for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. He didnt accept evil apathetically, he was appalled by it. 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. He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. But before his salvation took place God was still using Him. 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. 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. They were in an impossible situation with no way out. Will we show forth Gods glory in our obedience and in our receiving of His covenant blessing? If we lack wisdom, we should ask God for it (James 1:5). God doesnt need men, but God chooses to use men at times to accomplish His sovereign will. Verse Concepts. They live as if there was no Creator, no moral law, no accountability. Thus they plundered the Egyptians ( Exodus 12:36 ). In fact, in one place in scripture, God said that what He was doing could not be understood even if He explained it. 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. God Himself said that He used Pharaoh so that His name would be known on all the earth. Our prayers do not alter Gods eternal decree. But what they do is not going to bring them true blessing. Joseph made Egypt phenomenally wealthy during the years of the famine. And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. God often reveals himself in most unexpected ways. Though absolutely sovereign, all knowing, all wise, and everywhere present, God uses sinners to accomplish His will. Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife? Often in the confusion of life, we cant see the ends, much less the means God intends for us. Jump to Previous The Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him. Were they to voluntarily all drown? The Bible says, God was well pleased through the message preached to save those who believe (I Cor. God used this unlikely group of people to accomplish His greatest work and they had no idea. When Moses spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, the people mourned greatly. 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. The gospel writers record many Old Testament prophecies that were fulfilled in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Which caused the church to grow rapidly. God Will Use Even You Here is my answer: He allowed Judas to betray Jesus so that Jesus could become the Savior of the world. 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. But we can find hope in knowing that God is in control, He works all things for our God, and no suffering we face know will even be able to cast a shadow on the glory we will receive in Heaven. 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. I have not written a New York Times Bestseller, and no one has publicly endorsed, recommended, or vouched for me. Unbelievers Are blinded by the God of this world 2 Corinthians 4:4 Verse Concepts And, "Who Are The Sons of God in Genesis 6? 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. . During his ministry his greatest opposition came from the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes and the teachers of the Law. 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. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. WebGod never does evil Himself. Then we read this in Exodus 14:13-16: But Moses said to the people, Do not fear! 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. He recognized what was evil because he believed Gods law. You truly never know God could be doing something right that we wouldnt understand even if He told us. WebGod will never set man's will aside and use him for a good purpose without his being willing to be used. And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. By his treachery he established the very cause he set out to destroy. As with the raising of Moses hands by Aaron and Hurt, sharing the gospel, or praying, God delights in and receives glory for himself, when we submit to His will, live by faith, and obey His Word. 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. Anyone who resists God risks falling into spiritual deception (2 They post my sermons on the web and people listen to or watch me preach all over the world. As we saw in the first four verses of this book, Habakkuk was confused. I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me. No buildings, streets, or hospitals have been named in honor of me. We know from the sowing and reaping principle that t here will be degrees of torment in the lake of fire. He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will. And did not believe in His wonderful works. In the providence of God, the betrayal by Judas actually advanced Gods purpose in the world. 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. We know from the sowing and reaping principle that t here will be degrees of torment in the lake of fire. God is unimpressed by our collection of readers, likes, retweets, friends, connections, or admirers. As the persecution he inflicted was just the jump-start the early church needed to start taking the Gospel to the rest of the world. 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. They sweep through like the strong winds from the East gathering up captives that number like the grains of sand. Do not begrudge your weakness. Do not begrudge your weakness. "Equipping and encouraging people to keep believing in Jesus", Copyright 2020 Keep Believing Ministries. 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. 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. Wisdom didnt ensure obedience. Jump to Previous During this period, foreign powers invaded Israel again and again, and inside the nation known as Gods people, evil and immorality raged. 5:14). Nothing is ever left to chance with God. 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. God strengthened Cyrus so that he could conquer nations and overcome opposition Thus says the Lord God to His 2. For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Every evil in the world must somehow serve Gods purpose. 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? Before the Apostle Paul wrote his letter he was known as Saul. Eventually, Pharaoh decided to use the Jews for slave labor. You are going to need it as we search the Scriptures to answer these two questions. That is what moving forward would require, or so it seemed. 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. But He is unique and who can turn Him?And what His soul desires, that He does. 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. We need to remember that God uses the foolish. 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. So continue to trust in Him and you wont be disappointed. When God determines where we will end up, he also determines how we will get there. Do not begrudge your weakness. 46:10). 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? Christianity is not about religion, its about a life-changing relationship with the Son of God. He was ready to die for his Master and intended to take a few of the bad guys with him. They thank me for posting my sermons on the internet. He had great trust in the truth of God. 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. He uses believers and unbelievers. Because God does miracles by His own power. Copyright 2002-2023 Got Questions Ministries. Visit Justins personal website Here. Gods plan even extended to having Jesus buried in a borrowed tomb (see Isaiah 53:9). At first he ordered the Israelite babies to be killed at birth by the midwives (Ex. In fact, in one place in scripture, God said that what He was doing could not be understood even if He explained it. 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. 14:11). 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. God 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. I didnt attend an Ivy League school. 