They deride every stronghold, For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it. Grace be with you. Pentecost was a sign to the unbelieving of Israel that they had broken the covenant and stood deserving of Gods judgment and wrath. They looked to themselves for their power. Were they to voluntarily all drown? 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. When Isaiah 53:1 speaks of the future coming of the Messiah, literally it says, who would have believed the thing reported? His birth as a baby who would grow up, suffer and die was most unexpected. The fact that God ordains both the means and the ends should surely encourage us as we face our own trials. Every evil in the world must somehow serve Gods purpose. A lesson worth considering, but not the main lesson I want to focus on, is that God often put us into situations where only He can deliver us. As a place to begin, consider three verses dealing with Judas. During our conversationwhich lasted two hours and was both cordial and very frankI told him that his religion could not save him. But before his salvation took place God was still using Him. 1 And Saul approved of his execution. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. Though used of God to complete his plan, those who crucified our Lord were still personally wicked and godless in what they did. Which caused the church to grow rapidly. Christianity is not about religion, its about a life-changing relationship with the Son of God. They sweep through like the strong winds from the East gathering up captives that number like the grains of sand. Philippians 3:4-7 - although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. WebThe Scripture teaches that God achieves His purpose in unbelievers. God 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. Eternity will reveal how your faithful service was used by the Lord in amazing ways. Matthew 26:3-5 informs us that the leaders of the Jews were looking for an opportunity to arrest Jesus and put him to death. 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. Impatience and failing to trust God is never helpful. He had great trust in the truth of God. But we need to grow in faith and obedience. 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. Your children, however, whom you said would become a preyI will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected. At times, God enlisted non-believers to help His people through the ages. The ungodly show the futility of their rebellion, the awful penalty of sin, and the just wrath of God. Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 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. Jesus immediately restored the ear and told Peter to put down his sword. Including those who dont believe He exists. They post my sermons on the web and people listen to or watch me preach all over the world. Second, the proper response to any trial or danger is to not fear but stand by and see the salvation of the Lord. How many times do we fret and worry and then see the Lord deliver us and realize that all of our anxiety and fretting was for naught, that it accomplished nothing, but was an expression of our sinful doubt? He has many means to accomplish that holy purposeincluding some that are difficult to understand. The Lord even tells Moses to do it, divide it! God doesnt need men, but God chooses to use men at times to accomplish His sovereign will. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. 1 John 5:14. God will use it even if you do not understand how. God even gave prophecy through Isaiah that this very thing would take place. We know from the sowing and reaping principle that t here will be degrees of torment in the lake of fire. In Acts 1:16 Peter declared that the Scripture had to be fulfilled. He meant that the Old Testament predictions (he cites Psalm 69:25 and Psalm 109:8) regarding Judas were bound to come true. How does this truth apply to Judas? (Bible quotations are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.). We see this clearly in the life of Christ. And it is just like God to ask us to do hard things, things that seem impossible, that we know in our hearts we cant do. Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife? God will deal with them according to his plan, but first, He will use them for His own covenant judgment. It is only as we look back that we see clearly that God was there all along, working behind the scenes for our good and his glory. But now, I pray, let the power of the Lord be great, just as You have declared, Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness, just as You also have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now., but indeed, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the. Until that man turns from his sinwhich in his case means acknowledging his behavior as sinand runs to the Cross of Christ he cannot be saved. He dealt with his doubts and confusion in the right way, he turned to God, not to his own understanding. 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. In Acts 2 God poured out His Holy Spirit on the disciples who spoke on the streets of Jerusalem in the languages of the Gentiles who were present. 21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man. How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? God then raised up Moses and his brother Aaron as instruments to deliver the people of Israel from cruel bondage. We should never presume to say to an unbeliever, God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. We cant know that. 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 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. He does this for obvious reasons. Even those who dont believe and even speak against. 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. Did Jesus Descend Into Hell? 4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. 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. WebThe Scripture teaches that God achieves His purpose in unbelievers. The way to heaven is only Jesus and Jesus only.. 