Grace be with you. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. 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. Even those who dont believe and even speak against. 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. Unbelievers Are blinded by the God of this world 2 Corinthians 4:4 Verse Concepts To put the matter that way raises several other questions: Was Judas predestined by God to betray Jesus? Because God created all He can use anything in creation. In fact, in one place in scripture, God said that what He was doing could not be understood even if He explained it. Email Jack. Judas served Gods purposes even though what he did was wrong and he ended up in hell. When Judas kissed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter impulsively grabbed his sword and started swinging. And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst? This shows the mercy and compassion of God to help the Israelites. Anyone who resists God risks falling into spiritual deception (2 So the emphasis of the chapter is on Gods working out His purpose through ordinary people who obey 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. But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive out of those men who went to spy out the land. Thats generally the way life is for all of us. You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent. 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. 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. Even his enemies played into Gods handthough they did not know it at the time. When Moses spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, the people mourned greatly. 3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. It was the tech team, the web master, the secretary, or whoever posted my sermon on line. Third, it is necessary for us to remain silent, to not fret, grumble, or complain, while we wait for the Lord to deliver us from whatever trial we are suffering. As we saw in the first four verses of this book, Habakkuk was confused. The Lord did it, but He did it through Moses. At first he ordered the Israelite babies to be killed at birth by the midwives (Ex. 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. We see the same thing after the Israelites cross the Red Sea and are attacked by the Amalekites (Ex. Is it true that God cannot look upon sin? Because they did not believe in GodAnd did not trust in His salvation. I think we can learn some great lessons by answering these questions. Sighing deeply in His spirit, He *said, Why does this generation seek for a sign? Psalm 69:25Reputation destroyed forever. 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. 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. Remember my imprisonment. 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. This is a true mystery, which we may explain in various ways but will never fully understand. 6:10). Things may seem impossible, and for men, they might be impossible, but nothing is impossible with God (Lk. Gods Ability To Use Unlikely People Even Unbelievers. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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.. An unlikely person to be used by God. Sign up to join over 20,000 subscribers receiving our weekly sermon email. 17:8-13). 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. Holman Old Testament Commentary: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah by Trent Butler. 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. First, the people of Israel were for the most part leaderless. He has many means to accomplish that holy purposeincluding some that are difficult to understand. Many believed they were going to die and complained to Moses (Ex. Though used of God to complete his plan, those who crucified our Lord were still personally wicked and godless in what they did. Recent events may not have gone how you hoped and the signs may seem bleak. In the beginning Satan challenged Gods right to rule. WebGod was about to turn to the Gentiles as He judged Israel as a nation for her unbelief. Including those who dont believe He exists. He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good. 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. He chooses to use sinners to accomplish His sovereign will, often in ways we dont even understand. 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). Why would God allow his Son to suffer such indignity at the hands of one who claimed to be his friend? 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. (see Matthew 27:5). Your children, however, whom you said would become a preyI will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask I am sure God has many reasons for doing the things He does in the way and timing of His choosing, but lets consider some likely reasons He used Moses, a sinner, to be the instrument of His sovereign, miraculous work of dividing the Red Sea. God uses pathetic people for his glorious purposes to show his superior power. God asks us to do things we cant do, because it makes us trust IN HIM, not ourselves. It was a period of apostasy and violence. His words imply that all the torment will be tolerable. Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? God commissions the invalid retiree to uphold dozens, even hundreds of missionaries on the field. 1:15-16), later to be thrown in the Nile (Ex. WebGod was about to turn to the Gentiles as He judged Israel as a nation for her unbelief. It only made sense on Sunday morning when Jesus rose from the dead. Impatience and failing to trust God is never helpful. Strategically, this appeared to be a very unwise move, unless you are God. Here we see that when believers are doing the will of God, obeying the Word of God, and serving even the least of the Saints, they are Gods instruments, doing Jesus will, ministering to Jesus people, His body, His bride. That is what moving forward would require, or so it seemed. How will they preach unless they are sent? 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.. 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. WebGod Can Use Unbelievers part 1: Cyrus 1. WebGod Can Use Unbelievers part 1: Cyrus 1. They have heard that You, O. 12:35-36). 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. Through one mans treachery, Jesus proves himself a man of peacenot a man of war. He sent His son to pay a most costly price for the sin of His people, for those who trust in Him. They looked to themselves for their power. Yet He was still able to accomplish His will through them. 