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. God wanted the people of Israel to look to Moses as their God appointed human leader and deliverer. Unbelievers Are blinded by the God of this world 2 Corinthians 4:4 Verse Concepts 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. shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it. God will surely judge all rebellion, secret and open. A nation would come to judge them speaking in a language they did not understand (Deuteronomy 28:49). Guiding our world whether we are able to see it or not. Literal Standard Version. Dont get me wrong, wisdom is important. God didnt want to lead the people around the Red Sea by the way of the Philistines knowing they might get scared and run back to Egypt (Ex. So the emphasis of the chapter is on Gods working out His purpose through ordinary people who obey Him. Providence means that God is in charge of the entire universe at all times and nothing happens outside his control. Training for Preachers and Teachers of God's Word, Want to know what an RSS feed is and how it works? We pray because we believe God, because we want to trust in God, praise God, ask God for things we cant do ourselves. Moses was a by-product of the Egyptians attempts to hinder Gods blessing upon them, was placed in pitch covered basket and set adrift in the Nile, but rescued, weened by his own mother, adopted into Pharaohs house, and educated in all the learning of Egypt (Acts 7:22). 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. But My servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it. Email Jack. Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? When we do that we become His instruments to accomplish His sovereign will. 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. In many cases without them even realizing that they were being used by 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. Everything fits into Gods plan. Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Gods plan included the time of Jesus deathPassover, the placeJerusalem, the opposition by the Jewish leaders, and the betrayal by Judas. God promised to precede Cyrus and destroy all opposition that Cyrus would face: 'I will go before you and make the 3. Sighing deeply in His spirit, He *said, Why does this generation seek for a sign? He could have rained fire and brimstone down on them. God sees. He chooses to use sinners to accomplish His sovereign will, often in ways we dont even understand. 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. Now if You slay this people as one man, then the nations who have heard of Your fame will say. 14:11). Our accomplishments do not justify our existence. A complete answer is impossible for who has known the mind of the Lord (Isa. 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. 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. Grace be with you. Be encouraged Christian, God intends to use you in all your multifaceted weakness and obscurity for his glory. 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. A prophecy we can imagine would have seemed quite improbable to those who heard. We live most of our days in Good Fridayenduring confusion, opposition, disappointment and the many tragedies of life. It forces us to live by faith, which is how He wants us to live all the time because it gives Him glory. You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent. Thus they plundered the Egyptians ( Exodus 12:36 ). In their very act of oppression, they unknowingly serve the glory of the Creator. Or see articles from other writers we feature Here. What does it mean that the righteous will live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4)? We concluded that the Bible doesnt give us a final answer regarding why Judas betrayed Jesus Christ. As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land. However, he had Aaron and Hur hold up Moses arms and had Joshua lead the armies of Israel. Verse Concepts. Verse Concepts. The trials that were meant to establish his guilt ended up establishing his innocence for all the world to see. His plan in doing so was to bless all people. They gather captives like sand. They all come for violence; Their faces are set like the east wind. He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good. Gods Ability To Use Unlikely People Even Unbelievers. When Isaiah 53:1 speaks of the future coming of the Messiah, literally it says, who would have believed the thing reported? His birth as a baby who would grow up, suffer and die was most unexpected. 1 And Saul approved of his execution. I cant charge an exorbitant hourly fee for my time. God uses all those who humble themselves before the cross, boasting only in him his strength, his wisdom, his righteousness, his accomplishment. 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. But it does mean everything will happen as God sees fit. Gods covenant warned from the beginning that if Israel fell into sin God would use a foreign heathen nation to bring judgment upon them. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. Im not a founder, innovator, CEO, or visionary of any company. When God determines where we will end up, he also determines how we will get there. And how will they hear without a preacher? 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. It even included the price Judas would receive for his act of treachery30 pieces of silver. 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. God is not the author of sin, but He can use sinful men to attain an objective. 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. 3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. During our conversationwhich lasted two hours and was both cordial and very frankI told him that his religion could not save him. 6:10). 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. Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land which I swore to give your fathers. 55:8-9). Often in the confusion of life, we cant see the ends, much less the means God intends for us. God wants to use those who look away from their self-sufficiency to his all-sufficiency. For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you.. What does it mean that God came from Teman (Habakkuk 3:3). They were evil cowards who hated the Son of God but feared a popular uprising if they tried to arrest him. Gods Ability To Use Unlikely People Even Unbelievers. He wants us to trust in Him, to rely on Him, to cry out to Him, and then give Him glory for delivering us. 