So through his death, he can have everlasting life on earth. The phrase all this refers to the betrayal, the circumstances surrounding it, and the circumstances flowing from it. Gods plan even extended to having Jesus buried in a borrowed tomb (see Isaiah 53:9). I dont have any letters after my name. 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. Paul used this verse from Habakkuk to warn the foolish despisers of the gospel. Egypt made his brother, Jehoiakim, the new king over the Jews. God use unbelievers to accomplish his will So the emphasis of the chapter is on Gods working out His purpose through ordinary people who obey Him. They post my sermons on the web and people listen to or watch me preach all over the world. The Lord said to Moses, How long will this people spurn Me? There is no better example of Gods providence at work through the actions of a sinful man. For this reason God purposefully led the wondering multitude to a place where there was no possible way of escape from Pharaoh and his army, humanly speaking. During his ministry his greatest opposition came from the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes and the teachers of the Law. He uses believers and unbelievers. 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. Jesus waved him off by declaring, All this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled (Matthew 26:56). From the earliest days of Jesus life we find the Jewish leaders conspiring against him. 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. verses about Unbelievers They scoff at kings, And princes are scorned by them. In Acts 13:41 he said, Behold, you despisers, Marvel and perish! During our conversationwhich lasted two hours and was both cordial and very frankI told him that his religion could not save him. 13:17). The unbelievers, become confused, not remembering ever having the opportunity to serve Jesus. They deride every stronghold, For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it. Lest he misunderstand, I also told him that going to Calvary Memorial Church cannot save anyoneor help save anyone. God WebGod Can Use Unbelievers part 1: Cyrus 1. Paul also made this clear in Romans 9-11. International Standard Version. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Also, be sure to stop by our prayer wall. Causing a sacrifice to take place that would open salvation up to all people. God 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.read more.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. Zechariah 11:1230 pieces of silver (see Matthew 26:15). Wisdom didnt ensure obedience. When God does something completely different and unexpected (Numb. God is unimpressed. In the beginning Satan challenged Gods right to rule. I cant charge an exorbitant hourly fee for my time. 1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: 2 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. The Lord can never be blamed for evil, but evil does not take p. God never does evil Himself. 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. There are so many amazing things in these few verses. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask In such a manner Judas served Gods purposes through his wicked act of betrayal. My ministry is small locally, but gigantic because of the faithful service of others. The Lord did it, but He did it through Moses. We live most of our days in Good Fridayenduring confusion, opposition, disappointment and the many tragedies of life. Bible Hub 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. Finally, they suborned perjury by putting forward false witnesses who produced contradictory testimony. (see Matthew 27:5). For he sees that even wise men die;The stupid and the senseless alike perishAnd leave their wealth to others. I run into people in different countries or am contacted by those from different countries who have been blessed by my preaching. Gods plan even extended to having Jesus buried in a borrowed tomb (see Isaiah 53:9). Thanks for your interest! God strengthened Cyrus so that he could conquer nations and overcome opposition Thus says the Lord God to His 2. The Lord even tells Moses to do it, divide it! God doesnt need men, but God chooses to use men at times to accomplish His sovereign will. Covenant judgment was about to be poured out upon Israel. He even turns wicked hearts to serve his Sovereign purpose. This week I ate lunch with a man who has recently become an acquaintance through an e-mail correspondence. but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. 2:11). How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? God 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. Why? It only made sense on Sunday morning when Jesus rose from the dead. Habakkuk learned that the material success of the ungodly is not a reliable measure of their true success. New American Standard Bible Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. Fit to be Used According to the number of days which you spied out the land, forty days, for every day you shall bear your guilt a year, even forty years, and you will know My opposition. WebJohn 3:16. He has but one endto make us like Jesus. At first he ordered the Israelite babies to be killed at birth by the midwives (Ex. Steven Lee is the Pastor of Preaching & Vision at. His words imply that all the torment will be tolerable. 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, shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it. Christianity is not about religion, its about a life-changing relationship with the Son of God. We see this all the way through the Bible. 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. Were they to voluntarily all drown? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Just as He did with Pharaoh who placed no faith in the God of Israel. Then the Lord heard the sound of your words, and He was angry and took an oath, saying, Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land which I swore to give your fathers. We concluded that the Bible doesnt give us a final answer regarding why Judas betrayed Jesus Christ. 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. His And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. When we do that we become His instruments to accomplish His sovereign will. We are here and gone again. He could have just caused them to drop dead. The coming of Messiah was unexpected. At times, God enlisted non-believers to help His people through the ages. God uses the overwhelmed and disheveled mother to nurture her children into spiritual giants. Judas didnt know it, and neither did the disciples, but Gods fingerprints were all over his act of betrayal. 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. shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it. They sweep through like the strong winds from the East gathering up captives that number like the grains of sand. You truly never know God could be doing something right that we wouldnt understand even if He told us. 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. 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. Everything was planned by God down to the tiniest detail. God uses pathetic people for his glorious purposes to show his superior power. But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.. The sheep representing believers who did Gods will and the goats representing unbelievers who do not do Gods will. If your rsum is sparse, your intellect feeble, your skills unimpressive, and your wisdom just average, fret not. They have heard that You, O Lord, are in the midst of this people, for You, O Lord, are seen eye to eye, while Your cloud stands over them; and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. God calls the autistic man to give the most profound articulation of his simple faith. International Standard Version. The purpose of www.drivennails.com is to help train expository preachers in sermon construction and delivery, to train inductive Bible study writers and teachers, and to edify the saints with the Word of God. This is the attitude of the evil heart in all ages. 1:22). It is a mighty nation, It is an ancient nation, A nation whose language you do not know, Nor can you understand what they say. . I didnt attend an Ivy League school. The fact that we cant conceive of free choice coexisting with Gods predestination simply reminds us once again that he is God and we are not. Anyone who resists God risks falling into spiritual deception (2 ", Writing & Teaching Inductive Bible Studies. 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. 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. Recent events may not have gone how you hoped and the signs may seem bleak. Nothing that happened to Jesus that night or later on Good Friday made sense when it happened. WebThe Scripture teaches that God achieves His purpose in unbelievers. WebGod will never set man's will aside and use him for a good purpose without his being willing to be used. But before his salvation took place God was still using Him. 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. Jesus, in the Olivet Discourse, gave the parable of the sheep and the goats. As we saw in the first four verses of this book, Habakkuk was confused. Do not lament your insufficiency. But we need to grow in faith and obedience. At my own local church, and everywhere else I go, faithful men and women record my sermons in audio and sometimes video. 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. Jesus Sends Out the The sad story of Judas stands as a warning to religious people not to trust in their religion. That literally means, I find no basis for any of the charges brought against this man. In modern terms, you might call it a Summary Judgment in favor of Jesus. 14:11). Jesus said the unbelievers failed to give him food, drink, nurse him in His sickness, or visit Him in prison. More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation., Truth Of God Is denied by Unbelievers, the Truth of God Is denied by Unbelievers, Unbelievers Are blinded by the God of this world, Unbelievers Will be classed with outbreaking sinners in eternity, Unbelievers Their lifetime spent in vanity, Unbelievers Shall be judged by God's word in the last day, Will be classed with outbreaking sinners in eternity, Shall be judged by God's word in the last day. So continue to trust in Him and you wont be disappointed. I have received no honorary doctorates. When Moses spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, the people mourned greatly. This New-Babylon marched through Canaan and took hostages (one of them was Daniel). International Standard Version. This seems to be one of the reasons God had Moses lift up his staff and hands to divide the Red Sea. God Will Use Even You We might be a life-hacking, productivity guru. The way of the wicked is like darkness;They do not know over what they stumble. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. In the providence of God, the betrayal by Judas actually advanced Gods purpose in the world. Its something we can clearly see within the pages of our Bible. WebGod will never set man's will aside and use him for a good purpose without his being willing to be used. Habakkuk 1:7-11, They are terrible and dreadful; Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves. The total number of prophecies is well over 100. God uses pathetic people for his glorious purposes to show his superior power. Pharaohs heart was hardened again. WebGod never does evil Himself. and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. He recognized what was evil because he believed Gods law. He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good. Dont get me wrong, wisdom is important. Those who look to themselves, will eventually and always reap their just punishment. Now and then we advance to Easter morning where we discover Gods purpose in our pain. 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 In this period of Judahs last kings, the Prophets warned of the fulfillment of this covenant promise. Just as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things! (Rom. Sighing deeply in His spirit, He *said, Why does this generation seek for a sign? God Uses Assyria had fallen when Nineveh, its capitol, was destroyed in 612 BC. No buildings, streets, or hospitals have been named in honor of me. He was a brilliant poet, a skillful songwriter, a genius botanist, and a first-class biologist. Verse Concepts. Consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. Your sons shall be shepherds for forty years in the wilderness, and they will suffer for your unfaithfulness, until your corpses lie in the wilderness. Another unlikely person used by God was King Cyrus of Persia. Peter didnt see it, he only saw the treachery of Judas. Though absolutely sovereign, all knowing, all wise, and everywhere present, God uses sinners to accomplish His will. For who resists His will?, For He says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion..