Covenant of Hope Ministries Sunday Sermon_09_30_2012
Good afternoon, and welcome
to this Sunday Sermon for Covenant of Hope Ministries. I am Rev. Laura A. Neff,
and the ministry knows me as the Rainbow Minister. You can find us live Sundays
at 12:30 PM ET US and These are our locations online only:
Main Site: http://www.covenantofhope.multiply.com
Our Main Video
Feeds: Covenant_of_Hope & CovenantofHopeMinistries
We have email and Instant
Messenger available Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday 10AM to 2PM ET US via Yahoo
IM. The IM is available if you ask first and identify the reason as being part
of the ministry. This IM is connected through Facebook as well. I will be
informing you further in regard to changes being made. These changes were made
due to health reasons. There will no longer be live sermons, and the sermon
length will be shortened dramatically.
Little Note: This one is going to have to be written due to a lot
of things going on health and otherwise here at the house. I will do my best to
have something live this month. I will be discussing this with Elder Cal. Oh, please feel free to email or comment if you need clarification on anything. That's what I'm here for.
Prayer List: Phoebe Fair is back in the hospital in
between treatments. Her family, save her father, is down with whooping cough.
Sister Mary is
working hard to work on her health, and also find a new home.
Elder Cal
continues to have issues with his heart, his general health and more.
Sister Lisa has
many on her prayer list, please keep them in your thoughts.
My friends
Christie, Heather, Kristy, and so many others need prayers for their health and
their families.
My health needs
some prayer, and other things in life would need prayer as well.
My nephew needs
some serious prayer and my sister does as well.
My brother also
needs prayer for a job.
Let us pray for
those known and unknown who are without homes, jobs, food, and more. May hope
fill their life in His love.
Let us pray for
those in war torn, weather ravaged areas in this world, that something good,
and hope would fill their hearts.
Prayer: Father in heaven, we thank You for this day and for these
who are here to share it with us. Please hear our prayers, spoken and unspoken,
for friends, family, and those we know and don’t know. Pray for enemies as
well, no matter the reason. We pray for the sick and the well, that hope would
live in their lives. We pray for those who hurt in this economy, needing so
much, and surviving on so little. We ask this all in Your Holy Name, through
our Savior Jesus Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Sermon: Punishment is something no person ever enjoys, but sometimes it is
found as what some in this world term a “necessary evil”. These days we find
that “time out” or “go to your room and think about it” tend to be managed more
than spankings, whippings, writing “I won’t do this ever again” a couple
million times as was managed in the years long gone at this point. Now, some are
going to wonder where this came from. It actually came from the treatment of
more than one person known in life as we know it. At least one of those would
be known by our congregation and some of those outside of it. Whether the
chastisement was deserved or not, in some cases, the answer is up for serious
debate. So, instead of working with our scheduled considerations in Psalms
today, this subject seemed to all but bite the proverbial nose and perhaps
other parts of the anatomy. Let’s see what chastisement, chasten, and chastise
would have to share in Scripture. Notice, I said nothing about punishment.
We’ll save that one for a later time. That is one complex subject and this
barely scrapes the surface for what we might have to see in these. So, let’s
begin with our first verse in Job 34:31 KJV –
Surely it is meet to be said unto God, I have borne
chastisement, I will not offend any more:
All of us in our lifetimes
have been sorry for things we have done. Some of us have meted out chastisement
ourselves. In some cases, there are those that believe some forms of
chastisement is quite lethal in intent. In others, the chastening would hardly
be enough to consider it a slap on the proverbial wrist. In these first verses
we see a realization of the need for chastisement, and here with David we see a
pair of pleas to stop the potential for chastisement for the things done. In
other words, apologizing before chastisement might be managed. Some of us
actually manage doing so. Psalm 6:1 KJV – O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in
thy hot displeasure.
Psalm 38:1 KJV – O LORD, rebuke me not in
thine wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
There are some times in this
world we try so hard to get people to understand. In this case it is the “heathen”
those who “don’t know”, and in truth, this wouldn’t matter what it is that is
“unknown”. Jesus taught us to love everyone, friend, enemy, those the same as
we are, and those who are not. It is hard to see that in this world today, and
sometimes chastisement gets ignored. Scripture proves that the world today, as
it was then, aren’t all that much different in that regard. Psalm 94:10, 12, 13 KJV – He
that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth knowledge,
shall not he know?
Blessed is the man
whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law;
That thou mayest
give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the
wicked.
Jesus bore a great many of
our sins, what are known in Scripture as stripes, wounds, which paid for the
transgressions, the sins, the causes of the chastening, chastisement and such
that had come before and would continue even after Jesus rose from the dead. We
see that here in a very familiar verse, Isaiah 53:5
KJV – But he was wounded for our
transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our
peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
We forget that, even in our
worst times, we live, even if we are dying, emotionally, physically, or any
other way. No matter how deep our sorrow can go, God can reach and bring us out
of that sorrow. We can be all but begging on the street corners, homeless,
feeling hopeless and helpless, yet He is with us, and because of that we are
rich, no matter what. You see, it doesn’t take things, money, any of that, to
be rich in this world as is shared here in II
Corinthians 6:9-10 KJV – As unknown and yet
well known; as dying and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;
As sorrowful, yet
always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet
possessing all things.
There is a price to any
success we manage. It is a price paid, not always by our selves, but by one who
died for us long ago. Let’s remember, for every time we are rewarded, someone
paid the price for that. Every time we gain, someone ensured that it would be
managed. This is remembered in the words to the people of Corinth here in II Corinthians 12:7-10 KJV – And lest I should be exalted above measure through the
abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the
messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
For this thing I
besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
And he said unto
me, My grace is
sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities,
that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take
pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in
distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
The thought take it,
understand it, recognize it, and correct the reason for it, would be the first
thing that comes to mind. This is something learned over many years of life. It
is learned from parents, relatives, teachers, adults, even children, and life
itself. There are just times we must stop and really look at things to see what
is shared here in Hebrews 12:5,8 KJV – And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto
you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor
faint when thou art rebuked of him:
But if ye be
without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not
sons.
When we were going through
the Scroll of Revelation we studied a great deal in regard to what is there.
Yet, in truth, we didn’t get into what those letters and more revealed in
regard to chastisement, chastening, and such. Right here, before our very eyes,
Jesus delivers some world class chastisement, and it sure hits a home run when
it comes to today, as it more than likely did when John brought it home from
Patmos all those centuries ago. Revelation 3:19 KJV
– Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of
Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make
them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Do
we really know what it is to learn from chastisements? In today’s world there
are times us “old-timers” would wonder if that was a joke, or a simple question
being asked. Some of those “old-timers” are much younger than many might think.
Chastisement can be subtle, yet still cut like knives, stab like swords, and
worse. Yet, if and when it is deserved, understanding, realization, and then
undertaking measures to change are part of the path toward hope once again.
That path is known as faith, and they lead us to love which is unconditional. Now,
that’s something to think about as we pray in the prayer Jesus taught us
saying: After this manner therefore pray ye: 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 KJV)
Rev. Laura A. Neff ~ The
Rainbow Minister
Calvin Jennings ~ Elder
Covenant of Hope Ministries
Main Site: http://www.covenantofhope.multiply.com
Our Main Video
Feeds: Covenant_of_Hope & CovenantofHopeMinistries
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 ©
2012 http://covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com/
Our mission for
Covenant of Hope Ministries and Poetic-Expressions is not to exploit fear, but
to conquer it, and overcome all that is created through fear together as the
rainbow in the darkness.
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