First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012
Sermon Notes (Sunday ~ June 28, 2020)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor

Revelation 21:1-5
This morning we come to our final lesson in our study of the Apostles’ Creed.  For the past two millennia, this Creed, this ancient confession and expression of Christian belief, has served as an instrument for instructing Christians in the basics of Biblical faith.  Today we will be looking at the final statement the Creed makes, “I believe in the life everlasting.”   
 
Today’s affirmation is very comforting because when we say, “I believe in the life everlasting,” we proclaim our belief in life after death – in an eternity that exists outside of our world and our time.  It’s so comforting to know that when our journey here on earth comes to an end, it continues in heaven; when this chapter is over, another beautiful chapter that has no end begins.
 
Life Everlasting in the Teaching of Jesus
Life everlasting, Zōēn Aiōnion (in Greek ζωὴν αἰώνιον), was an integral part of the teaching of Jesus Christ.  In John 10:10, Jesus summarizes and captures the heart of His mission when He said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
 
Jesus invited His audience to choose life over death when He said in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
 
Addressing the Samaritan woman, whose life was so far from eternal life, Jesus said in John 4:14, “But whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
 
Life everlasting was an integral part of the teaching of Jesus because, my friends, it will be miserable to miss it.  Jesus never watered down the truth that at the end of our journey here on earth, humans will have one of two final destinations: heaven or hell; the resurrection of life or the resurrection of condemnation as Jesus said in John 5:28-29.
 
The topic of life everlasting is a very broad one and it is very hard to cover it in one sermon, so for the sake of our time, I want to narrow it down to three questions: What, When, and How.  What is life eternal?  When does it begin? And, how do we receive it?
 
First: What is Life Eternal?
Many people wonder what heaven will be like.  Will the streets be paved with gold?  Will there be mountains and streams?  Will there be beaches and waterfalls?  Will there be trees and animals? 
 
We have to know that heaven is beyond our comprehension.  Our minds cannot comprehend the reality of life eternal, because it is beyond our experience and beyond our capacity to understand.  All we really know is that it will be a glorious life!
 
The one most important thing I want us to know today is when the Bible speaks about eternal life, its emphases neither the place nor the quality of life in heaven. Yes, heaven is a real place, but it is not the place that really matters.
 
Yes, in heaven we will experience life in its fulness because everything will be just perfect and complete.  Our joy will be complete.  Our peace will be complete.  Our existence will be complete.  Our faith will be complete.  Our love will be complete.  God’s presence will be complete.  Our fellowship with the Lord and with each other will be complete.  We will have an intimate relationship with God.  We will no longer have times when God seems far away.  We will lack nothing.  Our loved ones will be there, along with many others whom we will love and enjoy just as much! 
 
It’s true, as John says in Revelation chapter 21, that there will be no more sickness, suffering, or death. No more pain, no more getting old and frail, no losing our memory and abilities.  But there is something even greater about life everlasting.  It’s the fact that we will be living in the presence of the Most High.  Revelation 21:3 says, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.”
 
Second: When Does Life Eternal Begin?
We look at the wholeness of everlasting life and we wonder, can we begin to taste some of it now?  According to John 5: 24, life eternal is simply knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  In John 5:24, Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me HAS ETERNAL LIFE and will not be judged, but HAS CROSSED OVER from death to life.” 
 
Everlasting life begins the moment we welcome Jesus into our lives, surrender our lives to Him, and it reaches its completion when we fully dwell in God’s presence.  From that moment on, we will live a life with eternity in mind. 
 
Needless to say, if eternal life begins for us today, it will definitely bring changes to our lives.  Basically, the life of Jesus will take over, changing how we think, feel, and act.  We won’t have to do that entirely on our own; the Spirit of Jesus will transform us, as we turn our life over to Jesus.
 
