First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood                          
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sunday Sermon Notes (January 19th, 2020)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor  

​Many years ago, the Lord sent my way a young man whose life was a mess, to say the least; literally, this young man’s life was falling apart.  We met regularly and he called me frequently.  I felt so bad for the young man and wanted to help him.  Though he professed to believe in Christ, and said that he wanted to follow Jesus, he had no idea of what that meant.  On one occasion, I described in detail what a daily walk with Christ looks like.  I explained what a daily time in God’s Word and prayer was like, what obedience to the Bible means, and how to think and live like a Christian.
 
When I was done, I asked him, “Have you ever done anything close to what I’ve just described?”  He said, “Yeah, I did that once for two weeks, but, Pastor, it didn’t work.”  He thought that he had given it a fair try in two weeks!  I explained to him that the Christian faith isn’t a two-week sprint; rather, it’s a lifelong marathon.  The Christian life is a lifelong, exhausting race that entails some long hills to climb and some swampy marshes to plod through.  To make it to the end, we need to consider some very important factors.
 
No one gets to win a marathon by chance.  There must be self-discipline, commitment, and dedication behind finishing well in any race, including our spiritual race.  We have been talking about those ingredients, those motivations, of running the Christian race.
 
Focusing on the Wrong Object
Last Sunday we talked about the danger of focusing on the wrong object; the danger of looking at the wrong direction.  Our attention can be so focused on the challenges surrounding us that we fail to see the available resources that are so vital to our spiritual well-being.  Last week we looked at the story of the Prophet Elisha and Ben-hadad, the King of Syria, from 2 Kings chapter 6.
 
Ben-hadad wanted to get ride of Elisha because Elisha spoiled all Ben-hadad plans against Israel.  The Syrian King wanted to capture the Prophet Elisha, so he sent a detachment of soldiers by night to take the man of God captive.  One morning, the servant of Elisha got up and went out early and he saw an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city.  The town was completely surrounded by the enemy.  To Elisha’s helper, the situation seemed hopeless.  He cried out, “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” 
 
Elisha answered, “Don’t be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”  In 2 Kings 6:17, we read that Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.”  Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”  “The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world,” 1 John 4:4.
 
Two short observations this morning as we revisit Hebrews chapter 12.  “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.”
First: God Sets the Course of our Race
If you’re running a marathon, you can’t make up your own course.  If you stray from the course, you’ll be disqualified.  I like the words of Hebrews 12:1, “let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.”  “The race that is set before us” ~ God is the Sovereign One who sets the course for each of us, just as He set the course of the cross for Jesus.
 
To finish the Christian marathon, it’s important to keep in mind at all times that the Sovereign God sets the course.  Nothing can happen without God’s permission.  Nothing happens out of God’s good will toward His children.  You may not like parts of the course. You may be prone to grumble, “Why did the course have to go over this hill, or through this swamp?”  The answer is, “Because the Sovereign God planned it this way.”  You won’t be able to run by faith unless you submit your will to God’s will.
 
Second: We Run with a Team
One of the great motivations of running the Christian race is we run with a team.  We must always remember that we are part of a family that cheers for us.  There is so great a cloud of witnesses encourages us to keep running.  The opening phrase of Hebrews 12:1 refers back to Hebrews chapter 11.  All of the Old Testament saints, who endured all sorts of trials by faith, should encourage us to keep running when we feel like quitting.  The word cloud was a classical Greek metaphor for a large multitude. 
 
What the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews is simply saying here is that the saints who have gone before us are calling out to us by their examples of faith, “Keep going, I made it and you can, too!  I know it’s hard, but the reward is worth it!  Don’t quit!  The finish line is not too far ahead!”
 
We look out into the so great a cloud of witnesses and realize that every one of them finished the race, and we are reminded, “It can be done. It can be done.”  Those saints are witnesses to God’s deeds, witnesses of Jesus’ power, and witnesses of the faith which only the Holy Spirit can inspire and sustain.
 
We can look at them and see examples of faith and perseverance under every imaginable circumstance: there's David who committed adultery and murder, and he finished; there's John Mark the quitter, who ran when Jesus was arrested, and he finished; there’s Mary the prostitute, and she finished; there’s Job who suffered so much, and he finished; there’s Stephen who was hated and stoned, and he finished.
 
Perhaps you could name some other witnesses that have inspired you.  Maybe you can picture them now.  You witnessed how they ran.  You saw how they finished.  You know that they have received their reward.  And so we can look at them and say “Well, by the power, faith, and grace that got them through, I’m going to finish too!” 
 
Friends, Hebrews 12:1 is a wake-up call to see our life as a race and to run it with passion and zeal, with energy and discipline.  The author of Hebrews wants us to get serious about the race again, to test ourselves to see if we are running or lounging on the couch. I am not saying that running is an easy work.  The race can be long.  The journey can be difficult.  The road can be treacherous.  So how can we finish successfully?  Here is the secret: Look back to the witnesses; Look forward to the joy; and Look up to Jesus.  Amen.

First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood                          
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sunday Sermon Notes (January 12th, 2020)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor  

​2 Kings 6:8-23; Hebrews 12:1-3
 
“Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,” says the author of the Letter to the Hebrews 12:1.  In Hebrews 12, the Christian life is compared to a race.  It’s a marathon.  That name, marathon, comes from the decisive 490 BC Battle of Marathon, where the Greeks fought the Persians.  If the Persians had conquered, the glory that was Greece never would have been known.  Against fearful odds, the Greeks won the battle.  A Greek soldier ran all the way, day and night, to Athens with the good news. He ran straight to the magistrates and gasped, “Rejoice, we have conquered!” Then he dropped dead.  He had completed his mission and done his work.[1]
 
It is significant that when Paul wrote his final letter to Timothy, he did not report on how many he had won to Christ, how many churches he had planted, or how many evangelistic campaigns he had conducted. He said simply in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.”  He fought and he finished—he endured!  If you want to join his ranks, take time often to consider Jesus.
 
Fixing our Eyes on Jesus
Every year I try to set a theme, a broader topic, for my teaching and preaching delivered from this pulpit every Sunday.  The theme I chose for 2020 is “Fixing our Eyes on Jesus.”  This is a theme that runs through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and it is so central to Biblical Christianity.  This year, we will be exploring some key Scripture passages that address this topic, then drawing some important implications for our life, our ministry, and our spiritual journey.  Last Sunday, we just scratched the surface of this topic as I shared with you some introductory observations.
 
