Because God created all He can use anything in creation. He wants us to trust in Him, to rely on Him, to cry out to Him, and then give Him glory for delivering us. They mock authority and law, and believe that might makes right. They still look to their own strength and ability as if they were divine and answer to no authority above their own. Here is my answer: He allowed Judas to betray Jesus so that Jesus could become the Savior of the world. 1:22). And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst? 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). We see this clearly in the life of Christ. Yet, Solomon turned away from God (1 Kings 11:4, 912). Training for Preachers and Teachers of God's Word, Want to know what an RSS feed is and how it works? But God did just that and used a sinning Gentile to begin the process of restoring Israel. Providence means that God is in charge of the entire universe at all times and nothing happens outside his control. Amen. verses about Unbelievers A) We bow in submission before the mysterious ways of God. Thats generally the way life is for all of us. We pray because God is sovereign and all powerful. 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. The fact that God ordains both the means and the ends should surely encourage us as we face our own trials. How can I believe in the goodness of God when there is so much evil in the world? Jesus Sends Out the 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. WebGod will never set man's will aside and use him for a good purpose without his being willing to be used. 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. Even those who dont believe and even speak against. 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. I have received no honorary doctorates. 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. We all understand that God intended that Jesus would die for the sins of the world. This truth about Judas illustrates Gods control of every event in the universe. When Moses spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, the people mourned greatly. 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. We know from the sowing and reaping principle that t here will be degrees of torment in the lake of fire. God uses all those who humble themselves before the cross, boasting only in him his strength, his wisdom, his righteousness, his accomplishment. God used this unlikely group of people to accomplish His greatest work and they had no idea. 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 didnt attend an Ivy League school. Psalm 109:8Replaced by another manMatthias (see Acts 1:20). the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. His story is unique in that he claims to be a Christian even though he has chosen a way of life that God calls an abomination. 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). The manner of the judgment would be unexpected. God was rejecting their national privilege, and turning to the Gentiles to populate his Covenant Nation on Earth. Because God created all He can use anything in creation. God uses the overwhelmed and disheveled mother to nurture her children into spiritual giants. In the time of the New Testament after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we see the expansion of Gods Covenant to include Gentile believers drawn to the Savor by the Gospel. When we do that we become His instruments to accomplish His sovereign will. Email Jack. Now if You slay this people as one man, then the nations who have heard of Your fame will say. Your children, however, whom you said would become a preyI will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected. 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. Gods sign of judgment was that they would hear foreign language on the streets of Jerusalem, speaking in a language they did not understand. No buildings, streets, or hospitals have been named in honor of me. Do not lament your insufficiency. but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. God If not, we have reason to question whether our faith is real. In the beginning Satan challenged Gods right to rule. These lessons simply teach us that God can take that which is evil and use it for his own good purposes. By his treachery he established the very cause he set out to destroy. Including those who dont believe He exists. God Uses Im not a founder, innovator, CEO, or visionary of any company. To say it another way, there is a man in hell today who has been there for 2000 years even though what he did advanced Gods plan to save the world. Christianity is not about religion, its about a life-changing relationship with the Son of God. 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. 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). Consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. They will be held guilty. During his ministry his greatest opposition came from the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes and the teachers of the Law. He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will. Recent events may not have gone how you hoped and the signs may seem bleak. God strengthened Cyrus so that he could conquer nations and overcome opposition Thus says the Lord God to His 2. This is the grace of God as revealed in His merciful covenant. All of these people are unlikely choices to be used by God since they didnt truly know or believe in Him. I am the trustee of nothing more than my personal belongings. God Gods plan included the time of Jesus deathPassover, the placeJerusalem, the opposition by the Jewish leaders, and the betrayal by Judas. 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. Prayer is one of the means God uses to accomplish His sovereign will and get glory for himself. Do you merely profess Christ and trust in your religious habits to save you, or do you possess Christ in your heart by faith? The repentant show Gods unmerited grace to undeserving sinners, and reveal the merciful blessing and goodness of God. Why? We see this all the way through the Bible. God is unimpressed by our collection of readers, likes, retweets, friends, connections, or admirers. 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. . God sovereignly saves sinners, yet, He often uses sinners to accomplish His sovereign will. This is a true mystery, which we may explain in various ways but will never fully understand. We see this all the way through the Bible. How beautiful! Does God sometimes use evil to accomplish His plans (Habakkuk 1:5-11)? They post my sermons on the web and people listen to or watch me preach all over the world. Though Israel was many, only the remnant will be saved (Romans 9:27). His son Jehoahaz became king. I have not been named most influential, listed as most attractive, or voted most likely to succeed. 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.. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask Moses had great faith! It was their God, or at least the God of Moses, that just killed all the first born of Egypt. Yet He was still able to accomplish His will through them. God didnt need to have Moses lift up his staff. We need to be reminded again and again that we are like grass disposable, temporary, fleeting, momentary. He used sinners to accomplish His sovereign will. So the emphasis of the chapter is on Gods working out His purpose through ordinary people who obey Him. 28:36, The LORD will bring you and the king whom you set over you to a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods wood and stone. There is no better example of Gods providence at work through the actions of a sinful man. Gods Ability To Use Unlikely People Even Unbelievers. 