​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (Sunday, July 25, 2021)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“Tabitha: A Disciple from Joppa!”
Acts 9:36-43
 
The more I read the book of Acts, the more I come to the conclusion that God, our God, is able to use ordinary people, people like me and you, to do extraordinary things in the world.  This has been the theme that we all got to see in the book of Acts so far.  This theme reminds me of what the apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:7, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”  Precious treasures are kept in jars of clay.  This theme, this pattern, is repeated over and over again in Acts.  We saw it when we looked at the life of Stephen, Philip, and Ananias.  It’s not about us, it’s all about God’s power working in us.
 
Our journey in Acts takes us today to the city of Joppa, known today as Jaffa, an ancient seaport on the Mediterranean south of Tel Aviv in Israel.  In Joppa, we get to meet our hero for today; a disciple named Tabitha.  Listen to what Luke says in Acts 9:36, “Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas.”  Tabitha is a Hebrew name that means “gazelle” or “deer.”
 
The story of Tabitha is a reminder that God works in a variety of ways and that our life has a purpose.  I feel that we are tempted today to look at the great figures of Scriptures and see what they’ve accomplished and think that our lives are insignificant.  Who are we in the light of such great people?  Who are we in light of David, Moses, Paul, or Peter?  God may not call us to preach to thousands or to plant churches, but that doesn’t mean that we have no purpose.
 
The life of Tabitha is a reminder that there are a variety of ways in which we can participate in God’s redemptive plan and make an impact in the world that lasts for eternity.  So let’s look at the life of Tabitha this morning and see what she did and the effects of what she did.  Two things stand out to me as I reflect on the life of Tabitha:
 
First: Everyone Has a Role to Play
The life of Tabitha reminds us that everyone has a role to play in God’s Kingdom.  It doesn’t really matter whether that role is big or small.  Each one of us is given a certain gift or a talent.  Those talents are not meant to be kept for ourselves.  We are to use them to grow the kingdom of Christ.
 
Tabitha was one amazing lady who used her talent to serve those around her.  This is what Luke says about her in Acts 9:36, “She was devoted to good works and acts of charity.”  Luke even gives us a more specific details in verse 39 about how she used her talent to help the least.  He tells us that when she died, the widows in Joppa were weeping bitterly and showed Peter the tunics, garments, and other closing which Dorcas had made while she was with them.
 
When I was a little boy, I used to see a group of women who belonged to the Presbyterian Church I grew up in.  They called themselves, “Tabitha’s Group.”  They would meet weekly for a couple or three hours knitting, sewing, and crocheting.  Then, a couple times a year, they would collect all their work, bring it on a Sunday morning and place it on the stage so that the Pastor and the congregation pray over their finished stuff before they donate it to a local orphanage.  I didn’t know back then why they called themselves, “Tabitha’s Group” and why they did what they did.  To tell you the truth, I though this is a group of elderly women who got time in their hands and got nothing else to do.  I was wrong.  When I grew up, I got to know that they intentionally did all this knitting, sewing, and crocheting, hours and hours of work, to share the love of Jesus with the children in that orphanage.  God knew that they were doing an amazing thing and they were impacting the lives of those children.  That’s what they could do.
 
We may not do everything, but we can do something.  That’s the part Tabitha chose.  There might be so many things that you can’t do, but choose to do the things you can do.  Don’t belittle the little things that you can complete because in many cases, it is the small things that occupy the biggest part in people’s hearts.  Everyone has a role to play.
 
Second: Leave a Legacy Worth Remembering
Tabitha made a legacy worth remembering.  In fact, her legacy was so amazing that her example is put before us today two thousand years later.
 
We must strive to live a life that is worthy of our calling.  We don’t simply live for ourselves; we are called to live for God and others.  And that’s exactly what Tabitha did here.  We don’t read anything Tabitha said in Acts.  She was a woman who translated her faith into actions.  That’s why when she died, all the “widows stood by [Peter] weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them” (Acts 9:39).
 
It’s a great tragedy when people die, and no one misses them.  No one cries for them.  No one grieves for their absence.  It’s quite a tragedy and it only means that they haven’t lived a life worth remembering.  Tabitha was missed by everyone in Joppa especially those poor widows.
 
How about you and me?  When it’s our time to depart this earth, how would people remember us?  Will they remember a loving, caring, and kind person?  Or we will go forgotten.  I hope when we leave our physical life, what remains would be stories of how we made a difference in people’s lives.  Some people are gone, but they will never be forgotten.
 