Last week we asked the question: Why fixing our eyes and thoughts on Jesus is an important topic?  Because we live in a very distracted culture.  We are so distracted.  There’s so much going on in our lives.  We get pulled or pushed in a hundred directions, therefore, fixing our eyes and thoughts on Jesus is crucial.
 
But there is another reason for focusing on this topic this year.  It’s our all-time temptation.  We are tempted to rely on other things than Jesus; to fix our eyes and thoughts, to build our lives on the shifting sands of this world.  In the case of the Hebrew Christians, they relied on their religious heritage.  Yes, they converted to Christianity, but they also carried with them too much Judaism, too much rituals.  In other words, they focused on the wrong object.
 
Focusing on the Wrong Object
Do you ever have trouble locating something that is right in front of you?  Sometimes I have that problem when I am searching for a particular item in the pantry at our house.  My wife, Margaret, will assure me that the can of soup I am looking for is there.  I scan the shelves, move things around, and check the shelves again and again.  Finally, I call to Margaret, “I don’t think it is here . . .”  Typically, she will walk to the shelf and put her hand right on that can of soup!  My response is usually something along the lines of, “Oh, there it is!”  I simply had not focused on the right object, even though it was plainly visible.
 
The same problem can occur when it comes to our spiritual lives.  Our attention can be so focused on the challenges surrounding us that we fail to see the available resources that are so vital to our spiritual well-being. 
 
We find an example of that in an account found in 2 Kings 6.  The country of Syria was at war with Israel.  However, each time Ben-hadad, the King of Syria, planned a raid or an ambush, God revealed the king’s plans to Elisha the prophet.  And then Elisha gave that military information to the King of Israel.  This thwarted the King of Syria’s plans—not once or twice, but multiple times.  Eventually, Ben-hadad figured there must be a spy in his midst who was relaying information from his war council straight to the enemy, and he demanded to know who the guilty party was.  One of his servants responded that none of them were betraying his trust, but that the prophet Elisha was telling Israel’s King of Ben-hadad’s plans, even those that were discussed secretly.
 
In 2 Kings 6:13, Ben-hadad commanded, “Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him.”  He was told that Elisha was in Dothan, so he sent a band of soldiers there with horses and chariots to capture the prophet.  Since God was revealing military information to Elisha, wouldn’t Elisha be aware of Ben-hadad’s intention to capture him, just as he was aware of the king’s military moves?  But that did not seem to occur to Ben-hadad, so he sent a detachment of soldiers by night to take the man of God captive.
 
2 Kings 6:15 states, “When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city.”  The town was completely surrounded by the enemy.  To this young man, the situation seemed hopeless.  He cried out, “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?”  While the prophet understood his servant’s concern, he answered, “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”  What a classic response of trust and confidence in God!  Then in 2 Kings 6:17, we read that Elisha prayed, and said, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.”  Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”
 
Has the Lord ever helped you get your focus directed to the right place?  Perhaps you faced a time when you were surrounded by “enemy soldiers”—problems and trials that seemed threatening in the extreme.  Then, just when it seemed there was no hope, the Lord came down and opened your spiritual understanding.  In a moment you no longer focused on the problems. Instead, you saw the “horses and chariots of fire” that were surrounding you, and you realized that God was in control!
 
This morning, we also ordained, installed, and commissioned our Church Officers, the Elders, Deacons, and Trustees who will be carrying out the mission and vision of this congregation.  As your Pastor, I am praying for you today Elisha’s prayer, “Open their eyes, Lord, so that they may see.”  May God open your eyes to see not the challenges, by the opportunities, not the power of our enemies, but the strength and might of our Lord.  Amen.
 


[1] William Barclay, The Letters to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon (Louisville: Westminster Knox Press, 1957), 210-211.

First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood                          
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sunday Sermon Notes (January 5th, 2020)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor  

​Focus has become more and more an important to me this year.  There are somethings that need to be just the right distance for my eyes to read.  You see – demonstration holding the bulletin.  Some of you who may be older than me know what I am talking about; some of you who are younger than me may say, “What do you mean?”  I thought if your eyes work, they always work.  Right?  No.  Focus is not always easy.  Just imagine you’re at a concert or attending a worship service at a church and you’ve got one program or bulletin that you’re sharing with the person next to you whom you love very much.  What happens is that person needs the program a certain distance to be able to read it, but you need the program a certain other distance to be able to read it.  I feel we need the help of a team from the Hubble Telescope to run the calculations and find where these things can intersect.  Focus can be a great challenge.
 
Every year I try to set a theme, a broader topic, for my teaching and preaching delivered from this pulpit every Sunday.  “Going Deep” and making roots was the theme for 2019.  It was a need that I felt not only for those of us who are new to the Christian faith, but also for those who have been Christians for a long time.  Whether you belong to this group or that group, God is calling us to go deep and experience the Lord in fresh and new ways.
 
The theme I chose for 2020 is “Fixing our Eyes on Jesus.”  This is a theme that runs through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and it is so central to Biblical Christianity.  This year, we will be exploring some key Scripture passages that address this topic, then drawing some important implications for our life, our ministry, and our spiritual journey.  Today I want to just scratch the surface of this topic as I share with you some introductory observations.
 
First: Why Fixing our Eyes on Jesus?
Why fixing our eyes and thoughts on Jesus is an important topic?  Because we live in a very distracted culture.  Let me ask you a simple question?  What is on your mind today as you sit here in church?  As much as I’d like to think that your mind is totally focused on hearing God’s Word and singing God’s praises, I know better, because I know my mind isn’t always totally focused on these things when I sit in church. Distractions around that seem to abound.  
 
There’s so much going on in our lives.  Busy days.  Crazy schedules.  Everything going on in the lives of our children.  Bills that need to get paid.  Health issues.  Things we need to do around the house.  Deadlines we face at work or the frustration of being without work.  What are we going to do this afternoon or evening?  What are we going to have for lunch or dinner?  We are so distracted, and we are torn apart by many things.  We get pulled or pushed in a hundred directions, therefore, fixing our eyes and thoughts on Jesus is crucial.
 
Second: The Temptation to Rely on other Things than Jesus
I believe humanity’s all-time temptation is to rely on other things than Jesus; to fix our eyes and thoughts, to build our lives on the shifting sands of this world.  Twice in the Letter to the Hebrews, the writer exhorts Christians from a Jewish background to fix their eyes on Jesus.  In Hebrews 3:1 we read, “Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest.”  Also, in Hebrews 12:1-2 we read, “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”
 
This exhortation carried a special significance to the Hebrew Christians back then.  Yes, they converted to Christianity, but they also carried with them too much Judaism.  Yes, they accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, but they had a hard time trying to get rid of the rituals and the shadows of the Old Covenant.  
 
