https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6tL8V8lFMM
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 and sharing the Word of God, the Spirit of Christ Jesus in a way that we believe embraces the ways Jesus taught us to manage. We bring His Word to the many as opposed to the few, in order to continue the legacy created by the ministry of Jesus Christ. You will find us in the following location: http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com
Rev. Laura’s other sites: Facebook & Blogspot & Twitter & Linkedin
Wedding officiant page: Wedfolio
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 a dear friend of mine, Faith Bicknell Tomlin and her family and friends as they mourn the sudden, tragic death of her husband of one year Brian Tomlin just a few days ago.
- Please pray for another friend of mine, Paul, who had a serious panic attack after his sister had a mini heart attack earlier this week.
- Please pray for Evangelist Cal Jennings who has been suffering greatly with his health and his housing situation. May the solution that has presented itself be a beneficial one in many ways.
- Please continue praying for Evangelist Cal Jennings’ sister who has had a benign meningioma removed and has been undergoing rehabilitation. The family is overjoyed to learn that the tumor was benign.
- Please keep praying for my father-in-law Raymond Neff, who is still recovering from his severe chemical burns, but is thankfully home. He is improving some, but there are still issues with his health as a result of the burns.
- Please pray for the family and friends of Deborah (Debbie) Parham Bolton who passed away on July 11, 2023. She was a radio staple here in Savannah, Georgia for well over twenty years. We grew to be great friends. All of us who knew her will miss her laughter, faith, and friendship.
- 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.
Several who are having money issues.
One who is suffering from loneliness that keeps them from peace and patience.
Two who have suffered panic attacks and heart issues this past week.
One who is going through a lot of soul searching after an incident just a few days ago that has them rethinking a lot. May they find what they need.
One cousin who is having a great many issues in their family, including two suffering cancer, other family issues especially difficult include several diagnoses that are a lot to process for them.
- Pray for those who have suffered from violent events, that they heal and do not have scarred psyches and that those who have lost their loved ones to violence find peace in the face of fear.
- Pray for comfort and solace to be shared with those who have said farewell to a loved one this week, known or unknown.
- 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.
* Wishing my nephews Anthony and Aaron happy birthdays this past week.
Prayer: Father in heaven, our prayer today on this wonderful Sunday is to have the Holy Spirit bring each of us the gifts of spiritual strength, joy and peace to our hearts, faith to our minds, and healing to our bodies, and souls this week and always. We pray for those we have lost and their families and friends. We pray for those who face uncertainty in their futures. We pray for those who have had serious medical issues in our families, colleagues, and friends. We pray for those who have suffered unjustly for things they could not control. We pray for those who have lost faith and live in paralyzing fear and sorrow. We pray for the homeless and the jobless in this world. We pray for the hungry and the malnourished. We pray for the poor, weak, and sorrowful people in this world. We pray in thanksgiving for all the great gifts that You have given us, even if we don’t always realize they are there. We pray in hope and patience for those things that are worrying us in our hearts and minds. 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: Randy Travis ~ He’s My Rock, My Sword, My Shield https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HumevW8l2lA
Sermon: Today we are completing the last verses of chapter 6 in the scroll of Romans. For whatever reason, once the verses were set in stone for this sermon the Lord decided that I was to choose the music first. Well, off to YouTube I went, and two old, old favorites were plucked out of my memories of listening to some of the best gospel music to be had. Once that was managed, I was led to read the verses through, just as they are in Scripture. This is what God pointed out to me. Let’s get started from where we left off last Sunday.
As we’ve noticed, Paul has a steadfastness to his writing in these letters as we continue with this very influential letter to the church at Rome.
Romans 6:14 KJV – For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
NIV – For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
Now, the LAW as Paul points out, is something we are no longer confined to. Those chains were broken when Jesus died on the cross and was buried to rise again. He took all those chains and crumbled them to bits of dust to be blown away with the wind. Sin shall have no hold on us as a result. However, there are many things we have to remember. One of those is don’t you go and get yourself tangled back into those chains. Leave them behind you and walk away, some of us would rather run from those chains. The reason for the ability to shed the chains of the law that was created to bring life to the breaking point is named Jesus. Here are the thoughts of John the Beloved as he wrote the story of our Savior’s life here on earth.
John 1:14-17 KJV – And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
NIV
– The Word became flesh and made his
dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son,
who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke
about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was
before me.’”)
Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of
grace already given. For the law was given through
Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Notice, Paul wants us to remember that the LAW came by MOSES. GRACE come from CHRIST. What does grace do to the law? It transforms it entirely from a life of sin to a life of hope through eternal salvation. That’s huge, absolutely huge, for people to understand. To help us in understanding Paul references his letter to the church at Galatia.
Galatians 3:23 KJV – But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
NIV – Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed.
Now, one thing we have to keep reminding ourselves about is the fact that once we’ve accepted the mantle of grace and righteousness we can’t turn back to those old habits. They have to be deleted from our thoughts, our memories, our behaviors, consciously, unconsciously, subconsciously, all of that. We don’t always understand the necessity for this. Paul continues with this letter in this way.
Romans 6:15 KJV – What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
NIV – What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!
Just because we’ve accepted Jesus Christ as the risen Lord and Savior doesn’t mean we’re immune to sin. It also doesn’t mean we’re perfect all by ourselves. It means we are perfect through Him because He forgave all of us our sins by taking them on and, through the suffering amid crucifixion, those sins were spiritually, mentally, physically stripped away from this world. That’s a serious bit of relief for those of us here in this world waiting for the moment Jesus spreads His arms wide to welcome us home in Heaven. However, there are things to come that will cause fear beyond what a person alone can realize or recognize. Here’s Jesus foreshadowing this fact in the gospel of Luke.
Luke 20:16 KJV – He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid.
NIV – He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When the people heard this, they said, “God forbid!”
People don’t really understand this parable. Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees and others regarding the moment Jesus returns in the rapture, and yet, these unknowing souls stare at Him in horror at the very thought. It’s a warning to remind us that until you study each other more than basic hair color, eye color, height, and all those superficial points there’s a whole lot more behind that person’s face. Paul shares these thoughts from his letters to Corinth as well.
1 Corinthians 9:20-21 KJV
–And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the
Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them
that are under the law;
To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to
God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.
NIV –To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.
2 Corinthians 7:1 KJV –Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
NIV –Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
Paul was willing to get down and dirty to win souls for Jesus, for redemption, for salvation. He was willing to sit in those filthy prison cells, chained to the floor and without a true bed to rest his weary head. He was willing to sit down to a meal with the poor, the diseased, and so on. This is an example of follow the leader, as Jesus did the very same while He lived on earth. What? Do we expect that the only ones who deserve miracles are the ones wearing crowns and diadems? Not according to Jesus. Remember, in His view the least is the most and vice-versa. In order to unlearn the wrong paths, we have to close those closets with those skeletons and lose the keys to the doors. This is what Paul shared in his letter to Rome.
Romans 6:16 KJV – Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
NIV – Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?
Slavery is a difficult subject, regardless of the fact that there are thousands of views of the same. We can’t say that slavery has been fully abolished, even in today’s society. Yet, people don’t recognize it the same way as Jesus did. He saw us all as slaves to sin. We, all of us, have our faults. We wouldn’t be completely human without them. However, through the gift that God brought us through Jesus Christ, those chains have been demolished. We go through the Old Testament and see how the ability to recognize evil takes practice, and a willingness to exercise our faith to beyond the limits of human understanding.
Genesis 4:7 KJV – If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
NIV – If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
Joshua 24:15 KJV – And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
NIV – But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
Paul again references the Word as brought by Jesus Christ here in the gospels of Matthew and John the Beloved.
Matthew 6:24 KJV – No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
NIV – “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
John 8:34 KJV – Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
NIV – Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
Paul writes about thankfulness regarding the church body at Rome. He is giddy with excitement in the fact that the members of that church and others like it would be paying attention to the truth that is God’s grace through the unconditional love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Romans 6:17 KJV – But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
NIV – But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance.
Paul references Saul and the other early kings of the Jews, the prophet Ezra, and his letters to Corinth and Timothy.
1 Chronicles 29:12-16 KJV –Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.
Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.
But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.
For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.
O Lord our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own.
NIV –Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. We are foreigners and strangers in your sight, as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you.
Ezra 7:27 KJV – Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem:
NIV – Praise be to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, who has put it into the king’s heart to bring honor to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem in this way.
1 Corinthians 14:16 KJV –Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?
NIV –Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer, say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying?
2 Corinthians 2:14 KJV –Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
NIV –But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.
2 Timothy 1:13 KJV –Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
NIV –What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.
There are a lot of very important thoughts and expressions being shared by Paul in this letter to the church at Rome. We have a new mission as told by Jesus Christ two millennia and more ago. Paul is reiterating that fact here.
Romans 6:18 KJV – Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
NIV – You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
King David realized that there were many things that he had to learn, even being one of the most referenced kings of the ancient world. Isaiah, as a prophet for the Israelites, too realized that there were, and still are, more important things that we have to pursue than the mundane, sometimes insane, and often destructive behaviors found in this world. We see that here in these verses.
Psalm 116:16 KJV – O Lord, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.
NIV – Truly I am your servant, Lord; I serve you just as my mother did; you have freed me from my chains.
Psalm 119:32 KJV – I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.
NIV – I run in the path of your commands, for you have broadened my understanding.
Psalm 119:45 KJV – And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts.
NIV – I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.
Isaiah 26:13 KJV – O Lord our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.
NIV – Lord our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone do we honor.
Isaiah 54:17 KJV – No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.
NIV – no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord.
Again, Paul reflects on the Word as it was shared by our Lord and Savior Jesus. In this case, from the gospels of Luke and John the Beloved.
Luke 4:18 KJV – The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
NIV – “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,
John 8:32 KJV – And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
NIV – Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Remember, flesh has its weaknesses, as it always has, from the earliest memories with Adam and Eve to the present day. Paul reminds us that there will always be that stumbling stone somewhere. Yet, we can put our focus where it should be, which is with faith, righteousness, and holiness. This is what he shares next.
Romans 6:19 KJV – I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
NIV – I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness.
Paul references the teaching that Jesus did, and those directives he shared with the church at Corinth, and the thoughts of the Hebrew scholars.
Matthew 4:23 KJV – And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
NIV – Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
1 Corinthians 9:8 KJV –Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also?
NIV –Do I say this merely on human authority? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing?
1 Corinthians 15:32 KJV –If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.
NIV –If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
Hebrews 4:15 KJV – For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
NIV – For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.
Now, remember, throughout Scripture, is the concept of bearing fruit. In this case we see the reference to the vineyards, mainly because they were a perfect illustration for connectiveness. Each of us is first connected to God, and second to each other as a unified church in pursuit of faith, righteousness, and redemption.
Romans 6:20-21 KJV – For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
NIV – When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!
Paul again references the Old Testament Scrolls. He’s showing the different views of sin and sinfulness, and how easily we can miss the fact that we have sinned, even in the smallest of ways. Here we have the viewpoints of Job, King David, King Solomon, and the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
Job 33:27 KJV – He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not;
NIV – And they will go to others and say, ‘I have sinned, I have perverted what is right, but I did not get what I deserved.
Proverbs 14:12 KJV – There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
NIV – There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.
Jeremiah 12:13 KJV – They have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns: they have put themselves to pain, but shall not profit: and they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the fierce anger of the Lord.
NIV – They will sow wheat but reap thorns; they will wear themselves out but gain nothing. They will bear the shame of their harvest because of the Lord’s fierce anger.”
Ezekiel 16:63 KJV – That thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord God.
NIV – Then, when I make atonement for you for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed and never again open your mouth because of your humiliation, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”
As Paul is winding down this portion of the letter to the church at Rome, he wants to remind those who are reading and sharing this letter with those around them, Jesus did something fully life-altering, not just to Him, but to all who would build their faith in His Unconditional Love as the Resurrected Lord and Savior. Paul is pointing toward the greatest gifts of all, REDEMPTION and ETERNAL, EVERLASTING LIFE. This is how he portrays it.
Romans 6:22 KJV – But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
NIV – But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.
The result is ETERNAL LIFE. That’s mind boggling. Think about it. Jesus went through all that and just to ensure that we could be His Brothers and Sisters, the Adopted family of our Heavenly Father God. Eternal Peace to follow as a result. That’s amazing! This is how the Hebrew prophets and the first letter to Peter pointed it out.
Hebrews 12:14 KJV – Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
NIV – Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
1 Peter 1:9 KJV – Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
NIV – for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
The last verse in this chapter of the letter Paul wrote to the church at Rome is one of the most significant verses in the entirety of Scripture. Paul reminds us that those who sin and don’t ask for redemption, transformation into a true Christian, they would earn eternal death and destruction. Eternal life is a gift, enormous in its entirety. That’s what we should strive for.
Romans 6:23 KJV – For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
NIV – For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The words Paul shared in this last verse are some of the most quoted in all of Scripture. Think about faith and the building of it as a career move. In all those careers around this world, everyone has one they either love or despise. It’s true of every person on this earth. The reason, it builds up the hope for the future where we’ll see our friends, our family members on that last day and return in the glory of our Savior Jesus Christ. Here are some of the warning signs of the wages of sin in the Old Testament.
Genesis 2:17 KJV – But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
NIV – but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
Genesis 3:19 KJV – In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
NIV – By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
Proverbs 11:19 KJV – As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death.
NIV – Truly the righteous attain life, but whoever pursues evil finds death.
Isaiah 3:9 KJV – The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.
NIV – The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon themselves.
Ezekiel 18:4 KJV – Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
NIV – For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die.
Now Paul again is adding references from the Word as shared by our Savior Jesus Christ. Remember, the wages of sin are eternal death. This is what Jesus has to say as recorded by the gospel writers Matthew and John the Beloved.
Matthew 25:46 KJV – And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
NIV – “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
John 3:14-17 KJV – And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
NIV – Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the
wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may
have eternal life in him.”
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but to save the world through him.
John 3:36 KJV – He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
NIV – Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.
John 4:36 KJV – And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
NIV – Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.
Eternal life with those who love unconditionally as Jesus taught, as God wishes, well, I don’t know about you, but 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: Have a Little Talk With Jesus ~ Oak Ridge Boys, Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXs5GAj8JKU
~ 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
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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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