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First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street Blackwood, NJ 08012 Sermon Notes (Sunday, November 10, 2019) Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor “Trust Jesus When Perplexed by Problems!” Psalm 23; John 6:1-15 This morning, we continue our study in the gospel of John. Basically, we are looking at the “Seven Signs” or miracles of Jesus, that John selected to include in his gospel. Today, we will be looking at the fourth sign, the feeding of the 5,000 found in John chapter 6. Aside from the resurrection of Jesus, the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 is the only miracle recorded in all four gospels. Obviously, the gospel writers considered this a significant miracle. Matthew 14:21 emphasizes the miraculous aspect of this sign by saying, “The number of those who ate was about 5000 men, besides women and children.” Many Bible scholars believe the actual number fed that day could have been 12,000—15,000 people. This is one of the great miracles of the Bible. I want you to imagine with me the setting of this “Fourth Sign.” It is late. The people have been with Jesus all day. I bet they are tired and hungry. The local Burger King is closed for remodeling. The nearest Chick-fill-A is in Jerusalem, and Pizza Hut doesn’t deliver to the wilderness. The disciples make a very practical suggestion: “Send them away and let them find food.” That’s logical. The suggestion is not made from bad motives. In themselves the disciples had no resources to meet this enormous need. They had no food and no money. What else could they do? They could do nothing! The story is loaded with many great lessons. As I pondered this sign and what I should say to you this morning, my mind was drawn to a few lessons this great Scripture passage offers. First: A Stressful Situation The situation that the disciples of Jesus faced in John chapter 6 was a very challenging one to say the least. It was impossible to feed the few thousands gathered on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. They are perplexed. Friends, here is the reality: sooner or later, you will come to the end of your knowledge, your wisdom, your skill, your strength, your eloquence, your creativity, and your personal charm. Life has a way of stripping away our self-sufficiency and showing us how weak we really are. As I said last week, you either in a storm, headed into a storm, or coming out of a storm. When that happens, you’ll discover what or who you really believe. We will discover what we actually believe when the moment of crisis comes. Charles Spurgeon once said, “To trust God in the light is nothing, but to trust Him in the dark – that is FAITH.” There is for sure a stressful situation, but there is also a compassionate Savior. Second: A Compassionate Savior What the Bible is saying to us here in John 6 is simple: Jesus is bigger than any problem we face. He was the answer back then. He is still the answer to every problem we face today. In a world filled with darkness and fear, Jesus Christ is the only solution for the troubles that surround. Our God is a compassionate God. He knows the pain and struggles we face. He understands. He is never too busy, or too distant to care. He knows the grief you feel today, for He felt it too. Psalms 34:18 reminds us that, “He is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Jesus Christ is all-sufficient to meet our overwhelming needs. In Jeremiah 32:17, the Prophet Jeremiah prayed, “Ah Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You.” Third: A Faithful Response John’s account of this miracle tells us that it was Andrew, Peter’s brother, who found the young boy with the five barley loaves and two fish and brought him to Jesus. Jesus asked the disciples to give Him what they had. The little boy whose very smart mom had packed his lunch that day, gave all he had, 5 loaves and 2 fish. It is a faithful response from both Andrew and the little boy. They offered it all up, though it seemed so inadequate. The disciples must have thought Jesus was crazy to even ask for it. How will He feed thousands of people with so little? This is a huge task with tiny resources. But they still obeyed, they still brought it all to Jesus. And this single obedient act ushered the way for Jesus to perform that amazing miracle story still talked about today. This truth remains, obedience paves the way for great things to happen. He desires our hearts to be fully yielded to Him, and great miracles can occur as a result. Fourth: A Multiplied GiftJesus blessed the little and multiplied what has been given to Him. Everyone ate. They were all “satisfied,” says John 6:12. They are full and content. That's a lot of mouths to feed on such a small offering of food. But with God, it was enough, it was more than enough. Often times you feel that your resources are not adequate to meet the need. Yet, once we place them in His hands to do what He wishes with them, and in the process, release control to Him. He in turn blesses them and places them back in our hands, multiplied, more powerful than we could have imagined. This is a faith process, a faith experience. Too often we are overwhelmed with the vastness of the need and give up. Or we belittle our resources to the point that we never release them to God, but selfishly hang on to them because that is all we know and all we have. We are inadequate, we know, but we refuse to let go. Or we insist that God perform the task by Himself, without us participating in the process even in a tiny way. Friends, let’s trust Jesus when we are perplexed by problems. Jesus, the Bread of Life, meets us and feeds us where we do not think we have enough. The Good Shepherd is ours, or to be more accurate, “we are his. We are His people, the sheep of His pasture” Psalm 100:3. You may be dealing with a stressful situation right now. Remember you got a compassionate and loving Savior. Yes, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9. And in the midst of all of this, we, the disciples of Jesus today, are called to agents of hospitality; to step out in faith and deliver. In 2 Corinthians 6:10, Paul says, “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” Amen.
