**Still having issues with audio for the music. Please check the links for that music so you can hear it much better. **
Welcome to Covenant of Hope Ministries and our combined written and live Sunday sermon, which is normally broadcast every Sunday. I am Rev. Laura A. Neff. Our ministry was built on the truth of God’s love, sharing the Word of God, the Spirit of Jesus Christ 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 & USAlife & YouTube
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.
- Evangelist Cal Jennings has had more heartbreak this past week. His beloved dog Scrappy left this side of existence and crossed the rainbow bridge earlier this week. For this reason, we continue to pray for Cal’s heart, his mind, and his spirit and soul today, to help him see that God has many more things for him to do.
- We continue our prayers for JB and EB as they continue to navigate through the maze of medical tests and specialists to get all the answers they need in both of their health issues. They are continually frustrated with the runaround they have been getting with the various referrals.
- We continue to pray for a friend of ours, Alexis, who is in desperate need to improve her current situation and has set up a site for donations to help her with this. She is making progress, thankfully, as noted in a post she made this past week. If you want more information on how to help, send me a private message and I’ll pass on the information.
- We continue with our prayers for my niece Autumn, who has been suffering seizures due to a head injury from a car crash.
- We continue to pray for my Mama who has had still more chaos. She finally has a full cast on her wrist, which, Praise God, she did not require surgery for. The doctor says that it will be three weeks for this cast and then three more for an easier cast.
- We continue to pray for all sufferers and survivors of the various types of cancer, including two survivors of the disease, my Aunt Donna and my friend Kelly.
- We pray for those who are in the path of dangerous weather, and other dangerous conditions, including volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, worldwide.
- We pray for the various outreach ministries we have joined with, with their leaders, Pastor Stephen Okoth, Pastor Simon Peter Javaji, Pastor Amir Aneel, Sister Santhi Swaroopa, Pastor Duke Moenga, and others in Kissee, Nairobi, and other places in Kenya, Pakistan, and India.
- We pray also for our American outreach ministries, including Rev. Lisa Tyler on the other side of Georgia from where I am and Rabbi Karen L. Hertzog with her ministry, Way Maker Messianic Jewish and Christian Center – USA as well.
* My nephew Peyton has his birthday today and my nephew Joey has his birthday on Tuesday.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, We are all praising Your Holy Name on this special Sunday, the Day of Palms, celebrating the days before the death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. We have so many to pray for even now. We bring Evangelist Cal Jennings up to You for his heartbreak after the loss of his son a short while ago and now his beloved dog has crossed his rainbow bridge. We bring my Mama for her pain and the trying time of six weeks in a cast for her broken wrist. We add my sister Emilie, who has been very, very sick in the past weeks. We continue our prayers for EB and JB with their medical situation that continues with good days and bad days. We continue our prayers for family and friends who have fought cancer like Kelly and Aunt Donna as well as JB’s sister. We pray for the orphans cared for by our outreach ministries, that their needs are met and that Easter can be a joyous celebration for all of them. We praise You for Your unconditional love and the eternal and infinite hope, peace, and faith found within it. We pray all this in Your Holy Name through our Savior Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, Amen and so it shall be.
Opening Song: Back to the Altar ~ Lyrics and Melody Created By Evangelist Cal Jennings https://suno.com/song/3d7b32e8-4cfb-4da3-9f91-33301ac0011d?sh=M8lFZSdbEJHfX7OE
Sermon: Today we are celebrating Palm Sunday. Now this is a special occasion in Christian faith, often celebrated with palm fronds given to the children in Sunday School. There are several passages that connect with this practice. Some of it stems from traditions of the Old Testament and are expanded upon in the New Testament from the gospels and all the way to Revelation. Yes, there is a lot for us to go through to understand the significance of what Jesus said on this specific day, just before He was to be executed and would return in resurrection. With this, let’s begin in our Old Testament points of view.
2 Kings 9:13 KJV –Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew with trumpets, saying, Jehu is king.
NIV – They quickly took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet and shouted, “Jehu is king!”
Psalm 35:9 KJV – And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord: it shall rejoice in his salvation.
NIV – Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in his salvation.
Psalm 118:25-26 KJV – Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord: O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity. Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord: we have blessed you out of the house of the Lord.
NIV – Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you.
Isaiah 53:12 KJV – Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
NIV – Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Zechariah 9:9 KJV – Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
NIV – Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Now that you have heard all the Old Testament prophecies of Palm Sunday’s actual occurrence and also links to the traditions of the Jews that were to be confirmed in what was later known as the first Palm Sunday, here are the Scriptures connected to that moment where Jesus arrived as King of the Jews, quite literally the Lamb of God, without sin or spot, blemish, or anything else that would not be allowed in the slaughter of lambs for Passover. Here Jesus knew well that He was headed directly to His slaughter.
Matthew 21:1-11 KJV – And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,
Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.
And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.
All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,
Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.
And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,
And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.
And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.
And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?
And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.
