Though absolutely sovereign, all knowing, all wise, and everywhere present, God uses sinners to accomplish His will. Gods plan even extended to having Jesus buried in a borrowed tomb (see Isaiah 53:9). Comments? God doesnt need men, but God chooses to use men at times to accomplish His sovereign will. So the emphasis of the chapter is on Gods working out His purpose through ordinary people who obey Him. 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. Often in the confusion of life, we cant see the ends, much less the means God intends for us. Many believed they were going to die and complained to Moses (Ex. I answer yes. 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 spite of all this they still sinned And did not believe in His wonderful works. 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. He has not brought us this far to cause us to fail. And Jesus said, For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind. Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, We are not blind too, are we? Jesus said to them, If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, We see, your sin remains. I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me. 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. Even those who dont believe and even speak against. Sighing deeply in His spirit, He *said, Why does this generation seek for a sign? For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? This seems to be one of the reasons God had Moses lift up his staff and hands to divide the Red Sea. Those who look to themselves, will eventually and always reap their just punishment. 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. Do not begrudge your weakness. It even included the price Judas would receive for his act of treachery30 pieces of silver. We know from the sowing and reaping principle that t here will be degrees of torment in the lake of fire. 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. How beautiful! It was all the Lord. 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. Were they to voluntarily all drown? 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 blesses those in whom he stirs to obedience, and judges disobedience. A God who can bring something good out of betrayal can be trusted to accomplish his work in your life. He didnt accept evil apathetically, he was appalled by it. Even today there are those who are arrogant and have no honor for God as He reveals Himself in Scripture. 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. 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. But we need to grow in faith and obedience. Gods sign of judgment was that they would hear foreign language on the streets of Jerusalem, speaking in a language they did not understand. I am not a rising star in any field, industry, or arena. Two questions confront us as we consider the story of Judas: Last weeks sermon dealt with the first question. 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. 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. 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. God calls the autistic man to give the most profound articulation of his simple faith. 4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. But the Jews who disbelieved stirred up the minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against the brethren. Verse Concepts. The gospels writers emphasize that although the Jewish leaders earnestly sought for witnesses who could testify against Christ, they found no one willing to come forward. They intend to be their own god. All of it happened according to Gods plan. God is unimpressed. Jesus says much the same thing in his famous prayer just before Judas arrives: None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that the Scripture would be fulfilled (John17:12b). 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. A complete answer is impossible for who has known the mind of the Lord (Isa. First, the people of Israel were for the most part leaderless. But this much is clear: He never believed that Jesus was guilty of any crime. Jesus immediately restored the ear and told Peter to put down his sword. Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 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. 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 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. Jump to Previous God will bring ultimate and final judgment upon all ungodliness. God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne ( Psalm 47:8 ). 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. WebGod never does evil Himself. God is not the author of sin, but He can use sinful men to attain an objective. The mind of evil changes from bad to worse being taken in by successes in conquest. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. 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. Through one mans treachery, Jesus proves himself a man of peacenot a man of war. The Lord did it, but He did it through Moses. So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. Zechariah 11:1230 pieces of silver (see Matthew 26:15). Or see articles from other writers we feature Here. C) We place our confidence in Gods ultimate purpose for us. The glory of His nature and attributes will be made known in full. 1 John 5:14. God has the amazing ability to do things that simply do not make sense to mankind. During his ministry his greatest opposition came from the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes and the teachers of the Law. God was about to turn to the Gentiles as He judged Israel as a nation for her unbelief. If not, we have reason to question whether our faith is real. Gods Prophet Jeremiah warned of Gods judgment. He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good. In those moments we often feel alone in the chaos of circumstances as life tumbles in around us. Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land which I swore to give your fathers. A nation would come to judge them speaking in a language they did not understand (Deuteronomy 28:49). 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. Gods covenant warned from the beginning that if Israel fell into sin God would use a foreign heathen nation to bring judgment upon them. 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. Often in the confusion of life, we cant see the ends, much less the means God intends for us. C) God uses all eventsgood and badto accomplish his purposes. Im not a founder, innovator, CEO, or visionary of any company. But the fact of the matter is it wasnt me! 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. Grace be with you. While not all became believers, many felt a strong attraction to his message. 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. He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good. He uses believers and unbelievers. We have one life to use, and the usefulness of that one life depends not on our rsum or even how much we know. We pray because God is sovereign and all powerful. Eternity will reveal how your faithful service was used by the Lord in amazing ways. Your children, however, whom you said would become a preyI will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected. 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. At the beginning of their sojourn, Joseph was ruler of Egypt, a son of Jacob, and watched over his own. 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 fact that God ordains both the means and the ends should surely encourage us as we face our own trials. We should never presume to say to an unbeliever, God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. We cant know that. so that they might escape from the devil's snare, even though they've been held captive by him to do his will. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. The fact that God ordains both the means and the ends should surely encourage us as we face our own trials. 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. 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). Were on a mission to change that. WebGod will never set man's will aside and use him for a good purpose without his being willing to be used. In their very act of oppression, they unknowingly serve the glory of the Creator. They deride every stronghold, For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it. They were evil cowards who hated the Son of God but feared a popular uprising if they tried to arrest 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. I have received no honorary doctorates. But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all;read more.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. The people of Jacob were trapped. WebThe Scripture teaches that God achieves His purpose in unbelievers. For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you.. Moses didnt have any power to bring the ten plagues upon Egypt either. A second reason, related to the first reason, is that God knew that by doing His miracles through Moses, Moses would then in turn give glory to God. In fact, in one place in scripture, God said that what He was doing could not be understood even if He explained it. Jesus is truly the lamb without blemish who died for the sins of the world (John 1:29).