https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCE2C1FjNSY
Welcome to Covenant of Hope Ministries and our combined written and live Sunday sermon. You will normally see us posted in written and live form on Sunday in our blog and on six social media formats. You can click on the links in the description to find those locations. 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 social media sites: Facebook & Blogspot & Twitter & Linkedin & USAlife & YouTube
Rev. Laura’s wedding officiant page: Wedfolio
We do accept tax deductible Donations.
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 in his own apartment for a couple months now and enjoying it immensely. He’s been having issues with pain and pain relief of late and other respiratory and circulatory issues.
- Please continue praying for Evangelist Cal Jennings’ sister who has been in rehabilitation after having her benign brain tumor removed.
- Please pray for friends and extended family of my friend Mary who have suffered accidents and more this past week.
- Please pray for my kids’ former bus driver, Miss Cissy, who just had surgery done this past week and is in rehabilitation, but home, thankfully.
- Please pray for some of my family members who have had upper respiratory issues and infections in the past week. Thankfully some of them are sounding much, much better.
- 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 continually suffering from loneliness that keeps them from peace and patience.
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 those who have lost their lives in the pursuit of faith and hope.
- Pray for our sick and wounded that they may heal.
We are sending out birthday greetings for two who have birthdays this week.
* My sister Emilie has a birthday tomorrow.
* My daughter-in-law Rebecca’s Mom, Elaine, has a birthday on Friday.
Prayer: Father in heaven, our prayer today on this beautiful Sunday is to bring joy and happiness to the people around this world who have had none for far too long. We pray for peace, patience, and comfort for those who need them as well. We pray for guidance in epic decisions we each may need to make this week, that they think clearly and carefully for whatever their needs may be. We pray for those who are homeless and jobless, that they find shelter and sustenance and stability as well. We pray for our sick and wounded, that they may heal. We pray for those who suffer from terminal medical conditions, that they be cured at long last or that they find peace in Your arms. We pray for the missionaries around this world who risk life and limb to share Your Word to those who want to listen. 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: My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less https://youtu.be/rkMapZB8qMk
Sermon: Today we are beginning our study of the ninth chapter in the scroll of Romans. One of the things that still occurs today is proving faith through Christ is much more than words on paper. Paul points this out again to the Romans in the first lines of this chapter.
Romans 9:1 KJV – I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,
NIV – I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit—
Blasphemy is still a terrible problem in this world. Blasphemy rips apart the true nature of faith. What is faith in a Christian formula? Faith is presented as an unwavering trust in God and His Word. This is what Jesus portrayed throughout His life here on earth. He held faith in the fact that humanity could portray the purest forms of faith and belief. This is what Paul is sharing with the church at Rome. He adds to this first verse with references to his second letter to the church at Corinth with his letter to Galatia and the first letter to Timothy.
2 Corinthians 11:10 KJV –As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia.
NIV –As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine.
2 Corinthians 12:19 KJV –Again, think ye that we excuse ourselves unto you? we speak before God in Christ: but we do all things, dearly beloved, for your edifying.
NIV –Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? We have been speaking in the sight of God as those in Christ; and everything we do, dear friends, is for your strengthening.
Galatians 1:20 KJV – Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.
NIV – I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie.
1 Timothy 2:7 KJV –Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.
NIV –And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles.
One of the toughest issues Paul dealt with was in the fact that he couldn’t always travel to these fledgling churches due to the fact that all of the Apostles were men with a price on their heads. Like Jesus had been, they were reviled by the Jews and the Romans. This is why they relayed all of Christian faith through prayer and letters the likes of this one. The sorrow, pain, and worry, melt away when we give our troubles to God. This is something that Jesus taught in His ministry. Paul portrays this in his next line.
Romans 9:2 KJV – That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.
NIV – I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.
Being heavy hearted has been discussed throughout Scripture. We see it in examples from the prophet Samuel, and with King David.
1 Samuel 15:35 KJV –And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.
NIV –Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.
Psalm 119:136 KJV – Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law.
NIV – Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed.
Remember, Paul was, at one time, one of the pharisees, leaders of the church, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. When Jesus called him to follow as His apostle, it was a revelation for Paul. It was, quite literally, a complete one-eighty. Here we see him speaking of that.
Romans 9:3 KJV – For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:
NIV – For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race,
Paul wants people to realize he is there in spirit with them. This even with the fact that he couldn’t travel freely to the one city he always wanted to visit, because it was very important to be in places where transformation was desperately needed. Rome was one of those places at the time because polytheists, those who followed many gods, and monotheists, those who followed God alone, were all fighting for a place there. Paul was portraying forgiveness on a divine level, from God through faith and belief in Jesus. God has pointed out that forgiveness is available for everyone. We see in the words of Moses and Samuel here.
Exodus 32:32 KJV – Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.
NIV – But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.”
2 Samuel 18:33 KJV –And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!
NIV –The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!”
Paul then adds to this influence with the writings of Luke in the Acts of the Apostles.
Acts 22:5 KJV – As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished.
NIV – as the high priest and all the Council can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.
It isn’t easy to think about the fact that all of the Apostles suffered in prison off and on throughout their lifetimes. Seeing Luke remark about this fact and Paul emphasizing that there was no shame in his imprisonment. There was no doubt as to his being there. Paul sent letters all over creation to ensure that the Word, as shared by Jesus, was spread far and wide. He was proving that faith is more than a word when it comes to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in the Three That Are One, the Holy Trinity. Again he draws influence from the Acts of the Apostles as shared by the gospel writer Luke.
Acts 28:21 KJV – And they said unto him, We neither received letters out of Judaea concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came shewed or spake any harm of thee.
NIV – They replied, “We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of our people who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you.
One of the things that separated Christians with Israelites was the fact that they believed in the true nature of Jesus. They believed in what Jesus taught. It is the same to this very day. That is a rift that has never changed since the resurrection. There are those who do not believe that Jesus existed. There are those who do not believe that Jesus ascended into heaven. It is central to our faith that we believe through that faith. It is a covenant promise that was made millennia ago, first for Adam, then for Noah, on to Abraham, and on through David, Solomon, and on through the ages to this very moment. What is the difference between a covenant and a simple promise? A covenant is an agreement or promise, usually formal, between two or more people or groups to do or not do something specified. A promise is a declaration that something will or will not be done or given, by one. This is where Paul shares what the difference is and how it pertains to Christians and Christianity.
Romans 9:4 KJV – Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;
NIV – the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises.
Paul is pointing out what the original promise for the Israelites was all about here. He is reminding them of the Torah teachings in the writing done by Moses. Here are those references Paul was making.
Genesis 17:2 KJV – And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
NIV – Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”
Exodus 4:22 KJV – And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:
NIV – Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son,
Exodus 40:34 KJV – Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
NIV – Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
Deuteronomy 4:13 KJV – And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.
NIV – He declared to you his covenant, the Ten Commandments, which he commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets.
Deuteronomy 7:6 KJV – For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
NIV – For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.
Deuteronomy 14:1 KJV – Ye are the children of the Lord your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.
NIV – You are the children of the Lord your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave the front of your heads for the dead,
Deuteronomy 29:14 KJV – Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath;
NIV – I am making this covenant, with its oath, not only with you.
We have to remember, the first view of faith was created through Adam and Eve. Their decisions made through free will created this earth as it was then, and as it continues to be. We aren’t perfect. Paul knew that of the early Christian churches and their congregations. He pointed out some things that people do even now. We don’t always follow through and we often fall victim to the seven troubles of vanity, envy, lust, enmity, wrath, shame, and doubt.
Romans 9:5 KJV – Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
NIV – Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.
Everyone has ancestry. We all have connections somewhere in those millennia long past. If we were to have the ability, the capacity, to trace our individual lineage, each, and every, one of us would trace back to Noah and his family. And, as such, would be able to trace back further to Abraham and Sarah. With that, we would also then be able to trace back all the way to Adam and Eve. This is the viewpoint of connection to our roots. We see that in the gospels of Matthew and John the Beloved. Added to that is the Acts of the Apostles as shared by the gospel writer Luke.
Matthew 1:1 KJV – The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
NIV – This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:
John 1:1 KJV – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
NIV – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Acts 3:13 KJV – The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.
NIV – The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go.
