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. The Lord did it, but He did it through Moses. But he chose instead to allow himself to be arrested, knowing that this would fulfill Gods plan. 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. The evil ones believe pridefully that their own imagined gods have blessed them. 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. 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. His words imply that all the torment will be tolerable. 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. Although God was at work in the betrayal, you couldnt see it that night. God sovereignly saves sinners, yet, He often uses sinners to accomplish His sovereign will. 2:11). 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. Comments? 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. They will be held guilty. Their horses also are swifter than leopards, And more fierce than evening wolves. Our prayers aline us with 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. I have not been named most influential, listed as most attractive, or voted most likely to succeed. We concluded that the Bible doesnt give us a final answer regarding why Judas betrayed Jesus Christ. (see Acts 1:20). Because God created all He can use anything in creation. Things may seem impossible, and for men, they might be impossible, but nothing is impossible with God (Lk. In their very act of oppression, they unknowingly serve the glory of the Creator. He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good. Jesus, in the Olivet Discourse, gave the parable of the sheep and the goats. It even included the price Judas would receive for his act of treachery30 pieces of silver. 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. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask Questions? This is a true mystery, which we may explain in various ways but will never fully understand. Nothing that happened to Jesus that night or later on Good Friday made sense when it happened. They move ahead as a determined army spreading violence. I, the Lord, have spoken, surely this I will do to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. 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. 1 And Saul approved of his execution. That is what moving forward would require, or so it seemed. When we do that we become His instruments to accomplish His sovereign will. Each time Moses would perform a mighty sign to convince Pharaoh of Gods power but each time God would harden his heart. 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. It can be fairly said that the common people by and large respected Jesus and responded positively to his message. But we learn that over time a new Pharaoh arose who did not know Joseph or respect what Joseph had done (Ex. The glory of His nature and attributes will be made known in full. So through his death, he can have everlasting life on earth. 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. 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. How beautiful! Then his mind changes, and he transgresses; He commits offense, Ascribing this power to his god.. Their chargers charge ahead; Their cavalry comes from afar; They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat. Pastor, Expository Preacher, Author, Trainer of Preachers and Bible Teachers. Will we show forth Gods glory in our obedience and in our receiving of His covenant blessing? Pharaohs heart was hardened again. My ministry is small locally, but gigantic because of the faithful service of others. Thats where the judgment will come from. Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Providence means that God is in charge of the entire universe at all times and nothing happens outside his control. Soon they will be raised up from that struggle to full power. Suggestions? For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? 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. Are we becoming more like Jesus by the power of the Spirit? 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. The evil nations God was raising up to judge his rebellious people were self-centered. That doesnt lessen his guilt, but it does increase our appreciation of Gods sovereignty over the affairs of men. Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. 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.. 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. Jesus responded to the false testimony by saying nothing at all. 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. Paul, in writing to Corinth, corrected the Churchs misuse of speaking in foreign tongues. 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. Do not begrudge your weakness. God is not the author of sin, but He can use sinful men to attain an objective. That doesnt make us anything more in Gods eyes. (Video #2), Lesson 2: Gods Use of the Ungodly Habakkuk 1:5-11. 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. Training for Preachers and Teachers of God's Word, Want to know what an RSS feed is and how it works? We pray because God is sovereign and all powerful. In fact, in one place in scripture, God said that what He was doing could not be understood even if He explained it. Zechariah 11:13Judas would give the money back. God was about to turn to the Gentiles as He judged Israel as a nation for her unbelief. ", Writing & Teaching Inductive Bible Studies. Another unlikely person used by God was King Cyrus of Persia. They intend to be their own god. I cant charge an exorbitant hourly fee for my time. 10:14-15). 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. The Pharisees believed they were serving God but in reality, they didnt even know Him. Sign up to join over 20,000 subscribers receiving our weekly sermon email. God uses pathetic people for his glorious purposes to show his superior power. Scripture even points to the fact that God used Cyrus even though he didnt know God. WebGod will never set man's will aside and use him for a good purpose without his being willing to be used. 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 had no weapons to fight Pharaohs army, no experience in war, no ability to defend themselves, and no way of escape. The people of Jacob were trapped. Remember my imprisonment. Sighing deeply in His spirit, He *said, Why does this generation seek for a sign? These lessons simply teach us that God can take that which is evil and use it for his own good purposes. In the beginning Satan challenged Gods right to rule. We need to remember that God uses the foolish. 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. The mind of evil changes from bad to worse being taken in by successes in conquest. 6:10). Be encouraged, child of God. How will they preach unless they are sent? Remember my imprisonment. This week were looking at the other side of the equation. 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. Able to do exceedingly and abundantly using unlikely people to further His plans. 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. He betrayed the Lord but ended up vindicating him. by Bob Burridge 2013, 2015 At times, God enlisted non-believers to help His people through the ages. This warning was made clear in the ancient covenant revealed long before through Moses in Deuteronomy 28. WebGod Can Use Unbelievers part 1: Cyrus 1. 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. 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.
Bootle Leisure Centre Class Timetable,
Uss Long Beach Vietnam Service,
How Many Gates At Seatac Airport,
Stuffed Tatume Squash Recipes,
Crowne Plaza Hotel Chicago Deaths,
Articles G
