This week I ate lunch with a man who has recently become an acquaintance through an e-mail correspondence. 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. I might preach to 100 people on Sunday morning in my own little church, but I preach to thousands over the internet. The terms Neo-Babylons and Chaldeans are used interchangeably for the people of that Empire. It was the tech team, the web master, the secretary, or whoever posted my sermon on line. They were afraid. 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. But now, I pray, let the power of the Lord be great, just as You have declared, Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness, just as You also have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now., but indeed, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the. 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. At my own local church, and everywhere else I go, faithful men and women record my sermons in audio and sometimes video. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth (Isaiah 53:7). I have not written a New York Times Bestseller, and no one has publicly endorsed, recommended, or vouched for me. It even included the price Judas would receive for his act of treachery30 pieces of silver. He sent His son to pay a most costly price for the sin of His people, for those who trust in Him. There he said in 1 Corinthians 14:21, With men of other tongues and other lips I will speak to this people; And yet, for all that, they will not hear Me, says the Lord. He directly quoted the covenant warning of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Deuteronomy. 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. All of it happened according to Gods plan. 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. Just as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things! (Rom. 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. Thats generally the way life is for all of us. 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. As Christians, we have nothing to fear or worry about because we know that God is in control. This seems to be one of the reasons God had Moses lift up his staff and hands to divide the Red Sea. In fact, in one place in scripture, God said that what He was doing could not be understood even if He explained it. In the providence of God, the betrayal by Judas actually advanced Gods purpose in the world. 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. Unbelievers Are blinded by the God of this world 2 Corinthians 4:4 Verse Concepts 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?. God will use it even if you do not understand how. 1:21). Anyone who resists God risks falling into spiritual deception (2 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. . This doesnt erase tragedy or transform heartache, but it gives us a divine perspective on the hard times of life that enables us to keep on going when wed rather give up and quit. The fact that God ordains both the means and the ends should surely encourage us as we face our own trials. God knew that Pharaoh would change his mind about letting the people of Israel go and that he would pursue them to bring them back to Egypt. When God does something completely different and unexpected (Numb. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. Which caused the church to grow rapidly. 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. 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. Embrace your weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest upon you to reveal Gods surpassing greatness (2 Corinthians 12:9). Bible Hub In the beginning Satan challenged Gods right to rule. (Bible quotations are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.). 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. WebJohn 3:16. Jump to Previous but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. The repentant show Gods unmerited grace to undeserving sinners, and reveal the merciful blessing and goodness of God. In spite of all this they still sinnedAnd did not believe in His wonderful works. This New-Babylon marched through Canaan and took hostages (one of them was Daniel). It is a warning to Israel that if they should break Gods covenant, calamity will come upon them revealing the wrath of the offended God. He could have rained fire and brimstone down on them. Having all the wisdom in the world didnt guarantee fidelity. Often in the confusion of life, we cant see the ends, much less the means God intends for us. They sweep through like the strong winds from the East gathering up captives that number like the grains of sand. God uses pathetic people for his glorious purposes to show his superior power. 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. How does this truth apply to Judas? God 10:14-15). Literal Standard Version. Yet both declare His awesome glory. 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. For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? The coming of Messiah was unexpected. God uses all those who humble themselves before the cross, boasting only in him his strength, his wisdom, his righteousness, his accomplishment. It is only as we look back that we see clearly that God was there all along, working behind the scenes for our good and his glory. God Works His Will Do not begrudge your weakness. 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. Jesus said to them, If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, We see, your sin remains. It was their God, or at least the God of Moses, that just killed all the first born of Egypt. Suggestions? God Works His Will Soon they will be raised up from that struggle to full power. Fifth, and the point I want to focus on, is that the Lord tells Moses, 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. I find this very interesting and encouraging. The ungodly show the futility of their rebellion, the awful penalty of sin, and the just wrath of God. 2) If Jesus did descend into hell, why? God Will Use Even You God wants to use those who look away from their self-sufficiency to his all-sufficiency. Paul used this verse from Habakkuk to warn the foolish despisers of the gospel. Believer, dont think that your faithful service to your local body of believers is insignificant or accounts for little or nothing. WebGod was about to turn to the Gentiles as He judged Israel as a nation for her unbelief. God didnt need to have Moses lift up his staff. Gods Ability To Use Unlikely People Even Unbelievers. Do not begrudge your weakness. He has but one endto make us like Jesus. Paul also made this clear in Romans 9-11. ", Writing & Teaching Inductive Bible Studies. (see Acts 1:20). Why bother praying to a God who isnt? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife? 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). Scripture even points to the fact that God used Cyrus even though he didnt know God. Do not lament your insufficiency. Does God Accomplish His Purpose in Our For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. Sighing deeply in His spirit, He *said, Why does this generation seek for a sign? 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. 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. Jesus point is clear, The King will answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.. We are saved by living faith in the Son of Godnot by outward religious observance. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; Immediately the boys father cried out and said, I do believe; help my unbelief.. He is working all things after the counsel of His will (Eph. Do not begrudge your weakness. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask All of these people are unlikely choices to be used by God since they didnt truly know or believe in Him. Peter told the early Christians that the Scripture had to be fulfilled. He meant that the betrayal had to happen the way it did. God sometimes use evil to accomplish His plans (Habakkuk WebGod was about to turn to the Gentiles as He judged Israel as a nation for her unbelief. In our text, Ex. But through the lens of the New Testament, he is seen as a wicked man. Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.. Then God, in His sovereign power and will, takes our weak and fallible service, and accomplishes His will, like parting the Red Sea. 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. Anyone who resists God risks falling into spiritual deception (2 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 same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives. God Uses The fact that God ordains both the means and the ends should surely encourage us as we face our own trials. God 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. His betrayal proved that the Jewish leaders were far from innocent bystanders in the death of Christ. But if anyone says to you, This is meat sacrificed to idols, do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience sake; I mean not your own conscience, but the other mans; for why is my freedom judged by anothers conscience? God himself had foreordained every detail surrounding the death of his Son. So through his death, he can have everlasting life on earth. Just as He did with Pharaoh who placed no faith in the God of Israel. 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. Later Pilate gave in to pressure and ordered Jesus crucified. And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. Rejoice that Christ is all-sufficient and always dependable. God is not the author of sin, but He can use sinful men to attain an objective. God could have had the earth swallow up the Amalekites. So through his death, he can have everlasting life on earth. God ordains the means and the ends of life. 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. I have an unimpressive family background and do not come from a long line of important people. Israel as a nation had rejected the promises of Moses and the Prophets culminating in the demand for the death of Jesus, Gods Messiah. Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. They move ahead as a determined army spreading violence. Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land which I swore to give your fathers. Thus they plundered the Egyptians ( Exodus 12:36 ). Gods plan even extended to having Jesus buried in a borrowed tomb (see Isaiah 53:9). Gods Ability To Use Unlikely People Even Unbelievers. 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. 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. But God did just that and used a sinning Gentile to begin the process of restoring Israel. God Uses Its okay to be a nobody, if in all you do, you serve Somebody. Causing him to not let the people go. Lest he misunderstand, I also told him that going to Calvary Memorial Church cannot save anyoneor help save anyone. No buildings, streets, or hospitals have been named in honor of me. Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. Is that a contradiction? Will we show forth Gods glory in our obedience and in our receiving of His covenant blessing? 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. They scoff at kings, And princes are scorned by them. God sovereignly saves sinners, yet, He often uses sinners to accomplish His sovereign will. 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. Because God is utterly unimpressed by my rsum. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask God Will Use Even You Do you merely profess Christ and trust in your religious habits to save you, or do you possess Christ in your heart by faith? Jesus Sends Out the The gospel writers record many Old Testament prophecies that were fulfilled in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Though there were still many who had remained faithful, others no longer followed the words of the Prophets. Every evil in the world must somehow serve Gods purpose. We know from the sowing and reaping principle that t here will be degrees of torment in the lake of fire. 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.
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