https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUt2y8Tq3UM
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 continue to pray for my brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Sam and Allison, who were in a car wreck three weeks ago. They have several injuries including bruised ribs, bruised sternum, a seriously broken hand, and more. Their vehicle ended up totaled as well. They are better but not completely healed. Please keep them up in prayer. They thank everyone for their prayers.
- We continue to pray for friends of ours in our bowling league, after they suffered devastating injuries, some of which required surgery and will require a long recovery time as well. They too appreciate the prayers and thank everyone who has lifted them up.
- My sister and brother-in-law, Lisa and Josh, have asked for continued prayer as he still seeks new employment. These are the special couple I spoke of in the last sermon.
- A cousin of ours is looking toward moving to be near where we are, but there are some hurdles they have to overcome to do so. This move would be for a new job. Please pray that this hurdle can be overcome to allow them a new horizon.
- My daughter has asked me to put one of her infant children from her class into prayer. His name is Eric and he has a cyst that requires surgery. Please keep him and his family in prayer.
- Evangelist Cal Jennings has had a rough week this past week, including a pretty nasty scald burn early last week.
- David Doyle, brother-in-law of Evangelist Cal Jennings, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. David is a preacher of the Word as well, and this is a new challenge for him and Cal’s sister and their family to experience this close to Christmas. Please keep all of them in prayer during this journey.
- We continue to pray for JB & EB’s neighbor Jerry who is healing after completing his prostate cancer treatment.
- We keep JB’s sister Debbie back into prayer as she has now been diagnosed with Lymphoma after conquering two rounds of breast cancer.
- We continue to pray for my sister-in-law Fran who is fighting cancer and has been released from the hospital a few weeks ago. Her doctor is going to keep a closer eye on her after each treatment for her cancer.
- We continue our prayers for JB and EB as they navigate through the maze of medical tests and specialists to get all the answers that they need in both of their health issues. They are continually frustrated with the runaround they have been getting with the various referrals. JB has been especially sick, losing weight way too fast and no complete solution in sight at the moment. She has gotten a tentative diagnosis for what is going on with her, but her doctor has scheduled her with a specialist to verify, so keep her in prayer for full answers that are very much needed. JB had a serious fall ten days ago and is still quite bruised and sore, please pray that they heal well, and fast on top of that.
- 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 bring praises and thanksgiving after learning that my niece Autumn has had her medications changed and the seizures and more are completely controlled at this point in time.
- We continue to pray for my Mama who has had a lot of anxiety issues lately after the loss of my sister four months ago. These anxiety issues are really devastating for her and for the family, so please keep all of them in prayer.
- We continue to pray for all sufferers and survivors of the various types of cancer, including several survivors of the disease, JB’s sister Debbie, 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, storms, flooding, 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.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we have so much and so many to pray for. We pray for those who have begun celebrating their voyage into the next forty days of Lent. We pray for those who have no shelter. We pray for those who have no food or water. We pray that they receive the miracles of Your peace and comfort Lord. We continue to pray for Sam and Allison, Wayne, Chick, and many others for their injuries and the recoveries they are working through this past week or more. We pray for Evangelist Cal Jennings, and his health as he has been through a lot over the past few weeks. We pray for JB who has also been quite ill and now is recovering from an ugly injury. We pray for David and all the others suffering or having suffered from cancer. We pray for those who have survived cancer. We pray for Josh and Lisa who need Your comfort and strength in their situation. We pray for our cousin and his family that this new horizon dawns for them with good news and more hope. We pray for a little boy Eric who is facing surgery this week. We pray for all those who have lost loved ones in the past week, or who are remembering those who were lost in the past during this month or had remembered birthdays. We pray for all of our outreach ministries and their memberships. We pray for the orphans and the hungry. We pray for all the world that peace shall one day reign in full thanks to the glory of God through our Savior Jesus Christ in the gift of the Holy Spirit, Amen and so it shall be.
Opening Song: This Is the Day
Sermon: Today we continue with our study of 1 Corinthians. We are continuing our study of the tenth chapter. Now, because Lent began eighteen days ago or so, there will be a reading plan at the end of this sermon. It is very important that we spend time understanding the journey that Yeshua Jesus Christ went through and one of the ways to do that is through a reading plan. Another way is to listen and hear as His disciples and Apostles share their stories, including Paul in his first letter here to Corinth. Today we cover the next five verses of this chapter. Now, today we’re speaking about idolatry once more.
1 Corinthians 10:7 KJV –Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
NIV –Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”
We’ve spoken about idolatry many times. However, not many really understand what idolatry is. Idols come with every type of description you could literally dream up. There is a reason that God insists on us NOT turning to idols. He mentions this over 160 times in Scripture throughout the Old and New Testaments, literally from Exodus to Revelation. Here are just a few of those.