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First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street Blackwood, NJ 08012 Sermon Notes (Sunday, November 3rd, 2019) Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor Isaiah 40:27-31; John 5:1-9 I believe, by now, you agree with me that the gospel of John has a very different flavor than the other three gospels. Bible Scholars call the first three gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the “Synoptic Gospels” because they have a lot of similarities. John, on the other hand, is not one of the Synoptic Gospels. It is a different gospel. It is a multi-layered gospel. It is a deep theology gospel. For example, when Matthew, Mark, or Luke say, “It is dark”, they mean you cannot see, but when John says the same thing, he means spiritual darkness in addition to the physical inability to see. Of the many miracles and healings that Jesus did, John selected only seven to include in his gospel. John called those miracles, “Signs” because they point beyond themselves. In other words, those miracles or signs are not an end in themselves. In our Fall Sermon Series, we are digging deeper into those “Signs” and examining their implications on our lives. We are up to the 3rd Sign, the remarkable healing of the paralytic at Bethesda Pool from John 5. A couple Sundays ago we looked at the setting of this “Third Sign”. It took place at a pool called Bethesda near the Sheep Gate. Bethesda means “The house of mercy.” The Pool of Bethesda was used for ritual purification purposes, where Jerusalem’s pilgrims would gather to get washed for worship. Over time, for a reason or another, the Pool was also believed to be a center for healing and John gives us the reason behind such belief. It was there that Jesus performed the third miracle John recorded in his gospel. A couple Sundays ago, I said the story of the healing of this man is a story of God’s abundant grace. Why this person got picked by Jesus from all the sick people who were there? We don’t know. Why you and me? I have no clue. It is God’s grace reaching out to us. We also said that the story raises another great point. It has to do with our hope. Our true hope is found in a person NOT a place. Our healing, our wholeness is in Christ. The invalid in our story put his faith in the so-called healing waters. Yet, this man’s life was transformed by a Person. He didn’t pay for it. He didn’t deserve it. It is a pure act of grace. This morning, I would like to add to that a couple more thoughts as we wrap up our study of this amazing story. Challenges as Part of Life Let me first of all remind you that challenges are part of life. The story of this man reminds us that we all have our challenges to face. As children we were either too short, too tall, too fat, or too skinny. Someone else was always smarter, or faster, or more popular. As adults we are either too young or too old, too inexperienced or too overqualified, too busy or too alone. Sometimes our challenges are more serious. We worry about our families, our health, and our finances. We grieve over a loss of someone close. We agonize over a rebellious child. The reality is, we all get our share of the disappointments and failures of life. Someone said, you either in a storm, headed into a storm, or coming out of a storm. And as we wrestle with life, we get accustomed to our predictable living that we become unaware there is more to which God is calling us. We get so accustomed to the familiar — day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year — that we fail to realize the difference between LIVING and simply EXISTING. Our status is quo, and thus we fail to recognize the abiding sickness which resides within our own souls. Like the sick man in our story, we could spend 38 years in our suffering before standing up, taking our mat and walk. Do You Want to Be Made Well? And here comes the compassionate Jesus and asks us the hard question: “Do you want to be made well?” We might find Jesus’ question surprising. In fact, it seems a very insensitive question. What was Jesus thinking? This poor sick man could have rightfully come back with some sarcastic response like, “Sir, I really enjoy being here completely unable to move!” But on the other hand, this man’s response makes me cringe. Instead of screaming and shouting, “YES,” he says, “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” John 5:7. There is something about the way Jesus asked the question, that made it not so foolish a question after all. The man’s answer was not as obvious as it must have seemed. Jesus wanted to know. Did the man really want to be made well or not? He had waited in this condition for 38 years and he lost all hope for healing. Perhaps he had even lost the desire to be healed, because the implications of being made well at this point would be too overwhelming to manage. The man might have been content to remain an invalid. After all, if he was cured, he would have to bear all the responsibilities of making a living for himself. Healing will bring about lots of change. Maybe it wasn’t such a dumb question after all. Being well holds more responsibilities. Being well holds more accountability. The Question Behind the Question But there is a question behind Jesus’ question. God’s healing power could not be let loose until the man assumed the responsibility of choosing life and risking the possibility of transformation! What’s true then is still true for us. The deeper question Jesus asks is, “Do you really want to be changed?” If we are content to stay as we are — no matter how miserable that may be — there can be no change, no possibility of healing for us. We must realize that miracles happen when our will cooperates with God’s power to make them possible. Let me tell you this shocking truth. Even God Himself can do little for us if we are comfortable with our place in life. What Will It Be? I believe Jesus asks us the same exact question today. Do you want to be made well? The well-being Christ offers to all of us is greater than our physical well-being. It has to do with the sickness of our souls, with our apathy, and timidity. St. Augustine said, “We are all restless until we find our rest in God.” This is what God offers to us in Christ — rest for our souls. But maybe we have something different in mind — something more material. Healing will come on God’s terms, not ours. In our story, it was not through the healing waters of Bethesda. It was through Jesus. I am sure the invalid was fearful of this new chapter in his life. Can you let go of your own fear of change and allow God to make all things new? A new life, a new way of living, that is the Good News of God in Christ. That is His invitation to you and me this morning: “Get up … walk … put one foot in front of the other … follow me.” Amen. First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street Blackwood, NJ 08012 Sermon Notes (Sunday, October 20, 2019) Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor Psalm 25:1-11; John 5:1-9 Of the many miracles and healings that Jesus did, John selected only seven to include in his gospel. John called those miracles, “Signs” because they point beyond themselves. John’s selections were intended to teach important things about who Jesus is and what it means to believe in Him. This fall, we are looking at “Seven Signs” that John recorded in his gospel. We have already covered the first two signs, turning water to wine at a wedding in Cana in John 2:1-11, and the healing of the royal official’s son in John 4:43-54. Today, I am taking you to John chapter 5, to Bethesda Pool, to the House of Mercy. In chapter 5, John takes us to Jerusalem, to a remarkable healing at the Pool of Bethesda. “Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews” John 5:1. We’re not told what feast Jesus had come to Jerusalem for, so it’s probably a minor feast. The Pool of Bethesda John describes the scene of this “Third Sign” as you would expect an eyewitness to do for readers who hadn’t been to Jerusalem. “Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate,” John writes in John 