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. Nothing is ever left to chance with God. 1 John 5:14. By his treachery he established the very cause he set out to destroy. I also answer yes. Literal Standard Version. You are going to need it as we search the Scriptures to answer these two questions. Jesus point is clear, The King will answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.. Remember my imprisonment. 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. Strategically, this appeared to be a very unwise move, unless you are God. God could have had the earth swallow up the Amalekites. Before the Apostle Paul wrote his letter he was known as Saul. They make a joke out of those who dare to not submit to them. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. C) God uses all eventsgood and badto accomplish his purposes. For this reason God purposefully led the wondering multitude to a place where there was no possible way of escape from Pharaoh and his army, humanly speaking. 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. Get your Bible. Training for Preachers and Teachers of God's Word, Want to know what an RSS feed is and how it works? But all of them come from the hand of the Lord. Because God is utterly unimpressed by my rsum. 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. Those who were rebelling against God had become apathetic. Fourth, Gods command seemed impossible to obey. Judas didnt know it, and neither did the disciples, but Gods fingerprints were all over his act of betrayal. He used sinners to accomplish His sovereign will. Though absolutely sovereign, all knowing, all wise, and everywhere present, God uses sinners to accomplish His will. It was the tech team, the web master, the secretary, or whoever posted my sermon on line. My ministry is small locally, but gigantic because of the faithful service of others. WebGod Can Use Unbelievers part 1: Cyrus 1. But as for you, your corpses will fall in this wilderness. I think we can learn some great lessons by answering these questions. Psalm 69:25Reputation destroyed forever. That doesnt lessen his guilt, but it does increase our appreciation of Gods sovereignty over the affairs of men. In this wilderness they shall be destroyed, and there they will die. As for the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land and who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing out a bad report concerning the land, even those men who brought out the very bad report of the land died by a plague before the Lord. When they offered him 30 pieces of silver, he readily accepted even though that was the going price for a slave. They wanted him dead and used Judas as a convenient means to that ugly end. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask ", Writing & Teaching Inductive Bible Studies. But now, the grief of the Egyptians had subsided and was replaced with anger and regret. Jump to Previous Though there were still many who had remained faithful, others no longer followed the words of the Prophets. You have entered an incorrect email address! Causing a sacrifice to take place that would open salvation up to all people. How beautiful! 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him. God doesnt need men, but God chooses to use men at times to accomplish His sovereign will. Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. The unbelievers, become confused, not remembering ever having the opportunity to serve Jesus. shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it. God promised to precede Cyrus and destroy all opposition that Cyrus would face: 'I will go before you and make the 3. Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation., Truth Of God Is denied by Unbelievers, the Truth of God Is denied by Unbelievers, Unbelievers Are blinded by the God of this world, Unbelievers Will be classed with outbreaking sinners in eternity, Unbelievers Their lifetime spent in vanity, Unbelievers Shall be judged by God's word in the last day, Will be classed with outbreaking sinners in eternity, Shall be judged by God's word in the last day. He was ready to die for his Master and intended to take a few of the bad guys with him. 28 who says of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, saying of Jerusalem, She shall be built,, and of the temple, Your foundation shall be laid. . 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. It doesnt matter if you have theology degrees or mothered a dozen healthy, happy children or started several 501(c)3s to feed the poor and end trafficking. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Is that a contradiction? God has the amazing ability to do things that simply do not make sense to mankind. International Standard Version. 16:30), when he uses you or others, delivering you from your trials, be sure to praise, thank, and give Him all the glory for sovereignly using sinners. In 605 Egypt was defeated by the Neo-Babylonians at Carchemish. Now relax your hand! And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. His words imply that all the torment will be tolerable. He has but one endto make us like Jesus. Grace be with you. Until finally it came to the Red Sea where the Egyptian army was destroyed and the tale spread across the world to the glory of God. This is the grace of God as revealed in His merciful covenant. What an honor to serve the King of kings. At the beginning of their sojourn, Joseph was ruler of Egypt, a son of Jacob, and watched over his own. Finally, they suborned perjury by putting forward false witnesses who produced contradictory testimony. Unbelievers Are blinded by the God of this world 2 Corinthians 4:4 Verse Concepts But as for you, your corpses will fall in this wilderness. You truly never know God could be doing something right that we wouldnt understand even if He told us. We see this all the way through the Bible. Israel as a nation had rejected the promises of Moses and the Prophets culminating in the demand for the death of Jesus, Gods Messiah. It can be fairly said that the common people by and large respected Jesus and responded positively to his message. The new king was deposed after three months. Be encouraged, child of God. When we pray, we strive to pray according to Gods will (I Jn. God uses all those who humble themselves before the cross, boasting only in him his strength, his wisdom, his righteousness, his accomplishment. God has sinners pray and answers the prayers of sinners that are according to His will, getting glory for himself. Do not begrudge your weakness. He wants us to trust in Him, to rely on Him, to cry out to Him, and then give Him glory for delivering us. God often reveals himself in most unexpected ways. WebJohn 3:16. They were in an impossible situation with no way out. Compared to you or me, King Solomon had it all wisdom, wealth, fame, power. 