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. For he sees that even wise men die;The stupid and the senseless alike perishAnd leave their wealth to others. We know from the sowing and reaping principle that t here will be degrees of torment in the lake of fire. Those who look to themselves, will eventually and always reap their just punishment. Psalm 109:8Replaced by another manMatthias (see Acts 1:20). The book of proverbs also gives us insight into this. He betrayed the Lord but ended up vindicating him. Believer, dont think that your faithful service to your local body of believers is insignificant or accounts for little or nothing. Those who turn in humble trust to the Lord, who rest in His work of redemption, who seek to walk in his ways, and who turn in humble repentance when they fail, will receive His righteousness, and blessing forever. C) God uses all eventsgood and badto accomplish his purposes. 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. I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me. But this much is clear: He never believed that Jesus was guilty of any crime. 16 But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. Another unlikely person used by God was King Cyrus of Persia. He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good. God uses all those who humble themselves before the cross, boasting only in him his strength, his wisdom, his righteousness, his accomplishment. Were they to march into the sea holding their little ones, driving their cattle, and pushing their elderly? 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. God may ordain to use their wickedness, but this does not make it morally right. It can be fairly said that the common people by and large respected Jesus and responded positively to his message. How beautiful! 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. And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. Jesus responded to the false testimony by saying nothing at all. 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. When God does something completely different and unexpected (Numb. Gods plan even extended to having Jesus buried in a borrowed tomb (see Isaiah 53:9). 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. Paul, in writing to Corinth, corrected the Churchs misuse of speaking in foreign tongues. or will we in our rebellion demonstrate the just curse of His covenant warnings? I have received no honorary doctorates. God promised to precede Cyrus and destroy all opposition that Cyrus would face: 'I will go before you and make the 3. They were evil cowards who hated the Son of God but feared a popular uprising if they tried to arrest him. 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. 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. It was their God, or at least the God of Moses, that just killed all the first born of Egypt. That doesnt lessen his guilt, but it does increase our appreciation of Gods sovereignty over the affairs of men. God used this unlikely group of people to accomplish His greatest work and they had no idea. Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Their horses also are swifter than leopards, And more fierce than evening wolves. Those who were rebelling against God had become apathetic. Grace be with you. The mind of evil changes from bad to worse being taken in by successes in conquest. Moses had great faith! 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! Soon they will be raised up from that struggle to full 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. How can I believe in the goodness of God when there is so much evil in the world? Were on a mission to change that. 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. In our text, Ex. This was Moses advice to the people of Israel when facing the imminent threat of death, and it is true for us as well when facing any trial. He fought against God and hoped to destroy the early church. In Acts 13:41 he said, Behold, you despisers, Marvel and perish! 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. 10:14-15). Because God created all He can use anything in creation. When God desires to save someone, He raises up Christians to preach the gospel. A most astonishing way of fulfilling that prophesy. The Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him. 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. Often in the confusion of life, we cant see the ends, much less the means God intends for us. But we need to grow in faith and obedience. 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. 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. He didnt accept evil apathetically, he was appalled by it. In spite of our slownessand even sinGod will bless and use us to fulfill His purpose of blessing all nations through Christ, because of our relationship to the Father through the Son. Remember my imprisonment. God strengthened Cyrus so that he could conquer nations and overcome opposition Thus says the Lord God to His 2. 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 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. And how will they hear without a preacher? When he went before Pilate, the Roman governor received an urgent message from his wife: Dont have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him (Matthew 27:19). 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. Verse Concepts. 1 John 5:14. Their end will be most awful. This is the attitude of the evil heart in all ages. 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. God promised to precede Cyrus and destroy all opposition that Cyrus would face: 'I will go before you and make the 3. 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. . But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. We need to remember that God uses the foolish. In those moments we often feel alone in the chaos of circumstances as life tumbles in around us. 1:21). I might preach to 100 people on Sunday morning in my own little church, but I preach to thousands over the internet. God chooses the custodian with a heavy accent to share the gospel and save lives. Then God, in His sovereign power and will, takes our weak and fallible service, and accomplishes His will, like parting the Red Sea. Prayer is one of the means God uses to accomplish His sovereign will and get glory for himself. Gods Ability To Use Unlikely People Even Unbelievers. God has the amazing ability to do things that simply do not make sense to mankind. Jump to Previous
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