God Loves Freely - 250101

SPEAKER A Hello, I'm Clive Nash. Welcome to Let God Speak. Today we begin a new series dealing with God's love and justice. Understanding the nature of God has profound implications for Christian faith and practise. Today and in the next 12 weeks, we hope to answer many questions about the love of God and his justice. It is usually true that we love in return for being loved. After his resurrection, Jesus asked Peter if he loved his Lord three times. Peter declared, you know that I love you. Jesus is still asking us if we love him. Think about that question as we begin our panel discussion in just a few moments. Well, on our panel today, we have Junior Sulusi and Kaysie Vokurka. Good to have you with us, Junior and Kaysie. SPEAKER B Thank you. SPEAKER A I'm looking forward to our discussion. I hope you are too. But before we begin, let's take time to pray. Our loving Father in heaven, we just want to praise your name as we come to this topic today. We thank you. As we begin this new series, we can learn more about your love and your justice. I pray that you'll have your hand over our discussion, that we might feel your spirit moving and touching our lips and hearts in Jesus name. Amen. SPEAKER C Amen. SPEAKER A Well, God loves all of his creation and history gives us examples of this. I think about the time of the Exodus, you know, when Moses was commanded to move on from Mount Sinai. Moses sought some reassurances. And I'd like to begin by reading Exodus, chapter 33, 13, 14. And here's Moses speaking. He says, now, therefore, I pray, if I found grace in your sight speaking to God, show me now your way that I may know you and that I may find grace in your sight. And this reassurance came from God. He says in verse 14, my presence will go with you and I will give you rest. Kaysie, how important do you think this issue turns out to be? SPEAKER B Well, it was very important for Moses because the context of this story is that he had just been leading the Israelites through the wilderness. And then they rebelled. They broke God's commandments, they made an idol, they worshipped it. There was disciplinary action that had to be taken as a result of this. And I think Moses probably felt like that was quite a, I guess, challenging thing to deal with as a leader. And so he's looking for personal assurance, but I think he's also looking for assurance in leading. Leading God's people. Yeah, that's correct. And so it's very interesting because when we read a little bit further on, it shows how God responded to this. And in verse 19, of Exodus chapter 33, it says. Then he said, I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. And this is what Moses needed, because he needed to know. He was wanting to know God. He wanted to know God's principles of working so that he could have that personal assurance for himself about how gracious God is. But also then he knew if he knew how God worked, he would be able to cooperate with him in leading the people. And this was his deepest, deepest desire. SPEAKER A And God answered, yeah, I noticed you were reading in that text that I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Now, Junior, you know, in Western culture we all have names. And I know that they're all altogether significant, you know, oh, that's a nice name. Or it might be my dad's name, my mother's name and so on. But what about in the Bible times? There were names important. Do they have meaning? SPEAKER C Yes, absolutely, Clive. A name was linked to character. We see earlier on, in Exodus chapter 3, verse 14, God tells Moses that he was to say that I am had sent him. Moses had asked, what is your name? And so we see the reply there. I am who I am. And in Exodus 33:19, we see that the goodness is profoundly implicit in the character of our God. SPEAKER A Okay, so, Kaysie, when God told Moses that he would be gracious to whom he'd be gracious, does it sound like he was playing favourites? I'm going to choose who I'm gracious to. What do you think? SPEAKER B You might think so at a first glance, but I think in the context God was really saying that I am gracious and I can choose who I'll be gracious to. And even if people don't deserve it, I can still choose to be gracious and I will choose to still be gracious. So he's really, he's really saying that he is compassion, he is gracious, and that's it. That's what he will show in all of his dealings with people, with other beings. It's just who he is. And I think we can all be very grateful about that because that's the amazing God we serve. SPEAKER A Okay, so in chapter 33, we've got God's grace, we've got his graciousness, his compassion. The next chapter kind of moves on with an expansion of that, doesn't it, Kaysie? SPEAKER B It certainly does. It certainly does. And look, this is one of My favourite passages in the, in the Old Testament actually. And so we can have a little look at that because God does really break it down a little bit. And so we can find that in Exodus 34, 6, 7, which says, and the Lord passed before him and proclaimed the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and fourth generation. And so this is very interesting, a very interesting passage to study. I love studying this