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. Fit to be Used 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. You truly never know God could be doing something right that we wouldnt understand even if He told us. All rights reserved. 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. God has the amazing ability to do things that simply do not make sense to mankind. 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. Remember my imprisonment. God could by-pass us and do everything himself, but He does not. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. Why? I run into people in different countries or am contacted by those from different countries who have been blessed by my preaching. Able to do exceedingly and abundantly using unlikely people to further His plans. So while many American Christians worry about what will take place in the coming years I find peace in knowing that God can use even the most unlikely candidates to accomplish His will. Also, be sure to stop by our prayer wall. They make a joke out of those who dare to not submit to them. He dealt with his doubts and confusion in the right way, he turned to God, not to his own understanding. Why does God allow deception 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. 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. Is it true that God cannot look upon sin? Summary I am sure God has many reasons for doing the things He does in the way and timing of His choosing, but lets consider some likely reasons He used Moses, a sinner, to be the instrument of His sovereign, miraculous work of dividing the Red Sea. 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. 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. God commissions the invalid retiree to uphold dozens, even hundreds of missionaries on the field. 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. The way of the wicked is like darkness;They do not know over what they stumble. Often in the confusion of life, we cant see the ends, much less the means God intends for us. More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! A prophecy we can imagine would have seemed quite improbable to those who heard. His plan in doing so was to bless all people. We are called to be among his faithful people. His betrayal proved that the Jewish leaders were far from innocent bystanders in the death of Christ. Visit Justins personal website Here. So He brought their days to an end in futility And their years in sudden terror. Psalm 69:25Reputation destroyed forever. This shows the mercy and compassion of God to help the Israelites. Sign up to join over 20,000 subscribers receiving our weekly sermon email. Egypt made his brother, Jehoiakim, the new king over the Jews. Does God Accomplish His Purpose in Our 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. Jump to Previous WebGod Can Use Unbelievers part 1: Cyrus 1. Surely all the men who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it. And how will they hear without a preacher? The Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. God 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. And, "Who Are The Sons of God in Genesis 6? Soon they will be raised up from that struggle to full power. Those who were rebelling against God had become apathetic. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. Our prayers do not alter Gods eternal decree. Paul also made this clear in Romans 9-11. For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you.. WebGod never does evil Himself. Its okay to be a nobody, if in all you do, you serve Somebody. 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. Really, its just fine. 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. also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,But He does according to His will in the host of heavenAnd among the inhabitants of earth;And no one can ward off His handOr say to Him, What have You done?. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. Their end will be most awful. Moses give the Israelites specific instruction and visible representation from the invisible God. Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! God 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. It doesnt mean everything will also go perfectly or the way we hope. WebJohn 3:16. 1:8). Thus they plundered the Egyptians ( Exodus 12:36 ). He betrayed the Lord but ended up vindicating him. It even included the price Judas would receive for his act of treachery30 pieces of silver. God then raised up Moses and his brother Aaron as instruments to deliver the people of Israel from cruel bondage. Yet, God used him to rebuild the temple and allow Jews to return to their land. God Himself said that He used Pharaoh so that His name would be known on all the earth. C) We place our confidence in Gods ultimate purpose for us. The trials that were meant to establish his guilt ended up establishing his innocence for all the world to see. 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 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. How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who are grumbling against Me? God Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Now and then we advance to Easter morning where we discover Gods purpose in our pain. Comments? 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? Jesus said to them, If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, We see, your sin remains. 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. He didnt accept evil apathetically, he was appalled by it. 2:11). God Uses This New-Babylon marched through Canaan and took hostages (one of them was Daniel). Zechariah 11:13Judas would give the money back. As far as Pilate was concerned, he was ordering an innocent man put to deathwhich is why he tried to wash his hands of the whole affair. Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. God uses all those who humble themselves before the cross, boasting only in him his strength, his wisdom, his righteousness, his accomplishment. Are we becoming more like Jesus by the power of the Spirit? WebThe Scripture teaches that God achieves His purpose in unbelievers. I have not written a New York Times Bestseller, and no one has publicly endorsed, recommended, or vouched for me. Another unlikely person used by God was King Cyrus of Persia. He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good. God Uses Many People to Accomplish His Purposes 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. 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. You are going to need it as we search the Scriptures to answer these two questions. Do not begrudge your weakness. While not all became believers, many felt a strong attraction to his message. 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. 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. But we need to grow in faith and obedience. I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me. Who would have had his own beliefs and gods that contradicted much of the Bible. But all of them come from the hand of the Lord. Understanding God in Troubled Times God Works His Will But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.. Two verses later, in Rom.
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