Chapter 3: Crazy Love

Crazy Love

This chapter goes through several different illustrations of God’s love for each of us.  It demonstrates how merciful and loving our God is.

How many of you believe that God loves you?  Why do you believe this?

·         Taught for years through church

·         Singing “Jesus Loves Me” in church, “For the Bible tells me so”.

·         Do you truly understand Gods love for YOU?

Have you ever related your personal relationships with your relationship with God?

·         Should these two relationships be associated with each other?

·         What approaches do you use in both relationships and what are some approaches you take differently?

Think about how much you love those close to you (kids, family, and friends) and then imagine that God’s love for us is infinitely more than that.  Kind of hard to imagine but that’s how it works.

“I am just an earthly, sinful father, and I love my kids so much it hurts.  How could I not trust a heavenly, perfect Father who loves me infinitely more that I will ever love my kids?” – Powerful Stuff – Matthew 7:11 pg 1097

How many of you have always been taught that you should have a daily quiet time with God?

How do you feel when you fall short of DAILY quiet time?

Should you feel guilty when you miss a quiet time?

·         Matthew 22:37 – 38 says, “Jesus replied, You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.”

·         If you believe this and live by this how will your quiet times be affected?

·         We must remember to fear God and always remember “His great and abounding love.”  It’s hard to have a successful and meaningful relationship with the Father without having a proper fear (Respect) of Him and at the same time understanding how great His love is for us.

God’s planning for our lives:

Read Jeremiah 1:4 – 19 (page 860)

·         God shows his gentleness as he touches Jeremiah’s mouth and gives him His words and encourages him to go out and do as he is told.

·         God will take each of us on different paths but ultimately we will all face the same challenges.  It is how you approach those challenges and how you draw yourself closer to the Father through those challenges that will allow us to, daily, surrender our lives to God’s control.   

God may not call you to be a prophet like he did Jeremiah but he does have individual plans for each and every one of us.  With God’s encouragement, help and love we need to seek out His will and follow it.  God will send us through some very tough times just like he did Jeremiah but we must always trust that He never sends us into these battles alone. 

What does Francis’s statement, “God will ensure my success in accordance with His plan, not mine”, mean to you?

Do you ever feel that you have offended God with your actions?

·         Why does God still love us despite our offensive actions?

·         God’s mercy is awesome and without it, no matter how hard we tried, punishment from God would be eminent.  What punishment do our sins deserve? 

·         In the book it says, “The wages of sin will always be death.  But because of God’s mercy, sin is paid for through the death of Jesus Christ, instead of the death of you and me.”

·         God sent his own son to die on the cross for US because he knew we would never be good enough and through the sacrifice of His son Jesus Christ would be the only way we could ever understand his Crazy Love and mercy for us. 

·         Read top and middle of page 61

Why would a loving God force us to love Him?

·         It could easily seem that God “threatens me with hell and punishment if I don’t begin a relationship with Him.”

·         Read top of pg 62

“Are we in love with God or just His stuff?”

“God’s one goal for us is Himself.”

What do these two statements mean to you and how do you apply this to your everyday life?

“Do you really know and believe that God loves you, individually and personally and intimately?”

Chapter 2: You Might Not Finish This Sunday School Lesson

You Might Not Finish This Sunday School Lesson

Today’s lesson is one of those lessons that you would rather not think about.  Truth is that it is real and it is a chapter in life that you will face at some point.  Are you ready?  Video

What do you think about the opening of the chapter?  “You could die before you finish reading this chapter.  I could die while you’re reading it.  Today.  At any moment.”  How does that make you feel?

What is an average day for you?

·         To do lists

·         Appointments

·         Family, School or Work

·         Self desires & needs

“On average, we forget that our life truly is a vapor.”

What is NOT normal about today?  Handout

Read James 4:13-14 pg 1461

We tend to live and believe that our lives will go on forever.  Are we invincible?

