God Loves Freely

Lesson 1

God Loves Freely

(Matthew 22, Exodus 33, and John 10)

Copr. 2024, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail, but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you study.

Introduction: How do you understand the word, “love?” In the West many people have lost all understanding of the words “love” and “hate.” When you were dating, did you wonder whether you were in love? After being married for over fifty years, I know I love my wife! The title of our lesson, “God Loves Freely,” describes the love of God. Seeing God’s love in the Old Testament is sometimes difficult. This week we look at both a New Testament and Old Testament discussion of God’s love. Let’s dive into our study of the Bible and see, in different contexts, how God loves us!

1. The Invitation

1. 1. Read Matthew 22:2-4. Do you think this king loved his son?

1. 1. 1. Did he love those who he invited to the wedding feast? (Since this is the king, he would have little reason to invite people who would make the king seem more important. He must have invited people he wanted to invite. Or had business reasons to invite.)

1. 2. Read Matthew 22:5-6. Did those invited to the wedding feast love the king? (They either loved their work more, or they hated the king because they killed the king’s messengers.)

1. 1. 1. Did the king misunderstand the people he invited?

1. 3. Read Matthew 22:7. Does the king now love those who spurned his invitation? (The king not only killed them, he destroyed their city. That does not seem to be love.)

1. 4. Read Matthew 22:8-10. Does the king love the second group that is now being invited to the wedding feast? (No. He does not even know them. These are blind invitations.)

1. 1. 1. Why would the king invite people he does not even know, much less not love? (The king wants a celebration, and he is willing to accept those who are willing to accept his invitation.)

1. 5. Read Matthew 22:11. Let’s look at this in two parts. First, we are told that the king came to “look” at the guests, not eat with them. What do you think that means? (The king was looking out for the welfare of his guests. Are they enjoying the wedding feast?)

1. 1. 1. Second, the king notices a man without a wedding garment. Did this fellow fail to wear his tuxedo? (The garments must have been provided by the king because the guests were gathered “from the roads.” They had no idea when they started the day they were going to a royal wedding.)

1. 1. 1. 1. If the king supplied the wedding garment, what does that tell you about this man? (He either thought his cloths were good enough, or he didn’t care about the wedding.)

1. 6. Read Matthew 22:12. Why is this man speechless? (He must think that his clothes are good enough. He certainly would not have failed to notice that everyone else was wearing a supplied wedding garment.)

1. 7. Read Matthew 22:13. Is this man killed? (The text does not say, but he is bound and thrown into a dark, terrible place.)

1. 8. Jesus’ story is an explanation for the future destruction of Jerusalem. But it is more. Let’s see if we can understand the point about “the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 22:2). Is there any similarity between the Matthew 22:5 invitees who “paid no attention,” and the man without a wedding garment? (If the fellow cast into outer darkness was paying attention, he thought he had no need to wear the garment. The invitees who failed to show thought they had no need to go.)

1. 1. 1. So what is similar about them? (They place a low priority on pleasing the king.)

1. 1. 2. Is this about behavior? (Matthew 22:10 reports that the typical behavior norms, good and bad, were not a criteria for being invited to the wedding.)

1. 1. 3. What are the qualifications for being a proper wedding guest, meaning a proper member of the kingdom of heaven? (First, responding positively to the invitation. Second, putting on the wedding garment provided by the king.)

1. 1. What do we learn about God’s love from this story? Let’s see if we can sort this out.

1. 1. 1. Does the king love everyone? Does he love “freely?” (If receiving an invitation reflects some level of love, then the answer is, “Yes.”)

1. 1. 2. What does a person do to break the love connection with the king? What makes them “unworthy” (Matthew 22:8) of his love? (Ignoring him. Those outside the kingdom either ignored (or actively fought) the invitation or ignored the wedding garment.)

2. The Wilderness

1. 1. Read Exodus 33:1-3. God tells Moses that it is time for Him to fulfill His promise to Abraham. Moses will lead God’s people from Egypt to Canaan. Who will not be making the trip? (God will not be making the trip.)

1. 1. 1. Why not? (The people have an attitude of rebellion against God, and God might kill them.)

1. 2. Read Exodus 32:10-12. Moses wants to know why God is not going with them. What is the basis for God saying that the people are rebels and He might kill them? (Read Exodus 32:8. The people made a golden calf and said this thing they made brought them out of Egyptian slavery!)

1. 3. Read Exodus 33:15. What is Moses’ reaction to God’s statement that He will skip this trip for the safety of the people? (Moses says that if God is not going, they should not make the trip.)

1. 4. Read Exodus 33:16-17. What reasons does Moses give for God coming along on the trip?

1. 1. 1. Do they cause God to decide to come? (Yes.)

1. 5. Read Exodus 33:18-19. What is God’s standard for showing mercy and grace? (He decides who will receive mercy and grace.)

1. 1. 1. I read a comment on this story that said it exemplifies, “God Himself loves each person, and He does so freely.” Is that how you interpret this? God warns, “If I go with you I might kill you.” God says “I will show mercy and grace to whoever I decide.” That is loving freely?

1. 6. Let’s read a verse we skipped: Exodus 33:14. What provides humans with rest? (God’s presence.)

1. 1. 1. If you feel at peace, is that a feeling of being loved?

1. 1. 2. Just to show we don’t have short-term memory loss, didn’t God just say (Exodus 33:3) if I go with you I might kill you? Is that a presence that gives rest?

1. 1. 3. What is the key that unlocks this mystery? (If you rest in God, if you rely on God, and do not rebel against Him, you have peace.)

1. 7. Read Matthew 11:29-30. Do rebels wear yokes very well? (No. God’s yoke lifts the burdens of life from us. But this requires us to accept Him and not rebel against Him.)

1. 1. 1. Do you think the conversation in Exodus 33 that we have been discussing is consistent with the story we studied in Matthew 22? (In both cases the people who accepted God’s invitation and complied with His program were the object of His love. They did not have to work or earn His love, they simply had to choose His way.)

3. The Cross

1. 1. Read John 10:7. Consistent with our discussion in the prior two sections, how is Jesus “the door” to salvation and peace? (A door is a great illustration because a person decides to open and pass through a door to enter a new space.)

1. 2. Read John 10:14-18. What has Jesus done to give us access to eternal life? (He died on our behalf to give us access to eternal life with Him.)

1. 3. We started out with God showing lethal force against those who rebelled against Him and we ended with God dying to save those who allied with Him. How is this consistent? How can both of these be true? (Jesus showed the danger of sin. How we would be if Satan were in charge. Jesus freely saves and loves those who choose Him and His program.)

1. 4. Friend, are you a rebel? Why not repent right now and accept God’s freely offered salvation? God’s yoke is easy and His burden is light.

4. Next week: Covenantal Love.