14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him. In the eyes of the Jews, Saul would be seen as a warrior of the faith. Does God Accomplish His Purpose in Our They move ahead as a determined army spreading violence. Anyone who resists God risks falling into spiritual deception (2 Jesus responded to the false testimony by saying nothing at all. By his treachery he established the very cause he set out to destroy. We pray because we believe God, because we want to trust in God, praise God, ask God for things we cant do ourselves. Lesson 7 The Interpretation of Scripture, Lesson 5a Boundaries of the Doctrine of Creation, Primeval Chronology by Dr. William Henry Green, Lesson 8 Gods Special Providence & Miracles, Lesson 10 Assurance of Grace and Salvation, Lesson 2 Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience, Lesson 3 The Regulative Principle of Worship, Lesson 4a The Elements of Regulated Worship, Lesson 4b The Elements of Regulated Worship, Lesson 1 An Overview of Special Eschatology, Lesson 2 -The Great Tribulation of Matthew 24, Lesson 3 The Millennium of Revelation 20, A Guide for Small Group Bible Study Leaders, Defending the Biblical Faith by what God Shows Us, Lessons in the Westminster Shorter Catechsim, The Inspiration of the Treasured Word of God, Summary of the 45th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America, The Holy Spirit In the Ministry of the Word, The Necessity of Biblical Love in the Believers Life, Keep Your Bible Skills Sharp and Ready (part 2), Keep Your Bible Skills Sharp and Ready (Part 1). The unbelievers, become confused, not remembering ever having the opportunity to serve Jesus. God is unimpressed by our collection of readers, likes, retweets, friends, connections, or admirers. But our God is mightier than any office or country. Embrace your weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest upon you to reveal Gods surpassing greatness (2 Corinthians 12:9). Visit Justins personal website Here. 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). However, he had Aaron and Hur hold up Moses arms and had Joshua lead the armies of Israel. As Christians, we have nothing to fear or worry about because we know that God is in control. Their chargers charge ahead; Their cavalry comes from afar; They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat. 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. God scoffs at any attempt by me or you to prove our worthiness. God doesnt need men, but God chooses to use men at times to accomplish His sovereign will. 1 John 5:14. WebGod was about to turn to the Gentiles as He judged Israel as a nation for her unbelief. I cant charge an exorbitant hourly fee for my time. In Acts 13:41 he said, Behold, you despisers, Marvel and perish! God Uses Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites live in the valleys; turn tomorrow and set out to the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea. The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who are grumbling against Me? But they feared to do it during the Feast of Unleavened Bread because of the crowds that thronged Jerusalem. 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. "Equipping and encouraging people to keep believing in Jesus", Copyright 2020 Keep Believing Ministries. The unbeliever has made an exchangethe truth for a lieand the devil is happy to facilitate the swap by presenting the sinner with a wide array of lies from which to choose. Then the Lord heard the sound of your words, and He was angry and took an oath, saying, Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land which I swore to give your fathers. But we need to grow in faith and obedience. Joseph made Egypt phenomenally wealthy during the years of the famine. 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. Because God created all He can use anything in creation. Will we show forth Gods glory in our obedience and in our receiving of His covenant blessing? Our accolades cannot merit us any greatness. 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. Jesus Sends Out the God calls the autistic man to give the most profound articulation of his simple faith. God is unimpressed. They were in an impossible situation with no way out. God Uses It can be fairly said that the common people by and large respected Jesus and responded positively to his message. 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. God use unbelievers to accomplish his will In the words of a 19th century writer, hatred, treachery and deceit will not prevail against the church of God. Jesus, in the Olivet Discourse, gave the parable of the sheep and the goats. Thats where the judgment will come from. And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. I am the trustee of nothing more than my personal belongings. They do whatever they want. Lest he misunderstand, I also told him that going to Calvary Memorial Church cannot save anyoneor help save anyone. When they offered him 30 pieces of silver, he readily accepted even though that was the going price for a slave. Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. They heap judgment on themselves. Impatience and failing to trust God is never helpful. International Standard Version. WebThe Scripture teaches that God achieves His purpose in unbelievers. 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. The people of Israel, were backed up against the Red Sea with Pharaohs army charging at them. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. Grace be with you. 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. 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 story of Judas teaches us that nothing happens by accident. God sovereignly saves sinners, yet, He often uses sinners to accomplish His sovereign will. And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. God chooses the custodian with a heavy accent to share the gospel and save lives. Scripture even points to the fact that God used Cyrus even though he didnt know God. He chooses to use sinners to accomplish His sovereign will, often in ways we dont even understand. Christianity is not about religion, its about a life-changing relationship with the Son of God. Soon they will be raised up from that struggle to full power. God And did not believe in His wonderful works. God uses pathetic people for his glorious purposes to show his superior power. They live as if there was no Creator, no moral law, no accountability. God Uses Many People to Accomplish His Purposes Jesus Sends Out the That is what moving forward would require, or so it seemed. Sighing deeply in His spirit, He *said, Why does this generation seek for a sign? 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. WebJohn 3:16. Even his enemies played into Gods handthough they did not know it at the time. God sometimes use evil to accomplish His plans (Habakkuk Holman Old Testament Commentary: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah by Trent Butler. When Judas actually betrayed Jesus in the Garden, Peter immediately sprang to his defense. But among the leaders of the nation, only a few followed Christand they became secret believers for fear of persecution by their brethren. C) God uses all eventsgood and badto accomplish his purposes. They thank me for posting my sermons on the internet. Get your Bible. The manner of the judgment would be unexpected. God Rejoice that Christ is all-sufficient and always dependable. 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. 1 John 5:14. Going to church wont make you a Christian any more than sleeping in a garage makes you a caror going to a donut shop makes you a cop. How can I believe in the goodness of God when there is so much evil in the world? and be astounded! They were the ones who asked for valuables from the people of Egypt, who were so fearful and stricken with grief that they gave the departing Israelites their riches, literally paying the Jews to leave Egypt (Ex. In their very act of oppression, they unknowingly serve the glory of the Creator. God doesnt need men, but God chooses to use men at times to accomplish His sovereign will. God Uses It even included the price Judas would receive for his act of treachery30 pieces of silver. Do not begrudge your weakness. His silence spoke more loudly than the foolish claims of his lying accusers. A prophecy we can imagine would have seemed quite improbable to those who heard. God Why does God allow deception WebGod Can Use Unbelievers part 1: Cyrus 1. Here are five specific prophecies that were fulfilled when Judas betrayed Jesus: Psalm 41:9Close friend will betray Christ (see John 13:18). This week were looking at the other side of the equation. God strengthened Cyrus so that he could conquer nations and overcome opposition Thus says the Lord God to His 2. 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. He does this for obvious reasons. 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. Be encouraged, child of God. 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. 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. Even Jesus cannot save a man who claims his sin is not really sinful. 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. The mind of evil changes from bad to worse being taken in by successes in conquest. 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. The fact that God ordains both the means and the ends should surely encourage us as we face our own trials. The way of the wicked is like darkness;They do not know over what they stumble. 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. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed (Genesis 12: 3). WebJohn 3:16. Strategically, this appeared to be a very unwise move, unless you are God. Psalm 69:25Reputation destroyed forever. Be encouraged Christian, God intends to use you in all your multifaceted weakness and obscurity for his glory. 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. Before the Apostle Paul wrote his letter he was known as Saul. It is a mighty nation, It is an ancient nation, A nation whose language you do not know, Nor can you understand what they say. . When we pray, we strive to pray according to Gods will (I Jn. His plan in doing so was to bless all people. God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne ( Psalm 47:8 ). Causing a sacrifice to take place that would open salvation up to all people. 1:37). When you find yourself in a tight spot and you cant see any way of deliverance, have faith in God, obey His Word, and wait for the salvation of the Lord. God sometimes use evil to accomplish His plans (Habakkuk 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.. 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? Now if You slay this people as one man, then the nations who have heard of Your fame will say. We when we dont know if something is Gods will, we pray, Yet not my will but yours be done (Mt. Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land which I swore to give your fathers. But he chose instead to allow himself to be arrested, knowing that this would fulfill Gods plan. Were they to voluntarily all drown? Our prayers aline us with Gods eternal decree. This New-Babylon marched through Canaan and took hostages (one of them was Daniel). We live most of our days in Good Fridayenduring confusion, opposition, disappointment and the many tragedies of life. God is not the author of sin, but He can use sinful men to attain an objective. 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. God was about to turn to the Gentiles as He judged Israel as a nation for her unbelief. Philippians 3:4-7 - although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. He recognized what was evil because he believed Gods law. 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. In fact, in one place in scripture, God said that what He was doing could not be understood even if He explained it. Thats generally the way life is for all of us. WebGod will never set man's will aside and use him for a good purpose without his being willing to be used. Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! The new Pharaoh saw the Israelites as a plague in the land. God Uses 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. Its okay to be a nobody, if in all you do, you serve Somebody. His words imply that all the torment will be tolerable. We are here and gone again. It was all the Lord. As a place to begin, consider three verses dealing with Judas. And Jesus said, For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind., Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, We are not blind too, are we?. Do you merely profess Christ and trust in your religious habits to save you, or do you possess Christ in your heart by faith? 