Join Eric's inspiring journey as he returns to sea with newfound hope and faith. Reflecting on all that God has done for him, Eric felt a strong call to be baptized. With help from the Center for Digital Evangelism, he connected with a pastor at his next port, ready to give his life to God. What drives a person to such a transformative decision? Watch Eric's story unfold and hit that like button if you're moved by tales of faith. Subscribe for more inspiring content! #EricJourney #FaithAndHope #Baptism #awr #adventistworldradio #short Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI8DZD3bdl8
The God of Love and Justice – Lesson 1.God Loves Freely | Sabbath School with Pastor Mark Finley
Series THE GOD OF LOVE AND JUSTICE with Pastor Mark Finley |
Lesson 1.God Loves Freely |
The Immeasurable and Unconditional Love of God |
God’s love is the foundation of our faith and our relationship with Him. But what does it mean that God loves us freely, regardless of our actions or our worthiness? Lesson 1 guides us through various aspects of this amazing truth: God’s unwavering faithfulness to His people despite their unfaithfulness, His invitation to a love that is not coerced, and the ultimate revelation of His love on the cross. This lesson invites us to reflect on the depth and breadth of God’s free and unmerited love—and how we can respond to this love in our lives.
Memory Text: Hosea 14:4 – “ ‘I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away from him’ ”
Content:
1.1 Beyond Reasonable Expectations
Beyond Deserved: God’s Love and Grace Without Limits
God’s love is boundless and undeserved. Although the Israelites betrayed God by worshiping the golden calf after their liberation from Egypt, God remained faithful to them. This faithfulness is evident in Exodus 33:19, where God declares that His grace and mercy will be freely given, even when they are not deserved. This statement does not illustrate arbitrariness but God’s sovereign decision to bestow love and compassion even on the unworthy. The story shows that God’s love exceeds all reasonable expectations. This is a comforting message for us all: God’s love and grace are greater than our faults.
1.2 Unrequited Love
Despite Unfaithfulness: God’s Voluntary and Unwavering Love
The story of Hosea is a vivid depiction of God’s unmerited and unwavering love. Despite Israel’s repeated unfaithfulness, God demonstrates through Hosea’s relationship with his unfaithful wife that His love is freely and voluntarily given, regardless of human unworthiness. Hosea 14:1–4 reveals God’s willingness to offer healing and love even when the relationship seems irreparable. The term “freely” in “I will love them freely” emphasizes that God’s love is voluntary and without coercion. This love is not only a divine gift but also a call to repentance. This image of a faithful lover who loves despite rejection shows God’s deep longing for a relationship with us and changes how we can perceive His grace and faithfulness.
1.3 Love Freely Given
Out of Free Will: God’s Boundless and Undeserved Love
God’s love is an undeserved and voluntary gift that depends neither on our worthiness nor on a need of God. Although God did not need creation, He chose out of pure love to create the world and engage in a relationship with us. Revelation 4:11 and Psalm 33:6 demonstrate that God created out of His free will and is therefore worthy of all honor and worship. Even after the fall in Eden, God continued His love and upheld creation in His grace. This voluntary love reveals God’s unchanging character and His willingness to reconcile a lost humanity. This truth should inspire us to love Him wholeheartedly and follow His ways.
1.4 Many Are Called, but Few Are Chosen
God’s Invitation: Many Called, Few Willing
God’s invitation to the wedding feast in Christ’s parable reveals His love and the free will He gives to each person. God calls everyone, but not everyone responds. Matthew 22:1–14 shows that the “Chosen Ones” are those who accept God’s invitation and prepare for the wedding by wearing the king’s wedding garment—a symbol of accepting God’s grace and righteousness. God’s love is universal, but He does not force anyone to reciprocate it. The freedom to accept or decline God’s invitation is crucial because true love can never be coerced. The question remains: Are we willing to accept God’s invitation and live in His love?
1.5 Crucified for Us
The Ultimate Sacrifice: God’s Love Revealed on the Cross
On the cross, God’s immeasurable love is revealed, surpassing all human understanding. Jesus Christ willingly gave His life to pay for the sins of humanity and to heal the broken relationship between heaven and earth. Although many, as described in Matthew 23:37, were not willing to accept God’s invitation, Christ still went to the cross—for them and for us. John 10:17-18 and Galatians 2:20 illustrate that this sacrifice was made out of His free will as part of a plan established before the foundation of the world. This act shows that God’s love is not only saving but also intentional and selfless. The cross is an eternal testimony to God’s unmerited, free love for all of us.
1.6 Summary
The Essence of Divine Love: Faithfulness, Freedom, and Invitation
God’s love is a gift that is given freely and without condition. In the history of Israel, in the parable of the wedding banquet, and ultimately on the cross, God demonstrates that His love is independent of human worthiness or performance. Despite repeated unfaithfulness, God remains faithful and continues to invite us into a relationship with Him. His love is not forced but is based on His free will and unchanging nature. The cross is the ultimate expression of this love, as Christ willingly gave His life to save us. Lesson 1 reminds us that God’s love not only seeks us but also invites us to freely reciprocate it.
What Led Eric to Question His Traditions
Follow Eric's path to spiritual clarity as he connects with AWR's Center for Digital Evangelism. Through Bible study and thoughtful questions, Eric discovered new truths that challenged his past beliefs. How do we find meaning when faced with new insights? Watch the video to uncover Eric's journey and hit that like button if you're inspired by personal growth stories. Subscribe for more captivating content! #JourneyToUnderstanding #EricAndAWR #SpiritualAwakening #awr #adventistworldradio #short Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brFQzLnW3-w
Editorial: “Desmond Doss Gives a Christmas Gift to Adventists”
I am happy when Adventists are spoken well of in the media, and for reasons that show us at our best. Recently United States senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine of Virginia introduced legislation to rename the Veterans Affairs clinic in Lynchburg, Virginia after Private First Class Desmond T. Doss, an Adventist conscientious objector who […] Source: https://atoday.org/editorial-desmond-doss-gives-a-christmas-gift-to-adventists/
Sunday: Beyond Reasonable Expectations
Daily Lesson for Sunday 29th of December 2024
God not only asks us, “Do you love Me,” but God Himself loves each person, and does so freely. Indeed, He freely loves you and me and every other person more than we could possibly imagine. And we know this love by the way He has acted in the history of His people.
Read Exodus 33:15-22 and consider the context of these verses and the narrative in which they appear. What does this passage, especially verse 19, reveal about God’s will and love?
Pacific Press at Goodsalt.com
All seemed lost. Not long after God’s amazing deliverance of His people from slavery in Egypt, the people of Israel had rebelled against God and worshiped a golden calf. When Moses came down from the mountain, he saw what they had done, and he threw down the tablets containing the Ten Commandments and shattered them. Though the people had forfeited any right to the covenant privileges and blessings that God had freely bestowed on them, God freely chose to continue with them in covenant relationship anyway—despite their unworthiness for the covenant blessings.
The words of Exodus 33:19, “ ‘I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion’ ” (NKJV), are often misunderstood to mean that God arbitrarily chooses to be compassionate and gracious to some, but not others. However, in context, God is not stating here that He will arbitrarily be gracious and compassionate to some and not to others. That is not how God works, contrary to some popular theology in which God predestines some to be lost and to face eternal condemnation.
What, then, is God proclaiming here? Essentially, God is proclaiming that, as the Creator of all, He has the right and authority to grant grace and compassion freely to even the most undeserving of people. And He is doing so in this situation, even after the golden calf rebellion, by granting mercy to His people, Israel, even if they didn’t deserve it.
This is one of many instances in which God manifests His love and does so beyond any reasonable expectations. Good news for us all, is it not?
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In what ways has God continued to reveal and manifest His love to you—even beyond any reasonable expectations? |
(0)Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25a-01-beyond-reasonable-expectations/
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