5:2-3, there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. In these lay many invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed, and they waited for the moving of the waters.” Bethesda means “The house of mercy.” It was near the Sheep Gate, the gate through which the sheep traveled on their way to be sacrificed in the temple, just north of the temple precincts. The pool of Bethesda is an interesting place. For the longest time, scholars believed that this pool had never existed, because archaeologists hadn’t found any sign of it. But then, in the nineteenth century, an archaeologist discovered a pool, which he thought was the one described in John chapter five. Further excavations, in 1964, confirmed that the pool had been found, and that it was part of a collection of waterworks that included the so-called “upper pool” (Isaiah 7:3) of the Hebrew Scriptures. The Pool, as it was the case of many other pools, was used for ritual purification purposes, where Jerusalem’s pilgrims would gather to purify themselves for worship. In fact, when I visited Israel in 2017, I visited the remains of Bethesda Pool. The location is just as John described. But pilgrims to the city were not the only ones who came to the Pool of Bethesda. It was also believed to be a center for healing. John explains in John 5:3-4 “In these lay many invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed, and they waited for the moving of the waters. From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. The first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured of whatever disease they had.” An Ill Man for 38 Years In John 5:5-9, John introduces us to the subject of Jesus’ healing that day. Of all the wretched people gathered at poolside that day, Jesus chose this one man. “One who was there had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.” We’re not told of the man’s particular problem, but we know he had been ill for 38 years. His was a hopeless situation. He was totally paralyzed. Most likely, he was brought to the pool by family or friends and picked up at the end of the day. Today and next time, we will be looking at the healing of this man and draw some practical lessons for our lives today. First: A Story of God’s Abundant Grace This man’s story is a story of God’s mercy and grace. There’s a very good chance that this man – with his disability – would have come to the Pool of Bethesda until his dying day. It’s very likely that, if Jesus hadn’t intervened, nothing would have changed for this man. We need to remember that this man wasn’t searching for Jesus. It seems that Jesus was the furthest thing from his mind. Truth be told, the Lord was searching for him. There’s a basic spiritual truth here. On our own, by our own reason or strength, we don’t seek the Lord. As a matter of fact, we avoid Him. On our own, His Word and His ways seem to be foolishness to us and we cannot understand them. As He always does, Jesus took the first step. Our Lord Jesus Christ always takes the initiative. We’re not sure why Jesus choose this particular person. One thing we know, he found mercy and grace in the eyes of God. In spite of this man’s hopelessness, the Lord shows up against all hope. Second: Our Hope is in a Person Not a Place The man came to the Pool of Bethesda to receive healing and wholeness. This man’s focus was on the pool, rather than on Jesus, the Messiah. He put his faith in the so-called healing waters. Yet, this man’s life was transformed by a Person who arrived unexpectedly and who left just as unexpectedly. The waters of the pool, which, for so long, he believed were the key to his healing, played no part in what happened. The plans he made for himself were very different from the plans Jesus had for him. As it turned out, this man didn’t have to work for his healing. He didn’t pay for it. He didn’t deserve it. He simply obeyed the Word. At end of the day, wholeness wasn’t to be found in this pool, despite the commonly-held belief. At the end of the day, wholeness and healing was found in Christ and in Him alone. The man’s infirmity is symbolic of sin and what sin does to people. As we’ve seen, the man had convinced himself that his healing depended on his own efforts and initiative. Friends, God salvation is offered by grace alone. It’s completely and totally undeserved. We are spiritually blind and dead and enemies of God. Without God’s intervention, we would die in our sins. “Do you want to be healed?” “Do you want to get well?” “Now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation” 2 Corinthians 6:2. I will stop here today and will say more next time. Amen. PrayerLord Jesus, we have sensed this morning that we are here, like a great multitude lying by the pool of Bethesda, waiting to be healed; trying various ways and means, hoping somebody will help. We have not yet listened to that wonderful voice that says to us in the inner heart, “Rise, take up your bed, and walk.” Grant that we will do so from this moment. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen. Psalm 102:18-28; John 4:43-54
Perhaps one of the most misunderstood words, not only in our culture today, but also in the church itself is the word “faith.” What is faith? Probably the most famous example of “faith” in the popular imagination and American culture today is Indiana Jones in the 1989 movie The Last Crusade. He has to get across this seemingly bottomless chasm. His dying father, Sean Connery, is whispering “You must believe boy, you must believe.” So Indiana Jones summons up this heroic amount of faith, and he courageously extends his foot out and falls into the chasm. But then, thud, his foot lands on solid ground. The camera pans around and you can see a rock bridge that had been invisible to him before. Indiana Jones had summoned up enough faith to get across the chasm. And people think, that’s faith! It’s a leap in the dark. Is that how you have thought of faith? A leap in the dark? As much as I love that scene from The Last Crusade, I believe John’s gospel is here to tell us what real faith is. In John’s gospel faith is walking into the light with our eyes wide open. And we do it because we’ve seen the signs and followed them to the true Light of the world. John tells us at the end of His gospel why he wrote it: “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” John 21:30-31. So that’s our hope as we study Jesus’ second miraculous sign in John chapter 4. That we would believe in Jesus this morning. The Problem of the Desperate Royal Official This is what we read in John 4:46-47, “Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.” Here is a powerful man; a “Royal official.” He was used to getting things done. This man’s son is sick. What do you think his first response will be? Well I’m guessing here, but I imagine the story went a bit like this. His son got sick and he thinks, well I’ll pay for the best doctor and we’ll get this sorted. His doctor comes, his doctor fails. His son gets worse. So he pulls a few strings and gets the king’s own physician. Still no improvement. Instead his son gets worse. Where does he turn? Well, maybe he’s got a contact at the imperial court who can put him in touch with the best of Roman medicine. Surely the Romans can sort this out. But they can’t. And his son is now on his death bed. It’s hard to think of something as tragic as a father planning the funeral of his son. It should be the other way around. Can you put yourself in the shoes of this otherwise powerful man? The royal official is brought to the end of his powers. And when you come to the end of yourself, that’s where faith comes. Because faith must mean you shift your allegiance. You used to trust something else, now you trust Jesus. A Journey from the Shifting Sands to the Solid Rock The man heard about Jesus. He leaves his son’s death-bed and makes the long journey from Capernaum to Cana. He had begun to make the journey from the shifting sands of his own resources and to put his trust in the solid Rock of Jesus. Yet, John 4:50 is such a surprise. A day’s journey for this royal official, the worry about his son, the expectations about Jesus – what’s going to happen? Jesus simply dismisses him again in 5 words. “Go; your son will live.” The man said, “Come to Capernaum with me and heal my son!” but Jesus said, “Go; your son will live.” That’s not what the royal official expected. The royal official takes Jesus at his word – and he acts on the basis of that faith. Then later this faith was confirmed – Jesus really was able to do what He said. This is how faith works. You trust Jesus. You move out in faith. You see how trusting Jesus makes sense of life and in that confirmation your faith increases and so you trust Him a bit more. And on it goes. Faith is continual. This story reminds us of the story of the Syrian army captain, Naaman, who had leprosy (2 Kings 5:1-19). His servant girl, a Jewish slave, told him about Elisha the prophet, who could cure him of his leprosy. He was desperate, so he put together a nice reward and went to the prophet. He expected Elisha to come out to him, stand and call on the name of the Lord, wave his hand over him, and heal him. But instead, Elisha didn’t even come out of the house. He sent his servant out to tell this important man to go and wash in the Jordan River seven times and his leprosy would be cured. Naaman was furious. This wasn’t what he expected. Besides, the rivers in Syria were better than the lousy Jordan. So he went away in a rage. But then his servants appealed to him and said (2 Kings 5:13), “My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” So Naaman went and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan River and was cured of his leprosy. He believed the word of the prophet, obeyed, and was healed. J. C. Ryle points out that Christ’s word is as good as His presence. Friends, the royal official comes to Jesus with Galilean “faith,” looking for a miraculous sign, but ends up going deeper to believe in Jesus as the Christ. Do you realize that your biggest need this week is to trust Jesus? Think about it for a second. What do you think of as your greatest need for this week? Now think of all the possible saviors you might look to, to provide you needs. Money? Power? Intelligence? Beauty? Charm? Hard work? Family? Friendships. Well Jesus offers Himself to you again this week as you all in all. He says trust ME – I am the God who speaks and it happens. I am the God who raises the dead. I can handle this week, trust me. Continually. Our biggest need this week is to trust Jesus. In the Name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit! Amen! First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood 21 E. Church Street Blackwood, NJ 08012 Sermon Notes (Sunday, October 6, 2019) Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street Blackwood, NJ 08012 Sermon Notes (Sunday, September 29, 2019) Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pasto 2 Kings 4:8-37; John 4:43-54 This morning we continue our study on the “Seven Signs” Jesus did and recorded to us in the gospel of John. The last couple Sundays, we looked at the First Sign, turning the water into wine at a wedding in Cana, found in the gospel of John 2:1-11. In John 2:11, John concludes the First sign by saying, “Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.” The Second Sign is found in John 4:43-54. It is the healing of the royal official’s son. One important element of sound Biblical teaching is the importance of looking at the setting, the context, of a certain Scripture passage. We did that all summer long when I preached on the “Seven I am Statements” of Jesus also in John’s gospel. So, what is at stake here in John 4:43-54? Well, Jesus got to spend the last two days in Samaria. The time in Samaria was spectacularly successful. It appears that the whole town of Sychar was turning to Jesus as the Messiah and the Savior of the world. The focus in Samaria was not on Christ’s miracle-working power, but on His word. “We have heard him for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world” John 4:42 stated. This is a better response than anything Jesus has gotten among His own Jewish people. Strange. But who are the Samaritans? The Samaritans or the Shamerim (שַמֶרִים), means the “Guardians, Keepers, Watchers (of the Torah.” Samaritans claim descent from the tribe of Ephraim and Manassa, two sons of Joseph as well as from the Levites. The Samaritans only accepted the 5 Books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). I think John did a great job in the introduction of the Second Sign setting the stage to compare the response of the Samaritans, the less religious, to the response of the Jews to Jesus’ message. Jesus is back to Galilee where Jesus grew up in Nazareth. Though less religious, the Samaritans were able to grasp Christ’s message. Think about those examples of the Samaritans in the Bible: The Samaritan woman in John 4 whose life was transformed by God’s grace; the Good Samaritan in Luke 10 who showed love, compassion, and generosity to a stranger; and the Samaritan leper in Luke 17:16 who showed gratitude for receiving God’s healing and came back to offer thanks to God. Remember Jesus just a few days back did His first miracle in Cana. About 15 miles east from Cana was Capernaum where the royal official with the sick son in this story lives. So Galilee is Jesus’ homeland in a special sense. He just left Samaria, which is not his homeland, and turning now to His own stomping grounds. Here is what John says in chapter 4:43-44 “When the two days were over, he went from that place to Galilee (for Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in the prophet’s own country). In John 1:11 says, “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” Yet, Christ intends to keep offering Himself to His own, and overall His own will not receive Him. Welcoming Without Welcoming But there is a strange thing that we see here and might need explaining. Jesus stated that a prophet has no honor in the prophet’s own country. Yet, John 4:45 says that when Jesus came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed Him.” The answer is that the “welcome”—the reception—is not what it looks like on the outside. There is a kind of receiving Jesus that has no true honor for his person in it. It’s just an interest in His signs and wonders. It was a false faith, a superficial “welcoming” or “receiving” of Jesus. John 7:3-5 state that not even His brothers believed in him. A Royal Official Shows Up It is in the midst of disbelief that we see a believing heart. A royal official shows up at the end of verse 46. There’s no indication of the official’s nationality or background, his religious conviction or his worthiness—only his faith. He had heard of Jesus, and His miraculous power, and begged Him to come and heal his dying son. Jesus didn’t go with him but simply told the man his son would live. The man took Jesus at His word and departed for home. The next day, while he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his son had recovered. From their discussion, he learned that his son had been made well from the very time he had spoken with Jesus. Because of this He and all his household became believers, saved by grace through faith. What Keeps Us from Seeing Jesus’ Glory? Least we become like the Galileans, I want us this morning to think about an important question. What keeps us from seeing Christ’s glory? Now none of us is part of Jesus’ hometown. So you may think this doesn’t apply to us. Yet, the Church today could be Jesus’ hometown. We may fall in the same trap the Galileans fell into during Jesus’ time. So let’s be aware of two dangers:
I will stop here today, but I will say more next week, Lord willing, an0ut the faith of the royal official and how we can take Jesus today at His word. In the Name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit! Amen! r First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street Blackwood, NJ 08012 Sermon Notes (Sunday, September 22, 2019) Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor Hosea 10:12-15; John 2:1-11 A preacher was finishing up his sermon on a Sunday morning and with great expression he said, “If I had all the beer in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river.” With even greater emphasis, he said, “And if I had all the wine in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river.” And then finally, he said, “And if I had all the whisky in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river.” He sat down after he finished his sermon, the worship leader then stood very cautiously and announced with a smile, “For our closing song, let us sing hymn #365: “Shall We Gather at the River.” We have been looking at the “Seven Signs” recoded to us in the gospel of John. You may remember from last week that the four gospels recorded thirty-six miracles that Jesus performed. John’s gospel mentioned only seven. Obviously, Jesus did more miracles than what is recoded in the gospels. Listen to these words from John 20:30-31 “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” Miracles or Signs? As I mentioned last week, John never calls the mighty acts Jesus did “miracles” but “signs.” The thing about “a sign” is that it points to something beyond itself. John is more than a story-teller—John had a theological motive behind everything he said! Signs in John’s gospel are pointers. They point from themselves to a deeper, more spiritual meaning. Therefore, through these signs, John is showing us that what Jesus did in the physical realm is also able to do in the spiritual realm. For example, when Jesus heals a blind, it is a reminder that He can heal our spiritual blindness. When He fed the five thousand with very little, this is a reminder that He is the Manna that came down from heaven to fill our lives. The seven signs recorded to us in John are: 1. Changing water to wine (2:1-11); 2. Healing the nobleman’s son (4:46-54); 3. Healing the lame man at Bethesda (5:1-18); 4. Feeding 5,000 (6:5-14); 5. Walking on water (6:16-21); 6. Healing the blind man (9:1-7); and 7. Raising Lazarus (11:1-45). The Wedding at Cana So, we are still with Jesus and His disciples at Cana in Galilee; just about 4 miles north of Nazareth where Jesus grew up. Jesus was invited along with His disciples and Mary, His Mom, to a wedding. May be the bride or the groom was a relative to Mary or one of the disciples. At a certain point, Mary finds out that they have run out of wine. This is a big embarrassment to the family. Mary goes to her son, Jesus, and asks Him if He can do anything about this. Jesus addresses the situation of the need for more wine at the party, and–poof! – there, He makes some! So Jesus turns water into wine, and, there you go, no more wine shortage. What we see is that Jesus clearly has power from heaven to do this mighty miracle. No one else could do this. This first sign is loaded with lessons. So, how is this sign relevant for us today? Last week I highlighted one short thought. It had to do with the fact that God meets us where we have run out. God meets us in the place of our need. A couple more thoughts for this morning. First: We All Need Jesus Jesus is not a crutch for the weak. The beauty of this sign, however, comes from the fact that it tells us in a very direct way that we all need Jesus. In our best we need Jesus! In our worst, we need Jesus. In our ups and downs we need Jesus. The “sign” took place at a wedding! We all know how long and how hard it takes to plan for a wedding. We spend countless hours planning hoping that everything will be just right! In the same manner we plan for weddings, we also plan for our future, for the future of our families, and for the future of our children. But you know what? You never know what is going to happen. Right? Surprises come all the time. The bridegroom never expected that he would run out of wine. One of the most embarrassing situations that could ever happen on that particular day! It is great to plan for a great wedding, a secure future, but do not forget to invite Jesus into the center of all of that. When Jesus is invited, miracles take place. It is important to make room for Jesus in our lives. The Prophet Hosea chapter 10:12 reminds us that “It is time to seek the Lord until He comes and showers righteousness on us.” I believe that our homes, our culture today need Jesus more than ever. Second: An Invitation Leads to Transformation This first sign in John’s gospel tells that in the face of such need, Jesus turns six empty stone water jars into wine. What a difference Jesus makes in the house He dwells. What a difference Jesus makes in a heart that seeks His will. What a difference He makes in a ministry of a congregation that abides to His Word! What a difference Jesus makes when we make a room for Him in the busyness of our lives. Jesus came to transform the world. We often think of transformation in terms of opposites. We think of the ugly turned beautiful, the weak turned strong. Sometimes we think of transformation as a change to something unrecognizable like the caterpillar transformed into a winged butterfly or the transformer toys where a boat becomes a robot. And it is true that God can and does transform people in those ways. In fact, the gospel writers recorded the transformation of Zacchaeus, a despised tax collector; of Nicodemus, a respected Pharisee; of the woman who caught in adultery, a ruined woman. Jesus transformed the destiny of the thief on the cross, and so many others. But there is another type of transformation that is modeled at Cana. At Cana, the object of transformation is something that is already good and pure and necessary. There is nothing that needs fixing in the water. Water is good. The message of transformation at Cana is not about making the bad good, but about making the good even better. Transformation happens when we trust and obey. In John 2:5, Mary urged the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Friends, I believe that God’s intention is to fill the emptiness of our lives. When we perceive our emptiness, we should turn to Jesus. God wants to bring us the top quality as we submit to the Lordship of Christ. Friends, God still has so much in store for us. Let’s take hold of it. So, come to the party! You are invited. It’s the wedding feast of the Lamb in His Kingdom, which will have no end. Not just for a week, but for an eternity, this party will go on. Jesus saves the best for last. He gives it free of charge. And always more than we can measure. In the Name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit! Amen! 1 Kings 17:8-16; John 2:1-11
As I was working on this passage from John chapter 2, I couldn’t help but think of the old story about the Irish priest who was driving down the interstate and got stopped for speeding. The state trooper smelled alcohol on the priest’s breath and then saw an empty wine bottle on the floor of the car. He asked, “Father, have you been drinking?” “Just water,” says the priest. The trooper said, “Then why do I smell wine?” The priest looks at the bottle and says, “Well there you are! He’s done it again!” I don’t believe Jesus did it again, but I do believe the Lord performed a miracle in John chapter 2 when He turned the water into wine. There are approximately thirty-six recorded miracles of Jesus given in the four gospels. Jesus performed obviously more miracles than this but in those four gospels there are thirty-six of them recorded. When you come to the gospel of John you will find that there are seven miracles Jesus performed given to us in his book. While omitting many of the miracles reported in the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), John chose seven, apparently to help show that Jesus is the Messiah. Please look at John 20:30-31 to know why John carefully chose these seven miracles. The seven miracles in John are: 1. Changing water to wine (2:1-11); 2. Healing the nobleman’s son (4:46-54); 3. Healing the lame man at Bethesda (5:1-18); 4. Feeding 5,000 (6:5-14); 5. Walking on water (6:16-21); 6. Healing the blind man (9:1-7); and 7. Raising Lazarus (11:1-45). These miracles, as I mentioned, were selected for a specific purpose. You remember John said, “These have I written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life through His name.” And so John had a spiritual purpose in mind when he included the particular miracles that