​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012
Sermon Notes (Sunday, February 5, 2023)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“Christ is Superior to Moses!”
Jeremiah 10:6-7; Hebrews 3:1-6
 
As we continue our reflections looking at the supremacy of Christ in the letter to the Hebrews, we come this morning to Hebrews chapter 3 where we get to know that Christ is superior to Moses.  This was not an easy discussion to have with Christians from a Jewish background.  After all, Moses was regarded as the most important figure in the Old Testament.  He was the one who delivered Israel from the hands of their oppressors.  He is the one who performed some great and mighty miracles including the parting of the Red Sea.  In Exodus 33:11, the Bible says that “The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.”  As far as I know, Moses was the only human who had this privilege.  Moses was the mediator of the Old Covenant in Sinai.  The Law was given through him on Mount Sinai.  In short, Moses was adored and revered by everyone.
 
And here comes the author of the letter to the Hebrews to say that there is greater than Moses here.  There is someone who is worthy of more glory than Moses.  Moses was great, but Christ is greater.  Moses was glorious. But standing next to Jesus, he looks like a gnat. Hold a candle out at arm’s length and look at the noonday sun next to that little flame—that’s Moses’ glory next to Christ.  Jesus’ glory eclipses Moses’ glory.  The author of Hebrews says that Jesus is worthy of more honor than Moses because He is the Creator and Moses is the creation, just like the Creator or Builder of a house is more worthy than the house that was built. 
 
Let me make sure we get this right.  This comparison between Jesus and Moses doesn’t put Jesus and Moses on different teams; it’s to put Moses in the right place and Jesus in the right place on the same team. You and I should love Moses; we ought to love him because he is one of the great heroes of faith.  But he is on a different place in the team than Jesus.  Jesus is the Captain, the Owner, and the General Manager of the team. Moses is a player; a faithful player.
 
The Hebrew Christians had begun well. Early in their Christian experience they endured great suffering and persecution.  Many had their property confiscated on account of their faith, and they endured it joyfully as we read in Hebrews 10:32-34.  But now they were in danger of drifting back into Judaism and neglecting their great salvation in Jesus Christ as the author states in Hebrews 2:1-4.  We are always facing the danger of drifting away from the Lord.  We are always facing the danger of settling for less.  Like the Hebrew Christians, we can start great and finish terrible.  In his letters, Paul spoke about people who started great but finished very poor.  So the author is exhorting them to endurance. 
 
In our text this morning, the message is simple: To endure, consider Jesus.  Consider Jesus.  Ponder Him.  Fix your eyes on Him. To consider somethings requires time and effort. It doesn’t happen automatically, especially when you’re busy. But if you take the time to do it, it usually yields rich rewards.  Our antidote to drifting and our strength for endurance is to consider Jesus Christ from His Word. I implore myself first, because I’m prone to drift, and I implore you: Take time to consider Jesus often!  Our passage this morning suggests two ways to consider Jesus:
 
First: Consider Jesus as the Apostle of our Confession
This is the only time in Scripture that the title “apostle” is applied to Jesus.  “Apostle” literally means, “one who is sent.”  The Gospel of John often refers to Jesus as being sent by the Father (John 3:17, 34; 5:36-38).  He came to reveal the Father to us and to accomplish the Father’s purpose, to redeem us by shedding His blood.  Jesus said that He did nothing on His own initiative, but He only sought the will of the one who sent Him (John 5:30).
 
Jesus is the apostle of our confession, our faith, the body of the Christian truth.  We are to believe what He has taught us in Scriptures; to value what He taught us to value and to prioritize what He calls us to prioritize.
 
Second: Consider Jesus as the High Priest of our Confession
The Apostle of our faith brings God down to us; the High Priest brings us up to God.  Christ is our High Priest who is always present before the throne of God to intercede on our behalf.  Although he was never called an apostle, in function Moses fulfilled that role in Israel. God sent Moses to deliver His people from bondage in Egypt.  But Moses was not a high priest. That role fell to his brother, Aaron.  Jesus fulfills both roles in one.  He is our Apostle and our High Priest.  We must submit to His commands as the authority of God Almighty.  We must come before God only through the merits of Jesus’ blood.  Think often and carefully of Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession!
 
Friends, let’s consider Jesus!  He is God’s sent one to us and He is our High Priest.  As the one sent by God to us, He reveals the very nature of the Father.  He is God’s love and grace in a human form.  As our High Priest, He brings us up to God when we cannot bring ourselves. He is our beginning and our end, our Alpha and our Omega, the author and finisher of our faith, and we need to hold fast to our confidence and confession in Him.  He has no equal in the heavens above or on the earth beneath.  To Him, to our Apostle and High Priest, be glory and honor forever and ever.  Amen.

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (Sunday, January 29, 2023)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“Jesus: Greater than the Angels!”
Psalm 103:19-22; Hebrews 1:4-14
 
We continue this morning our sermon series reflecting on the supremacy and the greatness of Christ in the letter to the Hebrews.  The book of Hebrews was written to a particular group of Christians who had converted to the Christian faith.  It seems that this group of devout Jews who have become followers of Jesus got confused about some fundamental and foundational Christian teaching.  As I pointed out last week, some of the Hebrew Christians fell into the trap of considering Christianity another sect, another group, within Judaism.
 
