First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012
Meditation Notes (Easter Sunday ~ April 12, 2020)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
John 20:1-10

 
For us, followers of Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most central and monumental event of history.  There is no doubt that the Easter message is the absolute center of our faith.  It was the same way for the early disciples of Jesus as it has always been to the Church through its long history.
 
In his defense of the Doctrine of the Resurrection, Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 15:14 “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.”  No wonder that the resurrection story is recorded in all the four Gospels.  John in particular notes that Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, “while it was still dark.”
 
As you know, John’s Gospel is highly symbolic and multi-layered.  For example, when Matthew, Mark, or Luke say, “It is dark”, they mean you cannot see, but when John says the same thing, he means more than the physical inability to see.  For John, he means spiritual darkness.  Therefore, when John tells the story of Nicodemus, for example, coming to Jesus “at night”, he means more than the physical darkness.
 
One of the key themes that runs through the Gospel of John is the theme of light and dark.  It is introduced in the very first paragraph of the Gospel.  John 1:4-5 reads, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of all people.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
 
I don’t think it’s any accident that we have the light and dark theme appears in the resurrection story in John’s account.  John tells us that Mary Magdalene came to the tomb while it was still dark.  I don’t think that John wanted to give us a mere historical rendering of when May showed up at the tomb.  The timing was not the idea that had occupied John’s mind.  John was concerned about the reality of spiritual darkness.
 
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb of Jesus while it was still dark.  “While it was still dark!” I think the story of Mary Magdalene speaks in a profound way to us today.  As we think about this episode on this Easter Sunday morning, I would like to make two short observation:
 
First: When It Is Dark, It’s Time to Pursue Jesus
Like Mary, we all have had those very dark moments in our lives.  In fact, with the coronavirus pandemic, it seems like our world is in a nightmare right now.  And when it’s dark and we can’t see what’s going on around us because there’s too much grief, pain, loss, and doubt, that’s the time we’re tempted to give up on God and faith.  It’s easy to just pull the covers over our heads and give up.
 
But Mary Magdalene has something to teach us in those times.  She went to the tomb while it was still dark.  Despite her terrible grief and fear, Mary got up and did something.  She went to the last place she knew Jesus was at.  Even though it was His tomb and she knew darn well He was dead…she had watched it…she went.  As useless as it may seems to us today, she needed to be where Jesus was.  She knew her comfort during those dark moments is found in the Lord.
 
Mary shows us what faithfulness while it is still dark looks like.  When our prayers just seem to hit the ceiling and fall back down on our heads, we’ve got to pray more.  When reading the Bible is just so many words on a page, we’ve got to read it more.  When God seems silent, we’ve got to the wisdom behind His silence.  When we see our world turning upside down, we’ve got to trust the faithfulness of our heavenly Father.  When you feel the thickness of darkness around you, when it is still dark, go to the tomb to have your hope renewed. 
 
Second: Faithfulness is Always Rewarded
And then comes that time when we find out that God has been at work…even in the darkness.  It wasn’t in the papers or on the evening news.  Nobody saw it happen, but things are different.  The tomb that we expected to stink with rotting flesh has been swept clean.
 
Mary is not afraid of the dark.  She is determined that she will find Jesus in it.  And in her faithfulness, the scene shifts.  He is risen!  Her tears vanish.  Her prayers are answered, and she goes out in joy as the first evangelist to tell other disciples the good news of Christ’s Resurrection.  While it was still dark, Jesus shows up.
 
He is alive!  The stone is rolled away.  The dawn has come.  The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.  It cannot overcome it.  It never has and never will.  That kind of Easter experience comes from being faithful while it is still dark.
 
Friends, it is still dark in our world.  It may be still dark in your own life.  Dark times come to everyone.  They even hit Jesus Himself.  I have been a pastor long enough to know that there is a heartache on every heart and that most of us suffer in silence.  No one is immune to heartache.  Whether rich or poor, we all carry our own bag of rocks.
 
Friends, darkness is not a sign that you have no faith.  Darkness is an opportunity to show your faith as Mary Magdalene did.  It is time to pursue Jesus even more.  It is time to hold onto Jesus.  It is time to remain faithful when you cannot see … when you cannot understand.  Easter happened in the dark.  When everybody was depressed and thought the work of God was a sham, God was doing the greatest work of all.  So get up…look at the tomb.  It’s empty!  He is risen!  He is alive.  The darkness has vanished.  The stone is rolled away.  Happy Easter, friends.  The Lord is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Alleluia!  Amen. 

First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood                          
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Meditation Notes (Good Friday ~ April 10, 2020)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
Matthew 27:45-46 
“45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land.  46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
 
It is Friday morning in Jerusalem.  Another hot April day.  A crowd gathers on the north end of town; just outside the Damascus Gate is a place called Golgotha or Skull Hill.  Yes, it is crucifixion day.  The word has spread to every corner of the city.  The Romans like the Skull Hill because the hill is beside a main road.  That way lots of people can watch the crucifixion. 
 
A man named Jesus of Nazareth is being crucified today.  The word spreads like wildfire.  The crowd is growing.  Jesus’ reputation has preceded Him.  No one is neutral about the man.  Some strongly believed His message; many doubted Him; a few hate the man for various reasons.  The crucifixion begins at nine o’clock sharp.
 
It appears that the man in the middle, Jesus of Nazareth, will not last long.  He has already been severely beaten.  In fact, it looks like four or five soldiers have taken turns working Him over.  His skin hangs from His back in tatters, His face is bruised and swollen, His eyes nearly shut.  Blood trickles from a dozen open wounds.  He is an awful sight to behold for sure.
 
There are voices from all three crosses, a kind of hoarse conversation shouted above the din.  Little pieces float through the air.  Something that sounds like “Father, forgive them” something else about “If you are the Son of God,” then a promise of paradise.  Finally, Jesus spots His mother and speaks to her. 

Then it happened.  “At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.”  It happened so suddenly that no one expected it.  One moment the sun was right overhead; the next moment it had disappeared.  And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

The Fourth Word on the CrossIn his book, The Hard Sayings of Jesus, British Bible scholar, F.F. Bruce discusses 70 of the hard-to-understand sayings of our Lord.  The last one he discusses is this statement.  Of these words of Jesus, Bruce comments, “This is the hardest of all the hard statements” (p. 248).  All the commentators agree with him.  No statement of Jesus is more mysterious than this one.  The problem is not with the words.  The words (in Aramaic or Greek or English) are simple.  But what do they mean?
 
The story is told that the Reformer Martin Luther as he was studying this text one day.  For hours he sat and stared at the text.  He said nothing, he wrote nothing, but silently pondering these words of Jesus.  Suddenly, he stood up and exclaimed, “God forsaken by God.  How can it be?”  Indeed, how can it be?  How can God be forsaken by God?  How can the Father forsake His own Son? 

What Do These Words Mean?What do these words mean?  It has been suggested that this is a cry stemming from Jesus’ physical suffering. Without a doubt, those sufferings were enormous.  By the time Jesus uttered these words, He had hung on the cross for six hours—exposed to the hot Palestinian sun and exposed to the mocking of the crowd.  But the cry of Jesus was more than a physical suffering.
 
Others have suggested it was a cry of faith.  The words “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” is actually a quotation from Psalm 22:1.  Although Psalm 22 begins with a description of intense suffering, it ends on a note of confident trust in God.  So, the cry of Jesus is a cry of a confident heart.  Well, that could be the case. 
 
Others have seen the fourth Word of Jesus on the Cross as a cry of disillusionment.  Skeptics read this as a proof that Jesus ultimately failed in His mission.  He came to be the Messiah, but His mission is a failure.  They are words of a defeated man.
 
Friends, the words of Jesus were neither due to His physical suffering nor His disillusionment.  What, then, do these words mean?  It was the weight of the sins of the whole world that caused Jesus to cry.  It is the intensity of God’s wrath.  It was the Father’s judgment on the sins of the world being borne on Christ's shoulders as He hangs on the cross.  The Lamb of God was bearing in Himself the sins of the world!  How
 
Two Important ImplicationsI take from this solemn truth two short yet profound implications.  First: as followers of Jesus today, we must never minimize the horror of human sin.  It was our sin that Jesus bore that day.  It was our sin that caused the Father to turn away from the Son.  He became a curse and we were part of the reason.  We must never minimize the awful cost of our salvation.  
 
Second: we must never forget that even in the worst situations of life, we are to cling to God with both hands as Jesus did.  In 1872 the great British preacher Charles Spurgeon wrote “In Jesus’ darkest hour with darkness all around him and within him, Jesus still clung to God with both hands.  His left hand said, “My God.”  His right hand said, “My God.”  Eloi. Eloi. My God, my God, that’s how Jesus was clinging to God with both hands in the midst of this horrific situation.  Jesus clung to God with all His might during the darkest hour of His life. 
 
Friends, needless to say that these are difficult times faced by many right now.  May have lost jobs; many are feeling isolated; millions are fighting Covid-19; the future is uncertain for many.  These are incredibly hard times for sure.  Yet, we are to cling to God.  In the worst and darkest day of human history, Jesus still clung to God with both hands and held onto God.  Jesus was forsaken that you might never be forsaken.  He was abandoned that you might never be abandoned.  He was deserted that you might never be deserted.  He was forgotten that you might never be forgotten.  Amen!

First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood                          
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Meditation Notes (Maundy Thursday ~ April 9, 2020)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
Mark 14:32-42
 
        As we join Jesus and His Disciples in the passage we just read from the gospel of Mark chapter 14, they are already in the midst of an eventful night.  They have just finished the Passover celebration, left the room where they celebrated Passover and made their way from Jerusalem down through the Kidron Valley to A Place Called Gethsemane.  
 
        Our text tonight focuses on what happened when Jesus and His disciples arrived at Gethsemane.  I would like for us tonight to spend a few minutes together considering what took place in Gethsemane that night and how this speaks in a profound way to that our world has been going through.
 
In many ways, Gethsemane is harder for Jesus than Calvary – these will be the darkest hours of Jesus’ life.  It’s true that the decisive spiritual battle that Jesus came to fight will be fought on Calvary, but it’s Gethsemane where Jesus waits on the edge of a battle he can’t escape; a battle that will be most terrifying to His soul.  I believe that our world today is in Gethsemane.  These are very uncertain and troubling times.
 
But as it is so often the case in our lives, the darkest moments in Jesus’ life are also those times when the grace of God shines the brightest, and in the deep valley of Gethsemane we get one of the clearest views of the highest peaks of God’s love and presence.
 
Tonight, as we remember our Lord’s last hours in the Garden of Gethsemane, I want to point out two important facts about Jesus’ Gethsemane and ours.   First, let’s consider Gethsemane as a place of pressure.
 
First: Gethsemane as a Place of Pressure
Gethsemane is an Aramaic name.  The word Gethsemane means “Olive Press”.  Gethsemane was, and is, a place where olive trees grew and produced their fruit.  The olives were collected, placed in a press and the precious olive oil was extracted from the olives under very intense pressure.
 
        Gethsemane was a small garden, just outside the city of Jerusalem.  It probably belonged to a friend of the Lord.  In Luke 22:39, Luke tells us it was a place Jesus often visited with His disciples.  Gethsemane seems to have been a refuge for the Lord.  It was a place where He could find solitude from the crowds and ministry that occupied His life.  It was a place where He could go to find a private moment to commune with His Father.  It was a sanctuary from the attacks of His enemies.  It was a place of refreshment from the long days of ministry.  It was a special place for the Lord and His disciples.
 
Jesus and His disciples arrive at Gethsemane.  On this night, our Lord would enter the “Olive Press” and the sweet oil of grace and submission to the Father would be extracted from the Lord’s life.  For Jesus, the garden of Gethsemane would be a place of intense pressures.  In fact, our Scripture passage tonight tells us about some of the pressures Jesus faced that night.  Mark 14:33-34 states, “He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled.  “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them.” 
 