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. They will be held guilty. Does God sometimes use evil to accomplish His plans (Habakkuk 1:5-11)? (1 Corinthians 1:2629). 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. God is not finished with you yet, so dont give up on him. Scripture even points to the fact that God used Cyrus even though he didnt know God. Remember my imprisonment. Guiding our world whether we are able to see it or not. When God does something completely different and unexpected (Numb. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. In fact, in one place in scripture, God said that what He was doing could not be understood even if He explained it. In spite of all this they still sinned And did not believe in His wonderful works. I cant charge an exorbitant hourly fee for my time. He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will. Peter didnt see it, he only saw the treachery of Judas. Thats where the judgment will come from. Do not lament your insufficiency. If your rsum is sparse, your intellect feeble, your skills unimpressive, and your wisdom just average, fret not. 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. God knew that Pharaoh would change his mind about letting the people of Israel go and that he would pursue them to bring them back to Egypt. No buildings, streets, or hospitals have been named in honor of me. Everything was planned by God down to the tiniest detail. Why would God allow his Son to suffer such indignity at the hands of one who claimed to be his friend? Often in the confusion of life, we cant see the ends, much less the means God intends for us. His betrayal proved that the Jewish leaders were far from innocent bystanders in the death of Christ. He is the preeminent insider who knew Jesus as well as anyone has ever known himyet in the end never really knew him at all. Because God created all He can use anything in creation. We see this all the way through the Bible. Embrace your weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest upon you to reveal Gods surpassing greatness (2 Corinthians 12:9). 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. Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. His son Jehoahaz became king. Our prayers do not alter Gods eternal decree. 10:14-15). A prophecy we can imagine would have seemed quite improbable to those who heard. 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. He betrayed the Lord but ended up vindicating him. At first he ordered the Israelite babies to be killed at birth by the midwives (Ex. God is unimpressed by our collection of readers, likes, retweets, friends, connections, or admirers. The evil ones believe pridefully that their own imagined gods have blessed them. There are so many amazing things in these few verses. But to the rest I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her. If God did the miracles without Moses, amazing things would have happened, but the people would not have known what was going on or what to do. Though absolutely sovereign, all knowing, all wise, and everywhere present, God uses sinners to accomplish His will. Recent events may not have gone how you hoped and the signs may seem bleak. He uses believers and unbelievers. God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne ( Psalm 47:8 ). In the beginning Satan challenged Gods right to rule. Jesus said the unbelievers failed to give him food, drink, nurse him in His sickness, or visit Him in prison. Gods plan included the time of Jesus deathPassover, the placeJerusalem, the opposition by the Jewish leaders, and the betrayal by Judas. He told the people that Pharaohs army would be wiped out, though he did not know how. The trials that were meant to establish his guilt ended up establishing his innocence for all the world to see. That leads me to ask a simple question: Are you a professor or a possessor? International Standard Version. When Judas actually betrayed Jesus in the Garden, Peter immediately sprang to his defense. So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. Acts 2:23 tells us that Jesus was delivered up, by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death. God is not the author of sin, but He can use sinful men to attain an objective. As Christians, we have nothing to fear or worry about because we know that God is in control. How can I believe in the goodness of God when there is so much evil in the world? I have not written a New York Times Bestseller, and no one has publicly endorsed, recommended, or vouched for me. WebGod never does evil Himself. For who resists His will?, For He says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.. Then God, in His sovereign power and will, takes our weak and fallible service, and accomplishes His will, like parting the Red Sea. God doesnt need men, but God chooses to use men at times to accomplish His sovereign will. A God who can bring something good out of betrayal can be trusted to accomplish his work in your life. This was Moses advice to the people of Israel when facing the imminent threat of death, and it is true for us as well when facing any trial. Egypt made his brother, Jehoiakim, the new king over the Jews. In the eyes of the Jews, Saul would be seen as a warrior of the faith. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Summary But if anyone says to you, This is meat sacrificed to idols, do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience sake; I mean not your own conscience, but the other mans; for why is my freedom judged by anothers conscience? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me. Moses was an instrument, a tool, a vessel for Gods use, and so are we all. God uses pathetic people for his glorious purposes to show his superior power. 