https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxvbgbvaifo
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 Yeshu Ha-Notzri or in English Jesus Christ of Nazareth 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: Blogspot & Twitter & Linkedin & USAlife & YouTube & Twitch & TruthSocial & Instagram & Facebook
Wedding officiant page: Wedfolio & Wedding Chicks
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.
- We pray for my employer and his wife, Ed and Joy, who are quite ill at this time. Ed was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, and his wife Joy has been in the hospital with fluid in her lungs and other health issues. She was sent to rehabilitation around Wednesday of last week once again. She is on oxygen full time and 24-hour observation. Pray as they are being set up with full-time managed care. Pray also for their son Ed Jr. who has had a lot of back problems and is trying to hold off with surgery until retirement.
- We are still praying today for my dear friend JB who has finally been given limited ability to travel away from home five days per week for very short distances. Please keep JB in prayer for continued therapy, and continued doctor visits after her broken hip and upper leg. Please pray about the source of her extreme weight loss so that it can be solved. Please start praying again for her husband EB as well with his health and his muscles and movement as he has serious mobility issues. Add her sister-in-law who is suffering from cancer at this time.
- Pray for my son-in-law’s younger sister who lost two babies before twelve weeks gestation in the past six months.
- Pray for that same son-in-law’s grandfather Wayne Shelton, who had a stroke three weeks ago.
- Evangelist Cal Jennings is doing better after the third degree burns to his fingertips. His fingers are finally starting to resemble fingers after the amputations. He is still healing very slowly and still has a while to go with the rehabilitation. Please pray for his healing and that his pain is treated like it should be treated, not as an afterthought.
- We continue to pray for my Mama who has had a lot of issues lately in her life. Please keep her in prayer for her anxieties, fears, and general well-being.
- Please pray for one of my sisters, who has a need for something new right now in regard to her career after frustration with a job she is currently within that did not turn out to be anything like it was portrayed to her. She has had several interviews and has another one soon. Please pray that she receives positive results.
- We continue to pray for a friend of ours, Alexis, who is in desperate need to improve her current situation and is seeking to sell things she owns to help her with this. If you want more information, send me a private message and I’ll pass on the information.
- We continue to pray for all sufferers and survivors of the various types of cancer, including several survivors of the disease, Evangelist Cal Jennings’ brother-in-law David Doyle, JB’s sister Debbie, Jerry, our friend Alexis, my Aunt Donna, and my friend Kelly.
- We pray for those who are in the path of dangerous weather, and other dangerous conditions, including wildfires, smoke from those wildfires, storms, flooding, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, worldwide like those in South America earlier this past month.
- We pray for the various outreach ministries we have joined with, with their leaders, Pastor Jared Otieno, Pastor George Ototo, 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.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we have a great deal of things to pray for and a great many as well. We continue to pray for Ed and Joy with their health issues, and their son Ed Jr. for his back issues, EB and JB and their many health issues. We continue to pray for EB and JB’s sister-in-law who has cancer as well. We pray for those who were lost or have survived or are still missing due to the massive flooding in Nepal. We pray for the ones in the path of the still erupting Mount Etna in Sicily and Mount Kilauea in Hawaii along with the remaining thirty others. We pray for those in the path of the wildfires up north in Canada and in the United Kingdom right now and for those affected by the smoke that is drifting for hundreds of miles. We pray for those who are in the path of the various hurricanes and tropical storms. We pray for the many who are injured and ill in our ministry, our friends, including Cal, our family, and more. We pray for the homeless and the helpless around this world. We pray for the many victims of violence, prejudice, and terrorism in this world. We pray for those still under the thumb of slavery and oppression. We pray for the unjustly persecuted and prosecuted. We pray for our friends and family who have been fighting cancer. We pray for those who survived cancer, including Kelly, Alexis, David, and Debbie and many more, that they continue to remain well. We pray for the nations at war. We pray in remembrance of those lost. We pray for all this in Your Holy Name through our Savior Jesus Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit, Amen and so it shall be.