Friends, as you can see, everyone has a role to play in the Messiah’s Kingdom.  You may not be talented in sewing, but I’m sure that you have something to contribute.  All you have to do is look into yourself, have a talk with your savior, and see what you can contribute to the work of God.  Start with something small; something you can do.  Little is known about Tabitha.  Her reputation, her legacy, was made from something as simple as sewing clothing for the poor.  It seems this was her one talent.  Not particularly remarkable you might think. and yet Tabitha touched many lives.  It was out of gratitude for Jesus that she dedicated her one gift to Jesus.  She could sew and so she sewed to the best of her ability.  She was sewing for Jesus.  True faith expresses itself in deeds not words.  What will your legacy be?  Amen.

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (Sunday, July 18, 2021)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“A Disciple Named Ananias!”
Acts 9:10-19
 
Acts chapter 9 is usually described as the account of Saul’s conversion.  It’s a turning point for Saul of Tarsus, who became the Apostle Paul, the greatest missionary, evangelist, and church planter in the history of Christianity and the author of much of the New Testament.  There is, however, another character that is often overlooked in Acts chapter 9, a disciple named Ananias.  In the shadow of Paul’s encounter with Jesus of Nazareth on the road to Damascus, there is another person that is worthy of our attention today and that is what I would like to do this morning.
 
Who was Ananias?Ananias!  Who was Ananias and what role did he play in Acts 9?  There are three Ananias’s in the New Testament.  The first is found in Acts 5.  It was he who conspired with his wife, Sapphira, to sell a piece of property and lie to the apostles, and to the Holy Spirit, about laying the entire price at the apostles’ feet while withholding a portion of that price for themselves.  There is also another Ananias that was the High Priest when Paul appeared before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem in Acts chapters 23 and 24.
 
The third Ananias is the disciple of Christ we get to meet here in Acts chapter 9.  Luke introduces Ananias this way in Acts 9:10-11, “Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias.  The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.”  He answered, “Here I am, Lord.”  The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul.”
 
Needless to say, Ananias was a little nervous about the situation.  In fact, he was very edgy about it.  He was being sent to an enemy.  Ananias was supposed to go to visit a man who had done so much harm to the Lord’s people; a man obsessed with destroying the church.  It was going to take some moral strength and courage to do the task he was assigned to do. 
 
As we examine Ananias’ life this morning, I think we are encouraged to consider two things.  Two ways the life of this disciple can be an encouragement to all of us.
 
First: The Different Calling of Ananias
When God calls us to follow Him, He calls us for a specific task, a certain mission.  As we continue to follow the Lord, we get to know our part in expanding the kingdom of God.  We get to know our mission.  That mission doesn’t have to be giant.  It doesn’t have to be across the ocean; it could be across the street.  In people’s eyes, your mission might seem small and insignificant, but in God’s eyes, it’s as important and essential as any big ministry.
 
Ananias had a different calling.  We are not all called to be Paul.  We aren’t all going to be the one out front, the one leading the crowd, the one who is recognized for their impact.  But all of us are called to be Ananias.  As we live and move as Christ’s followers in the world, we are meant to push back the darkness and bring the light of Christ one interaction at a time.  We are meant to be looking – and looking with expectation – for where the sovereign hand of God is positioning us.
 
Most of us know and love the hymn, “There is a Balm in Gilead.”  It’s a beautiful 19th century African American Spiritual.  The third stanza states, “If you cannot preach like Peter, if you cannot pray like Paul, you can tell the love of Jesus, who died to save us all.”  Not everyone can be Paul, but everyone can be Ananias. 
 
Second: Service is at the Heart of our Calling
Ananias was ready to serve.  Service is at the heart of our calling.  Listen one more time to Acts 9:10, “Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias.  The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.”  He answered, “Here I am, Lord.”   
           
            His answer when the Lord called was, “Here I am, Lord.”  Ananias’ response was so open hearted.  This is the typical response of followers of Christ when opportunity knocks.  We recall the same attitude in 1 Samuel 3:10 “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening,” said young Samuel.  We remember the Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 6:8, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”  And I said, “Here am I.  Send me!”  We remember Father Abraham.  The author of Hebrews says these great words in Hebrews 11:8, “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”  Ananias was ready to serve in any way.  How ready are we when life presents its opportunities to serve the Lord?
 
This doesn’t mean that we will not be wrestling with our calling.  In fact, it’s normal to do so.  All of God’s people wrestled with their callings.  Some of them didn’t see themselves qualified or capable of the task; others didn’t feel worthy; and others simply didn’t have time.  Often times, we try to find an excuse when God calls.  Ananias was no exception.  In Acts 9:13-14, we read, “But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.”  This was a valid and realistic concern, but not a refusal to obey.  In our walk with God, we come to this point of surrender just because God said so.
 