The very language of these verses reveals the truth that Jesus Christ is in a time of intense
emotional and spiritual trial.  He knows He is about to suffer intense physical pain.  He knows that
He is about to become sin on a cross.  He knows that He is about to be judged by His Father.  He
knows that, for the first time in eternity, there will be a breech in the unbroken fellowship He has
enjoyed with His Father.  He knows that He will be abandoned by His followers.  He knows that
He is about to be tried, rejected and condemned to death by the very people He came to save.
Gethsemane was a place of pressure; but, second, Gethsemane was a place of prayer.
 
Second: Gethsemane as a Place of Prayer
When they got to Gethsemane, Jesus left eight of His disciples at the gate of the garden and took three, Peter, James and John, deeper with Him into the garden.  These three disciples were to keep their eyes open for trouble, and they were to pray with Him, and probably, for Him as He prayed.
 
Mark 14:35-36 tells us, “Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible, the hour might pass from him.  “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
 
Jesus fell to the ground and began to call on His Father.  He addressed God as, “Abba” ... “Abba, Father,” Jesus said.  “Abba” is an Aramaic term that is equivalent to our word “daddy”.  It is a word of intense intimacy.  Jesus enjoyed such intimacy with His Father that He felt most comfortable calling Him “Daddy”.
 
Friends, in Christ, we have the same privilege to call God “Abba Father”, “Daddy.”  Through Jesus, we have the same privileges that Jesus enjoyed.  We are brought into a place of absolute intimacy with the Father!
 
In Gethsemane, Jesus renewed His trust in His Father’s power ““Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you”, but Jesus also prayed for God’s will to be done in His life “Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
 
Luke tells us in chapter 22:43 “An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.”  For every Gethsemane experience you and I have to face, there is an angel from heaven who will be ready to strengthen those who pray for God’s will to be done.  Gethsemane is a place of pressure, but it is also a place of prayer and a place of encountering God in a very special way.  If we are to follow the example of our Lord, this night should cause us to awake out of our sleep and get busy for the Lord.  This is an hour that calls for action.  It is NOT a time for God’s people to sleep.  It’s a time to fall on our knees and ask for God’s forgiveness, His presence, His strength, and His will.  A place called Gethsemane; yes, it is a place of pressure, but it is also a place of prayer.  Amen.

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012
Sermon Notes (Palm Sunday ~ April 5, 2020)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
Luke 19:28-38
 
We have been looking at the Apostles’ Creed, one of the ancient affirmations of faith the Church universal has used over its long history.  The Creed has been instrumental in shaping the ministry and mission of the Church for almost two thousand years.  I truly believe that the Apostles’ Creed addresses in a profound way our fears today, our anxiety, and help us gain some clarity and direction in the chaos that surrounds us.  It brings us to the roots, to the foundations of our faith.  What we believe is important.  It is extremely important because it determines our set of actions. 
 
Last Sunday we looked at the Doctrine of Jesus Christ being truly human and fully divine.  We said that it is very refreshing and comforting to know that in His true humanity, Jesus knows what we are going through, He can relate to us because He has been there; and in His full divinity, Christ, God’s appointed Messiah, got everything under control.  He is sovereign.  This is very comforting and assuring.
 
“I believe in Jesus Christ,” but the statement doesn’t end there.  The Apostles’ Creed continues to state, “I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord.”  The Lordship of Christ is emphasized here.  I think this is a great topic to ponder today as we think about Palm Sunday.
 
Palm Sunday is one of the major events of our Lord’s life.  Two thousand years ago, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, and He was received as a King.  Six hundred years before Christ, the Prophet Zechariah chapter 9:9 foretold Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem as he said, “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
 
I think the topic of the Lordship of Christ comes handy to us today.  In the midst of our fears and anxiety, in the face of the unknown, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords comes to us and walks alongside each one of us in the journey of suffering and pain.
 
The Lordship of Christ
Today we are invited to declare that “Jesus Christ is Lord!”  “I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord”, stated the Apostles’ Creed.  “Kurios Iesous” ~ Jesus is Lord” is one of the most ancient Christian confessions of faith.  In 2 Corinthians 4:5 Paul declares, “For we preach not ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord.”
 
The Lordship of Jesus Christ, therefore, stands at the heart and core of Christianity. Everything in the Christian faith stands or falls on the lordship of Christ.  The term “lord” occurs over 600 times in the New Testament.  Nearly 250 times it is used to describe Jesus.  The early church expressed its whole faith with the single word “kurios” (Lord).  In fact, Paul’s most loved name of Jesus was not ‘Messiah’ but ‘Lord.’”
 
But what does it mean to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord?  What does it mean to say that Jesus Christ is Lord?  Two implications:
 
First: It Means Total Surrender
For Jesus to be Lord of your life means that He is the ruler, the boss, the master of your whole life. He cannot be Lord of a part – He must be given control of the entire life - the whole life, spirit, soul, and body.
 
Samuel Zwemer (1867-1952) was an American missionary and scholar and often referred to as “The Apostle to Islam” because he spent most of his life reaching out to the Muslims in Egypt, Iraq, and Bahrain.  Zwemer made a sobering statement about the lordship of Jesus Christ.  He said, “Unless Jesus is Lord of all, He is not Lord at all.”[1]  This is a challenge to all Christians to bring every area of our lives under the sovereign rule of Jesus Christ. In our lives there should be no rivalry for His throne.
 
Gibran Khalil Gibran (1883-1931) was a Lebanese-American artist, poet, and writer of the New York Pen League.  In one of his inspiring poems he says, “Do not love half lovers.  Do not entertain half friends.  Do not indulge in works of the half talented.  Do not live half a life and do not die a half death ….  Do not accept half a solution.  Do not believe half-truths.  Do not dream half a dream.  Do not fantasize about half hopes.  Half a drink will not quench your thirst.  Half a meal will not satisfy your hunger.  Half the way will get you nowhere.  Half an idea will bear you no results.”  Half is never really enough.  Friends, today I leave you with a challenge, to not settle for half on anything.  Remember that a life worth living is worth living all the way.  
 
Second: Total Protection
When total surrender is offered, total protection is guaranteed.  A King’s most important responsibility was to establish order and keep the peace and the wholeness of his subjects.  It’s the King’s duty to defend his people and to fight foreign invaders. No wonder that Jesus Christ, our Lord, said to His disciples and ours, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you” John 14:27.  “Do not be afraid, little flock,” Jesus said, “for your Father has pleased to give you the Kingdom” Luke 12:32.
 
