WebJohn 3:16. How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? Judas professed Christ but he did not possess him, which is why he is in hell today. Gods plan even extended to having Jesus buried in a borrowed tomb (see Isaiah 53:9). Gods covenant warned from the beginning that if Israel fell into sin God would use a foreign heathen nation to bring judgment upon them. 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. Including those who dont believe He exists. 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. I answer yes. In fact, in one place in scripture, God said that what He was doing could not be understood even if He explained it. So the emphasis of the chapter is on Gods working out His purpose through ordinary people who obey Him. For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you.. Remember my imprisonment. Matthew 26:3-5 informs us that the leaders of the Jews were looking for an opportunity to arrest Jesus and put him to death. More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! I was not a cum laude graduate. 1 John 5:14. Lest he misunderstand, I also told him that going to Calvary Memorial Church cannot save anyoneor help save anyone. WebThe Scripture teaches that God achieves His purpose in unbelievers. The purpose of www.drivennails.com is to help train expository preachers in sermon construction and delivery, to train inductive Bible study writers and teachers, and to edify the saints with the Word of God. We see this all the way through the Bible. Their end will be most awful. Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. God Uses Remember my imprisonment. When Judas actually betrayed Jesus in the Garden, Peter immediately sprang to his defense. Those who look to themselves, will eventually and always reap their just punishment. The fact that God ordains both the means and the ends should surely encourage us as we face our own trials. Understanding God in Troubled Times But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. Gods sign of judgment was that they would hear foreign language on the streets of Jerusalem, speaking in a language they did not understand. But among the leaders of the nation, only a few followed Christand they became secret believers for fear of persecution by their brethren. Yet both declare His awesome glory. We know from the sowing and reaping principle that t here will be degrees of torment in the lake of fire. Who would have had his own beliefs and gods that contradicted much of the Bible. He uses believers and unbelievers. verses about Unbelievers Now if You slay this people as one man, then the nations who have heard of Your fame will say. Psalm 69:25Reputation destroyed forever. God 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. You have entered an incorrect email address! 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. 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. Email Jack. They gather captives like sand. Later Pilate gave in to pressure and ordered Jesus crucified. God scoffs at any attempt by me or you to prove our worthiness. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask He chooses to use sinners to accomplish His sovereign will, often in ways we dont even understand. God Can Use Unbelievers part 1: Cyrus Thanks for your interest! God is still using unlikely people to accomplish His will on earth today. 5:14). 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. 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. The terms Neo-Babylons and Chaldeans are used interchangeably for the people of that Empire. God has the amazing ability to do things that simply do not make sense to mankind. God Uses Many People to Accomplish His Purposes This week I ate lunch with a man who has recently become an acquaintance through an e-mail correspondence. The book of proverbs also gives us insight into this. 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. God and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. 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. His covenant is always enforced. And how will they hear without a preacher? God calls the autistic man to give the most profound articulation of his simple faith. When Moses spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, the people mourned greatly. WebGod never does evil Himself. Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land which I swore to give your fathers. 21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man. We pray because we believe God, because we want to trust in God, praise God, ask God for things we cant do ourselves. But as for you, your corpses will fall in this wilderness. We concluded that the Bible doesnt give us a final answer regarding why Judas betrayed Jesus Christ. 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). 1 John 5:14. We see this all the way through the Bible. Unbelievers Are blinded by the God of this world 2 Corinthians 4:4 Verse Concepts I think we can learn some great lessons by answering these questions. for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. 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. 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. I have an unimpressive family background and do not come from a long line of important people. Verse Concepts. Gods Ability To Use Unlikely People Even Unbelievers. 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. Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Gods plan even extended to having Jesus buried in a borrowed tomb (see Isaiah 53:9). Nothing will ever be able to affect Gods will. They wanted him dead and used Judas as a convenient means to that ugly end. Why? Get your Bible. He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good. He was ready to die for his Master and intended to take a few of the bad guys with him. We need to be reminded again and again that we are like grass disposable, temporary, fleeting, momentary. When they offered him 30 pieces of silver, he readily accepted even though that was the going price for a slave. Were on a mission to change that. International Standard Version. Jesus point is clear, The King will answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.. Grace be with you. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all;read more.the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you. 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. But as for you, your corpses will fall in this wilderness. They post my sermons on the web and people listen to or watch me preach all over the world. Habakkuk learned that the material success of the ungodly is not a reliable measure of their true success. Do not lament your insufficiency. Jesus Sends Out the Training for Preachers and Teachers of God's Word, Want to know what an RSS feed is and how it works? This shows the mercy and compassion of God to help the Israelites. The Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him. 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. His plan in doing so was to bless all people. I, the Lord, have spoken, surely this I will do to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. Your children, however, whom you said would become a preyI will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected. 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. I dont have any letters after my name. The fact that God ordains both the means and the ends should surely encourage us as we face our own trials. Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. We when we dont know if something is Gods will, we pray, Yet not my will but yours be done (Mt. So the emphasis of the chapter is on Gods working out His purpose through ordinary people who obey Him. The Israelites and the church did face some tough times and we may too. God uses pathetic people for his glorious purposes to show his superior power. In our text, Ex. We might be a life-hacking, productivity guru. God Impatience and failing to trust God is never helpful. They all come for violence; Their faces are set like the east wind. When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel who destroyed the people, It is enough! Everything was planned by God down to the tiniest detail. Do not begrudge your weakness. Does God Accomplish His Purpose in Our During his ministry his greatest opposition came from the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes and the teachers of the Law. 1:15-16), later to be thrown in the Nile (Ex. 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 same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives. Gods Prophet Jeremiah warned of Gods judgment. And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. All rights reserved. The Pharisees believed they were serving God but in reality, they didnt even know Him. The articles posted on this website are here to provide information about the Bible and specific topics related to the Reformed Faith along with it's application in our daily thoughts and activities. 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. Consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. In heaven, each mans praise will come to him from God, and God will be glorified for sovereignly using sinners for His good purposes (I Cor. Fit to be Used Everything fits into Gods plan. A man who lived in a time in which only Jews served the one true God. 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. 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. God The people of Israel, were backed up against the Red Sea with Pharaohs army charging at them. But most of the time we wont see it fully until we finally arrive in heaven. When we dont see the ungodly punished immediately, or when they seem to be successful in their evil ways, we should not assume that God is beaten or is pleased to turn His head. Verse Concepts. We pray because God is sovereign and all powerful. Gods Ability To Use Unlikely People Even Unbelievers. Through one mans treachery, Jesus proves himself a man of peacenot a man of war. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask 1:21). The evil ones believe pridefully that their own imagined gods have blessed them. He told the people that Pharaohs army would be wiped out, though he did not know how. What an honor to serve the King of kings. Although God was at work in the betrayal, you couldnt see it that night. Now relax your hand! And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. The Lord can never be blamed for evil, but evil does not take p. God never does evil Himself. Our prayers do not alter Gods eternal decree. 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. But it does mean everything will happen as God sees fit. He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good. His plan in doing so was to bless all people. The Neo-Babylonians were dominated by Chaldean kings. Embrace your weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest upon you to reveal Gods surpassing greatness (2 Corinthians 12:9). 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. Moses was an instrument, a tool, a vessel for Gods use, and so are we all. Here are some examples: 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. And he was an exalted and successful king. The total number of prophecies is well over 100. Jump to Previous He does this for obvious reasons. Pentecost was a sign to the unbelieving of Israel that they had broken the covenant and stood deserving of Gods judgment and wrath. 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. So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. Fit to be Used 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. It becomes all the more bold in lawlessness. 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.. Jesus is truly the lamb without blemish who died for the sins of the world (John 1:29). The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. We are here and gone again. Do not begrudge your weakness. Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.. Which is why they completely missed the Messiah when they stood right beside Him. Their chargers charge ahead; Their cavalry comes from afar; They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat. 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. God uses the overwhelmed and disheveled mother to nurture her children into spiritual giants. That pagan nation was struggling against Egypt for dominance. 1 John 5:14. 1:8). 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 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. 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. 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. How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who are grumbling against Me? Israel stumbled at the stumbling stone, the suffering messiah (Romans 9:31-33). 4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. His betrayal proved that the Jewish leaders were far from innocent bystanders in the death of Christ. Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. 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 wanted the people of Israel to look to Moses as their God appointed human leader and deliverer. Click here. In many cases without them even realizing that they were being used by God. 