First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street Blackwood, NJ 08012 Sermon Notes (Fourth Sunday of Advent ~ December 19, 2021) Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor “Behold God’s Indescribable Love!” Zephaniah 3:14-17;1 John 3:1-3 Love is one of the greatest motivators in the world. When someone loves you, it gives you hope and strength. And the opposite is true. When you feel unloved or rejected by someone you love, it can be devastating. Humans, being created in the image of God, are designed to give love and to receive it. Although human love is wonderful and essential, God’s love is far greater. It is the most life-changing force in the universe. That’s why the apostle Paul prayed for the believers in Ephesus “to be rooted and grounded in love,” Ephesians 3:17. God’s love is a compelling force for our transformation. I think the late fourth-century early firth-century North African theologian, Augustine of Hippo (354-430), got it right when he said, “Love God and do whatever you please: for the soul trained in love to God will do nothing to offend the One who is Beloved.” When we are rooted and grounded in the love of Chris, our lives will certainly reflect that. LOVE is the theme for this Fourth Sunday of Advent. It’s this unfathomable love of God in Christ. It’s this indescribable love of God to the extent that God takes a human form, comes down from heaven to earth, to redeem the broken humanity and give life to the lifeless. Our Scripture reading from 1 John chapter 3 this morning begins with a command: “Ἴδετε” ~ “Behold.” The Greek verb translated “Behold” literally means “to know factually”, “to see”, “to ponder”, “to inspect”, and “to wonder.” The Apostle John calls us to stare in awesome wonder at the greatness and manner of God’s love for us! “Behold, what great love the Father has lavished on us.” The King James Version renders 1 John 3:1 this way, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us.” The phrase “what manner of” in the original Greek literally means “from what country” or “of what country.” Angelicin theologian John Stott writes: “It is as if the Father’s love is so unearthly, so foreign to this world, that the apostle John wonders what country it may come.” It’s out of this world! God has not merely shown us this love; He has lavished it upon us! He has given it to us generously; beyond any measure. So as we approach the end of our Advent journey this week and as we get ready to celebrate the tangible love of God in Christ, I want to underscore one quick observation for us this morning and it has to do with the security we find in God’s love. First: There is Security in God’s Love There is so much comfort in God’s love. There is security knowing that God loves us no matter what. As we stare in awesome wonder at the greatness and manner of God’s love for us we find our true refuge. When we know there is nothing we can do to earn God’s love and there is nothing we could possibly do that might make us lose it, there is a sense of security that settles into our souls, a confidence that no one can take away. Advent is an invitation to behold, to ponder anew the love of God reveled to us in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ. I believe there is a deeper level of truth to ponder here. “Behold, what love the Father has given us.” One day the British preacher Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892) was walking through the English countryside with a friend. As they strolled along, Spurgeon noticed a barn with a weathervane on its roof. At the top of the vane were these words: GOD IS LOVE. Spurgeon remarked to his friend that he thought this was a rather inappropriate place for such a message. “Weathervanes are changeable,” he said, “but God’s love is constant.” “I don’t agree with you about those words, Charles,” replied his friend. “I think you misunderstood the meaning. That sign is indicating a truth: Regardless of which way the wind blows, God is love.” Friends, “Regardless of which way the wind blows, God is love.” So whether everything is perfect in my life right now or it’s a mess, I know I am loved by my Lord and savior. If I have too much or too little, in Christ we are assured of God’s love. Whether I am healthy or sick, I am still the subject of God’s love. It doesn’t really matter what the world calls us or thinks of us; I want you to know today that you are a child of God! God is your Heavenly Father and He loves you! And because He loves us, He makes us share in His divine nature! That is who we are! What an awesome privilege and what a great responsibility as well! This is unusual, indescribable love. It’s through His love, as the Prophet Zephaniah said, that we will find our peace and hope. “With His love, He will calm all your fears,” says Zephaniah 3:17. “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear” 1 John 4:18. In the Name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!
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First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street Blackwood, NJ 08012 Sermon Notes (Third Sunday of Advent ~ December 12, 2021) Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor “Yet, I Will Rejoice in the Lord!” Habakkuk 3:17-19; John 15:9-12 As you can tell, our worship this morning is centered around the theme of joy and where to find it. The season of Advent takes us from hope to peace and this week to joy. Real joy can sometimes seem to be in short supply. Often times, we all experience disappointment, discouragement, and pain. Every day I get to see God’s children and the cry in their heart is, “You don’t know what I’m going through, Pastor! I’ve got my hands full.” How can someone be joyful when their marriage is falling apart? How can someone be joyful when their health is declining? How can someone be joyful when their finances are drying up? How can someone be joyful when they grieve the loss of a spouse, a child, a parent, or a good friend? How can someone be joyful when they are so lonely? There is not as much joy in our world today as we would like. Too many broken and unhappy people walk down our streets today. Our two Scripture lessons for this Third Sunday of Advent help us to capture the spirit of true and genuine joy. Let’s see where Habakkuk found joy and what did Jesus have to say about joy. First: Habakkuk and Leaning on God’s Strength The Prophet Habakkuk wrote about 20 years before Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC. Quite possibly, Habakkuk was alive to see that destruction – he may have been killed in the battle, or he may have starved during the siege; he may have lived through it. We don’t know. But we do know that he experienced all the terrors of that time. King Nebuchadnezzer of Babylon surrounded the city and besieged it for two years, starving the people into submission. Eventually the King of Judah and his army tried to escape through a hole in the wall at night, but they were caught and slaughtered. The Babylonian army then entered the city, looting, murdering, plundering, and destroying everything. Families were separated; economy was destroyed; crops didn’t yield anything; all livestock, sheep and cows are dead. In Habakkuk 3:17-19, we get a glimpse of the economic situation of the nation and Habakkuk’s response, “17 Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines; though the produce of the olive fails, and the fields yield no food; though the flock is cut off from the fold, and there is no herd in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the God of my salvation. 19 God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, and makes me tread upon the heights.” How can someone rejoice in the Lord in the midst of destruction, homelessness, and starvation? “ Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the God of my salvation.” Habakkuk says God will carry us through whatever hardships and troubles we will have to face. He will keep us afloat. He will keep your head above water. “God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, and makes me tread upon the heights,” says Habakkuk 3:19. Like that deer, God will make us tread upon the heights. God designed the feet of deer for climbing. They don’t slip. They don’t fall. The point here is not the power of the deer, but the design of the deer’s foot. God is our strength. Second: Abide and Remain in Christ John 15 begins with Jesus addressing His disciples just before being arrested, falsely tried, beaten, mocked and crucified. The disciples were frightened. In just a few hours, their life will be turned upside down. Where can the disciples find joy as they face the unknown? The advice of Christ to His disciples in the face of the unknown was: remain in me. Abide in me. Then looking to the vineyards around them, Jesus gives His disciple an example of what it means to abide in Him. “I am the vine; you are the branches. Remain in me,” Jesus says in John 15:5. As Jesus concludes this part of His speech, He said these words in John 15:11, “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” Jesus desired that we have His joy and that it might remain in us. Jesus was not talking about the giggly moments that come to all people in life, but was speaking of a joy that transcends the events of life and the world – a heavenly, divine, continuing joy! It’s a joy that no one could take away from them and nothing could rob it. That is exactly what God intends for us, for we too are His disciples. Friends, God does not promise us nights without sorrow, days without pain or times without hardship; however, He does promise us songs in the night. He promises never to leave us without His presence, and never to leave us without His overcoming Spirit. Lift up your hearts, be filled with His joy. Let your weeping be turned into laughter, and your heavy heart be filled with heavenly joy this morning. That is the will of God for you and for me. Over 300 years ago, Isaac Watts, an English Pastor, hymn writer, and theologian, composed his masterpiece, “Joy to the World.” The original words read like this: “Joy to the world, the Lord is come.” It always sounds grammatically incorrect. Shouldn’t it be, “The Lord has come?” But I like the original present tense The Lord is come. I think Pastor Watts meant it that way. Christ’s coming to the world was not a one-time event 2000 years ago. Christ comes into the world, into your life in this very moment. Right now Christ is as close to you as your very breathing and that in itself is enough to give us joy. 