https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bTTfhYbwOQ
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 friend Paul, a colleague I’ve known for twenty years, who is healing after his heart surgery and is now working to solve an infection in his brain.
- We continue to 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 been given limited ability to travel away from home now 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.
- 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 since losing my father and my two younger sisters. Please keep her in prayer for her anxieties, fears, and general well-being.
- Pray for a friend of mine K.S. who has a lot going on in life right now and has been asking me tons of questions about those things going on. Pray that I might be able to continue to answer those questions as time goes on.
- We continue to pray for a friend of ours, Alexis, who continues to 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, my friend Kelly, and so many more.
- We pray for those who are in the midst of treacherous weather, and other dangerous conditions around this world.
- 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.
* Happy Birthday to my sister Lisa, who celebrates on Wednesday and my nephew Charles Angeloff, who celebrates on Thursday, and ministry member Wayne Bartosh who celebrates on Friday.
* Thank you to our Veterans of all wars around this world. The USA celebrates this week for all of you.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, there are so many in our hearts and thoughts and so much going on in life that needs prayer. We pray for my friend Paul with his healing heart and brain infection. We continue to pray for Ed and Joy with their health issues, especially after a bad scare earlier this week with Ed, 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 are in the path of the various chaotic weather patterns. We pray for the many who are injured and ill in our ministry, our friends, including Evangelist Cal, our family, and more. We pray for my Mama who has some anxiety going on right now with being alone for half the week, so we pray for her confidence and her patience. We pray for K.S. and what is going on in their life. 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 for the ones celebrating birthdays this week to come. 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: Standing on the Promises
Sermon: Today we will complete the fifteenth chapter of 1st Corinthians. After this week we will transition for two weeks before Advent begins. Those transitions will be different sermons on celebrating for those who sacrificed regular life for service to their country and for thanksgiving. Now, to complete this chapter of 1st Corinthians we are speaking of corruptibility, or perishability and the opposite of those. When we clothe ourselves with Christ, we become incorrupt, immortal, eternal, just like He would be. When we forget that we are Christians, we lose that ability. Some of us will lose it temporarily. Others will lose it permanently. This is what happens on Judgement Day. We cannot be perfect because only God is perfect. We are only perfect through Christ our Savior. This is what Paul is teaching us today in this final segment of this chapter. Let’s begin here.
1 Corinthians 15:53 KJV –For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
NIV –For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
Paul has three New Testament references in the gospel of John the Beloved with the Word as shared by our Savior Yeshu-Ha Notzri Jesus Christ of Nazareth and through the words of the Apostle Peter.
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?”
1 Peter 1:4 KJV –To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
NIV –and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,
1 Peter 1:24 KJV –For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
NIV –For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,
We are human, and thus we are perishable. But when we put on the armor of God, the protection of Jesus Christ as our Savior, we become incorruptible, or unperishable. This is what Paul shares next.
1 Corinthians 15:54 KJV –So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
NIV –When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
Paul goes to a familiar verse in Isaiah for his references and then follows it up with Hosea in the Old Testament.
Isaiah 25:8 KJV – He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it.
NIV – he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.
Hosea 13:14 KJV – I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.
NIV – “I will deliver this people from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction? “I will have no compassion,
Paul includes four New Testament references including the Word from our Savior in the gospel of Luke, writings from the Hebrew Prophets and John the Beloved’s Revelation.
Luke 20:36 KJV – Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.
NIV – and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection.
Hebrews 2:14 KJV – Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
NIV – Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—
Revelation 20:14 KJV – And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
NIV – Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.
Revelation 21:4 KJV – And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
NIV – He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Victory over death is something every single human being has probably hoped for, wished for, dreamed of. Nobody truly wants to die, but nobody wants to live in a corruptible world either. We would much rather live somewhere love literally conquers all that sin has brought. That place is God’s Home, and we call it Heaven. Here is what Paul shares next.
1 Corinthians 15:55 KJV –O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
NIV – “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”
Paul has two Old Testament references from the Scrolls of Job and Psalms. Now, in the verse from Psalms, the King James Version ends with the word Selah, which means stop and listen, or listen and hear, depending on who you ask. Actively listening and hearing is an important part of life and God needs us to hear His voice. That’s why He sent us Jesus in the first place.
Job 18:13-14 KJV – It
shall devour the strength of his skin: even the firstborn of death shall devour
his strength.
14 His confidence shall be rooted out of his tabernacle, and it
shall bring him to the king of terrors.
NIV
– It
eats away parts of his skin; death’s firstborn devours his limbs.
14 He is torn from the security of his tent and marched off to
the king of terrors.
Psalm 89:48 KJV – What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.
NIV – Who can live and not see death, or who can escape the power of the grave?
Paul includes two gospel references in the words of our Savior Jesus Christ and one reference from the Hebrew prophets. The first gospel reference is from the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The second one is very familiar to us because it speaks of listening, hearing, and believing in God. His last reference is from the Hebrew prophets.
Luke 16:23 KJV – And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
NIV – In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.
John 5:24 KJV – Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
NIV – “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.
Hebrews 2:14-15 KJV –Forasmuch then as the
children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part
of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of
death, that is, the devil;
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their
lifetime subject to bondage.
NIV –Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
Paul now speaks of what death is the culmination of, which would be sin. How is sin kept whole? We’ve been following the law of God for millennia. How do we change that? We follow our Savior Yeshu-Ha Notzri, fully, and that is not easy. It never has been. It never will be. Here is what Paul says next.
1 Corinthians 15:56 KJV –The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
NIV –The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
Paul goes all the way back to the Torah and the Poetic Scrolls in the Old Testament for reference here.
Genesis 3:17-19 KJV – And
unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and
hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat
of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all
the days of thy life;
18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and
thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou
return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and
unto dust shalt thou return.
NIV
– To Adam he said,
“Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I
commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’
“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food
from it all the days of your life.
18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you
will eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you
return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to
dust you will return.”
Psalm 90:3-11 KJV – Thou
turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.
4 For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when
it is past, and as a watch in the night.
5 Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep:
in the morning they are like grass which groweth up.
6 In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening
it is cut down, and withereth.
7 For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we
troubled.
8 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in
the light of thy countenance.
9 For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our
years as a tale that is told.
10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if
by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and
sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
11 Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy
fear, so is thy wrath.
NIV
– You turn people back
to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.”
4 A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just
gone by,
or like a watch in the night.
5 Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death—they are like
the new grass of the morning:
6 In the morning it springs up new, but by evening it is dry
and withered.
7 We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your
indignation.
8 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in
the light of your presence.
9 All our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years
with a moan.
10 Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our
strength endures;
yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we
fly away.
11 If only we knew the power of your anger! Your wrath is as
great as the fear that is your due.
Proverbs 14:32 KJV – The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death.
NIV – When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous seek refuge in God.
Paul’s last references for this verse would be from the younger brother of Jesus, known as James the Just, as well as John the Beloved’s first letter to Ephesus.
James 1:15 KJV – Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
NIV –Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
1 John 3:4 KJV –Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
NIV –Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.
Sinning happens every moment of every day somewhere and somehow, most of the time without any realization that we are committing sin. This is why we have the Lord’s Prayer. Remember, it says forgive our debts, deliver us from temptation and away from evil. Why? Because there’s something far better than sin waiting for us when we give it all to Him. There’s somewhere far better than the house you are sitting in, the church you are praying in, the field you are working in. That somewhere better is known as God’s house, Heaven. Something we should always be thankful for is that God gives us the victory over death. That victory is through our Lord Jesus Christ. This is what Paul provides for us in writing through his first letter to the church at Corinth. We can see and hear it here.
1 Corinthians 15:57 KJV –But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
NIV –But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul shares three New Testament references from John the Beloved’s first letter to Ephesus and then from the Revelation.
1 John 4:4 KJV –Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
NIV –You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
1 John 5:4-5 KJV –for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
NIV – for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
Revelation 12:10-11 KJV – And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
NIV – Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the
authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who
accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.
11 They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the
word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink
from death.
Paul closes this letter with a notice to stand firm. Don’t let sin and corruption move you away from salvation. Work with the Lord in everything you do, because when you do, all that work is worth something very important, eternal life, eternal salvation, eternal hope. That, my friends, my family, is worth every bit of torment, pain, sorrow, or whatever discomfort we might face here on this earth while we live.
1 Corinthians 15:58 KJV –Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
NIV –Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Paul has five New Testament references including one Gospel verse from John the Beloved, the writings of the Hebrew prophets, James the Just, and the second letter Peter wrote.
John 6:28-29 KJV – Then
said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This
is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
NIV – Then they asked him, “What must we do to
do the works God requires?”
29 Jesus answered, “The work of God
is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
Hebrews 6:10 KJV – For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
NIV – God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.
James 1:12 KJV – Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
NIV – Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
James 1:16 KJV – Do not err, my beloved brethren.
NIV –Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.
2 Peter 3:14 KJV –Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
NIV –So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.
Paul is warning us that we can be easily deceived by sin and the handiwork of the Devil Satan. We can be corrupted, even as Christians. If we look back at history, we’ll see it everywhere. Working within ourselves, our hearts, our minds, our spirits, our bodies, takes practice to remove those remnants of earthly bondage. It takes a lot of work, which is why God sent Jesus down to this world to transform eternal death into eternal life. There is so much to learn from Scripture, in the beautiful gift that is our Savior. That is what Paul brings forward through his letter to Corinth here. One of the best ways that 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: Shalom My Friends
~ 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.