Jesus did. That’s why in the eleventh verse, at the climax of this miracle, John adds, “Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.” You see, the signs accomplished exactly what John said the signs were intended to do. Miracles or Signs? John never calls those miracles “miracles” but “signs.” The thing about “a sign” is that you need to be able to read it … you need to be able to understand what it means or what it’s pointing to. The thing about “a sign” is that it points to something beyond itself. When Jesus does a miracle, there’s something more going on than just a power display. It’s not just to show that Jesus is a real powerful guy, even a real powerful guy sent from God -- although it does tell us at least that much. The “signs” tell us even more about who Jesus is, His identity, His mission, the purpose of His life, death, and resurrection. They’re kind of like pointers, they point from themselves to a deeper, more spiritual meaning. Through these signs, John is showing us that what Jesus did in the physical realm He is also able to do in the spiritual realm. Far more important than miracles in the realm of nature are miracles in the realm of the spiritual. It is a miracle indeed when God created the world; it is a far greater miracle when God creates a new life in a human heart. John is more than a story-teller—John had a theological motive behind everything he said! The Wedding at Cana So, what happened in our story “sign”? Jesus is going to a wedding. It’s at Cana in Galilee, not that far from Nazareth, where Jesus grew up “about 4 miles away”, or from Capernaum, where now Jesus was making His headquarters. How He got invited to the wedding is not directly stated, but it may have been because his mother was a friend of the family. So, Mary is there, Jesus is there, and Jesus brings along his disciples. Mary finds out that the big wedding celebration, which, by the way, would last for days–she finds out that they have run out of wine. That’s not good. That would be a disaster, an embarrassment, and would really put a damper on things. So she goes to her son, Jesus, and asks Him if he can do anything about this. Apparently, she realizes that her son has the authority and the power, from God, to do some pretty amazing things. And she trusts her son to do the right thing in this situation. So she tells the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” That is faith speaking. “Do whatever he tells you”–that’s pretty good. So Jesus addresses the situation of the need for more wine at the party, and–poof! – there, He makes some! So Jesus turns water into wine, and, there you go, no more wine shortage. What we see is that Jesus clearly has power from heaven to do this mighty miracle. No one else could do this. This first sign is loaded with lessons that are so relevant to our lives today and speak powerfully to our circumstances. Let me very briefly highlight just one lesson today and I will say more next Sunday. First: When Your Supplies Run Out, Invite Jesus We often turn to God, when our supplies run out. We turn to God when we run out of strength, when we run out of money, when we run out of options. We turn to God when we run out of passion, when we run out of patience, when we run out of perseverance. We turn to God when we run out of hope or run out of joy. We turn to God when we’re feeling beat-up and burned out. We turn to God when the game is up, when our sin has found us out, when we realize that we need help. We turn to God when the gauge of our emotional or psychological tank is way past the red line marked “E” for “empty.” We turn to God when we hit rock bottom. We turn to God when we run out of something. The good news of the gospel is that God meets us where we have run out, that God meets us in the place of our need. In the sign of Jesus’ changing water into wine we see that God meets us in that place where we have run out. I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had over the years with people outside of church who, when they find out that I’m a Minister (which sometimes immediately kills the conversation J), make a comments like, “Yeah, I really should get back to church, but there are things in my life I need to fix first” or “I haven’t been to church in so long... I’m sure God’s not very impressed with me” or “I’m not exactly the kind of person you want at church.” At times I would guess you and I may share these same sentiments. And yet it is exactly people like us who should feel welcomed to church because Jesus came to seek and to save the lost, to restore the broken, to give His life in order to bring us back to God. Christ meets us in that place where we have run out. I will stop here today and see more on the same sign next Sunday. To God be the glory. Amen! First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood 21 E. Church Street Blackwood, NJ 08012 Sermon Notes (Sunday, September 15, 2019) Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor Isaiah 5:1-7; John 15:1-8
I cannot believe we’ve already come to the end of our summer sermon series, “The Seven I am Statements of Jesus.” Last Sunday, we looked briefly at the last statement found in the gospel of John chapter 15 “I am the True Vine … You’re the branches.” We talked about the setting of the last “I am” statement and I said that the setting of John chapter 15 goes back to John chapter 13. Jesus is in Jerusalem with His disciples; it’s Thursday night, the day before Jesus will be crucified; and Jesus and His disciples are having the last dinner together — so everything we read from John chapter 13, verse 4 all the way through John chapter 17 is a long conversation that took at the dinner table, after dinner, on the way to the Garden of Gethsemane, and at Gethsemane. I can imagine Jesus and the disciples going through the darkened streets of the city and then passing beyond the walls into the surrounding countryside. During this time of year, mid-April, the grape vines would be beginning to blossom with the promise of a fresh harvest. As Jesus walked with His disciples, perhaps He reached out and took a vine in His hands and used it to teach as an object lesson to His followers. He wanted to teach them about the most important and vital relationship they will have in their lives ~ their relationship with Him. Three observations as we wrap up our study of John 15. First: Abide in Jesus and Stay Connected John chapter 15 is an amazingly Christo-centric chapter. Jesus uses the pronouns “I”, “me” and “my” ...71 times in this chapter. What you and I need to know is that we are nothing without Christ. He is our Alpha and Omega, our beginning and our end. Therefore, what we need the most today is to abide in Christ. “Abide in me as I abide in you”, says Jesus in John 15:4. In the following verse, John 15:5, Jesus also says “I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.” Abiding in Christ, remaining in Him, and staying connected to our source of power is crucial. It also implies some sort of response from our part. The vine is always there for the branches. Our responsibility is to abide in Christ, to sojourn with Him, to follow where He leads. In The Message, a simple and modern translation of the Bible, Theologian Eugene Peterson translates John 15:4 this way “Live in me. Make your home in me, just as I do in you.” In the past, God visited with His people. He visited Abraham, Moses, and Elijah, but in Christ, God dwelt among us. John 1:14 states, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Psalm 84:4 “Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.” Lots of people today do not mind “visiting” but they do not “dwell.” At this point, you may ask yourself, how can we abide in the Lord? In responding to a question from Judas, not Judas Iscariot, Jesus said in John 15:23, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” When our Lord says, “Abide in me”, He is talking about the will, about the choices, and the decisions we make. We must decide to do things which expose ourselves to Him and keep ourselves in contact with Him. Let me ask you, what choices do you make that enable you to remain in Him? What decisions do we make to abide in Christ, to stay connected to the vine? As any other relationship, our walk with the Lord requires attention and maintenance. The message of John 15 is simple. Abiding in Christ is not an option. Spiritual vitality does not come from us. It comes from Christ. C. S. Lewis illustrated what this means: “A car is made to run on petrol, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. God cannot give us joy and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.” Stay connected! Second: Be Ready for Pruning John 15:2 states that God will remove every branch from the vine that bears no fruit, but every branch that bears fruit God prunes to make it bear more fruit. God got a pruning shears in His hand. He is in the business of cutting off any branch that bears no fruit and pruning any fruit-bearing branch so that it bears more fruit. While this image may be scary to some of us, I want you to remember that gardeners prune their vines with extreme care. There is no threat here in the picture of God as the gardener who prunes His vines. There is no warning of “produce or else!” Instead we are assured that God, the gardener, actively tending His vineyard, is fully committed to bring us to maximum fruitfulness. God’s pruning work benefits us; it doesn’t threaten us. At a certain time of the year, gardeners cut off certain “sucker shoots” from vines. Those shoots will never bear fruit. They will grow leaves abundantly, but they will never produce fruit. If allowed to remain, these shoots will actually sap the life of the vine and greatly reduce the quantity of fruit it will bear. God does the same thing with us. Third: Those Who Receive Must Give Those who’ve received the life of God must live it. We have to let it flow through us or the God-life in us dies. If you’ve ever been to Israel, you know there’s a real contrast between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. The Sea of Galilee is full of water and full of life. There are trees and vegetation. There is commercial fishing in there. But the Dead Sea is just dead. There are no fish in it and no life around it. The Sea of Galilee is at the top of Israel and receives waters from the mountains of Lebanon. They all come into the top of it and then it gives out at the bottom. That water flows down through the Jordan River and enters into the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea takes in, but it never gives out. That’s why it’s stagnant. The point is, there must be a balance in our lives. We receive and we give. There must be a balance between the input and output. There must be a balance between the inflow and the outflow. The problem is: some believers are like the Dead Sea, always taking in but never giving out. Let’s not be another dead sea. Friends, in this series, I wanted us to know that all we need is found in the GREAT I AM. Jesus is the Bread of Life (John 6:35, 48); He is the Light of the World (8:12, 9:5); He is the Gate for the Sheep (10:7); He is the Good Shepherd (10:11); He is the Resurrection and the Life (11:25); He is the Way, the Truth and the Life (14:6); and He is the True Vine (15:1). He is the Great I am. He is our need today and every day. Amen! First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood 21 E. Church Street Blackwood, NJ 08012 Sermon Notes (Sunday, September 8, 2019) Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor Psalm 80:8-11; John 15:1-8
The Greatest After-Dinner ConversationThe setting of John chapter 15 goes back to John 13 where Jesus is in Jerusalem with His disciples; it’s Thursday night, the day before Jesus will be crucified; and Jesus and His disciples are having dinner together — so everything we read from John chapter 13, verse 4 all the way through John chapter 17 is the conversation that happens after that dinner. Judas Iscariot leaves the dinner in chapter 13, verse 30, so by the end of chapter 13 what we are reading is a conversation that is happening just between Jesus and His 11 closest friends. In John chapter 14, there are different disciples who are part of this conversation with Jesus — different disciples were taking turns asking Jesus questions. First, it’s Peter, then Thomas, then Philip, then in verse 22, it’s the other Judas (not Iscariot). And just to get the image right in your minds, the disciples are all going around asking Jesus questions because they’re all sitting around the dinner table together — and John, the disciple who wrote this, was sitting there with them (actually sitting beside Jesus, we read in chapter 13:23–25). The last verse in John chapter 14 tells us that Jesus and the His disciples are getting ready to leave the upper room in Jerusalem where they had dinner and celebrated the Passover. They are headed to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus will pray His great High Priestly prayer and will later be arrested by the mob led by Judas. Apparently, Jesus speaks the words which make up John chapters 15 and 16 in route to the garden. So as I mentioned, John 15 and 16 are after dinner discourse. Sharing meals with others is a good thing, and what’s best about it really isn’t the food, but it’s the conversation that happens around the food. Think about the times you’ve had dinner with friends, either recently or just in general — think about after-dinner conversations. That’s where friendship happens. After-dinner conversations are important, and that is absolutely the case here in John 15. Jesus the True Vine It is in this context that the Lord Jesus Christ concluded His seven “I am” Statements. The seventh “I am” statement is found in John 15:1, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.” The last “I am” statement pictures Jesus as the “True Vine.” I can imagine Jesus and the disciples going through the darkened streets of the city and then passing beyond the walls into the surrounding countryside. During this time of year, mid April, the grape vines would be beginning to blossom with the promise of a fresh harvest. As Jesus walked with His disciples, perhaps He reached out and took a vine in His hands and used it to teach as an object lesson to His followers. He wanted to teach them about the most important and vital relationship they have in their lives ~ their relationship with Him. The Image of a Vineyard in the Bible When Christ called Himself the “True Vine,” He used an image that was very common and very familiar to His disciples. Nothing was more obvious to first century Jews than a vineyard. They lived, walked, slept and ate in the very shadow of the vine. The Israelites calendar was governed by growing season: In the winter was pruning of the vines; spring welcomed the first buds which were followed by vigorous growth of vines in summer; heavy clusters of grapes came in fall harvest. For that reason, the vineyard became a preeminent symbol of God’s care for His people. Frequently in the Scripture, especially the books Psalms, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, Israel is described as “a choice vine”, brought out of Egypt to serve the Lord. In Psalm 80:8 we read, “You transplanted a vine from Egypt.” The prophet Isaiah writes these words in Isaiah 5:1-2 “I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.” Isaiah 27:2-3 also says, “In that day, sing about a fruitful vineyard: I, the Lord, watch over it; I water it continually. I guard it day and night so that no one may harm it.” And although God is the wise gardener, diligently caring for His vineyard, preparing the ground, planting the grapevines, Israel failed to be fruitful. The good vine planted by God was to bear the fruit of an obedient life, but it produced only sour grapes. The gardener’s disappointment is clear. Jeremiah wrote in 2:21: “I had planted you like a choice vine of sound and reliable stock. How then did you turn against into a corrupt, wild vine?” Israel had been an unproductive vineyard, unfaithful to her covenant with the Lord. But thank God that Jesus is the True Vine. He is “true” because He is perfect, complete, and enduring. He is the genuine in contrast to that which is fictitious, counterfeit, imaginary, simulated or pretentious. Having covered the context, the importance of the vineyard image in the Bible, let me conclude with one short introductory observation for us this morning as we look together at the last “I am”, and, Lord willing, we shall say more next week. The Father Has Done It All The image of Jesus being the “True Vine” and we, the believers, are the branches, is an image that is so rich in meaning and full of practical implications. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the Gardner.” Our God is an amazing God. He’s the one who is tending to the vine. He’s doing the pruning. He’s cleaning it up. He feeds the vine. He protects and watches over His vineyard. In other words, the whole thing is His doing. All of this. The whole thing. He has done it all. We’re just branches, man. We’re just branches on a vine that is truer and better than anything we could ever dream of. We’re just glad to be here. We are part of this thing that is so much bigger than us and beyond us and not up to us. The gardener is the one who is handling all this — and He’s the one who gets the glory. And that gives us joy. And it’s in that joy that we are invited to this Table this morning. Amen! First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood 21 E. Church Street Blackwood, NJ 08012 Sermon Notes (Sunday, September 1st, 2019) Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor Deuteronomy 32:1-18; John 14:1-6
The past few Sundays, we heard some astonishing claims of who Jesus Christ claims to be. Instead of allowing our culture, our circumstances, or our feeble minds to define Jesus Christ, the purpose of our summer sermon series is to allow the Scriptures, God’s authoritative Word, to give its true witness of who Jesus Christ truly is. In this time and age, I think it is extremely important to know the Jesus of the Bible; the true Jesus, who is revealed to us in Scriptures. Seven times in the gospel of John, Jesus introduced Himself in a certain way that revealed part of His identity and His mission. Scholars call those declarations the “Seven I am Statements.” Those statements have some great implications not only on our understanding of the God we follow, but also on who we are. So far, we have covered 5 claims. Jesus claimed, “I am the Bread of Life; I am the Light of the World; I am the Gate for the Sheep; I am the Good Shepherd; and I am the Resurrection and the Life.” Today we will be looking at the Sixth Statement. The Exclusivity of Jesus’ Path Today’s Statement is even more profound and controversial. In His response to a question from Thomas, one of the disciples, Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.” This is probably the most exclusive statement ever made by anyone. In our pluralistic society and relativistic age, it sounds so intolerant, arrogant, narrow-minded and is very offensive to so many people. If only Jesus had said, “I am one way, one truth, or a way of life” then people could accept it. But Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” You may be surprised to know that there are many other Scriptures in the New Testament that echo this exclusivity of Jesus as the only Way to God. Let me give you a few examples. In Matthew 11:27 we read, “All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Also, in Acts 4, Peter and John stood and witnessed before the Council in Jerusalem and in Acts 4:12 we read, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mortals by which we must be saved.” The gospel writers and early Church never compromised this message. Earlier in the gospel of John in John 10:9 Jesus spoke of Himself as “the Gate” through which His sheep enter into salvation. I am sure they faced the same challenges we face today. Let’s now look at this Sixth Statement found in John 14:6. First: I am the Way Jesus had just told the disciples that His journey on earth is coming ending soon. He was going to leave them to go back to the Father’s glory. Their hearts were so troubled as they heard this. Jesus told them He is going ahead of them to prepare them a place. When the place is ready, He will come again to take them. Then Jesus states, “And you know the way to the place where I am going.” At this point, Thomas asked, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” You probably heard the joke: Why do so few people get to heaven?” The answer is, “They never stop to ask for directions.” And that is very true. But I am glad that Thomas did ask for directions here. And I am more glad that Jesus told him the way. Jesus says there is only one way to heaven. There is only one way to the Father’s presence. There is only one way to the Father’s house. In Proverbs 14:12 King Solomon said, “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” Second: The Truth Jesus was not only saying, “I am the Way” but He added, “I am the Truth.” What is truth? In John’s gospel the noun “truth” (alētheia) appears 25 times. In John’s gospel, alētheia, “truth,” carries the idea of “authenticity, divine reality, revelation.” The dictionary says truth is, “a certainty concerning any matter; a verified fact or statement; that which is real, steadfast and faithful. It is the opposite of lies, falsehood or deceit.” A survey has been taken recently that asked, “Do you strongly agree, agree somewhat, or strongly disagree, with the following statement: There is no such thing as absolute truth.” The result was only 23% of the participants strongly agreed in “absolute truth.” Today people want to believe in what they call, relative truth. What that means is that truth is relative to each individual. It means that what is true to one person doesn’t have to be true to someone else. Although I believe all religions contain some truth, Christ is the absolute truth. Friends, the devil doesn’t mind a little truth. Third: The Life Finally, Jesus declares that He is the Life. Again, John’s gospel overflows with this theme. Jesus brings eternal life. In fact, He is the very source of life – both physical life as Creator, and eternal life as our Savior. In John 1:3-4 we read, “Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all people.” Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471), a German priest who wrote The Imitation of Christ, put it well. He said, “Without the Way there is no going; without the Truth there is no knowing; without the Life there is no living. I am the way which you must follow; the truth which you must believe; the life for which you must hope. I am the inviolable way, the infallible truth, the never-ending life. I am the straightest way; the sovereign truth; life true, life blessed, life uncreated. If you abide in my way you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free, and you shall attain life everlasting.” What a powerful insight! Friends, today’s statement is a tough one! Yet, personally, it brings so much joy and comfort to my heart to know that my Lord and Savior is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. It is not the purpose of my sermon this morning to send anyone to hell. It is not my purpose today to demonize or condemn anyone. That’s not our job. The British theologian C.S. Lewis spent his life trying carefully to define and advocate for orthodox theology. An important text for Lewis was that obscure moment at the end of John’s gospel in chapter 21:22 when Peter asks Christ, “What about this other disciple (John), what is his ultimate fate?” Christ responds, “What has that to do with you? Follow me!” Rather than preaching John 14:6 to determine who is on the right way and who got the truth, we’ve got our hands full just trying to follow Jesus down His narrow way. In other words, our job is to follow the way of Jesus, embrace the truth of the Scripture, and allow His life to transform our lives without condemning, demonizing, or sending anyone to hell. In the Name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen! First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood 21 E. Church Street Blackwood, NJ 08012 Sermon Notes (Sunday, August 25, 2019) Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor |
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