This year, we are challenged to fix our eyes and thoughts on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.  The word “fix” comes from a Greek word “katanoeô” that has the idea of concentrating your gaze.  It means to look away from other things so that you can focus all your attention on one object.  It is the picture of a lost child walking alone down a carnival midway, enthralled by the lights and sounds and smells.  The child’s eyes flit this way and that.  The child doesn’t even realize that he or she is in danger.  Suddenly through the din, the child hears his or her mother’s voice.  Looking up, the child sees the mother calling for him or her to come.  With the child’s eyes now fixed on the mother, he or she walks straight ahead, ignoring everything else.  Soon the child is safe by the mom’s side. 
 
In the same way a coach will tell the runners, “When the gun sounds, start running as hard as you can. Don’t look back.  Don’t look around.  Keep your eyes on the finish line and keep on running.”  What fills your gaze? Is it Jesus or something else?
 
As you think about your life at the beginning of a year, that’s a good way to begin fixing your eyes and thoughts on Jesus.  This would be a time for you to begin to pull in the loose ends. 
The twentieth-century British Pastor D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) said, “If we only spent more of our time in looking at Christ, we should soon forget ourselves.” Fixing our eyes on Christ is the first step and the entire path of the Christian life. We don’t look to Christ in faith to be saved and then look to ourselves to persevere. We trust Christ alone as our Savior and look to Christ alone and follow Him as our Lord.
 
Friends, we’re called neither to fix our eyes on ourselves nor to fix our eyes on our own sins that entangle themselves around our ankles.  We’re called to run with endurance by looking to Jesus, who is the author and perfecter of our faith.  We are united to Christ and are made able and willing to turn our eyes upon Jesus — away from ourselves — so that by looking to Him, we are motivated to joyful, cross-bearing obedience as we “walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him.
When we take our eyes off our Lord and set our eyes on ourselves, the Christian life becomes not only miserable but impossible.  Our greatest need before conversion is Jesus, and our greatest need after conversion is the same Jesus.  The secret for a God-honoring Christian life is a heart that is centered on Christ.  Amen.

First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood        
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                               
Sermon Notes December 29, 2019
Russell Long, Elder

​3:1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
5 Therefore put to death
your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.
8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,
 
Well 2 days from today is the last day of 2019.
 
One of the nagging things about facing a new year is this business of New Year Resolutions. I heard on the news recently that 45% of those polled made them and of that group a whopping 7% were successful in their endeavor. We all make them or at least feel that we should make them and like the Christmas toys, they are soon broken. An examination of the lists of resolutions made by members of this congregation would no doubt see goals ranging from losing weight to staying with an exercise program to developing more spiritual discipline to being more kind to being a better husband or wife or parent or child.
Have you ever stopped to wonder what is really behind our New Year resolutions? When we clean out the underbrush of this resolution thing, we find our best New Year resolutions are based on spiritual realizations.
 
The Desire To Be A Better Person
 
First, resolutions say that deep down we want to be a better person than we are. We want to be more decent, more generous, more spiritual, more fulfilled than we are.
 
 
The Realization That We Fall Short
 
And since we want to be a better person, that means we realize that we fall short of being the kind of person we ought to be and should be and want to be. Even though all of us have private areas of our life known only to us and God, we know we fall short even if others don't know. As I get older, I find the time races by at an alarming speed. At the end of the year I look back and say, “what have I accomplished for the kingdom of God, who have I helped into the kingdom.” And when I see what little I have accomplished; it hurts me to know I have failed to live up to God’s standard for my life. I say with Peter in Luke 5 "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" That sense of unworthiness, of falling short, of being a sinner, welled up in Peter's heart. I believe the Bible teaches that feeling to be universal.
 
We Don’t Have The Power To Change
 
Next to these truths that we want to be better than we are, and that we know we fall short of what we ought to be is a third truth: Experience teaches us that we Don’t have the power to change ourselves. After countless resolutions there stands the bitter truth that in ourselves there is not the power to become the person we ought to be and want to be. We need only to read Paul's struggle with himself in Romans 7 to realize this is a universal human situation.
 
7:15 I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.
7:16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good.
7:17 But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.
7:18 For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it.
7:19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.
7:20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.
7:21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand.
7:22 For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self,
7:23 but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.
7:24 Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
7:25a Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
 
Becoming Better People
 
How can you and I become better people in 2020. What can we do to become the fulfilled, moral, spiritual people we desire to be? Are there some plain steps to take that bring more power to the struggle than mere resolutions? I am certainly for resolutions, written or unwritten, but can we find more strength than that?
A study of people in the New Testament reveal some steps to our becoming the person we ought to be.
 
 
A Better Person Through A Vision of Christ
 
The first step: To make lasting changes in our lifestyle, there must be a guiding vision. In Paul's own life, there was the vision of Christ on the Damascus Road. As Paul traveled the known world preaching Jesus and standing before kings, he said, "I was not disobedient to that heavenly vision ..." In Colossians 3:1 we are told, "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth".
In Luke 9:62 we read “no man, having put his had to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” When I was young I worked on a farm and in the spring when we plowed, we would pick an object in the distance to focus on and by doing so would plow straight. If we looked back to see how we were doing, we would wander off line. Jesus was saying in Luke that a person who was worthy to be His disciple had to place that same priority on the mission that Jesus was calling him to and to keep focused on Christ so not to wander off course. We’re not to be distracted by thoughts of what we are leaving behind.
Let our resolutions be based upon a vision of Christ on the cross, dying there because of our sin. See Christ on the cross paying the penalty for our sin. If we keep that vision before our eyes, we can find strength.
But let the vision of Christ be not just Christ on the cross, but also of Christ resurrected. Sometimes we put all the emphasis on Jesus' death. But to stop at Jesus' death is to taxi to the end of the runway and stop; it is to mix up the cake and not bake it; it is to cook the meal and not eat it! As Paul says, "If Christ be not risen, then we of all men are most miserable!" But with the resurrection, there is unleashed in this world a mighty spiritual power in the hearts of those who believe that Jesus is the Savior. "To as many as believed gave He the power to become the sons and daughters of God!" The death on the cross takes away the punishment for sin; the resurrection brings into our lives a new power for daily living.
 
But how can we who believe keep this power giving vision of Christ crucified and risen before our eyes, in our hearts and minds and daily lives? We can practice the presence of Christ through daily prayer, through Bible and devotional reading and through gathered worship and fellowship with other Christians. The first two, prayer and devotional reading, are private and essential. Also, essential and public is your relationship to the church, the fellowship of believers. And sometimes we take the church for granted. Take this church out of your life and imagine what the past year would have been like.
 
