https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qDddkoPyjE
Welcome to Covenant of Hope Ministries and our Sunday sermon. You will normally see us posted in written and live form on Sunday. I am Rev. Laura A. Neff. Our ministry was built on the truth of God’s love. This ministry shares the Word of God, the Spirit of Christ Jesus. We wish only that God’s truth will be shared within His words as brought to us by the Spirit as it fills heart, mind, and soul to be shared 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 pray for Evangelist Cal Jennings who has been suffering greatly with his health. May the Lord bring his spirits up and help heal him.
- Please keep several friends and other family members in prayer for their trials and tribulations. They have each requested to remain anonymous for the time being. One who lost their father this past week. Three who have just recently gotten out of the hospital, may they get well quickly. Another pair who have had serious issues with pain levels in recent weeks and months. May their pain ease sooner rather than later.
- Pray my sister Lisa and her family have a safe journey home from here where we shared breakfast yesterday morning.
- Pray for the economy around this world as inflation and supply chains suffer from extremely high prices for fuel.
- Pray for the family, friends, and colleagues of all the sufferers from the various automobile wrecks and incidents of gun violence all over the world during the past week.
- 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 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.
- Wish Sister Theresa Bogard-Newman a happy birthday today!
- Wish my nephew Anthony a happy birthday today as well!
- Wish my brother Scott Newman and his wife Theresa Bogard-Newman a happy first wedding anniversary too!
- Wishing a dear friend and her husband a happy and blessed thirty-third anniversary!
Prayer: Father in heaven, our prayer today is to have the Spirit bring healing to each of our bodies, minds, spirits, and souls. We pray for broader enlightenment and understanding while studying Your Word. We thank You for these awesome gifts and the many more You have brought us. May our fears be drawn fully out of us. Help us to see the many awesome gifts Your love brings and the unknown locations in which 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: Willie Nelson ~ Living in the Promised Land https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqIyIvL-gBs&list=PL614A115BF39E5936&index=12
Sermon: We are starting a new Scroll of Scripture, this one being Colossians. Now, to give you the geographical location of Colossae, it is about 120 US miles, approximately 193 kilometers, east of Ephesus, and within a short distance to Laodicea and Hierapolis as part of what was at that time known as Phrygia in Asia Minor. This is the city where Philemon lives as we learned in the last few sermons. Epaphras, Eh-pah-frus, was the leader of the church there in Colossae. There is a lot to do to set the scene of the writings of Paul to the congregation in Colossae. Let’s begin with Paul’s letter.
Colossians 1:1 KJV – Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother,
NIV – Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
As we have seen in all of Paul’s letters, he introduces himself to the ones reading the letter. He is speaking to the home church for Timothy, led by Epaphras, Eh-pah-frus, who is there in Colossae with Philemon and the rest of their congregation of new Christians. Much like all his letters, Paul spreads the love of Jesus toward all who listen to each letter. We see this reflected in his letter to the citizens of Ephesus.
Ephesians 1:1 KJV – Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
NIV – Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
We add to that the voices of the Hebrew prophets and preachers.
Hebrews 13:23 KJV – Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you.
NIV – I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see you.
It’s important to recognize and realize that every brand new, barely begun church is an important milestone for all who follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ and spread that Christianity toward the ends of the earth. It’s as important for the leaders in each church as it is for the followers. We see this more and more with the closer study of Scripture that we pursue together. Let’s continue with Paul’s Letter to the church at Colossae.
Colossians 1:2 KJV – To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
NIV – To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.
Grace, people talk about grace a lot in Scripture. It’s important to understand just what grace is based on what Jesus taught us. According to Western views of Christian theology is the help given to one by God because God desires one to have it, not necessarily because of anything one has done to earn it. It is understood by Christians to be a spontaneous gift from God to people – "generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved" – that takes the form of divine favor, love, clemency, and a share in the divine life of God. This is something that all of the Apostles and Disciples of Christ work hard to pursue, that gift of Amazing Grace. We see a repetition of a very ancient memory to Jews in Jerusalem and elsewhere. This is the reminder of King Saul and his tyranny in the ancient times before Jesus and His salvation. We add the thoughts of Paul’s work in Galatia as well.
