Welcome to Covenant of Hope Ministries and our Sunday sermon. I am Rev. Laura A. Neff. This ministry shares the Word of God, the Spirit of Christ Jesus. Our ministry was created with twelve people around this world back in 2008. Each of us shares God’s Word in ways He guides us to utilize. 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 & LinkedIn
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 Elder Cal Jennings and his health issues, which are numerous. He has been having issues with his pain, vision, and memory.
- Please keep my brother, Scott, in your prayers as he just had serious back surgery repairing and fusing three vertebra in his lumbar section after a serious fall. He is home and staying quite still for the majority of the time as the area heals. He and his wife, my sister-in-law, Theresa are working hard to help him heal and keep him safe, secure, and working to be healthy and able once more.
- We are ever watchful in regard to the weather with wild winter weather and with the high winds, freezing temperatures, snow, ice, and more around many places. We continue to pray for those who suffer or have suffered from the COVID-19 chaos. Let pray for calm skies and seas, calm voices and spirits, and also healthy outcomes for those who are affected.
- Pray for a friend of a friend whose daughter Everleigh is still having issues with cancer cell growth even after her transplant.
- Pray that another friend is able to get better and better after her surgery was managed and her stability returns slowly but surely for her benefit.
- Pray for friends of my friend Mary who have been terribly sick this past week.
- Pray for another friend, Faith and her family, after the loss of her father.
- 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 who are jobless, homeless, no matter what might have ended up causing either of those. Pray that providence would find them and ease the suffering.
- 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.
Prayer: Father in heaven, this is our prayer for today. We continue to pray for the ones suffering as a result of shootings and unrest around this world. We pray that truth can be seen where too many lies have filled life as we know it. We pray for those whose jobs are in a scary position. We pray also for family members of colleagues and friends. We pray for friends Faith, Mary, and all the others known and unknown to us as they work to heal, ease their mourning and sorrow. We pray for those traveling back and forth across this country and around this world so they remain healthy. 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: Amy Grant ~ Thy Word https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6LC8cu03Ig
Sermon: We continue to explore Peter’s second epistle today. This time we will complete this first chapter. Let’s begin where we left off.
2 Peter 1:19 KJV – We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
It’s hard to be in darkness of any kind. When we are in a dark place spiritually it wears us down even more than just having the power go out for whatever reason in our homes and neighborhoods. There are times when this darkness is needed to reassess our lives, to seek guidance from God spiritually, mentally, physically. That’s when this familiar psalm brightens our paths.
Psalm 119:105 KJV – Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
His Word is our lamp, light at the end of a very dark tunnel, the hand to help us up or out of whatever quagmire we might be in spiritually, mentally, all of that. People often get in that funk, that mood that nothing seems capable of swaying toward the good end. A lot of us blame the situation, other people, and often, ourselves as well. We’ll be like the prophet Isaiah in that sense as seen here.
Isaiah 14:12 KJV – How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
Jesus proves to us that there are things we have to pay attention to in history and in life as we live it. He does through in the recorded history written in the gospels of Luke and John.
Luke 1:78 KJV – Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
John 5:35 KJV – He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.
The light of salvation is something we cannot see with the naked eye, yet it would indeed be right before us. All we have to do is listen, hear, and follow that light toward peace, prosperity, eternal life, and the fulfillment of God’s Unconditional Love. Paul shares more here in his sermons with those citizens of Corinth.
2 Corinthians 4:6 KJV – For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
The minor prophets who followed the Twelve Apostles have this to share.
Hebrews 2:2 KJV – For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;
Faith is more than a word. It is an action, an attitude, a necessity in the pursuit of righteousness. It is something we have a lot of trouble hanging on to, pursuing, and proving to ourselves and others. However, there is something we need to remember. If it weren’t for miracles, and their obvious existence, would we ever be happy? Would we exist? It is a miracle that created the earth in the beginning, through the hands of God, our Heavenly Father. This also proves that Scripture is holy, written through the Spirit by human hands to prove the existence of every view of miracle there could possibly be. Peter proves that here in his next verse.
2 Peter 1:20 KJV – Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
Peter reinforces the sanctity of God’s Word in his words here. This is something we hear repeatedly in both the Old and New Testaments. In fact, there are so many places that repeats this fact, it would require us to read the entirety of Scripture to discern them all. Here we are seeing two other Apostles sharing their thoughts on the same. Paul here with the citizens of Rome and Timothy as well.
Romans 12:6 KJV – Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
2 Timothy 3:16 KJV – All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
Here we are, at the end of the first chapter in 2nd Peter. Here are the last words Peter shares with those who surround him at this church. The church at that time was not combatting issues from outside like in 1st Peter, but from inside among those who had converted to Christianity. It is a warning that Peter brings to them, to take care in the teaching and practicing of faith through the love of Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:21 KJV – For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
Now, a true student of Scripture knows every person Peter is referencing. Abraham, Jacob, Isaiah, Ezra, Moses, and all the other prophets that brought God’s thoughts out to kings and common folk alike. Here we see four of those prophets with their reflections.
2 Samuel 23:2 KJV – The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.
Jeremiah 23:26 KJV – How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart;
Ezekiel 1:3 KJV – The word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was there upon him.
Micah 1:1 KJV – The word of the Lord that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
We all should be sharing His Word with each other, every day, every moment of every day. We don’t do that often outside of church, because this world we live in is afraid to hear the consequences of the sins, the evil, that are constantly pursued even to this very moment. Jesus warned just about two millennia ago that this is exactly what would happen. Upon the moment where hope is lost, the Savior will rise again and judge the living and the dead. We see here in the words of the Gospel of Luke just how important it is to share the love of God, the amazing grace of Jesus Christ and the unfathomable gift of the Holy Spirit.
Luke 1:70 KJV – As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
God spoke to the prophets, in dreams, and yes, in front of their face, as done with Abraham, Moses, Aaron, Jacob, Joseph, Elijah and Elisha, and so many more. He did so even with women, including Queen Esther, Rachel, Ruth, Sara, and so many more. It’s something that we have to learn about, which is why Luke wrote these words in our final two verses today.
Acts 1:16 KJV – Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.
Acts 3:18 KJV – But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.
It is important to understand the Word of God and the purposeful nature of its creation. We must remember that the Word is truth, it is more than just a history of humanity and the earth as it was for the time before our Savior and after His resurrection. It is incredibly important for us to recognize the need there is to study, even just one verse a day, week, month, and spend that whole day reflecting on that verse and the impact it might have on your life individually and collectively. Recognizing this fact will help your own human Spirit grow even more. Now, that’s something to think about as we pray in the prayer that 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: Home Free ~ My Church https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5ubZfnKAN4
~ 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 © 2022 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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