Third: How Do We Receive Eternal Life?
Eternal life is a gift.  Romans 6:23 reminds us that “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  It is a gift available immediately to all who surrender their lives to Christ – it is a gift that is available to all, no matter how many laps we may be down, no matter of our past failures; it’s a gift that immediately puts us across the finish line.  “Whoever has the Son,” John 5:12 says “has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
 
Friends, as we wrap up this series of messages on the Apostles’ Creed, I want to invite you to examine your heart.  Do you know without a doubt that you are going to heaven?  Do you know without a doubt that you have personally asked Jesus to forgive your sins and to come into your life as Lord and Savior?  If not, then I want you to get that assurance before you leave today.  In 1873, Fanny Crosby wrote these great words:
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine;
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
 
Friends, may this be your song today and every day until we see Jesus face to face.  Yes, we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, but there is a way out through the redemption of Christ.  “I believe in the life everlasting.”  Amen.
 

First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012
Sermon Notes (Sunday ~ June 21st, 2020)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
Ephesians 1:1-8
 
One great benefit of studying the Apostles’ Creed is connecting ourselves to what all Christians everywhere have always believed.  In so doing, we remind ourselves that despite our ever-changing social circumstances, Christian faith is not ours to redefine.  Being deeply rooted in “the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 3) is essential to the live and ministry of God’s people.
 
We’re almost finished with our journey through the Apostle’s Creed, only a couple short phrases left, and along the way we have encountered some of the most profound, uplifting, and life-changing truth.
 
Today, we get to affirm our belief in the forgiveness of sins.  “I believe in the forgiveness of sins,” the Apostles’ Creed affirms.  It seems to me at first glance that “the forgiveness of sins” seems to be in the wrong place.  Shouldn’t it be in one of the first two sections?  Doesn't it better describe the world of the Father Almighty or Jesus Christ?  Aren’t they the one who handle forgiveness?   
 
Instead the affirmation of the forgiveness of sins comes near the end in the section about the Holy Spirit’s work in the context of the Christian community.  And its placement here means two things.  First, it means that those of us who recite these words are part of the church because we are forgiven.  We are a forgiven community.  We are sinners saved by God’s grace.  We declare the forgiveness of sins because without such forgiveness, we would not be here, we would not be confessing this faith, we would not be part of this company. 
 
Second, it’s a reminder of the ongoing work and ministry of the Holy Spirit.  John 16:8 says, “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.”  Through the work of the Holy Spirit, the church is the community of those who have experienced – and continue experiencing – the forgiveness of sins.  Forgiveness seems to be a trademark of the church.
 
Whenever Christians declare, “I believe in the forgiveness of sins,” we testify – to ourselves and to the world – that our faith is in a God who is both willing and able to forgive us when we mess up.  We basically declare that our God is a God will never give up on His elect.  We testify that our God is the God of new beginnings.  The Prophet Isaiah says these great things in Isaiah 43:18-19, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
 
In order to understand the richness of this statement, “I believe in the forgiveness of sins,” we need to underscore two important concepts here; the concept of sin and the concept of forgiveness.  So, real quick, what is sin?  What is forgiveness?
 
First: What is Sin?
The word “sin” in the New Testament Greek is “ἁμάρτημα” “hamartia.”  The Greek word hamartia literally means “to miss the mark.”  In other words, sin is not doing things the way they ought to be done.  In His infallible Word, God tells us how things ought to be done.  And sin is when we decide, “I’ve got a better idea–my way.”  That’s the essence of sin; deciding that though God has said to do it this way, I’m going to do it my way which is better.  Sin is rejecting God’s way for our own way.
 
Sin is missing the mark.  It is missing the whole purpose of life, the whole reason for being here on earth.  In Romans 3:23, the Apostle Paul reminds us that, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  No one is exempt.  “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us,” says 1 John 1:8.
 
Theologians often speak of two different kinds of sins: sins of commission and sins of omission.  Both kinds of sin are equally wicked in God’s eyes.  Sins of commission are sins that we commit by doing something we shouldn’t do.  This kind of sin is easily recognizable.  It is something like worshiping other God’s, cheating, killing, lying, manipulating, etc.  It’s something someone did that they shouldn’t have done.
 
