Matthew Eyerman
September 14, 2003
Triumph of the Cross
St. Columbanus Revival
I. Introduction
1. it is ruined
2. no good
3. needs to be thrown out
4. was at Walgreens this week
5. look what I found
6. card
a. “loving you is the easiest thing I do”
b. happy sweetest day
7. first of all what is sweetest day
a. another made up holiday
b. opportunity to buy a card for someone you won’t buy a ring for
8. different sermon
9. we have ruined the word love
II. Bridge
1. I love
a. my parents
b. white castles
c. hummers
d. eggs over easy
2. we have ruined the word love
3. commercials tell us
a. love your laundry detergent
b. love your car
c. love your dog food
4. use it so much it does not mean anything
5. overused and tired
6. like 50 cent
a. why buy the CD
b. every song is on the radio
c. again and again and again
7. the word love is worn out
III. connection to Gospel
1. problem hits us today in the gospel John 3:16“For God so loved the world
2. what does love mean
3. how are we suppose to live it out
John 13:34I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
4. treat you like I treat White Castles
5. or treat you like I treat my laundry detergent
IV. solution
1. I have the solution
2. we can continue to use the word love
3. call Hallmark, the hallmark moments can continue
4. but for us we need a new word
5. one that reveals the depth of faith
6. I know
7. FROG
8. turn to someone and announce the sermon title
9. I FROG you
V. F --- family ---- #1
1. f --- family
2. we are family
a. not just a Sister Sledge song
b. I can go real old school on you
c. but a way of life
3. the biological family of Jesus came to Jesus to see Him
4. and demanded to see Him
5. Jesus looked around and the believers
Matthew 12:50For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
VI. F ---- family ---- #2
1. what makes us related
2. if this was biological class
a. DNA
b. call Jerry and get a paternity test
3. this is theology class
a. only one DNA that makes us related
b. only one blood test needed
c. forget the needles
d. because the only blood that makes us one is the Blood of Jesus
4. are you washed in the blood
5. have you accepted Jesus
6. then you are not a stranger
7. you are not even my sweetheart looking for a card on Sweetest Day
8. you are
9. I am
10. we are
11. family
VII. F --- Family ---- #3
1. borrow a move from Rev. Dr. Ramona Joseph
2. liked it and we need to do it more
3. take someone by the hands
4. and pray for them
a. out loud
b. if there was a billion dollars waiting for you at the end of the prayer
c. you would pray so loud the neighbors would hear
d. well
e. better than all the riches in the world
f. you family
5. they are not strangers, they are family
6. thank God
a. your family has shown up
b. your family is here so you have someone to pray for
c. and someone who is praying for you
7. ask God
a. to protect your family
b. to ease their burdens
c. to lift them up
8. praise God for family
9. say: “I FROG you”
VIII. R ---- real --- #1
1. R is for real
2. R. Kelly might think he put the R in R & B
3. but I put the R is FROG
4. keep it real
5. let’s keep it real about our faith life
IX. R --- real ---- #2
1. we have been to one, two, three, or four days of revival
2. might feel closer to God
3. ready for the year ahead
4. standing in God’s love
5. let me give you a dose of reality
6. once you walk out these doors
7. devil will really mess with you
8. closer you get to God
9. more you invite people to God
10. more the devil will mess with you
11. when we were up to no good and living wrong
12. devil did not bother us
13. why because we were already doing evil
14. now that we are doing good
15. look out
X. R ---- Real --- John 11-- #A
1. go home this week and read John 11
2. immediately after Lazarus was raised from the dead
3. chief priests and Pharisees plot to kill Jesus
4. Lazarus was not the first person raised from the dead
5. in fact, he was the third
6. first was the widow’s son in Luke 7
a. being carried down the street
b. Jesus touched him
c. and he rose
d. and critics said, young man was just in a coma
7. second was Jairus’ daughter in Luke 8
a. Jesus went to the house
b. everyone thought she was dead
c. Jesus touched her and said, little girl get up
d. and critics said, the little girl was just sleeping
8. and so when news came that Lazarus was dying
9. Jesus waited until he was good and dead
10. four days dead
11. dead as a door nail
12. I imagine Lazarus
a. standing with all the fathers and mothers of faith
b. Abraham, Issac, Jacob
c. Ester, Ruth, Deborah
d. all want to know just one thing
e. is true what we heard about Jesus
13. and just as Lazarus was about to speak
14. he began to sing
Hush, hush, somebody’s calling my name
Hush, hush, somebody’s calling my name
XI. R --- Real ---- John 11 --- #B
1. as Lazarus walked out of the tomb
2. people believed
John 11:45Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. 46But some of them went to the Pharisees
3. some of us
a. have been in the tomb
b. tombs of addiction, hatred, disease
c. been four days, four weeks, four months, four decades
4. and we are walking out
5. some of us
a. have seen our loved ones get out of the tomb
b. have seen people in this church
c. stand up and walk out of the tomb
6. and we believe
XII. R --- real --- #3
1. and that fills all of us with joy
2. keep it real
3. all of us but one
4. today we keep the devil mad
5. turn to neighbor and say: “I FROG you”
6. keep it real and keep the devil mad
XIII. O ---- others --- #1
1. o --- others
2. sometimes we are tempted to think we are really important
3. happens to me
4. story
a. e-mailed my sister
b. said I was coming down to see Evan is school
c. could show everyone his uncle who is a priest
d. he could take me for show-and-tell
e. my sister wrote back
f. Evan is in 2nd grade, they don’t have show-and-tell
g. they have book reports
h. and Evan has five uncles
i. four of them have jobs that require them to work more than once a week
5. we can get tempted to think we are all that
6. perhaps we want to buy a sweetest card for our ego
XIV. O ---- others ---- #2
1. what will the final judgment look like
2. think you die and go to a room full of mirrors
a. floor
b. ceiling
c. walls
3. think for a minute,
4. it must be a lot of work to keep these clean
5. if you have made yourself the center of the universe
a. all about you
b. two seats at the show
c. one for you and one for your ego
6. spend all eternity staring at the mirror
7. but if you read your bible
8. and know Matthew 25
a. you clothed those who were naked, physically, morally, spiritually
b. you fed the hungry, spiritually and physically
c. you visited others who were alone and afraid
9. well then you see Jesus sitting in corner
10. he opens the door and leads you into paradise
XV. o --- others --- #3
1. the next time you look in the mirror
2. ask yourself
3. do you want to spend forever staring at a mirror
4. I don’t know about you
a. I look in the mirror in the morning
b. yep still here
c. and at night
d. yep, still here
5. that is enough
6. I want to spend eternity with the saints
7. I want to spend eternity
a. looking at Jesus
b. and having Him look at me
8. I want Him to say
9. Matt, “I FROG” you
10. how about you
11. then help someone else
1 John 4:11Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another.
XVI. G --- God --- #1
1. and finally G --- God
2. someone said to me
a. we really have had a lot of church this week
b. spent whole week at church
3. is that a bad thing
4. I rather liked it
5. I liked
a. the preaching
b. the choir
c. the dancing
d. the food
6. but what did I like mostly
7. we spent time with God
XVII. G ---- God ---- #2
1. did you like it
2. now get greedy
3. greedy is sometimes a bad word
a. greedy like taking too much
b. greedy like hording
4. but flip the script
5. turn the page
6. get greedy for God
7. we had some
8. we want more
9. example
a. someone said to me
b. really enjoyed the choir
c. want more
d. want a Christmas concert
e. a musical production
10. example
a. someone else said
b. really liked praying at church during the middle of the week
c. get greedy
d. want more
e. let’s do it
XVIII. G --- God ---- #3
1. anyone ever eat just one potato chip
2. anyone ever just have one bit of a cookie
3. have some and want more
4. we have had some God
a. this week
b. last week
c. last year
5. was that enough
6. no
7. let’s get greedy for God
XIX. G --- God ---- #4
1. all those who want more God
2. all those greedy for God
3. one chip ain’t going to do it
4. one nibble is not enough
5. say, I want more God
6. now do it
XX. Conclusion
1. you know how love goes
a. hey baby, come here often
b. you must be tired, you have been running through my mind all night
c. I lost my phone number, can I have yours
d. Girl, you are so fine, I would drink your bathwater
e. let’s fly to St. Lucia while the villa is being painted
2. forget that
3. when we really love
4. with the passion of God
5. we FROG
a. we are family
b. keeping it real with each other and with the devil
c. concerned about others
d. greedy for God
6. I FROG you
7. I FROG you
8. I FROG you
