How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? We see this all the way through the Bible. For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you.. WebGod Can Use Unbelievers part 1: Cyrus 1. God himself had foreordained every detail surrounding the death of his Son. 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. He used sinners to accomplish His sovereign will. Wisdom didnt guard him against a wandering heart. He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good. God is still using unlikely people to accomplish His will on earth today. His story is unique in that he claims to be a Christian even though he has chosen a way of life that God calls an abomination. Today, the weapons of force have improved, yet all the more they take whatever they want, and give only when it serves their purpose. The ungodly show the futility of their rebellion, the awful penalty of sin, and the just wrath of God. Thus they plundered the Egyptians ( Exodus 12:36 ). 5:14). 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. God strengthened Cyrus so that he could conquer nations and overcome opposition Thus says the Lord God to His 2. 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.. And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. Solomon was given a mind like no one before and like none even after him (1 Kings 3:12). I cant charge an exorbitant hourly fee for my time. It is not our responsibility to determine how God will use us, but it is our responsibility to be faithful to obey the Word of God. When Judas kissed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter impulsively grabbed his sword and started swinging. Pharaohs heart was hardened again. Jump to Previous 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. There is no better example of Gods providence at work through the actions of a sinful man. Even his enemies played into Gods handthough they did not know it at the time. Here are five specific prophecies that were fulfilled when Judas betrayed Jesus: Psalm 41:9Close friend will betray Christ (see John 13:18). While not all became believers, many felt a strong attraction to his message. God used this unlikely group of people to accomplish His greatest work and they had no idea. 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. In this wilderness they shall be destroyed, and there they will die. As for the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land and who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing out a bad report concerning the land, even those men who brought out the very bad report of the land died by a plague before the Lord. But through the lens of the New Testament, he is seen as a wicked man. Say to them, As I live, says the Lord, just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will surely do to you; your corpses will fall in this wilderness, even all your numbered men, according to your complete number from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against Me. The repentant show Gods unmerited grace to undeserving sinners, and reveal the merciful blessing and goodness of God. 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. Jesus immediately restored the ear and told Peter to put down his sword. God can use even you even me. I am not a rising star in any field, industry, or arena. Often in the confusion of life, we cant see the ends, much less the means God intends for us. The evil ones believe pridefully that their own imagined gods have blessed them. He wants us to trust in Him, to rely on Him, to cry out to Him, and then give Him glory for delivering us. 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. Philippians 3:4-7 - although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. 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 has the amazing ability to do things that simply do not make sense to mankind. God is unimpressed. Were on a mission to change that. In this period of Judahs last kings, the Prophets warned of the fulfillment of this covenant promise. Did Jesus Descend Into Hell? We know from the sowing and reaping principle that t here will be degrees of torment in the lake of fire. He could have rained fire and brimstone down on them. Recent events may not have gone how you hoped and the signs may seem bleak. I was not a cum laude graduate. Grace be with you. Dont mistake temporary material victories for true success. Were they to voluntarily all drown? An unlikely person to be used by God. So He brought their days to an end in futility And their years in sudden terror. Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. International Standard Version. Which caused the church to grow rapidly. 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.. I have not been named most influential, listed as most attractive, or voted most likely to succeed. I also answer yes. Scripture even points to the fact that God used Cyrus even though he didnt know God. 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. Through one mans treachery, Jesus proves himself a man of peacenot a man of war. Moses had great faith! 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 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. (Bible quotations are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.). 17:8-13). 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. Though absolutely sovereign, all knowing, all wise, and everywhere present, God uses sinners to accomplish His will. The coming of Messiah was unexpected. For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? 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). 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. God could have had the earth swallow up the Amalekites. Gods Prophet Jeremiah warned of Gods judgment. The people of Israel, were backed up against the Red Sea with Pharaohs army charging at them. Often in the confusion of life, we cant see the ends, much less the means God intends for us. Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land which I swore to give your fathers. Strategically, this appeared to be a very unwise move, unless you are God. He uses believers and unbelievers. At my own local church, and everywhere else I go, faithful men and women record my sermons in audio and sometimes video. In the beginning Satan challenged Gods right to rule. Although Judas appears to be acting solely on his own initiative, it is clear that his betrayal fits into a larger pattern of eventsone that is orchestrated by the unseen hand of the Living God. For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son for those who believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.. It can be fairly said that the common people by and large respected Jesus and responded positively to his message. The Prophet was told to look around him and see what was going on among the nations, observe! Visit Justins personal website Here. They do whatever they want. He had great trust in the truth of God. 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. Gods Ability To Use Unlikely People Even Unbelievers. God Himself said that He used Pharaoh so that His name would be known on all the earth. 10:14-15). Why bother praying to a God who isnt? The evil nations God was raising up to judge his rebellious people were self-centered. Be encouraged Christian, God intends to use you in all your multifaceted weakness and obscurity for his glory. We all understand that God intended that Jesus would die for the sins of the world. Pentecost was a sign to the unbelieving of Israel that they had broken the covenant and stood deserving of Gods judgment and wrath. He sent His son to pay a most costly price for the sin of His people, for those who trust in Him. Thanks for your interest! Joseph made Egypt phenomenally wealthy during the years of the famine. Matthew 26:3-5 informs us that the leaders of the Jews were looking for an opportunity to arrest Jesus and put him to death. 12:35-36). But our God is mightier than any office or country. The greater the pain, the harder it is to see Gods fingerprints. The Lord can never be blamed for evil, but evil does not take p. God never does evil Himself. 1:37). Gods plan even extended to having Jesus buried in a borrowed tomb (see Isaiah 53:9). When they offered him 30 pieces of silver, he readily accepted even though that was the going price for a slave. 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. Is it true that God cannot look upon sin? Those who look to themselves, will eventually and always reap their just punishment. The way of the wicked is like darkness;They do not know over what they stumble. This brings us face to face with the doctrine of Gods providence, which means, A) God has a plan that includes everything that happens in the universe, and, B) Gods plan extends to the tiniest details of life, and. Thus they plundered the Egyptians ( Exodus 12:36 ). We need to remember that God uses the foolish. WebGod was about to turn to the Gentiles as He judged Israel as a nation for her unbelief. your corpses will fall in this wilderness, even all your numbered men, according to your complete number from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against Me. Surely you shall not come into the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. They looked to themselves for their power. so that they might escape from the devil's snare, even though they've been held captive by him to do his will. Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. Those who were rebelling against God had become apathetic. Because God created all He can use anything in creation. But he chose instead to allow himself to be arrested, knowing that this would fulfill Gods plan. When Moses spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, the people mourned greatly. Everything was planned by God down to the tiniest detail. Unbelievers Are blinded by the God of this world 2 Corinthians 4:4 Verse Concepts We should never presume to say to an unbeliever, God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. We cant know that. We pray because we believe God, because we want to trust in God, praise God, ask God for things we cant do ourselves. 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.. Thats where the judgment will come from. The new Pharaoh saw the Israelites as a plague in the land. That is what moving forward would require, or so it seemed. I might preach to 100 people on Sunday morning in my own little church, but I preach to thousands over the internet. In many cases without them even realizing that they were being used by God. The way to heaven is only Jesus and Jesus only.. 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?. The Pharisees believed they were serving God but in reality, they didnt even know Him. 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. In the words of a 19th century writer, hatred, treachery and deceit will not prevail against the church of God. 1:21). 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. Now if You slay this people as one man, then the nations who have heard of Your fame will say. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask 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. These lessons simply teach us that God can take that which is evil and use it for his own good purposes. Because God is utterly unimpressed by my rsum. 4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. 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 asks us to do things we cant do, because it makes us trust IN HIM, not ourselves. As for the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land and who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing out a bad report concerning the land, even those men who brought out the very bad report of the land died by a plague before the. He uses believers and unbelievers. The book of proverbs also gives us insight into this. I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me. God has the amazing ability to do things that simply do not make sense to mankind. Were they to march into the sea holding their little ones, driving their cattle, and pushing their elderly? They had been in Egypt under Egyptian task masters for 400 years. In fact, in one place in scripture, God said that what He was doing could not be understood even if He explained it. For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband?
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