As you might have guessed, sins of omission are sins we commit by not doing something we should do.  James 4:17 says, “Anyone who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, commits sin.”  These are the opportunities God gives us to grow up in our faith, to be more like Christ, to take our discipleship seriously, and to impact the lives of those around us. When we waste these opportunities, we commit the sin of omission.
 
Second: What is Forgiveness?
“I believe in the forgiveness of sins.”  The word translated “forgiveness” in the New Testament writings means, “to let go, to release.”  Originally, it was a legal term used to describe the release of debtors from the debts. 
 
God’s forgiveness is a gift.  You don’t deserve it, you don’t earn it, you just receive it as a gift.  God in His mercy forgives our sins because of Jesus.  We are forgiven because Jesus took our sin upon Himself, bore our punishment, and paid the full price.  All of God’s wrath against our sin was poured out on Jesus, who absorbed it on our behalf.  He died to pay our moral debt and forgive us. “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace,” says Paul in Ephesians 1:8.
 
A sinner in God’s eyes is bankrupt.  When we come to Christ, accept what he has done on our behalf, the righteousness of Christ, the victory of Christ over sin, is accredited to us.  Christ’s death “canceled out the certificate of debt.”
 
Friends, this is exciting news.  It’s glorious news.  In 1776, the British Anglican hymn writer Augustus Toplady wrote the great hymn, Rock of Ages Cleft for Me, and he captured the essence of our affirmation today.  In this third stanza he said:
 
Nothing in my hands I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress,
Helpless, look to Thee for grace:
Foul, I to the fountain fly,
Wash me, Savior, or I die. 
 
“I believe in the forgiveness of sins.”  Amen!

First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012
Sermon Notes (Sunday ~ June 7th, 2020)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 

Revelation 7:9-12
There is incredible power in believing.  Have you ever pondered what difference faith or believing can make in your life?  Have you every pondered what impact believing in a loving, caring, and personal God might have on your life? 
There is strength in believing.  Listen to these words from Romans 4:20 speaking of Father Abraham’s faith, “He did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but found strength in faith (He grew strong in his faith, his faith filled him with power) and gave glory to God.”  The Message puts it this way, “He didn’t tiptoe around God’s promise asking cautiously skeptical questions.  He plunged into the promise and came up strong.” 
The story of the Bible, from cover to cover, is the story of believing and finding strength, energy, vitality, comfort, and peace in believing.  No wonder that countless generations through the centuries have found assurance and encouragement in the words of the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe…”
Over the past few weeks, we have been looking at the Apostles’ Creed, the creed of all creeds, as someone said.  We very much covered the major Christian doctrines the creed affirms.  We talked about our faith in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  Today is Trinity Sunday, and as you can tell, the Apostles’ Creed is a very Trinitarian creed.
This morning we get to that phrase of the creed where it states, “I believe in the holy catholic church.”  As you can tell, the focus of this line is the church, what we do right now.  What does the Apostles’ Creed teach us about the church?  I think this is a timely message.  More than any other institution, the church of Jesus Christ has always been attacked and misunderstood.
I assume since you are joining us for worship today or will be watching this service later on, you have some interest in what this church thing is all about.  So whether you grew up in Church or just exploring it now, I am inviting you this morning to seriously revisit your ecclesiology, your understanding of the church.  What does it mean to affirm and declare today, “I believe in the holy catholic church”?  To help us get the proper focus, let’s begin with the word “church.” 
What Is the Church?
Often times we hear people say, “I like Jesus, but I don’t care for the church”; or something like, “I believe in God, but I don’t believe in the church.” “I’m spiritual, but I’m not religious so I don’t go to church.  I can worship God on the golf course.  That’s my church.  I believe in my own way.  I don’t need to go to church and have someone tell me what to believe.”   “The church is just after my money.” “I hate the organized church.”  What is the church?
 
In the New Testament, the word translated “Church” is “Ekklesia”, which combine two Greek words, the prefix “ek”, meaning “out of” and the verb “Kaleo” meaning “to call.”  The word ekklesia is found 116 times in the New Testament writings.  Ekklesia, therefore, means those people who have been called out of the world by God to join together as followers of Jesus Christ.  So a church is a “called-out assembly of believers.”  The word “church” in the New Testament never refers to a building.  It always refers to people, to living stones. 
 
