Anyone who resists God risks falling into spiritual deception (2 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. And did not believe in His wonderful works. 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. Really, its just fine. 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. We see this all the way through the Bible. Gods plan included the time of Jesus deathPassover, the placeJerusalem, the opposition by the Jewish leaders, and the betrayal by Judas. It will be a most terrible judgment. If youd like an interesting Bible study, take a look at the trials of Jesus. 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. God When God desires to save someone, He raises up Christians to preach the gospel. Fourth, Gods command seemed impossible to obey. He uses believers and unbelievers. And that is okay. Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 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. How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? 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. . verses about Unbelievers A third reason God had Moses raise his staff and hands before dividing the Red Sea is that God delights to use sinners to accomplish His sovereign will. 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. 1 And Saul approved of his execution. 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 need to remember that God uses the foolish. In the process, we will also find an answer to a third question, Who are the sons of God in Gen. 6? If you like solving mysteries, you will love this, "Churches are going apostate inside their comfortable church buildings! He sent His son to pay a most costly price for the sin of His people, for those who trust in Him. 1:22). Grace be with you. Christianity is not about religion, its about a life-changing relationship with the Son of God. The phrase all this refers to the betrayal, the circumstances surrounding it, and the circumstances flowing from it. He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will. God doesnt need men, but God chooses to use men at times to accomplish His sovereign will. 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? He clings to his sin like a drowning man to an iron life preserver. If so, did he have a choice? God uses the overwhelmed and disheveled mother to nurture her children into spiritual giants. But the Jews who disbelieved stirred up the minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against the brethren. They were afraid. God will deal with them according to his plan, but first, He will use them for His own covenant judgment. 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. Suggestions? Often in the confusion of life, we cant see the ends, much less the means God intends for us. And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Is it true that God cannot look upon sin? Why? Each time Moses would perform a mighty sign to convince Pharaoh of Gods power but each time God would harden his heart. His plan in doing so was to bless all people. There are so many amazing things in these few verses. God promised to precede Cyrus and destroy all opposition that Cyrus would face: 'I will go before you and make the 3. God Will Use Even You We see this all the way through the Bible. 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. Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife? You will say to me then, Why does He still find fault? Thanks for your interest! Do not lament your insufficiency. 1 John 5:14. God used this unlikely group of people to accomplish His greatest work and they had no idea. We pray because God is sovereign and all powerful. Get your Bible. In fact, in one place in scripture, God said that what He was doing could not be understood even if He explained it. But most of the time we wont see it fully until we finally arrive in heaven. We concluded that the Bible doesnt give us a final answer regarding why Judas betrayed Jesus Christ. An unlikely person to be used by God. Psalm 109:8Replaced by another manMatthias (see Acts 1:20). 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?. The people of Israel, were backed up against the Red Sea with Pharaohs army charging at them. 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. He told the people that Pharaohs army would be wiped out, though he did not know how. Which caused the church to grow rapidly. But our God is mightier than any office or country. For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you.. Other examples could be added to this list. The fact that God ordains both the means and the ends should surely encourage us as we face our own trials. 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. Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation., Truth Of God Is denied by Unbelievers, the Truth of God Is denied by Unbelievers, Unbelievers Are blinded by the God of this world, Unbelievers Will be classed with outbreaking sinners in eternity, Unbelievers Their lifetime spent in vanity, Unbelievers Shall be judged by God's word in the last day, Will be classed with outbreaking sinners in eternity, Shall be judged by God's word in the last day. He even turns wicked hearts to serve his Sovereign purpose. He didnt accept evil apathetically, he was appalled by it. WebGod Can Use Unbelievers part 1: Cyrus 1. But he chose instead to allow himself to be arrested, knowing that this would fulfill Gods plan. 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. 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. Verse Concepts. No buildings, streets, or hospitals have been named in honor of me. Remember my imprisonment. Our prayers do not alter Gods eternal decree. All of our resources exist to guide you toward everlasting joy in Jesus Christ. He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good. 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. Peter told the early Christians that the Scripture had to be fulfilled. He meant that the betrayal had to happen the way it did. But Moses said to the Lord, Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for by Your strength You brought up this people from their midst, and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. Your children, however, whom you said would become a preyI will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected. He recognized what was evil because he believed Gods law. The book of proverbs also gives us insight into this. Just as He did with Pharaoh who placed no faith in the God of Israel. God The Prophet Habakkuk wrote during the troubled times before Judahs captivity. The evil nations God was raising up to judge his rebellious people were self-centered. And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. 