​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012
Sermon Notes (Sunday, April 24, 2022)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“Christ’s Triumphal Procession!”
Psalm 118:15-17; 2 Corinthians 2:14-17
 
Today is the Second Sunday of Easter which means we are still in the Easter Season.  Resurrection is never meant to be celebrated just a single Sunday a year, rather, every Sunday when we get together for worship, we are to remember Christ’s resurrection.  So today, and the next couple Sundays, we will be examining 2 Corinthians 2:14-17, a great Scripture passage that gives us a glimpse of how the early Church understood the Resurrection of our Lord.
 
In 2 Corinthians 2:14, the apostle Paul says, “But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession.”  Looking at the enormous impact of Christ’s resurrection and His fulfilled mission, Paul likens Jesus to a conquering Roman Emperor who triumphantly enters Rome after a great victory.  Let’s unpack this Scripture passage and see what God might have for us today.  Let me start with a “Roman Triumphal Procession.”
 
The Triumphal Procession
It might be hard for us today to imagine what a Roman triumphal procession might look like.  We don’t live in a world where there are many triumphal processions. Yet, even in small communities in the 21st century, we are familiar with celebrations for victorious teams.  We honor those who return with state trophies and professional championships. These always involve team members parading in front of people who cheer for them.
 
The picture Paul gives us in 2 Corinthians 2:14 is similar to that.  Paul was speaking of something that every Roman citizen of his day would have been very familiar with – and that is, the Roman Triumph.  The Roman Triumph was a remarkable thing.  It was something that people might have only seen once or twice in a lifetime – but it was something that they never forgot. No one would have been able to say, “Oh; a Triumph happened the other day? I guess I missed it.”  It was a public event as a public event could possibly be; and everyone in the vicinity would know about it when it happened.
 
Whenever a conquering Roman General returned to Rome from a campaign, and in honor of the campaign successfully completed, the victory gained, and the efforts resulted in the peace of Rome being established in that conquered region, that General was honored with the highest honor the Roman empire could bestow. He was honored with the “Triumph;” and it was a huge celebration.
 
A great procession would march throughout the streets of Rome on the way to the Roman capital.  In the midst of the precession stands the General, on a chariot, dressed in purple, holding in his hand an ivory scepter that bore the figure of the Roman eagle at its top.  Behind him came all of his victorious troops in full decoration – all shouting, “Io triumphe! Io triumphe!”  “We won.  We won!”  That’s how Paul describes Christ after His resurrection.  He is a conquering King.  He had conquered death and brough life eternal.  In the light of this awesome reality, what would be our response as believers today?  Two ways to respond to this awesome reality:
 
First: Let’s Give Thanks to God
“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession,” says the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 2:14. Paul gives thanks to God for the fact that God leads us in Christ’s triumphal procession.  Often times, when we get overwhelmed by the happenings of our lives, we find it hard to give thanks to God.  In Christ, God made us triumphant.
 
Christ is the Triumphant One – and we are led by God in triumph in Christ because we are united to Him!  A Roman citizen may have never been to a battlefield, but they still can shout in the procession, “We won!”  As Roman citizens and part of the empire, they applied what their army had done on their behalf.  It’s the same way for us as Christians today.  We apply what Christ has done at Golgotha for us today.  The more we understand this great reality, the more we give thanks to God.
 
Second: Remember, You’re Always Triumphant
“But thanks be to God, who in Christ ALWAYS leads us in triumphal procession,” says the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 2:14.  Always is a key word here.  You and I may not feel very triumphant at times.  Paul certainly didn’t.  He felt very weak and frustrated at times.  But the fact is that, even then, He was being led in Christ’s triumphant procession.  At the end of his life, as he sat in prison awaiting execution, he was able to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” 1 Timothy 4:7.
 
It's true that you and I may not feel very victorious at times.  We may even feel worn out and defeated and ready to quit.  We may feel deeply overwhelmed with feelings of frustration and weakness.  But here’s the fact: even then – even then, and always – we are being led by God in Christ’s triumphal procession!  We are on the side of victory!  We belong to the Winner!  The final triumphal parade may not have appeared on this earth yet, but we are already in it.
 
Friends, the words that the Lord is speaking to us today are very assuring.  Today we are assured that even at those times when we sincerely seek to follow and serve Christ and yet feel so horribly frustrated in our efforts – even at those times when we feel weak and inadequate and far too incapable of doing any good to God’s Kingdom – even at those times when we feel like we’ve blown it, or even when we have stumbled and sin and failed Him; God still assures us that we are being led in Christ’s triumphal procession, and for this we are thankful.  “Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!” says Psalm 118:15. Keep those shouts of joy and victory resounding in your tent because Christ is alive.  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
Meditation Notes (11:00 a.m. Easter Service ~ April 17 th , 2022)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor

“When God Seems Silent!”
Matthew 28:1-10

It’s easy to rush to Easter’s joy and victory, leaving the horrible events of Maundy
Thursday and Good Friday behind. After all, no one enjoys living in the “in-between”. Yet, the
truth of the matter is that, no Easter Sunday without Good Friday. Those experiences between
despair and joy count. They really do. They are not a waste. That Saturday between Good
Friday and Easter counts.
I am sure it was a devastating day after Jesus was put to death. It seemed that God was
silent. It seemed to everyone that the story of Jesus had come to an end. It’s over. Of course,
you and I today have the privilege of knowing the full story. We can turn the page and read
Friday and Saturday in light of Easter Sunday.
But have you ever thought about the disciples and what must’ve been felt after Jesus was
crucified? What questions would be racing through their minds? What did they do on Saturday?
It’s the same question you and I will have to wrestle with it when live in the “in-between”. What
do we do when it seems that God is silent?
The Bible doesn’t say much about how the followers of Jesus spent that Saturday
between the cross and the empty tomb; only one brief remark in Luke 23:56, “… but they rested
on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.” That’s it. Only that short statement about
the disciples that sorrowful Saturday. So in the light of the glorious news of Christ’s resurrection
today, I want to offer a couple observations when we find ourselves waiting for Easter dawn.
First: Keep Your Rhythm
When God seems silent, keep your rhythm. When you find yourself in the “in-between”,
keep your rhythm. Luke tells us that on that Saturday, the disciples, “rested on the Sabbath in
obedience to the commandment.” God gave His people a Sabbath day to give them a weekly
rhythm for all seasons of life, from the best of times to the worst of times. Even as the disciples
bore heavy sorrow, they held onto that teaching and rested amidst their grief.
When you’re feeling lost, stick to a rhythm. Keep going. Just hold on. There in the
moment, it all looks out of control. We want answers today, and it feels like an eternity of
waiting when we focus on the silence itself. But when we hold to a rhythm of prayer, of coming
to the Word, and of remaining in community, God draws us back to His steadfast promises
which serve as “...an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” Hebrews 6:19. Keeping your
rhythm, especially our relationship with God, is what sustains us through suffering.

2
Second: Silence is Not an Absence of Action
Just because God is silent sometimes it doesn’t mean He is idle. The intertestamental
period: a 400-year gap between the ministry of Prophet Malachi and John the Baptist. God was
quiet but preparing the world to receive His son as Galatians 4:4 reminds us. They say the
darkest hour is just before the dawn. When you’re at your lowest point, when all seems lost and
all hope seems to be gone, have hope in God, because the end of our strength the mighty power
of the Almighty God.
Easter comes to remind us in away like no other that we believe in a God who works
behind the scenes. Easter is about God’s Power working behind the scenes. I think one of our
frustrations and disappointments as followers of Jesus is that we don’t always perceive the ways
of God. We don’t always understand how God works in the world and in our lives to accomplish
His purposes.
So when you find yourself between a rock and a hard place, trust God. When facing
situations where God seems absent and silent, remember that God is working behind the scenes.
Charles Spurgeon once said, “When we cannot trace His hand, we must trust His heart.” We
may be puzzled by our circumstances, but God has it all figured out. The disciples thought the
story of Jesus is over. But Easter reminds us that there is more to the story. God is still at work.
Friends, times of silence could be scary and requires more faith, but I hope you and I
today learn how to keep you rhythm because God is at work. Therefore, my friends, stand firm
in your faith. Rest in God while He is working behind the scenes. Remain confident in the truth
that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion. God is all powerful, all
knowing and ever present. The Lord is risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia! Amen.