Opening Song: Jesus Loves Me
Sermon: Today we continue the fifteenth chapter of 1st Corinthians. There are seven verses that we are focusing on today. Paul continues to confirm his eyewitness account of the resurrection. Why is this so important? Well, the entire premise of Christianity and Christian faith and life would be rooted in the life, death, and resurrection of our Savior Yeshu Ha Notzri, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. So, with that, let’s go from our beginning verse today.
1 Corinthians 15:14 KJV –And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
NIV –And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
Now, there is a great deal of importance for the resurrection, and not just in biblical renditions, but elsewhere as well. The death, burial and resurrection of our Savior is so imperative to convey to all who are new Christians. We have to learn to build our faith and belief system within that Scriptural truth. That’s why Paul shares this here. Here are his references for it, this time all from the New Testament.
Matthew 28:6 KJV – He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
NIV – He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
John 11:25-26 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: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
NIV – Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Acts 2:24 KJV – Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
NIV – But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
Acts 4:33 KJV – And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
NIV –With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all
1 Peter 1:3 KJV –Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
NIV –Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1 Peter 1:21 KJV –Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
NIV – Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
Now, next Paul points out that as a Jew, specifically a Benjamite Jew, he had a challenge, serious challenge, in conveying the resurrection of our Savior to those around him, whether in person or letter. With this letter he points to this, because it is important that he, who had been a Pharisee on top of everything else, managed something impressive. He literally did a full about face on all that he learned in his Jewish traditions. Not only that, but he quite literally proved prophecy to be true, real, and fulfilled, in his lifetime. That’s something vital for Christianity in this world. Not only do we have to believe it, we have to have faith in that belief.
1 Corinthians 15:15 KJV –Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
NIV –More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.
Here are two Old Testament references for this to give us a little insight on what Paul wants to convey.
Deuteronomy 18:20 KJV – But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.
NIV – But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.”
Jeremiah 14:14 KJV – Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.
NIV – Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds.
Here are two New Testament viewpoints that Paul shares with the Acts of the Apostles and John the Beloved’s first letter.
Acts 26:8 KJV – Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?
NIV –Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?
1 John 5:10 KJV –He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
NIV –Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.
Resurrection was important to be able to repeat it, especially in the infancy of Christianity. We see a version of this when we use life-saving devices, conduct life-saving surgeries, and so forth. Though these are not as miraculous as what Jesus did for Lazarus, or what He managed for Himself, or even with the ones that were successfully managed since the resurrection. There are only two Biblically verified resurrection stories beyond those we know easily. Those would have been performed by Peter and Paul. Peter raised Tabitha and Paul raised a young man named Eutychus.
1 Corinthians 15:16 KJV –For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
NIV – For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.
Here are three references, one from the Old Testament Prophetic Scroll of Daniel and adding the gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John.
Daniel 12:2 KJV – And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
NIV – Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.
Matthew 22:31-32 KJV – But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
NIV – But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”
Luke 20:37-38 KJV – Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 38 For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.
NIV – But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 38 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”
John 5:28-29 KJV – Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
NIV – “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.
Faith and belief, as I have said many times over the years, two extremely interconnected systems that are vitally important for Christianity. This is important in too many ways to count for us as Christians. That’s what Paul shares next.
1 Corinthians 15:17 KJV –And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
NIV –And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
Paul only relays New Testament points of view for our reference with this one.
Luke 24:46 KJV – And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
NIV – He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,
Acts 13:38-39 KJV – Be
it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is
preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things,
from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
NIV – “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39 Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.
Acts 17:31 KJV – Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
NIV – For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
James 2:20 KJV – But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
NIV – You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?
Now, the next thing that Paul shares is about those who have already died with Jesus in their hearts. There is a distinction that even God makes as a thread throughout Scripture, and that is the thread of life, everlasting life, and yes, death through Christ can reveal us in resurrection for all eternity.
