea. WebThe one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. I believe that t he Lord is here suggesting that the eternal torment that unbelievers will experience will be on a scale from more tolerable to less tolerable. WebWhat if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 1 Peter 2:8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. 14:16, God, who is all powerful and infinitely sovereign, tells Moses, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land. Why didnt God just part the Red Sea? But the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the market place, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and attacking the house of Jason, they were seeking to bring them out to the people. Verse Concepts. The new king was deposed after three months. His plan in doing so was to bless all people. They deride every stronghold, For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it. In spite of our slownessand even sinGod will bless and use us to fulfill His purpose of blessing all nations through Christ, because of our relationship to the Father through the Son. 46:10). God has the amazing ability to do things that simply do not make sense to mankind. I have not written a New York Times Bestseller, and no one has publicly endorsed, recommended, or vouched for me. But we learn that over time a new Pharaoh arose who did not know Joseph or respect what Joseph had done (Ex. Literal Standard Version. They were in an impossible situation with no way out. 28:25, The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them; and you shall become troublesome to all the kingdoms of the earth. But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all; the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you. He mustered his army and went after the Jews in hot pursuit. The gospel writers record many Old Testament prophecies that were fulfilled in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Thus they plundered the Egyptians ( Exodus 12:36 ). They move ahead as a determined army spreading violence. There he said in 1 Corinthians 14:21, With men of other tongues and other lips I will speak to this people; And yet, for all that, they will not hear Me, says the Lord. He directly quoted the covenant warning of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Deuteronomy. But God did just that and used a sinning Gentile to begin the process of restoring Israel. When they offered him 30 pieces of silver, he readily accepted even though that was the going price for a slave. The phrase all this refers to the betrayal, the circumstances surrounding it, and the circumstances flowing from it. All four gospel writers agree that three times Pilate rendered the same verdict regarding Jesus: I find no fault in him (John 19:6 NKJV). God has the amazing ability to do things that simply do not make sense to mankind. But among the leaders of the nation, only a few followed Christand they became secret believers for fear of persecution by their brethren. 1:37). The Lord can never be blamed for evil, but evil does not take p. God never does evil Himself. Yet if the unbelieving one leaves, let him leave; the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace. WebJohn 3:16. These lessons simply teach us that God can take that which is evil and use it for his own good purposes. Eventually, Pharaoh decided to use the Jews for slave labor. Sign up to join over 20,000 subscribers receiving our weekly sermon email. Here are some examples: All of these people are unlikely choices to be used by God since they didnt truly know or believe in Him. However, he had Aaron and Hur hold up Moses arms and had Joshua lead the armies of Israel. What does it mean that God came from Teman (Habakkuk 3:3). One of the most remarkable things about the Scriptures is how they preserve for us what we regard as our highest dignity, which is the right to exercise our own will. In Jeremiah 13:20 it said, Lift up your eyes and see Those who come from the north . Jeremiah 25:32 says, Behold, disaster shall go forth From nation to nation, And a great whirlwind shall be raised up From the farthest parts of the earth., Habakkuk 1:6, For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, A bitter and hasty nation Which marches through the breadth of the earth, To possess dwelling places that are not theirs.. God will bring ultimate and final judgment upon all ungodliness. Click here. Two questions confront us as we consider the story of Judas: Last weeks sermon dealt with the first question. Your sons shall be shepherds for forty years in the wilderness, and they will suffer for your unfaithfulness, until your corpses lie in the wilderness. Gods plan even extended to having Jesus buried in a borrowed tomb (see Isaiah 53:9). He wants us to trust in Him, to rely on Him, to cry out to Him, and then give Him glory for delivering us. No, its a mystery. For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son for those who believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.. The sheep representing believers who did Gods will and the goats representing unbelievers who do not do Gods will. Everyday Apostolic 2019 | All Rights Reserved, Gods Ability To Use Unlikely People Even Unbelievers, Canceling Church On Christmas Removes Christ From Christmas, Great Resources On Baptism In The Name Of Jesus, A Diluted Christianity: Oneness, Trinitarian, Or Is It All Just Irrelevant, Youre Not David Pastor Raymond Woodward, The Walking Bible Pastor Raymond Woodward, Wait On The Lord by James Wilson NAYC 2019, If I Shout/Lets Testify Medley FAC Sanctuary Choir. Anyone who resists God risks falling into spiritual deception (2 Our accomplishments do not justify our existence. your corpses will fall in this wilderness, even all your numbered men, according to your complete number from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against Me. A prophecy we can imagine would have seemed quite improbable to those who heard. Be encouraged, child of God. Assyria had fallen when Nineveh, its capitol, was destroyed in 612 BC. The fact that God ordains both the means and the ends should surely encourage us as we face our own trials. One swing of his sword whacked off the ear of Malchus, servant to the High Priest. Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. For I work a work in your days, a work which you will by no means believe, Though one were to declare it to you., Jeremiah also spoke of the same thing about which God warned Habakkuk. Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? The repentant show Gods unmerited grace to undeserving sinners, and reveal the merciful blessing and goodness of God. God used this unlikely group of people to accomplish His greatest work and they had no idea. So through his death, he can have everlasting life on earth. But My servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it. 1:21). According to the number of days which you spied out the land, forty days, for every day you shall bear your guilt a year, even forty years, and you will know My opposition. When Judas kissed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter impulsively grabbed his sword and started swinging. Gods sign of judgment was that they would hear foreign language on the streets of Jerusalem, speaking in a language they did not understand. Yet He was still able to accomplish His will through them. Habakkuk 1:7-11, They are terrible and dreadful; Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves. God strengthened Cyrus so that he could conquer nations and overcome opposition Thus says the Lord God to His 2. Habakkuk 1:5, Look among the nations and watch Be utterly astounded! It can be fairly said that the common people by and large respected Jesus and responded positively to his message. Pharaohs heart was hardened again. Why? He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good. WebThe one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. A second reason, related to the first reason, is that God knew that by doing His miracles through Moses, Moses would then in turn give glory to God. We are saved by living faith in the Son of Godnot by outward religious observance. Other examples could be added to this list. We see this all the way through the Bible. Remember my imprisonment. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. Romans 8:28 says, For those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. All things includes both good and bad things. But now, the grief of the Egyptians had subsided and was replaced with anger and regret. In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives. If one of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, eat anything that is set before you without asking questions for conscience sake. They all come for violence; Their faces are set like the east wind. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth (Isaiah 53:7). Did Jesus Descend Into Hell? According to the number of days which you spied out the land, forty days, for every day you shall bear your guilt a year, even forty years, and you will know My opposition. It forces us to live by faith, which is how He wants us to live all the time because it gives Him glory. Therefore if the whole church assembles together and all speak in tongues, and ungifted men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad? Jesus said to them, If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, We see, your sin remains. God asks us to do things we cant do, because it makes us trust IN HIM, not ourselves. WebGod was about to turn to the Gentiles as He judged Israel as a nation for her unbelief. Though absolutely sovereign, all knowing, all wise, and everywhere present, God uses sinners to accomplish His will. Surely you shall not come into the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. When God does something completely different and unexpected (Numb. As they plotted how to murder Jesus they had no idea they were accomplishing Gods will. If we lack wisdom, we should ask God for it (James 1:5). WebGod also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will. Today, the weapons of force have improved, yet all the more they take whatever they want, and give only when it serves their purpose. So He brought their days to an end in futility And their years in sudden terror. Jesus immediately restored the ear and told Peter to put down his sword. Sighing deeply in His spirit, He *said, Why does this generation seek for a sign? Judas served Gods purposes even though what he did was wrong and he ended up in hell. God will use it even if you do not understand how. But Moses said to the Lord, Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for by Your strength You brought up this people from their midst, and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. Though there were still many who had remained faithful, others no longer followed the words of the Prophets. Verse Concepts. We are called to be among his faithful people. Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife? A most astonishing way of fulfilling that prophesy. A) We bow in submission before the mysterious ways of God. He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good. If your rsum is sparse, your intellect feeble, your skills unimpressive, and your wisdom just average, fret not. Strategically, this appeared to be a very unwise move, unless you are God. The people of Jacob were trapped. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy.read more.Yet if the unbelieving one leaves, let him leave; the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace. I was not a cum laude graduate. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask 1 John 5:14. Another unlikely person used by God was King Cyrus of Persia. He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will. Stating that the plans of men are many but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. so that they might escape from the devil's snare, even though they've been held captive by him to do his will. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. This week were looking at the other side of the equation. His covenant is always enforced. Everything else in the story fits into Gods plan: The crown of thorns, the scourging, the trials, Pilates testimony, his verdict of death, a man to help carry the cross, the place of deathGolgotha, and the moment of death3 PM, the time when the Passover lambs were sacrificed at the Temple. They live as if there was no Creator, no moral law, no accountability. I cant charge an exorbitant hourly fee for my time. New American Standard Bible Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. His plan in doing so was to bless all people. Jesus says much the same thing in his famous prayer just before Judas arrives: None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that the Scripture would be fulfilled (John17:12b). When he went before Pilate, the Roman governor received an urgent message from his wife: Dont have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him (Matthew 27:19). Is that a contradiction? Paul also made this clear in Romans 9-11. Why? He clings to his sin like a drowning man to an iron life preserver. Philippians 3:4-7 - although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. They heap judgment on themselves. It becomes all the more bold in lawlessness. He was a brilliant poet, a skillful songwriter, a genius botanist, and a first-class biologist. At times, God enlisted non-believers to help His people through the ages. God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne ( Psalm 47:8 ). When we do that we become His instruments to accomplish His sovereign will. The fact that we cant conceive of free choice coexisting with Gods predestination simply reminds us once again that he is God and we are not. We need to remember that God uses the foolish. Training for Preachers and Teachers of God's Word, Want to know what an RSS feed is and how it works? A God who can bring something good out of betrayal can be trusted to accomplish his work in your life. They had been in Egypt under Egyptian task masters for 400 years. Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. When Judas actually betrayed Jesus in the Garden, Peter immediately sprang to his defense. WebAnd then they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the Devil, who had caught them and made them obey his will. He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good.

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