A Better Person Through A Vision of Self
 
After we establish a fresh vision of Christ, then we are ready to add to this a vision of our self as God intends us to be. Think with me for a moment: Think of yourself, your habits, your lifestyle, your values and goals, your personality as you are. Now vision yourself as having the goals, values, personality that God wants you to have. That's the fulfilled, loving person God wants you to be. That's the person who can make a difference in this world for Christ. Now go further with that vision of you as you ought to be, should be, could be if you kept the vision of Christ before you. Think about the difference it would make at work, in your home, in this church. It is amazing what God is doing with us as we are, broken and rebellious; image what this church would be like and what we would be doing if each of us became the person God wants us to be!
 
A Better Person Through A Network
 
There is one other aspect of this new year resolution business I want to touch on. We can become the person we want to be if (1) we keep a vision of Christ before us to motivate us; if (2) we keep a vision of the person we want to be before us; and (3) if we build a network of support to encourage us and help us be accountable to the vision. Now the church family helps us do this in many ways. But we need more.
In the past Our session had a vision of small groups developing within our church body to accomplish this need for spiritual growth support. That is a great idea. We seek out three or four other people, or couples, and begin to meet with them on a regular basis to pray together and discuss spiritual things and how it is going with you spiritually.
It is time to get to the successful carrying out of our resolutions. And it all begins with the vision of Christ in our hearts, in our minds, before our eyes. A vision that leads to confession and faith, to repentance and spiritual growth, to becoming who God wants us to be and who we want to be.
 
The 1st verse of our 2nd song read:
Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that thou art:
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
 
Are we looking to Christ for our vision of who we want to become? Is he calling you today into a more intimate relationship with Him. Heed His call.
 
Let’s pray

First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (11:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Service ~ December 24, 2019)
Rev. Dr. Mouris Yousef, Pastor

​For my Meditation on our Christmas Eve Services this year, I chose to focus on Jesus being “a light for revelation.”  This is a profound statement that was made by Simeon the Elder.  When Simeon, the righteous and devout Elder, saw Jesus for the first time at the temple in Jerusalem, he was moved by the Spirit and said these words in Luke 2:29-32, “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.  For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”
 
Jesus is “a light for revelation to the Gentiles.”  But the question I am asking tonight is: What did Jesus reveal?  What was needed to be revealed?  What does the light of Jesus reveal to us?
 
Have you heard the expression “familiarity breeds contempt”?  The saying means that we no longer value what we think we know very well.  I believe that the Christmas story is an example of that familiarity that breeds contempt.  Yet, the more we look at this old story, the more God reveals to us amazing things.  No wonder that Simeon declared that, Christ is “a light for revelation to the Gentiles.”
 
In the earlier service, I pointed out that in the birth of Jesus, God revealed humanity’s greatest need.  Our greatest need is not for a bigger house; it is not for a better income; it’s not for a newer car; it’s not for more education and knowledge.  But our greatest need is for a Savior.  When the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream in Matthew 1:21, the angel told Joseph that Mary “will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name (Yeshua) Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
 
In our earlier service, I also pointed out that the birth of Jesus revealed that in our dark places, God’s light breaks through.  In our sin and sinfulness, Christ’s righteousness covers us.  In our spiritual poverty, God’s generosity overwhelms us.  Luke expresses this in the image of the good news of Christ’s birth being announced to the shepherds, non-religious, impure, and the likely least recipients of Christ’s birth.  Luke 2:9 states “An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them.” 
 
John 1:9 says that Jesus Christ is the “true light that gives light to everyone.”  I know that some of us are in a dark place right now, let Christ’s light breakthrough.  When Christ was born, it was such a dark time for the nation of Israel.  Their land was occupied by the Romans; the Romans imposed heavy taxes; the religious atmosphere was so corrupt; and on the top of this, God was silent for over 400 years.  400 years passed between the last prophet in the Old Testament, Malachi, and John the Baptist.  Remember that when it gets too dark, dawn is near.  When you feel the thickness of darkness, God will show up.  He will be there with you.  Let me add to that a couple more thoughts as we think about Christ being “a light of revelation.”  What does Christ reveal?
 
Third: God Keeps His promises
But the birth of Christ also reveals to us a faithful God; a trustworthy God; a reliable God; a God who keeps His promises.  Yes, God’s timeline may not be consistent with ours, but He will do what He exactly says.  Hear what the Lord said to the Prophet Habakkuk in Habakkuk 2:2-3 “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.  For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false.  Though it lingers, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.”
 
God keeps His promises.  Once upon a time, there lived a man and a woman in the Paradise, in the Garden of Eden, where they were terrifically happy.  Their names were Adam and Eve, and God made them.  He made them in His image—like little mirrors to reflect His glory.  And like everything else God made, He made them good.
 
But things didn’t stay happy and wonderful for long.  One terrible day, Adam and Eve sinned.  They ate from the only tree in the garden that God had declared off-limits.  Adam and Eve had disobeyed God’s word; they believed the lie of the devilish Snake instead of the truth.  Sin became human beings’ default.  After sin entered the world, everything fell apart. Nothing was the way it should be.  God made Adam and Eve go away from the Garden of Eden. It wasn’t possible for people so bad to live in the presence of a God who is so good. But the story is not over yet.
 
God made a promise.  He promised Adam and Eve that one of their children would someday crush the head of that nasty Snake. The Snake Crusher would put things right.  In Genesis 3:15, the Lord said to the serpent these words, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”  This is the first promise of a Savior and the first great act of God’s grace towards humanity after our tragic act of rebellion.  Through the ages, prophet after prophet, confirmed that promise.  Yes, it took a few thousand years to see the fulfilment of the promise, but at the end, Christ was born and won the battle against Satan.
 
And so we come to a manger in the little town of Bethlehem. This is where we meet the Snake Crusher—born as a baby, with animals and stinky shepherds and singing angels all around.  No one understood it completely at that time, but when Mary gave birth to baby Jesus, God was giving His people a new beginning, just as He promised. 
 
Friends, when God says in Hebrews 13:5, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”  When we read this, we should take God at His word.  When God says in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  Often times, our minds may not comprehend how in all things God works for the good of His children, but He said so.  In Numbers 23:19 we read these words, “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind.  Does he speak and then not act?  Does he promise and not fulfill?”
 