NIV – As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
“Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Notice how the Pharisees don’t recognize Jesus as Lord and Savior of those who believe and practice that belief. Notice how they are actually shocked at the responses of the people in this crowd. That is their biggest mistake, but they had no idea they had failed God’s greatest test. We continue to celebrate with Jesus through the gospels of Mark and Luke next.
Mark 11:7-10 KJV –
And
they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon
him.
And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the
trees, and strawed them in the way.
And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna;
Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:
Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the
Lord: Hosanna in the highest.
NIV –
When
they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it.
Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they
had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
Luke 19:28-44 KJV –
And
when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem.
And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the
mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples,
Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the
which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat:
loose him, and bring him hither.
And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him,
Because the Lord hath need of him.
And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said
unto them.
And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose
ye the colt?
And they said, The Lord hath need of him.
And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and
they set Jesus thereon.
And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way.
And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the
whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud
voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;
Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in
heaven, and glory in the highest.
And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master,
rebuke thy disciples.
And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if
these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept
over it,
Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in
this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from
thine eyes.
For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about
thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they
shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the
time of thy visitation.
NIV – After
Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As
he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he
sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you
will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring
it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say,
‘The Lord needs it.’”
Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them.
As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the
colt?”
They replied, “The Lord needs it.”
They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it.
As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.
When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the
whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all
the miracles they had seen:
“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your
disciples!”
“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and
said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day
what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The
days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you
and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash
you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave
one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to
you.”
Now, as we noted last week and will respond similarly next week on Easter, we get to John the Beloved’s gospel and see how differently John treats the last days of Jesus Christ’s earthly life. We begin his point of view with the single most quoted verses in all of the New Testament. These two verses are often the most well memorized because they take on so much meaning.
John 3:16-17 KJV – 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 – 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.
Now, Jesus knew all too well how dangerous it was to come anywhere near Jerusalem when they were celebrating the Passover Seder as was shared last week in our sermon. However, Jesus also knew that there were no methods of avoiding the coming falsified accusations, His arrest, crucifixion, the abuse He would face, all had to happen to fulfill Scripture as it had been recorded for thousands of years of Jewish history. This is where Jesus made that realization as shared by John the Beloved.
John 6:15 KJV – When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.
NIV – Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.
Now, you need to understand the context of this realization and why it is so early on in the writings of John the Beloved. Jesus was giving the Apostles clues right, left, top, bottom and round and round as well. However, they weren’t catching on like He thought they would. That’s the reason He performed the Passover Seder the way He did, with the breaking of the bread and the drinking of the wine. Here is one of the places where Jesus gives a huge clue, which we have discussed many times.
John 11:25 KJV – Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
NIV – Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;
Now we’ll get to Palm Sunday and how John the Beloved portrayed the entire scene.
John 12:12-19 KJV –
On
the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that
Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,
Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna:
Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.
And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,
Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt.
These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was
glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that
they had done these things unto him.
The people therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his
grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record.
For this cause the people also met him, for that they heard that he had done
this miracle.
The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail
nothing? behold, the world is gone after him.
NIV – The
next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on
his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to
meet him, shouting,
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Blessed is the king of Israel!”
Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:
“Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a
donkey’s colt.”
At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was
glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and
that these things had been done to him.
Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised
him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because
they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. So
the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how
the whole world has gone after him!”
Note how John the Beloved shared this scene. He’s pointing out that the Twelve Apostles didn’t realize anything in regard to what was about to happen, even though Jesus had been laying the groundwork for these last hours of His life on earth. That’s why John points out that the Twelve Apostles “At first his disciples did not understand all this.” Then John the Beloved adds this as well. “Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize” that these things had been written about Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. Our final verse is from the last scroll that John the Beloved wrote, as a prisoner on Patmos. This too has a lot to connect with Palm Sunday, which is why God led me to include it.
Revelation 7:9 KJV – After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
NIV – After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.
Upon the moment of Judgment, known as Armageddon, this is what we have to remember. We’ve been preparing for His return, and it will be epic when He does, because everything we know will be turned upside down and inside out. Remember, your faith and belief must be stronger than your earthly self tends to be. It is important to remember the reason for our being here. His name is Jesus Christ, who comes from the great Jehovah God our Heavenly Father. It is through the life death, and eternal legacy of Jesus Christ that we are here today. Now, let’s show each other how faith and belief in God go hand in hand, and all of us have the opportunity to walk in the faithful steps of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The ability to do this requires us to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. If you are willing to do so, please leave me a note in the comments and I’ll be in touch. 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: Bless Me Oh Lord ~ Original Lyrics and Melody by Evangelist Cal Jennings https://suno.com/song/076c9f63-a05e-472b-ab71-5d03067305af?sh=y5HxVaPPel7wDwka
~ Shalom ~
Rev. Laura A. Neff
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
Music Lyrics, and Melody Copyright © 2025 Cal Jennings
Sermon or Study Copyright © 2025 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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