God could by-pass us and do everything himself, but He does not. 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? Do not lament your insufficiency. Even his enemies played into Gods handthough they did not know it at the time. They post my sermons on the web and people listen to or watch me preach all over the world. I cant charge an exorbitant hourly fee for my time. God is unimpressed by our collection of readers, likes, retweets, friends, connections, or admirers. The mind of evil changes from bad to worse being taken in by successes in conquest. I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me. 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. He sent His son to pay a most costly price for the sin of His people, for those who trust in Him. Egypt and the Neo-Babylonians were competing for world dominance. Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? He could have rained fire and brimstone down on them. He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good. The Lord even tells Moses to do it, divide it! God doesnt need men, but God chooses to use men at times to accomplish His sovereign will. In 605 Egypt was defeated by the Neo-Babylonians at Carchemish. Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. They looked to themselves for their power. 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. 46:10). 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. And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. 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 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.. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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 Nothing that happened to Jesus that night or later on Good Friday made sense when it happened. The fact that God ordains both the means and the ends should surely encourage us as we face our own trials. Having all the wisdom in the world didnt guarantee fidelity. Do not begrudge your weakness. Being a creative, innovative or highly effective leader is insufficient. God picks the scrawniest little girl to lead off on his kickball team. Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Because God created all He can use anything in creation. 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. Israel as a nation had rejected the promises of Moses and the Prophets culminating in the demand for the death of Jesus, Gods Messiah. Judas professed Christ but he did not possess him, which is why he is in hell today. God is not the author of sin, but He can use sinful men to attain an objective. Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 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. Causing a sacrifice to take place that would open salvation up to all people. Impatience and failing to trust God is never helpful. But now, the grief of the Egyptians had subsided and was replaced with anger and regret. The sad story of Judas stands as a warning to religious people not to trust in their religion. Dont get me wrong, wisdom is important. God sovereignly saves sinners, yet, He often uses sinners to accomplish His sovereign will. Though absolutely sovereign, all knowing, all wise, and everywhere present, God uses sinners to accomplish His will. God uses all those who humble themselves before the cross, boasting only in him his strength, his wisdom, his righteousness, his accomplishment. Jesus said the unbelievers failed to give him food, drink, nurse him in His sickness, or visit Him in prison. God has the amazing ability to do things that simply do not make sense to mankind. Jesus responded to the false testimony by saying nothing at all. God can use even you even me. B) We entrust our lives to the God who cares for us. God is not finished with you yet, so dont give up on him. How does this truth apply to Judas? God use unbelievers to accomplish his will But what they do is not going to bring them true blessing. When Isaiah 53:1 speaks of the future coming of the Messiah, literally it says, who would have believed the thing reported? His birth as a baby who would grow up, suffer and die was most unexpected. He was a brilliant poet, a skillful songwriter, a genius botanist, and a first-class biologist. 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. I find it remarkable how consistently the New Testament writers see the hand of God in the events surrounding the death of Christ. Suggestions? The glory of His nature and attributes will be made known in full. When Judas kissed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter impulsively grabbed his sword and started swinging. In fact, in one place in scripture, God said that what He was doing could not be understood even if He explained it. 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). Verse Concepts. 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?. 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. 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. God was about to turn to the Gentiles as He judged Israel as a nation for her unbelief. 14:11). International Standard Version. (Bible quotations are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.). He recognized what was evil because he believed Gods law. Christianity is not about religion, its about a life-changing relationship with the Son of God. First, we see the faith of Moses. 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. The book of proverbs also gives us insight into this. He uses believers and unbelievers. 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. His silence spoke more loudly than the foolish claims of his lying accusers. Grace be with you. How beautiful! You have entered an incorrect email address! God asks us to do things we cant do, because it makes us trust IN HIM, not ourselves. This New-Babylon marched through Canaan and took hostages (one of them was Daniel). We need to remember that God uses the foolish. 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. 4:5). 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. 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. Although God was at work in the betrayal, you couldnt see it that night. He didnt accept evil apathetically, he was appalled by it. God Uses 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 strengthened Cyrus so that he could conquer nations and overcome opposition Thus says the Lord God to His 2. But we need to grow in faith and obedience. Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land which I swore to give your fathers. Do not lament your insufficiency. Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. The Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him. WebGod never does evil Himself. Those who were rebelling against God had become apathetic. 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. Acts 2:23 tells us that Jesus was delivered up, by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death. His words imply that all the torment will be tolerable. Click here. The sheep representing believers who did Gods will and the goats representing unbelievers who do not do Gods will. So the emphasis of the chapter is on Gods working out His purpose through ordinary people who obey Him. Because God is utterly unimpressed by my rsum. Remember my imprisonment. God promised to precede Cyrus and destroy all opposition that Cyrus would face: 'I will go before you and make the 3. At my own local church, and everywhere else I go, faithful men and women record my sermons in audio and sometimes video. We are called to be among his faithful people. If we lack wisdom, we should ask God for it (James 1:5). Because God created all He can use anything in creation. Moses was a by-product of the Egyptians attempts to hinder Gods blessing upon them, was placed in pitch covered basket and set adrift in the Nile, but rescued, weened by his own mother, adopted into Pharaohs house, and educated in all the learning of Egypt (Acts 7:22). Does God sometimes use evil to accomplish His plans (Habakkuk 1:5-11)? This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask 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. 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. Finally, they suborned perjury by putting forward false witnesses who produced contradictory testimony. 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. Everything was planned by God down to the tiniest detail. 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.. Jesus is truly the lamb without blemish who died for the sins of the world (John 1:29). Lesson 7 The Interpretation of Scripture, Lesson 5a Boundaries of the Doctrine of Creation, Primeval Chronology by Dr. William Henry Green, Lesson 8 Gods Special Providence & Miracles, Lesson 10 Assurance of Grace and Salvation, Lesson 2 Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience, Lesson 3 The Regulative Principle of Worship, Lesson 4a The Elements of Regulated Worship, Lesson 4b The Elements of Regulated Worship, Lesson 1 An Overview of Special Eschatology, Lesson 2 -The Great Tribulation of Matthew 24, Lesson 3 The Millennium of Revelation 20, A Guide for Small Group Bible Study Leaders, Defending the Biblical Faith by what God Shows Us, Lessons in the Westminster Shorter Catechsim, The Inspiration of the Treasured Word of God, Summary of the 45th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America, The Holy Spirit In the Ministry of the Word, The Necessity of Biblical Love in the Believers Life, Keep Your Bible Skills Sharp and Ready (part 2), Keep Your Bible Skills Sharp and Ready (Part 1). The unbelievers, become confused, not remembering ever having the opportunity to serve Jesus. WebGod will never set man's will aside and use him for a good purpose without his being willing to be used. We know from the sowing and reaping principle that t here will be degrees of torment in the lake of fire. His son Jehoahaz became king. 1:8). Gods plan even extended to having Jesus buried in a borrowed tomb (see Isaiah 53:9). 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. Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! 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. We might be a life-hacking, productivity guru. When we reach a dead end in our own resources, God can part the sea of the impossible and get us through, but I digress. 1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: 2 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Lest he misunderstand, I also told him that going to Calvary Memorial Church cannot save anyoneor help save anyone. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. God doesnt need men, but God chooses to use men at times to accomplish His sovereign will. If youd like an interesting Bible study, take a look at the trials of Jesus. Verse Concepts. That leads me to ask a simple question: Are you a professor or a possessor? 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. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.. This warning was made clear in the ancient covenant revealed long before through Moses in Deuteronomy 28. Wisdom didnt guard him against a wandering heart. He mustered his army and went after the Jews in hot pursuit. Their horses also are swifter than leopards, And more fierce than evening wolves. As we saw in the first four verses of this book, Habakkuk was confused. 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. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Moses give the Israelites specific instruction and visible representation from the invisible God. Unbelievers Are blinded by the God of this world 2 Corinthians 4:4 Verse Concepts We pray because we believe God, because we want to trust in God, praise God, ask God for things we cant do ourselves. 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. In the providence of God, the betrayal by Judas actually advanced Gods purpose in the world. God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne ( Psalm 47:8 ). Did Jesus Descend Into Hell? Here is my answer: He allowed Judas to betray Jesus so that Jesus could become the Savior of the world.
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