Friends, I am comforted this morning.  My spirit is lifted up.  I fear nothing because my King and my Lord is with me.  Jesus is with us when we suffer and when we wrestle with doing God’s will in our lives.  As we enter our own Jerusalem to confront the unknown and carry on our cross, we know that Jesus will be leading us from the pain and agony of Calvary to the glory and victory of Easter.  Paul wrote to the Colossians 2:6-7 saying, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”  “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”   Amen!


[1] Samuel Zwemer, The Solitary Throne (London: Pickering and Inglis, c. 1937), 1.

First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012
Sermon Notes (Fifth Sunday in Lent ~ March 29, 2020)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor   
 
Matthew 16:13-30
 
The Apostles’ Creed continues to inspire and comfort me in the light of the rapid developments of Covid-19 both in our homeland and around the world.  This is week 2 of our sermon series through the Apostles’ Creed; a series we tiled, “I Believe!”  The Apostles’ Creed is the oldest of Christian creeds and I think it is a great document that is worth looking at during these uncertain times.
 
It is important to note that we’re not preaching the creed; we’re preaching the Bible.  The creed doesn’t have any authority unto itself except what it teaches us about what the Word of God says.  I find it both fascinating and challenging that God is calling His Church today to stand firm and to declare “I believe!”
 
Last Sunday we looked at the opening statement of the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe in God the Father Almighty.”  Of all the attributes or traits, the Church Fathers could have emphasized about the nature of God, they chose just two words – “Father” “Almighty.”  God is our Heavenly Father.  It’s very refreshing to know that our God is a loving, caring, relational, and compassionate Daddy.  More than any other time, I believe today we need to anchor our lives on who God is and to hold unto this truth.  Of an equal importance, this Daddy is Almighty.  He is “El Shaddai.”  He is all sufficient God.  He is the God who creates, nurtures, sustains, and protects us.  This is our hope, our confidence, and our peace in the midst of the storm. 
 
Today we will spend some time considering the fact that “Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord.”  With this phrase we enter the second major section of the Creed.  The Creed itself is Trinitarian — with a section devoted to the Father, a section to the Son, and a final section to the Holy Spirit.
 
Who Is Jesus Christ?
“I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.”  Who is Jesus Christ?  Of all the questions that might be posed to people today, none is more important than this.  It is no exaggeration to say that this is the central question of history and the most important issue anyone will ever face.  Who is Jesus Christ?  Where did He come from?  Why did He come?  And what difference does His coming make in my life?  In the end, every person must deal with Jesus Christ.  No one can escape Him.  You can avoid the question, or delay it, or postpone it, or stonewall it, or pretend you didn’t hear it. But sooner or later you must answer it.
 
It’s certainly not a new question.  It’s as old as the coming of Christ to earth.  Across the centuries the discussion has continued to this very day.  Still some people today believe that Jesus of Nazareth was a good man, or a prophet, or just a teacher of God’s Law.  Some still believe that Jesus was just a man like any other man, or a misunderstood teacher, a deluded religious teacher, or a fabrication of the early church.  Two thousand years have passed and still people wonder about the man called Jesus.
 
It’s All about Jesus
Thankfully, we don’t have to wonder who Jesus is.  For 2,000 years Christians have affirmed their faith in Jesus with these words from the Apostles’ Creed: “I believe … in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord.”  Of the 110 words in the Creed, 70 occur in the section relating to Jesus Christ.  That tells us something important.  The Christian faith is all about Jesus!  He is the heart and core of our faith.  He is the touchstone of all that we believe.  You can be mistaken on some secondary issues and still be a Christian, but if you are wrong about Jesus, you are wrong in the worst possible place.   “I believe … in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord.”  Who is Jesus Christ and why this is so important for us today?  
 
First: Jesus is Truly Human
“I believe in Jesus …”  Jesus is our Lord’s proper name.  It identifies Him as a historical person, not a pious figment of imagination. Jesus is the Greek version of the Hebrew word, Yeshua, which means God saves.  It is true that the name “Jesus” speaks of Christ’s work, but it also reminds us of His full humanity.  Because He is truly human, “Jesus is able,” as the author of Hebrews 4:15 says, “to sympathize with our weakness.”  Jesus was truly human, yet, He never sinned.
 
As a truly human, Jesus experienced and expressed a range of human emotion.  When John writes of Jesus’ soul and spirit being “troubled” in John 12:27 and 13:21, he chooses a Greek word often used of people when they are anxious or surprised by danger.  Jesus “marveled” at the faith of the centurion in Matthew 8:10, and “wept” at the death of His friend Lazarus in John 11:35.  There is comfort for us today knowing that Jesus was truly human.  He knows what we are going through right now.  He knows our fears and our anxiety, and He is willing to grant us His peace and His hope.
 
Second: Christ is Fully Divine
“I believe … in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord.”  While the name “Jesus” refers to Christ’s true humanity, the name “Christ” refers to Jesus’ full divinity.  Christ is the Greek word for the Hebrew word, Messiah.  Messiah means the anointed one.  He is God’s appointed and chosen Messiah.  He is not only true human, but He is also fully divine. 
 
There is also comfort and assurance in remembering that Jesus is fully divine.  “He is,” as the Nicene Creed stated, “God of God; Light of Light; Very God of Very God; begotten not made; being of one substance “homoosias” with the Father.  Psalm 33:9 says, “For He spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.”
 
Jesus took His disciples once on a retreat to a place called Caesarea Philippi.  In Caesarea Philippi, people worshipped many gods.  In Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked His disciples “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”  In Matthew 16, the disciples offered a few responses: “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”  Jesus didn’t care much about what people thought of Him, so He asked His disciples, “But what about you?”  “Who do you say I am?”  Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  And I hope you and I today can declare, “I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord.”  In His true humanity, He knows what we are going through, and in His full divinity, He got everything under control.  Be at peace, my friends.  Glory be to God.  Amen.
 