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. A nation would come to judge them speaking in a language they did not understand (Deuteronomy 28:49). And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. God uses pathetic people for his glorious purposes to show his superior power. God Uses Literal Standard Version. 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. Remember my imprisonment. Why? 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. He told the people that Pharaohs army would be wiped out, though he did not know how. If not, we have reason to question whether our faith is real. Why does God allow deception 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 Many that people can plan to do much but is God that will always have the final say. That leads me to ask a simple question: Are you a professor or a possessor? First, we see the faith of Moses. God is not finished with you yet, so dont give up on him. God Can Use Unbelievers part 1: Cyrus God has the amazing ability to do things that simply do not make sense to mankind. 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. God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne ( Psalm 47:8 ). Philippians 3:4-7 - although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. When they offered him 30 pieces of silver, he readily accepted even though that was the going price for a slave. They move ahead as a determined army spreading violence. 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. Gods Ability To Use Unlikely People Even Unbelievers. 1:21). 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. 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. C) God uses all eventsgood and badto accomplish his purposes. 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. 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 promised to precede Cyrus and destroy all opposition that Cyrus would face: 'I will go before you and make the 3. When God desires to save someone, He raises up Christians to preach the gospel. They deride every stronghold, For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it. But we need to grow in faith and obedience. We concluded that the Bible doesnt give us a final answer regarding why Judas betrayed Jesus Christ. All of these people are unlikely choices to be used by God since they didnt truly know or believe in Him. Your children, however, whom you said would become a preyI will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected. Why tell Moses to lift up his staff and stretch out his hand over the see and be the instrument God would use to divide the sea? And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. God can use even you even me. 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. They wanted him dead and used Judas as a convenient means to that ugly end. We when we dont know if something is Gods will, we pray, Yet not my will but yours be done (Mt. He wants us to trust in Him, to rely on Him, to cry out to Him, and then give Him glory for delivering us. So He brought their days to an end in futility And their years in sudden terror. 2:11). 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). 55:8-9). An unlikely person to be used by God. At times, God enlisted non-believers to help His people through the ages. 4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land which I swore to give your fathers. 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. How can I believe in the goodness of God when there is so much evil in the world? Did Jesus Descend Into Hell? or will we in our rebellion demonstrate the just curse of His covenant warnings? Everything fits into Gods plan. 17:8-13). He has but one endto make us like Jesus. This is the attitude of the evil heart in all ages. 1 John 5:14. God 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. God doesnt need men, but God chooses to use men at times to accomplish His sovereign will. God Works His Will How will they preach unless they are sent? (Bible quotations are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.). The glory of His nature and attributes will be made known in full. 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 Verse Concepts. God Philippians 3:4-7 - although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. Because God created all He can use anything in creation. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask How does this truth apply to Judas? At my own local church, and everywhere else I go, faithful men and women record my sermons in audio and sometimes video. The ungodly show the futility of their rebellion, the awful penalty of sin, and the just wrath of God. But we need to grow in faith and obedience. 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. But they feared to do it during the Feast of Unleavened Bread because of the crowds that thronged Jerusalem. Grace be with you. Though used by God for his purposes, the ungodly are still evil. 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. And that is okay. 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. For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you.. Does God Accomplish His Purpose in Our God may ordain to use their wickedness, but this does not make it morally right. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask We see this clearly in the life of Christ. God use non-believers to help His people They heap judgment on themselves. Impatience and failing to trust God is never helpful. Or see articles from other writers we feature Here. 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. The fact that God ordains both the means and the ends should surely encourage us as we face our own trials. Gods plan even extended to having Jesus buried in a borrowed tomb (see Isaiah 53:9). God sometimes use evil to accomplish His plans (Habakkuk 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. Why does God allow deception Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Even his enemies played into Gods handthough they did not know it at the time. Assyria had fallen when Nineveh, its capitol, was destroyed in 612 BC. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 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. 3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife? That doesnt make us anything more in Gods eyes. 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. Here are some examples: This is the grace of God as revealed in His merciful covenant. Gods plan included the time of Jesus deathPassover, the placeJerusalem, the opposition by the Jewish leaders, and the betrayal by Judas. God was rejecting their national privilege, and turning to the Gentiles to populate his Covenant Nation on Earth. Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. God could have had the earth swallow up the Amalekites. 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. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 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. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him. 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. His words imply that all the torment will be tolerable. Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. Being a creative, innovative or highly effective leader is insufficient. A most astonishing way of fulfilling that prophesy. God sometimes use evil to accomplish His plans (Habakkuk In the beginning Satan challenged Gods right to rule. Were on a mission to change that. 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. In the beginning Satan challenged Gods right to rule. WebGod Can Use Unbelievers part 1: Cyrus 1. The way to heaven is only Jesus and Jesus only.. 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. 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.
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