“Forever Reign” What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? Psalm 8:4

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated Review: Week 1, we asked the question, “Is God Off His Rocker?” as we explored His outrageous, extravagant love for His people. We saw this “Crazy Love” of God illustrated profoundly in the book of Hosea and marveled at God’s grace towards the adulterous nation of Israel (and us).

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated Review: Week 2, we jokingly referred to our sometimes feeble response to God’s crazy love as, “Lifestyles of the Lukewarm and Passionless.” We used several biblical thermometers to see just how “hot” or “not” our current response to God is. And we were amazed by God’s unchanging love toward us.

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated Review: Week 3, we explored “The Crazy Love of Your Heavenly Father” and discovered some of the good gifts He blesses us with - gifts like tenderness, time, toil, trials, talents, and treasure. What we do with His gifts is our gift to Him.

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated Today: We discover how the ups and downs of a romantic relationship can sometimes mirror the emotions we feel in our relationship with God. (All Scriptures quoted in NIV)

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated When you love someone… You long to be in their presence Song of Songs 1:4 Take me away with you - let us hurry!

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated When you love someone… You long to be in their presence Psalm 42:1-2 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated When you love someone… You long to be in their presence Psalm 84:10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated When you love someone… You long to be in their presence Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated “In My Father’s Presence” by G. Harvey

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated When you love someone… No sacrifice is too great Genesis 29:18 Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.”

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated When you love someone… No sacrifice is too great Genesis 29:20 So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for Rachel.

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated When you love someone… No sacrifice is too great Luke 22:42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated When you love someone… Their passions become your passions Ruth 1:16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated When you love someone… Their passions become your passions John 2:16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written, “Zeal for your Father’s house will consume me.”

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated When you love someone… You even start to resemble them University of Michigan psychologist Robert Zajonc analyzed photographs of couples taken when they were newlyweds and photographs of the same couples taken 25 years later. The results showed that the couples had grown to look more like each other over time. And, the happier that the couple said they were, the more likely they were to have increased in their physical similarity.

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated When you love someone… You even start to resemble them

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated When you love someone… You even start to resemble them John 12:49 For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it.

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated When you love someone… You even start to resemble them John 14:8-9 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated When you love someone… You even start to resemble them Acts 4:13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated But just like romantic relationships, our feelings of love for God can go up and down, too!

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated The Righteous Brothers sang, “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling”

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated Signs that you’ve lost that loving feeling You’d rather be somewhere else

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated Signs that you’ve lost that loving feeling Even small sacrifices seem burdensome

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated Signs that you’ve lost that loving feeling Interests become divergent

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated Help! I’ve lost “that loving feeling” towards God! How do I get it back?

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated Don’t try so hard Fear and guilt are not the antidote to a lukewarm relationship with God

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated Don’t try so hard 1 John 4:19 We love because He first loved us. You don’t have to earn God’s love! He already loves you and enables you to love Him and others!

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated Don’t try so hard 1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated Don’t try so hard Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith. And this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated Don’t try so hard To the lukewarm church in Laodicea Jesus said, Here 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 him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20) Our “work” is to be receptive to Him.

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated Confess and ask Him for His help Luke 15:20 So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated Confess and ask Him for His help He already knows everything! Why not get real with God about your relationship? Confession is merely _______ with God that something is “off-kilter”. The answer lies in letting Him change you. agreeing

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated Confess and ask Him for His help James 4:8a Come near to God and he will come near to you. That’s a promise! You never have to worry about God being aloof with you!

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated Confess and ask Him for His help Mark 9:24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Jesus helps us in our moments of disbelief when we cry out to Him for greater faith.

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated Show Him extravagant affection John 12:3-5 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.”

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated Show Him extravagant affection How might you express your affection for God more extravagantly? In worship? In allotting your time and resources?

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated Be passionate for His people Matthew 21:17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated Be passionate for His people Matthew 28:19-20 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated Be passionate for His people As we grow in our love for God, we can’t help but be moved by His love for others; those who are already a part of His Church and those outside His Church who have yet to respond to His crazy, magnificent love.

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated If you were to update your “relationship status” with God, what would it be right now? Single… Dating… Committed… It’s Complicated… Divorced?

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Week 4: It’s Complicated If you were to update your “relationship status” with God, what would it be right now? A closer relationship with God is only a prayer away! Do it now!

“Forever Reign” “Crazy Love” Next Sunday, please join us for: “You Must Be Crazy!”

See You Next Sunday!