First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012
Sermon Notes (Fourth Sunday in Lent ~ March 22, 2020)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor   
 
Isaiah 40:21-26; Colossians 1:15-20
 
I have to admit that it took me a little longer to get today’s meditation done.  What should I say to you this morning?  What words of comfort, of encouragement and direction I might have for you today?  As I said last Sunday, our world seems upside down right now.  There is so much unrest, chaos, and distraction.  The news about the outbreak of the COVID-19 is at the center of the world’s attention, causing millions of people around the world to panic, public gatherings and meetings to get cancelled, schools closing, travel bans, shortage of food and basic supplies, and limiting the movement of everyone.   
 
I think in the light of what is going on in our world today, we have two choices.  We can choose to either live in fear or live in faith.  “Faith” is the key that unlocks the doors of heaven.  Faith is what enables us to see beyond our present moment.  “I believe” – stated the Apostles’ Creed, one of the oldest Christian affirmations of faith that was written shortly after the Apostolic age.  Can we still believe in a loving, caring, compassionate God who is sovereign and powerful?
 
Today I would like to share with you a short meditation based on the opening statement of the Apostles Creed, “I believe in God the Father Almighty.”  “I believe.”  The society and culture in which we live in today is a culture of skepticism.  Yet, it is in the midst of this skeptic culture that the Lord has called us, His Church, His Body, to be a beacon of hope and a sign of His presence.  It’s for such a time as this.
 
Today and over the next few weeks, we will be looking at what we believe using the Apostles Creed.  But what does the word “creed” mean anyway?  The word creed comes from the Latin credo, which is the first word of “The Apostles’ Creed” in Latin, and means I believe.  So, a creed signifies a brief, summary statement of that which we believe as Christians, that which we believe as the Church.  Today I want to examine the opening statement of the Apostles Creed, “I believe in God the Father Almighty.”
 
Theologian Philip Schaff (1819-1893) once said, “As the Lord’s Prayer is the prayer of prayers, as the Ten Commandments the law of laws, so the Apostle’s Creed is the creed of creeds.”  The first sentence of the Apostle’s Creed is so rich and deep in meaning.  It is so loaded with uplifting truth.  Of all the attributes, characteristics or traits the Church Fathers could have emphasized about the nature of God, they chose just two words – Father Almighty.  The authors of the Creed were telling us that if we comprehend the meaning of those two words, we will know who God is, and that in itself, is enough to cast out fear.
 
First: God is our Father
“I believe in God the FATHER.  Out of His abundant grace, God has chosen to reveal Himself to His people as their “Father.”  In Exodus 4:22-23, God sent Moses to Pharaoh and that was the message, “Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, “Let my son go, so he may worship me.”  Hosea 11:1 “Out of Egypt I called my son.”  “You, Lord,” says the Prophet Isaiah 64:8, “are our Father.”
 
 
Jesus also encouraged His disciples to address God as a “Father.”  In Matthew 7:9-11, Jesus said, “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?  11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”
 
Jesus also taught His disciples and us to pray to “Our Father who art in Heaven.”  In fact, Jesus used the word “Abba”, a common Aramaic word for “Father” in Jesus’ day.  It is a very intimate term that means, “Dear father” or “Daddy.”
 
So as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, let’s always remember that our Heavenly Father is a loving, caring, and compassionate Daddy.  This is a very uplifting and refreshing truth.  As we face the storms of life, we need to anchor our lives on who God is ~ our Daddy.
 
Second: Our God, Our Father is Almighty
“I believe in God the Father ALMIGHTY.”  The word “Almighty” is a translation of the Hebrew word “Shaddai,” as in El Shaddai, “The Almighty God.”  That name or attribute for God first appears in Genesis 17 when God informs Abram (who is 99 years old) that a year later, his wife, Sarah, will give birth to a son.  The very thought seems so absurd that Abram laughed out loud.  The Lord guaranteed the promise with His name — El Shaddai, the Lord Almighty.  If we go all the way to the last book of the Bible, we find the name “Almighty” appearing several times.  Revelation 1:8 is a typical example: “'I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’”
 
So we have two words put together in the Apostles’ Creed that summarize who God is — one is intimate and personal, and the other speaks of God’s unlimited power.  To call God “Father” means that He is a personal God who cares about us.  To call God “Almighty” means that He is able to do whatever needs to be done.  There are no limits with Him. 
 
I believe in God the Father Almighty.  I personally do, and I hope you do too.  Friends, in these uncertain days, let’s remember who is in charge.  It’s God the Father Almighty.  This is our hope, our confidence, and our peace in the midst of the storm.  To God be the glory now and forever more.  Amen.
 
 
 
 

First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012
Sermon Notes (Third Sunday in Lent ~ March 15, 2020)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor   
 

Deuteronomy 6:10-19; Matthew 4:8-11
 
Needless to say that our world seems upside down right now.  There is so much unrest and chaos.  A month ago when I decided to look at the temptations of Jesus in the Judean wilderness during our season of Lent, I had no clue that the Coronavirus pandemic will be at the center of our attention, causing millions of people around the world to panic, public gatherings and meetings to get cancelled, school closings, travel bans, and limiting the movement of everyone.  As I said, when I planned for our Lent sermon series, it never crossed my mind that fear and uncertainty will be dominating the scene during this beautiful spring.  Yet, I believe that the Scripture passages I prepared for today are divinely ordained.  Matthew 4:8-11, the Third Temptation of Christ, is a great passage that addresses our fears and concerns.
 
The Third Temptation
The third temptation represents the ultimate goal of all temptations – that is to say to worship Satan, idolatry.  In the third temptation, we are told the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain.  Luke tells us that the devil showed Jesus, in an instant, all the kingdoms of the world in all of their glory and splendor.  Someone said that Satan carefully hid the corruption of these kingdoms and showed only the external splendor – the art, the architecture, the armies, the wealth, the power, the thrones, the banquets, and the pleasures of this world.  “All these,” Satan said, “I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
 
Jesus turned Satan’s offer down and defeated the devil for the third time.  “Away from me, Satan!” Jesus said.  “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.”  Please allow me to make two short observations as we try to make sense of what is happening in our world today in the light of Christ’s Third Temptation.  In times of crisis, let’s remember two important things:
 
First: Christ is Lord and He is Still on His Throne
During this time of global crisis, let’s remember that Jesus Christ is Lord and He is still exalted on the throne.  He defeated the devil and He is in control of our world.  Sometimes it might be hard to grasp this truth and hold onto it. 
 
Doubt is from Satan.  Three times, Satan wanted to drag Jesus in the wilderness to doubt His Father’s care and provision for Him.  “If you’re the son of God, tell these stones to become bread … throw yourself down.”  Satan is a liar.  In John 8:44 Jesus speaks about Satan saying, “There is no truth in him.  When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” 
 
Doubt is from Satan, but faith and trust in the midst of adversity is from the Lord.  Confusion is from the devil, but assurance is from the Lord.  It is important not to panic at the Coronavirus outbreaks, but it is equally important to take it seriously and take reasonable precautions.
 
One of the things I have learned over the years is that anxiety, worrying about the “what if’s” in life, will drain your strength and energy.  It’s not a fun way to live.  Corrie Ten Boom, a Dutch watchmaker and writer (1892-1983), who courageously resisted the Nazi’s Holocaust, once said, “Worry doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.”
 
In fact, the uncertainty and anxiety of our world today provides us with an amazing opportunity to renew our trust in the Lord who alone is our Rock and Redeemer.  We are told in Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”  Easier said than done, right?
 
Second: An Opportunity to Model Christlikeness
In times of crises, Christians are called to model the difference that Christ makes in a person’s outlook and attitude.  Isaiah 26:3 contains an incredible promise.  It says, “You will keep in perfect peace  those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”
 
This is an attitude that only a Christ-follower can adopt in times such as these.  Make a daily choice to trust in the Lord and in His goodness.  He is more than able to take on our worries, our burdens, and our fears.  Let’s model that trust to others.
 
Friends, the more I think about the temptations of Jesus, the more I come to the conclusion that what enabled Jesus to overcome the temptations in the Judean wilderness was His solid conviction of God’s sovereignty.  God is enthroned as King and Lord over all things. At the heart of the Reformed tradition is the conviction that God is God.  In these uncertain days, we remain rooted and grounded in this truth. God is sovereign: this is our hope, our confidence, and our peace in the midst of the storm.
 
I do not know what is going to happen in the next few weeks, but I urge you, my friends, to model Christlikeness.  Finally, I would call on you today to stay connected to other church members during this time.  Let’s reach out to each other and care for one other.  Pick up the phone and call someone to check on them.  Please especially be mindful of members and friends who might feel very isolated.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012
Sermon Notes (Second Sunday in Lent ~ March 8, 2020)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor   
 
Psalm 91; Matthew 4:5-7
 
A mother camel and her baby were talking one day, and the baby camel asked, “Mom, why have we got these huge three-toed feet?”  The mother replied, “To enable us trek across the soft sand of the desert without sinking.”  “And why have we got these long, heavy eyelashes?”  “To keep the sand out of our eyes on the trips through the desert” replied the mother camel.  “And Mom, why have we got these big humps on our backs?”  The mother, now a little impatient with the baby camel replied, “They are there to help us store fat for our long treks across the desert, so we can go without water for long periods.”  “OK Mom.  I get it!” says the baby camel.  “We have huge feet to stop us sinking, long eyelashes to keep the sand from our eyes, and humps to store water.  Then, Mom, why the heck are we here in the Toronto Zoo?” 
 
Sometimes we need to go into the desert and desert-like experiences in order to discover who we truly are.  Jesus did.  Oftentimes God allows us to go through those dry wilderness periods.  Sometimes we forget who we are and what we are about.  And just like camels in a zoo, we need sometimes to go into the wilderness in order to rediscover our truest identity. 
 
Today we continue looking at the temptations of Christ in the Judean wilderness.  Last Sunday we covered the First Temptation and this morning I would like to look at the Second Temptation in Matthew 4:5-7.  Let’s first see what is at stake, and then, I will say a word about how this second temptation relates to our lives as Christ’s followers today.
 
The Second Temptation: Throw Yourself Down
The issue of trusting God is at the heart of the second temptation.  Jesus won the first round and He defeated the devil.  Jesus made it so clear to the devil that food or no food, God is trustworthy.  Jesus relied on the sufficiency of His Heavenly Father.  Yet, the devil never gets tired tempting us.  The devil will not give up on us easily.
 
In the Second Temptation, the devil takes Jesus to the top of the Temple of Jerusalem.  The devil takes Jesus to His Father’s house.  Remember the Father just affirmed His love to His only Son and confirmed the Son’s mission.  As it was the case in the First temptation, the devil quotes the Scripture in a very deceptive way.  The devil notices that Jesus uses the Scriptures, so the devil comes to Jesus with words from the mouth of God. 
 
Matthew 4:5-6 states, “Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”  The devil quotes Psalm 91 which speaks of how God shows His love toward those who trust Him.
 
Basically, the devil was saying to Jesus “You have chosen God over food and now He should show you in a very tangible way that He is trustworthy.  If you really trust Him that much, throw yourself off the temple, God will protect you as He promised, and He will prove He is trustworthy.”  Before we examine Jesus’ response, let’s see what the people of Israel did when they faced a similar situation.
 
Is the Lord among us or not?
The Israelites failed to trust God and put Him to test many times.  Exodus chapter 17 is a good example.  After the Lord freed them from the hands of Pharaoh, fed them in the desert, the people complained and grumbled against Moses because they had no water.  Don’t you think the God who has always provided for their needs will find a way to quench their thirst?  During their wilderness journey, they lived in genuine dependence on God for their daily bread and each day it came through.  At the end of Exodus chapter 16 Moses took some of the manna God provided and put it in a jar to save it.  He saved it so that it will be a reminder for God’s faithfulness.
 
As a response to their complain due to the lack of water, God tells Moses in Exodus 17 to go, take his staff, and to strike a rock and water will come out of it for the people to drink.  A rock that was in their midst.  God answered their doubt through using a rock that had always been there.  1 Corinthians 10:4 tells us that the “Rock was Christ.
 