The author of Hebrews, therefore, took upon himself the responsibility to correct this and to help the Hebrew community to grasp the foundations of the Christian faith by emphasizing on the supremacy of Christ.  Christianity is not built on a set of beliefs, but on a person called Jesus Christ.  The author, therefore, elaborated on the supremacy of His identity; the supremacy of His mission; the supremacy of His priesthood; the supremacy of the new covenant He established; the supremacy of His promises; and the supremacy of His salvation.  All this should lead us “to hold fast to our confession” and to embrace and pursue more of Jesus.
 
The Scripture passage we are looking at this morning invites us to realize that Jesus is greater than the angels.  I am sure that some of us are asking why the comparison between Jesus and angels?  Many Christians in the first century were confused as to how they should relate to Jesus (man only or God only).  Some, especially Christians from a Jewish background, may have been tempted to see Jesus as part of the angelic creation.  After all, angels were often sent by God as messengers and did mighty deeds. That’s why the author of Hebrews firmly established the identity of Jesus as being greater than angels. 
 
The author supports this claim with direct quotations from the Old Testament about the character and position of the Messiah in relationship to angels.  In Hebrews 1:4-14, there are at least seven refrences that demonstrate the superiority of the Messiah in comparison to angels.  None of the angels were given the title “God’s Son”, but Jesus did.  The Son is worshipped, but the angels are servants of God.  Jesus is eternal, angels are not.  Jesus is fully divine, but angels are not.  Jesus is the ruling Son while angels are messengers of God.
 
Who are Angels?
Before I draw a single, yet a profound application based on Christ’s supremacy over the angels, it might be a good idea just to refresh our minds of who angels are.  Both the Hebrew and Greek words for angel mean “messenger”, messenger from God.  The word refers to an order of spiritual/supernatural (not divine) created beings who act as God’s messengers to people, and agents who carry out God’s will in the world.  Psalm 103:21 state, “Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,  you his servants who do his will.”
 
During the intertestamental period, the 400 years before Christ, a certain fascination with angels developed.  Angels are increasingly fixated upon as expressions of God’s divine power and authority.  God, of course, was all-powerful; angels didn’t replace God, but they were next in line.  The best way for the author of Hebrews to make his case is to establish the deity of Jesus.  Obviously, if the Son is divine, then the Son is superior to the angels.  So throughout Hebrews chapter 1, the author affirms in the strongest way possible the deity of Jesus.
 
So now we can understand chapter 1 and how angels fit into the overall purpose of the letter and why the author begins with angels because angels were a big deal to these folks. But what does this have to do with us?  How do we make sense and apply this?  Let me offer one important application that I think we can draw from this.  If Jesus is superior and if he is greater than the angels, hold fast to Jesus.
 
First: Hold Fast to Jesus
Hold fast to Jesus because He is greater.  He offers us more than we’ve left behind.  Not many of us today are tempted to abandon our faith in Christ to embrace Judaism, because we’ve come to Christ from a different starting place.  Yet, the danger is still the same.  Every day we are tempted to go back to our old life; to life a self-centered life rather than a Christ-centered life.
 
The point of Hebrews chapter 1 still stands: What we possess through faith in Jesus is better than anything that we’ve left behind in our old life.  In Christ, there is something better.  The very best of what you had in your old way of life cannot compare with the blessings that we have come to know through Jesus Christ.  Though we don’t get to fully experience the best that Christ offers because of our lack of faith, we believe that the best is yet to come.
 
Jesus offers lasting hope, unmerited love, endless joy, clear purpose, eternal life, true dignity, and real meaning.  The faithless life, our old life, offers us pleasure instead of purpose, distraction instead of hope, entertainment instead of joy, and ultimately, no matter whatever else it offers us, it offers us death instead of life.  Whatever we fall back to is going to be lesser than the eternal life that is offered to us in Christ.
 
Friends, I don’t know what the “angels”, the things in your old way of life, that you are tempted to return to.  I am sure we are tempted some way or another, but whatever they are, they cannot hold a candle to whatever God has promised us in Jesus Christ.  Faith is choosing to believe that whatever you have in Jesus is better than anything that you have left behind.  Brothers and sisters in Christ, let’s hold fast to Jesus because He offers us more than what we’ve left behind. Don’t go back.  Don’t go back to something that’s lesser when Jesus offers you the greatness of God.  Hold fast to Jesus.  Jesus is worthy to be followed.  He is worthy to give our allegiance to; he is worth leaving behind our past in order to embrace all that God has for us.  In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.
 
 

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (Sunday, January 22, 2023)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“The Supremacy of Christ!”
Psalm 2; Hebrews 1:1-4
 
“The Supremacy of Christ in Hebrews,” is the title of our new sermon series.  This is not a verse-by-verse study in the book of Hebrews, rather, it’s a series of messages that reflects on what Hebrews teaches about the person and work of our glorious Savior.
 
Christology, our understanding of the doctrine of Christ, matters.  As you may know, apart from Romans, Hebrews is the most doctrine-heavy book of the New Testament.  This book compellingly preaches and re-preaches Christ.  It has something to say to the brand-new believer as well as the seasoned follower of Christ.  No other book of the Bible so thoroughly and powerfully demonstrates Jesus’ supremacy as Hebrews does.
 
As you may figure out from its title, the letter to Hebrews was written to those Hebrews, those from a Jewish background, who had converted to the Christian faith.  It seems that some of them got confused about Christianity and thought it was another sect or branch of Judaism, another religious group.  Some thought it’s the Jewish faith with some additions.  The author of the letter, therefore, took the responsibility to correct that.  Basically, the author was saying to the Hebrew community, “Make no mistake.  Christianity is a brand-new thing.   Faith in Christ is not a few modifications here and there.  Christ is not another prophet, but He is superior.”
 