passage. SPEAKER A It is delightful, isn't it? You know, he's gracious, he's merciful, long suffering. SPEAKER B Yes, yeah, it is. And really you can summarise it, that God is both loving but also fair and just. So gracious and yet fair, kind and yet just. And so this combination of things is in his character. And there's a quote from the abundant Bible amplifier from John Dibdal which says this is the most basic direct statement of the nature of Yahweh that we find in the Old Testament. And another comment on Commentary in the Andrew Study Bible says it's one of the most profound examples of God's self revelation. And I think we could certainly agree with that, that God is here, he's expressing, he's saying, this is who I am. And out of his own mouth, what is a better source to find out what he says about Himself? SPEAKER A Yeah, and we can be thankful, can't we, that he is the kind of God that he says he is. So we're discussing in our topic today how God loves freely. And he gives us a graphic illustration of this in the minor prophet Hosea. And the strange thing about this story, Hosea is directed to love a harlot. As we read in Hosea chapter one and verse two, he says the Lord began to speak by Hosea. The Lord said to Hosea, go take yourself a wife of harlotry, a prostitute. For the land has committed great harlotry by departing from the Lord. So junior, what's the significance of, of that loving action? SPEAKER C Well, often Israel had been unfaithful to God as a nation. And when we read in Hosea 14, chapter 14, verse 1 and 2, it reads, O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God, for thou has fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words and turn to the Lord, saying to him, take away all iniquity and receive us graciously so will we render the calves of our lips. So he invites Israel to return to him. Clive, it makes me think of situations that I have observed of people who have, you know, wandered away from God. But God still loves, you know them and cause them by various methods. That may be, you know, by the prompting of the Holy Spirit speaking to their hearts. It may be through the prayers of a loving parent or friends, it may be some other way. But heaven rejoices over the soul of the one who repents and returns to God. SPEAKER A It's interesting reading on. Thank you for that, Junior. And reading on, in that chapter, in verse 4 Hosea 14:4, God has a loving promise here. He says, I will heal their backsliding. I will love them freely. From which we get the title of our topic today. Of course, I will love them freely. So, Kaysie, how beautiful are these promises? SPEAKER B Oh, absolutely. And I'm sure we can all in some ways relate to it, because even if it's in seemingly small areas, we've probably all backslidden to some extent and felt the need for God's grace. And he offers that to us freely. And it's very nice here that where it says, I will love them freely. That word for freely is the same word which in the Old Testament is used to describe freewill offerings that the children of Israel were to bring. So it's something you just give out of the goodness of your heart, basically. And this is what God does for us. I like the way it says in the new living translation, it says, then I will heal your faithlessness. My love will know no bounds. SPEAKER A Okay, that's good. Isn't it beautiful? Love them freely. SPEAKER B Yes. And then. Yeah, it's just. It's important to consider that the love of God is not forced. It's voluntary. He chooses to do it. And he chooses to love us because he is love. That's who he is. And we can read a little bit further in this chapter In Hosea, chapter 14, verse 5, 7, it says, I will be like the dew to Israel. He shall grow like the lily and lengthen his roots. Like Lebanon. His branches shall spread. His beauty shall be like an olive tree, and his fragrance like Lebanon. These are probably all like metaphors of how God would bless the people. And those who dwell under his shadow shall return. They shall be revived like grain and grow like a vine. Their scent shall be like the wine of Lebanon. And so you can see some keywords there. There's return, there's revive, there's grow. And this is what God wants to do for everyone who may have wandered away and come back to him. He wants to help them prosper. SPEAKER A Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, there may be some of you who are listening or viewing this programme who feel a bit like that, you know, you wandered away from the Lord, but be assured that God is calling you to come back. He loves you freely. So, Junior, did Israel deserve this free love for a rebellious nation? No, Clive, we all deserve it. SPEAKER C You know, it was initiated by God. Notice the focus on the mercy of God here in Hosea 14, verse 3. Asher shall not save us, we will not ride upon horses, Neither will we say any more to the words of our hands, ye our gods, for in thee the Fatherless findeth mercy. So love and mercy are the qualities of our Creator. And grace is here in this passage of Hosea 2. In verse 2, it says, Take away all iniquity and receive us how graciously. So we can say that military alliances, such as Israel with Assyria, or for us, reliance on human sources will