Fourth: God’s Ways Are Higher than Our Ways
Christ revealed that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are our ways His ways.  Isaiah 55:9 says, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
 
Who could’ve imagined that a helpless child would be the Savior of the World?  Who could’ve imaged that this baby is God in a human form?  Who could’ve imagined that the Savior of the world will be born in Bethlehem not Rome?  Who could’ve imagined that the Savior will be born in a stable not in a palace?  Who could’ve imagined that water will be gushing out of a rock in the wilderness quenching the thirst of God’s people?  Friends, what is impossible for people is possible with God.  Friends, often times, God’s help comes to us in unexpected ways and at unexpected places.  As we celebrate Christmas tonight, let’s remember that Christ is “a light for revelation to the Gentiles.”  He revealed that our greatest need is for a Savior.  He revealed that in our dark places, His light breaks through.  Darkness doesn’t have the final word.  Sin doesn’t have the final word.  He reveals to us that God keeps His promises.  He reveals to us that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are our ways His ways.  Merry Christmas, friends. 

First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (7:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Service ~ December 24, 2019)
Rev. Dr. Mouris Yousef, Pastor

​A Pastor was preaching on Christmas Eve, and his sermon went quite long.  His thoughts were scattered, he rambled on, it was difficult to follow.  When he was greeting his congregation after the service, one parishioner surprised him when she commented, “Pastor, your sermon tonight reminded me of God’s peace and love.” 
 
The pastor was flattered.  “Really? How so?” he asked.  “Well, it reminded me of God’s peace in the way it surpassed all understanding!  And it reminded me of God’s love because it seemed to endure forever!” 
 
I’d like to assure you tonight that my meditation won’t be long, and I do hope I might avoid both of these pitfalls!
 
Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year.  It is supposed to be a time when Christians take a moment to reflect on the birth of Jesus Christ; God’s most gracious gift ever given to humanity.  There are songs to be sung, presents to be exchanged and lights to be seen.  But the birth of Jesus is so much more than an annual celebration.  It’s a revelation from God.  And it reveals, particularly, four things; four amazing things you and I need to reflect on this Christmas.  I’d like to focus on the first two in this service and I will cover the other two in the 11:00 o’clock service, Lord willing.
 
The Birth of Jesus: a Revelation from God
When Simeon, a righteous and devout Elder who had been waiting the birth of the Messiah, when he saw Jesus for the first time at the temple in Jerusalem, he was moved by the Spirit and said these great words in Luke 2:29-32, “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.  For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”
 
Jesus was “a light for revelation to the Gentiles.”  But the question I am asking tonight is: What did Jesus reveal?  What was needed to be revealed?  What does the light of Jesus reveal to us today?  A couple quick thoughts to reflect on tonight:
 
First: Our Greatest Need
The birth of Christ reveals something about us and our greatest need.  The birth of Christ reveals our sin.  A Savior is our greatest need.  Behind all of the celebration is the crucial fact that the eternal Son of God came from heaven to earth to save us.  Jesus left the glory and the joy that He knew in the presence of His Father and the Holy Spirit and took on human form.  The Apostle Paul puts it this way in Philippians 2:7: “He made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”
 
Why?  Why would the infinite, eternal and unchangeable Son of God become man?  Why would the one who was perfect in being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth come down and put Himself under the law (Galatians 4:4)?  What was so wrong with humankind that Jesus came from heaven to earth?
 
The answer, in a word, is sin.  The Bible describes sin in two ways.  First, sin is that which breaks God’s law in thought, word or deed.  But second, we also sin when we fail to act justly, to love mercy, and to do what is right.  Theologians call these two categories sins of commission (sin we actively commit) and sins of omission (sin by failure to act).  When we begin to look at God’s law, and realize these two categories, we will certainly start to realize just how bad our situation really is.  We will certainly go down on our knees crying to God “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
 
In the birth of Jesus, God revealed humanity’s greatest need.  Our greatest need is not for a smart politician; it is not for more money; it’s not for more education and knowledge.  But our greatest need is for a Savior.  When the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream in Matthew 1:21, the angel told Joseph that Mary “will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name (Yeshua) Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
 
Second: A Revelation of God’s Light and Presence
But the birth of Jesus reveals another profound truth.  It reveals that in our dark places, God’s light breaks through.  In our sin and sinfulness, Christ’s righteousness covers us.  In our spiritual poverty, God’s generosity overwhelms us.  Luke expresses this in the image of the good news of Christ’s birth being announced first to the shepherds, the non-religious, impure, and the least likely recipients of Christ’s birth.  Luke 2:9 states “An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them.” 
 
John 1:9 says that Jesus Christ is the “true light that gives light to everyone.”  I know that some of us are in a dark place right now, let Christ’s light breakthrough.  When Christ was born, it was such a dark time for the nation of Israel.  Their land was occupied by the Romans; the Romans imposed heavy taxes; the Israelites were treated badly by their oppressor; the religious atmosphere was so corrupt; and on the top of this, God was silent for over 400 years.  400 years passed between the last prophet in the Old Testament, Malachi, and John the Baptist.  One important thing to remember here: the darker it gets, the closer we get to the dawn.  Yes, it was in the darkness of that holy and silent night that Christ was born to us.  God shows up when it gets too dark.  He will be there for us. 
 
Therefore, my friends, I say to you tonight what Isaiah said to the nation of Israel in chapter 60:1 “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.”  Do not stay in your darkness. 
 
In a few minutes we will be lighting our candles and singing together “Silent Night.”  That candle is a reminder of the light of Christ that breaks through our darkness.  So as you get together with family and friends this Christmas Eve or on Christmas Day, take some time to reflect on Christ being “a light of revelation.”  He reveals to us that our greatest need is for a savior.  He also reveals to us that in our dark places, Christ’s light breaks through.  Allow the Christmas story to speak anew to you.  Read it and listen to it as you have never heard it before and as you do so, may the hope, the peace, the joy, the love, and the wonder of it transform your life.  Merry Christmas everyone!

First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood                          
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (3rd Sunday in Advent, December 15, 2019)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor 
 
Habakkuk 3:16-19; Philippians 4:4-9
 
It is reasonably easy to rejoice, to have joy, when things are going well in our lives.  When work is going well and we are relaxed; there is money in the bank to cover the bills, and everyone is healthy, it’s relatively easy to rejoice.  But many of us know how hard it is to be joyful when it seems that life is falling apart, when you have questions for God and you haven’t received a good answer.
 