In order to prove his point, the author of Hebrews makes at least 6 statements throughout the letter basically saying: Jesus is better!  Jesus is more glorious!  Jesus is superior.  The author pointed out that Christ is better than angels in chapters 1 and 2; Christ is better than Moses and He offers us a better rest in chapters 3 and 4; Christ is a better High Priest in chapters 4 to 7; Christ is Mediator of a better covenant in chapters 8 and 9; Christ provides a better sacrifice and He is the author of a better salvation in chapters 10 and 11.  All this should lead us “to hold fast to our confession” and stand firm, immoveable in the Lord.
 
Each week in the next six weeks or so, I will be unpacking one aspect of Christ’s supremacy and greatness in Hebrews.  For this morning, I would like to look at the introduction of Hebrews from Hebrews chapter 1:1-4.  It seems to me that the author wanted to set up the stage and the tone for his argument of Christ’s greatness.  As a way of introduction, the author of Hebrews lists a few important reasons why we should cling to Jesus.  Let me highlight two this morning:
 
First: Jesus is the One through whom God Created the World
In Hebrews 1:1-2, we read, “Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds.”  “Through whom he also created the worlds.”  There was a time when there was nothing except God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  And the Son said: “Let it be!” And it was done!  John 1:3 says, “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”  God the Son, who became a man in the person of Jesus Christ, created the whole universe of time and space and every single solitary particle, molecule, atom, quark, proton, neutron, and electron. 
 
This is what Paul had in mind in Romans 11:36 when he declared, “For from him and through him and to him are all things.”  Colossians 1:16 echoes the same truth, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him.”  Through Christ, God created the worlds.
 
Second: Jesus Sustains the Universe by the Word of His Power
Hebrews 1:3 states, “He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word.”  One of the most destructive heresies the church has battled is known as Deism.  Deism emerged in the 17th century and eventually made its way to America.  Deism argued that once God created the universe and everything within it, he in essence packed up his bags and left town.  Or more accurately he left the universe.  He wound up the world like a gigantic clock and now simply lets it run by its own power.  He does not intervene to perform miracles.  He does not providentially direct the affairs of humanity.  He does not invade our world to answer our prayers.  He is distant and remote and altogether uninvolved in the affairs of our world.
 
That’s not what the Bible teaches!  The Bible teaches us that God created the world.  Christ calls all things into existence out of nothing.  In His providence, Christ sustains all things in existence.  Not only that, but He takes all that He has created and is currently preserving and directs it toward its proper end and conclusion.  He “carries along” everything to its appointed goal.  He organizes, orchestrates, sustains this universe, all things, nothing is exempt, whether great or small, everything is being upheld and carried along by the risen Christ.  And he does this by the “word of his power” or by his “powerful word”.
 
Friends, this first paragraph of Hebrews chapter 1 leaves us with a sense of awe.  It leaves us with a wonder that can only be expressed in worship. We are left to marvel at the greatness and the supremacy of our Lord.  We marvel at the Son’s authority and reign over all creation.  We marvel at the truth that Christ sustains this universe by the word of His power.  Nothing will ever happen to us that we will have to face it alone because Christ will sustain us through whatever hurdles life might throw our way.  As we explore the theme of the supremacy of Christ in Hebrews, I hope that you and I will continually ask God to reveal to us the glory and the majesty of Christ.  The best decision we will or have ever made is to cling to Christ, to call Him to be the Lord of your life.  In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (Sunday, January 15, 2023)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“A Ministry of Reconciliation!”
Exodus 3:1-10; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
 
Much can be said about Martin Luther King, Jr.  My first real introduction to the theology and ethics of Dr. King happened over 20 years ago during my years as a grad student at New Brunswick Theological Seminary.  I almost took every single course that both New Brunswick and Princeton Seminaries offered on King’s theology and spirituality and I ended up writing my Masters dissertation on King as well.  My love and passion for King continued in the following years as I kept reflecting on his life and thought resulting in writing this book titled, “A Prophet from the South: Theology and Ethics of Martin Luther King”, that was published in October 2021.  The book introduces King to the Arabic-speaking world in general and to the Christian community in Egypt in particular.
 
What would be the message for us today as we reflect on Dr. King’s life and ministry?  Two things that I would like to underscore this morning as our nation celebrates and observes Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Day tomorrow, Monday, January 16th.
 
First: The Importance of Spiritual Grounding
One of the most important – and often overlooked – moments of the Dr. King’s life was his midnight “kitchen table experience” in 1956.  King was 27 years old and in his second year as pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama.  He had been helping lead the city bus boycott, which brought an ongoing barrage of death threats at his house, mail and phone. Some days, there were as many as 30 to 40 calls, often in the evening, trying to force him to return back to Atlanta.
 
King would just lay down the phone and, if at night, go back to bed.  But one call, around midnight on January 27, 1956, became pivotal for him.  While his wife, Coretta, and their infant daughter slept nearby, the caller, a man, said, “N-----, we’re tired of your mess.  And if you aren’t out of this town in three days, we’re going to blow up your house and blow your brains out.”
 
Shaken more than usual, King, as later recounted, went to their small kitchen, made a pot of coffee, buried his face in his hands, and prayed aloud: “Lord, I’m down here trying to do what’s right … But I am afraid … I must confess … I’m losing my courage.”  At this moment, King, in his own words, said, “I could hear an inner voice saying to me, ‘Martin Luther, stand up for truth. Stand up for justice.  Stand up for righteousness. I will be at your side.’”
 
His fear quieted at that moment and left him, though never the threats.  A bomb blew up on the front steps of his home three evenings later.  Fortunately, despite the wreckage, no one was injured.  From the damaged porch, King called his gathered supporters out of their anger, and into nonviolence and love for their enemies.
 
Well, what we can take from King’s “kitchen table experience” is the importance of spiritual grounding to move onward in the hard, sometimes perilous struggle for justice, allowing no fear to detour our journey forward.  Spiritual grounding is essential.  Deep personal spiritual anchoring matters.  No wonder that the story of liberating the Hebrews from the hands of Pharoah played an important role and carried a special message to the African American community.  If we lack this spiritual dimension, our striving for justice will be short-lived and yanked away by distraction or fear of societal disapproval, retaliation, physical danger, financial insecurity, and so on.
 
Second: The Impact of a Dedicated Life
As we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.,s Day tomorrow, we also get to remember the impact of a dedicated life.  On February 4th, 1968, just two months before his assassination, King prophetically spoke about the impact of a dedicated life.  In a sermon titled, “Drum Major Instinct”, King imagined his own funeral and urged his congregation not to dwell on his life’s achievements, but to remember him as one who tried to give his life serving others.”
 
In his sermon he said, “Every now and then I guess we all think realistically about that day when we will be victimized with what is life’s final common denominator – something we call death.  We all think about it and every now and then I think about my own death and I think about my own funeral. And I don’t think about it in a morbid sense. And every now and then I ask myself what it is that I would want said and I leave the word to you this morning.  If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don’t want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy tell him not to talk too long.  Every now and then I wonder what I want him to say.”
 
King continued, “Tell him not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize – that isn’t important. Tell not to mention that I have 300 or 400 other awards – that’s not important.  Tell him not to mention where I went to school.  I’d like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to give his life serving others.  I’d like for somebody to say that day that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to love somebody.  I want you to say that day that I tried to be right on the war question. I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry.  I want you to be able to say that day that I did try in my life to clothe the naked.  I want you to say on that day that I did try in my life to visit those who were in prison.  And I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity.  Yes, if you want to, say that I was a drum major.  Say that I was a drum major for justice.  Say that I was a drum major for peace.  I was a drum major for righteousness.
And all of the other shallow things will not matter.  I won’t have any money to leave behind. But I just want to leave a committed life behind. And that is all I want to say.  If I can help somebody as I pass along, if I can cheer somebody with a well song, if I can show somebody he’s traveling wrong, then my living will not be in vain.”
 
Friends, I truly believe that King’s life and ministry can be captured in the title of our sermon today.  It was a ministry of reconciliation.  King invested his life trying to both reconcile humans to their fellow humans and to their Creator, to God.  He strived to reconcile God’s reality with today’s reality.  King’s faith in a God who is active in history, a God who isn’t done with our world, was instrumental and foundational to the civil rights movement.  In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul tells us that our mission and ministry of reconciliation is not done yet.  “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation … And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.  We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”  Followers of Christ, may we never grow weary carrying this ministry of reconciliation inspired by wonderful people who have gone ahead of us like Dr. King.  In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012
Sermon Notes (Epiphany Sunday ~ January 8, 2023)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“Pursuing Jesus in a New Year!”
Matthew 2:1-12
 
Many years ago, I had the joy of leading a young Iraqi lady to Christ.  She grew up in a Muslim home in Iraq and her first real exposure to Christianity happened after she migrated to the United States.  After attending the congregation that I served back then for almost a year, she came to me with a big smile on her face asking if I would get her baptized because she wants to be a Christian.  I said, “I will be honored to do that, but first, let’s schedule a meeting with the Church Elders to examine your faith.”  On the day of the meeting, she came and one of the Elders asked her, “Tell us, what is different about the God of the Christian faith?”  I will never forget what she said.  “The God of Christianity is a pursuing God.  Though I turned my back on Him for so long, He keeps pursuing me day after day after day. I’ve never seen this in any other religion.”
 
Our God is a pursuing God.  This is a truth that we often forget.  The question that I would like to ask on this Epiphany Sunday is what is our proper response to a pursuing God?  The story of the wise men traveling all the way from the East to visit with the newborn King and worship Him has so much to say to us on this regard. 
 
What should be our response to a pursuing God?  On this second Sunday of 2023, I want us to consider this question.  In Christ, God has pitched His tent in our own backyard.  If our God is a pursuing God, we are under two obligations:
 
First: We Are to Intentionally Pursue God Back
The wise men had seen the star of the newborn King and they realized right away they needed to do something.  They needed to pursue more of this good news.  It was a long journey from their homeland to Bethlehem.  Most scholars believe they came from the modern-day Iraq or Iran which means they travelled over 800 miles.  It was a long and difficult journey, but they were willing to pursue the star.
 
A New Year is ahead of us.  Every day presents a fresh opportunity to pursue more of Jesus; to pursue a closer relationship with Him.  I think one of the dangers in our walk with the Lord is we settle for just occasional encounters with Jesus in some casual manner.  I wish we go for the maximum, not the minimum this year.  I hope we pursue more of God’s voice in our ears; more of His hope in our grief; more of His dreams in our hearts; more of His nearness in our loneliness.
 
Jeremiah 29:13 is a great Scripture that speaks of pursuing God.  “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”  The people of Israel are in exile in Babylon.  God sends them a message through the prophet Jeremiah and tells them that even at this very dark hour of their history, God is still accessible.  They can call on God and He will hear them.  They can seek God, and the promise is: they will find Him.  He never hides from us.  It’s such a beautiful assurance to know that when we seek God with all of our hearts, we will find Him.
 
