Welcome to Covenant of Hope Ministries and our Sunday sermon. I am Rev. Laura A. Neff. Today we are completing our voyage through the Scroll of Jude written by Judah, the brother of our Savior Jesus Christ.
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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.
- We have a lot of family and friends this week who have lost loved ones. Let’s pray that their pains and sorrows at the losses will be brightened by their favorite memories of those who have been lost.
- Please continue to pray for Elder Cal Jennings and his health issues, which are numerous. He continues to suffer with issues regarding his pain, vision, and memory.
- We have two or three of my family members that have been quite ill in the first half of this year. Some of them are still affected by those illnesses. Let us pray that their symptoms cease and they are given clean bills of health. Let us also pray for my family as we learn how to cope without our father or husband, J. Mark Newman.
- 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.
- 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. This especially after the publicized shootings and other situations worldwide.
- Pray for our sick and wounded that they may heal.
- Pray that truth is revealed where falsehoods have been shared around this world.
Prayer: Father in heaven, this is our prayer for today. We pray for those who have been so affected by the worldwide situation in recent months. We pray for those who have been brought to harm or death in the goings on this past week. We continue to pray for Elder Cal Jennings and his health concerns. So many people are being infected with this deadly virus, we pray for their healing well and able to return to normal life. We pray for an end to this terrible virus. We pray for family, friends, and colleagues affected by COVID-19. We pray for those who have been affected physically or otherwise by the terrors and disasters that have occurred this past week. 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: Matthew West ~ Truth Be Told https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4wYkS8Z3Io
Sermon: Today we will complete our exploration into the words Judah, brother to Jesus, shared with those around him in his lifetime. There are very important lessons to be learned as we pay attention to what each of the Apostles, Disciples, and family members of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior have to say. We start here.
Jude 21 KJV - Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Stay in the love of God! This is something Judah’s brother taught us in parables and prayers during His earthly lifetime. We see that in these next two verses from the Gospel of John the Beloved.
John 15:4 KJV – Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
John 15:10 KJV – If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
As those who know well how I have taught, this particular parable is my all time favorite portion of Scripture. It is vital to learn and be able to share with others exactly what these verses share. The human race is integral to God’s unconditional love. What that means is that we are connected to our Heavenly Father by something that cannot be severed unless we destroy that connection utterly. This is what Jesus warned in His parable, and what we see in Paul’s son, Titus’s words here.
Titus 2:13 KJV – Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Hope is a blessing of God’s grace as shared through our Savior Jesus Christ. It is something that exists in this world even when we are surrounded by devastation and despair. Nothing epitomizes the unconditional love of our Savior than that moment when we feel there is nothing left to hope for and something happens to prove the opposite is true. This is something Jude shares in these next two verses.
JUDE
22-23 KJV – And of some have compassion, making a difference:
And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the
garment spotted by the flesh.
Have you experienced the healing balm of compassion? It does make a difference in life when things spin out of control, or when we are blasted with a huge tragedy, of which we have seen too much of that in recent decades. That’s not including the diseases that rob so many of their lives. We’re speaking of humanity created and natural disasters, of which our recent experiences, have revealed far too often. A lesser prophet in Scripture proves that with these next few verses.
Zechariah
3:1-5 KJV – And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel
of the Lord, and Satan standing at
his right hand to resist him.
And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke
thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?
Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away
the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine
iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.
And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre
upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by.
God’s angel spoke and even Satan listens once in a while. God’s angels helped Zechariah in his time of need. God sees you beyond whatever you wear and whatever you do to your hair, face, and so on. He sees the truth without us saying a word, or even thinking of one. That’s something we have to learn and understand when it comes to our faith and understanding God’s word. Now let’s see what connects these verses with the Revelation as shared by John the Beloved.
Revelation 3:4 KJV – Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
Revelation 3:18 KJV – I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see.
Appearance is something we see exploited, everything is about how pretty, how handsome, how tall, how thin, and all that. This is vanity, known as a deadly sin by some, one of seven troubles by theologians, which ensures that we need the Holy Spirit to keep us from falling through those seven troubles. The fact that Jesus Christ gave us the Holy Spirit upon His earthly demise, proves just how important it is to keep His word in mind. This is what Judah shares.
JUDE 24 KJV – Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
We take so much time to learn Scripture, that we forget what the meaning behind the words would be. It’s very, very important for us to know Scripture like the best song we’ve ever heard, the best book we have ever read, the most magnificent letter anyone ever sent to us. That’s what Scripture should be for every one of us. God has stressed it over and over again, that we must learn, apply, and share His Word with those around us, not just because it says we need to do so, but because when we see without our eyes, hear without our ears, speak without our tongues, we will find that part of us that is identical to every other human being on this earth. This is a very powerful consideration as we see in these two verses.
Romans 16:25 KJV – Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
Romans 16:27 KJV – To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.
There is a reason we lean on God’s understanding. There are many reasons that we forget this fact. Timothy and Paul share the fact that we are all able to reach the path of Christ if we practice in faith, persist in peace, lift every eye toward His path and take each step considering all the ones that got us where we are. Timothy and Paul shares part of the reason for this.
2 Timothy 4:18 KJV – And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Colossians 1:22 KJV – In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
Lessons are everywhere in Scripture. Judah proves that by referencing several parts of Old Testament Scripture within his words. He does so for very good reasons. We all tend to forget the past if we do not work hard to remember and pursue life that doesn’t include the mistakes and stumbles we had to get this far. This is what we see here in these three verses.
Genesis 4:5 KJV – But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
Numbers 22:7 KJV – And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.
Numbers 22:21 KJV – And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.
Some of the lessons are as painful to experience as they are to remember. Those are the lessons that will prevent us from falling into similar traps in our lives. That’s very important in our development as human beings and as Christians filled with God’s Unconditional Love and wisdom realized and recognized after learning and understanding each and every incident in our lifetimes. This is why Judah ends this scroll in this fashion.
JUDE 25 KJV – To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
God’s wisdom is shared in the existence of Jesus Christ our Savior. For those who haven’t learned how the Holy Trinity works in our faith, God is the All in All, the Alpha and the Omega. His only begotten Son is part of Him, physically and spiritually. The Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost as sometimes referenced, is also a part of God. The three comfort and teach us in different methods, but all work together to ensure that we realize how important we are to God and what part we are to Him as well as to those around us.
1 Timothy 1:1 KJV – Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;
God brought salvation to us through the life and death of our Savior Jesus Christ. The Resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ was the physical manifestation of hope for humanity. This is also something we absolutely must understand in our study of Scripture. Timothy goes on to share this.
1 Timothy 1:17 KJV – Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
There are certain factors relative to Omnipotence and Omnipresence, and both of these factor into the words that Timothy shared here. They reach through all the twelve Apostles of Jesus. We hear a lot from Paul, but we cannot forget Peter’s view of Christianity.
2 Peter 2:13 KJV – And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;
Now, we’ve discussed the seven troubles of vanity, envy, lust, enmity, wrath, shame, and doubt. We see them in every aspect of our current lives somehow and someway. It is hard to take the high road in our lifetimes due to stressors that include those who egg us on to do the wrong things, to follow the wrong set of rules, and so forth. This is what Jesus and His family have worked so hard to teach us through the Scriptures. Today is only one of those views in the conclusion of Judah’s epistle. Now, that’s something to think about as we reflect on the Prayer Jesus taught us.
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: Crowder ~ Forgiven https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_ZWEO36jok
~ 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 © 2021 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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