Paul worked in all of his letters to do this connection. Here is one connection to his letter to Colossae.
Colossians 1:16 KJV – For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
NIV – For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.
Paul wants to prove to the ones reading or listening to his letter to the church there at Rome just how important it is to build the faith they have into something that defeats all the seven troubles. He proves that faith is universal, not separate between Jew and Gentile, but for everyone. He provides a seed of proof for this in his next verse.
Romans 9:6 KJV – Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:
NIV – It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.
See what Paul says here? “Not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.” Remember, to Jesus Christ, where we come from, what we were, doesn’t matter. What matters is that we believe and share that faith in our belief. What matters is that we prove our faith, to ourselves, and to God through Jesus Christ. That is all that matters for us. Paul draws influence from the Torah, from John the Beloved’s gospel, and from his letters to Galatia and Philippi.
Numbers 23:19 KJV – God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
NIV – God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
John 1:47 KJV – Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!
NIV – When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
Galatians 6:16 KJV – And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
NIV – Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to the Israel of God.
Philippians 3:3 KJV – For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
NIV – For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—
We are all different, from completely different backgrounds regarding faith and the pursuit of it. We are all pursuing faith differently, but as a group. The importance in this is to pursue faith both individually and collectively. That is what Paul is pointing out. Our faith began all the way back in our ancestry to the first human beings who walked upon this earth. We connect to Abraham and Isaac because that is where faith in God was first portrayed unconditionally. We cannot put conditions on our faith. Like love, the best way to pursue it is unconditionally. Don’t box it in. This is what Paul is sharing here.
Romans 9:7 KJV – Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
NIV – Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”
Paul again draws influence from the earliest scrolls of Scripture, the Torah.
Genesis 21:12 KJV – And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
NIV – But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.
Again Paul is drawing references to the gospels of Matthew and John the Beloved.
Matthew 3:9 KJV – And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
NIV – And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
John 8:33 KJV – They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
NIV – They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”
John 8:39 KJV – They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
NIV – “Abraham is our father,” they answered. “If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did.
Notice what Paul referenced here? He’s pointing out the inconsistency of the thoughts of the Pharisees and Sadduccees from what they said and through what they did, which were not matching up together. If you’re going to say it in His name, you had best be prepared to go forward and do what you have said you’re going to do. If you don’t, then you lie to yourself, and to God. Neither of which are good things for you. Paul points this out in his letter to the church at Galatia. He adds to that with the influence of the Hebrew prophets.
Galatians 4:23 KJV – But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
NIV – His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.
Galatians 4:28 KJV – Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
NIV – Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise.
Hebrews 11:8 KJV – By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
NIV – By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
Our last verse from Paul’s letter to Rome today points out the difference between flesh and spirit. This is something we often point out throughout the New Testament. We see it in all the gospels, the epistles, and more. It’s important for us to recognize that faith is not dependent on the flesh. Faith is a hundred percent spiritual in nature. It is that part of us that connects through the Holy Spirit to Jesus Christ, and forward to God Himself.
Romans 9:8 KJV – That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
NIV – In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.
These thoughts have an origination point. It’s written about in the words Moses recorded in the Torah and through the words that King David wrote as well.
Deuteronomy 14:1 KJV – Ye are the children of the Lord your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.
NIV – You are the children of the Lord your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave the front of your heads for the dead,
Psalm 22:30 KJV – A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
NIV – Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord.
Psalm 87:6 KJV – The Lord shall count, when he writeth up the people, that this man was born there. Selah.
NIV – The Lord will write in the register of the peoples: “This one was born in Zion.”
Faith has a beginning for every person here on this earth. The development of your personal faith builds upon how you learn the Word as it is written and how your mind, heart, spirit, and soul would interpret it for you individually. Build your faith in each moment you share with God, with Jesus, through the Spirit, alongside your family, friends, and even strangers. Accepting Christ as your personal Savior today is just one step toward salvation. If you are ready to take that first step, leave a comment and we will welcome you with open arms. 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: Great Is Thy Faithfulness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT0HcAr9aeI
~ Shalom ~
Rev. Laura A. Neff
Facebook & Blogspot & Twitter & Linkedin
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 © 2023 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.