Exodus 32:4-6 KJV – And he received them
at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a
molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up
out of the land of Egypt.
5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron
made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the Lord.
6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt
offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to
drink, and rose up to play.
NIV – He took what they handed him and made it into
an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said,
“These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”
5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf
and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord.” 6 So
the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented
fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to
indulge in revelry.
Deuteronomy 9:12-16 KJV – And the Lord said unto me, Arise, get thee down quickly
from hence; for thy people which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have
corrupted themselves; they are quickly turned aside out of the way which I
commanded them; they have made them a molten image.
13 Furthermore the Lord spake
unto me, saying, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked
people:
14 Let me alone, that I may destroy them, and blot out their
name from under heaven: and I will make of thee a nation mightier and greater
than they.
15 So I turned and came down from the mount, and the mount
burned with fire: and the two tables of the covenant were in my two hands.
16 And I looked, and, behold, ye had sinned against the Lord
your God, and had made you a molten calf: ye had turned aside quickly out of
the way which the Lord had commanded you.
NIV – Then the Lord told me, “Go down from here at
once, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have become corrupt.
They have turned away quickly from what I commanded them and have made an idol
for themselves.”
13 And the Lord said to me, “I have seen this people, and they
are a stiff-necked people indeed! 14 Let me alone, so that I
may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. And I will make you
into a nation stronger and more numerous than they.”
15 So I turned and went down from the mountain while it was
ablaze with fire. And the two tablets of the covenant were in my hands. 16 When
I looked, I saw that you had sinned against the Lord your God; you had made for
yourselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. You had turned aside quickly
from the way that the Lord had commanded you.
Psalm 106:19-20 KJV – They made a calf in
Horeb, and worshipped the molten image.
20 Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox
that eateth grass.
NIV
– At
Horeb they made a calf and worshiped an idol cast from metal.
20 They exchanged their glorious God for an image of a bull,
which eats grass.
Acts 7:41 KJV – And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.
NIV –That was the time they made an idol in the form of a calf. They brought sacrifices to it and reveled in what their own hands had made.
1 John 5:21 KJV –Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
NIV – Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.
Revelation 21:8 KJV – But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
NIV – But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
Revelation 22:15 KJV – For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
NIV – Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
Paul adds more to this with sexual immorality, known in the Old Testament as fornication. This is also one of those evils that God condemns far, far back in Scripture. Here’s what Paul says to the church at Corinth.
1 Corinthians 10:8 KJV –Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
NIV –We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died.
Here are several Old Testament references for this.
Numbers
25:1-9 KJV – And Israel abode in Shittim, and the
people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.
2 And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods:
and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.
3 And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the
Lord was kindled against Israel.
4 And the Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the
people, and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger
of the Lord may be turned away from Israel.
5 And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one
his men that were joined unto Baalpeor.
6 And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought
unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight
of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the
door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
7 And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the
priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in
his hand;
8 And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust
both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So
the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.
9 And those that died in the plague were twenty and four
thousand.
NIV
– While Israel was staying in Shittim,
the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, 2 who
invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate the sacrificial
meal and bowed down before these gods. 3 So Israel yoked
themselves to the Baal of Peor. And the Lord’s anger burned against them.
4 The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of these
people, kill them and expose them in broad daylight before the Lord, so that
the Lord’s fierce anger may turn away from Israel.”
5 So Moses said to Israel’s judges, “Each of you must put to
death those of your people who have yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor.”
6 Then an Israelite man brought into the camp a Midianite woman
right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were
weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 7 When Phinehas
son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly,
took a spear in his hand 8 and followed the Israelite into the
tent. He drove the spear into both of them, right through the Israelite man and
into the woman’s stomach. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped; 9 but
those who died in the plague numbered 24,000.
Numbers 31:16 KJV – Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord.
NIV – “They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice and enticed the Israelites to be unfaithful to the Lord in the Peor incident, so that a plague struck the Lord’s people.
Psalm 106:28-29 KJV – They joined
themselves also unto Baalpeor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead.
29 Thus they provoked him to
anger with their inventions: and the plague brake in upon them.
NIV
– They
yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless
gods;
29 they aroused the Lord’s anger by their wicked deeds, and a
plague broke out among them.
Paul includes these three New Testament references today.
Hebrews 13:4 KJV – Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.
NIV –Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.
2 Peter 2:6 KJV –And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;
NIV – if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;
Jude 1:7 KJV – Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
NIV – In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.
Revelation 2:14 KJV – But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
NIV – Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality.
Temptation is something that afflicts humanity every moment of every day. However, we cannot tempt God, and thus cannot do the same to Yeshua Ha Notzri, known as Jesus Christ. This because He is the Son of God. This is something very important to remember and also a reason for the words lead us not into temptation in the prayer that we pray during every single sermon.