1 Corinthians 15:18 KJV –Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
NIV –Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.
Paul utilizes one of the single most quoted Scripture verses in all of the Bible with this one, one which was also one of the first that most people can memorize without even thinking about it, because it is found, not only in Scripture, but it is also found elsewhere around historical documents and more. One of the main reasons is the subject of this specific verse. The other two New Testament verses are also very impactful.
John 3:16 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.
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.
John 10:28 KJV – And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
NIV – I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.
Revelation 14:13 KJV – And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
NIV – Then I heard a voice from heaven say,
“Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will
follow them.”
Revelation 20:12-13 KJV – And
I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened:
and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were
judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their
works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and
hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man
according to their works.
NIV – And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.
Hope, now that’s something that Paul points toward when it comes to the resurrection, and eternal life. He also points out the antithesis to the results of faith and belief, which would be misery.
1 Corinthians 15:19 KJV – If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
NIV –If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
All the references from this verse cover the New Testament. They include references from the Hebrew Prophets and Peter’s first letter.
Hebrews 10:32-34 KJV – But
call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye
endured a great fight of afflictions;
33 Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches
and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so
used.
34 For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully
the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a
better and an enduring substance.
NIV – Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34 You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.
Hebrews 11:13-16 KJV – These
all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar
off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they
were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek
a country.
15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from
whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly:
wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for
them a city.
NIV –All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
1 Peter 1:3-4 KJV –Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath
begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead,
4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that
fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
NIV –Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,
1 Peter 4:12-16 KJV –Beloved, think it not
strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange
thing happened unto you:
13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's
sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with
exceeding joy.
14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye;
for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil
spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or
as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.
16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be
ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
NIV –Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.
Now, if you remember the scene upon the resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ, several others were taken up with Him. Paul is preparing us here, to continue in that ideal. It’s a challenge in a thousand and one ways, to understand the power involved in resurrection from death to life. There is soon to be an even greater demonstration of the power that is our Savior when it comes to the final days of the earth as we know it. This is what Paul shares next. This is our final verse from this chapter today.
1 Corinthians 15:20 KJV –But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
NIV –But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
We go all the way back to the Torah and adding Paul’s go-to prophet Isaiah to start this exploration.
Leviticus 23:10-11 KJV – Speak
unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land
which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring
a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:
11 And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted
for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.
NIV – “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. 11 He is to wave the sheaf before the Lord so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath.
Isaiah 26:19 KJV – Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
NIV – But your dead will live, Lord; their bodies will rise—let those who dwell in the dust wake up and shout for joy—your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.
Our final four references are from the New Testament gospels of Matthew and Luke along with the Acts of the Apostles and John the Beloved’s Revelation.
Matthew 28:6 KJV – He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
NIV – He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
Luke 24:5-6 KJV – And
as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto
them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you
when he was yet in Galilee,
NIV – In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:
Acts 26:23 KJV – That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.
NIV – that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles.”
Revelation 1:5 KJV – And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
NIV – and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,
It is very, very important to be secure in our belief of our Savior Jesus Christ. I was just talking yesterday with someone who is definitely secure in their belief, but we also must be cautious in how we portray that belief. Paul doesn’t ignore the fact that we must first listen, then actively hear, and finally portray Scripture to where everyone can absorb Scripture in any and all possible ways, whether it is through poetry, music, reading, reciting, repeating and even writing. This is not just because of the fact that Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Yeshu Ha Noztri, died for our sins and was raised from the dead to judge the living and the dead at the right hand of the Father in heaven. It is very important because Paul was living proof that it happened. All of the Apostles were. It remains an important facet of faith and belief today, not religion, faith and belief, because they are not the same.
The best way we can bring more faith and belief together with others is by showing 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: What A Friend We Have In Jesus
~ Shalom ~
Rev. Laura A. Neff
Blogspot & Twitter & Linkedin & Twitch & USAlife
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 © 2026 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment