This truth about Judas illustrates Gods control of every event in the universe. (see Acts 1:20). 13:17). How beautiful! I didnt attend an Ivy League school. Those who look to themselves, will eventually and always reap their just punishment. God uses pathetic people for his glorious purposes to show his superior power. 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.. Through one mans treachery, Jesus proves himself a man of peacenot a man of war. God strengthened Cyrus so that he could conquer nations and overcome opposition Thus says the Lord God to His 2. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask 6:10). Just as He did with Pharaoh who placed no faith in the God of Israel. 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). God uses pathetic people for his glorious purposes to show his superior power. 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. 1:8). Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. God has the amazing ability to do things that simply do not make sense to mankind. Im not a founder, innovator, CEO, or visionary of any company. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy. His plan in doing so was to bless all people. You will say to me then, Why does He still find fault? Everything was planned by God down to the tiniest detail. 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. The Prophet was told to look around him and see what was going on among the nations, observe! God use unbelievers to accomplish his will His words imply that all the torment will be tolerable. He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good. In the beginning Satan challenged Gods right to rule. God promised to precede Cyrus and destroy all opposition that Cyrus would face: 'I will go before you and make the 3. That pagan nation was struggling against Egypt for dominance. He fought against God and hoped to destroy the early church. 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. God could by-pass us and do everything himself, but He does not. The gospel writers record many Old Testament prophecies that were fulfilled in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 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. The thing he values the most is dragging him down to eternal damnation. Gods Ability To Use Unlikely People Even Unbelievers. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. God Can Use Unbelievers part 1: Cyrus 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. 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). But all of them come from the hand of the Lord. 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. A) We bow in submission before the mysterious ways of God. He uses believers and unbelievers. Providence means that God is in charge of the entire universe at all times and nothing happens outside his control. 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. 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. Psalm 69:25Reputation destroyed forever. Sighing deeply in His spirit, He *said, Why does this generation seek for a sign? 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. International Standard Version. 2) If Jesus did descend into hell, why? In fact, in one place in scripture, God said that what He was doing could not be understood even if He explained it. Jesus Sends Out the God strengthened Cyrus so that he could conquer nations and overcome opposition Thus says the Lord God to His 2. 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. Gods plan even extended to having Jesus buried in a borrowed tomb (see Isaiah 53:9). WebThe Scripture teaches that God achieves His purpose in unbelievers. Dont get me wrong, wisdom is important. God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne ( Psalm 47:8 ). The Lord said to Moses, How long will this people spurn Me? Moses didnt have any power to divide the Red Sea. 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. God could have had the earth swallow up the Amalekites. God Works His Will I am the trustee of nothing more than my personal belongings. God is still using unlikely people to accomplish His will on earth today. 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. His plan in doing so was to bless all people. At my own local church, and everywhere else I go, faithful men and women record my sermons in audio and sometimes video. Strategically, this appeared to be a very unwise move, unless you are God. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. 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. Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? We should never presume to say to an unbeliever, God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. We cant know that. He didnt accept evil apathetically, he was appalled by it. But the Jews who disbelieved stirred up the minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against the brethren. Verse Concepts. Thus they plundered the Egyptians ( Exodus 12:36 ). Jump to Previous 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. 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. Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? That doesnt lessen his guilt, but it does increase our appreciation of Gods sovereignty over the affairs of men. Showing us that our God can and will use anyone even though they dont know Him. God Judas served Gods purposes even though what he did was wrong and he ended up in hell. God ordains the means and the ends of life. God may ordain to use their wickedness, but this does not make it morally right. We are saved by living faith in the Son of Godnot by outward religious observance. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. What an honor to serve the King of kings. (Bible quotations are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.). 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. Our prayers do not alter Gods eternal decree. Our accolades cannot merit us any greatness. Because God does miracles by His own power. Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! International Standard Version. Thus they plundered the Egyptians ( Exodus 12:36 ). 5:14). We turn now to consider how the sin of Judas served many good purposesnone of which were seen that night and none of which diminish his true moral guilt. 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. In spite of all this they still sinned And did not believe in His wonderful works. 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. The new king was deposed after three months. Does God Accomplish His Purpose in Our Even Jesus cannot save a man who claims his sin is not really sinful. 