not do. SPEAKER A Yeah, and I like the fact that you're using the King James version of that verse, because for in the. It says in the singular, it's addressing the individual. My new kingdom says for anew, so it could be any number of people, but this is speaking to the individual here in this text. And there's a similar appeal over in Joel, chapter two, in verse 12, where it reads, now therefore, says the Lord, turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping and with mourning. Again, it's God who begins the process of repentance, isn't it, Kaysie? He's the one who's initiating it. SPEAKER B Indeed. He's giving us an invitation to do that, to turn to him with all our hearts. And even though all of us, we're all descendants of Adam, we inherited a sinful nature and rebellious tendencies. All of us have that in us. But God is able to change our hearts, give us a new heart. But he can't do it forcefully. He can only do it if we want that. So he invites us to come to him. And in verse 13 of Joel, chapter 2, it says, so rend your heart and not your garments, return to the Lord your God. For he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and he relents from doing harm. I think that's something we ought to remember often, because sometimes we think that God doesn't care as much as he really does. But that really is powerful. SPEAKER A So God loved wayward Israel, and he loves us, too. Junior, the question that arises in my mind is, does God need us to love him in return? SPEAKER C Hmm. Yeah. Clive, I'm not sure how to answer that question. Part of me agrees with Paul at Athens. If I can just point us to Acts chapter 17 and verse 25 it reads, neither is worshipped with men's hands as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all life and breath and all things. So I suppose in one sense God is self sufficient and needs nothing from us. But another part of me says that God's love is outward looking. He creates because he loves. As John has said in First John chapter 4, verse 19, we love him. Why? Because he first loved us. Amen. So is God gregarious? Does he love fellowship? I believe he does. And in that sense we are made in his image. God is a people person. SPEAKER A Yeah. I'd like just to just turn over to the last book of the Bible Now, Revelation chapter 4 and I'm going to read verse 11 about the fact that God is worthy of worship. Here in Revelation 4, 11 it says, you are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things and by your will they exist and were created. So here it talks about God creating everything. Did God actually need to create our world, Kaysie? SPEAKER B That's a good question. We can have a repeated idea presented to us from Psalm 33, 6 which says, by the word of the Lord, the heavens were made and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. And so it's interesting because I think we can find clearly from the Bible the idea that God, God created out of his own will, his own desire. He didn't have to, he wanted to. He did it and he had a purpose in doing it. But it's clear that he did it freely. And it's also clear that because he is love that extends across all that he has created, so everything that he has made, he reveals and treats with love. That's part of who he is. SPEAKER A Yeah, I happen to believe that God is still creating. You know, he's an infinite God, infinite possibilities, you know, for his creative genius to do that. In John chapter 17 and verse 24, I read Father Jesus speaking here. Father, I desire that they also whom you gave me may be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory which you have given me. And that is an important point he makes here. Jesus says, for you loved me before the foundation of the world. Junior Jesus makes an interesting statement here, doesn't he? SPEAKER C Yes, he does, Clive. As far as our world is concerned anyway, you know, the Godhead's relationship was one of love. While Jesus said that this was the case before the foundation of our world, it would be true that the love existed from eternity past. God freely loved Adam and Eve after they had sinned, providing, you know, a love response to the sin question, you know, the plan of salvation. That plan that love can cover the whole human race. So thank God for such a love. SPEAKER A Yeah. So, Kaysie, all right, we acknowledge here God loves all of his creation, but can we really love him in return? SPEAKER B That's a very interesting question because it's also as much as God chooses to love, he actually has given us the power to choose as well. And so we have a choice whether to love in return. And it's very clear that this is the case when we look at. There are many examples in Scripture, but we can have a look at one. We can have a look at Matthew, chapter 22 and verse 1:3. And this is a parable that Jesus told the parable of the wedding feast. And it says, and Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said, the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding, and they were not willing to come. SPEAKER C And. SPEAKER B And so this is obviously a story expressing or describing a reality that exists, which is the fact that when God invites people to become part of his kingdom, some people just don't want it. SPEAKER A There's no compulsion about it. SPEAKER B Exactly. So people can have that choice. And yeah, it's interesting because as you continue in that story, well, even actually in the context of this story, when you look at it beforehand, there were some people that Jesus was kind of speaking about or alluding to in this parable. And in the end of chapter 21, it says that when the chief priests and Pharisees heard the parable, they thought he was speaking about them. And so they read between the lines, if you will. SPEAKER A Not happy, were they? SPEAKER B They were not. They were not. They felt convicted about that. And Jesus was, I guess, almost giving them a warning just to say that what you're doing is rejecting the kingdom. And so it highlights that we have a choice. And even though some people rejected, we do know that other people embraced and fully accepted the kingdom of heaven that Jesus was offering. SPEAKER A True. And I'm going to read down a little further on this parable. Verse 8, Matthew 22:8. Then he said to them, to his servants, the wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Verse 9. Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find invite to the wedding. So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. And Junior, do you find this to be a hopeful message, this parable? SPEAKER C Absolutely, Clive. So often Jesus turned worldly values upside down. And I'm glad that, you know, those who consider themselves unworthy of being invited to the heavenly wedding feast are the ones who respond. They are the ones who fill the wedding hall. The religious leaders in general rejected Jesus as the Messiah. Consider, you know, the mixed bunch who made up the 12 disciples, fishermen, tax collectors and so forth. SPEAKER A Yeah, it's a bit like the net being cast into the sea, bringing in. It was good and bad, isn't it? You know, and here's all these people being invited to the wedding, coming in both good and bad. Verse 11 of this same story, Matthew 22:11. And when the king came in to see the guests. A bit of a side issue here or a detour in the story, as it were. The king came in and he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. Daisy, what's the meaning of this little detail in this story? SPEAKER B It's a good question. So the wedding garment was something that was actually provided by the king for all of the guests, and it was something they needed to wear. And the parallel for us is that the garment represents righteousness. And in Isaiah 64,6, it says that our righteousness is as filthy rags, but a wedding garment is not going to be filthy rags. So the wedding garment actually represents Christ's righteousness. And we can read about that in Philippians 3, verse 9, which says, and be found in him not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith. And so this is what we. This is what we or to have put on in our Christian experience. And this is why later in that parable, it talks about how many were called, but few chosen, because some people, they would heed the message, but they wouldn't actually apply it and make it a part of their lives. And so they weren't actually chosen, even though they heard the message and the call. And so it's important for us to remember that God wants us to cooperate with him. SPEAKER A I think free will is quite a common denominator in the Bible story, isn't it? Jesus, for example, did not have to die. He didn't have to come into this world because of his Love for us. Just one final question for you, Junior. Is there a part for us to play in passing on the freely given love of God? SPEAKER C In First John, chapter 3, verse 18, it reads, My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. So the question is, is it hard to do? Not when the love of God is written within our hearts, it will naturally flow out to others. A good tree bears good fruit. It can't help but do that. SPEAKER A Yeah. SPEAKER B And it's also something which I think that just like God delights to do good and show goodness, I think that when we show that to others, it can be a very special experience for us as well. SPEAKER A Yeah. And in an earthly relationship, you know, when we are loved, we tend to love in return, don't we? SPEAKER B Absolutely. SPEAKER A So thank you, Junior. Thank you, Kaysie, for your contributions today in our discussion. You know, today our world is in danger of losing sight of the character of God. He is so often misunderstood and Satan would have it so. But my prayer is that you and I can be ambassadors for the God who loves freely through words and deeds of goodness. We can make the character of our Maker irresistible. Well, we're glad you joined us today on Let God Speak. If you were blessed by this programme, why not tell your friends? Remember, all past programmes plus teachers notes are available on our website, 3abnaustralia.org.au email us if you wish on [email protected]. Join us again next time. Until then, God bless. SPEAKER B You have been listening to let God speak, a production of 3ABN Australia television. To catch up on past programmes, please visit 3abnaustralia.org.au. Call us in Australia on 02 4973 3456. Or email [email protected]. we'd love to hear from you.