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. We have one life to use, and the usefulness of that one life depends not on our rsum or even how much we know. Two verses later, in Rom. verses about Unbelievers Through one mans treachery, Jesus proves himself a man of peacenot a man of war. The thing he values the most is dragging him down to eternal damnation. Gods Ability To Use Unlikely People Even Unbelievers. There are so many amazing things in these few verses. And how will they hear without a preacher? The 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. Unbelievers Are blinded by the God of this world 2 Corinthians 4:4 Verse Concepts God didnt want to lead the people around the Red Sea by the way of the Philistines knowing they might get scared and run back to Egypt (Ex. If we lack wisdom, we should ask God for it (James 1:5). It forces us to live by faith, which is how He wants us to live all the time because it gives Him glory. Jesus is truly the lamb without blemish who died for the sins of the world (John 1:29). He even turns wicked hearts to serve his Sovereign purpose. He uses believers and unbelievers. Able to do exceedingly and abundantly using unlikely people to further His plans. God will deal with them according to his plan, but first, He will use them for His own covenant judgment. But most of the time we wont see it fully until we finally arrive in heaven. God Works His Will He has many means to accomplish that holy purposeincluding some that are difficult to understand. I have not been named most influential, listed as most attractive, or voted most likely to succeed. 4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne ( Psalm 47:8 ). The Lord can never be blamed for evil, but evil does not take p. God never does evil Himself. Gods plan included the time of Jesus deathPassover, the placeJerusalem, the opposition by the Jewish leaders, and the betrayal by Judas. 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. Verse Concepts. 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.. Your children, however, whom you said would become a preyI will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected. 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. It becomes all the more bold in lawlessness. He was a brilliant poet, a skillful songwriter, a genius botanist, and a first-class biologist. This is the grace of God as revealed in His merciful covenant. Is that a contradiction? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst? They deride every stronghold, For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it. Jesus said the unbelievers failed to give him food, drink, nurse him in His sickness, or visit Him in prison. And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. God could have had the earth swallow up the Amalekites. I dont speak on any circuits, have given no TED talks, and have been the keynote speaker less than once. They probably said things like, See, God isnt doing anything no body ever gets punished, it cant be very serious. They had forgotten the longsuffering of the True God who made all things, and who rules as King over all kings. This warning was made clear in the ancient covenant revealed long before through Moses in Deuteronomy 28. Why did a holy God allow such evil to continue? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me. We see this all the way through the Bible. 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. Remember my imprisonment. In fact, in one place in scripture, God said that what He was doing could not be understood even if He explained it. God Will Use Even You Gods plan even extended to having Jesus buried in a borrowed tomb (see Isaiah 53:9). Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? This brings us face to face with the doctrine of Gods providence, which means, A) God has a plan that includes everything that happens in the universe, and, B) Gods plan extends to the tiniest details of life, and. In this period of Judahs last kings, the Prophets warned of the fulfillment of this covenant promise. More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! Just as He did with Pharaoh who placed no faith in the God of Israel. And, "Who Are The Sons of God in Genesis 6? 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. Wisdom didnt ensure obedience. We know from the sowing and reaping principle that t here will be degrees of torment in the lake of fire. Bible Hub WebGod Can Use Unbelievers part 1: Cyrus 1. I think we can learn some great lessons by answering these questions. Jump to Previous 28:49, The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand. He reminded Peter that he could call for 12 legions of angels72,000 highly trained, heavily armed members of the Angelic Defense Leagueto come to his rescue at any moment. 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. But as for you, your corpses will fall in this wilderness. 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. Believer, dont think that your faithful service to your local body of believers is insignificant or accounts for little or nothing. He uses believers and unbelievers. Eventually, Pharaoh decided to use the Jews for slave labor. How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? Why would God allow his Son to suffer such indignity at the hands of one who claimed to be his friend? 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. In our text, Ex. 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.. Though used by God for his purposes, the ungodly are still evil. 3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. God had not yet told Moses what He was going to do, but Moses knew the Lord did not redeem the Israelites from Egypt to have them slaughtered. Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? 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. 1:8). Suggestions? God Will Use Even You Every evil in the world must somehow serve Gods purpose. Why? 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? He used sinners to accomplish His sovereign will. He dealt with his doubts and confusion in the right way, he turned to God, not to his own understanding. 12:35-36). Do not lament your insufficiency. WebGod Can Use Unbelievers part 1: Cyrus 1. Compared to you or me, King Solomon had it all wisdom, wealth, fame, power. 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. Egypt made his brother, Jehoiakim, the new king over the Jews. 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. even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor.
Openreach Trainee Engineer Forum 2021, Articles G
Openreach Trainee Engineer Forum 2021, Articles G