First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street Blackwood, NJ 08012 Sermon Notes (4th Sunday in Lent, March 27, 2022) Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor “Peter’s Restoration!” John 21:15-19 This morning we conclude our sermon series on “Discipleship.” During the season of Lent this year, we’ve been exploring together what it means to follow Jesus; what it means to be a disciple of Christ. A few weeks ago, I pointed out that “discipleship” is our primary calling as Christians. Our spiritual journey begins when we hear the words of Jesus, “Come, follow me” and we respond in faith. I also pointed out that the more we look at the encounters of Christ in the gospels, the more we come to the conclusion that half-hearted discipleship is not enough. When we decide to follow Christ, He expects us to be fully committed to Him because He is fully committed to us. Last Sunday, however, we were reminded that in this journey of discipleship we will experience ups and downs, victories as well as defeats, joy and sorrow, brokenness and restoration. A good example of this is the life of the apostle Peter. In Caesarea Philippi, Peter boldly confessed his faith in Jesus, “You’re the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Last week, we saw Peter at his worst, denying the Lord three times at Caiaphas house. Peter’s life is a reminder that the path of discipleship is one of ups and downs. Peter’s story is real. It hits home. Peter is me. Peter is you. Peter is us. It’s a story that involves assurance and doubt, confession and denial. Peter’s story is our story. It is a story of grace, of love, of renewal, and of restoration. The good news that I want to declare to all of us this morning is that in our failure, we are still pursued by our awesome God. This truth displays itself in two ways in John 21: First: Peter is Remembered by God Denying Christ must’ve been a chattering experience for Peter. Peter’s bold confidence was killed. His strength was killed. He must’ve said to himself: I am not the “Rock” anymore; I am sand. Peter knew what and who he was. He knew he was a sinner in need of God’s forgiveness! That’s why Peter ran to the tomb on Easter morning. He had to know and to see that Christ had risen from the dead. If He was… then maybe Peter could ask for forgiveness. Yet, it seems that Peter was not the one looking for God. In fact, God was looking for him. On the day Jesus arose, the angel at the empty tomb told the women in Mark 16:7, “Go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’” Those words, “and Peter,” would have rung in Peter’s ears and lifted his depressed spirit after his miserable denial of his Lord. I think that Peter would have asked the women, “Did the angel say, ‘and Peter’?” Are you sure? This assured him that the Lord had not rejected him because of his failure. In our brokenness, God always searches for us. Second: Peter is Personally Restored by Jesus As we pick up the account in John 21:15, it has been about two weeks or so since Peter had denied Jesus on the night He was arrested and tried. Jesus had already appeared to many people including to the disciples twice in Jerusalem. Jesus told them to go to Galilee where He has now met with them a third time. When Jesus arrived in Galilee, according to John 21:2, seven disciples were present: Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James, John and two other disciples who are not named. The verses of John 21:15-19, tell us that Jesus met privately with Peter to reassure him and restore him personally. Jesus wanted to restore Peter to his apostolic office in front of these other six disciples. It surprises me that when Jesus meets Peter, He neither confronted nor rebuked him. Rather, Jesus turns to Peter and asks him, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” Peter responds, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Frustrated this time, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Then Jesus had to re-commission Peter. “Feed my lambs. Take care of my sheep. Feed my sheep,” Jesus told Peter. Why would Jesus ask this question three times? Some suggested that the three-fold question might relate to the three denials… thus the undoing of them. Others suggested that they might refer to the making of a covenant. At this time in history a threefold of questions and answers was done to enact a covenant. The original Greek gives us another insight. The work that Jesus used for love is “agape”, which means unconditional love. But Peter replied using “philo” which also means “love”, but a different kind of love. It’s brotherly love. Jesus was stretching Peter’s love to be an agape love. In all cases, Jesus tenderly reaches out to this wounded, hurt, afraid disciple who has gone through the worst couple of weeks of his life. Peter was forgiven, renewed, restored, recalled, and recommissioned during this “after breakfast chat.” I like how the gospel of John wraps us Peter’s personal encounter with the Lord. In John 21:19, we read, “After this Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” Following Christ is not a single event; it’s a long-life journey. It’s true that we stumble and wander off the road, but here comes the Lord, meets us where we are and renews our calling, “Follow me.” “Follow me,” ~ a phrase that continues to transform our lives. It’s Simon Peter’s story. It’s our story. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street Blackwood, NJ 08012 Sermon Notes (3rd Sunday in Lent, March 20, 2022) Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor “A Disciple’s Failure and Denial!” Luke 22:54-62 Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always been captured and, quite frankly, terrified by the story of Peter’s failure and denial. How did this happen? How could Peter deny that he even knows the Lord Jesus? I always thought that after spending 3 years with Jesus, listening to His teaching, watching Him feed thousands, raise the dead, and seeing His almighty power, denying Him would be impossible. Of course, as I grew older, I began to see different layers to the story. For one thing, I started to get the danger of the situation. At this point in time, Jesus has been arrested. It’s Passover week and political tension fills the air. The Jewish leadership set up a couple of Kangaroo Courts organized by the Sanhedrin being held in the courtyard and home of Caiaphas, the Jewish High Priest. At this point, most of the disciples have fled. Most of them, it seems, except for Peter and John according to John 18. Peter follows at a distance; he follows to see what happens. We probably should give Peter and John some credit here. They go further than all of the other disciples. Peter and John had some courage—courage and strength that none of the rest have. And yet, when push comes to shove Peter denies Christ three times. At first, a servant girl saw him seated by the firepit; she looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.” But Peter denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said. A little later someone else saw Peter and said, “You also are one of them.” “Man, I am not!” Peter replied. About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.” Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Fear grips Peter with great force and so he denies Christ. On one hand, I am tempted to think, “How do you say that, Peter?” But on the other hand, I realize how completely and totally we’ve denied Jesus. There’s more than one way to deny Jesus. You don’t have to say “I don’t know this man” with your words to do it. Every day we get up and live our lives as if we don’t belong to God, we say “We don’t know this man.” Every time we cultivate anger, pride, or lust in our heart, we say “We don’t know this man.” Every time we chase money instead of generosity, we say “We don’t know this man.” Every time we keep silent about Christ out of fear of rejection by our culture, or neighbors, for being one of those “Christians”, we say “We don’t know this man.” In a million different ways, our lives have screamed “We don’t know this man!” The story of Peter’s failure and denial is our story too. So as we consider this story today, please allow me to offer two short observations: First: The Path of Discipleship is One of Ups and Downs This is our fifth lesson in our “Discipleship” series. Over the past few weeks, we got the chance to examine the three individuals who were interested to follow Jesus. Unlike these three individuals, Peter received Christ’s invitation, “come, follow me,” and immediately left everything and followed Jesus. Peter’s failure and denial is a reminder that the path of discipleship is one of ups and downs. In our journey of faith, we will experience ups and downs, victories as well as defeats, gain and loss, joy and sorrow, brokenness and restoration. Peter’s failure and denial is a reminder that the path of discipleship is one of ups and downs. Second: Failure Doesn’t Make us Become Less of a Disciple If the life of discipleship includes all these different experiences, what happens when we struggle and fail? I want to assure you today that we do not become less of a disciple when we struggle. Even when we struggle, we know that God is with us. I like how Luke puts it in Luke 22:61, “The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter.” In his failure, Jesus wanted to say to Peter, “I am here for you. I am with you.” Throughout his gospel, Luke shows a certain concern for those considered “lost.” For example, only in Luke’s gospel do we find stories concerning a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost child – all of which are eventually found. Luke also tells the story of the thief on the cross, the one whom Jesus invites into paradise – again one who is lost but now is found. Luke seems to have a soft spot in his heart for lost things. His treatment of Peter’s denial of Christ fits this theme. Peter falls into this category of being lost after denying and disowning Christ for three times, but, he too, would be found as Luke says in Luke 22:61. Of course, a full restoration of this broken disciple will take place after Christ’s resurrection. Failure doesn’t make us become less of a disciple. Friends, like Peter, we fail the Lord and deny Him in many ways. The path of discipleship is one of ups and downs. If you’ve ever been to Israel, one of the sites that most tourists get to visit is the Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu. The word “Gallicantu” is Latin for “rooster’s crow.” It is the site that memorializes Peter’s failure and denial. It seems strange that we would choose to build a church at the very spot that Peter denied even knowing our Savior. Yet, we are to remember that failure doesn’t make us become less of a disciple. We are to remember where there is death, there is also rebirth. May our vulnerability today lead us to seek more of God’s strength and grace. 