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012
Meditation Notes (09:00 a.m. Easter Service ~ April 17 th , 2022)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor

“Seeking the Living among the Dead!”

Luke 24:1-12

Heavy and broken hearted as you can imagine, the women showed up at the tomb of
Jesus very early in the morning. It was still dark, yet it was not hard to find the tomb of Jesus.
After Jesus died that Friday, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent Jewish council member and a
hidden disciple of Jesus, received permission to bury Christ’s body in his own tomb. The
women who had attended Jesus in Galilee followed Joseph to the Garden Tomb. They had seen
the tomb and knew exactly where the body of Jesus was laid.
The Sabbath is over, so the women are back to the tomb to embalm the body of Jesus
according to the Jewish rituals. When they arrive, I’m sure they hearts sank as they saw that the
stone that had been placed in front of the tomb had been moved. The One that they had loved,
and saw die, was now nowhere to be found.
The Bible tells us that after they had discovered that the Lord was not in the tomb, they
were met by two men in shining garments who ask them a very important question in Luke 24:5,
“Why do you look for the living among the dead?” As we briefly consider this question on this
Easter Sunday morning, I want to offer a couple observations:
First: Looking for Jesus in the Wrong Place
“Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.” Why are
you looking for Jesus here? Well, there are very good reasons why the women were looking for
Jesus in the tomb. They saw Him die on the cross. The saw the tomb where He had been taken.
That is the right place to find Jesus. After all, the women had good reasons to look for Jesus
where He was supposed to be.
But for us, the resurrection of Christ has been validated and verified. Where do we look
for Jesus, then? Where do we look for life? Unfortunately, many make the same mistake today.
We look for life in all the wrong places. We expect to find life in things that are dead. We
desire things that decay in our hands. We feed on ashes. We follow a deluded heart. We expect
to find purpose and meaning in the fleeting things of this world. We ignore our spiritual reality
as if we have no spirit. We look for life in the rubble, in the ashes, in the garbage dump of life.
Life can only be found in the giver of life. Life can only be found in that who said of
Himself that “He is the resurrection and the life.” Why look for the living among the dead?
Why go looking for life in a world that is dying in sin? Why look for answers in a world whose
values are upside down, where good is called evil and evil is called good. We can’t find life in a
culture that celebrates death. We can’t trust a culture where lies are honored as truth.

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (Palm Sunday, April 10, 2022)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“When the King of Glory Cried!”
Zechariah 9:9-12; Luke 19:41-44
 
As you already know, today is Palm Sunday, the day when we, the Church of Christ, remember the triumphal entry of our Lord into Jerusalem riding on a donkey.  This was the fulfilment of Zechariah's prophecy given over 500 years before Christ.  Much can be said about the events of Palm Sunday, but I want you to envision with me what happened that day.
 
It was a very busy morning in Jerusalem.  You can tell, it was the Passover week.  The narrow streets of the city were crowded; the Temple was no exception.  Jewish visitors from all over the place filled the nearby hotels and motels.  Just outside of Jerusalem, a big crowd of people were following Rabbi Yeshua, as people called Him. Rabbi Yeshua, or Jesus of Nazareth, was a well-known Rabbi, a compassionate healer who has shown God’s mercy and grace like no other.  You can even hear the crowd shouting out, “Hosanna!” and waving their palm branches in the air.
 
Jesus is approaching the city.  He goes down the road of the Mount of Olives, then he began to descend into the Valley of Kidron where He had a panoramic view of the entire city.  As Jesus looked down on the city, He burst into tears.  The King of Glory burst into tears!
 
This cry wasn’t a normal cry.  The Greek word Luke uses for weeping is “klaio” which means “intense sobbing.”  It is the kind of weeping which suddenly seizes you that you lose control and cry out loud.  How come that in the midst of all the cheers come tears?  Jesus was so overcome with deep sorrow and grief in His heart, that tears began to flow from His eyes, and He openly and verbally expressed His emotional lamentation over the city.  I wonder if Jesus would do the same looking at us today?
 
