god uses unbelievers to accomplish his will god uses unbelievers to accomplish his will

It was all the Lord. We live most of our days in Good Fridayenduring confusion, opposition, disappointment and the many tragedies of life. WebJohn 3:16. No buildings, streets, or hospitals have been named in honor of me. God asks us to do things we cant do, because it makes us trust IN HIM, not ourselves. Even Jesus cannot save a man who claims his sin is not really sinful. Now relax your hand! And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. But Habakkuks confusion was not doubt. In their very act of oppression, they unknowingly serve the glory of the Creator. God uses pathetic people for his glorious purposes to show his superior power. They heap judgment on themselves. They move ahead as a determined army spreading violence. Peter told the early Christians that the Scripture had to be fulfilled. He meant that the betrayal had to happen the way it did. Our accolades cannot merit us any greatness. In the time of the New Testament after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we see the expansion of Gods Covenant to include Gentile believers drawn to the Savor by the Gospel. But we need to grow in faith and obedience. 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 total number of prophecies is well over 100. That leads me to ask a simple question: Are you a professor or a possessor? This is a true mystery, which we may explain in various ways but will never fully understand. WebJohn 3:16. When we do that we become His instruments to accomplish His sovereign will. Gods covenant warned from the beginning that if Israel fell into sin God would use a foreign heathen nation to bring judgment upon them. In the process, we will also find an answer to a third question, Who are the sons of God in Gen. 6? If you like solving mysteries, you will love this, "Churches are going apostate inside their comfortable church buildings! Dont get me wrong, wisdom is important. 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. What an honor to serve the King of kings. I answer yes. In those moments we often feel alone in the chaos of circumstances as life tumbles in around us. That doesnt lessen his guilt, but it does increase our appreciation of Gods sovereignty over the affairs of men. All rights reserved. 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? He chooses to use sinners to accomplish His sovereign will, often in ways we dont even understand. 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. 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. Moses didnt have any power to bring the ten plagues upon Egypt either. It can be fairly said that the common people by and large respected Jesus and responded positively to his message. In many cases without them even realizing that they were being used by God. Two questions confront us as we consider the story of Judas: Last weeks sermon dealt with the first question. A) We bow in submission before the mysterious ways of God. 3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. 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 can use even you even me. All of our resources exist to guide you toward everlasting joy in Jesus Christ. As we saw in the first four verses of this book, Habakkuk was confused. 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. Which caused the church to grow rapidly. We concluded that the Bible doesnt give us a final answer regarding why Judas betrayed Jesus Christ. Email Jack. Do not lament your insufficiency. (Bible quotations are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.). God promised to precede Cyrus and destroy all opposition that Cyrus would face: 'I will go before you and make the 3. Though Israel was many, only the remnant will be saved (Romans 9:27). This shows the mercy and compassion of God to help the Israelites. Does God sometimes use evil to accomplish His plans (Habakkuk 1:5-11)? He uses believers and unbelievers. 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. 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. How does this truth apply to Judas? A most astonishing way of fulfilling that prophesy. Thus they plundered the Egyptians ( Exodus 12:36 ). Unbelievers Are blinded by the God of this world 2 Corinthians 4:4 Verse Concepts WebGod will never set man's will aside and use him for a good purpose without his being willing to be used. During his ministry his greatest opposition came from the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes and the teachers of the Law. Gods plan included the time of Jesus deathPassover, the placeJerusalem, the opposition by the Jewish leaders, and the betrayal by Judas. 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. Your children, however, whom you said would become a preyI will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected. And that is okay. For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? WebThe Scripture teaches that God achieves His purpose in unbelievers. WebThe Scripture teaches that God achieves His purpose in unbelievers. for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Gods plan even extended to having Jesus buried in a borrowed tomb (see Isaiah 53:9). We return now to the original question: Why did God allow Judas to betray Jesus? Here is my answer: He allowed Judas to betray Jesus so that Jesus could become the Savior of the world. The very first verse my daughter ever memorized was Isaiah 40:8, The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. It seemed like an odd one to begin with, but now in retrospect it might have been the best one. But our God is mightier than any office or country. God promised to precede Cyrus and destroy all opposition that Cyrus would face: 'I will go before you and make the 3. If we lack wisdom, we should ask God for it (James 1:5). Soon they will be raised up from that struggle to full power. Jump to Previous The greater the pain, the harder it is to see Gods fingerprints. For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you.. God is not finished with you yet, so dont give up on him. 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. 