Stress – How many here are worriers? 

What are some examples of your worries?

·         Life, family, job

·         Do we have the right to disobey Gob because of what we feel is the magnitude of our own problems?  -This takes a lot of self evaluation and digging deep into ourselves to understand.

·         “says that the things we are involved in are important enough to merit our impatience, our lack of grace toward others, or our tight grip of control.”

Philippians 4:4-7 pg1390

Worry –“ Implies that we don’t quite trust God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what’s happening in our lives.”

Why are we so quick to forget God and that our lives should be all about him and not ourselves?  This is a lesson that we will face, probably, every day of our lives because of our human nature.  We think so many times that we are the stars in the movie of life that Francis talked about.

·         What will you do with your two fifths of a second scene in the movie of life?

·         1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 

·         Our two fifths of a second scene should be consumed with the glory of God.

How do you consume yourself with the glory of God through the good times?

·         God gives us good stuff so that we can show the world a person who enjoys blessings, but is totally obsessed with God

·         Do we need God’s help in the good times?  Do we think we need God’s help in the good times?

·         What are some obstacles to being consumed with the glory of God during the good times?

How do you consume yourself with the glory of God through the tough times?

·         God has allowed hard things in your life so you can show the world that your God is great and that knowing Him brings peace and joy, even when life is hard.

·         What are some obstacles to being consumed with the glory of God during the good times?

How much control do you have over your own life?

·         2 different responses to the lack of control.  Turn inward and live in a safe, guarded and controlled way or reach out for God’s help.

·         Lack of control can make you run to God

Life in a quick perspective:

·         Read top of page 46 in Crazy Love book

·         Read about Stan Gerlach on middle of pg 46 in Crazy Love

·         Read about Brooke Bronkowski  pgs 47-49 in Crazy Love

·         Matthew 10:32-33 says, “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.  But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.”

·         I challenge you to post this verse somewhere so that you can see it every day before you go into the world.  This should be your armor of courage for witnessing to those that you find it most difficult.

How many in this room are nice and good people?  Nice is a very good trait to have but in reality when standing before God is nice good enough?

“You could be the next person in your family to die.  I could be the next person at my church to die.  We have to realize it.  We have to believe it enough that it changes how we live.”

“ARE YOU READY”

Life Isn't Ordinary

Life Isn’t Ordinary

1.      Nerve impulses to and from the brain travel as fast as 170 miles per hour.

2.      The human brain cell can hold five times as much information as the Encyclopedia Britannica.

3.      The brain itself cannot feel pain. While the brain might be the pain center when you cut your finger or burn yourself, the brain itself does not have pain receptors and cannot feel pain.

4.      The largest internal organ is the small intestine. If it weren’t looped back and forth upon itself it wouldn’t fit inside the abdominal cavity.

5.      The human body is estimated to have 60,000 miles of blood vessels (this is equal to two times around the earth).

6.      The surface area of a human lung is equal to a tennis court. The alveoli of your lungs increase the surface area for the carbon dioxide and oxygen exchange that must take place.

7.      Scientists have counted over 500 different liver functions.

8.      Your left lung is smaller than your right lung to make room for your heart.

9.      Your nose can remember 50,000 different scents.

10.  The feet account for one quarter of all the human body’s bones.

http://www.wellspringdaily.com/2008/02/100-weird-facts-about-the-human-body/

Crazy Love Chapter 1: Stop Praying

Stop Praying

What did you think when you read the title of the chapter “Stop Praying”?

·         Talking at God instead of taking a long hard look at Him before speaking.  (Romans 1:20 pg1302)

·         Rushing into God’s presence with words – taking a fools approach

·           “We are slow to listen, quick to speak, and quick to become angry.”  Lack of a fear of God.  Why?

What are your thoughts about Chan’s statement, “I sometimes struggle with how to properly respond to God’s magnitude in a world bent on ignoring or merely tolerating Him”?  (Psalm 19:1-4 pg668)

·         350,000,000,000 Galaxies created

·         Caterpillar has 228 separate muscles in its head

·         Elm Tree has 6 million leaves on it

·         3,000 different species of trees within on square mile of the Amazon jungle

·         Plants take in carbon dioxide (which is harmful to us) and produce oxygen (which we need to survive) How often do we just marvel at God and all that he has done?

What does amnesia mean?  What is meant by spiritual amnesia?

·         No matter how many of the above facts we KNOW about God we tend to forget way too easy.

·         Why is loving such a wonderful God so hard? 

·         Do “we love God because we feel we should love Him, instead of genuinely loving out of our true selves”?

·         What do we consider so important in our lives that we have to consistently remind ourselves of Him?  (Family, Work, Toys, Sports)

God is Holy – We don’t get to decide who God is.  (Exodus 3:14-15 pg 80)  He is perfectly set apart and nothing and no one can compare to Him.

God is eternal – “God exists outside of time, and since we are within time, there is no way we will ever totally grasp that concept.” (Psalm 102:12,27 pg 720)  Why is not fully being able to understand God so frustrating?  We like to have control over everything.

God is all-knowing – Why is this thought so intimidating?  The God that created EVERYTHING knows every intricate detail about each and every one of us.  (Hard to fathom)

God is all-powerful – (Colossians 1:16-17 pg 1394) Why do we live as if God was created for us instead of the other way around?

God is fair and just – “Whenever we start to question whether God really hates sin, we have only to think of the cross, where His Son was tortured, mocked, and beaten because of sin. OUR sin.”  What else can you say about that?

Will we ever be able to fully understand everything about God?

Revelation 4 pg 1502 –  Read.  John has a very similar account as Isaiah but with a little more detail.

Isaiah 6 pg 810

“Stop talking at God for a while, but instead to take a long, hard look at Him before you speak another word.”

Watch the "Just Stop and Think" video here.

Watch "The Awe Factor of God" video here.

Evangelism & Service

Evangelism & Service

Last Week

We talked about Devotions and Worship.  We talked about the discipline it takes to have a daily quiet time with God.  We talked about how, when and what sources to use in your devotion time.

We also talked about Worship and how it is displaying the worth and value of God.  We discussed the many different forms of worship.  Displaying the worth and value of God should not be taken lightly; empty worship is worse than no worship.

Evangelism:

1.      Evangelism is practiced in many different ways; preaching, drama, music, TV programs, posters, tee shirts, bumper stickers, etc.  Basically Evangelism is communication of the gospel to the unsaved by whatever means necessary.

2.      All believers are responsible for telling the good news of Jesus Christ to others. 

o   Is this easy or hard to do?

o   Many are intimidated and uncomfortable speaking publically about their faith.

Difficulties with Evangelism:

1.      Fear largely prohibits Christians from carrying out their responsibility of telling others about Christ.  Fear of rejection, of appearing foolish, of losing popularity or friends and of failure.

2.      Some people think that advanced theological training is necessary to witness to others.  Some associate evangelism with certain methods that they find uncomfortable.

3.      Some find it difficult to express their faith clearly, to tell someone exactly how to know Christ.

4.      One major deterrence is fear of failure or repeating failure.  Someone may have been embarrassed or humiliated through a perceived failure and find it very hard to “get back on the horse.”

Service:   

1.      Many aspects of the Christian life revolve around serving the Lord in some capacity within the church.  Service for God many times takes the back seat to service for self.

2.      Can you casually serve God?

o   You cannot be uncommitted in your service for God.

o   Service costs time, talents, money and in some cases one’s earthly life.

o   Service should be a very high priority.  God does not want our leftovers.

3.      Service should begin within your local church.  What are some areas in your church that YOU can serve?

o   Usher, SS Teacher or helper, Greeters, Store House, Operation Christmas Child, VBS, RA’s & GA’s, speaking, singing, choir, nursery, office work among many other things.

4.      Service is HARD work!

o   Whatever service you choose is going to take time and dedication with very little, if any recognition.  You must have faith that your labor is not in vain, God gets the glory not you.

o   God sees and knows your service.  God does not forget our labor and will reward you for your service.

o   Ministry & Service will bring a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that those who don’t serve will never know or understand.  Doing God’s work IS EXCITING.

5.      Reasons God Expects Believers to Serve:

o   To be Obedient - 1 John 2:3 (1480)

o   To express gratitude for what God has done – 1 Samuel 12:24 (346)

o   To answer God’s invitation – Isaiah 6:8 (810)

o   To follow the example of Jesus – John 13:12-14 (1239)

o   To express godly love for others – Galatians 5:13 (1372)

Believers must discipline themselves to participate in the service opportunities that are available to them.  The primary place for such service is through your local church.  Service is hard work without immediate rewards but God promises GREAT eternal rewards for those who faithfully serve.  Our lives on Earth are far too short to miss out on God’s Eternal rewards.

Devotions & Worship

Disciplines of the Chrisitian Life:

Devotions and Worship

The goal of a follower, or disciple, is to become more like the person being followed. Therefore, as Christ’s disciples we should work to become more like him. There are a few basic disciplines that lead us toward spiritual maturity in our walk with Christ. In the next two weeks we’ll be going over some of the essential training that should be a part of your daily walk with Christ.

Devotions (also called quiet time)

·         Devotions are a discipline because they require time and effort (to do and to remain engaged).

·         What ought a devotion to include?

Bible reading

1.      Determine a specific time and place. Make sure your spot is free from distractions.

2.      Begin with prayer. Ask God to help you understand the meaning of the passage and how it can apply to your life.

3.      Read according to a plan or schedule—well, not always.

§  Suggestions:

·         Start in Genesis, Job, or Matthew

·         Use an EC, Journey, Stand Firm

·         There’s an APP for that. J

4.      Read a portion that’s comfortable for you, maybe 1-3 chapters. Don’t feel like you have the finish the book in one session!

5.      Take notes as you read—well, maybe you’re a note taker, maybe you’re not.

§  Find one thing you can get out of it.

§  Highlight/underline important verses.

§  Write down questions and comments to study further or discuss with someone else.

§  Note verses you’d like to memorize.

Prayer

1.      We already discussed the discipline of prayer. Remember:

a.       To approach prayer cognizant of whom you’re speaking with but remember He’s your friend.

b.      To pray continually (anytime, any place, any length).

c.       To check your motives. He already knows where your heart is; he just wants you to open it to Him.

2.      Use the ACT format:

Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication

3.      Start a prayer list. White board by your door—pray when entering, leaving, and everytime you pass it in between.

Worship

Worship Explained

·         What is worship? Focusing on and responding to God.

·         Worship is the act of displaying the worth or value of someone or something.

·         Any activity whereby believers display the worth or value of God.

·         Worship is the “boiling over” of a heart filled with praise and adoration for who God is and what he has done.

o   Psalm 95:6—O come… you are invited, never forced.

o   John 9:37-37—I believe! And he worshiped him… as our testimony.

o   Matthew 4:10—Serve only Him… our devotion.

·         Worship isn’t about US at all! Most people focus on getting something out of the worship service. Instead, we should come with the intention of giving our worship to God.

Worship Expressed

·         How can we worship?

·         Most people think of Sunday morning service when they think of worship. This is an important time because the primary purpose of a meeting church is to worship God.

·         However, a church can worship by preaching, singing, giving, praying, and serving.

·         We do worship independently and personally (Luke 5:16, Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer).

·         Whatever means we use to worship God, it must be done according to John 4:24.

Remember, worship is DEFILED when it is casual or lax. Empty worship is worse than no worship at all. The form of worship and the attitude of the worshiper are equally important.