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). When they offered him 30 pieces of silver, he readily accepted even though that was the going price for a slave. This warning was made clear in the ancient covenant revealed long before through Moses in Deuteronomy 28. How can I believe in the goodness of God when there is so much evil in the world? That leads me to ask a simple question: Are you a professor or a possessor? Why tell Moses to lift up his staff and stretch out his hand over the see and be the instrument God would use to divide the sea? God promised to precede Cyrus and destroy all opposition that Cyrus would face: 'I will go before you and make the 3. The new king was deposed after three months. Believer, dont think that your faithful service to your local body of believers is insignificant or accounts for little or nothing. And, "Who Are The Sons of God in Genesis 6? When God does something completely different and unexpected (Numb. When Moses spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, the people mourned greatly. There are so many amazing things in these few verses. 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. God is not the author of sin, but He can use sinful men to attain an objective. 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. There is no better example of Gods providence at work through the actions of a sinful man. 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. 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.. God has the amazing ability to do things that simply do not make sense to mankind. But God gave the command, Moses obeyed the command, and in a sense Moses divided the Sea, as the Lord commanded, and in a more ultimate sense God did the miracle and divided the Red Sea. Our accolades cannot merit us any greatness. 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. Judas didnt know it, and neither did the disciples, but Gods fingerprints were all over his act of betrayal. Jesus is truly the lamb without blemish who died for the sins of the world (John 1:29). God is still using unlikely people to accomplish His will on earth today. Because God created all He can use anything in creation. or will we in our rebellion demonstrate the just curse of His covenant warnings? Thats generally the way life is for all of us. Wisdom alone, though, is insufficient. Steven Lee is the Pastor of Preaching & Vision at. 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. God strengthened Cyrus so that he could conquer nations and overcome opposition Thus says the Lord God to His 2. And that is okay. 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. B) We entrust our lives to the God who cares for us. 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. A God who can bring something good out of betrayal can be trusted to accomplish his work in your life. 1:22). Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. 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. 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. It was all the Lord. Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? When Judas kissed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter impulsively grabbed his sword and started swinging. 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. Really, its just fine. And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. Get your Bible. Although God was at work in the betrayal, you couldnt see it that night. This week were looking at the other side of the equation. The Lord can never be blamed for evil, but evil does not take p. God never does evil Himself. The Lord did it, but He did it through Moses. Moses had great faith! His betrayal proved that the Jewish leaders were far from innocent bystanders in the death of Christ. He betrayed the Lord but ended up vindicating him. We know from the sowing and reaping principle that t here will be degrees of torment in the lake of fire. God uses pathetic people for his glorious purposes to show his superior power. We might make Jim Collins proud, but God yawns at our leadership abilities. 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. But we need to grow in faith and obedience. Jesus immediately restored the ear and told Peter to put down his sword. 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. We see the same thing after the Israelites cross the Red Sea and are attacked by the Amalekites (Ex. 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. WebGod will never set man's will aside and use him for a good purpose without his being willing to be used. While not all became believers, many felt a strong attraction to his message. 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. So He brought their days to an end in futility And their years in sudden terror. Jump to Previous Questions? We need to be reminded again and again that we are like grass disposable, temporary, fleeting, momentary. All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven, will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. Do not begrudge your weakness. God uses pathetic people for his glorious purposes to show his superior power. 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. I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me. Were on a mission to change that. Zechariah 11:13Judas would give the money back. Habakkuk learned that the material success of the ungodly is not a reliable measure of their true success. Summary Verse Concepts. So the emphasis of the chapter is on Gods working out His purpose through ordinary people who obey Him. 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. Including those who dont believe He exists. He has but one endto make us like Jesus. God often reveals himself in most unexpected ways. International Standard Version. But the fact of the matter is it wasnt me! I sit on no boards. I answer yes. 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. He uses believers and unbelievers. 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.. When Judas actually betrayed Jesus in the Garden, Peter immediately sprang to his defense. Everything was planned by God down to the tiniest detail. 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. Herod the Great tried to kill him in Bethlehem. But as for you, your corpses will fall in this wilderness. Its okay to be a nobody, if in all you do, you serve Somebody. Literal Standard Version. Even Jesus cannot save a man who claims his sin is not really sinful. Those who look to themselves, will eventually and always reap their just punishment. His silence spoke more loudly than the foolish claims of his lying accusers. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask Joseph made Egypt phenomenally wealthy during the years of the famine. This could be the begging of a time of great growth for the church. Will we show forth Gods glory in our obedience and in our receiving of His covenant blessing? 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. Moses give the Israelites specific instruction and visible representation from the invisible God. 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). He recognized what was evil because he believed Gods law. The Prophet Habakkuk wrote during the troubled times before Judahs captivity. His son Jehoahaz became king. This is a true mystery, which we may explain in various ways but will never fully understand. Just as He did with Pharaoh who placed no faith in the God of Israel. WebGod Can Use Unbelievers part 1: Cyrus 1. How beautiful! They sweep through like the strong winds from the East gathering up captives that number like the grains of sand. Do not lament your insufficiency. WebGod Can Use Unbelievers part 1: Cyrus 1. In fact, in one place in scripture, God said that what He was doing could not be understood even if He explained it. ", Writing & Teaching Inductive Bible Studies. Moses was an instrument, a tool, a vessel for Gods use, and so are we all. WebGod was about to turn to the Gentiles as He judged Israel as a nation for her unbelief. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 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. 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). Habakkuk 1:7-11, They are terrible and dreadful; Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves. Two questions confront us as we consider the story of Judas: Last weeks sermon dealt with the first question. Do not lament your insufficiency. Here are some examples: Covenant judgment was about to be poured out upon Israel. Its something we can clearly see within the pages of our Bible. Moses was sent by the Lord multiple times to Pharaoh asking for the release of the Hebrews. 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. Peter didnt see it, he only saw the treachery of Judas. 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. Are we becoming more like Jesus by the power of the Spirit? But the Jews who disbelieved stirred up the minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against the brethren. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. This is the grace of God as revealed in His merciful covenant. But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all; 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. Unbelievers Are blinded by the God of this world 2 Corinthians 4:4 Verse Concepts 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. Finally, they suborned perjury by putting forward false witnesses who produced contradictory testimony. Yet, Solomon turned away from God (1 Kings 11:4, 912). God picks the scrawniest little girl to lead off on his kickball team. But all of them come from the hand of the Lord. Nothing will ever be able to affect Gods will. 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. Israel as a nation had rejected the promises of Moses and the Prophets culminating in the demand for the death of Jesus, Gods Messiah. Wisdom didnt ensure obedience. The Prophet was told to look around him and see what was going on among the nations, observe! The Pharisees believed they were serving God but in reality, they didnt even know Him. God may ordain to use their wickedness, but this does not make it morally right. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask 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. 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. More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! Visit Justins personal website Here. Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife? 1:37). And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. They scoff at kings, And princes are scorned by them. As a place to begin, consider three verses dealing with Judas. We have one life to use, and the usefulness of that one life depends not on our rsum or even how much we know. We when we dont know if something is Gods will, we pray, Yet not my will but yours be done (Mt. His plan in doing so was to bless all people. Anyone who resists God risks falling into spiritual deception (2 As they plotted how to murder Jesus they had no idea they were accomplishing Gods will. Paul, in writing to Corinth, corrected the Churchs misuse of speaking in foreign tongues. 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.. Now and then we advance to Easter morning where we discover Gods purpose in our pain. So continue to trust in Him and you wont be disappointed. How does this truth apply to Judas? 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. God uses the overwhelmed and disheveled mother to nurture her children into spiritual giants. 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. 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. Anyone who resists God risks falling into spiritual deception (2 Because God created all He can use anything in creation. Why did a holy God allow such evil to continue? A man who lived in a time in which only Jews served the one true God. Why bother praying to a God who isnt? At times, God enlisted non-believers to help His people through the ages. Zechariah 11:1230 pieces of silver (see Matthew 26:15). Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Today, the weapons of force have improved, yet all the more they take whatever they want, and give only when it serves their purpose. Say to them, As I live, says the Lord, just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will surely do to you; 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. His purpose in creation will stand. Assyria had fallen when Nineveh, its capitol, was destroyed in 612 BC. Because God created all He can use anything in creation. But He is unique and who can turn Him?And what His soul desires, that He does. But we need to grow in faith and obedience. Our prayers do not alter Gods eternal decree. This truth about Judas illustrates Gods control of every event in the universe. 4:5). 21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man. Many believed they were going to die and complained to Moses (Ex. Two questions stand out: 1) Did Jesus actually descend into hell? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. I run into people in different countries or am contacted by those from different countries who have been blessed by my preaching. 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 knew that Pharaoh would change his mind about letting the people of Israel go and that he would pursue them to bring them back to Egypt. WebGod will never set man's will aside and use him for a good purpose without his being willing to be used. We see this all the way through the Bible. 2:11). But God did just that and used a sinning Gentile to begin the process of restoring Israel. Thus they plundered the Egyptians ( Exodus 12:36 ). Their horses also are swifter than leopards, And more fierce than evening wolves. (Bible quotations are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.). Many that people can plan to do much but is God that will always have the final say. The greater the pain, the harder it is to see Gods fingerprints. And He *said to them, Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. That is what moving forward would require, or so it seemed. God can use even you even me.
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