One profound thing to notice here is the church, the ekklesia, in God’s sight is ONE.  When Jesus said, “I will build my church,” he used the singular, not the plural—"churches.” Jesus promised to build one church and one church only. There is only one true ekklesia—the assembly of those who have been called out of the world to follow Christ.
 
As much as we love our own traditions, the church is not a denomination.  Sometimes we speak of the Presbyterian Church, the Methodist Church, the Lutheran Church or the Catholic Church.  That’s a valid use of the English word “church,” but it’s not a meaning found in the New Testament.  Denominations are manmade organizations that allow groups of congregations to work together.  It’s not a bad concept, and it’s not wrong to be part of a denomination—but the New Testament doesn’t use the word church in this particular way.  In God’s sight, there is one ekklesia, one called out assembly of believers.
 
Jesus deliberately intended to form a continuing community of prayer, preaching, and mutual support.  The ekklesia, therefore, is neither a social club nor a political action committee.  It is by definition those called forth by the Son to be discipled by the Spirit for the purpose of living lives that bring glory and honor to the Father.  That is certainly the picture of the church painted in the New Testament.
 
The Church is Holy
“I believe in the holy catholic church.”  The adjective “holy” reinforces the truth that the church consists of those called out by God; to be holy is to be set apart by God for His service.  The church is holy not because of the individual merit of each of its members.  Rather, the church is holy in that it derives its life and substance from the Holy Spirit.
 
Jesus has called the ekklesia, His followers, to live a life worthy of the calling we received.  In other words, to experience every day what it means to be set apart by God for His service.  Sometimes we get it, other we don’t.  Sometimes we do it right, other times we stumble. 
 
The Church is Universal
“I believe in the holy catholic church.”  The Apostles’ Creed also confesses that the church is “catholic,” which simply means “universal.”  With all respect to our brothers and sisters in Christ in the Roman Catholic Church, the word “catholic” here doesn’t refer to a particular denomination.  Rather, it refers to the universal nature of the Church of Jesus Christ. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus commanded us “to go and make disciples of all nations.”
 
Last week we celebrated Pentecost.  Acts chapter gives us a glimpse of the universal nature of the church where we find people literally from the four ends of the earth forming together a community, one body, the church of Jesus Christ.  In Revelation 7:9-10, the Apostle John spoke about the same idea when he wrote, “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.  And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
 
So as I conclude, this is what I want you to remember today, my friends.  Remember that in His grace, God has called you to be a part of His family.  You’re hand-picked by God.  Along with many others, from every nation, tribe, race, and language, you’re set aside by God to be His light where is darkness, to be His love where is hatred; to show compassion where rejection is found.  This is what the ekklesia has been doing for over 2,000 years.  I believe in the holy catholic church.  Amen.

First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012
Sermon Notes (Pentecost Sunday ~ May 31st, 2020)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
Acts 2:1-12 
Today is Pentecost Sunday.  Pentecost is not as well-known or as popular as Christmas and Easter, though it commemorates a watershed event in Christian history.  In many ways, Pentecost is the birthday of the church.  The English word “Pentecost” is a transliteration of the Greek word pentekostos, which means “fifty.”  Fifty days or seven weeks after the resurrection of Jesus, the Holy Spirit was descended or poured out upon Christ’s first followers, thus empowering them for their mission and gathering them together as a church.
 
Today we remember and celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Someone rightly said that the Holy Spirit is the “Forgotten God.”  The Holy Spirit is the God we hardly know.  As you may’ve already noticed, since the beginning of this pandemic, I have delivered numerous sermons from the Apostles’ Creed.  As I said several times, it is one of the most profound creeds and the ancient of all creeds. 
 
The Apostles’ Creed could be easily divided into three main sections.  Each section deals with one Person of the Trinity.  The first section addresses our faith in God the Father Almighty; the second deals with the Doctrine of Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity; and the third section deals with the Holy Spirit, stating simply, “I believe in the Holy Spirit.”
 