1 Corinthians 10:9 KJV –Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
NIV –We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes.
Here are five Old Testament references.
Exodus 17:2-7 KJV – Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give
us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me?
wherefore do ye tempt the Lord?
3 And the people thirsted
there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is
this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and
our cattle with thirst?
4 And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto
this people? they be almost ready to stone me.
5 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and
take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the
river, take in thine hand, and go.
6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in
Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it,
that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of
Israel.
7 And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah,
because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the
Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not?
NIV
– So they quarreled with Moses and said,
“Give us water to drink.”
Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the
test?”
3 But the people were thirsty for water there, and they
grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to
make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”
4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these
people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
5 The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take
with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with
which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 I will stand there before
you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for
the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And
he called the place Massah and Meribah because the
Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord
among us or not?”
Numbers 21:5-6 KJV – And the people spake
against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to
die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and
our soul loatheth this light bread.
6 And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they
bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
NIV – they
spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out
of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we
detest this miserable food!”
6 Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the
people and many Israelites died.
Deuteronomy 6:16 KJV – Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.
NIV – Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah.
Psalm 78:18 KJV – And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.
NIV – They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved.
Psalm 95:9 KJV – When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.
NIV – where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
Here are five New Testament viewpoints including two gospel verses with the Word as shared by Yeshua Ha Notzri Jesus Christ, a reference to the Hebrew prophets, Jude the brother of Jesus, and John the Beloved’s Revelation.
Matthew 4:7 KJV – Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
NIV – Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
John 3:14 KJV – And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
NIV – Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
Hebrews 10:28-29 KJV – He that despised
Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
29 Of how much sorer
punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot
the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was
sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
NIV – Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?
Jude 1:5 KJV – I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.
NIV – Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.
Revelation 9:20-21 KJV – And the rest of the
men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of
their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and
silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor
walk:
21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their
sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
NIV – The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
We have to remember that, even in times of trouble, our Heavenly Father is watching us. He knows that our human nature will have us forgetting His very existence. That’s because many of us forget that our very DNA is divinely made. This is what Paul shares next with the church at Corinth.
1 Corinthians 10:10 KJV –Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
NIV –And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.
Why do we grumble? Why do we argue with God? Well, the easy answer is that we’re human and we’ve got the curse of Adam and Eve’s Original Sin. The harder answer is that we haven’t learned in thousands of years from the mistake that they made in the Garden of Eden. This is what God wanted Abraham, Moses, Noah, Isaiah, Jonah, and all of the Jews to understand. This is what Jesus wanted His Apostles and Disciples to understand. Paul uses references from King David
Psalm 78:17-22 KJV – And they sinned yet
more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.
18 And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their
lust.
19 Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a
table in the wilderness?
20 Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and
the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his
people?
21 Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was
kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel;
22 Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his
salvation:
NIV
– But
they continued to sin against him, rebelling in the wilderness against the Most
High.
18 They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food
they craved.
19 They spoke against God; they said, “Can God really spread a
table in the wilderness?
20 True, he struck the rock, and water gushed out, streams
flowed abundantly, but can he also give us bread? Can he supply meat for his
people?”
21 When the Lord heard them, he was furious; his fire broke out
against Jacob, and his wrath rose against Israel,
22 for they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance.
Psalm 78:40-42 KJV – How oft did they
provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!
41 Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy
One of Israel.
42 They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered
them from the enemy.
NIV
– How
often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the
wasteland!
41 Again and again they put God to the test; they vexed the
Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember his power—the day he redeemed them
from the oppressor,
Psalm 95:8-11 KJV – Harden not your
heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the
wilderness:
9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.
10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and
said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my
ways:
11 Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter
into my rest.
NIV
– “Do
not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at
Massah in the wilderness,
9 where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they
had seen what I did.
10 For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said,
‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.’
11 So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter
my rest.’”
Psalm 106:25-27 KJV – But murmured in their
tents, and hearkened not unto the voice of the Lord.
26 Therefore he lifted up his hand against them, to overthrow
them in the wilderness:
27 To overthrow their seed also among the nations, and to
scatter them in the lands.
NIV
– They
grumbled in their tents and did not obey the Lord.
26 So he swore to them with uplifted hand that he would make
them fall in the wilderness, 27 make their descendants fall
among the nations and scatter them throughout the lands.
Paul includes the words of the Hebrew prophets and Jude, the brother of Jesus.
Hebrews 3:7-11 KJV – Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will
hear his voice,
8 Harden not your hearts, as
in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works
forty years.
10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They
do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.
11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
NIV – So,
as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his
voice,
8 do not harden your hearts as you did
in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness,
9 where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for forty
years they saw what I did.
10 That is why I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘Their
hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’
11 So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter
my rest.’ ”
Hebrews 3:15-19 KJV – While it is said, To
day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
16 For some, when they had
heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.
17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with
them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his
rest, but to them that believed not?
19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
NIV
– As has just been
said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in
the rebellion.”
16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all
those Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And with whom was he angry for
forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the
wilderness? 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never
enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that
they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.
Jude 1:16 KJV – These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.
NIV – These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.
Our last verse today is this one.
1 Corinthians 10:11 KJV –Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
NIV –These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.
We have examples to emulate and epitomize throughout our lifetimes. This occurs as far back as our first cries after birth and on until the moment we die. It’s important for us to have examples in life. This is why we have Yeshua Ha Notzri, Jesus Christ, as one of our prime examples of faith, hope, peace, and unconditional love and how to express all of them always. Here are the references Paul shares for us.
Matthew 13:11 KJV – He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
NIV – He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.
Matthew 24:14 KJV – And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
NIV – And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Luke 24:44 KJV – And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
NIV – He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
John 5:39 KJV – Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
NIV – You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me,
Hebrews 8:5 KJV – Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
NIV – They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”
Hebrews 9:9 KJV – Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
NIV – This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper.
Hebrews 10:1 KJV – For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
NIV – The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.
Without the origins of Scripture, the writings of all those who put pen to paper from the earliest Scrolls done by the hand of Moses and on through the Apostles and siblings of Yeshua Ha Notzri, Jesus Christ, we would not have the ability to truly understand what God has in mind for each of us. One day we will know exactly what the future holds. It’s very, very important to know that Yeshua Jesus Christ wants us to focus on Him and on the Father through the Holy Spirit. We are in the middle of the season of Lent. It is very, very important to study the life and legacy of our Savior Yeshua Jesus Christ. Nobody knows the day, the hour, the minute, or even the very second of when our Lord and Savior Yeshu Ha-Notzri Jesus Christ will return to this world to gather His faithful. No one, EXCEPT YHWH THE FATHER. As we prepare to celebrate Easter in the next thirty-six days, there is a lot to think about. That’s why I have a reading plan for you to work on in the next few weeks. Also, we will continue our exploration of 1 Corinthians, ensuring that the celebration of Lent continues, with the exception of Palm Sunday and Easter, where we will celebrate their significance in Christianity. 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: How Great Thou Art
Daily Scripture readings from Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday.
Return to God (Repentance and Mercy)
Wednesday 18 February Psalm 51
Thursday 19 February Isaiah 1:10–20
Friday 20 February Joel 2:12–17
Saturday 21 February Luke 15:11–32
Sunday 22 February Luke 4:1–13 (1st Sunday of Lent – Temptation)
Monday 23 February Psalm 32
Tuesday 24 February Micah 6:6–8
Wednesday 25 February Romans 2:1–11
Trusting God in the Wilderness
Thursday 26 February Genesis 3:1–19
Friday 27 February Genesis 12:1–9
Saturday 28 February Exodus 16:1–18
Sunday 01 March Luke 9:28–36 (2nd Sunday – Transfiguration)
Monday 02 March Psalm 63
Tuesday 03 March Isaiah 40:1–11
Wednesday 04 March Matthew 4:1–11
Thursday 05 March Hebrews 4:14–16
Teachings of Jesus
Friday 06 March Matthew 5:1–12
Saturday 07 March Matthew 5:38–48
Sunday 08 March Luke 13:1–9 (3rd Sunday – Call to Repent)
Monday 09 March Matthew 6:1–18
Tuesday 10 March Matthew 6:19–34
Wednesday 11 March Luke 10:25–37
Thursday 12 March Luke 11:1–13
Friday 13 March John 6:35–40
Signs of the Kingdom
Saturday 14 March Mark 2:1–12
Sunday 15 March Luke 15:1–3, 11–32 (4th Sunday – Prodigal Son)
Monday 16 March Mark 4:35–41
Tuesday 17 March Luke 7:36–50
Wednesday 18 March John 4:1–26
Thursday 19 March John 9:1–41
Friday 20 March John 11:1–44
Saturday 21 March Psalm 130
The Way of the Cross
Sunday 22 March John 11:45-57
Monday 23 March Mark 8:27–38
Tuesday 24 March John 12:20–33
Wednesday 25 March Philippians 2:1–11
Thursday 26 March Hebrews 5:7–10
Friday 27 March Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12
Saturday 28 March Psalm 22
Holy Week – Passion & Resurrection
Sunday 29 March Luke 19:28–40 (Palm Sunday)
Monday 30 March John 12:1–8
Tuesday 31 March John 13:1–17, 31–35
Wednesday 01 April John 14
Thursday 02 April John 18
Friday 03 April John 19
Saturday 04 April Matthew 27:57–66
Sunday 05 April John 20:1–18 (Easter Sunday)
~ 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
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together as the bringers of the
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