Friends, may we never underestimate our role and our contributions to God’s Kingdom.  I cannot imagine Paul’s introduction to the Church of Christ and the body of believers in Damascus without Ananias’ help.  As simple as it was, it was crucial.  Ananias had no idea what he was helping to unleash upon the world in this new convert who would now be known as Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus! In Acts 9:19-20 Luke tells us, “For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” 
 
You may never know the effect you have had on others by your courage, faith, example, and work.  We may never know how much impact we may have on others as we follow where Christ leads.  Therefore, brothers and sisters, get your feet wet; get busy.  Let’s seize every opportunity to serve God and others.  Be like Ananias.  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, July 4, 2021)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“On the Road to Damascus!”
Acts 9:1-9
 
            We continue this morning our summer sermon series in the book of Acts.  Our journey today brings us face to face with one of the most wonderful and faithful followers of Jesus; a man who played an important role in spreading the message of Jesus.  In our text today, we meet Saul of Tarsus, a man whose life was dramatically changed by encountering Jesus of Nazareth.
 
Before we dive in, I think a brief background about Saul of Tarsus would be helpful at this point.  As you may know, this is not the first time we meet Saul of Tarsus.  He is mentioned a couple times in Acts chapter 7 and Acts 8 prior to his major encounter with the Lord in Acts 9.  So, who was Saul of Tarsus?
 
Who was Saul of Tarsus?
            Saul was likely born between the years of 5 BC and 5 AD.  The Book of Acts indicates that Saul was a Roman citizen by birth.  He belonged to a devout Jewish family based in the city of Tarsus, one of the large centers of trade on the Mediterranean coast and well-known for its university.  It was in Tarsus that young Saul studied under Rabbi Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the Jewish Law (Acts 22:3).
 
As a Pharisee, young Saul was a zealous follower of the Jewish faith, and he had it fixed in his mind that anyone who wasn’t for his Jewish beliefs was against them, including of course those who were claiming that Jesus was the Messiah.  Saul was so fervent in his faith that he was willing to travel a week’s journey, all the way to Damascus, to arrest more Christians and make sure this dangerous fringe movement didn’t undermine the heritage of his ancestors. 
 
            The story of Saul of Tarsus is the story of God’s amazing grace.  In Saul’s transformation, we find many layers of hope and promise for us today.  So as we think about Saul’s encounter with Jesus of Nazareth on the road to Damascus, I am reminded today of two great and encouraging lessons:
 
First: No One is Outside of God’s Reach
            No one is outside of God’s reach.  No one is beyond the grace of God.  Paul spent a good part of his life as a Pharisee.  In Acts 9:1, Luke tells us that Saul was “breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord.”  This likely involved going to synagogues and encouraging the punishment of Jews who had accepted Jesus as the Messiah.  In the case of Stephen, Saul held the crowd’s coats as they stoned Stephen to death.  Luke even tells us in Acts 8:1 that Saul approved Stephen's death.  Saul spearheaded lots of violence against the church.
 
Saul of Tarsus didn’t feel he was doing enough to stop the spread of Christianity, so he went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, over 200 miles away, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 
 
Yet, on his way to Damascus one day, Saul had an experience that changed everything.  He encountered the Lord Jesus Himself.  Acts 9:3-5 state, “Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.  He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”  He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”
 
            This experience set Saul of Tarsus on an entirely new journey, new trajectory.  He went from being someone who persecuted the church to someone willing to be persecuted for the church.  Over the course of his ministry, Paul suffered and endured flogging, beating with rods, stoning, imprisonment, shipwrecks, hunger, cold, and sleeplessness.  In the end, Paul would give his life for the gospel.  The first reminder from Paul’s story is that no one is outside of God’s reach.  No one is beyond God’s grace.  Therefore, we should never give up on anyone.  We should never give up on our nation.
 
Second: Our Achievements Don’t Define Us
            Our achievements don’t and shouldn’t define us.  Most of the people Jesus chose as disciples were simple blue-collar workers.  They weren’t well known for their accomplishments and achievements.  But then along comes this brilliant young man, Saul of Tarsus.  Saul was an educated and disciplined Pharisee.  He studies philosophy, religion, and was a great speaker.  From a human perspective, he did so much for the faith of his ancestors.
 
            But how did Paul feel about those achievements after finding Christ?  What did he tell us?  Listen to what Paul says in Philippians 3:4-9, “If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.  But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.”  In the light of Christ, Paul realized that all of his accomplishments paled in comparison to being reconciled to Christ. 
 
Friends, God has so much in store for us.  He did for Paul and He does for us.  Paul became one of the greatest messengers of Christ because his life was transformed by the grace of God in Christ.  So as we come to the Lord’s Table today, may we always remember that no one is outside of God’s reach; no one is beyond the grace of God.  May we also remember that our achievements don’t define us because we are defined by God’s grace and love shown to us in the Person of Jesus Christ.  In the Name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen!