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 posted on Sundays. These are our locations online only:
Our Main Video Feed: Covenant_of_Hope
We have
email and Instant Messenger through Facebook available most Tuesdays, Wednesdays,
and Sundays 10AM to 2PM ET US. We’re still working this out between the two of
us as to what will happen, our Elder, Cal Jennings and I. 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.
Please pray for a friend Kerry, her husband Christian, and their
family as Kerry goes through surgery for cancer removal.
Please pray for success for my youngest brother, that his
continued education be beneficial toward a great career.
Pray for Elder Cal he was admitted to the hospital through the
emergency room two weeks ago last Thursday. Yesterday was better, but he’s
still weak and still receiving blood transfusions. He had open heart surgery on
Friday of that week and now has been fighting pneumonia. He is no longer on the
breathing machine or the heart machine, praise the LORD. Pray that he will not
require still more surgery. Pray that his spiritual nourishment be increased.
He also has had some technical issues, but does have his Iphone so he can
receive messages. He also has had some other technical issues with his normal
computer. May God provide him wellness, a method toward better communication, and
bring that flicker of hope into a bright and roaring flame.
Pray for our member Wayne, who has been absent for a while but
is back to work on his faith and connecting with us once more.
Pray for friends Karen, Christie, her son Calvin, Art, Heather,
Chris and his family, Jackie and her father, Debby, Tom, Teresa, Hope, during
the start of the year for their issues of many forms.
Pray for Fran who is suffering a lot of pain and other issues.
Pray for Karen’s grandaughter Cyndal.
Pray for Marie’s Aunt Connie.
Pray for my friend Grace as she has had pretty bad migraines.
Pray also that her stepson would make the right decisions. They are having a
hard time, may we have praise from the LORD.
Pray for my friend Laura who hasn’t been feeling well, and was
in the hospital on Thursday. No new news yet.
Pray that the Lord will find a way for my family to reach the
ability to solutions that are necessary for health, shelter, and more. Praise
the LORD more than half of those issues have been solved. There are family
members who continue to need prayer. Claim that God knows and will be there.
Pray that a solution will be found for a serious test I must have, claim that
Jesus can give us answers for that. The cost is simply out of reach at the
moment.
Continue your prayers for the continued success for little
Phoebe Faire. She is doing very well. Praise the Lord.
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.
May the LORD allow us to claim His truth and His healing hands.
May we listen and hear and understand what those things we listen to and hear
as well.
Prayer: Father in heaven, we
thank You for this day and for these who are here to share it with us.We thank
You for the gift of Everlasting Life on Easter, given through the sacrifice of
our Savior. We thank You for answering prayers, so that death, pain, fear,
strife, and sorrow will cease to be. We thank You for faith and hope and love
that are all eternal because You brought them to us. We pray for those who live
on this earth, friend or not, known or not, as they are here due to Your
sacrifice and You rising from death. Amen, Amein, and so it shall be.
Opening Song: Down to the River to
Pray
Sermon: Today is Easter Sunday. It shows
us that the strength of God and His love can conquer anything, and everything.
That is what this sermon shares, though it would not be the typical sermon seen
on Easter. The title of this portion would be ‘Remembrance of former Favours’
includes seven verses in Psalm 44. The thought to listen and hear, David has
remembered that they have indeed listened to God and the fathers before them in
regard to the work God had done before their lives began.
Psalm 44:1-2 KJV– We have heard with our ears, O God, our
fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.
How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and
plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out.
Why are
they cast out? They are what is recognized as those who do not worship God.
There are many in the world who are cast out in a way. Yet, that doesn’t mean
that they are forever cast out. We can come back to God. You will see how the
LORD God brings His people into his arms, in a haven, safety. All of us need a
haven once in a while. Exodus 15:17 KJV – Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain
of thine inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which thou hast made for thee to
dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O LORD, which thy hands have established.
You’ll
note that this next verse will share more about those who were cast out as
shown in our first two verses. Note also that there were seven nations cast out
and all of them much larger, and much stronger than the Israelites, yet, God
conquered them. Deuteronomy 7:1 KJV – When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land
whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee,
the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and
the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and
mightier than thou;
God did
the work to gain possession of the promised land, Israel. They were saved
through God’s arms, and the light of His face. Note, this one shares the word
favor. In other words, the work of the battle, and more were a favor brought to
the Israelites. Now, how intriguing that is. Psalm
44:3 KJV – For they got not the land in
possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy
right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst
a favour unto them.
Seven
nations fell, they were destroyed by the hand of God, without a single sword
from the Israelites. Joshua was the one to take them, all thanks to God’s
grace. Joshua 10:42 KJV – And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one
time, because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel
God sent
the hornet. Now, if you have ever seen a hornet, you know they can be both
dangerous and scary at the same time. God shares that it doesn’t take a sword
or a bow when He works to conquer nations. The reason, He is God, and with God
we can do anything. Joshua 24:12 KJV – And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out
from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword,
nor with thy bow.
This one
shows the very reason God proves that we can do anything through Him. Why can
He do this? It is very simple. It only has four letters, but it is one of the
strongest gifts that would be given. That one gift is unconditional. It is
love. Deuteronomy 4:37 KJV – And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose
their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with this mighty power
out of Egypt;
What does
this prove, it shares that God is the King, He brings more than we think He
does. In fact there are peeks at what will soon be. Could you find that peek
into the future generations? Try seeing that through this verse. Psalm 44:4 KJV – Thou
art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.
There are
times when we forget that four letter word, love, and feel as though we are
abandoned by God. In this verse we see that quite clearly. Psalm 74:12 KJV – O
GOD, why hast thou cast us off for ever? why doth thine anger smoke against the
sheep of thy pasture?
There are
many ways to push away an enemy. One of those is through faith, which is part
of love. We can conquer just about anything with God. This verse shares that
with us. Psalm 44:5 KJV – Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy
name will we tread them under that rise up against us.
Note here
in this verse how it shares that the enemies will be pushed down. This shares
that they will be defeated not by the Israelites, but through the name of God.
The comparison of this comes through as a ram, which shares the strength and
determination God shares for the Israelites. Daniel
8:4; KJV – I
saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts
might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his
hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.
Who, what
should we trust in? We should trust in God. Why should we trust in God? One
reason alone would bring that answer. That reason is love. Trust in God’s love
instead of weapons, no matter what type of weaponse they would be. Psalm 44:6-7 KJV – For
I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.
But though hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to
shame that hated us.
Regardless
of the fact that many would try to persevere but not with God, through God.
Sometimes we forget to consider the strength of God’s grace. You can see this
in our last verse. Psalm 33:16 KJV – There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a
mighty man is not delivered by much strength.
Strength
can’t do everything. Physical, mental, emotional, and more, strength in each of
these and others as well doesn’t always mean we’ve managed to fully conquer
any, or all of them. That’s where God comes in. 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: Is Anything To Hard
For God
~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.
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