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. 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. God strengthened Cyrus so that he could conquer nations and overcome opposition Thus says the Lord God to His 2. The Prophet Habakkuk wrote during the troubled times before Judahs captivity. But My servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it. When God does something completely different and unexpected (Numb. 1:37). For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Gods plan even extended to having Jesus buried in a borrowed tomb (see Isaiah 53:9). It doesnt mean everything will also go perfectly or the way we hope. 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? God Will Use Even You They looked to themselves for their power. 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. 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. Do you merely profess Christ and trust in your religious habits to save you, or do you possess Christ in your heart by faith? But He is unique and who can turn Him?And what His soul desires, that He does. In Jeremiah 13:20 it said, Lift up your eyes and see Those who come from the north . Jeremiah 25:32 says, Behold, disaster shall go forth From nation to nation, And a great whirlwind shall be raised up From the farthest parts of the earth., Habakkuk 1:6, For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, A bitter and hasty nation Which marches through the breadth of the earth, To possess dwelling places that are not theirs.. Guiding our world whether we are able to see it or not. WebGod will never set man's will aside and use him for a good purpose without his being willing to be used. 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. The sheep representing believers who did Gods will and the goats representing unbelievers who do not do Gods will. He was ready to die for his Master and intended to take a few of the bad guys with him. How will they preach unless they are sent? As with the raising of Moses hands by Aaron and Hurt, sharing the gospel, or praying, God delights in and receives glory for himself, when we submit to His will, live by faith, and obey His Word. 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. They were in an impossible situation with no way out. Pentecost was a sign to the unbelieving of Israel that they had broken the covenant and stood deserving of Gods judgment and wrath. At times, God enlisted non-believers to help His people through the ages. First, we see the faith of Moses. We see the same thing after the Israelites cross the Red Sea and are attacked by the Amalekites (Ex. Get your Bible. The Lord can never be blamed for evil, but evil does not take p. God never does evil Himself. Do not lament your insufficiency. 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. In heaven, each mans praise will come to him from God, and God will be glorified for sovereignly using sinners for His good purposes (I Cor. Are we becoming more like Jesus by the power of the Spirit? And did not believe in His wonderful works. Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife? His words imply that all the torment will be tolerable. WebThe Scripture teaches that God achieves His purpose in unbelievers. WebThe Scripture teaches that God achieves His purpose in unbelievers. Why did a holy God allow such evil to continue? Zechariah 11:13Judas would give the money back. God promised to precede Cyrus and destroy all opposition that Cyrus would face: 'I will go before you and make the 3. But My servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it. Though absolutely sovereign, all knowing, all wise, and everywhere present, God uses sinners to accomplish His will. 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. Paul, in writing to Corinth, corrected the Churchs misuse of speaking in foreign tongues. also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,But He does according to His will in the host of heavenAnd among the inhabitants of earth;And no one can ward off His handOr say to Him, What have You done?. Moses give the Israelites specific instruction and visible representation from the invisible God. God use non-believers to help His people For he sees that even wise men die;The stupid and the senseless alike perishAnd leave their wealth to others. But as for you, your corpses will fall in this wilderness. Your children, however, whom you said would become a preyI will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected. Although God was at work in the betrayal, you couldnt see it that night. He could have just caused them to drop dead. God doesnt need men, but God chooses to use men at times to accomplish His sovereign will. He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good. Training for Preachers and Teachers of God's Word, Want to know what an RSS feed is and how it works? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. At times, God enlisted non-believers to help His people through the ages. Thus they plundered the Egyptians ( Exodus 12:36 ). 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. He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. We see this all the way through the Bible. 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. But the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the market place, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and attacking the house of Jason, they were seeking to bring them out to the people. B) We entrust our lives to the God who cares for us. 46:10). Including those who dont believe He exists. Sighing deeply in His spirit, He *said, Why does this generation seek for a sign? Summary He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good. Im not a founder, innovator, CEO, or visionary of any company. But this much is clear: He never believed that Jesus was guilty of any crime. The people of Jacob were trapped. Jesus is truly the lamb without blemish who died for the sins of the world (John 1:29). 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. Does God sometimes use evil to accomplish His plans (Habakkuk 1:5-11)? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me. They all come for violence; Their faces are set like the east wind. 12:35-36). It will be a most terrible judgment. 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. This could be the begging of a time of great growth for the church. God God is not the author of sin, but He can use sinful men to attain an objective. We are here and gone again. So the emphasis of the chapter is on Gods working out His purpose through ordinary people who obey Him. Verse Concepts. 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. So through his death, he can have everlasting life on earth. So through his death, he can have everlasting life on earth. The evil nations God was raising up to judge his rebellious people were self-centered. Here are five specific prophecies that were fulfilled when Judas betrayed Jesus: Psalm 41:9Close friend will betray Christ (see John 13:18). 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). For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. Moses was sent by the Lord multiple times to Pharaoh asking for the release of the Hebrews. In the providence of God, the betrayal by Judas actually advanced Gods purpose in the world. Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.. Also, be sure to stop by our prayer wall. If your rsum is sparse, your intellect feeble, your skills unimpressive, and your wisdom just average, fret not. Jesus, in the Olivet Discourse, gave the parable of the sheep and the goats. This week were looking at the other side of the equation. 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. Here is my answer: He allowed Judas to betray Jesus so that Jesus could become the Savior of the world. Gods plan even extended to having Jesus buried in a borrowed tomb (see Isaiah 53:9). Even Jesus cannot save a man who claims his sin is not really sinful. The thing he values the most is dragging him down to eternal damnation. How can I believe in the goodness of God when there is so much evil in the world? 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. 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. 1:21). They had been in Egypt under Egyptian task masters for 400 years. In Acts 1:16 Peter declared that the Scripture had to be fulfilled. He meant that the Old Testament predictions (he cites Psalm 69:25 and Psalm 109:8) regarding Judas were bound to come true. 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. That pagan nation was struggling against Egypt for dominance. The people of Israel, were backed up against the Red Sea with Pharaohs army charging at them. Egypt made his brother, Jehoiakim, the new king over the Jews. 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. Then his mind changes, and he transgresses; He commits offense, Ascribing this power to his god.. While not all became believers, many felt a strong attraction to his message. 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). Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Do not lament your insufficiency. Were they to march into the sea holding their little ones, driving their cattle, and pushing their elderly? His words imply that all the torment will be tolerable. And, "Who Are The Sons of God in Genesis 6? 3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good. Jump to Previous We return now to the original question: Why did God allow Judas to betray Jesus? The way to heaven is only Jesus and Jesus only.. Scripture even points to the fact that God used Cyrus even though he didnt know God. God uses pathetic people for his glorious purposes to show his superior power. but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. (Bible quotations are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.). Jesus said to them, If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, We see, your sin remains. Nothing will ever be able to affect Gods will. Summary You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent. God even gave prophecy through Isaiah that this very thing would take place. 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.. We have one life to use, and the usefulness of that one life depends not on our rsum or even how much we know. In fact, in one place in scripture, God said that what He was doing could not be understood even if He explained it. Because God created all He can use anything in creation. Be encouraged, child of God. So He brought their days to an end in futility And their years in sudden terror. International Standard Version. 16:30), when he uses you or others, delivering you from your trials, be sure to praise, thank, and give Him all the glory for sovereignly using sinners. Though absolutely sovereign, all knowing, all wise, and everywhere present, God uses sinners to accomplish His will. It can be fairly said that the common people by and large respected Jesus and responded positively to his message.