Second: We Pursue Jesus Together
The story of the wise men pursuing Jesus reminds us that we pursue Jesus together.  We pursue God in community.  Community is so central to the Jesus movement.  From day one, Jesus of Nazareth built a community of followers.  This community was so diverse; educated and not well educated; rich and poor; Jews and Gentiles; religious and not very religious; young and old; Roman citizens and non-Romans.  The first community of Jesus of Nazareth was so diverse, but they all had one thing in common, they wanted to pursue more of Jesus together.
 
“Together” is an important concept in the New Testament.  It’s at the heart of our calling.  It’s God’s plan for us to run the race of faith together; to pursue Jesus together.  There is power in togetherness.  I am praying today for a new epiphany, a new revelation, a new understanding this year as we think about the importance of this fellowship of believers.
 
As the community pursues Jesus together, we all know that we are not perfect.  Rather, we are work in progress.  Sometimes our togetherness gets messy and sometimes we fail, but God doesn’t define us by our failures.  This is the truth.  We are not perfect.  That truth, however, doesn’t mean we give up, but it means to keep fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith.  We can be easily defeated when we run the race alone, but this is not what Jesus wants for us.  That’s why Ecclesiastes 4:9 & 12 state, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.  Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
 
Friends, I charge you today to pursue more of Jesus this year.  Keep pursuing until your whole life is saturated with God’s presence.  We pursue God because, in Christ, we have been pursued by God.  May we do it passionately, actively, and intentionally.  Do it within the community of Christ’s followers.  Do it remembering the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:78-8, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”  Amen.

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012
Sermon Notes (Christmas Day, Sunday, December 25, 2022)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“The Birth of the King!”
Luke 2:1-7
 
I have always asked myself how we as Christians should celebrate Christmas.  In other words, away from the commercialized, materialized, and secularized Christmas, what is the proper way to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior? In our own culture, Christmas means parties, gifts, carols, big meals, a decorated tree, and of course last-minute shopping.
 
While I would venture to say that these things are not objectionable in themselves, none of them has anything to do with the circumstances surrounding the birth of Christ.  Yet the principle of celebrating the coming of Christ to the world is certainly a good idea.  So how should we celebrate Christmas?  How should we celebrate this great day?  The simple and most obvious answer is this. You should celebrate Christmas by becoming a Christian.  After all, this is why Jesus came to the earth.  He was born to be a Savior.  And until you can call Him “my Savior,” you will never fully understand what Christmas is all about.
 
Fortunately, there are some Scripture passages that give us some insights of how we should celebrate the birth of our Lord.  One of those passages is the shepherds’ encounter with the newborn King in Like chapter 2.  This is a story that most of us know by heart.  So on this Christmas Day I would like to share very briefly three responses of those who first heard the news that Christ had been born.  Each verse tells of a different response, and the three responses together tell us how to celebrate Christmas—not just in December but all year long.
 
First: Proclaiming
Luke 2:17 states, “When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child.”  Luke tells us that the shepherds “spread the word.” They heard and saw the spectacular angelic revelation. Then when they went to Bethlehem they discovered the Savior of the world.  They couldn’t keep silent.  They did what all Christians should do. They told others what they had seen and heard. They “spread the word” about Jesus. When you get down to it, that’s all evangelism is. It’s telling the good news about Jesus Christ to someone else.  Good news is for sharing. That’s what the shepherds did. That’s what all of us are called to do. This is the first way we can all celebrate Christmas.
 
Second: Wondering
Luke 2:18 tells us, “And all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.”  I’m sure that “amazed” is a mild word to describe the reaction of those who heard the shepherds.  The story itself would sound incredible—the part about hearing an angelic choir in the middle of the night, not to mention finding the Son of God in a manger.
 
Wondering or amazed here describes a kind of awe that comes from seeing God at work in the world. In the deepest sense all the acts of God are grounds for holy wonder since everything he does has the stamp of the divine on it. From Genesis to Revelation, God’s acts call us to wonder, yet, chief among them is His incarnation.
 
Christmas is indeed a cause for holy wonder. How can it be that God should become a man?  How can a King be born in a manger?  How could the world ignore His coming?  You ought to be amazed at Christmastime.  If you managed to go through this Christmas season without ever pausing to think about the wonder of it all, then you have missed the reason we celebrate Christmas in the first place.  I think regaining that lost sense of wonder is important.
 
Third: Glorifying
Luke 2:20 continues to say, “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”  Luke tells us that the shepherds were profoundly changed by what they had experienced. What a difference a day makes. On the day before Christ was born, they were in the fields tending their sheep. On the day after he was born, they were back in the fields once again.  Only this time their hearts were filled with praise to God.  
 
The shepherds were overwhelmed by God’s power, his grace, his goodness, his wisdom, and the amazing miracle of the Incarnation. They simply couldn’t stop talking about what they had seen and heard.  And note where they did it.  The text does not say that they glorified God in the temple, though that would have been appropriate.  No, it says they “returned” to where they had been. Back to the tiring and unappreciated work of caring for sheep.  They were back where they were when the angel found them in the first place.  
 
The shepherds did so must we.  Christmas eventually ends for all of us. Soon enough we will take down the tree, pack away the ornaments, and either use our gifts or take them back to the store to be exchanged. In a few days the children will go back to school and life will return to normal.  But will we be changed by Christmas? For the shepherds, the work was the same, but they were different.  They went back with new zeal, new joy, and new love for God in their hearts.
 
Friends, people sometimes wish they could keep the Christmas spirit all year long.  I truly believe that the greater truth of Christmas is meant to warm our hearts all year long.  Would you like Christmas to last all year long?  It can if you will do what the shepherds did.  Go back to where you came from.  Back to your office.  Back to your classroom.  Back to your factory.  Back to your neighborhood.  Back to your job.  Back to your family duties.  Go back to your daily routine.  And as you go back, spread the word, ponder the great works of God, and give glory to God in your daily life.  Do these things and you will have Christmas all year long.  Merry Christmas, Church Family.

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012
Sermon Notes (4th Sunday in Advent, December 18, 2022)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“The Wonders of God’s Love!”
Psalm 17:6-9; 1 John 3:1-3
 
A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8-year-olds: “What does love mean?”  The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined.  These are some of the children’s responses to the question: What does love mean?
 
Rebecca, age 8, said: “When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore.  So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.”  Billy, age 4 said, “When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.”  Danny, age 7, said, “Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.”  Elaine, age 5 says, “Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.”  Mary Ann, age 4 says, “Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.”  Jessica, age 8 said, “You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.”
 
Today is the Fourth and last Sunday of Advent, the season in which we prepare ourselves to celebrate the birth of Jesus.  The Season of Advent takes us from hope, to peace, to joy, and this week to love.  So our worship today is centered around the theme of God’s love for us.  This is the solid foundation of our Christian faith.  God is love.  Someone said that sometimes we need “a gospel reset.”  And if we are hitting that reset button, we need some kind of “truth” or “main idea” or “start screen” that sets us straight and tells us where to go.  I truly believe this Forth Sunday in Advent takes us to that start screen.  It takes us to the magnitude and wonders of God’s love.
 
If the birth of Christ tells us one thing about God, it tells us that our God is a loving God.  When we failed to reach God because of our spiritual blindness, God reached out to us.  When humanity failed to find God, God left His glory in heaven and came down to earth to search for us.  When we couldn’t figure God out, He revealed Himself to us; he lived among us; walked down our streets; our eyes have seen Him, and our hands have touched Him.  The incarnation of Jesus Christ reminds us that God absolutely loves us.  So as we ponder God’s love on this Fourth Sunday of Advent, please allow me to underscore two short observations:
 
First: Let’s Be Assured of God’s Love
The Apostle John speaks of God’s love not as much as an attribute of God, but as part of God’s very nature.  “God is love,” says 1 John 4:9.  John wanted his audience to capture this transforming truth and to be assured of God’s love.  He writes in 1 John 4:16, “We have known and believe the love that God has for us.”  John says I’ve known this love and believe in it.  I wish that you would do too.
 
For some people, this truth may sound elementary, it’s a Sunday School lesson.  And indeed it is, but it’s also a lesson that we need to learn over and over again.  In fact, when it comes to the challenges and problems we face in our lives today, a lot of it has to do with us not really knowing that God loves us; a lot of it has to do with us not grasping the love of God.  How many times you’ve asked yourself if God loves me, why I am going through all these difficulties, trials, and tribulations?  If God loves me, why He didn’t give me this or take away that?
 
John wants us to be assured of God’s love because there is security in love.  There is no fear in love.  “Perfect love,” says 1 John 4:18, “drives out fear.”  There is hope in love.  There is peace in love.  There is joy in love.
 
Second: Let’s Remember that Love Always Involves an Action
It’s rightly said that “Love is a verb.”  It always involves an action.  If the Christian faith claims that God is love, how can we prove this?  Well, 1 John 4:9 answers this question.  “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.”  John says, in Christ, God’s love is manifested, is shown, is displayed.  God’s love is a person whose name is Jesus Christ. 
 
What the apostle John says in his gospel and letters is also echoed by the apostle Paul in Romans 5, which again is super clear.  In Romans 5:8 Paul says: “God demonstrates his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  Jesus Christ is the most vivid display of God’s love.
 
If love is a verb, an action, then we, as Christ’s followers, are called to translate, to express, our love for God.  God showed us His love in sending His Son, talking our human form, and dying on our behalf so that we may have life.  How will do you display your love for God in the choices you make and the actions you take?  Our love to God today is expressed in our commitment to the work of the kingdom; in the life of service and giving; a life of worship and generosity.  Our love to God is reflected in our desire for more of Jesus in our lives.  It’s reflected in our readiness to invest time, treasure, and talent for the kingdom work.
 
Friends, before you leave the Lord’s House today, I want you to know that you’re loved.  You’re loved beyond measure.  The evidence of God’s love is not the smooth sailing, but the scars on Christ’s palms.  They will never fade away because they are the sign and seal of His everlasting love.  We have done nothing to earn God’s love and nothing we will ever do that might cause God to stop loving us.  “Show me the wonders of your great love,” prayed King David in Psalm 17:7.  May this become our prayer too.  May the desire to live out God’s love consume our hearts.  May we never forget that love is a verb.  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012
Sermon Notes (Third Sunday of Advent ~ December 11, 2022)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“Joy is Relational not Situational!”
Habakkuk 3:17-19; John 15:9-12
 
As you can tell, our worship this morning is centered around the theme of joy and where to find it.  The season of Advent takes us from hope to peace and this week to joy.  Real joy can sometimes seem to be in short supply. 
 