Two powerful lines in the Creed are devoted to God, and ten lines are devoted to Jesus Christ.  But as you can see, there is only one line, one phrase, devoted to the Holy Spirit, and that line is not very descriptive — “I believe in the Holy Spirit.”  Though short, this line is packed with truth you and I need today.
 
Any study of the Holy Spirit must begin with this fundamental question.  Who is the Holy Spirit?  So, let me say a few words about this, then I will very briefly share a single thought about the ministry of the Holy Spirit today and how it relates to our lives.
 
Who is the Holy Spirit?
Essential to a Biblical understanding of the Holy Spirit is recognizing the Spirit as a Person.  The Holy Spirit is the 3rd Person of the Trinity.  You may have heard the Holy Spirit referred to as an impersonal power or influence, as an “it.”  This is not true because the Holy Spirit is a person.  He is fully God.  To borrow a phrase from a later creed, He is co-equal, co-eternal to God the Father and God the Son.  He is equal in every way and has always been.  He is as important, as eternal, as powerful and as much a part of the Trinity as the Father and the Son are.
 
The Holy Spirit is God’s active presence in the world.  The first mention of the Holy Spirit is in Genesis 1:2. He is God’s agent of creation.  He hovered over the waters in the beginning.  He is the breath of the Almighty (Hebrew ruach elohim), and as such He is an agent in creation, the breath of God.  He demonstrates power and energy.  The Holy Spirit spoke things into existence, the whole world, the stars, everything visible and invisible. 
 
Not only is the Holy Spirit the agent of creation, He is the agent of the new creation in Christ.  In John chapter 3:5-6, Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.  What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.”  Thus the Holy Spirit is the author of new birth.  The Holy Spirit is God’s active presence in the world.  It’s God showing up in a clear and tangible way, but also sometimes in a mysterious or even miraculous way.
 
“I believe in the Holy Spirit,” the Apostles’ Creed affirms.  What does this mean?  One profound way the work of the Holy Spirit is fundamental to our lives today.
 
First: The Holy Spirit is Our Helper
In John 16:7 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper “paracletos” will not come to you.  But if I go, I will send him to you.”  I know most of our English translations render “Paraclete” as Helper, Comforter, Advocate, or Counselor.  Yet, I feel this doesn’t really capture the depth and complexity of the Greek word.  The Greek word paracletos combines the verb “kaleo,” “to call,” with the proposition “para,” meaning “with, by, or beside.”  A Paraclete, therefore, is someone called alongside.
 
When I think of the Holy Spirit, this is how I primarily think of Him: my 911, and my 24/7 hotline.  The Holy Spirit is God with us, helping and empowering us to live a flourishing life that radiates the goodness of God.  I don’t know about you but I’m constantly aware of my need for divine help.  As my flesh fights for control, it’s the Spirit that steps in and helps me to be who God created me to be.
 
When you are feeling powerless or tired or like your failing at life, you can have confidence as a believer that you're not alone.  You can start each day knowing the Holy Spirit is there to help you.  He is the power that sustains, energizes, and keeps you on a holy path.
 
The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 8:26, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness.”  Reflecting on these words, American Theologian, Thomas Oden (1931-2016), wrote, “There is nothing too subtle or dense for the Spirit to penetrate or too sinful for the Spirit to cleanse or too weary for the Spirit to breathe life into again.  The Spirit strives with us, prays for us, groans with us.”[1]
 
Each time we confess and affirm, “I believe in the Holy Spirit”, we affirm our faith in the Paraclete, God’s personal and powerful presence in our lives today.  Friends, the ministry of the Holy Spirit today reminds us that our God is an active God.  He is still helping, comforting, counseling, guiding, empowering, and reminding us of the truth of God’s Word.  Friends, I don’t think our churches today need more attracting programs, or committees, or even better Ministers.  We may change all these, and still be just the same.  All we want is a fresh outpouring of the Spirit of God.  Psalm 104:30 says, “When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.”  So, come, Holy Spirit, come.  Amen.


[1] Thomas C. Oden, Life in the Spirit: Systematic Theology: vol. 3.  San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1994.