The Path To His Glory

Covenant of Hope Ministries Sunday Sermon_7_28_2013

Good afternoon, and welcome to this Sunday Sermon for Covenant of Hope Ministries. I am Rev. Laura A. Neff. The ministry knows me as the Rainbow Minister. Find us posted on Sundays and studies on Wednesday. Our locations are online only:

Main Site: http://covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com/

Rev. Laura’s Other Sites: Facebook & Twitter & Google+ & Blogspot

Our Main Video Feed: Covenant_of_Hope

We have email (instant messenger if you need me) through Facebook every day. These are now extremely variable. We’re still working this out between the two of us as to what will happen, our Elder, Cal Jennings and I. I will inform you further regarding changes. These changes were made due to health reasons. The sermon length has shortened dramatically. We are unsure as to when there might be video presentations.

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 Phoebe Fair as she is in hospice. She has her good days and her bad days. Her tumor has come back, and they don’t know what will happen right now. She is at home with the hospice care, but it is very hard on the family.

- Please keep Elder Cal Jennings in your prayers as he is very sick and spent a day in the hospital this past week.

- Please pray for my friend Teresa’s sister who is in stage four cancer.

- Please keep others known by any of us up in prayer for whatever they might need.

- Please keep my friend Heather in prayer for patience and safe haven.

- Let us keep another friend, Jeff, and his family in prayer after a disappointment that has them searching for answers.

- Please keep my whole family in prayer for the pain, suffering, and chaos we are going through.

- Pray that the adversity and the pain we have seen around the world would be relieved, and swept away. May we find common ground in many ways, even if we start with just one step.

- Remember those who have been lost either violently or peacefully this week.

- Keep the ministry in your thoughts, each member, no matter their location, their circumstances, because a group of friends, a ministry, should support one another.

- There are many in our ministry who are searching for more in regard to our presence with my health, and with the health of others. We pray that there would be health found once more, and that we have answers to all and for all.

Prayer: Father in heaven, we thank You for this day and for these who are here to share it with us. There are many prayers, and just as many praises for each of us this day. We are thankful for the gifts that You have brought. We are understanding in the lessons we have learned. We are grateful for Your solace, the gift of safe haven, the gift of life itself. We pray for those who have lost their lives in war, in disaster, and more. We pray for the survivors, that their grief and pain be eased by Your blessings of hope and faith. We pray all of these things in Your Holy Name through our Savior Jesus Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, Amen and so it shall be.

Opening Song: It Is Well With My Soul http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdpN-6Tvo4s

Sermon: There are many reasons that this title was managed, the path to His glory. There is a way to reach that path, but we’ve got to remember certain things. One of those is the fact that redemption comes into play. What is redemption? It is forgiveness. He will forgive us our sins, as the prayer Jesus gave us shares. We can see that here in Psalm 49:15 KJV – But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.

There is a pair of word changes here in our first verse for from the power of. That would be from the hand of. The second word change is the grave. This one could be hell. The power of the grave, so the hands of hell. Isn’t that interesting? Hell would have hands. They would be powerful. They can drag us down into that pit described in Revelations, and in fact described in many places through Scripture. Think about it. That’s what it asks us to do here. Well, we should do just that. God will receive us, keeping us from the power of the grave.

Let’s continue into our next three verses here in Psalm 49:16-18 KJV – Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased:

For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him.

Though while he lived he blessed his soul: and men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself.

There would be only one word change in our last verse. That word change is included here in while he lived which could also be considered in his life. Look at this, YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU! So many cultures believed or believe that it will be there when salvation occurs. Did anyone think that we won’t NEED it? Everything we could possibly need would be in God’s paradise known as HEAVEN. This only goes to show the validity of these two verses here in Psalm 49:19-20 KJV – He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light.

Man that is in honour, an understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.

Our next to last verse shares a different view of He shall go to the generations of his fathers. That difference would be this soul shall go. It shares that his body and his soul would separate. That is very much like many teachings in faiths around the world. It shares the idea that the spirit, the soul, and the body are very different parts of a human being. Now here in our last two verses we also find a reference to these verses in Ecclesiastes 3:19-21 KJV – Befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.

All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth upward, an the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man shall rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?

Look at this! Man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. You remember, God said only that man would have NO dominance over the beasts of the field. He created helpers out of the soil. Examine here in Genesis 2:18 KJV – And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

So, God gave equality to man and beast. We do not see that in today’s world. In fact we show dominance over them. This also shows in the ideal of women. There is not reference to dominance, only that a man shall be joined with a woman and become one. Thus, man and woman, and beast of the field all will be dust to dust. Any other thoughts are considered VANITY! We remember what vanity would bring. It tells us the whole truth, that nothing, and no one would be over another in the realm of dominance. Granted, we have kings, princes, and the like shared here in Scripture. They are rulers, sure, but is there a difference between us and those same rulers? We also have beasts that would carry our things, lead a cart, or something like that. But, again, does that mean those kings, princes, or beasts are unequal to the rest? No! The reason, they’re all as we would be. Our ancestry, that means every person no matter their level of society, was borne of the dust. 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)

This song was chosen because it epitomizes the ideal that is shared in this path to His Glory.

Closing Song: If Everyone Cared http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IUSZyjiYuY

~Shalom~

Rev. Laura A. Neff ~ The Rainbow Minister Facebook & Twitter & Google+ & Blogspot

Calvin Jennings ~ Elder Facebook & Twitter & Blogster

Covenant of Hope Ministries

Main Site: http://covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com/

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.