As a Pastor, I have the privilege of walking this journey we call life with this beloved church family.  With so much loss and grief, pain and brokenness, where can joy be found?  How can someone be joyful when their marriage is falling apart?  How can someone be joyful when their health is failing?  How can someone be joyful when their finances are drying up?  How can someone be joyful when they grieve the loss of a spouse, a child, a parent, or a good friend?  How can someone be joyful when they are so lonely?  There is not as much joy in our world today as we would like.  Too many broken and unhappy people walk down our streets today.
 
Our two Scripture lessons for this Third Sunday of Advent help us to capture the spirit of true and genuine joy.  Both lessons remind us that joy is not situational; rather, it’s relational.  Let’s see where Habakkuk found joy and what did Jesus have to say about joy.
 
First: Habakkuk and Leaning on God’s Strength
The Prophet Habakkuk wrote about 20 years before Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC.  Quite possibly, Habakkuk was alive to see that destruction – he may have been killed in the battle, or he may have starved during the siege; he may have lived through it.  We don’t know. But we do know that he experienced all the terror and horror of that time.  King Nebuchadnezzer of Babylon surrounded the city and besieged it for two years, starving the people into submission.  Eventually the King of Judah and his army tried to escape through a hole in the wall at night, but they were caught and slaughtered.  The Babylonian army then entered the city, looting, murdering, plundering, and destroying everything.
 
Families were separated; economy was destroyed; crops didn’t yield anything; all livestock, sheep and cows are dead.  In Habakkuk 3:17-19, we get a glimpse of the economic situation of the nation and Habakkuk’s response, “Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines; though the produce of the olive fails, and the fields yield no food; though the flock is cut off from the fold, and there is no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the God of my salvation.  God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, and makes me tread upon the heights.”
 
How can someone rejoice in the midst of destruction, homelessness, and starvation?  Simply because joy is relational not situational.  “ Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the God of my salvation.”  Habakkuk reminds us to lean on God’s strength.  “God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, and makes me tread upon the heights,” says Habakkuk 3:19.  Like that deer, God will make us tread upon the heights.  God designed the feet of deer for climbing.  They don’t slip.  They don’t fall.  The point here is not the power of the deer, but the design of the deer’s foot.  God is our strength.
 
Second: Abide and Remain in Christ
John chapter 15 begins with Jesus addressing His disciples just before being arrested, falsely tried, beaten, mocked and crucified.  The disciples were frightened to say the least.  In just a few hours, their life will be turned upside down.  Their world will be shaken.  How can the disciples maintain their joy?  “Remain in me,” Jesus said.  Abide in me.  Looking to the vineyards around them, Jesus gives His disciple an example of what it means to abide in Him.  “I am the vine; you are the branches. Remain in me,” Jesus says in John 15:5.
 
As Jesus concludes this part of His speech, He continued to say in John 15:11, “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.”  As we abide in Jesus, His joy will be in us.  Again, that joy is relational not situational.  It’s a joy that transcends the events of life – a heavenly, divine, continuing joy!  It’s a joy that no one could take away from them and nothing could rob it. 
 
Friends, God does not promise us nights without sorrow, days without pain or times without hardship; however, He does promise us songs in the night.  Joy is relational not situational.  For Habakkuk, the source of true joy was leaning on God’s strength.  For Christ’s disciples, it was abiding in Christ.  While most of those around us may think that joy is situational, we come this morning to affirm the truth that joy is relational.  Therefore, lift up your hearts, be filled with His joy, followers of Christ.  Let your weeping be turned into laughter, and your heavy heart be filled with heavenly joy this morning.  Joy to the world, the Lord is come.  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 (2nd Sunday in Advent, December 4, 2022)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor 
 
“Peace: Is It Even Possible?”
Isaiah 11:1-9; John 14:25-27
 
Before we even know it, the Second Sunday of Advent is already here!  During Advent, the Church of Jesus Christ has always emphasized four traditional themes, namely: Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy.  We enter the Season of Advent, the season of preparing our lives to celebrate the birth of Christ, with visiting our understanding of hope.  In Advent, we are invited anew to place our trust and hope in the ONE who has never failed us, Jesus Christ.  No politician, no philosophy, no ideology, nothing should be the center of our hope, but the Lord Himself.  So when things get messy, when it seems that our lives is upside down, Luke encourages us, “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
 
Today we continue our Advent journey and on this Second Sunday in Advent, we focus our attention on PEACE.  Is it even possible to attain peace?  On this Second Sunday of Advent, we get to remember that Christ is our peace.  So as we reflect on this topic this morning, I would like to share a couple observations:
 
First: Peace Originates in a Person
Peace originates in a person whose name is Jesus Christ.  700 years before Jesus was born, the prophet Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 9:6, “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” 
 
The Bible has so much to say about peace and the more we dig deeper into Scriptures, the more we get to know that peace originates in a person.  The Old Testament speaks about “Shalom”, that sense of wholeness, completeness, and harmony.  We gain this sense of wholeness when we fully trust God.  In Isaiah 26:3-4, the Prophet reminds us, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.  Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal,” says the Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 26:3-4.
 
The New Testament reinforced the same meaning so as we encounter the concept of “Eirene” or peace, we find out that “Eirene” means “to join or bind together that which has been separated.”  In other words, when we are joined to God in faith, peace dwells in our hearts.  That’s why I am saying that peace originates in a person.  In John 14:27, Jesus boldly said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.”   
 
Second: God’s Peace always Transcends our Circumstances
God’s peace always transcends our circumstances.  Writing from his prison cell, the apostle Paul prayed for the believers in Philippi saying, “And the peace of God, which transcends and surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:7. 
 
I love the story behind our Closing Hymn for this morning.  The hymn was written by Horatio Spafford (1828-1888) who was a wealthy Chicago lawyer with a thriving legal practice, a beautiful home, a wife, four daughters and a son. He was also a very faithful Christian and a friend of the famous preacher Dwight L. Moody.  At the very height of his financial and professional success, Horatio and his wife Anna suffered the tragic loss of their young son. Shortly thereafter on October 8, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed almost every real estate investment that Spafford had.  In 1873, Spafford scheduled a boat trip to Europe in order to give his wife and daughters a much-needed vacation and time to recover from the tragedy. 
 
Spafford sent his wife and daughters ahead of him while he remained in Chicago to take care of some unexpected last-minute business. Several days later he received notice that his family’s ship had encountered a collision.  All four of his daughters drowned; only his wife had survived.  With a heavy heart, Spafford boarded a boat that would take him to his grieving wife in England.  As he sailed across the area where their ship went down and they drowned, he penned those now famous words, “When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul.”  A song of peace, trust, and thanksgiving was born from the womb of grief and sorrow.
 
God’s peace always transcends our circumstances.  It can be encountered in the most unlikely places.  In the midst of the tragedies of life, we can still sing, “Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It’s well with my soul.”  Who would’ve thought that the shoot that came out of the stump of Jesse would be the source of peace?
 
Friends, is peace even possible?  Yes, it’s.  It originates in a person, and it transcends our circumstances. Psalms 29:11 reminds us, “The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.”  A trip to Hawaii may bring you some momentary peace.  A Yoga class may bring you some relaxation.  But permanent, lasting, perfect, and transcendent peace is only found in Christ.  He is our peace,” says Paul in Ephesians 2:14.  May “The God of peace be with you all.  Amen” Romans 15:33.

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood                          
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (First Sunday in Advent ~ November 27, 2022)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“Coveting or True and Lasting Hope?”             
Exodus 20:17; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
 
Today marks the first Sunday of Advent, the season in which we wait and prepare ourselves to celebrate the birth of Christ.  “Hope” is the theme for this First Sunday in Advent.  In other words, Advent invites us to live in hope; to hold onto our hope and eventually to be a people of hope. 
 
It’s so sad to see how our culture has commercialized and secularized this time of the year, so instead of preparing our hearts to celebrate the gift of Jesus, we keep ourselves busy with everything but what prepares our hearts to celebrate the God who appeared in flesh.
 
It happened that the First Sunday in Advent is also the Sunday we are wrapping up our sermon series on the Ten Commandments, a series that we started back in September.  We have worked our way through each of the commandments, seeing how each one applies to us today, and this morning we come to the tenth and final commandment, “You shall not covet.” 
 
I find it fascinating that on this very first Sunday in our Advent journey God is calling us to stop coveting and start hoping for what is true, what is lasting, what is pure and what is right.  “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female slave, ox, donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor,” said the Lord God in Exodus 20:17.  Two observations as we reflect on the Tenth Commandment, and as we enter together this Season of Advent:
 
First: Guard Your Heart against Coveting
The Tenth Commandment calls us to control our desires, our wants.  One of our problems as human beings is that we are constantly craving for more.  No matter how much we have, it is never enough. As soon as you reach one level, you are eager for the next.  In the Book of Ecclesiastes 5:10, the Lord said, “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.  This too is meaningless.”
 
It's true that the Tenth Commandment prohibits us from desiring what rightfully belongs to someone else whether this is a house or a land, a neighbor’s wife or a neighbor’s servant.  It gets very specific; you shall not desire anything that belongs to your neighbor.  But it also means you shall not desire something excessively.  In fact, the Hebrew word translated “covet” here means “to desire excessively, to long for or lust after something.  The command “You shall not covet” therefore means not only that you shall not desire something that belongs to someone else, but you shall not desire something excessively either.  In Psalm 73, the psalmist says, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.”
 
Second: A Covetous Heart will Never Be Satisfied
As I mentioned, a covetous person is constantly craving for more.  But the real tragedy is their heart will never be satisfied.  They are always dissatisfied with life.  How can you be happy if you are always wanting more?  Psalm 112:10, reminds us “The longings of the wicked will come to nothing.” 
 
It was saint Augustine of Hippo who said, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”  The thirst for God in the human heart is only quenched by Christ’s dwelling in our hearts.  Every human heart yearns for this authentic joy and satisfaction and these are found only in God.   
 
Friends, Advent comes to challenge us to examine our hearts.  Are we coveting more of the things of this world or holding onto the true and lasting hope of our God?  Today we are encouraged to remember the hope we have in Christ.  Romans 5:5 states that our hope in Christ doesn’t put us to shame.  The apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:16 saying, “So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.”  In hope, our lives will be renewed.
 
The Tenth Commandment teaches us to consider our internal desires. What are they driving us to think about and prioritize?  Are we endlessly craving the success and goods of others? Or do they lead us to a quiet contentment in the blessings of communion with Christ?  The antidote to a covetous heart is finding in Christ a superior satisfaction. Then, from a place of personal contentment, we can rejoice in the blessings God pours out upon our neighbors.  Each Advent we have the opportunity renew a vow: to wait for our God and to place our hope in Him.  To vow to work, to be the Christ’s light for our neighbor, and to make our world a better place and as we follow the way of Christ, we shine Christ’s light into the darkness.  Thanks be to God.  Amen.