CRAZY LOVE

SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE CHURCH.. WE ALL KNOW IT, BUT WE DON’T QUITE KNOW WHAT IT IS.

WHAT DID JESUS COME TO EARTH DO DO?

WHAT DID JESUS DIE FOR?

DID HE COME SO THAT WE COULD ALL TRY TO “BE GOOD”

AND TRY TO “ACT NICE”..

- SAVE UP ENOUGH “GOOD” AND “NICE” POINTS TO GET INTO HEAVEN?

SOMETHING IS WRONG…

THE CHURCH HAS PROPOSED A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PROBLEMATIC OPTIONS…

1. “FIGHT YOUR DESIRES IN ORDER TO PLEASE GOD?”

A. INEVITABLE FAILURE = GUILT AND DISTANCE FROM GOD

B. WHAT IF THE FULFILLMENT OF YOUR DESIRE CAME FROM A PERFECT SOURCE?

2. “JESUS DIED SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO FEEL BAD WHEN YOU SIN?”

A. INEVITABLE SIN = BAD & REAP THE CONSEQUENCES = DEATH

B. WHAT IF YOU COULD LIVE IN SUCH CONFIDENCE AND PEACE THAT SIN WOULD LOSE ALL ATTRACTION FOR YOU?

3. “JESUS CAME TO PROSPER US.. SO GAIN MATERIAL POSSESSIONS & ENJOY LIFE?”

A. GAIN MATERIAL POSSESSIONS = WE STILL ARE EMPTY AND BORED

B. PURSUE MATERIAL POSSESSIONS = WE ARE FRUSTRATED WITH GOD

C. WHAT IF WE COULD BE REASONABLY CONTENT AND FULFILLED ALL THE TIME - NO MATTER WHAT OUR CONDITION IS?

THE CHURCH HAS MISSED IT..

WE HAVE A POOR UNDERSTANDING AND EXPERIENCE IN CHURCH AND IN LIFE BECAUSE WE HAVE A POOR UNDERSTANDING AND EXPERIENCE OF GOD.

JESUS CAME TO BRING US INTO FULL CONTACT LIFE

(John 10:10 NLT) "The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness."

GOD IS A “GIVER”

GOD IS NOT A “TAKER”

TIME WILL END, SIN CORRUPTS AND THE FLESH WILL FAIL!

1. TIME ENDS…

- TIME STARTED WHEN GOD CREATED THE EARTH..

o Mortality is WITHIN our nature – it’s what makes us “NOT GOD”

o GOD is TIMELESS… He is immortal!

 Jesus came to give us ETERNAL LIFE

- THERE WILL BE AN END TO EVERYTHING WE SEE..

o It’s not God who ends things… It’s the nature of the created world

2. SIN CORRUPTS

- SIN STARTED IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN

o SIN = SEPERATION from God

 POTENTIAL OF SIN is within our nature

 It is not in the plan of God…

o GOD IS PERFECT – He does not sin..

 Jesus came to SAVE US from sin

3. FLESH WILL FAIL

- THE BODY IS WEAK..

o DEPENDANCE ON THE BODY AND MIND WILL LEAD TO FAILURE

 WE SUFFER BECAUSE OF PHYSICAL WEAKNESS AND PAIN

 WE SUFFER BECAUSE OF CHOICES WE HAVE MADE WITH OUR BODIES..

GOD IS A GIVER!

- God gave us life and breath

- God gives the sunrise

- God makes the rain come so that we have food

- God

SATAN IS A “TAKER”

- HIS PLAN IS TO

o STEAL: the plan of God for you by making you “run ahead” or “lag behind” the plan of God

o KILL: “Death” is caused by sinning – this kills your spirit and keeps you from abundant and eternal life

o DESTROY: This means to “obliterate” Satan wants to see you not experiencing life and end up in eternal separation..

(John 1:4-5 NIV) "In him was life, and that life was the light of men. {5} The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it."

JESUS CAME TO BRING “FULL CONTACT” LIFE..

- NOTHING HELD BACK

- NO REGRETS

- NO ETERNAL LOSSES

- NO EMPTY PROMISES

- THE SITUATION WE ARE IN IS NOT IT… ITS BEING IN HIM THAT BRINGS LIFE!

1. THE SOURCE

AMERICANS HAVE ENTIRELY LOST THE ABILITY TO GET INPUT FROM THE SOURCE

o WE ARE RELENTLESSLY HAMMERED BY INPUT

 IN EVERY POSSIBLE WAY WE ARE SURROUNDED BY INFORMATION

 WE ARE IN CONTACT WITH PEOPLE 24/7 – 365

 NO SILENCE EXISTS IN THIS CULTURE

o WE HAVE TRADED PRAYING FOR TEXTING

 WE CAN’T BE STILL AND GET ATTACHED TO GOD BECAUSE WE ARE BUSY THINKING ABOUT WHAT SOMEONE ELSE SAID..

o WE HAVE TRADED WAITING ON GOD FOR GOOGLE

 INSTEAD OF STUDY, FASTING AND PRAYER WE HAVE INSTANT WORLDLY INPUT OF ANY TOPIC OF INTEREST.

 INSTEAD OF KNOWING… WE ARE CONSTANTLY QUESTIONING

THE PROMISE OF GOD…

(Jer 29:11-14 NIV) "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

(Isa 64:4-7 NIV) “Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.

GOD’S PLAN FOR US IS SO AMAZING THAT WE CANT EVEN IMAGINE IT!