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. We see this all the way through the Bible. 4:5). Peter told the early Christians that the Scripture had to be fulfilled. He meant that the betrayal had to happen the way it did. First, we see the faith of Moses. We return now to the original question: Why did God allow Judas to betray Jesus? This could be the begging of a time of great growth for the church. I run into people in different countries or am contacted by those from different countries who have been blessed by my preaching. All of these people are unlikely choices to be used by God since they didnt truly know or believe in Him. We are here and gone again. WebGod was about to turn to the Gentiles as He judged Israel as a nation for her unbelief. It will be a most terrible judgment. When God determines where we will end up, he also determines how we will get there. The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent. Then the Lord said to Moses, Why are you crying out to Me? God blesses those in whom he stirs to obedience, and judges disobedience. I answer yes. Psalm 109:8Replaced by another manMatthias (see Acts 1:20). God ordains the means and the ends of life. We see the same thing after the Israelites cross the Red Sea and are attacked by the Amalekites (Ex. These lessons simply teach us that God can take that which is evil and use it for his own good purposes. A most astonishing way of fulfilling that prophesy. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. WebGod never does evil Himself. Holman Old Testament Commentary: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah by Trent Butler. Fifth, and the point I want to focus on, is that the Lord 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. I find this very interesting and encouraging. God is unimpressed. Say to them, As I live, says the Lord, just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will surely do to you; 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. In the beginning Satan challenged Gods right to rule. Why bother praying to a God who isnt? 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. God promised to precede Cyrus and destroy all opposition that Cyrus would face: 'I will go before you and make the 3. He chooses to use sinners to accomplish His sovereign will, often in ways we dont even understand. His plan in doing so was to bless all people. In fact, in one place in scripture, God said that what He was doing could not be understood even if He explained it. 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. He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good. Verse Concepts. Questions? Jesus said to them, If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, We see, your sin remains. A third reason God had Moses raise his staff and hands before dividing the Red Sea is that God delights to use sinners to accomplish His sovereign will. 1 John 5:14. Really, its just fine. so that they might escape from the devil's snare, even though they've been held captive by him to do his will. When we dont see the ungodly punished immediately, or when they seem to be successful in their evil ways, we should not assume that God is beaten or is pleased to turn His head. Things may seem impossible, and for men, they might be impossible, but nothing is impossible with God (Lk. In those moments we often feel alone in the chaos of circumstances as life tumbles in around us. A complete answer is impossible for who has known the mind of the Lord (Isa. Nothing will ever be able to affect Gods will. He told Moses, Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. But how? The coming of Messiah was unexpected. The fact that God ordains both the means and the ends should surely encourage us as we face our own trials. He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good. All of it happened according to Gods plan. 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. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; Immediately the boys father cried out and said, I do believe; help my unbelief.. This warning was made clear in the ancient covenant revealed long before through Moses in Deuteronomy 28. 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). Their horses also are swifter than leopards, And more fierce than evening wolves. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. God doesnt need men, but God chooses to use men at times to accomplish His sovereign will. Jesus responded to the false testimony by saying nothing at all. Many believed they were going to die and complained to Moses (Ex. Gods plan even extended to having Jesus buried in a borrowed tomb (see Isaiah 53:9). 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. Zechariah 11:1230 pieces of silver (see Matthew 26:15). Gods covenant warned from the beginning that if Israel fell into sin God would use a foreign heathen nation to bring judgment upon them. But what a privilege it is to be used by God! 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. Here we see that when believers are doing the will of God, obeying the Word of God, and serving even the least of the Saints, they are Gods instruments, doing Jesus will, ministering to Jesus people, His body, His bride. All of our resources exist to guide you toward everlasting joy in Jesus Christ. Other examples could be added to this list. But what they do is not going to bring them true blessing. Our accomplishments do not justify our existence. As for you, 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. Now if You slay this people as one man, then the nations who have heard of Your fame will say,read more.Because the Lord could not bring this people into the land which He promised them by oath, therefore He slaughtered them in the wilderness. But now, I pray, let the power of the Lord be great, just as You have declared, The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generations. Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness, just as You also have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now. So the Lord said, I have pardoned them according to your word; but indeed, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord.