​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (Pentecost Sunday, May 28, 2023)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“The Power of the Holy Spirit!”
Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2:1-13
 
Pentecost is a watershed moment in the history of the Christian Church.  It was a moment of empowerment, a moment of consolation, and a moment of affirmation that we, as Christ’s followers, are not abandoned here on earth as spiritual orphans.  The Day marks the giving of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Christian Church.
 
On the day of Pentecost, the Lord fulfilled His promise by giving the Holy Spirit to the Church.  Ten days earlier, as Jesus was taken up to heaven on the Mount of Olives, He promised His disciples in Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
 
So when those gathered in Jerusalem for Shavuot – the Feast of Weeks (Deuteronomy 16:10; also known as the Feast of Harvest (Exodus 23:16), or penetkoste, as it was known among the Jews that spoke Greek, they knew that God was up to something amazing.  For those early followers of Jesus, especially from a Jewish background, the Feast commemorates the giving of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai and for us, as followers of Jesus today, we get to remember the generosity of God in giving us the Holy Spirit.
 
So as we reflect on this watershed event this morning, please allow me to underscore two lessons:
 
First: We Do Need the Holy Spirit
It’s been 10 days since Christ was taken up to heaven.  It must’ve felt awful without having Jesus around.  The disciples’ only comfort during this time of waiting was a promise that Jesus gave them.  “If I go, I will send the Advocate to you”, says Jesus in John 16:7.  This is not going to be a visit of God’s Spirit, it’s a dwelling.  The Old Testament saints longed for this day.
 
On Pentecost, God poured out His Spirit upon His people.  His generosity in Christ was shown to everyone.  That’s what the Prophet Joel foretold a few hundred years before Christ.  Joel 2:28-29, states, “After that, I will pour out my spirit upon everyone; your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. Even on the male and female slaves, in those days I will pour out my spirit.”  In Acts 2:17, Peter quoted these words saying that they had been fulfilled today.
 
The first lesson we need to remember on this Pentecost Sunday is that we really do need the Holy Spirit.  We need the companionship of God in this journey we call life.  Jesus knew that following Him in the world is not going to be easy.  There is no way we can manage life on our own.  One of my favorite African American Spirituals is “Give Me Jesus!”  The earliest known version of “Give Me Jesus” was published in 1845 by the Rev. Jacob Knapp, a Baptist minister from New York.  It goes like this: (1) “In the morning, when I rise … Give me Jesus.  Give me Jesus … You can have all this world … But give me Jesus.  (2) And when I am alone … Oh, and when I am alone … Give me Jesus … You can have all this world … But give me Jesus.  (3) And when I come to die … Oh, and when I come to die.  Give me Jesus … You can have all this world … But give me Jesus.”  God’s presence is what we need the most.
 
Second: We Do Need Each Other
But there is a second lesson we are reminded of on this Pentecost Sunday.  Not only do we really need the Holy Spirit, but we also need each other; we need this community of believers.  It should strike us that Jesus could have sent the Holy Spirit on each of the 120 followers individually when they were praying at their own homes.  Instead, the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples when they were in the Upper Room praying together.  There is something indescribable about “being together.”
 
What is striking about Acts chapter 2 is that it begins with togetherness, and it ends with togetherness.  Acts 2:42 speaks of shared teaching, shared meals, shared prayers, even shared possessions. The Holy Spirit united their hearts in singleness of purpose and mission.  Simply put, we cannot accomplish individually the mission God that God has given us.
 
A few weeks ago, I pointed out that community is at the heart of Jesus movement, and we should make it our priority to unite ourselves with the Body of Christ.  I have always said that faith is a journey and it’s not meant to be traveled alone.  Community is extremely important.  We get fed in this community.  We are protected in this community.  We are safer in this community.  We reach our potential in the church community.  We love and we are loved in this community.  We exercise our spiritual gifts in this community.  We get blessed and we become a blessing to others in this community.
 
Friends, on this Pentecost Sunday, we are reminded of two amazing, uplifting, and transformative truth.  First, we need the dwelling and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.  Don’t face your Goliath alone.  You will not stand the battle.  Let God be your refuge and strength.  Second, we need each other.  We need this body of believers.  We journey together.  We follow together.  We rejoice together and we cry together.  On these two important foundations, rise or fall our witness in the world.  In the Name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen!

