First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012
Sermon Notes (Fourth Sunday in Lent ~ March 22, 2020)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor   
 
Isaiah 40:21-26; Colossians 1:15-20
 
I have to admit that it took me a little longer to get today’s meditation done.  What should I say to you this morning?  What words of comfort, of encouragement and direction I might have for you today?  As I said last Sunday, our world seems upside down right now.  There is so much unrest, chaos, and distraction.  The news about the outbreak of the COVID-19 is at the center of the world’s attention, causing millions of people around the world to panic, public gatherings and meetings to get cancelled, schools closing, travel bans, shortage of food and basic supplies, and limiting the movement of everyone.   
 
I think in the light of what is going on in our world today, we have two choices.  We can choose to either live in fear or live in faith.  “Faith” is the key that unlocks the doors of heaven.  Faith is what enables us to see beyond our present moment.  “I believe” – stated the Apostles’ Creed, one of the oldest Christian affirmations of faith that was written shortly after the Apostolic age.  Can we still believe in a loving, caring, compassionate God who is sovereign and powerful?
 
Today I would like to share with you a short meditation based on the opening statement of the Apostles Creed, “I believe in God the Father Almighty.”  “I believe.”  The society and culture in which we live in today is a culture of skepticism.  Yet, it is in the midst of this skeptic culture that the Lord has called us, His Church, His Body, to be a beacon of hope and a sign of His presence.  It’s for such a time as this.
 
Today and over the next few weeks, we will be looking at what we believe using the Apostles Creed.  But what does the word “creed” mean anyway?  The word creed comes from the Latin credo, which is the first word of “The Apostles’ Creed” in Latin, and means I believe.  So, a creed signifies a brief, summary statement of that which we believe as Christians, that which we believe as the Church.  Today I want to examine the opening statement of the Apostles Creed, “I believe in God the Father Almighty.”
 
Theologian Philip Schaff (1819-1893) once said, “As the Lord’s Prayer is the prayer of prayers, as the Ten Commandments the law of laws, so the Apostle’s Creed is the creed of creeds.”  The first sentence of the Apostle’s Creed is so rich and deep in meaning.  It is so loaded with uplifting truth.  Of all the attributes, characteristics or traits the Church Fathers could have emphasized about the nature of God, they chose just two words – Father Almighty.  The authors of the Creed were telling us that if we comprehend the meaning of those two words, we will know who God is, and that in itself, is enough to cast out fear.
 
First: God is our Father
“I believe in God the FATHER.  Out of His abundant grace, God has chosen to reveal Himself to His people as their “Father.”  In Exodus 4:22-23, God sent Moses to Pharaoh and that was the message, “Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, “Let my son go, so he may worship me.”  Hosea 11:1 “Out of Egypt I called my son.”  “You, Lord,” says the Prophet Isaiah 64:8, “are our Father.”
 
 
Jesus also encouraged His disciples to address God as a “Father.”  In Matthew 7:9-11, Jesus said, “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?  11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”
 
Jesus also taught His disciples and us to pray to “Our Father who art in Heaven.”  In fact, Jesus used the word “Abba”, a common Aramaic word for “Father” in Jesus’ day.  It is a very intimate term that means, “Dear father” or “Daddy.”
 
So as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, let’s always remember that our Heavenly Father is a loving, caring, and compassionate Daddy.  This is a very uplifting and refreshing truth.  As we face the storms of life, we need to anchor our lives on who God is ~ our Daddy.
 
Second: Our God, Our Father is Almighty
“I believe in God the Father ALMIGHTY.”  The word “Almighty” is a translation of the Hebrew word “Shaddai,” as in El Shaddai, “The Almighty God.”  That name or attribute for God first appears in Genesis 17 when God informs Abram (who is 99 years old) that a year later, his wife, Sarah, will give birth to a son.  The very thought seems so absurd that Abram laughed out loud.  The Lord guaranteed the promise with His name — El Shaddai, the Lord Almighty.  If we go all the way to the last book of the Bible, we find the name “Almighty” appearing several times.  Revelation 1:8 is a typical example: “'I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’”
 
So we have two words put together in the Apostles’ Creed that summarize who God is — one is intimate and personal, and the other speaks of God’s unlimited power.  To call God “Father” means that He is a personal God who cares about us.  To call God “Almighty” means that He is able to do whatever needs to be done.  There are no limits with Him. 
 
I believe in God the Father Almighty.  I personally do, and I hope you do too.  Friends, in these uncertain days, let’s remember who is in charge.  It’s God the Father Almighty.  This is our hope, our confidence, and our peace in the midst of the storm.  To God be the glory now and forever more.  Amen.
 
 
 
 

First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012
Sermon Notes (Third Sunday in Lent ~ March 15, 2020)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor   
 

Deuteronomy 6:10-19; Matthew 4:8-11
 
Needless to say that our world seems upside down right now.  There is so much unrest and chaos.  A month ago when I decided to look at the temptations of Jesus in the Judean wilderness during our season of Lent, I had no clue that the Coronavirus pandemic will be at the center of our attention, causing millions of people around the world to panic, public gatherings and meetings to get cancelled, school closings, travel bans, and limiting the movement of everyone.  As I said, when I planned for our Lent sermon series, it never crossed my mind that fear and uncertainty will be dominating the scene during this beautiful spring.  Yet, I believe that the Scripture passages I prepared for today are divinely ordained.  Matthew 4:8-11, the Third Temptation of Christ, is a great passage that addresses our fears and concerns.
 
The Third Temptation
The third temptation represents the ultimate goal of all temptations – that is to say to worship Satan, idolatry.  In the third temptation, we are told the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain.  Luke tells us that the devil showed Jesus, in an instant, all the kingdoms of the world in all of their glory and splendor.  Someone said that Satan carefully hid the corruption of these kingdoms and showed only the external splendor – the art, the architecture, the armies, the wealth, the power, the thrones, the banquets, and the pleasures of this world.  “All these,” Satan said, “I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
 
Jesus turned Satan’s offer down and defeated the devil for the third time.  “Away from me, Satan!” Jesus said.  “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.”  Please allow me to make two short observations as we try to make sense of what is happening in our world today in the light of Christ’s Third Temptation.  In times of crisis, let’s remember two important things:
 
First: Christ is Lord and He is Still on His Throne
During this time of global crisis, let’s remember that Jesus Christ is Lord and He is still exalted on the throne.  He defeated the devil and He is in control of our world.  Sometimes it might be hard to grasp this truth and hold onto it. 
 
Doubt is from Satan.  Three times, Satan wanted to drag Jesus in the wilderness to doubt His Father’s care and provision for Him.  “If you’re the son of God, tell these stones to become bread … throw yourself down.”  Satan is a liar.  In John 8:44 Jesus speaks about Satan saying, “There is no truth in him.  When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” 
 
Doubt is from Satan, but faith and trust in the midst of adversity is from the Lord.  Confusion is from the devil, but assurance is from the Lord.  It is important not to panic at the Coronavirus outbreaks, but it is equally important to take it seriously and take reasonable precautions.
 
One of the things I have learned over the years is that anxiety, worrying about the “what if’s” in life, will drain your strength and energy.  It’s not a fun way to live.  Corrie Ten Boom, a Dutch watchmaker and writer (1892-1983), who courageously resisted the Nazi’s Holocaust, once said, “Worry doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.”
 
In fact, the uncertainty and anxiety of our world today provides us with an amazing opportunity to renew our trust in the Lord who alone is our Rock and Redeemer.  We are told in Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”  Easier said than done, right?
 