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). You truly never know God could be doing something right that we wouldnt understand even if He told us. Do you merely profess Christ and trust in your religious habits to save you, or do you possess Christ in your heart by faith? Really, its just fine. At times, God enlisted non-believers to help His people through the ages. Unbelievers Are blinded by the God of this world 2 Corinthians 4:4 Verse Concepts God Uses Many People to Accomplish His Purposes Gods sign of judgment was that they would hear foreign language on the streets of Jerusalem, speaking in a language they did not understand. He dealt with his doubts and confusion in the right way, he turned to God, not to his own understanding. He has not brought us this far to cause us to fail. The Lord can never be blamed for evil, but evil does not take p. God never does evil Himself. He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. God has the amazing ability to do things that simply do not make sense to mankind. But He is unique and who can turn Him?And what His soul desires, that He does. Nothing is ever left to chance with God. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask ", Writing & Teaching Inductive Bible Studies. WebGod Can Use Unbelievers part 1: Cyrus 1. God 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. He used sinners to accomplish His sovereign will. 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.. I sit on no boards. WebGod will never set man's will aside and use him for a good purpose without his being willing to be used. Yet He was still able to accomplish His will through them. 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. We return now to the original question: Why did God allow Judas to betray Jesus? We are here and gone again. The sad story of Judas stands as a warning to religious people not to trust in their religion. Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.. A most astonishing way of fulfilling that prophesy. He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good. And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. Though absolutely sovereign, all knowing, all wise, and everywhere present, God uses sinners to accomplish His will. Questions? (Video #2), Lesson 2: Gods Use of the Ungodly Habakkuk 1:5-11. They wanted him dead and used Judas as a convenient means to that ugly end. Thats where the judgment will come from. God God used this unlikely group of people to accomplish His greatest work and they had no idea. C) We place our confidence in Gods ultimate purpose for us. God is not the author of sin, but He can use sinful men to attain an objective. Were they to march into the sea holding their little ones, driving their cattle, and pushing their elderly? Now if You slay this people as one man, then the nations who have heard of Your fame will say. Compared to you or me, King Solomon had it all wisdom, wealth, fame, power. 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. They were in an impossible situation with no way out. 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. And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. If so, did he have a choice? The book of proverbs also gives us insight into this. 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. God will deal with them according to his plan, but first, He will use them for His own covenant judgment. Finally, they suborned perjury by putting forward false witnesses who produced contradictory testimony. If we lack wisdom, we should ask God for it (James 1:5). Anyone who resists God risks falling into spiritual deception (2 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. They were evil cowards who hated the Son of God but feared a popular uprising if they tried to arrest him. But it does mean everything will happen as God sees fit. This is the attitude of the evil heart in all ages. 1:21). Jump to Previous He was a brilliant poet, a skillful songwriter, a genius botanist, and a first-class biologist. Thanks for your interest! 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. for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Until finally it came to the Red Sea where the Egyptian army was destroyed and the tale spread across the world to the glory of God. We see this all the way through the Bible. 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. 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. Its something we can clearly see within the pages of our Bible. We know from the sowing and reaping principle that t here will be degrees of torment in the lake of fire. He uses believers and unbelievers. WebGod will never set man's will aside and use him for a good purpose without his being willing to be used. God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne ( Psalm 47:8 ). Therefore if the whole church assembles together and all speak in tongues, and ungifted men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad? God I think we can learn some great lessons by answering these questions. They were the ones who asked for valuables from the people of Egypt, who were so fearful and stricken with grief that they gave the departing Israelites their riches, literally paying the Jews to leave Egypt (Ex. As they plotted how to murder Jesus they had no idea they were accomplishing Gods will. When God desires to save someone, He raises up Christians to preach the gospel. But through the lens of the New Testament, he is seen as a wicked man. So through his death, he can have everlasting life on earth. Paul, in writing to Corinth, corrected the Churchs misuse of speaking in foreign tongues. God uses the overwhelmed and disheveled mother to nurture her children into spiritual giants. Pharaohs heart was hardened again. Scripture even points to the fact that God used Cyrus even though he didnt know God. Today, the weapons of force have improved, yet all the more they take whatever they want, and give only when it serves their purpose. He is working all things after the counsel of His will (Eph. Pentecost was a sign to the unbelieving of Israel that they had broken the covenant and stood deserving of Gods judgment and wrath. Philippians 3:4-7 - although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. 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. Gods covenant warned from the beginning that if Israel fell into sin God would use a foreign heathen nation to bring judgment upon them. God doesnt need men, but God chooses to use men at times to accomplish His sovereign will. Were on a mission to change that. He was ready to die for his Master and intended to take a few of the bad guys with him. God has the amazing ability to do things that simply do not make sense to mankind. I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me. When Judas kissed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter impulsively grabbed his sword and started swinging.
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