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? Were they to voluntarily all drown? This truth about Judas illustrates Gods control of every event in the universe. Because they did not believe in GodAnd did not trust in His salvation. The sad story of Judas stands as a warning to religious people not to trust in their religion. 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. 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? God We are here and gone again. The people of Jacob were trapped. Gods covenant warned from the beginning that if Israel fell into sin God would use a foreign heathen nation to bring judgment upon them. I dont have any letters after my name. 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. Jesus waved him off by declaring, All this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled (Matthew 26:56). 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. His son Jehoahaz became king. Anyone who resists God risks falling into spiritual deception (2 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. 16:30), when he uses you or others, delivering you from your trials, be sure to praise, thank, and give Him all the glory for sovereignly using sinners. Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? I answer yes. If your rsum is sparse, your intellect feeble, your skills unimpressive, and your wisdom just average, fret not. God Can Use Unbelievers part 1: Cyrus Stating that the plans of men are many but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. Two verses later, in Rom. Eventually, Pharaoh decided to use the Jews for slave labor. God promised to precede Cyrus and destroy all opposition that Cyrus would face: 'I will go before you and make the 3. Be encouraged, child of God. However, he had Aaron and Hur hold up Moses arms and had Joshua lead the armies of Israel. 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. When we reach a dead end in our own resources, God can part the sea of the impossible and get us through, but I digress. His purpose in creation will stand. 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. This week I ate lunch with a man who has recently become an acquaintance through an e-mail correspondence. 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. God uses pathetic people for his glorious purposes to show his superior power. God doesnt need men, but God chooses to use men at times to accomplish His sovereign will. They move ahead as a determined army spreading violence. The unbelievers, become confused, not remembering ever having the opportunity to serve Jesus. That is what moving forward would require, or so it seemed. God Himself said that He used Pharaoh so that His name would be known on all the earth. God uses all those who humble themselves before the cross, boasting only in him his strength, his wisdom, his righteousness, his accomplishment. The Lord can never be blamed for evil, but evil does not take p. God never does evil Himself. God Can Use Unbelievers part 1: Cyrus Scripture even points to the fact that God used Cyrus even though he didnt know God. In the beginning Satan challenged Gods right to rule. You truly never know God could be doing something right that we wouldnt understand even if He told us. But this much is clear: He never believed that Jesus was guilty of any crime. Are we becoming more like Jesus by the power of the Spirit? WebGod was about to turn to the Gentiles as He judged Israel as a nation for her unbelief. He has many means to accomplish that holy purposeincluding some that are difficult to understand. 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). 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. He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good. God asks us to do things we cant do, because it makes us trust IN HIM, not ourselves. 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. Because God created all He can use anything in creation. We see this all the way through the Bible. But as for you, your corpses will fall in this wilderness. Impatience and failing to trust God is never helpful. 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. God Uses They deride every stronghold, For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it. Later Pilate gave in to pressure and ordered Jesus crucified. 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. God They make a joke out of those who dare to not submit to them. During our conversationwhich lasted two hours and was both cordial and very frankI told him that his religion could not save him. Even today there are those who are arrogant and have no honor for God as He reveals Himself in Scripture. But He is unique and who can turn Him?And what His soul desires, that He does. Solomon was DaVinci, Einstein, Bach, Jordan, Augustus, and Shakespeare rolled into one superior man. We are called to be among his faithful people. Gods plan even extended to having Jesus buried in a borrowed tomb (see Isaiah 53:9). Nothing is ever left to chance with God. God What Jesus Wants Emphasized In His Church! 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). I might preach to 100 people on Sunday morning in my own little church, but I preach to thousands over the internet. 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. Covenant judgment was about to be poured out upon Israel. They were evil cowards who hated the Son of God but feared a popular uprising if they tried to arrest him. 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. That doesnt lessen his guilt, but it does increase our appreciation of Gods sovereignty over the affairs of men. Now and then we advance to Easter morning where we discover Gods purpose in our pain. God calls the autistic man to give the most profound articulation of his simple faith. 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. Things may seem impossible, and for men, they might be impossible, but nothing is impossible with God (Lk. 