I think the point I am trying to make is simple.  God is always with us.  He is in our midst.  He was around the whole time.  Christ, the Rock, is in our midst whether we recognize His presence or not.  They named the place ‘Massah (temptation)’ and ‘Meribah (quarreling)’.  In Massah, the people of Israel tested the Lord by saying “Is the Lord among us or not?”
 
Jesus’ Response: Do Not Put the Lord Your God to the Test
Matthew 4:7 tells us that Jesus responded by saying, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”  Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:16, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”  Basically, Jesus was saying “I don’t need to jump off of a building and be rescued by angels to know my Father loves me and that He is near.  I know that my Father is trustworthy, and I do not need to put Him to the test.
 
Jesus refused to demand a sign from God.  Rather, He chose to trust and to wait for God’s timing to show whatever signs to support His mission in the world.  He believed that His Father knows best.  Jesus knew that God would give us what we need at His perfect timing, therefore, we will not put Him to test.  Jesus won another round against the devil and while the Israelites failed and put God to test, Jesus fully trusted His Father.
 
Friends, many people worldwide have questions about the Coronavirus first detected in China and now in more than 60 countries, including the United States.  Like most of our fellow humans, I am sure we wonder what it is going to happen to us in the light of the rapid spread of this epidemic.  It is no longer in China; it is literally in our backyard.  How this is going to affect us?  What does the near future look like?  Unfortunately, we have no answers to most of these questions, yet, we still believe that God is sovereign and that He is on His throne.  Yes, we do not know what the future holds for us, but we know who holds the future, therefore, we shall not fear.  Friends, I invite you today to choose trust over fear.  Jesus did so should we.  In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen!

First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood                          
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sunday Sermon Notes (First Sunday in Lent ~ March 1, 2020)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor 
 
Deuteronomy 8:1-5; Matthew 4:1-4
 
As you know, today is the First Sunday in Lent.  Lent is a 40-day period, from Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday, that is observed by most Christians.  Lent is supposed to be a time of intense spiritual reflection.  If you were here last Wednesday, I pointed out that Ash Wednesday is a great opportunity to consider what it means to be human redeemed by the cross of Christ.
 
The ashes on Ash Wednesday remind us of two great realities.  On one hand, ashes remind us of our mortality.  As your forehead was marked with the sign of the cross on Ash Wednesday, you heard the words of Genesis 3:19, remember “You are dust, and to dust you shall return.”  For lots of people, this reality is a sad and troubling one.  It means the end.  It means defeat.  It means brokenness and hopelessness.  But on the other hand, for us, followers of Christ, we know that death is not the end of the story.  We live in the promise of hope and we proclaim hope.  For us, hope is not an abstract idea, it is actually a person, and His name is Jesus Christ, who, through His death, conquered death and won our victory.  These two realities, mortality and hope, fall and redemption, are central to the Lent season.
 
The temptation narrative, the story of Jesus being tempted by the Devil in the Judean wilderness, has been a key Scripture in Lent throughout the long history of the Christian Church.  There is a parallel between Jesus being tempted in the Judean desert and Christ’s followers being tempted in the wilderness of this world today.  Leaning on the means Jesus used during His forty days in the desert, we need to learn how to conquer our own temptations today.  Yes, in His humanity, Jesus was tempted like us.  Nevertheless, He never surrendered to temptation.  This Lent, we will be looking at the 3 temptations Jesus faced in the wilderness.  Let me very briefly this morning underscore two observations as we examine the First Temptation of Jesus.
 
First: The Universal Nature of Temptation
Temptations are all around us.  They come in all different shapes and sizes.  I heard a story of a little boy named Bobby who desperately wanted a new bike.  His plan was to save his allowance until he had enough money to purchase the new bike.  Each night Bobby asked God to help him save his money.  Kneeling beside his bed, one night he prayed, “Dear Lord, please help me save my money for a new bike, and please, Lord, don’t let the ice cream truck come down my street again tomorrow.”
 
It doesn’t really matter whether we are young or old, poor or rich, a male or a female, temptation bangs on the door constantly.  A husband and his wife got up one Sunday morning and the wife dressed for church.  It was just about time for the service to begin when she noticed her husband hadn’t moved a finger toward getting dressed.  Perplexed, she asked, “Why aren’t you getting dressed for church?”  He said, “Cause I don’t want to go.”  She asked, “Do you have any reasons?”  He said, “Yes, I have three good reasons.  First, the congregation isn’t very friendly.  Second, no one likes me.  And third, I just don’t want to go.”
 
The wife replied wisely, “Well, honey, I have three reasons why you should go.  First the congregation is very friendly.  Second, there are a few people there who like you.  And third, you’re the pastor!  So get dressed!”  Even pastors are humans.  They are tempted like anyone else.  Temptations are all around us.  No one exempt even the Son of God in His humanity.
 
Second: Satan Tempted Jesus to Doubt God’s Provision
The first temptation could not have been better timed.  Jesus had been fasting for forty days.  He was hungry.  He was entitled to eat.  The tempter came to Him and said, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.”  Jesus answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 
 
Although the first temptation, to turn stones into bread, is often understood as challenging Jesus to misuse His miraculous power to satisfy His own need, His hunger, I believe the temptation goes beyond that.  I believe Satan tempted Jesus to doubt God’s provision.  Deuteronomy 8:2-10 is very much the background against which Matthew 4 must be understood.  The temptation refers to the grumbling of the Israelites in the wilderness complaining to God that they were hungry to which God responded by graciously sending manna and quail.  After escaping the bondage of Egypt, the Israelites failed to trust God for their daily bread. 
 
In the wilderness, Satan was tempting Jesus to rely on His own strength rather than allowing God to meet Christ’s needs in God’s way and timing.  Satan was tempting Christ to doubt His Father’s sufficiency just like Adam – and the Israelites – doubted God’s sufficiency.  Will Jesus, the Son of God, fail the test that Israel failed, or will Jesus continue to place His trust in His heavenly Father even in the wilderness? 
 
Jesus responded to the first temptation by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, “people do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from God’s mouth.”  In other words, Jesus was saying that God’s Word should orient our perspective—what we want, what we hope and fear, what we love, what we value, etc.  God’s word should be our compass.
 
Jesus is not teaching here a spirituality which overlooks physical needs.  Jesus declared that people do not live by bread “alone.”  The word “alone” is a key word in both the gospel narrative as well as Deuteronomy.  Certainly, we do need food to survive.  So did Jesus.  We must eat or we will die.  The point we should not miss here is that Satan tempts us to place our trust in things other than God.  Things that have proven to be just shifting sands; things like our health, our wealth, our savings, our family, our job, etc. Food or no food, God is trustworthy.  Health or sickness, God is trustworthy.  Money or no money, God is trustworthy.
 
Lent is a time to experience God in new ways. Lent is also a time of turning to God, to God’s promises, to God’s commandments with a repentant heart. And my friends you are not in this alone – you are empowered by the Spirit of the living God, the same Spirit that led Jesus through His own temptations. Amen.

First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood                          
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sunday Sermon Notes (February 23, 2020)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor 
 
Daniel 6:10-18; 2 Timothy 4:16-18
 
The story of Daniel in the lion’s den is one of the best-known and best-loved stories in all the Bible.  Needless to say, little children love it and Sunday school teachers love to tell it.  The story has encouraged the people of God for thousands of years.  As you can tell, the story is filled with unexpected twists and turns, but God’s faithfulness to His people is evident all the way through. 
 
Before we jump in, let’s remember two important facts.  First, Daniel is now an aged man.  He came to Babylon as a teenager.  All his adult life has been spent serving in the courts of various pagan rulers.  Now Daniel is a little bit over 80 years old.  Second, He is now serving under a new king named Darius who rules over a new kingdom, the Medo-Persian Empire.  The names have changed but the spiritual challenge is the same.  Will Daniel remain faithful when the pressure is on?
 
The King’s Decree As Daniel chapter six opens, Daniel is once again about to be promoted to high office.  Apparently, King Darius recognized Daniel as a man of integrity and wanted to make him second in command over the entire kingdom. That’s when the intrigue begins.
 
At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.  Finally, these men said in Daniel 6:4-5, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”  This is what his enemies discovered when they examined his life: He was faithful in his duties.  He was faultless in his character.  He was fervent in his prayers. 
 
Daniel’s One “Flaw”
But Daniel did have one “flaw”; his daily prayer life.  He prayed every day at the same time in the same way so that his enemies realized this was where they could catch him.  So Daniel’s enemies asked King Darius to pass a 30-day law forbidding anyone to pray except to Darius himself. 
 
Darius signed the law, knowing that it could not be repealed, not even by himself.  He had no idea that Daniel was the intended target.  Meanwhile the satraps are chortling together.  They knew Daniel would break the law.  That is, they knew Daniel would keep on praying just as he had always done.  Daniel was a victim of his own integrity.  He was predictably faithful to God.  If he had been a flaky believer, this evil plot would never have worked.  
 
Daniel’s DevotionSo what do you do when you discover that your enemies have passed a law aimed at one person, and you are that person?  In fact, how you respond at that point tells a great deal about your character.  Daniel 6:10 states, “Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem.  Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.”
 
“Just as he had done before.”  For over 80 years Daniel had prayed three times a day.  I did the math and asked myself, “How many times would Daniel have prayed if he prayed three times a day for 85 years?”  The answer comes out to over 90,000 prayers. No wonder he simply went back to his room and started praying.  An 85-year habit is hard to break.  For him, prayer was like breathing. He wasn’t about to stop praying just because he is being threatened.  
 
King Darius now realizes he has been tricked.  He likes Daniel and immediately begins seeking loopholes to prevent him being thrown to the lions.  But even the king could not repeal his own law because that would make him look weak and ineffective.  No, the law must stand, and Daniel must go to the lion’s den.  But Darius is rooting for the old man. In Daniel 6:16 he wishes Daniel well with these words, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”  What a testimony this is to the reality of Daniels faith.  Even unbelievers recognize true faith in God, and they respect it.
 
Daniel is thrown into the lion’s den, which was a pit dug into the ground with an entrance from the side for the lions and with a huge boulder placed over the top so there could be no escape.  It was a crude and very effective form of capital punishment.  No one ever got out alive.  And certainly not an aged man over 80 years old.  Daniel was as good as dead the moment they threw him in or so they thought.  As we know from the story, God did it and He saved Daniel.
 
Lessons for Modern-Day Daniels
As I conclude, let’s wrap up this study by highlighting two important lessons for modern-day Daniels who find themselves facing the lions every day.  First: It is possible to live a pure and holy life in the midst of a thoroughly pagan world.  Daniel’s story demonstrates that if you make up your mind (or “purpose in your heart") to serve God, to live faithfully, you can do it even in the very center of paganism, in Babylon.  There is always a way to compromise for those who want to compromise.  And there is always a way to obey God for those who want to obey and follow God. 
 
Daniel managed to survive and thrive in a spiritually hostile environment.  In some parts of the world, standing up for Christ means suffering and death.  In the United States of America, it means ostracism, ridicule, scorn, being left out and perhaps being passed over.  It often leads to tension at home and on the job.  Be ready to fight the good fight and to stand your ground. 
 
Second: Let’s remember that when we face our lions, we are not alone.  If God delivered Daniel from the lion’s den, he can surely deliver us.  Generations of Christians have taken strength from this story because in the end, the hero isn’t Daniel, it’s actually Daniel’s God.  That same God is same today and yesterday and forever.  He is sovereign over the lions who surround us.  Take heart and trust in God.  Writing from his prison cell in Rome, Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4, “At my first defense no one came to my support, but all deserted me … But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength … I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.  The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom.”
 
But I also want you to know that God always delivers in His own time and in His own way.  Does God always deliver His people?  Yes, indeed, but not always in the way we expect.  Not all our prayers are answered in the way we pray them.  Paul himself was executed in Rome shortly after he wrote those words in 2 Timothy 4.  Yet, he realized the nearness of God’s presence and that He rescued him, in God’s own way, from the Lion’s mouth.  Friends, in the end, we must rest secure that God makes no mistakes and (as King Nebuchadnezzar learned the hard way) “everything he does is right” (Daniel 4:37).  Glory be to His name.  Amen.