SONG- RAIN LOVE

Threw out my old rain coat

Set sail without a boat

For places somewhere far beyond my dreams

As the sky came pouring down

I laid down on the ground

Like I was dreamin’

I let the feelin’ wash all over me

chorus Rain-Rain Love

Comin’ down all around me

Rain-Rain love

So glad you finally found me

Rain-Rain Love (In time your gonna recognize one drop will open up your eyes)

Love, Rain Love, Rain Love, Rain Love

It’s the color of every sky

It’s a wave to change the tide

When the world is crumbling down ‘round you and me

It’s the calm that lifts the storm

It’s the promise that keeps you warm

When you don’t understand

Just trust the guiding hand that calms the sea

It falls like

chorus Rain-Rain Love

Comin’ down all around me

Rain-Rain Love

So glad you finally found me

Rain-Rain Love (In time your gonna recognize one drop will open up your eyes)

Love, Rain Love, Rain Love, Rain Love

bridge Sometimes it takes the rain to make you realize

No greater love could ever fill the skies

God’s love’s the only reason why

Not long ago a teacher in New England who quizzed a group of college-bound students concerning their knowledge of the Bible. The quiz came right before they were about to take a literature course on the Bible. Among the answers given from the students included some of the following:

• Sodom and Gomorrah were boyfriend and girlfriend

• Jezebel was Ahab’s donkey

• The New Testament Gospels were written by Matthew, Mark, "Luther" and John

• Eve was created "from an apple"

• Jesus was baptized "by Noah"

But the answer that was most surprising was one given by a top student. The question: "What was Golgotha?" The answer: "Golgotha was the name of the giant who slew the apostle David."

While it’s not a sin to be ignorant, it is a sin to stay that way! We would all admit that we have a lot to learn about the Bible, but most church-goers would have known the answers to that quiz. But when it comes to God’s love, how much do we really know?

Today, look at a very familiar verse in your Bible - John 3:16. You’ve probably known this verse from memory since you were a small child. But like many other things we’re too familiar with in life, sometimes we can lose sight of it’s real meaning to us.

Read that verse slowly like you are reading it for the first time, using the following questions to help you think through it.

What does "the world" refer to? _____________________________________________

What does the phrase "He gave His only begotten Son" mean? _____________________

_________________________________________________

What do you think the word "so" tells you? ____________________________________

In what way does that show love? ____________________________________________

Now go back through this verse again, this time personalizing it to your life.

"For God so loved _______, that He gave His only begotten Son, that if __________ would believe in Him, _________ should not perish, but have eternal life"

Has anybody ever come close to loving you like that in your life? Anybody ever made that kind of sacrifice for you? The following story illustrates what Christ has done for you.

Around the turn of the century, an orphaned boy named Tommy lived with his grandmother. One night his grandmother’s house caught on fire and she perished trying to reach the little boy upstairs. A crowd soon gathered around the burning house. The boy’s cries for help could be heard above the roaring blaze. No one knew what to do, for the front of the house was engulfed in flames. Suddenly a stranger rushed from the crowd and circled to the back where he spotted an iron pipe leading to the second floor. Hand over hand he climbed the hot pipe, reached an upstairs window, disappearing for a minute, then returning with the boy in his arms. With the crowd below cheering, he climbed down the hot pipe as the boy tightly hung around his neck.

Weeks later a public meeting was held in the town hall to determine in whose custody the boy would be placed. Each person wanting the boy was permitted to speak briefly. The first man spoke, "I have a big farm. Every boy needs plenty of wide-open space to play." The second man stepped up and said, "I’m a teacher. I have a large library. He would get a good education with me." Others came forward and spoke. Finally the richest man in the community came up and said, I’m wealthy. I could give the boy everything mentioned tonight: farm, books, education, money and even travel. I would like to have him live in our home."

The chairman asked, "Is there anyone else who would like to say a word?" Then from the back of the room a stranger rose to his feet. As he walked toward the front, deep suffering showed on his face. Reaching the front of the room, he stood directly in front of the little boy whose custody was being decided. Slowly the stranger took his hands out of his pockets. A gasp went up from the crowd. The little boy, who had stared at the floor the entire night, now looked up. The man’s hands were terrible scarred. Suddenly the lad emitted a cry of recognition. Here was the man who had saved his life. His hands were burned from climbing up and down the hot pipe. With a leap the boy threw his arms around the stranger’s neck and held on for life.

The farmer got up and left. The teacher, too. Then the rich man. Everyone departed, leaving the boy alone with his rescuer who had won him without even a word. Those scarred hands spoke more powerfully than anything else could.

