Chapter 1

Crazy Love

Psalm 19:1-4The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they reveal knowledge. 3 They have no speech, they use no words;

no sound is heard from them.4 Yet their voice[b] goes out into all the

earth,their words to the ends of the world.

In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.

The Awe Factor

Why is loving God so hard?Do we have Spiritual amnesia?Are we programmed to think about what we do not have instead of thinking about what we have?

How do we learn to know him?What are the attributes of God?

God is Holy – He already has an identity“I Am who I am” (Ex. 3:14) He is perfect but set

apart.We cannot exaggerate how awesome is our God.

God is EternalGod exist outside of time.God will not be limited by our standards. “God is so

much bigger, so far beyond our time-encased, air/food/sleep-dependent lives.” (F. Chan Pg. 32)

“We forget that we already have everything we need in Him” (F. Chan)

“But you, O LORD, sit enthroned forever; Your renown endures through all generations… But you remain the same and your years will never end.”

Psalm 102:12,27

GODWhat are the attributes of God?

God is all-knowingGod knows who we are and what we are about.Psalm 139:7-10

Where can I go from your Spirit?Where can I flee from your presence?8 If I go up to the heavens, you are

there;if I make my bed in the depths, you are

there.9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,if I settle on the far side of the sea,10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

GODWhat are the attributes of God?

God is fair and Just

His standard for justice is set by him.When you get your own universe you get to make

the rules.Pride… we make excuses but God hates pride.

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Crazy Love

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“on the average day, we live caught up in

ourselves.” (Chan)

“Its crazy that we think today is just a normal day to do whatever we want

with.”

Do you feel invincible?

Phil 4:4Rejoice in the

Lord Always and again I say

rejoice!

Vs. 6Do not be

anxious about anything

“When I am consumed by my problems-stressed out about my life, my family,

and my job- I actually convey the belief that I think the circumstances are more important than

God’s command to always rejoice.”

What does Worry do to people?• “It implies that we don’t quite trust that

God is big enough , powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what’s happening in our lives”

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

1. God Creates the World (were you alive then?)2. People rebel against God3. God Floods the World4. God singles out a 99 year old man named

Abram (did you have anything to do with this?)5. Next God uses ordinary men to accomplish his

will (Joseph and Moses…) 6. God sends Judges and prophets7. God sends his Son8. Son returns to God9. Lastly God sits on the Throne in Heaven with

His people

Is the Story of the Bible about us?

Why do we live as though it is about us?

Our scene is brief.

1 Cor 10:31So whether you eat or drink or what ever you do, do it all for the glory of

God.

So what will you do with your brief two-fifths of a

second?

1. Get over yourself2. Point to God3. Give up control4. Prepare yourself5. Realize the truth of your life.6. Trust God Completely7. Be Thankful

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“Most of us to some degree, have a difficult

time understanding, believing, or even

accepting God’s absolute and unlimited love for us.”

“I had no aspiration of being wanted by God; I was just happy not to be hated or hurt by him.”

• What is wrong with his view of God?

• What changed his view?

Describe the greeting he receives from his children

everyday.

“…I came to understand that my desire for my children is only a faint echo of God’s great love for me and for every person He made”(P. 55).

Matt 7:11

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give

good gifts to those who ask him!

Isaiah 40: 22-24He sits enthroned above the circle

of the earth,and its people are like

grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a

canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to

live in. 23 He brings princes to naught

and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.

Isaiah 40: 22-2424 No sooner are they planted,

no sooner are they sown,no sooner do they take root in the

ground,than he blows on them and they

wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away

like chaff. • Should people be afraid of God?

“Over time I realized that when we love God, we naturally run to Him –

frequently and zealously”

“But for a long time, I narrowly focused on his fearsomeness to the

exclusion of His great and abounding love.”

“God knew who he was creating and He designed

me for a specific work”

Jeremiah 1:6-106 “Alas, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how

to speak; I am too young.” 7 But the LORD said to me,

“Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to

everyone I send you to and say whatever I command

you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD.

9 Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in

your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations

and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build

and to plant.”

How would you respond to this moment of God touching your mouth?

What expectations should we rely on from God?

• God will ensure my success in accordance with His plan, not mine.• God’s mercy is free, yet a costly

gift. It cannot be earned.• God doesn’t need me or you. Yet

he wants us, chooses us, even considers us His inheritance.

“… God is truly the greatest good on this earth, would He be loving us if He didn’t draw us toward what is best for us(even if that happens to be Himself)? Doesn’t His courting, luring, pushing, calling, and even "threatening” demonstrate His love?”(P. 62)

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Matt 13:44The kingdom of heaven is like

treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it he hid it again,

and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

“This kind of enthusiastic response to God’s love is entirely appropriate. Yet what a contrast to our typical response at discovering the same treasure!” (p.66)

If you were in charge of planning a church event, how would people decide whether it was a success?

How do people measure success?

A. NumbersB. ResponsesC. New Contacts

Large crowds… Parables… So That…

Luke 8

HE WASN’T INTERESTED IN THOSE WHO FAKE IT.

Which one are we?