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 (Second Sunday of Advent, December 5, 2021) Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor “Yahweh Shalom: The Lord Is Peace!” Isaiah 11:1-11; Romans 15:33 “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” With this hope-filled statement, the Prophet Isaiah introduced to the nation of Israel and to us the Peaceful Kingdom of Christ. Peace will be a mark of the reign of the Messiah, Isaiah would tell us today. There is restlessness in the world today – caused by many different problems. Yet, as Christ’s followers, we are grateful today to know that peace is a mark of Christ’s Kingdom. On this Second Sunday of Advent, we get to reflect on God’s shalom, God’s peace. In chapter 11, the Prophet Isaiah envisioned this peaceful kingdom where all God’s creation lives in harmony. Predators will no longer be hunting, but communing side by side with their former prey. A child, the most vulnerable and powerless member of society, will be leading God’s creatures. Carnivores will be grazing on grass; snakes will not bite the unsuspecting hand of a child at play. Just listening to Isaiah’s words bring a sense of peace and comfort. As we reflect on this Peaceful Kingdom, this Kingdom of Shalom, please allow me to briefly make a couple observations on this Second Sunday of Advent: First: The Source of our Peace We assume we would have peace if we had: a decent salary a year per person; a nice home for every human being. We assume we would have peace if there were no sickness or disease; if we have plenty of food and water for everyone! These things are not unimportant! In fact, God expects us to try and make many of these things a reality, but the truth is that these things won’t bring peace. How do we attain peace? Where do we find it? The Prophet Isaiah points to the source of our ultimate peace. He points to a leader whose rule will bring this peaceful kingdom to fruition—the one on whom “The spirit of the Lord shall rest … the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth.” This Messiah’s rule will bring true peace. Although we know the sinful world refused the reign and the kingship of Christ, we, His followers in the world, call Him Lord and Savior. Therefore, no matter what happens, we can always experience His shalom, His peace. We can experience that deep sense of restoration, wholeness, and healing in our individual lives, our community and our world. This peace comes from beyond our human capability. “For He Himself is our peace,” says the apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:14. Christ is the foundation of our peace and we will be frustrated constantly when we look for it elsewhere. Our shalom is found in God not in goods. Second: The Humble Beginning of God’s Peaceful Kingdom “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” This is how God’s peaceful kingdom gets its start. The transformation of creation, the reversal of violence and fear and destruction comes from a stump. Yes, a stump. Now, it doesn’t take an expert to know that stumps are what’s left when trees are cut down. And while it is possible for new growth to occur from a stump, it is the exception and not the rule. More often than not, stumps stand as remnants of the life and growth that was once present but is no longer, the life and growth that was decisively cut off. Satan thought that he has stolen the peace from humanity forever, but here comes “A shoot out from the stump of Jesse.” Here comes Jesus of Nazareth, full God and full human, and He defeats Satan on Calvary. Satan thought that he holds the destiny of humanity in his hands, but here comes Jesus and reverse this. Jesus is the shoot that came out of the stump of Jesse. He is the one who will bring about shalom for all creation. The peaceful Kingdom gets its start in our lives when this shoot is planted and grows in our hearts. “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” As we encounter Isaiah’s vision this morning, we are invited to rethink our relationship with that stump. We are also invited to think about the other stumps in our lives. Where are the stumps in your life? Where are the places where you feel cut off, even dead? Where are the places in your life in need of God’s shalom? Where are the broken places in need of strength? Where are the hurting places in need of balm? Where are the rips and tears in need of mending? Where are the stumps in our community? Where are the stumps in our world? The good news of the gospel is that God is at work even here, even in the stumps, bringing new life to the places where we only see death, where we only see what is cut off, where we only see what once was and is no longer. God is at work even here, bringing shalom one shoot at a time. So as we journey together this Advent, may we see these shoots of new life in our midst. May we carry the burden of peace realized, and all of the experiences in between. May we do so with our lives ready to welcome in God’s shalom, and with our hands and feet ready to join in bringing it here just a little bit sooner. May “The God of peace be with you all. Amen” Romans 15:33. |
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