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. During this period, foreign powers invaded Israel again and again, and inside the nation known as Gods people, evil and immorality raged. Gods sign of judgment was that they would hear foreign language on the streets of Jerusalem, speaking in a language they did not understand. We when we dont know if something is Gods will, we pray, Yet not my will but yours be done (Mt. He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will. Moses didnt have any power to bring the ten plagues upon Egypt either. God is unimpressed. 2:11). Because they did not believe in GodAnd did not trust in His salvation. Judas served Gods purposes even though what he did was wrong and he ended up in hell. No, its a mystery. The mind of evil changes from bad to worse being taken in by successes in conquest. God Works His Will The way to heaven is only Jesus and Jesus only.. Many believed they were going to die and complained to Moses (Ex. 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.. 1:37). This is the grace of God as revealed in His merciful covenant. He has not brought us this far to cause us to fail. 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?. God is not the author of sin, but He can use sinful men to attain an objective. God is unimpressed by our collection of readers, likes, retweets, friends, connections, or admirers. 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. 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. 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. 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. That pagan nation was struggling against Egypt for dominance. They had been in Egypt under Egyptian task masters for 400 years. Does God Accomplish His Purpose in Our After God redeemed Israel from Egypt through a series of ten miraculous plagues, he had Moses lead the people of Israel out of Egypt near the shore of the Red Sea. The Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him. So the emphasis of the chapter is on Gods working out His purpose through ordinary people who obey Him. and be astounded! This doesnt erase tragedy or transform heartache, but it gives us a divine perspective on the hard times of life that enables us to keep on going when wed rather give up and quit. 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. They deride every stronghold, For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it. God will bring ultimate and final judgment upon all ungodliness. 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). Finally, they suborned perjury by putting forward false witnesses who produced contradictory testimony. Philippians 3:4-7 - although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. Your children, however, whom you said would become a preyI will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected. Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife? WebJohn 3:16. The evil nations God was raising up to judge his rebellious people were self-centered. Causing a sacrifice to take place that would open salvation up to all people. 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? WebGod never does evil Himself. God uses pathetic people for his glorious purposes to show his superior power. 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. The fact that God ordains both the means and the ends should surely encourage us as we face our own trials. He is working all things after the counsel of His will (Eph. Christianity is not about religion, its about a life-changing relationship with the Son of God. Things may seem impossible, and for men, they might be impossible, but nothing is impossible with God (Lk. Bible Hub Though used by God for his purposes, the ungodly are still evil. Email Jack. Thats generally the way life is for all of us. A nation would come to judge them speaking in a language they did not understand (Deuteronomy 28:49). Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 1:21). 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. Egypt made his brother, Jehoiakim, the new king over the Jews. Here are the two great texts to keep in mind regarding Gods providence and our own personal experience: The first is the famous statement by Joseph to his brothers in Genesis 50:20, You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good. The second comes from the familiar words of Romans 8:28, And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. These verses teach us that God is able to take the worst things that happen in life and turn them for our good and his glory. Two questions stand out: 1) Did Jesus actually descend into hell? Pharaohs heart was hardened again. 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. Gods plan even extended to having Jesus buried in a borrowed tomb (see Isaiah 53:9). All of our resources exist to guide you toward everlasting joy in Jesus Christ. 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. Holman Old Testament Commentary: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah by Trent Butler. God uses all those who humble themselves before the cross, boasting only in him his strength, his wisdom, his righteousness, his accomplishment. Its something we can clearly see within the pages of our Bible. First, the people of Israel were for the most part leaderless. 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. How can I believe in the goodness of God when there is so much evil in the world? An unlikely person to be used by God. 4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. I sit on no boards. Remember my imprisonment. Causing him to not let the people go. It appears that between 11 PM Thursday night and 7:30 AM Friday morning, Jesus underwent six different hearingsone before Annas, two before Caiaphas, one before the Sanhedrin, and two before Pontius Pilate. Two verses later, in Rom. We know from the sowing and reaping principle that t here will be degrees of torment in the lake of fire. Remember my imprisonment. Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. Moses was sent by the Lord multiple times to Pharaoh asking for the release of the Hebrews. Amen. God was revealing that He was going to use this ungodly power for judgment upon his own straying people. 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. Zechariah 11:13Judas would give the money back. During his ministry his greatest opposition came from the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes and the teachers of the Law. God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne ( Psalm 47:8 ). They live as if there was no Creator, no moral law, no accountability. God Can Use Unbelievers part 1: Cyrus WebThe Scripture teaches that God achieves His purpose in unbelievers. They do whatever they want. Really, its just fine. Are we becoming more like Jesus by the power of the Spirit? At times, God enlisted non-believers to help His people through the ages. But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. God blesses those in whom he stirs to obedience, and judges disobedience. Summary God could have had the earth swallow up the Amalekites. Did Jesus Descend Into Hell? 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. Now and then we advance to Easter morning where we discover Gods purpose in our pain. There is no better example of Gods providence at work through the actions of a sinful man. (1 Corinthians 1:2629). Does God sometimes use evil to accomplish His plans (Habakkuk 1:5-11)? For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? He had great trust in the truth of God. As they plotted how to murder Jesus they had no idea they were accomplishing Gods will. But the fact of the matter is it wasnt me! But he chose instead to allow himself to be arrested, knowing that this would fulfill Gods plan. A second reason, related to the first reason, is that God knew that by doing His miracles through Moses, Moses would then in turn give glory to God. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth (Isaiah 53:7). And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. He has but one endto make us like Jesus. God can use anyone and anything. They have no respect for the leaders of other nations. They all come for violence; Their faces are set like the east wind. God will use it even if you do not understand how. The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent. Then the Lord said to Moses, Why are you crying out to Me? Literal Standard Version. The Pharisees believed they were serving God but in reality, they didnt even know Him. But through the lens of the New Testament, he is seen as a wicked man. We return now to the original question: Why did God allow Judas to betray Jesus? 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. Just as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things! (Rom. 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.. Their horses also are swifter than leopards, And more fierce than evening wolves. But we need to grow in faith and obedience. But as for you, your corpses will fall in this wilderness. God picks the scrawniest little girl to lead off on his kickball team. God Can Use Unbelievers part 1: Cyrus But our God is mightier than any office or country. Believer, dont think that your faithful service to your local body of believers is insignificant or accounts for little or nothing. God use non-believers to help His people 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). The new king was deposed after three months. Because God is utterly unimpressed by my rsum. You are going to need it as we search the Scriptures to answer these two questions. Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land which I swore to give your fathers. 1:15-16), later to be thrown in the Nile (Ex. Here are some examples: The very first verse my daughter ever memorized was Isaiah 40:8, The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. It seemed like an odd one to begin with, but now in retrospect it might have been the best one. Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. verses about Unbelievers Also, be sure to stop by our prayer wall. The total number of prophecies is well over 100. It will be a most terrible judgment. For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you.. Everything was planned by God down to the tiniest detail. I think we can learn some great lessons by answering these questions. But we learn that over time a new Pharaoh arose who did not know Joseph or respect what Joseph had done (Ex. International Standard Version. Anyone who resists God risks falling into spiritual deception (2 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? Questions? God commissions the invalid retiree to uphold dozens, even hundreds of missionaries on the field. 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. . Judas didnt know it, and neither did the disciples, but Gods fingerprints were all over his act of betrayal. In such a manner Judas served Gods purposes through his wicked act of betrayal. The way of the wicked is like darkness;They do not know over what they stumble. (Video #2), Lesson 2: Gods Use of the Ungodly Habakkuk 1:5-11. 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. This warning was made clear in the ancient covenant revealed long before through Moses in Deuteronomy 28. 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. In fact, in one place in scripture, God said that what He was doing could not be understood even if He explained it. Habakkuk 1:7-11, They are terrible and dreadful; Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves. 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. Then God, in His sovereign power and will, takes our weak and fallible service, and accomplishes His will, like parting the Red Sea. 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. Literal Standard Version. A prophecy we can imagine would have seemed quite improbable to those who heard. Thus they plundered the Egyptians ( Exodus 12:36 ). ", Writing & Teaching Inductive Bible Studies. They have heard that You, O Lord, are in the midst of this people, for You, O Lord, are seen eye to eye, while Your cloud stands over them; and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. We see this all the way through the Bible. God has already determined the end from the beginning (Isa. God But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. First, we see the faith of Moses. 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. Our accomplishments do not justify our existence. Stating that the plans of men are many but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. 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. Why bother praying to a God who isnt? That doesnt lessen his guilt, but it does increase our appreciation of Gods sovereignty over the affairs of men. Why does God allow deception They were evil cowards who hated the Son of God but feared a popular uprising if they tried to arrest him. In Acts 13:41 he said, Behold, you despisers, Marvel and perish! 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. Often in the confusion of life, we cant see the ends, much less the means God intends for us. I am the trustee of nothing more than my personal belongings. But this much is clear: He never believed that Jesus was guilty of any crime. In the beginning Satan challenged Gods right to rule. They have heard that You, O. He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good. Get your Bible. 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. Wisdom didnt ensure obedience. No buildings, streets, or hospitals have been named in honor of me. As we saw in the first four verses of this book, Habakkuk was confused. Another unlikely person used by God was King Cyrus of Persia. Verse Concepts. His words imply that all the torment will be tolerable. All rights reserved. God may ordain to use their wickedness, but this does not make it morally right. The phrase all this refers to the betrayal, the circumstances surrounding it, and the circumstances flowing from it. in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 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. Do not begrudge your weakness. 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. 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. Showing us that our God can and will use anyone even though they dont know Him. Providence means that God is in charge of the entire universe at all times and nothing happens outside his control. So through his death, he can have everlasting life on earth. 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. Psalm 109:8Replaced by another manMatthias (see Acts 1:20). It can be fairly said that the common people by and large respected Jesus and responded positively to his message. We see the same thing after the Israelites cross the Red Sea and are attacked by the Amalekites (Ex. I, the Lord, have spoken, surely this I will do to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. They wanted him dead and used Judas as a convenient means to that ugly end. Jump to Previous 4:5). Their chargers charge ahead; Their cavalry comes from afar; They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat. (see Acts 1:20). 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. 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. So the emphasis of the chapter is on Gods working out His purpose through ordinary people who obey Him. God Uses Covenant judgment was about to be poured out upon Israel. Jump to Previous It was a period of apostasy and violence. Fit to be Used 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. Thus they plundered the Egyptians ( Exodus 12:36 ). Copyright 2002-2023 Got Questions Ministries. Though there were still many who had remained faithful, others no longer followed the words of the Prophets. Israel as a nation had rejected the promises of Moses and the Prophets culminating in the demand for the death of Jesus, Gods Messiah. The thing he values the most is dragging him down to eternal damnation. This could be the begging of a time of great growth for the church. In the eyes of the Jews, Saul would be seen as a warrior of the faith. What does it mean that the righteous will live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4)? And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. Bible Hub Fit to be Used So continue to trust in Him and you wont be disappointed. 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. Everything else in the story fits into Gods plan: The crown of thorns, the scourging, the trials, Pilates testimony, his verdict of death, a man to help carry the cross, the place of deathGolgotha, and the moment of death3 PM, the time when the Passover lambs were sacrificed at the Temple.
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