A little boy once asked his father, “Dad, how many people in the world?”  Dad said, “I don’t know, son.”  The boy asked his Dad again, “How many stars in the sky, Dad?”  “I don’t know, son.” Dad responded.  The boy continued, “How many fish in the sea?”  “Don’t know, son.”  “Dad, you don’t mind me asking you all these questions, do you?”  “No, son.  How are you going to learn if you don’t ask questions?”  That is probably how a lot of us feel today: we ask question after question of God, and it seems that we just get a shrug of the shoulders from heaven.  How can you have joy when you got questions of God, and the questions just aren’t getting answered?
 
Today is the Third Sunday of Advent.  JOY is the central theme of this Sunday.  It’s the joy of the Lord’s coming.  I met with an old friend this week who has been going through a tough time latterly and as he was getting ready to leave, I asked him: how can I pray for you today?  He answered, “Pray that I may find and have some happiness.  Life has been tough.”  I said to him, “I will not pray for happiness, rather, I will pray for the joy of the Lord to be your strength.”  Friends, our circumstances may or may not change, but what really needs to change is our attitude.  That’s to find joy no matter what is happening in our lives.  And yes, we can have joy regardless of our circumstances. 
 
For my meditation this morning on this Third Sunday in Advent, I chose a couple Scripture lessons, Habakkuk 3:16-19 and Philippians 4:4-9.  Both Scriptures introduce to us people who have found joy in the face of misery.  Let’s look at these two profound examples from God’s word, the Prophet Habakkuk and the Apostle Paul.

First: Habakkuk: Joy in the Midst of TroubleHabakkuk is the fifth last book in the Old Testament, just three short chapters.  The Book takes a form of a dialogue between the prophet and God.  It’s a back-and-forth honest conversation between God and Habakkuk who is struggling with the way things are.  Habakkuk is one of the minor Prophets.  He prophesied from around 640 BC to 609 BC, just a few years before the Babylonians’ attack on the land of Judah.  Habakkuk saw Judah’s rapid moral and spiritual decline, and also saw God’s upcoming judgement for the nation’s sin.
 
Habakkuk saw the destruction, the famine, and the exile coming upon his people as a result of the Babylonian invasion, and he says in Habakkuk 3:16 “I hear, and I tremble within; my lips quiver at the sound.  Rottenness enters into my bones, and my steps tremble beneath me.”
 
Yet, in Habakkuk 3:17-19, the prophet makes a choice in the midst of trouble.  He chose to trust and find joy in the Lord in the midst of trouble.  He says, “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, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will be joyful in God my Savior.  The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.”
 
Habakkuk challenges us to put our faith in God even during the worst of times.  When Habakkuk reached the end of his journey, he had moved from a place of doubting God to a place of trusting God no matter what.  “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord I will be joyful in God my Savior.”  That is an unwavering commitment to God by Habakkuk.  And I pray that God will also lead you to a place where you will learn to trust Him no matter what, where you may run along the heights in God’s presence with the feet of a deer.
 
Habakkuk affirmed that even if everything he relied on failed, if everything that gave stability to his life crumbled, still he would trust the Lord.  If Habakkuk were speaking today, he would say, “Though the stock market crashes, the company goes bankrupt, the economy heads south, my health falls apart, if everything I rely on falters – still I will trust in the Lord.  My confidence in God will not waver.”  In the second example we see a song of joy coming from a prison cell.
 
Second: A Song of Joy from a Prison Cell
In Philippians 4:4-7 Paul sang a song of joy from his prison cell in Rome.  He writes to the Christian in Philippi saying, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.  Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.  Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
 
When Paul wrote this, he was in prison for sharing the good news of salvation in Christ alone.  Paul commanded the believers in Philippi to rejoice, twice in verse 4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.”  Paul is not calling the believers in Philippians to live a state of denial, but to realize the nearness of the Lord.  “The Lord is near,” he says.  “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
 
Friends, yes – I truly believe we can have joy in the most challenging seasons of life.  Luke chapter 2 tells us that the initial and simple message of Christmas, the message the shepherds first received was a message of joy.  Luke 2:8-12 states, “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
 
When Christ is received as Lord and Savior, there will be true joy in our hearts.  When we know that the Lord is Sovereign and that He is in control, we can have joy.  When we know how much He loves us, we shall have deep joy.  When we know how much He has forgiven us, our hearts will be filled with joy.  When we encounter His amazing grace, we will have His joy in our hearts.  The Prophet Habakkuk had that joy as well as the Apostle Paul and many others though the ages.  Yet, I will rejoice in the Lord; I will be joyful in God my Savior.  Amen. 

First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood                          
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (2nd Sunday in Advent, December 8, 2019)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor  

​Psalm 46; John 16:25-31
 
Today is the Second Sunday in Advent.  Peace ~ God’s Shalom “the peace of God” ~ is celebrated as the theme of this Second Sunday of Advent.  Is peace possible?  Is it attainable?  Before we dig deeper into this topic this morning, let me make one important remark.  God never promised that we, as believers, will be exempt from the challenges and problems of life and that everything will always go smoothly.  Hardships and difficulties are faced by every single human being.  However, God did promise that those who have placed their trust in Jesus can have peace in the midst of those hardships and difficulties.  Psalms 29:11 states, “The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.” 
 
What is Peace?
But what is peace?  I believe “peace” is a misunderstood concept in our culture today.  As you may know, the Old Testament word translated “Peace” is “Shalom.”  Shalom means completeness, wholeness, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of agitation or discord.  It is the well-being of the total person.  The Greek New Testament word for peace is “Eirene”, and it means “to bind together.”  When you trust Jesus as your personal Savior, He binds you to Himself for all eternity.  It is the faith that as you go through the valley of weeping, you’re not alone because God is with you.
 
Peace is not the absence of trouble.  Rather, it is the assurance that God is right there with you in the midst of your troubles.  Listen to what David says in Psalm 27:1, “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?”  Psalm 91 echoes the same truth.  “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”  … He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart” Psalm 91:1-2, 4.
 
In other words, don’t wait for all of your problems to be solved and then decide to quit worrying and to have peace.  It is actually the opposite.  Decide to trust God no matter what is happening around you.  Find that place of peace and make up your mind that you’re going to have peace right in the midst of the storm.  Two short observations as we look at this topic today:
 
First: Peace Originates in our Relationship with God
We need to understand that the peace of God originates in our reconciliation with Him.  Our entering into a relationship with Him marks the beginning of our ability to experience His true, heart-changing, supernatural peace.  The Prophet Isaiah says these words in Isaiah 48:22, “There is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.”
 
As I mentioned, the Greek word for peace is “Eirene”, and it literally means “to bind together.”  When we trust Jesus as our Savior, He binds us to Himself for all eternity.  “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” asked the Paul in Romans 8:35. “Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  Paul’s answer is an affirmation of his faith and peace in all circumstances.  In Romans 8:37-39 “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Peace originates in our relationship with God through Christ.
 
Second: God’s Peace Always Transcends our Circumstances
Yes, we can have God’s peace while in the middle of a storm.  As you might know, in the center of any hurricane, there’s something called the “eye of the storm” where it is very calm and peaceful.  All around there is chaos, winds blowing 100 plus miles an hour, debris flying left and right, danger everywhere; but as long as you’re in the eye of the storm, it is as calm and peaceful as can be.
 
I am sure you’ve heard the saying, “Still waters run deep.”  It’s a proverb of Latin origin and it has a great meaning.  In the ocean, on the surface the water is always changing, depending on the wind, the tide, what time of year, even what time of day.  It can be very smooth and calm.  Later in the day it can be rough and choppy.  When the wind is strong and the tide is just right there can be ten-foot waves where a few days earlier it was just small whitecaps. 
 
What’s interesting is if you go down about 30 feet deep, the water never changes.  It’s as calm and still as can be.  On the surface, water may change a dozen times a day, but 30 feet down, it never changes; always calm.  That’s the way we need to be.  In life, on the surface, there will be waves, wind, and tough times.  That's just life.  Circumstances will create waves up on the surface.  But deep down in your spirit, you will experience a peace and calmness that surpasses all understanding.  Isaiah 30:15 says, “This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.”
 
As long as you’re alive there will be something to deal with.  But when you learn to go down to the deep waters, you have this calmness, this rest.  This is what the apostle Paul did.  All kinds of things came against him.  He was shipwrecked, went days without food or water.  He was beaten with rods, falsely accused, put into prison.  Yet he said, “None of these things move me”.  Paul wasn't living on the surface.  He was stable, consistent, living in the deep waters. 
 
Friends, we don’t really know what the future holds, but we do know who holds the future.  God has you in the palm of His hand.  Nothing can snatch you away, neither the storms of this life nor anyone.  My challenge for us today: don’t let the storm get in you.  Hold your peace.  Remain at rest. Psalm 46 says “Though the earth give way, and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging, we will not fear.” “Be still and know that I am God,” says Psalm 46:10.  Friends, living in peace is intentional.  It’s a choice because peace has a name.  His name is Jesus, the Prince of Peace.  In Ephesians 2:14, Paul says “He Himself is our peace.”  Amen!

First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood                          
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (1st Sunday in Advent, December 1, 2019)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor  

​Isaiah 2:1-4; Luke 21:20-28
 
I believe the Pilgrim’s Progress is one of the best Christian movies ever produced.  As you know, the movie is based on a book that has the same name.  The book is written in 1678 AD by the English writer and puritan preacher, John Bunyan, and is regarded as one of the most significant works of religious and theological fiction in English literature.  It has been translated to more than 200 languages.
 
In one of the events in the Pilgrim’s Progress, we see Christian, who is the main character of the movie, and his friend Hopeful are being thrown into the dungeon of Doubting Castle.  For four days they are brutally beaten by the cruel lord of the castle, Giant Despair.  
 
On the eve of their execution, Christian remembers a key.  In his exhausted weakness he exclaims, “What a fool I am, to lie in a stinking Dungeon, when I may as well walk at liberty.  I have a key in my pocket called “Promise”, that will, I am persuaded, open any lock in Doubting Castle.”  The key works!  And the two pilgrims escape the horrors of imprisonment to Doubting Castle and Giant Despair.
 
The “Key of Promise” continues to be effective today in liberating us from all our doubting castles and despair.  God’s promises are His means of delivering us from the darkness of our fear, worry, self-hatred, rejection, and a multitude of other struggles that land us in the prison cell of despair and doubt. 
 
Today is the First Sunday in Advent and it also marks the beginning of the New Church Year.  “Hope” is the central theme of this First Sunday in Advent.  It’s the hope of Christ’s coming.  The apostle Paul reminds us in Colossians 1:27 that “Christ in us is the hope of glory.”  As we lit this morning the First Advent Candle, the Candle of Hope, we are reminded that our hope is found only in the Lord.  Hope is not found in our health, wealth, or power.
 
I pray that you will find that hope in God’s promises today and may this hope inspire your faith.  The question I am asking today is simple yet challenging.  How can we have hope?  Where do we find hope?  Is it even possible to have hope in spite of the fact that certain times we feel that everything is falling apart?  Let me suggest two unshakable foundations for our hope:
 
First: God’s Sovereignty
Our hope is rooted in the sovereignty of God.  God is sovereign.  No matter what happens in our lives, He is sovereign, and He is in control.  Sometimes it seems hard to believe so, but yes, God is sovereign, and He is in control.
 
In our worst circumstances, when storms of this life hit our lives, we are not forgotten; we are not beyond the care of our loving God.  In Luke 12:6-7 we read those great words of Jesus, “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.  Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”  Jesus was referring to the bargains people used to make in ancient Israel marketplaces.  You purchase two pairs of sparrows and get the fifth sparrow free.  Though this fifth sparrow doesn’t count.  It is worthless.  It is basically forgotten, but Jesus says, “Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.  Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”  
 
You may be “hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed” as the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9.  Our main source of comfort in any trial, major or minor, is that our Father in heaven is sovereign.
 
Second: God’s FaithfulnessBut second, our hope is also rooted in God’s faithfulness.  Ever since the heavenly Father created time, everything has been in flux—everything changes, except God Himself.  The environment changes with the seasons, and in a similar way, our life also goes through seasons.  Some are filled with joy, while others are characterized by difficulty.  But the Lord is faithful, and we can always take comfort in knowing this.
 
Faithfulness is one of God’s unchanging attributes.  It means that He always does exactly what He says He will do and acts in accordance with His nature.  He can never deny Himself, so when He promises to “never leave you never forsake you” Hebrews 13:5, you can count on Him when you sail rough seas.
 