Today, many things may be wanting your allegiance and loyalty - friends, popularity, school, sports, job - but there is One who walks down through time, who, merely by raising His nail-pierced hands, reminds you of the incredible price He paid to save you. He bought you with His blood

Spend some time in prayer right now, meditating on John 3:16. Just think about His sacrifice for you. Think about how much Jesus must have loved you to suffer and die like that for you and to take all your sin and God’s wrath on Himself. Thank God, that, though you were once an orphan, He has adopted you into His loving family.

Summary - I need to remind myself that God loved me and sent His Son for me!

Ever wonder if some people have a little too much time on their hands? Everybody knows that our government sometimes has tendency to spend the taxpayer’s money in a way seems to be extravagant and unnecessary. But not too long ago, one example of this really "took the cake". A study was done at a University in Utah where some $500,000 was given by the Environmental Protection Agency to round up cattle on the range and fit them with special breathing devices. Why? To study their burps. That’s right. A half million dollars to study cow burps! The reasoning behind this study was that they wanted to see if the methane released from the cow burps contributes to "global warming", causing the polar ice caps to melt.

So I guess if the oceans start rising, you can run to the barn and blame ol’ Bessie.

But as if that wasn’t enough, researchers at Harvard University launched an interesting study a while back. In an effort to see if what women eat contribute to certain kinds of cancer, a Harvard Professor named Walter Willet collected the toenail clippings of nearly 70,000 American nurses (I wonder how he did that?). Now stored in manila envelopes and locked securely in a special filing cabinet at the University, Willet is studying the toenails carefully to see if the minerals contained in food and deposited in nails, affects the levels of cancer in certain women.

I guess if he discovers a cure, he’ll be a hero!

Do you ever think that some people tend to focus on all the wrong things in life, missing what’s really important? For example,

• Your mom complains about the ‘B’ you made, ignoring the other four ‘A’s.

• Pro athletes argue over multi-million dollar contracts and forget about the game itself.

• People go to worship at church, but get upset about the color of the carpet.

• Your team beats the cross-town rival, but you’re upset because it was only by one point.

• Somebody wins free tickets to the Super Bowl, but complains about where the seats are.

• Your dad offers to buy you a new car, but it doesn’t come in your favorite color.

We tend to focus on all the wrong things at times, don’t we? We fail to remember what’s really important? The same is true in your Christian life. Like other believers, you can complicate things in your relationship with God, making it confusing and even frustrating at times. You can focus on everything but the relationship itself.

If it’s any comfort to you, Christians have had that problem for centuries. It seems to be a law of life that we tend to complicate the simpler things in life and end up missing the point altogether.

Turn to II Corinthians 11 and read verses 1-3.

How does Paul describe our relationship with Christ in verse 2? _____________________

________________________________________________

What was his concern for the Corinthians? (3) __________________________________

Paul pictures himself as one who had introduced the Corinthians to Christ. He had "engaged" them to Him. As a result, he cared very deeply about their relationship with Him. But he feared that other things might begin to "get in the way" of that relationship, getting their focus off what was really important.

What example does he use in verse 3? ______________________________________

Think about Adam and Eve. Their life was so simple. All they had to do was enjoy the earth God had made for them. They walked with God and talked with Him. It was just them and God. They only had one simple thing to avoid. Life wasn’t very complicated. God wanted it to be simple for them. But Satan wanted them to think they needed something else. He wanted them to "add" something else to their life - the knowledge of good and evil. God said "keep it simple and obey Me". But Eve chose to complicate matters and clutter up her relationship with God. Sin ended up making a huge mess. Like Christmas lights tangled up in knots, their relationship with God became very chaotic and complex.

What "gets in the way", complicating things and keeping you from having an actual relationship with Jesus?

____________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Looking at the list below, mark off what you don’t believe to be absolutely necessary in your relationship with Christ. In other words, what could you do without?

• The Bible • Church • Christian Books • Christian T-shirts • Preaching

• Prayer • Fellowship • Youth Trips • Fun • Music

If it gets in the way of helping your relationship with Christ, then it should be optional. And what does a "simple and pure" devotion look like?

Take Dave and Julie, they’re a couple who is engaged to be married. They aren’t worried about how much money they have. Julie doesn’t care what kind of car Dave drives. They don’t care about what might happen in the future. They’re just in love with each other. They can’t wait to be together. They think about each other day and night. They dream about being together. Sometimes they are even unaware that anyone else even exists! They’re in love! Theirs is a simple and pure devotion.

So how can you "simplify" your relationship with Christ? _________________________

_____________________________________________

Summary - I need to keep my walk with God simple and "uncluttered".

The local residents say he is a god. They wear plastic badges over their hearts and hang his picture in their homes, offices, restaurants and subway cars. Each day they wipe the pictures, keeping them free from dust. At school, children march in rank chanting allegiance to him. On national television, people wail and weep before a 66-foot bronze statue of his likeness. Thousands of small children cry when his name is mentioned. Who is this person? He is Kim Il Sung, the late ruler of North Korea. After ruling that country for decades, Sung finally died and left his power to his son, who is also worshipped as a god.

What would cause an entire nation to worship a man in this way? What would cause people to rearrange their entire lives around one person? Why would anyone want to give their money, time and talents to following this man? According to his worshipers, there was no problem he could not solve. He had done so much for the country. They believed he was an expert on virtually everything. They believed he was a god. And so they worshipped him.

All around the world, you find people worshipping everything from the sun, moon and stars to the mountains and rivers to dead ancestors to religious figures, past and present. But as Christians, we only have one Person to worship. Remember the first of the 10 Commandments?

"You shall have no other gods before Me" - Exodus 20:3

But what is worship supposed to look like? As you think of God’s great love that He has rained down on your life, how are you supposed to respond? Is worship standing at attention, singing hymns on Sunday morning? Is it putting money in an offering plate? Is it thinking about God in prayer? Is it lifting your hands? Is it jumping up and down at a Christian concert? Just what is worship and how do you do it?

What is worship to you? What helps you worship God? Looking at the following list, write "yes" or "no" beside them, indicating whether or not they help you worship God.

• Organ Music ____ • Hymns ____ • Standing Up ____

• Choruses ____ • Lifting Your Hands ____ • Being Alone ____

• Being in a Large Crowd ____ • Contemporary Music ____ • Being Quiet ____

• Being Indoors ____ • Writing Down Your Thoughts ____

• Being Outdoors ____ • Praying Out Loud ____

Though there are many different "ways" to worship, let’s begin by simply discovering what worship is. The word ‘worship’ comes from two words - "worth" and "ship" . It literally means to describe the worth of something or someone.

Look up Revelation 5:9. How is Jesus described in this verse? ______________________

Why is He so worthy? __________________________________________________

Look down at verse 12. Because He is worthy, what does He deserve? _______________

____________________________________________________

Jot down a few words about what you think it means to:

• "glorify" God - _______________________________________

• "honor" God - ________________________________________

• "praise" God- ________________________________________

Of course these are all words we "throw around" a lot at church and in Christian circles. But we need to, in a sense, take them out of church and put them into our Monday - Saturday lives, don’t we? We need to see worship as something we do outside the walls of the church - at home, at school, after school, at work, with our friends, on Friday nights and when we’re alone.

What would be one way you could tell God how worthy He is not with your lips, but with your life?

_____________________________________________________________

That’s exactly what true worship is - living out your praise to God through your actions. Genuine worship is simply being obedient to God in your daily life. You bring honor and glory to God every time you do what He wants you to do. The "Worship Service" doesn’t begin at 11:00 on Sunday. It continues throughout the week. And of course you can’t worship a God you don’t know, so that’s why Bible study is so important. Through your time with God in His Word, you know more about who He is. And the more you know Him, the more you know how worthy He is to be worshipped. That’s what Jesus meant when He said that "true worshippers" are those who worship in "spirit and truth" (John 4:23).

That kind of loyalty is shown through the story of a dog named "King".

King was a collie owned by a little boy - Angelo Del Plato. One day, the little boy was tragically killed in an auto accident. At the funeral, King stood on the outskirts of the crowd, and when the casket was being lowered into the ground, the faithful dog watched in unbelief, wondering how his master could really be gone. Soon after, King began the several mile trip to his master’s grave, each day lying down near the headstone for a while, then trotting back home. This continued daily for more than eight years! Even when tied up, King would manage to chew through the ropes and pull down posts to make it to the grave. Soon, newspapers all over the country began to run this amazing story of devotion and loyalty. Somehow, this loving dog had found a way to remain close to his master, even in death!

In a sense, your Master too has gone. He is in Heaven preparing a place to bring you to Himself. But the way you can worship Him is not by going to His grave - He’s not there - but by giving Him your loyal devotion and worship through the way you live for Him and treat others.

Summary - I can worship God by living a life that brings honor to Him.