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, March 13, 2022) Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor “No Turning Back!” 1 Kings 19:19-21; Luke 9:61-62 “No Turning Back!” Over the last few Sundays, we’ve been learning together how to be good followers of Jesus Christ. We have examined some real-life stories and got to learn some very valuable lessons. This morning we have the chance to examine the story of another person who wanted to become a disciple of Jesus. Luke gives us the account of this person in Luke 9:61-62, “Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” Once again, this seems like a reasonable request. “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Eight hundred years earlier, a man named Elisha asked if he could say goodbye to his family before leaving to follow the prophet Elijah. In 1 Kings 19:19-21, Elijah saw nothing wrong with this and gave him permission. But now one greater than Elijah is here. Why would Jesus do that? Why did Jesus refuse to give that person a permission to go back and say goodbye to his family? Is there anything wrong with that? Let me clarify this. Jesus was not suggesting it was a sin to have an affection for home or an obligation toward those at home. I want you to know that this person was not asking for a moment to take care of what was necessary—he was putting forward an excuse that would not allow him to follow. This man had no intention of following Jesus. Saying “goodbye” meant finishing that phase of his life. In other words, he was saying, “Let me raise my children, then I will follow you. Let me reach retirement, then I will follow you.” I am sure that many of us have made such a commitment. But now, time has come and gone since you made that promise. Since then, the children have been raised, and now there are grandchildren, and they still can’t follow. Retirement has come, and with it, other concerns, and they still can’t follow. Something always comes first. Something always will, until we determine that Christ will be first above all. Two things for us to consider this morning: First: Beware of Your Attachment to this World True followers of Jesus should be always on guard from getting attached to the past and to the world. Jesus tells the man, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” The Lord, seeing that this person had too much attachment to the earth, told him it’s not going to work this way. Often times, those things are not bad in themselves. They become roadblocks when they stand between us and the Lord. They become a problem when the come “first” before the Lord. No wonder that after Elisha received his call to follow Elijah while he was plowing, he cut all connections with his past. Listen to these words from 1 Kings 19:21, “So Elisha left Elijah and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.” Owning 24 oxen “twelve yoke” indicated some wealth in Elisha’s family. Once we have made the decision to follow Christ, it must be all or nothing. We have to cut off the old life to follow Jesus. Often times, the Scriptures warn us against going back and thinking back to the old life with affection! When the Israelites came out of Egypt, the first thing they do is start looking back to Egypt. They were out of Egypt, but they couldn’t take Egypt out of them. They remembered the good food, but the forgot their misery and their harsh labor. Second: Looking Back is Extremely Dangerous “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” Here’s what Jesus is saying. You cannot plow a straight furrow without looking straight ahead. And you cannot follow Jesus while constantly looking back over your shoulder. The book of Genesis tells us a sad story about Lot’s wife. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah will be destroyed by God for their wickedness. Out of His mercy, the Lord God spared Lot and his family. This what Genesis 19:15-17 say, “Hurry and get out of this place, because the Lord is about to destroy the city,” said the angels. When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them. As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!” Yet, despite of this clear warning and because Lot’s wife was so attached to the city, we read these sad words in Genesis 19:26 “But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.” Looking back is extremely dangerous! Friends, one of the greatest challenges and dangers for every Christian today is to follow Jesus while looking back. Imagine trying to drive a car on the highway while looking in only the rearview mirror. You’d be challenged to stay in your lane and avoid a collision. “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” I lived my childhood in a farming community. I always liked to see fields straight lines. I asked one of the neighboring farmers one time: how do you do it so neat? He replied, “Whether you’re cutting the grass or ploughing a field you need to fix your eyes on a point in front of you and walk or drive towards it. If you keep your eyes on the one point, you will have a straight line. Take your eyes off that point, you will go off line. If you look behind you, you are lost. Your hands will move slightly on the steering wheel and your line will definitely not be straight.” Followers of Christ, put your hand to the plow, keep your eyes on Jesus, and never look back! 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 (Sunday, March 6, 2022) Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor “Half-Hearted Discipleship!” Luke 9:59-60; James 4:7-10 Many years ago, an inquisitive young student asked a Harvard professor this question: “What does it mean to be a Christian?” As this highly trained teacher glanced out the window to carefully ponder the question, he saw the Rev. Phillip Brooks (1835-1893) walking by. Then immediately, the professor said to the student: “Well, as a matter of fact, it is hard to define a Christian, but there goes one.” Pastor Brooks was a godly Episcopalian clergyman. You may be interested to know that he wrote the lyrics of the well-known Christmas hymn, “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” Phillip Brooks demonstrated what it meant to be a real Christian. The simple yet the most profound truth is that: The best argument for Christianity is a Christian. This morning, we continue to unfold the truth about discipleship. What does it mean to bear the name of Christ? Through this series of messages, we have been reminded that discipleship is our primary call as Christians; there is no such thing as a follower who is a disciple and a follower who is not. Discipleship is an exciting, never-ending journey of transformation. The story before us this morning is a story of someone who missed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Listen to what Luke tells us in Luke chapter 9:59-60, “To another Jesus said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” As we unpack this Scripture this morning, let me very briefly address what’s at stake, then underscore two observations for our lives today. What is at Stake? Christ must’ve seen some protentional in that man’s life, so He invited him, “Follow me!” But the man gives Jesus what it seems to be a valid reason not to do it now: “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” At first look, Jesus’ reply sounds very harsh. In the Middle East culture back then, and even today, it’s the children’s responsibility to look after their parents. You would work in their business. You would provide for them in their old age. You would feed them. If they were sick, you would nurse them. And when the time comes, of course, you would bury them. The man seems to have a very valid reason. I want you to know that Jesus’ reply isn’t as harsh as it might seem, and the prospective disciple doesn’t have a valid reason at all. The man’s words don’t actually mean that his dad is dead, or even unwell. His statement means something like, “I’ve got to table this to a later time.” “I will take care of this after my father dies.” “To “bury one’s father” is a standard idiom for fulfilling one’s family obligations for the remainder of the father’s lifetime, with no prospect of his imminent death. This would then be a request for indefinite postponement of discipleship, likely to be for years rather than days. Two observations, two applications we can draw from here: First: Half-Hearted Discipleship is not Enough The prospective disciple didn’t turn Jesus’ invitation down. Basically, he said, I will follow you, Lord, but not now. I call this half-hearted discipleship, lukewarm discipleship. James 4:8 calls this, “double-minded” person. Halfhearted or partial commitment has never been enough. Gibran Khalil Gibran (1883-1931) was an American artist, poet, and writer of the New York Pen League. In one of his inspiring poems titled, “Half a Life,” he says, “Do not love half lovers. Do not entertain half friends. Do not indulge in works of the half talented. Do not live half a life and do not die a half death …. Do not accept half a solution. Do not believe half-truths. Do not dream half a dream. Do not fantasize about half hopes. Half a drink will not quench your thirst. Half a meal will not satisfy your hunger. Half the way will get you nowhere. Half an idea will bear you no results.” To summarize, half-hearted discipleship is dangerous. It will get us nowhere. Second: Stop Going in Circles Half-hearted discipleship will make us go in circles. No destination will be reached. The person in our story today had the desire to follow, but he never did it. If you happen to see him a few years later, he would be where you left him. As disciples of Christ, we are to make progress, to go from glory to glory, from strength to strength. We are not supposed to go in circles. Going in circles will waist our time and exhaust our resources. The story of the people of Israel in the wilderness is a fascinating one. After liberating them from the bondage of Pharoah, the people were commanded to make their way to the Promised Land. God promised them His presence and His guidance. The journey was supposed to take less than 2 weeks. Guess what? It took them 40 years to get to the Promised Land. Why? What happened? Because the Israelites kept going in circles. Instead of walking by faith, they were crippled with fear. As a result of refusing to obey the Lord, they found themselves stuck in the wilderness some 40 years later. They were told that they had “dwelt long enough in the wilderness.” They got used to it. For 40 years, Israel walked in circles. They refused to go where God wanted them to go; seeing the obstacles rather than the power of God. For 40 years, they remained in the same station of life, using their weakness, and the strength of the giants ahead as an excuse. Friends, we have spent enough of our life living in the wilderness, in partial obedience to the Lord. It is time to stop walking in circles. Half-hearted commitment will definitely spoil life. The story is told of a woman who rushed up to the famed violinist Fritz Kreisler after a concert and said, “I would give my life to play as beautifully as you do”, to which he responded, “I did.” May our discipleship reflect that level and depth of commitment. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. |
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