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 in our blog on Sundays. These are our locations online only:
Our Main Video Feed: Covenant_of_Hope
We have
email available at all times. I will answer. We’re still working this out
between the three of us as to what will happen, our Elder, Cal Jennings and I.
IM is connected through Facebook alone. 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, when they become possible once more, 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. I got an extensive
update, and actually saw her Tuesday. Things are not good at this time. There
are many setbacks, and currently we do not know why. Due to some of the things
that have happened, Mary has been moved to a new facility. They are doing an
evaluation and, when that evaluation is complete, she will be moved once more.
It will have more intensive 24/7 care, something she desperately needs.
Pray for our family. There are several things weighing us down, I
have had a serious fall after a blackout. It caused me to end up with a huge
bump on my head. That bump is improving, Praise God, it is now one quarter the size it started out. There are family members
who continue to need prayer. Claim that God knows and will be there. Pray that
an equitable consideration can be had for one of our many financial issues.
There has been a solution given, just needs clarification, and it can be
complete. In God’s name we claim that it can be done. Your prayers are very
much appreciated.
Pray for Elder Cal, as he has still been feeling pretty rotten.
He also has had some technical issues. May God provide him wellness, a method
toward better communication, 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 is working on her final bout with chemotherapy.
Please pray that she heals in a successful fight and remission is managed.
We pray for Teresa and Hope during the start 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 Dawna who has been in a lot of pain.
Pray for Fran who was admitted to the hospital Friday.
Pray for Karen’s granddaughter Cyndal
Pray for Marie’s Aunt Connie.
Pray for our outreach ministries, and all on their separate
prayer lists, no matter where in this world they would be.
Pray for all the members of Covenant of Hope and all those who
they reach out to. May each of the members find grace and peace in His love.
Pray for our leaders, local, state, federal and around the
world. That they make good decisions for the many.
Prayer: Father in heaven, we
thank You for this day and for these who are here to share it with us. We are
blessed and thankful that You have brought so much in the realm of good to our
world this week. Bless our efforts in Your name, that we are able to find
solutions to trials and tribulations. Bless our friends, our family, our
ministry, that, even with the many setbacks, we will remain. Bring solace to
those who have lost friends or family this week. Bring understanding to those
who are lost and cannot find the path they need. Lord we claim that You can do
all of these things, that You can share the blessings of faith and hope and
love, not only through Your grace, but through the gifts of unconditional love,
and so much more. We give this to You in prayer, Father, through Your Son
Jesus, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Opening Song: You Raise Me Up http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/r/b861a61f8
Sermon: The title of this sermon could be
seen in the title of this particular section of this psalm. That title is ‘David’s
care of his thoughts’ which also could be ‘a bridle or tongue for my mouth’. With
that title is a reference to I Chronicles 16:41 KJV
–And with them Heman and Jeduthun with
trumpets and cymbals for those that should make a sound, and with musical
instruments of God. And the sons of Jeduthun were porters.
David’s
care of his thoughts should be helped by music and glory brought to God. This
is something that can be difficult with humanity as it is, and as it has been.
Yet, music does indeed soothe the spirit and the soul. Psalm
39:1 KJV – I said I will take heed to my
ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while
the wicked is before me.
We have
spoken many times in regard to bridling the tongue, so we know what it means.
As we know, it means to keep our mouths shut, especially when what we could say
just might insight anger, wrath, and just plain trouble. This leads us to I Kings 2:4 KJV – That
the LORD may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy
children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their
heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man of the
throne of Israel.
Oh my
goodness, look at what this shares! Watch your thoughts, your words, and your
path, and you can see the truth, know it, and speak it with heart and soul in
full. With that we all can be there in His presence. Now, that’s something to
praise Him for, as an opportunity, a hope, and a gift of His grace.
Proverbs 4:26 KJV – Ponder the path of thy feet,
and let all thy ways be established.
What does
this say? It actually proves the point I make every time I write a sermon. You
have to think about it! You have to prepare yourself! That path will then
present itself ahead of you.
Hebrews 2:1 KJV – Therefore we ought to give
the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we
should let them slip.
Here
again we see that we should take care with our footsteps in the path toward
salvation. God is sharing this in many different ways, but in the same theme.
The Jews would do this quite often, and, in fact would state the same thing in
different words, twice in each verse. What does this do? It makes us think that
much more about what the meaning would be.
Colossians 4:5 KJV – Walk in wisdom toward them
that are without, redeeming the time.
Wisdom,
knowledge and working with that knowledge brings us to wisdom. Our work in
understanding the path, and the recognition of what redemption would be. It’s
not very easy, but then, nothing is really easy. Think about how we work when
it comes to our knowledge and applying it. Sometimes we slip, and so we must
work to watch our words, our steps and more.
Psalm 39:2 KJV – I was dumb with silence, I held my peace,
even from good; and my sorrow was stirred.
Change of
words ‘stirred’ to ‘troubled’. What does it mean to be dumb with silence? It
means to stay quiet, keep our mouths shut, even when it breaks our hearts to do
so. This is never an easy thing to even consider, much less to do. Yet,
sometimes there are no choices but to do so.
Psalm 39:3 KJV – My heart was hot within me, while I was
musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue,
Fiery
anger, that’s what is spoken of. Yet, David is very frustrated, because God
will not answer him. Unlike everyone thinks, free will determines our lifeline.
God only knows when, not the reason, and there is always the chance we could
change that time.
Jeremiah 20:9 KJV – Then I said, I will not make
mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart
as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I
could not stay.
Jeremiah
is fighting, truly fighting, just to keep his tongue from bursting out with
wrath and more. He fights, with the help of God in his heart. This is not easy.
Yet, it can be done, as Jeremiah shares. We see more yet as we look at our last
verse of this week here in Psalm 39:4 KJV – LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my
days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.
Oh mercy,
what David asks here is something many of us wonder about. ‘What time I may
have here’ could be considered the potential change for ‘to know mine end’. How
long will God keep us on this earth. Why would He choose that particular amount
of time? In this case, only God knows. Regardless that we are born with free
will, this is one thing that our free will cannot determine. That would be just
how long and what path we will end up taking, tomorrow is a brand new day. 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)
Closing Song: Trading My Sorrows
~Shalom~
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment