Sabbath School Summary

By Elder Dr Masimba Mavaza

God Loves Freely

Lesson 1

Memory Text: “ ‘I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away from him’ ” (Hosea 14:4, NKJV).

Introduction
Though Peter had denied Jesus three times, just as Jesus had pre-dicted (Matt. 26:34), these denials were not the end of the story. After the Resurrection, Jesus asked Peter, “ ‘Do you love Me more than these?’ ” And Peter replied, “ ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ ” And Jesus said, “ ‘Tend My lambs.’ ” Then, Jesus again asked Peter, “ ‘Do you love Me?’ ” And Peter replied, “ ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ ” And Jesus said, “ ‘Shepherd My sheep.’ ” Then, yet again, a third time Jesus asked Peter, “ ‘Do you love Me?’ ” And “Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ ” And Peter replied, “ ‘Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.’ ” And Jesus said, “ ‘Tend My sheep’ ” (John 21:15-17, NASB 1995). Just as Peter had denied Jesus three times, Jesus—by way of the crucial question, “ ‘Do you love Me?’ ”—restored Peter three times. However different our circumstances may be from Peter’s, in many ways the principle is the same. That is, the question that Jesus had asked Peter is really the ultimate question that God poses to each of us in our time and place: Do you love Me?
Everything depends on our answer to that question.

SABBATH:
God’s love is the foundation of our salvation. His love is far greater than any human idea of love. It restores the sinner. Peter denied Jesus three times, just as Jesus had predicted. But Peter was not left in hopelessness. He was asked the most essential question, “Do you love Me?” by Jesus three times (Matt. 26:34, John 21:15-17). That’s, Jesus restored Peter three times. God poses the same question to us always.
Beyond Reasonable Expectations

SUNDAY:
History has shown that man has continually disobeyed God & God has continually loved humanity. His love is free to all. In the absence of Moses, Israel made a calf & worshipped it. They went against the covenant with God to obey His voice (Exod. 33:15-22). When Moses saw the idol, he threw down the tablets having the 10 commandments. But God chose to love Israel (vs. 19). He’s impartial, as the Creator, He has the right to love even the underserving.

Unrequited Love
MONDAY:
God’s love for those who do not deserve it can be seen in the story of Hosea & his unfaithful wife (Hos. 1:2; 14:1-4). The story tells us about God’s people going after other gods. Here, we see the climax of God’s love. He loved His people despite their rebellion. God is portrayed as the unrequited lover of an unfaithful spouse (His people). He said, “I will love them freely” to mean love given voluntarily as in freewill offerings.

Love Freely Given
TUESDAY:
The love of God is free. We do not deserve it & could never earn it (Acts 17:25). We’re sinners in need of God, the Savior. God does not need us. He freely created this world & hence, it’s worthy of all glory, honor, & power. He didn’t need to create the world. Before Creation, God enjoyed the love within the Godhead (Rev. 4:11, Ps. 33:6). His will in making the world was to have a loving relationship with His creatures. He sustains us (John 17:24, Hos. 1:3).

Many Are Called, but Few Are Chosen

WEDNESDAY:
God’s love for us, out of His own free will, is an invitation for us to freely love Him in return. But we can choose to honor this invitation or not. The parable of the wedding feast where a king sends servants to invite people to his son’s wedding depicts God’s open call to love Him (Matt. 22:1-14). Jesus closes the parable with the phrase “Many are called, but few are chosen”. The chosen are those who accept to love Him. God does not force love on us.

Crucified for Us
THURSDAY:
Only those who accept to love God enjoy the eternal results of His love. Like a hen gathers her chicks, God sought to gather His people but they were unwilling & rejected His salvation (Matt. 22:3, 23:37). Yet, Christ died on the cross for all these people & for us. Our sin merits death, but God (in Christ) paid the price. Amazing love! At the Cross, we see Christ freely gave Himself to save us (John 10:17, 18; Gal. 2:20). God willed it (Rom. 16:25, DA, p. 22).

Further Thought
FRIDAY:
The world is currently shrouded in misunderstanding about God, leading to a loss of knowledge about His true character. A divine message is needed to illuminate this darkness, revealing His goodness, mercy, & truth. As outlined in Isaiah, those awaiting the coming of the Bridegroom are to proclaim, “Behold your God”. God’s light of righteousness should be reflected in our actions & words, showcasing the transformative power of His grace in our lives.

—Ellen G. White, “ ‘To Meet the Bridegroom,’ ” pp. 405–421, in Christ’s Object Lessons.

Keywords

DA- The Desire of Ages

Exodus 33:19- It is 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.

Discussion Questions

📌 Worse than the thought of there being no God would be the thought that God hated us. How different a world would we exist in if that were the truth?

📌 Why do you think there is so much misunderstanding of God’s character in our world today? Think about and discuss ways that you might help people to see God’s character of love more clearly.

📌 What is the message that is to be proclaimed about God’s character today? How would you explain this message to someone who is not already familiar with the reality of God’s love? What evidence can you point to that shows the reality of His love and His wonderful character?

📌 Talking about God’s love is one thing. Revealing and reflecting that love in our lives is another. What “deeds of holiness” might reveal God’s love to those around us?

For December 28–January 3. Happy Sabbath & New Year.