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:
Our Main Video Feed: Covenant_of_Hope
We have
email and Instant Messenger available Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday 10AM to
2PM ET US via Yahoo IM. We’re still working this out between the three of us as
to what will happen, our Elder, Cal Jennings, our Apostle/Shepherd, Mary C.
Michel-Lynch and I. 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 be live sermons, and the
sermon length will be shortened dramatically, but we are unsure as to when that
might be.
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 has grown from last week. This is our current prayer list for this week.
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 has grown from last week. This is our current prayer list for this week.
Continue your prayers for Sister Mary. She is in 24/7 care with
a staff that continuously keeps me informed. She has ingested something that
could bring her harm, but they caught her soon enough to prevent it. Please
pray that their swiftness would in fact assist in efforts to bring her toward
finding a method at recovery. They do have her sitting up in a chair/walker.
That’s a great thing, and God is good!
Pray for our family. There are several things weighing us down,
and they don’t all include my health, or that of any member of the family.
Though, those don’t hurt.
Pray good things can occur as a result of the doctor’s
determinations for me, and as to the negotiations for other situations in our
family. Praise God for the fact that some of those things the doctor’s
determinations included, have indeed helped, and without adding medication, but
instead reducing them. Now, that’s something to praise God about.
Pray for Elder Cal, as he has still been feeling pretty rotten.
May God provide him wellness, and bring that flicker of hope into a bright and
roaring flame.
Pray for friends Karen, Christie, her son Calvin, Art, Heather,
Chris and his family, Jackie and her father, Debby, Tom, Teresa, Hope, Joe and
his family as they lost his mother-in-law, Robert’s brother and his brother’s
fiancee suffering some serious chaos, and several others.
Phoebe Fair and her family need more prayers as she has gone in
for yet another round of chemotherapy in time for the holidays. Pray that she
might be home for Christmas, in place of the hospital. We add prayers for her
family in the mourning of her great grandfather Zig Ziglar, motivational author
and speaker, who passed away recently
We pray for Teresa and Hope during the end of the year for their
issues of many forms.
Pray for Thomas, as he is having a lot of chaos in his life.
Pray for our outreach ministries, and all on their separate
prayer lists, no matter where in this world they would be.
Prayer: Father in heaven, we
thank You for this day and for these who are here to share it with us. We bring
you many friends and family up in prayer for their trials and tribulations. We
also bring those around this world who have seen destruction and devastation,
may they find hope and solace. We pray that this month, as we find ourselves
celebrating, that we remain safe, and secure, within Your love. We ask all
these things in Your holy name, through the blessed Savior Jesus, and the gift
of the Holy Spirit, Amein and so it shall be.
Opening Song: This Little Light of
Mine http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/r/c5b901c76
Sermon: When I saw and read the verses for
this sermon I watched as prophecy was first spoken and then proven. At this
time of year, while many celebrate the birth of Christ, it’s truly nice to
actually look at the prophecy which promised His coming, and then see where it
was both fulfilled and promises were keps. Let’s take a look at our first two
verses in Psalm 37:21-22 KJV – The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the
righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.
For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they
that be cursed of him shall be cut off.
Don’t
these words remind you of New Testament verses which were related directly to
the teachings of Christ? In fact, here are two of those referenced verses. The
first is in the Gospel of Matthew 5:5,7 KJV –
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
To this
we would have to include an often shared verse, in point of fact, one
referenced just this past week here in the Gospel of
John 15:2 KJV – Every branch in me that beareth
not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it,
that it may bring forth more fruit.
As you
can see, fruit of the vine is faith, hope, charity, parts of righteousness,
along with several others, each of them brought forth due to unconditional
love. It is not easy to share unconditional love, but it shouldn’t be so
difficult that we forget how. Love can be seen and shared in ways that number
too many to count. The problem is, people don’t always recognize it when it’s
right there. This is due, of course, to wickedness and evil. That’s what we
find here in Proverbs 3:33 KJV – The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked; but
he blesseth the habitation of the just.
Now, we
go from wickedness to goodness, and the footsteps that are followed in the
pathway of the LORD. Now, we’ve often heard the words “Follow Me.” When we do,
we’ll see what is shared in Psalm 37:23 KJV –
The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD:
and he delighteth in his way.
Established
could be a replacement for the word ordered in this verse. The path is
“established” in the steps of man. Well, Jesus was born a man, through the gift
of the Holy Spirit. Note how this relates to all Jesus taught in His lifetime,
no matter how short it would have been. We see what it means to have our steps
established as we look at the following verses beginning here in Psalm 121:3 KJV – He
will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
Now, God
can’t do it all. That’s why we were given free will in the first place. I
remember hearing the words “if you dream it, you can do it. If you persevere
within it, you’ll get through it. If you want it, you’ll pursue it. If you need
it, you will find it.” I can’t recall where I heard these words, but they sure
fit here. We can see that in this next reference within Proverbs 16:9 KJV – A man’s heart
deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.
So many
fear that they are falling and will never manage getting back up again. It’s
hard to see how, even when we hit that brick wall, or we wander off the path,
there is a way to get right back on the road we lost with a wrong turn. It’s
shared here in Psalm 37:24 KJV – Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for
the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
Again
these words are proven both in Scripture and song. You can see that in Micah 7:8 KJV – Rejoice
not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in
darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.
Then you
can also see where it relates to song here in II
Corinthians 4:9 KJV – Persecuted, but not
forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.
God made
a promise. Jesus fulfilled that promise, just by being born, living
thirty-three years, and shedding His blood for our sakes. There is no greater
gift than a dear friend sacrificing everything held dear to save us. God did it
in giving His Son, Jesus did it in giving His life here on earth. As the season
of Christmas comes into full swing with Advent, it’s definitely 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)
Closing Song: Trading My Sorrows http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/r/b192def7e
Covenant
of Hope Ministries
Our Main Video Feed: Covenant_of_Hope
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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