The Parable of the Sower

“Do not assume you are the good soil” (p.67)

“When we want God and a bunch of other stuff, then that means we have thorns in our soil. A relationship with God simply cannot grow when money, sins, activities, favorite sports teams, addictions, or commitments are piled on top of it.” (p.67)

Most Americans are…

Has your relationship with God actually changed the way you live?

Are you satisfied being godly enough to get yourself to heaven, or to look good in comparison to others?

Are you choking it out slowly by spending too time, energy, money, and thought on

the things of this world?

Do you feel comfortable saying, “I want to know Christ and the power of …?”

Do you see evidence of God’s Kingdom in your

life?

Would you describe yourself as totally in love with Christ?

Or

Do the words half-hearted, lukewarm, and partially

committed fit better?

“Taking the words of Christ literally and seriously is rarely considered. That’s for the “radicals” who are “unbalanced” and who go “overboard.” Most of us want a balanced life that we can control, that is safe, and that does not involve suffering.” (p.68)

Look at your Life Honestly:1. Do lukewarm people attend

church fairly regularly? Why?• Isa. 29:13

2. Do lukewarm people give to charity? Until what?• 1 Chron. 21:24• Luke 21:1-4

Look at your Life Honestly:3. Do lukewarm people tend to

choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict?

4. Do they try to fit in with the church and the world?

5. Do they care more about what people think than what God thinks?• Luke 6:26, Rev. 3:1, Matt.

23:5-7

Look at your Life Honestly:6. Lukewarm people don’t really

want to be saved from their sin; they just don’t want to face the punishment. They don’t really believe that the new life that Jesus offers is better than the old sinful one.• John 10:10• Rom 6:1-2

Look at your Life Honestly:7. Lukewarm people are moved

by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act.

8. They call “radical” what Jesus expected of all his followers.• James 1:22• James 4:17• Matt. 21:28-31

Look at your Life Honestly:9. Lukewarm people rarely share

their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends. They worry about two things…• Matt 10:32-33

Look at your Life Honestly:10.Lukewarm people compare

themselves to others• Luke 18:11-12

11. Lukewarm people love Jesus partially.

• “Let me first go bury…”• “say goodbye first…”

“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Have you ever thought about joining the Marines?

Would they change the rules for me if I join? I don’t want to run or train.

Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for

the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.

Luke 14:34-35

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Revelation 3:15-1815 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you

were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—

neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired

wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and

naked.

18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire,

so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you

can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put

on your eyes, so you can see.

When you read this passage, do you naturally conclude that to be “spit” out of Jesus’

mouth means you’re a part of His kingdom?

Is he describing saints: wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked?

When He counsels them to “buy white clothes to wear” in order to cover their

“shameful nakedness,” does it sound like advice for those already saved?

Jesus’ call to commitment is clear: He wants all or nothing. The

thought of a person calling himself a “Christian” without being a

devoted follower of Christ is absurd.

(p. 85)

Is a person saved who has no roots?

John 14:15“If you love me you will obey what I

command”

John 2:19 “You believe there is one God.

Good! Even the demons believe that -- and shudder.”

Matt. 16:24-25“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his

cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever

loses his life for me will find it”

Luke 14:33 “Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my

disciple.”

Can we be Christians with out becoming a disciple?

I do not want true believers to doubt their salvation as they read this book. In the midst of our failed attempts at

loving Jesus, His grace covers us.

Do we give God our best or just what’s left over?

Does anyone enjoy token praise?

How do we “exchange our wealth for His Gold refined in Fire?” (Rev. 3)

If life is a river, then pursuing Christ requires swimming upstream

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Are you truly in with God?“If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ was not there?” (p.100)

Gal 5:13-14 You, my brothers and sisters, were

called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather,

serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love

your neighbor as yourself.”

Does this passage say that when we love, we’re free? If so why?

If you are constantly loving in a godly way, is it easier or harder to sin?

Why?

Do you feel free in your Christian life? Isn’t that what God wants? Why?

Gal. 5:6The only thing that counts is faith

expressing itself through love.

There is a BIG difference in how we feel about faith and how we are

meant to feel about faith.

Why do so few people genuinely find joy and pleasure in their relationship with God?

Do you ever feel like you owe God and must pay him back in the way that you live? Should you?

Lukewarm living and claiming Christ’s name simultaneously is

utterly disgusting to God.

Try Harder?

SO WHAT DO WE DO?

It does no good to muster up more love for God, to will yourself to love Him more. When loving him becomes an obligation, one of many things we have to do, we end up focusing even more on ourselves. (P.103)

How many of you would stay in a relationship with someone who is very selfish, manipulative, apathetic, doesn’t pay attention to you, and at the same time - demanding?

Can you honestly say with all certainty that you truly love God?

God Wants to Change Us.He died so that we could change. How?• Let him change you!

Rev. 3:20Here I am! I stand at the door and

knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

Good plan?In the same way you have to stop loving and pursuing Christ in order to sin.

Running and eating Twinkies. You have to stop to eat them…

Be Real with God.Tell Him how you feel and ask Him to Change you