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. And goes on to say, How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? God blesses those in whom he stirs to obedience, and judges disobedience. The Prophet was told to look around him and see what was going on among the nations, observe! Being a creative, innovative or highly effective leader is insufficient. Fit to be Used or will we in our rebellion demonstrate the just curse of His covenant warnings? 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. . 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. He told Moses, Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. But how? Philippians 3:4-7 - although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. Even his enemies played into Gods handthough they did not know it at the time. C) We place our confidence in Gods ultimate purpose for us. When God does something completely different and unexpected (Numb. Why bother praying to a God who isnt? Peter told the early Christians that the Scripture had to be fulfilled. He meant that the betrayal had to happen the way it did. 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. Were they to voluntarily all drown? That doesnt make us anything more in Gods eyes. God Uses Solomon was given a mind like no one before and like none even after him (1 Kings 3:12). 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. We live most of our days in Good Fridayenduring confusion, opposition, disappointment and the many tragedies of life. WebThe one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. verses about Unbelievers Do not lament your insufficiency. Anyone who resists God risks falling into spiritual deception (2 Then his mind changes, and he transgresses; He commits offense, Ascribing this power to his god.. 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. . Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. Guiding our world whether we are able to see it or not. He could have just caused them to drop dead. 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. For who resists His will?, For He says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.. We need to remember that God uses the foolish. God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne ( Psalm 47:8 ). Gods Ability To Use Unlikely People Even Unbelievers. God uses pathetic people for his glorious purposes to show his superior power. 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. In their very act of oppression, they unknowingly serve the glory of the Creator. The sad story of Judas stands as a warning to religious people not to trust in their religion. They have no respect for the leaders of other nations. Thats generally the way life is for all of us. God doesnt need men, but God chooses to use men at times to accomplish His sovereign will. I am the trustee of nothing more than my personal belongings. Other examples could be added to this list. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Amen. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Two questions confront us as we consider the story of Judas: Last weeks sermon dealt with the first question. Literal Standard Version. 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. When God determines where we will end up, he also determines how we will get there. Many believed they were going to die and complained to Moses (Ex. 12:35-36). We return now to the original question: Why did God allow Judas to betray Jesus? So through his death, he can have everlasting life on earth. If your rsum is sparse, your intellect feeble, your skills unimpressive, and your wisdom just average, fret not. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. Prayer is one of the means God uses to accomplish His sovereign will and get glory for himself. Assyria had fallen when Nineveh, its capitol, was destroyed in 612 BC. God Can Use Unbelievers part 1: Cyrus Though used of God to complete his plan, those who crucified our Lord were still personally wicked and godless in what they did. They sweep through like the strong winds from the East gathering up captives that number like the grains of sand. Suggestions? The repentant show Gods unmerited grace to undeserving sinners, and reveal the merciful blessing and goodness of God. Your children, however, whom you said would become a preyI will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected. Jump to Previous Finally, they suborned perjury by putting forward false witnesses who produced contradictory testimony. Which caused the church to grow rapidly. We see this all the way through the Bible. Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.. Jesus responded to the false testimony by saying nothing at all. But he chose instead to allow himself to be arrested, knowing that this would fulfill Gods plan. 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. We see this all the way through the Bible. Does God Accomplish His Purpose in Our Does God Accomplish His Purpose in Our But before his salvation took place God was still using Him. Egypt made his brother, Jehoiakim, the new king over the Jews. They make a joke out of those who dare to not submit to them. Questions? 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. 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. Why does God allow deception But He is unique and who can turn Him?And what His soul desires, that He does. 6:10). Sighing deeply in His spirit, He *said, Why does this generation seek for a sign? 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. Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? by Bob Burridge 2013, 2015 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. As a place to begin, consider three verses dealing with Judas. 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. Those who were rebelling against God had become apathetic. WebJohn 3:16. ", Writing & Teaching Inductive Bible Studies. The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent. Then the Lord said to Moses, Why are you crying out to Me? Judas didnt know it, and neither did the disciples, but Gods fingerprints were all over his act of betrayal. Moses give the Israelites specific instruction and visible representation from the invisible God. Here is my answer: He allowed Judas to betray Jesus so that Jesus could become the Savior of the world. God Himself said that He used Pharaoh so that His name would be known on all the earth.
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