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. Though absolutely sovereign, all knowing, all wise, and everywhere present, God uses sinners to accomplish His will. In fact, in one place in scripture, God said that what He was doing could not be understood even if He explained it. 46:10). 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. For he sees that even wise men die;The stupid and the senseless alike perishAnd leave their wealth to others. 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). Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. WebThe Scripture teaches that God achieves His purpose in unbelievers. Compared to you or me, King Solomon had it all wisdom, wealth, fame, power. But sometimes we forget that when God ordains a particular end, he also ordains the means to that end. And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst? verses about Unbelievers 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. I sit on no boards. Why bother praying to a God who isnt? For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. They had been in Egypt under Egyptian task masters for 400 years. I also answer yes. God Will Use Even You Do not begrudge your weakness. God was rejecting their national privilege, and turning to the Gentiles to populate his Covenant Nation on Earth. WebGod never does evil Himself. Yet He was still able to accomplish His will through them. But as for you, your corpses will fall in this wilderness. 4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. 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. He uses believers and unbelievers. Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. A) We bow in submission before the mysterious ways of God. God answered him. Often in the confusion of life, we cant see the ends, much less the means God intends for us. Our accolades cannot merit us any greatness. God is not finished with you yet, so dont give up on him. We all understand that God intended that Jesus would die for the sins of the world. Which is why they completely missed the Messiah when they stood right beside Him. The Israelites and the church did face some tough times and we may too. Because God created all He can use anything in creation. International Standard Version. The Lord can never be blamed for evil, but evil does not take p. God never does evil Himself. We know from the sowing and reaping principle that t here will be degrees of torment in the lake of fire. He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good. God use unbelievers to accomplish his will These lessons simply teach us that God can take that which is evil and use it for his own good purposes. And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Everything fits into Gods plan. God If we lack wisdom, we should ask God for it (James 1:5). The thing he values the most is dragging him down to eternal damnation. He could have rained fire and brimstone down on them. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. They have heard that You, O. In 609 Judahs King Josiah was killed in battle against Egypt. Prayer is one of the means God uses to accomplish His sovereign will and get glory for himself. God didnt need to have Moses lift up his staff. One final point is in order. Summary Though absolutely sovereign, all knowing, all wise, and everywhere present, God uses sinners to accomplish His will. But among the leaders of the nation, only a few followed Christand they became secret believers for fear of persecution by their brethren. His He wants us to trust in Him, to rely on Him, to cry out to Him, and then give Him glory for delivering us. It was a period of apostasy and violence. 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. Eternity will reveal how your faithful service was used by the Lord in amazing ways. Even Jesus cannot save a man who claims his sin is not really sinful. There he said in 1 Corinthians 14:21, With men of other tongues and other lips I will speak to this people; And yet, for all that, they will not hear Me, says the Lord. He directly quoted the covenant warning of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Deuteronomy. The fact that God ordains both the means and the ends should surely encourage us as we face our own trials. 1 John 5:14. Second, the proper response to any trial or danger is to not fear but stand by and see the salvation of the Lord. How many times do we fret and worry and then see the Lord deliver us and realize that all of our anxiety and fretting was for naught, that it accomplished nothing, but was an expression of our sinful doubt? And, "Who Are The Sons of God in Genesis 6? International Standard Version. We might be a life-hacking, productivity guru. Moses had great faith! This could be the begging of a time of great growth for the church. 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. Even his enemies played into Gods handthough they did not know it at the time. God then raised up Moses and his brother Aaron as instruments to deliver the people of Israel from cruel bondage. I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me. 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. 1:15-16), later to be thrown in the Nile (Ex. Believer, dont think that your faithful service to your local body of believers is insignificant or accounts for little or nothing. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; Immediately the boys father cried out and said, I do believe; help my unbelief.. In their very act of oppression, they unknowingly serve the glory of the Creator. They had no weapons to fight Pharaohs army, no experience in war, no ability to defend themselves, and no way of escape. Soon they will be raised up from that struggle to full power. 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. God Works His Will 12:35-36). For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. In this wilderness they shall be destroyed, and there they will die. As for the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land and who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing out a bad report concerning the land, even those men who brought out the very bad report of the land died by a plague before the Lord.
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