WE LOOK AT THE WORLD AND SEE ONE OR TWO SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM

- WE CHOOSE ONE OR THE OTHER BASED ON OUR BEST INFORMATION

- WHAT THIS SCRIPTURE SAYS IS THIS:

o “YOU HAVE KNOW IDEA HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU AND WHAT I WILL DO FOR YOU IF YOU JUST GET YOUR EYES OFF THE ISSUES AND KEEP THEM ON ME.. I WILL PROVIDE A SOLUTION THAT YOU HAVEN’T EVEN IMAGINED YET!”

RUNNING AHEAD AND NOT LISTENING TO A PARENT HAVE CAUSED THE DEATH OF MORE CHILDREN THAN ANY OTHER MISTAKE

- LEARNING HOW TO TRUST AND WAIT ON A LOVING PARENT IS A BASIC SURVIVAL SKILL FOR A CHILD.

- LEARNING HOW TO TRUST AND WAIT ON A LOVING GOD IS BASIC SURVIVAL SKILL FOR A FOLLOWER OF JESUS.

2. DISTRACTION

“Men are never duly touched and impressed with conviction of their insignificance until they have contrasted themselves with the Majesty of God.” R.C. Sproul

- WE ARE SO CAUGHT UP IN OUR THOUGHTS AND DESIRES THAT WE HAVE NO SPACE FOR THE THOUGHTS AND DESIRES OF GOD.

o HIS THOUGHTS AND DESIRES FOR US ARE SOOO WONDERFUL

o HIS DESIRES AND PLANS FOR US WILL CHALLENGE, STRETCH AND THEN FINALLY FULFILL US ENTIRELY!!

SPIRITUAL AMNESIA

IT CONFUSES US WHEN LOVING GOD IS HARD..

 But there is a reason for this!

THERE ARE DAYS I DON’T FEEL LIKE LOVING GOD.

o WHY WOULD I FEEL THAT WAY?

- THERE ARE TIMES WHEN I DON’T WANT TO OBEY GOD.

o WHY DO I DO THAT?

- THERE ARE DAYS WHEN I DON’T SEEK TO PLEASE GOD

- THERE ARE EVEN TIMES WHEN I AM MAD AT GOD.

o WHY WOULD I EVER BE MAD AT SUCH A WONDERFUL & POWERFUL GOD?

IN OUR WORLD WHERE HUNDREDS THINGS DISTRACT US FROM GOD WE HAVE TO INTENTIONALLY REMIND OURSELVES OF HIM.

- WE HAVE TO INTENTIONALLY REMEMBER WHAT HE HAS DONE

- WE HAVE TO INTENTIONALLY HEAR HIS VOICE

- WE HAVE TO INTENTIONALLY SET ASIDE OUR DISTRACTIONS AND SEEK HIS FACE.

IT’S THE SAME WITH ALL OUR RELATIONSHIPS…

EXAMPLE:

- THERE ARE SOME DAYS THAT I DON’T FEEL LIKE LOVING MY WIFE.

o WHY DO I FEEL THAT WAY?

- THERE ARE SOME DAYS THAT I TAKE HER FOR GRANTED.

- I FORGET WHO SHE IS AND WHAT SHE HAS DONE FOR ME…

o WHY WOULD I EVER FEEL THAT WAY ABOUT SUCH A WONDERFUL WOMAN?

HOW DO YOU OVERCOME THIS KIND OF AMNESIA WITH PEOPLE?

1. GET OUT THE PICTURES..

a. RECALL THE GOOD TIMES & WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN THROUGH!

2. SPEND TIME WITH THEM..

a. GET TO KNOW WHAT IS IN THEIR MIND AND HEART!

ONCE YOU RECALL YOUR HISTORY

ONCE YOU REMEMBER WHO THEY ARE…

ONCE YOU CAN SEE THEIR HEART AND KNOW WHATS INSIDE..

THE AMNESIA DISSIPATES AND

OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD IS THE SAME AS ANY OTHER RELATIONSHIP..

- WE GET CAUGHT UP IN ALL THE DISTRACTIONS AND

LOOK AT THE REST OF THE PASSAGES WE READ EARLIER

(Jer 29:11-14 NIV) "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

{12} Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. {13} You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. {14} I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.""

(Isa 64:4-7 NIV) “Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.

{5} You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways. But when we continued to sin against them, you were angry. How then can we be saved? {6} All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. {7} No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and made us waste away because of our sins."

3. WHO GOD IS

WHAT COMES INTO YOUR MIND WHEN YOU THINK OF GOD?

1. GOD IS HOLY!

2. GOD IS ETERNAL!

3. GOD IS ALL KNOWING!

4. GOD IS ALL POWERFUL!

5. GOD IS FAIR AND JUST!

WHEN YOU THINK OF THESE THINGS… YOU FEEL BOTH ATTRACTED AND PERHAPS REPELLED!

- IF ANY OF THESE IDEAS REPEL YOU… THEN YOU HAVE A WRONG IDEA OF WHAT THEY MEAN…

o ONCE WE REALLY GET OUT OF OUR IDEAS OF WHO GOD IS AND GET TO KNOW HIS:

 HOLINESS – AS HE DEFINES HOLINESS

 ETERNITY /TIME – AS HE DEFINES TIME

 TRUTH – AS HE IS TRUE AND DEFINES TRUTH

 POWER – AS HE IS POWERFUL

 JUSTICE – AS HE IS FAIR AND JUST

WE WILL BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH WE WERE CREATED

WE WILL BEGIN TO COME INTO THE FULFILLMENT OF OUR DESTINY IN GOD!