What was Jesus weeping for?  Why did Jesus weep at the city He loved?  Fortunately, we don’t have to speculate.  The Scripture passage in Luke 19 gives us at least two reasons of Christ’s weeping:
 
First: The Missed Opportunities
Luke tells us in Luke 19:41-42, “As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace!  But now they are hidden from your eyes.”  The people of Israel missed the peace that was right in front of them; right in their midst.  They missed God’s shalom.  Although the Hebrew word “Shalom” is often translated “peace” in the Bible, it has a comprehensive nature.
 
Shalom refers to a sense of wholeness and completeness.  Everything is exactly the way it should be; everything where it belongs.  Shalom is God’s gift for His people.  The Bible makes it clear that there will be no peace away from the Lord.  In Christ, God has put all the broken and shattered pieces together to ever be restored.  Everything that is broken in our lives and in our world will be put back together and made whole again only in and through Jesus.
 
The Prince of Peace was standing right in front of them, and they missed it.  They did not acknowledge Jesus as the King of all Kings, the God of all gods.  Instead, they simply viewed Him as a human king who would lead them into victory.  Peace was hidden from your eyes.  They people of Israel missed many opportunities.
 
Second: The Future Judgement
Luke continues to say these words in Luke 19:43-44, “Indeed, the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you, and hem you in on every side.  They will crush you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another; because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.”
 
Missed opportunities lead to future judgements.  Christ’s pronounced judgement was fulfilled in 70 AD.  In 70 AD, the Roman General Titus came, and he brought thousands of troops with him.  He surrounded Jerusalem, and the troops waited till the Jews were famished from starvation. Then, they rushed in and slaughtered thousands of Jews.  Not one stone was left upon another, and the city was burned to the ground.  Seeing that day of judgement, Jesus cried over Jerusalem.
 
Jesus looked upon the city that He loved and wept because He knew the future judgment was coming.  He told the crowds a future judgment was coming because, “you did not know the time of your visitation.”  The word visitation in Greek is “episcopas.”  The word “episcopas” comes from the Greek military community where from time to time, the General would drop in unannounced and review and inspect the troops to see if they were battle-ready. If the troops were battle-ready, they received the praise of the General.  If they were not prepared, the General would bring a hard fist of judgment.
 
Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem because they weren’t ready when the General came to town.  They were not prepared and missed out on worshipping and following Him.  God in flesh was standing right before their eyes, and they missed it!  Because they missed the General and weren’t ready, a future judgment would come.
 
Friends, Jesus, the General, is visiting with us today.  His visit, “his episcopas”, is full of grace and love.  His arms are open to welcome and to embrace us.  Are we willing to go under his wings before the Day of Judgement comes?  Are we ready for the General to come?  Are we missing the peace that is in front of us?  As we journey together toward the events of the Holy Week this week, I hope you will find the time recognize the time of God’s visitation. Embrace the things that make for your peace.  Open your heart for God’s shalom. Let Christ mend the brokenness of your life.  Receive the Lord’s wholeness.  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 (5th Sunday in Lent, April 3, 2022)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“The Fruitless Fig Tree!”
Mark 11:12-14 & 20-22
 
From now through Easter Sunday, we will be walking with Jesus and His disciples through the last couple week of His earthly life.  It is amazing that Jesus was able to pack so much activity into such a short period of time. Next week, being the Holy Week, we will be gathering here on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and of course, Easter morning.  But before we get to the Holy Week major events, I would like to reflect this morning on an incident that gets overlooked by most of us, that’s cursing the fruitless fig tree.
 
Our story took place on Monday morning of Jesus’ Passion Week.  Jesus spent Palm Sunday night in Bethany, a little town less than 2 miles from Jerusalem.  Monday morning, as Jesus travels from Bethany back to Jerusalem, He spots a fig tree.  This particular tree draws Jesus’s attention because it already has a full covering of leaves.  Its foliage signals that it should have early figs.
 
With that expectation, Jesus inspects the tree.  He is immediately disappointed; all leaves, no fruit. All expectation, no satisfaction.  In a shocking turn, Jesus curses the tree and makes it wither from the roots, never to yield fruit again.  People are taken aback by what Jesus did; this seems stunningly out of character for Jesus, the child-welcomer, the compassionate healer, and storm-calmer.  This seems baffling.  Why would Jesus do that?  Mark tells us in chapter 11:13, “When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.”  Does that mean it wasn’t the fig tree’s fault after all?
 
Having lived there myself, let me explain this.  Fig trees in the Middle East are unusual in that they can produce as many as three rounds of crops in a single year. Yes, you heard this right; three rounds of crops.  There is an “early crop” in April/May; there is the “main crop” mid-summer, July/August’ and there is a “late crop” that gets harvested in October/November.
 
So, a fig tree in full leaf in April, should have been covered with “early fruit.”  It was reasonable for Jesus to assume that there would be fruit on the tree when He came to it around Passover time.  When the gospel writers say, “it wasn’t the season of figs”, they mean, “it wasn’t main crop’s season.”  The word that’s translated “season” here is the Greek “Kairos”.  That’s the perfect time to get the sweetest figs.  But since this tree had no early fruit, it was a sign that there would be no fruit when the time for harvest arrives.
 
This fig tree was deceptive because its leaves promised something the tree could not deliver.  This tree had nothing to offer and it was therefore useless!  As we reflect on this story on this Communion Sunday, I would like to share a couple short lessons:
 
First: Let’s Beware of Empty Faith
Let’s beware of empty, deceptive and fruitless faith.  Mark 11:13 says, “Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, Jesus went to see whether perhaps he would find anything on it.  When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves.”  What a sad statement!  I am sure that this tree had been given everything it needed to flourish.  It sat in a good location.  It grew in good soil.  It had enjoyed the sunshine and the rain.  Still, this tree was not fruitful.
 
The fig tree represented the nation of Israel back then, and it represents the church today.  Israel was just like this fruitless fig tree.  They had all the signs of spiritual life and vitality, but they had no fruit.  They were keeping the letter of the Law.  They were carrying out the Temple ceremonies. They were observing the ancient feasts and the sacrifices.  They were religious in every detail, but they had no spiritual fruit.  Israel promised all who saw her that she could show them the way to God.  Israel had gone to leaf.  Israel had no fruit.  Israel looked alive, but she was spiritually barren.  They had everything they needed for a spiritual bumper crop, but they remained fruitless.  Let’s beware of empty and fruitless faith.
 
Second: Let’s Examine our Hearts Before It’s too Late
As you might imagine, there is another message for us here; we are to examine our lives.  When the Lord examines our lives, and He does, what does He see?  Does He see us bearing fruit to the glory of God?  Or, does He see a tree that has gone to leaf?
 
        Let’s face the truth about ourselves today.  Like the nation of Israel in the past, we have been given every spiritual advantage God has to offer.  We have His Word, His church and His Spirit.  He has blessed us in abundance.  There is no excuse for us being a fruitless branch!  The Lord is looking for genuine spiritual fruit in our lives.  When He finds that fruit, we are blessed.  When He does not find it, there is a high price to pay.
 
Friends, the fig tree cursing is not just about historical Israel.  It’s about us.  It’s about all the people of God throughout time.  The apostle Paul writes to Timothy on 2 Timothy 3:1&5, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days … People will be having a form of godliness but denying its power.”  The word “Form” in Greek “μόρφωσιν “morphosin” ~ means the outer form or the appearance, but no substance; only leaves, no fruit.  What does the Lord see when He examine our hearts?
 
Mark 11:12 tells us that “Jesus was hungry.”  While Jesus today may not be hungry physically, He is still expecting His Body to bear fruit for the hungry spirits around us.  Fruit is always the evidence of genuine discipleship.  It is evidence of life within the branch.  True disciples always bear fruit for the glory of the Lord.  May Jesus find something pleasant in us when He gets near.  May our lives reflect genuine faith and a bountiful crop.  In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.