God Uses Many People to Accomplish His Purposes Each time Moses would perform a mighty sign to convince Pharaoh of Gods power but each time God would harden his heart. 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. by Bob Burridge 2013, 2015 Having all the wisdom in the world didnt guarantee fidelity. 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. 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. God Before the Apostle Paul wrote his letter he was known as Saul. In the words of a 19th century writer, hatred, treachery and deceit will not prevail against the church of God. Jesus Sends Out the He betrayed the Lord but ended up vindicating him. 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. Another unlikely person used by God was King Cyrus of Persia. In such a manner Judas served Gods purposes through his wicked act of betrayal. There are so many amazing things in these few verses. Although God was at work in the betrayal, you couldnt see it that night. 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). 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. How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who are grumbling against Me? Gods sign of judgment was that they would hear foreign language on the streets of Jerusalem, speaking in a language they did not understand. Our prayers do not alter Gods eternal decree. Egypt and the Neo-Babylonians were competing for world dominance. Which is why they completely missed the Messiah when they stood right beside Him. Your children, however, whom you said would become a preyI will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected. Because God created all He can use anything in creation. In fact, in one place in scripture, God said that what He was doing could not be understood even if He explained it. Everything fits into Gods plan. In those moments we often feel alone in the chaos of circumstances as life tumbles in around us. A complete answer is impossible for who has known the mind of the Lord (Isa. They were evil cowards who hated the Son of God but feared a popular uprising if they tried to arrest him. His purpose in creation will stand. God has already determined the end from the beginning (Isa. I have received no honorary doctorates. Moses give the Israelites specific instruction and visible representation from the invisible God. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask Paul, in writing to Corinth, corrected the Churchs misuse of speaking in foreign tongues. Scripture even points to the fact that God used Cyrus even though he didnt know God. Our prayers aline us with Gods eternal decree. But our God is mightier than any office or country. The Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him. In the process, we will also find an answer to a third question, Who are the sons of God in Gen. 6? If you like solving mysteries, you will love this, "Churches are going apostate inside their comfortable church buildings! I answer yes. Strategically, this appeared to be a very unwise move, unless you are God. Though absolutely sovereign, all knowing, all wise, and everywhere present, God uses sinners to accomplish His will. 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. 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. God Can Use Unbelievers part 1: Cyrus Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. The people of Israel, were backed up against the Red Sea with Pharaohs army charging at them. God uses pathetic people for his glorious purposes to show his superior power. God uses all those who humble themselves before the cross, boasting only in him his strength, his wisdom, his righteousness, his accomplishment. He uses believers and unbelievers. As Christians, we have nothing to fear or worry about because we know that God is in control. He reminded Peter that he could call for 12 legions of angels72,000 highly trained, heavily armed members of the Angelic Defense Leagueto come to his rescue at any moment. God doesnt need men, but God chooses to use men at times to accomplish His sovereign will. Believer, dont think that your faithful service to your local body of believers is insignificant or accounts for little or nothing. God uses the overwhelmed and disheveled mother to nurture her children into spiritual giants. Sign up to join over 20,000 subscribers receiving our weekly sermon email. 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. They had no weapons to fight Pharaohs army, no experience in war, no ability to defend themselves, and no way of escape. 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. 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. Does God Accomplish His Purpose in Our And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. His son Jehoahaz became king. In Acts 13:41 he said, Behold, you despisers, Marvel and perish! God has the amazing ability to do things that simply do not make sense to mankind. 28:36, The LORD will bring you and the king whom you set over you to a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods wood and stone. They were in an impossible situation with no way out. 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. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. 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. 12:35-36). 6:10). God use unbelievers to accomplish his will They looked to themselves for their power. But they feared to do it during the Feast of Unleavened Bread because of the crowds that thronged Jerusalem. 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). God Uses God blesses those in whom he stirs to obedience, and judges disobedience. Do not begrudge your weakness. But what a privilege it is to be used by God! Many that people can plan to do much but is God that will always have the final say. Now and then we advance to Easter morning where we discover Gods purpose in our pain. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife? 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. God doesnt need men, but God chooses to use men at times to accomplish His sovereign will. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. This is the grace of God as revealed in His merciful covenant. 17:8-13). God promised to precede Cyrus and destroy all opposition that Cyrus would face: 'I will go before you and make the 3. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I am the trustee of nothing more than my personal belongings. 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. 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. God sometimes use evil to accomplish His plans (Habakkuk 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. Here are some examples: The fact that God ordains both the means and the ends should surely encourage us as we face our own trials. The Bible says, God was well pleased through the message preached to save those who believe (I Cor. 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. One swing of his sword whacked off the ear of Malchus, servant to the High Priest. 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 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. Though there were still many who had remained faithful, others no longer followed the words of the Prophets. Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife? 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. When Moses spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, the people mourned greatly. When God desires to save someone, He raises up Christians to preach the gospel. That leads me to ask a simple question: Are you a professor or a possessor? 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. His plan in doing so was to bless all people. 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.. My ministry is small locally, but gigantic because of the faithful service of others. 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. The evil nations God was raising up to judge his rebellious people were self-centered. God will use it even if you do not understand how. God sometimes use evil to accomplish His plans (Habakkuk In fact, in one place in scripture, God said that what He was doing could not be understood even if He explained it. 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? Comments? Though absolutely sovereign, all knowing, all wise, and everywhere present, God uses sinners to accomplish His will. To put the matter that way raises several other questions: Was Judas predestined by God to betray Jesus? 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. He didnt accept evil apathetically, he was appalled by it. He stands behind it indirectly, but He directly stands behind good. (Video #2), Lesson 2: Gods Use of the Ungodly Habakkuk 1:5-11. Jesus Sends Out the Moses was an instrument, a tool, a vessel for Gods use, and so are we all. 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.