Acts 9:13 KJV – Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:
NIV – Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:
Galatians 1:3 KJV – Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,
NIV – Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,
Galatians 3:9 KJV – So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
NIV – So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
Notice how Paul brings other ancient moments back to life including Abraham, the ever-faithful friend of God and father of nations. This isn’t a jump to a history lesson, it’s proving that faith and hope and unconditional love have their roots in God’s grace, in God’s greatest gifts, including our Savior Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit as it stirs up the human spirit and soul as needs to be done to motivate us to continue adding the stones, the bricks, and the masonry work to be managed in building the eternal church of God through Christ. Now, let’s get back to the letter Paul wrote for those residing in the church at Colossae.
Colossians 1:3 KJV – We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
NIV – We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
Notice this! We ALWAYS THANK GOD! Whenever we pray for you no matter how far from us you would be, we ALWAYS THANK GOD! That’s important for all of us to CONTINUE DOING, even this many centuries later. It’s very, very important to build each heart, each mind, each spirit with God’s Amazing Grace, the gift of Jesus Christ our Savior and Salvation and the Holy Spirit, the Eternal Comforter sent by Jesus Christ to keep us on His path of glory. This is the single most important unifying link for every single Christian, professed aloud or personally alone, it is the one thread that connects us better than any road we might follow. That’s what Paul shares again to the Romans and to the citizens of Ephesus as well as Colossae.
Romans 15:6 KJV – That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
NIV – so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 3:14-19 KJV – For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
NIV – For this reason I kneel before the
Father,
15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power
through his Spirit in your inner being,
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that
you, being rooted and established in love,
18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how
wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled
to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Faith, for Christians, is something more than how we speak, listen, hear in Scripture. It’s how we apply those thoughts, emotions, and so forth, into our lives as we live each day. Living Scripture is something that is truly already in existence. It is something that was passed down from father to son, mother to daughter, for many millennia already and will continue on for as long as it needs to continue. This is something we all should impress on our children, our siblings, our parents even. It is a gift to understand the Scriptures and to be able to properly apply them to our daily lives. This amazing gift has always been available, yet too often life seems to take us away from it. That’s why the early churches like Colossae and Ephesus and the rest were so very important to the Apostles and Disciples of Jesus all those millennia ago and all the way up to today and on into the future. This is the spread of faith, true, unhindered, unaltered faith in God, through Christ in the gift of the Holy Spirit. That’s what we hear as we continue with the letter from Paul to the citizens of Colossae.
Colossians 1:4 KJV – Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,
NIV – because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people—
Believe, this is all He ever asks us to manage. Just believe. It’s more than saying, reading, hearing the Word. It’s feeling, experiencing, exercising the Word, yes, action is necessary in belief. Action means it’s got to be real, from personal experience, this is where wisdom is built, created in His Infinitely Eternal and Everlasting Love. Paul shares this with every one of his letters to the new congregations all over what we now know of as Asia Minor, Greece, Italy, Sicily and more. The best way to ensure God’s love reaches every person is to share His truth with as many as will listen and hear. You can listen all you want, but until you act upon what you hear as you are listening, nothing gets done. Sharing what we hear in God’s Word that motivates us will thus help motivate others surrounding us. This is what Jesus taught and why He did so to as many as would listen. This is why we continue to hear the Word from as many viewpoints as possible. Here we note Paul’s letter to Ephesus supporting the letter to Colossae.
Ephesians 1:15 KJV – Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
NIV – For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people,
Ephesians 6:18 KJV – Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
NIV – And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
In all this, the letter to Colossae for Paul is something that he has to do, being driven by the memory of the One, the King of Kings, Jesus, whose goal was to reach every person on this earth with the true message God has for us. It’s a goal that is still a work in progress. Like everything on this earth, there is a starting point. It took God seven of His days to create this earth with all that lives and breathes upon it. It took Jesus just three years to transform the lives of thousands upon thousands of people, Jew or Gentile alike. Why do I say three years? Jesus was still learning before that. He had to have enough education of human life as He could get before He could approach others with the truth of God’s Unconditional Love and how God’s Truth in the Word had been exploited, damaged, and in some ways outright destroyed. Sure, God could see it because God is Omniscient, Omnipresent. However, God could only guess at how human beings utilized their gift of Free Will. Jesus, because He had been born as all human beings are born, had the unique ability to recognize the humanness of worship, studying Scripture, and sharing it in any way. This is one more reason the Apostles worked so hard to teach as Jesus had taught them, eye to eye, human to human. Let’s continue with Paul’s letter.
Colossians 1:5 KJV – For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
NIV – the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel;
Hope is a unique gift. It’s there no matter how terrible life can get. It’s there no matter how much life can drag us to the dirt and often bury us under it figuratively, if not literally. Hope is the essence of the Holy Spirit breathed into the world at the worst possible moments, like a single flower in the midst of a pile of rocks and sand, or a butterfly flitting over the dandelions and clover. The inheritance we have from God’s Son Jesus Christ is easily described through the words of Peter and Timothy.
1 Peter 1:4 KJV – To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
NIV – and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,
2 Timothy 4:8 KJV – Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
NIV – Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
NIV – “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
What location is Jesus speaking of? He’s speaking of the ultimate destination all Christians hope to see with their own eyes. He speaks of Heaven, somewhere far better than any place in this world we might have seen. We don’t know everything that Jesus wanted to teach this world. The ultimate design of humanity is to be one with God. This has been so since the beginning. Let’s go back to the letter to Colossae and learn some more.
Colossians 1:6 KJV – Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:
NIV – that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.
We are going to further this connection to the Word as spoken by Jesus in the Gospels of Matthew and John the Beloved, and it is important for us to see this connection.
Matthew 24:14 KJV – And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
NIV – And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
John 17:19 KJV – And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
NIV – For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
John 15:16 KJV – Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
NIV – You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
John 4:23 KJV – But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
NIV – Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
This Gospel Will Be Spoken Throughout the World, Jesus Promises. Worship the Father in the Spirit, Jesus Instructs Us. We Are His Branches to bring forth fruit, which is gaining knowledge and sharing His wisdom with the world. That’s something we will learn more and more as we immerse ourselves in Scripture together. Here is the next verse from Paul’s letter to the citizens of Colossae.
Colossians 1:7 KJV – As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;
NIV – You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf,
We know this man, Epaphras, from our study of Philemon. It’s something important to realize and recognize that humanity itself tends to be confined in the prison of excess that is lacking in substance that is important for growth, physical, mental, and spiritual. It’s hard to see the world from any viewpoint we didn’t grow up with, formed as we learn to communicate, integrate, and celebrate in life. We see this a lot in this world as the past is buried and the present is rushed through. We see more of this in the words of Paul to Philemon, and to the citizens of Corinth.
Philemon 1:23 KJV – There salute thee Epaphras, my fellowprisoner in Christ Jesus;
NIV – Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings.
1 Corinthians 4:1-2 KJV –
Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the
mysteries of God.
2 Moreover it is
required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
NIV – This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as
those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed.
2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove
faithful.
Again Paul is referring back to the words of his master, Jesus Christ. Jesus speaks to His Apostles and Disciples in another parable as shared here. Jesus is pointing out something very important in these next words.
Matthew 25:21 KJV – His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
NIV – “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
Jesus is speaking of the moment when we all will see Him sitting on the right hand of our Heavenly Father. God put Jesus in charge of one thing. SALVATION is that one thing. It’s a singularly important gift that Jesus has given us access to. This is what Paul is sharing with the letter he has written to the church at Colossae.
Colossians 1:8 KJV – Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.
NIV – and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
Again we reflect on Paul’s memories of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, as He spoke to those surrounding Him at the time, this time repeated through the words of the Gospel writer Mark.
Mark 4:22 KJV – For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.
NIV – For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.
Paul reflects further on the many things of faith and truth learned as he walked side by side with Jesus preaching and teaching scripture as it should be taught. We see that in the words Paul shared with the citizens of Rome here.
Romans 15:30 KJV – Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me;
NIV – I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.
So, through all of this, have we seen the influence our Lord and Savior has upon our individual and collective lives? We learn more and more as we put our efforts into studying these letters written so long ago and finding that relevance that is needed more and more in this world that we live in. Let’s reflect on that as we go through our week in anticipation of what God’s Word will bring us next. 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: Casting Crowns ~ All Because of Jesus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Il5Rh-12p_0&list=PL614A115BF39E5936&index=29
~ Shalom ~
Rev. Laura A. Neff
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Evangelist 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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