Welcome to Covenant of Hope Ministries and our sermon or
midweek study. You will normally see us posted on Sunday and Wednesday. I am
Rev. Laura A. Neff. Our ministry was built on the truth of God’s love. It
doesn’t conform to society’s wishes. This ministry shares the Word of God, the
Spirit of Christ Jesus. Those who know me well will recognize that there are
definitive differences in the creation of every sermon from this point forward.
It is God’s will that has brought this to be. We wish only that God’s truth
will be shared within His words as brought to us by the Spirit as it fills my
heart, mind, and soul to be shared with my hands, but with His words alone.
You will find us in the following location: http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com
Prayer List: We have many on our prayer list. Some wish
to remain anonymous, and others only wish to have their first names mentioned.
Our prayer list grows or changes every week. This is our current list.
- Please pray for Elder Cal Jennings who has been
suffering greatly with his health. May the Lord bring his spirits up and help
heal him.
- Pray for my friends Dena, Karen, and Kristy for their
health, happiness, and well-being.
- Please pray for relief in the trials and tribulations for Sister Theresa and myself as we have had a great many over the past year and more.
- Be thankful for each day we live as we do not know what
tomorrow brings.
- Pray for our nations that the voice of God be heard through the Spirit.
- Pray for our friends and families that their tomorrows bring blessings and pray our own be the same.
- Pray for our nations that the voice of God be heard through the Spirit.
- Pray for our friends and families that their tomorrows bring blessings and pray our own be the same.
- Pray for those suffering as a result of the terrors
that have occurred just this past week around this world.
- Pray for our sick and wounded that they may heal.
Prayer: Father in heaven, our prayer today is to have the
Holy Spirit bring clarity to our decisions. We pray for enlightenment and
understanding while studying Your Word. We thank You for these gifts and the many
more You have brought us. Help us to see the many gifts Your love brings and
the unknown locations it might be found. May our pain and sorrow be eased. May
peace be brought from our hearts and shared with others. May Your gifts of love
shine through us toward others. We pray for the poor, the sick, the sorrowful,
the wounded, and the frightened. We pray for the soldiers, the Samaritans, the
children, and the rest. We pray in thanksgiving for every gift brought us. We
pray that every tomorrow would bring good things. For each of these we pray in
Your Holy Name, through our Savior Jesus Christ, and the gift of the Holy
Spirit, Amen and so it shall be.
Opening
Song: Ten Thousand Angels Cried https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLsLWf6NBM4
Sermon:
Normally,
an Easter sermon begins with the first moment after the tomb is opened and they
find it empty. That is one reason I started with a sad, sorrowful song this morning. I was inspired to start here and work backwards a
bit to explain what it means to us here and now, and how that is both the same
and different from when these moments occurred. We’ll start here with this one.
1
Corinthians 15:20-22 KJV – But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become
the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came
also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ
shall all be made alive.
God promised Adam, and furthered that promise with
Abraham and Noah, that every person would one day be redeemed and able to live
an eternal life beyond what we see as we live in the here and now, and way back
in their times. Jesus promised us one thing, eternal life as long as we lived
as part of His truth, His love, within our hearts, our minds, our spirits, and
our souls. Even though He was beaten, forced to carry His cross, and hung there
in the hot sun baking, bleeding, suffering, all that could possibly be
suffered, not just His own, but multiplied by the deaths of every single person
living, and yet to live, all over the earth. Imagine, suffering the deaths of
billions of men, women, and children, all by Himself on that cross. Then, think
about this.
Matthew 28:1-2 KJV - In the end of the
sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary
Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a
great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and
rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
There is a whole lot of information just here in this
pair of verses. Yet, in truth, how would anyone want to believe what happened
if we didn’t see it from various points of view? This is one question I have
heard many times. How can you believe in something you cannot see with your
eyes to know the truth as an eyewitness. Jesus showed us how to believe and see
the truth within that belief. He did so, when He was resurrected and shared time
with His disciples and family members. The passage is a long one, but shares
everything that answers the biggest question people always seem to have.
Luke
24:12-15 KJV – Then
arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen
clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which
was come to pass. And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village
called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. And they
talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass,
that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and
went with them.
Jesus had already risen from the grave, but as the
Resurrected Son of God, was unrecognizable even to His closest friends and
colleagues. So, what does Jesus do? He asks a question, of course. Did you not
pay attention to all I said for these many years?
Luke
24:16-17 KJV – But
their eyes were holden that they should not know him. And he said unto them, What
manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and
are sad?
Now we get to the point of their disbelief that the Lord had
indeed gone from the crucifixion to glory in resurrection. Here we see their
reaction at the potential that Jesus could be standing there alive with them,
talking and communicating as though three days earlier on what we celebrate as
Good Friday had never occurred.
Luke
24:18-24 KJV – And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto
him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which
are come to pass there in these days? And he said unto them, What things? And
they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in
deed and word before God and all the people: And how the chief priests and our
rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. But we
trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all
this, to day is the third day since these things were done. Yea, and certain
women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the
sepulchre; And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had
also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. And certain of them
which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had
said: but him they saw not.
Believing in anything without proof for most of humanity is
a seriously difficult hurdle. Believing in God and Jesus when we have not seen
what these disciples and Apostles had seen, shares something as well. Jesus
wanted us to see what truth God’s prophetic Word assured in the existence,
life, ministry, death, and resurrection, of Jesus Christ the ONLY begotten Son
of God entailed, not just in bits and pieces, but all together as a whole.
Luke
24:25-35 KJV – Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe
all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these
things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the
prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning
himself. And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as
though he would have gone further. But they constrained him, saying, Abide with
us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry
with them. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and
blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they
knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Did
not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he
opened to us the scriptures? And they rose up the same hour, and returned to
Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with
them, Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. And they
told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking
of bread.
Here you see how they reflected upon what Jesus had brought
them since His resurrection. He showed them that belief goes beyond what we see
with our eyes, our mind. Belief goes through to our heart, our subconscious
being, our soul and spirit. That is where the truth lives, where God should be
through the Holy Spirit as it is given to each and every one of us who
believes.
Luke
24:36-53 KJV – And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of
them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and
affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them,
Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands
and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not
flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them
his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered,
he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a
broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them. And
he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet
with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of
Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he
their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto
them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise
from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should
be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are
witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon
you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from
on high. And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands,
and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted
from them, and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to
Jerusalem with great joy: And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing
God. Amen.
Believing is more than seeing His truth in front of us.
Believing is sharing in the truth that has been shared in our hearts, through
our spirits, seen in our minds and felt in our souls.
John
6:29 KJV – Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye
believe on him whom he hath sent.
Now that’s something to think about as we pray in the
prayer that Jesus taught us saying:
Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13)
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13)
Closing
Song: He Lives! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qF6aBDS3drA&list=PL614A115BF39E5936&index=144&t=0s
~ Shalom ~
Rev. Laura A. Neff
Elder Calvin Jennings
Covenant of Hope Ministries Main Site: http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com
Scripture Excerpts: The New Open Bible Study Edition:
Copyright © 1990: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © 1982: E. E.
Gaddy and Associates, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright ©circa
1890-1910: International Bible Press, The John C. Winston Co.; Philadelphia,
PA, USA
Sermon or Study Copyright © 2015 http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com
Our mission for Covenant of Hope Ministries is not to
exploit fear, but to conquer it, and overcome all that is created through fear
together as the bringers of the light of Jesus found in the midst of darkness.