Second: An Opportunity to Model Christlikeness
In times of crises, Christians are called to model the difference that Christ makes in a person’s outlook and attitude.  Isaiah 26:3 contains an incredible promise.  It says, “You will keep in perfect peace  those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”
 
This is an attitude that only a Christ-follower can adopt in times such as these.  Make a daily choice to trust in the Lord and in His goodness.  He is more than able to take on our worries, our burdens, and our fears.  Let’s model that trust to others.
 
Friends, the more I think about the temptations of Jesus, the more I come to the conclusion that what enabled Jesus to overcome the temptations in the Judean wilderness was His solid conviction of God’s sovereignty.  God is enthroned as King and Lord over all things. At the heart of the Reformed tradition is the conviction that God is God.  In these uncertain days, we remain rooted and grounded in this truth. God is sovereign: this is our hope, our confidence, and our peace in the midst of the storm.
 
I do not know what is going to happen in the next few weeks, but I urge you, my friends, to model Christlikeness.  Finally, I would call on you today to stay connected to other church members during this time.  Let’s reach out to each other and care for one other.  Pick up the phone and call someone to check on them.  Please especially be mindful of members and friends who might feel very isolated.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012
Sermon Notes (Second Sunday in Lent ~ March 8, 2020)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor   
 
Psalm 91; Matthew 4:5-7
 
A mother camel and her baby were talking one day, and the baby camel asked, “Mom, why have we got these huge three-toed feet?”  The mother replied, “To enable us trek across the soft sand of the desert without sinking.”  “And why have we got these long, heavy eyelashes?”  “To keep the sand out of our eyes on the trips through the desert” replied the mother camel.  “And Mom, why have we got these big humps on our backs?”  The mother, now a little impatient with the baby camel replied, “They are there to help us store fat for our long treks across the desert, so we can go without water for long periods.”  “OK Mom.  I get it!” says the baby camel.  “We have huge feet to stop us sinking, long eyelashes to keep the sand from our eyes, and humps to store water.  Then, Mom, why the heck are we here in the Toronto Zoo?” 
 
Sometimes we need to go into the desert and desert-like experiences in order to discover who we truly are.  Jesus did.  Oftentimes God allows us to go through those dry wilderness periods.  Sometimes we forget who we are and what we are about.  And just like camels in a zoo, we need sometimes to go into the wilderness in order to rediscover our truest identity. 
 
Today we continue looking at the temptations of Christ in the Judean wilderness.  Last Sunday we covered the First Temptation and this morning I would like to look at the Second Temptation in Matthew 4:5-7.  Let’s first see what is at stake, and then, I will say a word about how this second temptation relates to our lives as Christ’s followers today.
 
The Second Temptation: Throw Yourself Down
The issue of trusting God is at the heart of the second temptation.  Jesus won the first round and He defeated the devil.  Jesus made it so clear to the devil that food or no food, God is trustworthy.  Jesus relied on the sufficiency of His Heavenly Father.  Yet, the devil never gets tired tempting us.  The devil will not give up on us easily.
 
In the Second Temptation, the devil takes Jesus to the top of the Temple of Jerusalem.  The devil takes Jesus to His Father’s house.  Remember the Father just affirmed His love to His only Son and confirmed the Son’s mission.  As it was the case in the First temptation, the devil quotes the Scripture in a very deceptive way.  The devil notices that Jesus uses the Scriptures, so the devil comes to Jesus with words from the mouth of God. 
 
Matthew 4:5-6 states, “Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”  The devil quotes Psalm 91 which speaks of how God shows His love toward those who trust Him.
 
Basically, the devil was saying to Jesus “You have chosen God over food and now He should show you in a very tangible way that He is trustworthy.  If you really trust Him that much, throw yourself off the temple, God will protect you as He promised, and He will prove He is trustworthy.”  Before we examine Jesus’ response, let’s see what the people of Israel did when they faced a similar situation.
 
Is the Lord among us or not?
The Israelites failed to trust God and put Him to test many times.  Exodus chapter 17 is a good example.  After the Lord freed them from the hands of Pharaoh, fed them in the desert, the people complained and grumbled against Moses because they had no water.  Don’t you think the God who has always provided for their needs will find a way to quench their thirst?  During their wilderness journey, they lived in genuine dependence on God for their daily bread and each day it came through.  At the end of Exodus chapter 16 Moses took some of the manna God provided and put it in a jar to save it.  He saved it so that it will be a reminder for God’s faithfulness.
 
As a response to their complain due to the lack of water, God tells Moses in Exodus 17 to go, take his staff, and to strike a rock and water will come out of it for the people to drink.  A rock that was in their midst.  God answered their doubt through using a rock that had always been there.  1 Corinthians 10:4 tells us that the “Rock was Christ.
 
I think the point I am trying to make is simple.  God is always with us.  He is in our midst.  He was around the whole time.  Christ, the Rock, is in our midst whether we recognize His presence or not.  They named the place ‘Massah (temptation)’ and ‘Meribah (quarreling)’.  In Massah, the people of Israel tested the Lord by saying “Is the Lord among us or not?”
 
Jesus’ Response: Do Not Put the Lord Your God to the Test
Matthew 4:7 tells us that Jesus responded by saying, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”  Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:16, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”  Basically, Jesus was saying “I don’t need to jump off of a building and be rescued by angels to know my Father loves me and that He is near.  I know that my Father is trustworthy, and I do not need to put Him to the test.
 
Jesus refused to demand a sign from God.  Rather, He chose to trust and to wait for God’s timing to show whatever signs to support His mission in the world.  He believed that His Father knows best.  Jesus knew that God would give us what we need at His perfect timing, therefore, we will not put Him to test.  Jesus won another round against the devil and while the Israelites failed and put God to test, Jesus fully trusted His Father.
 
Friends, many people worldwide have questions about the Coronavirus first detected in China and now in more than 60 countries, including the United States.  Like most of our fellow humans, I am sure we wonder what it is going to happen to us in the light of the rapid spread of this epidemic.  It is no longer in China; it is literally in our backyard.  How this is going to affect us?  What does the near future look like?  Unfortunately, we have no answers to most of these questions, yet, we still believe that God is sovereign and that He is on His throne.  Yes, we do not know what the future holds for us, but we know who holds the future, therefore, we shall not fear.  Friends, I invite you today to choose trust over fear.  Jesus did so should we.  In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen!

First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood                          
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sunday Sermon Notes (First Sunday in Lent ~ March 1, 2020)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor 
 
Deuteronomy 8:1-5; Matthew 4:1-4
 
As you know, today is the First Sunday in Lent.  Lent is a 40-day period, from Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday, that is observed by most Christians.  Lent is supposed to be a time of intense spiritual reflection.  If you were here last Wednesday, I pointed out that Ash Wednesday is a great opportunity to consider what it means to be human redeemed by the cross of Christ.
 
The ashes on Ash Wednesday remind us of two great realities.  On one hand, ashes remind us of our mortality.  As your forehead was marked with the sign of the cross on Ash Wednesday, you heard the words of Genesis 3:19, remember “You are dust, and to dust you shall return.”  For lots of people, this reality is a sad and troubling one.  It means the end.  It means defeat.  It means brokenness and hopelessness.  But on the other hand, for us, followers of Christ, we know that death is not the end of the story.  We live in the promise of hope and we proclaim hope.  For us, hope is not an abstract idea, it is actually a person, and His name is Jesus Christ, who, through His death, conquered death and won our victory.  These two realities, mortality and hope, fall and redemption, are central to the Lent season.
 
The temptation narrative, the story of Jesus being tempted by the Devil in the Judean wilderness, has been a key Scripture in Lent throughout the long history of the Christian Church.  There is a parallel between Jesus being tempted in the Judean desert and Christ’s followers being tempted in the wilderness of this world today.  Leaning on the means Jesus used during His forty days in the desert, we need to learn how to conquer our own temptations today.  Yes, in His humanity, Jesus was tempted like us.  Nevertheless, He never surrendered to temptation.  This Lent, we will be looking at the 3 temptations Jesus faced in the wilderness.  Let me very briefly this morning underscore two observations as we examine the First Temptation of Jesus.
 
First: The Universal Nature of Temptation
Temptations are all around us.  They come in all different shapes and sizes.  I heard a story of a little boy named Bobby who desperately wanted a new bike.  His plan was to save his allowance until he had enough money to purchase the new bike.  Each night Bobby asked God to help him save his money.  Kneeling beside his bed, one night he prayed, “Dear Lord, please help me save my money for a new bike, and please, Lord, don’t let the ice cream truck come down my street again tomorrow.”
 
It doesn’t really matter whether we are young or old, poor or rich, a male or a female, temptation bangs on the door constantly.  A husband and his wife got up one Sunday morning and the wife dressed for church.  It was just about time for the service to begin when she noticed her husband hadn’t moved a finger toward getting dressed.  Perplexed, she asked, “Why aren’t you getting dressed for church?”  He said, “Cause I don’t want to go.”  She asked, “Do you have any reasons?”  He said, “Yes, I have three good reasons.  First, the congregation isn’t very friendly.  Second, no one likes me.  And third, I just don’t want to go.”
 
The wife replied wisely, “Well, honey, I have three reasons why you should go.  First the congregation is very friendly.  Second, there are a few people there who like you.  And third, you’re the pastor!  So get dressed!”  Even pastors are humans.  They are tempted like anyone else.  Temptations are all around us.  No one exempt even the Son of God in His humanity.
 
Second: Satan Tempted Jesus to Doubt God’s Provision
The first temptation could not have been better timed.  Jesus had been fasting for forty days.  He was hungry.  He was entitled to eat.  The tempter came to Him and said, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.”  Jesus answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 
 
Although the first temptation, to turn stones into bread, is often understood as challenging Jesus to misuse His miraculous power to satisfy His own need, His hunger, I believe the temptation goes beyond that.  I believe Satan tempted Jesus to doubt God’s provision.  Deuteronomy 8:2-10 is very much the background against which Matthew 4 must be understood.  The temptation refers to the grumbling of the Israelites in the wilderness complaining to God that they were hungry to which God responded by graciously sending manna and quail.  After escaping the bondage of Egypt, the Israelites failed to trust God for their daily bread. 
 
In the wilderness, Satan was tempting Jesus to rely on His own strength rather than allowing God to meet Christ’s needs in God’s way and timing.  Satan was tempting Christ to doubt His Father’s sufficiency just like Adam – and the Israelites – doubted God’s sufficiency.  Will Jesus, the Son of God, fail the test that Israel failed, or will Jesus continue to place His trust in His heavenly Father even in the wilderness? 
 
Jesus responded to the first temptation by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, “people do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from God’s mouth.”  In other words, Jesus was saying that God’s Word should orient our perspective—what we want, what we hope and fear, what we love, what we value, etc.  God’s word should be our compass.
 
Jesus is not teaching here a spirituality which overlooks physical needs.  Jesus declared that people do not live by bread “alone.”  The word “alone” is a key word in both the gospel narrative as well as Deuteronomy.  Certainly, we do need food to survive.  So did Jesus.  We must eat or we will die.  The point we should not miss here is that Satan tempts us to place our trust in things other than God.  Things that have proven to be just shifting sands; things like our health, our wealth, our savings, our family, our job, etc. Food or no food, God is trustworthy.  Health or sickness, God is trustworthy.  Money or no money, God is trustworthy.
 
Lent is a time to experience God in new ways. Lent is also a time of turning to God, to God’s promises, to God’s commandments with a repentant heart. And my friends you are not in this alone – you are empowered by the Spirit of the living God, the same Spirit that led Jesus through His own temptations. Amen.