God’s unchanging nature and faithfulness is an important foundation of our hope.  Because He won’t change His mind about our salvation, we have the assurance of eternal security. Since He is the sovereign Ruler of the universe, we never have to fear that our world is out of His control.  His plans were formed long ago with perfect faithfulness (Isaiah 25:1), and no one can frustrate them or turn back His hand (Isaiah 14:27).  Because God is faithful, we can have peace of mind in any circumstance—even in the face of death.  I like the words of Psalm 91:4. It says, “His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”

We Are A People of PromiseBottom line is: we are a people of promise.  In Luke chapter 21, Jesus speaks of some tough days ahead of God’s people.  Luke speaks about a time of desolation that has come near, days of vengeance, people who will be taking captives, and getting trampled under the foot.  Yet, in Luke 21:28 Jesus said, “Now, when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”  So with this promise in mind, we enter this new church year to tell anew of God’s faithfulness.  This is the promise that Jesus makes to us, that regardless of what catastrophic events might come upon the world as a result of human sinfulness, God will, in the end, be victorious!  He will show up.  He will never let’s down. 
In this First Sunday in Advent we proclaim God’s faithfulness, by both looking back in time, and observing how God has always been faithful to His promises in the past, so that we, living today, might live in the courage and assurance that His promise to us, will be kept as well.  Let’s not stay in the “stinking dungeon” of doubt, fear, and despair, for we have a “key in our pocket called Promise.”  Friends, lift up your heads, because our redemption is drawing near.  Amen.

First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood                          
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (Sunday, November 24, 2019)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor  

​Isaiah 43:1-7; John 6:16-21
 
A Lutheran, a Methodist, and a Presbyterian Pastor are out in a boat fishing, well off the shoreline.  The Lutheran minister says to his fellow fishermen, “I have left my cell phone in the car; I had better get it.”  With that he stands up, steps out of the boat, walks on top of the water to the shore, fetches his phone, and walks back to the boat, again on top of the water.  There is no reaction from the Methodist, but the Presbyterian Pastor nearly falls out of the boat. 
 
They continue to fish and soon the second Pastor, the Methodist, remembers the pills he forgot to take which he left in his coat pocket in the car.  So just like the Lutheran before him, he stands up, steps out of the boat on top of the water, walks to the shoreline to his car, retrieves his pills, and returns to the boat, walking on top of the water.  And just as before, the Presbyterian Pastor looks on in disbelief, while the Lutheran does not even turn his head.
 
They fish for several more hours until finally the Presbyterian Pastor, who has been desperately thinking of a reason to go to shore, remembers he has left his lunch in the car.  So confidently, not willing to be outdone by a Lutheran or a Methodist, he stands, steps out of the boat and onto the water, and quickly sinks to the bottom of the lake.  The Lutheran Pastor leans over to the Methodist Pastor and asks, “Do you think we should tell him where the stepping stones are?”
 
Let me say right from the start that John 6:16-21 is a miracle story. It is that plain and that simple. This is not a story about Jesus’ knowing where the rocks are. This is not a story where Jesus actually was swimming and the disciples, who had never seen someone swim before, thought he was walking on water.  It wasn’t foggy, causing the disciples’ depth perception to be askew. This is not a post- resurrection story where Jesus was actually an apparition. It is a story about Jesus walking on water.  It is a miracle, or as John would call it, “It is a sign.”
 
The Setting of the Fifth Sign
The account of Jesus walking on water is one of my favorite Bible stories.  I want to tell you the story, even though it may already be familiar to you.  It was just after the five thousand had been fed.  Jesus sent His disciples away, aboard a ship, to the other side of the lake; the Sea of Galilee.  Jesus dismissed the crowd and went up into a mountain to pray. 
 
As the disciples were sailing to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, to Capernaum, the sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing.  Halfway through their struggle against the storm, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified.  But Jesus said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.”  Jesus got into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.  Two lessons as we consider this Fifth Sign this morning; the first has to do with navigating our rough seas, and the second with Jesus being our anchor and our sure foundation.
 
First: Navigating Rough Seas
The gospel of John 6:17 states, “By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them.”  Have you been there before?  Have you ever been by yourself in the dark?  Most of us don't like the dark.  As kids sometimes we liked playing in the dark. Hide and seek. Sardines.  Flashlight Tag. Sharks & Minnows. Playing games can be fun but unfortunately there's a worse kind of dark that some struggle with.  Darkness of grief: Darkness of depression.  Darkness of being alone.  Darkness of feeling alone even when you're surrounded by others.  Darkness of despair.  Darkness of uncertainty.  In darkness, all we want is a flicker of light that lets us know the way we need to go.
 
The disciples found themselves in a life threating situation.  They rowed in a storm for about three or four miles.  They are tired, exhausted, frustrated, discouraged, and afraid.  As your Pastor, I can tell that many of us right now are battling a tough storm.  This could be a serious illness, or financial problems or job loss.  Yes, sometimes we have to travel rough roads.  Some of you right here today are rowing as hard as you can. And it is very hard work and I admire your perseverance.
 
Second: Jesus, the Anchor of our Souls
What is actually the point of this story?  Was it told by John simply to add to the list of miracles performed by Jesus as a testimony to His divinity? Most likely it was, but there is more.  For me, the true power of the story for the church is this: the adversity that we are working through is always more manageable when Jesus works through it with us.  When we find ourselves rowing against whatever it is in our lives that is churning up the waves, having Jesus with us will make the rowing a lot easier.  
 
I am not saying this with the intention of its being just another churchy cliché. I truly believe there is a calming presence that Jesus Christ brings to us in the midst of our adversity that makes navigating that adversity much easier, regardless of the nature of the outcome.  Again, there are some of you who know exactly what I am talking about.  Jesus came and said, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Jesus will do the same for you.
 
A diagnosis of cancer is never good. You have two options. You can face the adversity alone and row against the waves all by yourself, or you can ask Jesus to help you work through the adversity and to give you the strength to do whatever you need to do to come out on the other side, whatever “the other side” means.
 
John Wesley tells a story when he was on a ship crossing the ocean going from England to Georgia in the Colonies.  Wesley had never been on a ship before.  They were 7 days from land and it was the third and most violent storm.  They were worried that the ship is going to be lost in a storm at sea.  Wesley wrote, “The sea spilled over the ship, split the mainsail, and poured between the decks as if the great deep had already swallowed us up.”  The English passengers screamed in fright; the German Moravians calmly continued singing the psalms without intermission.  Wesley was impressed with their faith in the face of death.  He saw the difference in the hour of trial, between those who truly knew Jesus Christ and those who didn’t.  The Prophet Isaiah wrote in 43:1-3, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.  For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” 
 
I like the way John wraps up this story.  John 6:21 states, “Then they were eager to let Him in the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.”  One moment they are in the middle of this lake, that stretches 7 miles from one side to the other, battling darkness, strong winds, and powerful waves.  The next moment Jesus comes walking to them, they say get in the boat, and the next thing they know they have reached the shore.  It’s amazing what Jesus can do and will do when we let Him in.  Amen.