The evil nations God was raising up to judge his rebellious people were self-centered. 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?. Nothing will ever be able to affect Gods will. 6:10). They make a joke out of those who dare to not submit to them. Rejoice that Christ is all-sufficient and always dependable. Assyria had fallen when Nineveh, its capitol, was destroyed in 612 BC. It only made sense on Sunday morning when Jesus rose from the dead. God has the amazing ability to do things that simply do not make sense to mankind. The Neo-Babylonians were dominated by Chaldean kings. At times, God enlisted non-believers to help His people through the ages. 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. And he was an exalted and successful king. Psalm 109:8Replaced by another manMatthias (see Acts 1:20). (Video #2), Lesson 2: Gods Use of the Ungodly Habakkuk 1:5-11. 2) If Jesus did descend into hell, why? 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. 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. Its something we can clearly see within the pages of our Bible. But we learn that over time a new Pharaoh arose who did not know Joseph or respect what Joseph had done (Ex. All of these people are unlikely choices to be used by God since they didnt truly know or believe in Him. Other examples could be added to this list. 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. The people of Israel, were backed up against the Red Sea with Pharaohs army charging at them. 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. He told the people that Pharaohs army would be wiped out, though he did not know how. So the emphasis of the chapter is on Gods working out His purpose through ordinary people who obey Him. Thus they plundered the Egyptians ( Exodus 12:36 ). 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. You have entered an incorrect email address! The Lord can never be blamed for evil, but evil does not take p. God never does evil Himself. Paul also made this clear in Romans 9-11. Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife? When you find yourself in a tight spot and you cant see any way of deliverance, have faith in God, obey His Word, and wait for the salvation of the Lord. As far as Pilate was concerned, he was ordering an innocent man put to deathwhich is why he tried to wash his hands of the whole affair. Even his enemies played into Gods handthough they did not know it at the time. Unbelievers Are blinded by the God of this world 2 Corinthians 4:4 Verse Concepts 13:17). 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. We see this all the way through the Bible. We are called to be among his faithful people. Why bother praying to a God who isnt? 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. And goes on to say, How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? 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. 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. Stating that the plans of men are many but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. Moses give the Israelites specific instruction and visible representation from the invisible God. Providence means that God is in charge of the entire universe at all times and nothing happens outside his control. God has already determined the end from the beginning (Isa. Philippians 3:4-7 - although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. His son Jehoahaz became king. 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. I have an unimpressive family background and do not come from a long line of important people. We see the same thing after the Israelites cross the Red Sea and are attacked by the Amalekites (Ex. I am sure God has many reasons for doing the things He does in the way and timing of His choosing, but lets consider some likely reasons He used Moses, a sinner, to be the instrument of His sovereign, miraculous work of dividing the Red Sea. During our conversationwhich lasted two hours and was both cordial and very frankI told him that his religion could not save him. 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. But this much is clear: He never believed that Jesus was guilty of any crime. even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. And, "Who Are The Sons of God in Genesis 6? Two questions confront us as we consider the story of Judas: Last weeks sermon dealt with the first question. God sees. The Lord can never be blamed for evil, but evil does not take p. God never does evil Himself. Your children, however, whom you said would become a preyI will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected. 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. Those who read my words are in many different situations: May I repeat what I just said: He has not brought us this far to cause us to fail. They have no respect for the leaders of other nations. It becomes all the more bold in lawlessness. The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent. Then the Lord said to Moses, Why are you crying out to Me? So He brought their days to an end in futility And their years in sudden terror. In the words of a 19th century writer, hatred, treachery and deceit will not prevail against the church of God. Another unlikely person used by God was King Cyrus of Persia. At my own local church, and everywhere else I go, faithful men and women record my sermons in audio and sometimes video. God himself had foreordained every detail surrounding the death of his Son. 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). 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. God uses pathetic people for his glorious purposes to show his superior power. 55:8-9). Does God sometimes use evil to accomplish His plans (Habakkuk 1:5-11)? When Moses spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, the people mourned greatly. Their horses also are swifter than leopards, And more fierce than evening wolves. 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. 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. Many that people can plan to do much but is God that will always have the final say. Jump to Previous 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. Do not lament your insufficiency. Israel stumbled at the stumbling stone, the suffering messiah (Romans 9:31-33). Able to do exceedingly and abundantly using unlikely people to further His plans. But what they do is not going to bring them true blessing. 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 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. This doesnt erase tragedy or transform heartache, but it gives us a divine perspective on the hard times of life that enables us to keep on going when wed rather give up and quit. so that they might escape from the devil's snare, even though they've been held captive by him to do his will. Are we becoming more like Jesus by the power of the Spirit? So the emphasis of the chapter is on Gods working out His purpose through ordinary people who obey Him. Jesus says much the same thing in his famous prayer just before Judas arrives: None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that the Scripture would be fulfilled (John17:12b). The ungodly show the futility of their rebellion, the awful penalty of sin, and the just wrath 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. Strategically, this appeared to be a very unwise move, unless you are God. They deride every stronghold, For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it. When Judas kissed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter impulsively grabbed his sword and started swinging. 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. As they plotted how to murder Jesus they had no idea they were accomplishing Gods will. 16 But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. Our prayers do not alter Gods eternal decree. One final point is in order. Herod the Great tried to kill him in Bethlehem. This is a true mystery, which we may explain in various ways but will never fully understand. Before the Apostle Paul wrote his letter he was known as Saul. To say it another way, there is a man in hell today who has been there for 2000 years even though what he did advanced Gods plan to save the world. And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. It can be fairly said that the common people by and large respected Jesus and responded positively to his message. Lest he misunderstand, I also told him that going to Calvary Memorial Church cannot save anyoneor help save anyone. They were afraid. He could have rained fire and brimstone down on them. This warning was made clear in the ancient covenant revealed long before through Moses in Deuteronomy 28.