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. Many believed they were going to die and complained to Moses (Ex. A God who can bring something good out of betrayal can be trusted to accomplish his work in your life. 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.. Their chargers charge ahead; Their cavalry comes from afar; They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat. Jesus said to them, If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, We see, your sin remains. Were they to voluntarily all drown? The way to heaven is only Jesus and Jesus only.. Third, it is necessary for us to remain silent, to not fret, grumble, or complain, while we wait for the Lord to deliver us from whatever trial we are suffering. As a place to begin, consider three verses dealing with Judas. God could have had the earth swallow up the Amalekites. even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Do not lament your insufficiency. God often reveals himself in most unexpected ways. Everything was planned by God down to the tiniest detail. 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. 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. 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. 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. Then his mind changes, and he transgresses; He commits offense, Ascribing this power to his god.. 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. God has the amazing ability to do things that simply do not make sense to mankind. 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. Even his enemies played into Gods handthough they did not know it at the time. 1:15-16), later to be thrown in the Nile (Ex. Thus they plundered the Egyptians ( Exodus 12:36 ). If God did the miracles without Moses, amazing things would have happened, but the people would not have known what was going on or what to do. 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. 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. Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Grace be with you. God uses pathetic people for his glorious purposes to show his superior power. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But it does mean everything will happen as God sees fit. WebJohn 3:16. Remember my imprisonment. Jump to Previous God promised to precede Cyrus and destroy all opposition that Cyrus would face: 'I will go before you and make the 3. We see this all the way through the Bible. so that they might escape from the devil's snare, even though they've been held captive by him to do his will. Today, the weapons of force have improved, yet all the more they take whatever they want, and give only when it serves their purpose. Peter didnt see it, he only saw the treachery of Judas. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. Literal Standard Version. How will they preach unless they are sent? They have heard that You, O. As Christians, we have nothing to fear or worry about because we know that God is in control. He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will. So through his death, he can have everlasting life on earth. I, the Lord, have spoken, surely this I will do to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. Grace be with you. When he went before Pilate, the Roman governor received an urgent message from his wife: Dont have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him (Matthew 27:19). Here we see that when believers are doing the will of God, obeying the Word of God, and serving even the least of the Saints, they are Gods instruments, doing Jesus will, ministering to Jesus people, His body, His bride. We have one life to use, and the usefulness of that one life depends not on our rsum or even how much we know. The fact that God ordains both the means and the ends should surely encourage us as we face our own trials. Egypt and the Neo-Babylonians were competing for world dominance. 1:8). There is no better example of Gods providence at work through the actions of a sinful man. 28 who says of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, saying of Jerusalem, She shall be built,, and of the temple, Your foundation shall be laid. . Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. To say it another way, there is a man in hell today who has been there for 2000 years even though what he did advanced Gods plan to save the world. Yet both declare His awesome glory. We know from the sowing and reaping principle that t here will be degrees of torment in the lake of fire. At times, God enlisted non-believers to help His people through the ages. Yet, Solomon turned away from God (1 Kings 11:4, 912). Thats where the judgment will come from. God used this unlikely group of people to accomplish His greatest work and they had no idea. His silence spoke more loudly than the foolish claims of his lying accusers. Nothing is ever left to chance with God. When Judas actually betrayed Jesus in the Garden, Peter immediately sprang to his defense. I have an unimpressive family background and do not come from a long line of important people. His plan in doing so was to bless all people. Jesus said the unbelievers failed to give him food, drink, nurse him in His sickness, or visit Him in prison. 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? At first he ordered the Israelite babies to be killed at birth by the midwives (Ex. And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. But we can find hope in knowing that God is in control, He works all things for our God, and no suffering we face know will even be able to cast a shadow on the glory we will receive in Heaven. A complete answer is impossible for who has known the mind of the Lord (Isa. 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. Verse Concepts. Each time Moses would perform a mighty sign to convince Pharaoh of Gods power but each time God would harden his heart. For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. But through the lens of the New Testament, he is seen as a wicked man. WebGod Can Use Unbelievers part 1: Cyrus 1. And goes on to say, How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land which I swore to give your fathers. Being a creative, innovative or highly effective leader is insufficient. While not all became believers, many felt a strong attraction to his message.