Paul, in writing to Corinth, corrected the Churchs misuse of speaking in foreign tongues. When God desires to save someone, He raises up Christians to preach the gospel. We have one life to use, and the usefulness of that one life depends not on our rsum or even how much we know. Often in the confusion of life, we cant see the ends, much less the means God intends for us. The manner of the judgment would be unexpected. Many believed they were going to die and complained to Moses (Ex. God has the amazing ability to do things that simply do not make sense to mankind. God has the amazing ability to do things that simply do not make sense to mankind. He could have rained fire and brimstone down on them. God uses pathetic people for his glorious purposes to show his superior power. Dont mistake temporary material victories for true success. We might be a life-hacking, productivity guru. 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. 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. One final point is in order. 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. God promised to precede Cyrus and destroy all opposition that Cyrus would face: 'I will go before you and make the 3. God was about to turn to the Gentiles as He judged Israel as a nation for her unbelief. God could have had the earth swallow up the Amalekites. 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. But sometimes we forget that when God ordains a particular end, he also ordains the means to that end. 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. That is what moving forward would require, or so it seemed. In the providence of God, the betrayal by Judas actually advanced Gods purpose in the world. Even his enemies played into Gods handthough they did not know it at the time. The terms Neo-Babylons and Chaldeans are used interchangeably for the people of that Empire. I am the trustee of nothing more than my personal belongings.
Why does God allow deception Though Israel was many, only the remnant will be saved (Romans 9:27). God will surely judge all rebellion, secret and open. It becomes all the more bold in lawlessness. 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. So through his death, he can have everlasting life on earth. How can I believe in the goodness of God when there is so much evil in the world? 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. Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?
God Uses Many People to Accomplish His Purposes and be astounded! Philippians 3:4-7 - although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. Today, the weapons of force have improved, yet all the more they take whatever they want, and give only when it serves their purpose. The fact that God ordains both the means and the ends should surely encourage us as we face our own trials. I have not been named most influential, listed as most attractive, or voted most likely to succeed. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. It was their God, or at least the God of Moses, that just killed all the first born of Egypt. God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne ( Psalm 47:8 ). Philippians 3:4-7 - although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh.
Fit to be Used The sheep representing believers who did Gods will and the goats representing unbelievers who do not do Gods will. God has the amazing ability to do things that simply do not make sense to mankind. They had been in Egypt under Egyptian task masters for 400 years. Why bother praying to a God who isnt? We live most of our days in Good Fridayenduring confusion, opposition, disappointment and the many tragedies of life. 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). Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites live in the valleys; turn tomorrow and set out to the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea. The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who are grumbling against Me? Herod the Great tried to kill him in Bethlehem. The total number of prophecies is well over 100. It was the tech team, the web master, the secretary, or whoever posted my sermon on line. 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 wants us to trust in Him, to rely on Him, to cry out to Him, and then give Him glory for delivering us. 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.. 1:21). 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. God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne ( Psalm 47:8 ). We pray because God is sovereign and all powerful. 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. 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. Thats generally the way life is for all of us. Were on a mission to change that. The Prophet Habakkuk wrote during the troubled times before Judahs captivity. Because God does miracles by His own power. 4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. But as for you, your corpses will fall in this wilderness. 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 Uses Many People to Accomplish His Purposes This warning was made clear in the ancient covenant revealed long before through Moses in Deuteronomy 28. Every evil in the world must somehow serve Gods purpose. And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. 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. WebGod will never set man's will aside and use him for a good purpose without his being willing to be used. 2) If Jesus did descend into hell, why? by Bob Burridge 2013, 2015 What does it mean that God came from Teman (Habakkuk 3:3). 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. They will be held guilty. Though absolutely sovereign, all knowing, all wise, and everywhere present, God uses sinners to accomplish His will. We return now to the original question: Why did God allow Judas to betray Jesus? Though used of God to complete his plan, those who crucified our Lord were still personally wicked and godless in what they did. 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. But this much is clear: He never believed that Jesus was guilty of any crime. His plan in doing so was to bless all people.
Causing him to not let the people go. And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. God himself had foreordained every detail surrounding the death of his Son. At my own local church, and everywhere else I go, faithful men and women record my sermons in audio and sometimes video. God will deal with them according to his plan, but first, He will use them for His own covenant judgment. They live as if there was no Creator, no moral law, no accountability. 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. Our accomplishments do not justify our existence. God sees. The sad story of Judas stands as a warning to religious people not to trust in their religion. In many cases without them even realizing that they were being used by God. They do whatever they want. And how will they hear without a preacher?
The book of proverbs also gives us insight into this. 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. We might make Jim Collins proud, but God yawns at our leadership abilities. He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good. Do you merely profess Christ and trust in your religious habits to save you, or do you possess Christ in your heart by faith?
verses about Unbelievers 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. When Moses spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, the people mourned greatly. So through his death, he can have everlasting life on earth. God doesnt need men, but God chooses to use men at times to accomplish His sovereign will. In 605 Egypt was defeated by the Neo-Babylonians at Carchemish. Yet both declare His awesome glory. The people of Israel, were backed up against the Red Sea with Pharaohs army charging at them. At times, God enlisted non-believers to help His people through the ages. He has not brought us this far to cause us to fail. Just as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things! (Rom. The mind of evil changes from bad to worse being taken in by successes in conquest. His covenant is always enforced. We see this clearly in the life of Christ.
His Now and then we advance to Easter morning where we discover Gods purpose in our pain. I also answer yes.
God We when we dont know if something is Gods will, we pray, Yet not my will but yours be done (Mt. I think we can learn some great lessons by answering these questions. But Habakkuks confusion was not doubt. God uses pathetic people for his glorious purposes to show his superior power. In fact, in one place in scripture, God said that what He was doing could not be understood even if He explained it. even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,But He does according to His will in the host of heavenAnd among the inhabitants of earth;And no one can ward off His handOr say to Him, What have You done?. For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you.. There are so many amazing things in these few verses. He uses believers and unbelievers. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him. 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 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. An unlikely person to be used by God.
God Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 4:5). shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it. Through one mans treachery, Jesus proves himself a man of peacenot a man of war. Soon they will be raised up from that struggle to full power. God wants to use those who look away from their self-sufficiency to his all-sufficiency. Paul also made this clear in Romans 9-11.
God Literal Standard Version. 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. Understanding God in Troubled Times Acts 2:23 tells us that Jesus was delivered up, by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death. WebGod Can Use Unbelievers part 1: Cyrus 1. WebGod will never set man's will aside and use him for a good purpose without his being willing to be used. Paul used this verse from Habakkuk to warn the foolish despisers of the gospel. 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 sovereignly saves sinners, yet, He often uses sinners to accomplish His sovereign will. C) God uses all eventsgood and badto accomplish his purposes. Moses was an instrument, a tool, a vessel for Gods use, and so are we all. 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.
God 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.. Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good. Their chargers charge ahead; Their cavalry comes from afar; They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat. Do not lament your insufficiency. (Video #2), Lesson 2: Gods Use of the Ungodly Habakkuk 1:5-11. Judas didnt know itand doesnt get any credit for itbut his dastardly deed actually fulfilled predictions given by the Holy Spirit hundreds of years before he was born.
Does God Accomplish His Purpose in Our That doesnt lessen his guilt, but it does increase our appreciation of Gods sovereignty over the affairs of men. Thus they plundered the Egyptians ( Exodus 12:36 ). Email Jack. Do not begrudge your weakness. The fact that God ordains both the means and the ends should surely encourage us as we face our own trials. But we need to grow in faith and obedience. WebGod will never set man's will aside and use him for a good purpose without his being willing to be used. God strengthened Cyrus so that he could conquer nations and overcome opposition Thus says the Lord God to His 2. And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. So the emphasis of the chapter is on Gods working out His purpose through ordinary people who obey Him. It was all the Lord. 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. 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. 13:17). The Lord said to Moses, How long will this people spurn Me? Solomon was given a mind like no one before and like none even after him (1 Kings 3:12). 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 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. This shows the mercy and compassion of God to help the Israelites. I cant charge an exorbitant hourly fee for my time. God often reveals himself in most unexpected ways. They all come for violence; Their faces are set like the east wind. Remember my imprisonment. 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. All four gospel writers agree that three times Pilate rendered the same verdict regarding Jesus: I find no fault in him (John 19:6 NKJV). 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. My ministry is small locally, but gigantic because of the faithful service of others. I have received no honorary doctorates. Moses give the Israelites specific instruction and visible representation from the invisible God. Nothing will ever be able to affect Gods will. Prayer is one of the means God uses to accomplish His sovereign will and get glory for himself. We need to remember that God uses the foolish.
verses about Unbelievers 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. Covenant judgment was about to be poured out upon Israel. God uses all those who humble themselves before the cross, boasting only in him his strength, his wisdom, his righteousness, his accomplishment. Though absolutely sovereign, all knowing, all wise, and everywhere present, God uses sinners to accomplish His will. In the healthiest churches, we find a holy conspiracy between pastors who gladly care for the sheep, and sheep who do what they can so that the pastors might serve joyfully.