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012
Sermon Notes (Sunday May 21, 2023)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“My Grace Is Sufficient for You!”
Isaiah 40:27-31; 2 Corinthians 12:1-10
 
Over these past few days I thought about my final messages from this pulpit and what should I say to a congregation and a church family that we got to love so much.  The news I shared with the Session and congregation earlier this week could be upsetting and troubling to all of us.  I want to assure you once more, this was not an easy decision to make, and I certainly understand the pain and heartache we may be experiencing this week.
 
Yet, as I tried to process all of this, I find my heart drawn more and more to the grace of God.  “Grace” is the most important concept in the Bible.  It is most clearly expressed in the promises of God revealed in Scripture and embodied in Jesus Christ.  Grace is the love of God shown to the unlovely; the peace of God given to the restless; the unmerited favor of God when we feel helpless and get overwhelmed.  
 
This morning, I want to remind us of the sufficiency of God’s grace in the face of the unknown, in the face of any transition, and in the face of all the turns and twists of life.  The apostle Paul experienced the fullness and sufficiency of God’s amazing grace as he faced the harsh reality of life.  Do as we hide ourselves in the sufficiency of the amazing grace of God, please allow me to underscore a couple observations.
First: Rise Above
In 2 Corinthians 12:7, Paul says, “a thorn was given me in the flesh.”  We’re not exactly sure what that “thorn in the flesh” was, but we do know it was more than a cold or flu.  It was some painful, physical condition that kept on tormenting him.  It tormented Paul so much that it hindered his ministry, and everyone knew it.  It tormented him so much that he pleaded to the Lord three times to take it away.   
 
Yet, instead of granting Paul what he prayed for, God says to him rise above.  When I say, “rise above,” I do not mean to ignore the problem; pretend it does not exist; try to be as much like a person without a thorn as I can be.  But it means rise above the pain, the restriction, the burden, because God knows about it, and He is in control.  Rise above it not because we have figured it all out, but because we trust.  One of the main differences between Christians, those who follow Christ, those who acknowledge His sovereignty over their life, and those who aren’t, is that we, followers of Jesus can rise above our circumstances because we are being carried by the amazing grace of our loving heavenly Father.
 
Second: Lean on the all-Sufficiency of God’s Grace
“Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness,” says Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:8-9.  I want to draw your attention to the “word order” in Greek, the original language.  It’s fascinating how the original Greek renders this.  A literal translation would be, “Sufficient it is for you, my grace.”  The original Greek places the word “sufficient” at the beginning of the sentence.  English doesn’t really have a way of doing this, but in Greek, this is a method for placing emphasis on a word or a concept.  In this case, the emphasis here is on the absolute, complete, utter sufficiency of the grace of God for Paul in the midst of his weakness.  God here assures Paul that there is nothing he lacks in his weakness because he possesses the fully sufficient power of God’s amazing grace through this trial.  
 
Not only that, but there is even something greater that I would like to draw your attention to in this verse and it has to do with the verb tense of 2 Corinthians 12:9.  “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you.”  All the verbs here are in the perfect tense which means the promise of God’s sufficient grace is valid yesterday, today, and ever more.  It was sufficient for Paul; its sufficient for us today, and it will be sufficient for all our tomorrows.
 
Friends, God’s grace is still sufficient to supply our needs and the needs of Blackwood Presbyterian.  It’s still sufficient to cover our sins.  It’s still sufficient to complete our final transformation. This truth has proven true generation after generation and it will stand firm until we see Jesus face to face.  “Those who wait for the Lord,” says Isaiah 40:31, “shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” 
 
I read the story of a child who was trying to lift a stone much too heavy for him.  His father walked by and, seeing his struggles, said, “Are you using all your strength?”  The boy said that indeed he was.  But the father replied, “No, son, you aren’t, for you haven't asked me to help.”  A part of that boy’s strength was the strength of a loving father.  Because of that loving relationship between father and son, all the father’s strength was freely available to the boy.  Friends, it is the same way with God and us.  “My grace is sufficient for you; my power is made perfect in weakness.”  Whatever the needs of our lives, God is always there for us.  Whatever the task before us, we have His sufficient grace.  In the Name of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen!

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012
Sermon Notes (Mother’s Day Sunday, May 14, 2023)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“Jochebed: The Story of a Faithful Mother!”
Exodus 2:1-12; 2 Timothy 1:1-5
 
First and foremost, I would like to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers, grandmothers, aunties, and all mother-like figures out there.  Today is a day when we take the time to honor the one human being who unselfishly gives herself to her children and her family over and over again, without asking for anything in return.  If your life has been blessed by the touch of a godly mother, a mother-like figure, a grandmother or an auntie, then you have enjoyed one of this world’s greatest treasures and blessings.  Not everyone has enjoyed this great blessing but those who have, will always remember the love of their mother. 
 
We set aside one day a year to honor mothers and mother-like figures.  As I thought about my sermon topic for this morning, the Holy Spirit led me to the story of Jochebed.  Before I draw a couple lessons from the life of Jochebed, let’s get to know Jochebed a little bit.  Who was she?
 
Who was Jochebed?
In the passage we just read from Exodus chapter 12, we are introduced to a woman from the Tribe of Levi named Jochebed.  She stands out as one of the greatest mothers revealed in the pages of Scripture.  Her selfless love and sacrifice changed the course of history.  Jochebed was the mother of three famous people in the Bible.  She was the mother of Moses, the leader of Exodus and the deliverer of Israel.  She was the mother of Aaron, the first high priest of Israel.  And she was the mother of Miriam, a prophetess, poet and singer in Israel.  Aaron was three years older than Moses, and Miriam was probably about ten years older than Moses.
 
Although Jochebed is not named in our passage today, she is named in two other places in Scripture, both genealogies, in Exodus 6:20 and Numbers 26:59.  Jochebed’s name means “honor or glory of God,” and she certainly honored God with her life and her faith.  The story of Jochebed reminds us of two great lessons that I would like to share with you on this Mother’s Day Sunday:
 
First: Our Holistic Responsibility towards our Children
No doubt that parents play a huge role in the children’s holistic development.  As human beings created in the image of God, we have body, spirit, and soul.  Our children got physical needs, emotional needs, and spiritual needs.  As God entrusts the little ones to our care, He expects us to meet those needs and provide our children the best care possible.
Moses was born during a very difficult time.  The Israelites were slaves in Egypt at this time.  Pharoah was so concerned about the growing numbers of Hebrews, so he ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill all the Hebrew males as they were being delivered.  When the midwives refused and let them live, Pharaoh issued a new order: “Every boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live,” Exodus 1:21.  After Moses was born, Hebrews 11:23 tells us, “By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.”
But when Jochebed could hide the child no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed Moses in the basket and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.  Miriam, Moses’ sister, stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.  Long story short, Moses is found by pharaoh’s daughter, and, through God’s provision, he is given to his mom again to nurse him.  Moses stayed with his mom until he was weaned.  So let’s say Moses stayed with his mom until he was at least 3 or 4 years old.
At that young age, Moses was taken to live at Pharoah’s Palace.  He lived his childhood, and youth as an Egyptian Prince.  But, how did he grow up knowing his true identity?  It seems to me that Moses’ mother laid the foundation in him.  She nursed him the faith of his parents.  She taught him about the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  She taught him about the covenant God made with them as a people.  Jochebed reminds us of our wholistic responsibility towards our children.  God expects us to attend for their physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs.  Part of our responsibility towards our children is to tell them about the love of Jesus and to instill the faith in their hearts.  Our job will never be complete without this wholistic approach.
Second: We Do Our Part and Trust God with the Rest
Often times, I get to meet people, wonderful Christians, who lament the fact that their children have nothing to do with Christ and the Christian faith.  They did what they could; took them to Sunday School; prayed with them and for them regularly; shared Bible stores with them, but after they grew up, they abandoned their faith and care less about it. 
I wonder if Jochebed wrestled with the same thing.  I am sure that she asked herself many times if her child will be worshipping the true God of Israel or rather will be worshipping one of the many gods of the Egyptians.  The Bible doesn’t say anything about the faith of Moses until the age of 40 when Moses decided to leave the Palace behind and pursue the God of Israel.  After all, the seed didn’t die.  The story of Jochebed and Moses reminds us that we do our part and leave the rest on God.
Friends, like Moses, our children today are born and raised up in extremely difficult times.  Like Moses, they are surrounded by hundreds of false gods.  Godly parenthood matters.  In 2 Timothy 1:5, Paul tells us that Timothy’s sincere faith was first lived in his grandmother Lois and in his mother Eunice.  Godly moms and grandmoms make the whole difference.  Godly parents realize that their responsibility is one of a wholistic nature.  We are to care for our children’s spirits and bodies.  We are to feed them the daily bread and shouldn’t forget about the Manna that come from heaven.  And when it’s time for them to fly solo on their own exploring what God might have for them in the world, may we always trust God’s sovereign care.  Like Jochebed, do your part and leave the rest on the Lord.  Happy Mother’s Day.  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, May 07, 2023)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“Set Your Hearts on Things Above!”
Psalm 119:9-16; Colossians 3:1-10
 
The first few versus of Colossians chapter 3 capture the depth of what it means to live as those made alive in Christ.  In his letter to the believers in the Roman city of Colossi, the apostle Paul says that as members of the new humanity, as those who have been raised with Christ, no part of their human existence remains untouched by the loving and liberating rule of Jesus. This includes their family dynamics and their work commitments, their suffering and their witness in the world.  All of this must be transformed by the gift of new life in Christ.
 
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things,” says Paul to the Colossians in chapter 3:1-2.  What Paul was saying is simple yet so profound at the same time.  Basically, he was saying, “Let’s put the new life into practice.  Let your hearts be Christ-centered.  Let your minds be Kingdom-oriented.”
 
In the previous chapter, in Colossians chapter 2, Paul talks about different dangers that might pull us away from Christ.  These are certain temptations in this life.  These dangers led to believers only demonstrate an outward Christianity.  Some of those who had claimed to be Christians in Colossi didn’t live up to that standard. 
 
In Chapter 3, Paul gets down to the real business.  He tells us that if we want to live an authentic and real Christian life, a life that can make a difference in this world, we need to set our hearts on things above.  This is the dilemma of our faith.  As followers of Christ we do live here on earth but with a heavenly mindset.  I truly believe that our spiritual well-being depends on how much we get this and how much we handle this difficult dilemma.  Let me highlight a couple observations for us this morning:
 
First: Christ’s Life in us is a Daily Experience
Colossians chapter 3 begins with the word “since”, which means because of what had happened, you’re expected to live a certain way.  “Since we have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above … set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”  The verb “have been raised” in the original Greek here literally means “co-resurrected.”  We have been “co-resurrected” with Christ.  The resurrection of Christ should have a lasting impact on the believer’s life.  A believer is someone whose life has been transformed by the power of Christ’s resurrection.  This is what Paul says in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”
 
Second: This is an Intentional and Deliberate Process
Setting our hearts and minds on things above is an intentional process.  That seeking of the kingdom is intentional.  Pursuing the kingdom is not our default.  By default, we are drawn toward the things of this world.   Martin Luther, the 16th century German Protestant Reformer, once challenged one of his students by saying, “I’ll get you a new horse and carriage (wagon) if you can pray the Lord’s Prayer and concentrate on every phrase without losing your train of thought.”  “No problem,” the young man said.  After he had prayed the prayer, the student, however, confessed to Martin Luther, “all I could think about was the horse and carriage (wagon).”  As much as he tried to concentrate and focus on the Lord’s Prayer, his mind was drawn elsewhere.  Setting our minds and hearts on things above is a deliberate and intentional focusing of our hearts and thoughts towards God and His Kingdom. 
 
The truth of the matter is that we will not have the motivation to “seek” anything until we realize its value.  Once we realize how valuable the kingdom is, then we will seek it first.  We will put forth the effort to obtain it and to pursue more of it.  Many “build their hopes” on the shifting sands of “things below,” which makes their life empty, meaningless, and unfulfilled.
 
Friends, let me ask you this morning: when you look at your life, what are you seeking first?  What are you striving for the most?  What is your deep passion in life?  What is the deep desire of your heart?  How much time have you spent this past week thinking on spiritual things compared to the time you have spent thinking on things of this earth?  God wants us to seek His kingdom first.  He wants you to strive for, to pursue, and go after the things that are above.  This is our daily struggle.  This is an intentional process.  Let this desire, let this pursuit, regulate the rhythm of your actions and thoughts.  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
Sermon Notes (Sunday, April 30, 2023)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“The Aroma of Christ!”
Genesis 8:20-22; 2 Corinthians 2:14-17
 
How did the Early Church understand Christ’s resurrection?  What did the resurrection mean to the early followers of Jesus?  What impact the resurrection had on the early disciples?  Well needless to say, the resurrection of Jesus is so central to our faith, which means, if it never happened, we wouldn’t be gathering and worshipping our risen Lord here today.
 
To emphasize how foundational the resurrection of Jesus is, the Church has chosen to worship on Sunday.  Our gathering here every Sunday is a continued celebration of the glorious news that our salvation is won, and our eternal destiny is sealed once and forever.
 
The New Testament writers have expressed the magnitude of this event in some remarkable ways.  One of the Scripture passages that we’ve been examining is 2 Corinthians 2:14-17, where the apostle Paul gives us at least two ways the resurrection was perceived by the early Christian community.
 
The Triumphal Procession of Christ
In 2 Corinthians 2:14, Paul likens the completion of Christ’s mission through His life, death, and resurrection to a Roman triumphal procession, where a Roman military leader is received with shouts of joy after securing peace, expanding the kingdom, and crushing the enemies of the empire. Christ secured our peace, preached the coming of God’s Kingdom, and crushed the enemy of our soul.  
 
A couple Sundays ago, I highlighted two ways we can live out this truth in our lives.  First, we are to give thanks to God for what Christ has done.  “But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession,” says the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 2:14.  Second, we need to remember that in Christ we are always triumphant.  It’s true that we 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! The triumphal parade may not have appeared on this earth yet, but you we already in it.
 
The Pleasant Aroma of Christ
This morning, as we continue to unpack 2 Corinthians 2:14-17, we get to see another great image that Paul uses to describe how the resurrection has transformed our lives. 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 state, “But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing him.  For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.”
 
We are the aroma of Christ.   In order to understand this imagery, we need to look one more time to the Roman Triumph.  In these Roman triumphal processions, it was customary to release sweet odors from burning spices and setting flowers in the streets of the parade.  Again, Paul takes this language of scent, and he applies it to the Christian life.  I see an invitation and a channlege before us today:
 
An Invitation: Let’s Be the Pleasant Aroma of Christ
“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing him.”  Followers of Jesus are supposed to spread in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing Jesus.
 
Have you ever thought about this?  Wherever we are, at school or work, at the grocery store or the doctor’s office, walking down the street or breaking bread with family and friends, God has left us on earth to spread the fragrance of Christ.  Like a beautiful scent, we, by our lives and our words, spread the knowledge of the power of God for salvation to everyone we meet in every place we go.  This is a task that all of us have been called to do.  A lot of us will find it difficult to witness to others, but a perfume doesn’t have to do anything to spread its fragrance; a flower doesn’t have to do anything to spread its aroma.  If Christ is real in our lives, it will certainly show.
 
A Challenge: Be the Aroma of Christ No Matter What
“For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life,” says Paul in 2 Corinthians 2:15-16.  As we go around in this world being the aroma of Christ, we must know that this aroma does not invoke the same reaction in everyone.  As believers, we consider the knowledge of the gospel to be lifegiving and a word of peace and hope.  For some people it is, and they are attracted to the scent of Jesus, but for others it is quite the opposite. 
 
The people’s reaction to the aroma of Christ in us has an impact on us whether we want to admit it or not.  Because we know that some people will hate what we represent and will not welcome what we say about the gospel, we sometimes become shy representing Jesus.  We want to hide the aroma of Christ.  But Paul says in here, be the aroma of Christ no matter what.
 
Friends, after the flood, Noah built an altar to the Lord and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.  Genesis 8:21 states that the Lord was so pleased to smell the odor.  As God’s people, you are the fragrance of Christ in this community.  You have a tremendous opportunity.  You are the aroma of Christ to everyone you meet in every place you go.  I want to encourage you today not to hide that aroma, but to allow it to emanate from you as the beautiful scent of the life-giving gospel.  I want to encourage and even urge you to not allow the fact that people may reject the gospel to hinder you from proclaiming Jesus.  Let people smell Jesus in you!  In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.