I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me. Though used of God to complete his plan, those who crucified our Lord were still personally wicked and godless in what they did. The Lord can never be blamed for evil, but evil does not take p. God never does evil Himself. God Will Use Even You And that is okay. Those who turn in humble trust to the Lord, who rest in His work of redemption, who seek to walk in his ways, and who turn in humble repentance when they fail, will receive His righteousness, and blessing forever. When God does something completely different and unexpected (Numb. Gods Ability To Use Unlikely People Even Unbelievers. 12:35-36). WebGod never does evil Himself. Holman Old Testament Commentary: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah by Trent Butler. We see this all the way through the Bible. All rights reserved. They make a joke out of those who dare to not submit to them. 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. 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. I have not written a New York Times Bestseller, and no one has publicly endorsed, recommended, or vouched for me. He is working all things after the counsel of His will (Eph. Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 55:8-9). 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. They post my sermons on the web and people listen to or watch me preach all over the world. Gods sign of judgment was that they would hear foreign language on the streets of Jerusalem, speaking in a language they did not understand. They were in an impossible situation with no way out. Is that a contradiction? WebGod was about to turn to the Gentiles as He judged Israel as a nation for her unbelief. Because God created all He can use anything in creation. Their end will be most awful. Do not lament your insufficiency. But we need to grow in faith and obedience. Yet, God used him to rebuild the temple and allow Jews to return to their land. God didnt want to lead the people around the Red Sea by the way of the Philistines knowing they might get scared and run back to Egypt (Ex. A most astonishing way of fulfilling that prophesy. Get your Bible. God has the amazing ability to do things that simply do not make sense to mankind. This is the attitude of the evil heart in all ages. 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. They were evil cowards who hated the Son of God but feared a popular uprising if they tried to arrest him. Email Jack. so that they might escape from the devil's snare, even though they've been held captive by him to do his will. What does it mean that the righteous will live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4)? 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.. Though absolutely sovereign, all knowing, all wise, and everywhere present, God uses sinners to accomplish His will. so that they might escape from the devil's snare, even though they've been held captive by him to do his will. So through his death, he can have everlasting life on earth. During our conversationwhich lasted two hours and was both cordial and very frankI told him that his religion could not save him. Gods covenant warned from the beginning that if Israel fell into sin God would use a foreign heathen nation to bring judgment upon them. It doesnt mean everything will also go perfectly or the way we hope. They have heard that You, O. God is unimpressed. 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. 4:5). WebJohn 3:16. The coming of Messiah was unexpected. God Judas didnt know it, and neither did the disciples, but Gods fingerprints were all over his act of betrayal. But our God is mightier than any office or country. That leads me to ask a simple question: Are you a professor or a possessor? So the emphasis of the chapter is on Gods working out His purpose through ordinary people who obey Him. Jesus responded to the false testimony by saying nothing at all. They all come for violence; Their faces are set like the east wind. I dont speak on any circuits, have given no TED talks, and have been the keynote speaker less than once. 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.. What Jesus Wants Emphasized In His Church! 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). But what a privilege it is to be used by God! 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. Our prayers do not alter Gods eternal decree. Though there were still many who had remained faithful, others no longer followed the words of the Prophets. God scoffs at any attempt by me or you to prove our worthiness. The evil nations God was raising up to judge his rebellious people were self-centered. Yet both declare His awesome glory. Fourth, Gods command seemed impossible to obey. The articles posted on this website are here to provide information about the Bible and specific topics related to the Reformed Faith along with it's application in our daily thoughts and activities. Psalm 69:25Reputation destroyed forever. We return now to the original question: Why did God allow Judas to betray Jesus? For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Do not begrudge your weakness. He could have just caused them to drop dead. In spite of our slownessand even sinGod will bless and use us to fulfill His purpose of blessing all nations through Christ, because of our relationship to the Father through the Son. God But as for you, your corpses will fall in this wilderness. Second, the proper response to any trial or danger is to not fear but stand by and see the salvation of the Lord. How many times do we fret and worry and then see the Lord deliver us and realize that all of our anxiety and fretting was for naught, that it accomplished nothing, but was an expression of our sinful doubt? More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! He uses believers and unbelievers. God strengthened Cyrus so that he could conquer nations and overcome opposition Thus says the Lord God to His 2. Suggestions? He has not brought us this far to cause us to fail. Everything was planned by God down to the tiniest detail. WebGod was about to turn to the Gentiles as He judged Israel as a nation for her unbelief. 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. The evil ones believe pridefully that their own imagined gods have blessed them. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Thus they plundered the Egyptians ( Exodus 12:36 ). Often in the confusion of life, we cant see the ends, much less the means God intends for us. Its something we can clearly see within the pages of our Bible. God sovereignly saves sinners, yet, He often uses sinners to accomplish His sovereign will. So He brought their days to an end in futility And their years in sudden terror. Their horses also are swifter than leopards, And more fierce than evening wolves. Thats generally the way life is for all of us. We all understand that God intended that Jesus would die for the sins of the world. even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Habakkuk 1:7-11, They are terrible and dreadful; Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves. But He is unique and who can turn Him?And what His soul desires, that He does. God sometimes use evil to accomplish His plans (Habakkuk All of it happened according to Gods plan. Two questions confront us as we consider the story of Judas: Last weeks sermon dealt with the first question. They mock authority and law, and believe that might makes right. They still look to their own strength and ability as if they were divine and answer to no authority above their own. God doesnt need men, but God chooses to use men at times to accomplish His sovereign will. His words imply that all the torment will be tolerable. 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. 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. God ordains the means and the ends of life. Gods plan even extended to having Jesus buried in a borrowed tomb (see Isaiah 53:9). 1 John 5:14. We need to be reminded again and again that we are like grass disposable, temporary, fleeting, momentary. When we do that we become His instruments to accomplish His sovereign will. Pentecost was a sign to the unbelieving of Israel that they had broken the covenant and stood deserving of Gods judgment and wrath. 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 many cases without them even realizing that they were being used by God. Judas served Gods purposes even though what he did was wrong and he ended up in hell. Even today there are those who are arrogant and have no honor for God as He reveals Himself in Scripture. And did not believe in His wonderful works. As the persecution he inflicted was just the jump-start the early church needed to start taking the Gospel to the rest of the world. Anyone who resists God risks falling into spiritual deception (2 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? The trials that were meant to establish his guilt ended up establishing his innocence for all the world to see.
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