Welcome to Covenant of Hope Ministries and our sermon. You will normally see us posted on Sunday. 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
Rev. Laura’s other sites: Facebook & Blogspot & Twitter
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 continue to pray for our Elder Cal Jennings and his health issues, which are numerous. He has been having issues with his pain, vision, and memory. He is on oxygen and his machine keeps malfunctioning. Let’s pray that this situation is remedied soon. Add to those prayers in the near desperate need for new housing as the family is in dire straits in that consideration.
- Please pray for blessings of joy and happiness for my Brother Scott and his bride to be, Theresa Bogard. Both are members of our congregation.
- Please pray for my daughter’s grandmother-in-law who has been in the hospital with heart issues and my daughter’s mother-in-law, Suzanne, is unable to travel to be with her during this worrisome time.
- Please pray for Jerry Verduft who is still recovering from his bout with COVID 19 Coronavirus. Pray for the family as well as they wait and watch for healing and healthy outcomes. My longtime friend Jeff asked for prayers.
- We are ever watchful in regard to the weather, the unrest, and the virus and response to that virus. Let us pray for calm skies and seas, calm voices and spirits, and also healthy outcomes for those who are affected.
- Continue to pray for one of my family members as they go through some dramatic changes.
- Praise God for Christmas miracles, four of my family members tested negative for COVID-19 Coronavirus just before the Christmas holiday.
- Be thankful for each day we live as we do not know what tomorrow brings.
- Pray for all of our outreach ministries with Pastor Stephen Okoth, Pastor Robert Nganwa, Pastor Simon Peter Javaji, Rev. Lisa Tyler, and all the others who have joined us.
- 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.
- Pray that truth is revealed where falsehoods have been shared around this world.
Sending out Happy Birthday greetings to my sister-in-law, Donna, who celebrated her birthday yesterday.
Sending out Happy Birthday greetings to my husband, Ronald, who celebrates his birthday on Tuesday.
Prayer: Father in heaven, this is our prayer for today. Elder Cal Jennings health and other issues are in need of Your Holy Spirit as some of his chronic conditions and the machinery he has are giving him quite a bit of grief. As this year ends we pray that the worst of the effects of the worldwide pandemic and the outrageous claims are extinguished in this upcoming year. We pray for our poor and desolate, our brothers and sisters who have been brought devastation due to the terrors around this world and all of the natural disasters, storms, and so forth this past week. We pray for those in our outreach ministries that their reach gains momentum and their needs are met. 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: Kenny Rogers ft Home Free Children Go Where I Send Thee https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7GR-c8-tKI
Sermon: On Christmas Eve I shared the view of Matthew’s gospel relating his version of the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. Today we are exploring the Gospel of Luke’s view of the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. I was originally planning on just a few verses in Luke Chapter 2, but, upon rereading it, the Holy Spirit decided I must cover more than just those few words.
Luke 2:3-7 KJV – And all
went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea,
unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house
and lineage of David:)
To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she
should be delivered.
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes,
and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
In the days of Mary and Joseph, many people, even living in places far from the city or town of their birth, would still be required by law to return once a year to pay their personal taxes. Even in those days they could not avoid taxes. It was incredibly dangerous to travel long distances for a woman in the final trimester of a pregnancy. This is true even today, long distances and being that far along can be dangerous for both the mother and the child yet to be born. Yet, even with the many dangers out there, Joseph and Mary followed the laws and traditions laid out by God the Father many centuries before. Now we’ll see a verse shared on Christmas Eve here in the Gospel of Matthew.
Matthew 1:25 KJV – And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus.
Now, on Christmas Eve we spoke a lot about Matthew’s version of the Savior’s birth. Of course, if we pay attention, Scripture shares with us how each of the authors of the various Scrolls of Scripture would be affected by the things that surround any part of their specific view of the world at that time. It is the reason we go back and forth through the Old and New Testaments so we can have a broader, more definitive view of our Father in Heaven, the Son and Savior, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit and how that knowledge affects us to this very moment in time. Now we are going to touch on the others who were affected by the heavenly news of the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ with the shepherds and kings who were drawn to the small space where Jesus was Born in the city of Bethlehem.
Luke 2:8-11 KJV – And
there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch
over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone
round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings
of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ
the Lord.
Now, this occurrence was foretold in an ancient prophecy and shared with us through the eyes of the prophet Isaiah as shared here.
Isaiah 9:6 KJV – For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
It is important for us to recognize prophetic thought, and how it affected people long before Jesus’s birth, and continues to affect people even two thousand and twenty years later. Let’s continue with our exploration of the Gospel of Luke.
Luke 2:12-14 KJV – And
this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling
clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising
God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
All beings, including the angels in heaven, the human beings on earth, should proclaim the glory and the blessings of God, because it is something so awe inspiring and somewhat unfathomable in this specific moment, that a baby could be born through the Holy Spirit and immaculate conception. That’s why there are prophecies throughout Scripture, because people have a tough time believing what is black and white and read all over. People need to understand what it means to have a Savior and the assured Salvation of all believers that occurred throughout the thirty-three years after His birth. That’s why we have supporting verses like these three.
Psalm 103:20 KJV – Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.
1 Peter 1:12 KJV – Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
Isaiah 57:19 KJV – I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the Lord; and I will heal him.
It is very important that we understand every connection to the very existence of our Holy and Heavenly Father, the Savior of All Jesus Christ, and the gift of the very, very great blessing of the Holy Spirit, given to us as the third segment of God’s very being. The Holy Trinity as we know it is far more than Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is the very essence, the very specific essential piece that must be learned in every way in order for the death and resurrection of Christ to impact us as greatly as it should. Think about it this way. Every sin, no matter how big or small, was able to be wiped off the earth, out of every living, breathing, being, because of the birth of a baby boy two millennia and more before this one. 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)
Closing Song: Kenny Rogers and Winona Judd ~ Mary Did You Know https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEqxloVWE1Y
~ 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 © 2020 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.
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