Welcome to Covenant of Hope Ministries and our sermon or
midweek study. You will normally see us posted on Sunday and Wednesday. I am
Rev. Laura A. Neff. Our ministry was built on the truth of God’s love. It
doesn’t conform to society’s wishes. This ministry shares the Word of God, the
Spirit of Christ Jesus. Those who know me well will recognize that there are
definitive differences in the creation of every sermon from this point forward.
It is God’s will that has brought this to be. We wish only that God’s truth
will be shared within His words as brought to us by the Spirit as it fills my
heart, mind, and soul to be shared with my hands, but with His words alone.
You will find us in the following location: http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com
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 grows or changes
every week. This is our current list.
- Give praise to the Lord that my first grandchild has
been able to come home at long last from the hospital. Maria Kaye continues to
do well so far.
- Pray for several friends and family members of mine who
have been sick this week.
- Please pray for Elder Cal Jennings who has been
suffering greatly with his health. His pain levels continue to be astronomical.
May the Lord bring his spirits up and help heal him. Add a prayer or two for
his mother who has been very ill of late.
- Please pray for relief in the continued trials and
tribulations for Sister Theresa due to pain from a terrible hit and run
accident late last year. Pray that her daughter, Hope, has a safe voyage back
to school in Illinois.
- Be thankful for each day we live as we do not know what
tomorrow brings.
- Pray for our nations that the voice of God be heard through the Spirit.
- Pray for our friends and families that their tomorrows bring blessings and pray our own be the same.
- Pray for our nations that the voice of God be heard through the Spirit.
- Pray for our friends and families that their tomorrows bring blessings and pray our own be the same.
- Pray for those suffering as a result of the terrors that
have occurred just this past week and year around this world.
- Pray for our sick and wounded that they may heal.
Prayer: Father in heaven, we
have much to pray for this day, and we are thankful to be in Your holy presence
this morning in order to offer up our thankful hearts for the celebration of
the birth of Jesus and for those who are and have been around with us to
celebrate that. We pray for those who have been ill for this week and beyond.
We pray for those who have been brought to harm, that they are healed or
mourned as they should be. We pray for our friends and families who have been
traveling this week. We pray that their travels go well, and they reach home
after this holiday. For each of these we pray in Your Holy Name, through our
Savior Jesus Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, Amen and so it shall be.
Opening Song: Above All https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isn8PDkt29s
Sermon: Today we continue
our study of 1 Corinthians chapter 15. The objective of all Christian
ministries no matter the time of year, is to spread the truth of Christ, and
His impact on humanity and where humanity should look toward in regard to our
future, while we live here on earth and while we wait to see the end of time
here on earth into the new era once Jesus returns to preside as judge among the
living and the dead. We start here.
1 Corinthians 15:21 KJV – For since by man
came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
Jesus was brought here to this earth to do three things.
He was brought here in the very unique birth of a baby through a virgin mother,
who brought Him up in a truly traditional Jewish family. He followed the rule
of the law throughout childhood, yet also teaching what that law should be and
how we should follow it. This did two things. One, it showed that God’s love
exists in many unique and discernable ways. Second, the way Jesus taught was
not from a child’s view, but from a spiritual one. Yes, He was a child when He
started teaching what God wanted the pharisees and elders were missing in their
interpretation of God’s law. We saw more of this as Jesus grew and became an
adult.
Romans 5:12-17 KJV – Wherefore, as by one man
sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men,
for that all have sinned:
(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
These verses share a large message. Sin was borne through
the actions of Adam and Eve. In order to counteract this fact, God had no
choice but to send His Son down to repair all the wrongs created because of the
choice made to disobey God’s rules in the Garden of Eden. Jesus repeated the
truth in the existence of God, many, many times through the three decades of
His life here as a human being. Here we see another view of this in the Gospel
of John.
John 11:25 KJV – Jesus said unto her, I am
the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead,
yet shall he live:
He of course speaks about Lazarus, whom He helped rise
from death into life once more. Jesus’s birth was a miracle known as the
Immaculate Conception by scholars. Lazarus was a devoted follower of Christ,
but it was his family that needed to know just what the power of God entailed.
This is the reason Lazarus was brought back to life right before the eyes of
the followers of Christ. It is as much a miracle as a necessity. Believing in
the power of God is necessary to realize and understand the true path Christ
wishes us to follow. We continue through the writing of Paul here.
But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
We’ve heard of the firstfruits before in Scripture. This is just one of thirty verses referring to them. The firstfruits are the very first in a harvest, in a birth, like the firstborn child, beast of burden, any plants, etc. In this case, we are speaking of the first and strongest followers of Christ. Strength here is spiritual, not physical. Our spiritual strength is something Jesus taught about all the time, and Paul was more than willing to help continue that teaching. John the Beloved brings this idea home with the next two verses.
John 3:13 KJV – And
no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the
Son of man which is in heaven.
John 3:31 KJV – He that cometh from above is
above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he
that cometh from heaven is above all.
Above all, this is what Jesus would be to those of us
here in this world even today. As He was in the beginning, He is now, and will
be until time stops. We are warned many, many times, to realize just how we are
to be children of God and followers of Christ, the living view of God, through
the Holy Spirit, body, mind, spirit, and soul. We must continue to walk in the
footsteps of Christ, no matter what happens on this earth. Remembering that,
especially with all the chaos and cacophony of worldliness we see all over. We
should remember the warnings of Scripture, because, if we do not, we will be
caught unaware and catastrophe could be the end result. That’s what is shared
here.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
The fact that we must remember exactly what Jesus taught, and is still teaching, is reflected over and over again throughout Scripture. Jesus charged His Apostles and Disciples to teach His truth, not a watered-down version, not an over-explained view of Scripture, but HIS version of what the Word of God has always portrayed. This, just so when the end of days comes calling, we won’t be caught in the maelstrom of evil that will be unleashed before the time of judgment.
1 Corinthians 15:24 KJV – Then cometh the
end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when
he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
This is the eternal hope of all Christians. Being caught
up in the glory of God and carried through those golden gates into the many
mansions of heaven. This moment, when only God’s law will matter, when
unconditional love triumphs completely over the realm of evil and wickedness.
The Most High will always reign supreme. This being foretold long, long ago as
shared here in these final verses.
Daniel 7:14 KJV – And there was given him
dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages,
should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass
away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
Daniel 7:27 KJV – And the kingdom and
dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be
given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an
everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
The Second Coming of our Savior Jesus Christ is one that
is highly anticipated. It is one that is foreshadowed in many ways throughout
Scripture, noted in the words written from many of God’s chosen voices, to
ensure that everyone sees what we hope for, a place that is free of sin, free
of fear, free of pain, sorrow, death, and destruction. That perfection is only
available through our gift of unconditional love, the one thing that will save
us, for some, is nearly impossible to understand. Love one another, as He loves
us, is no easy consideration, but God never intended it to be easy. There’s a
reason for that. If it were that easy, no one would pursue it the way God’s
Unconditional Love should be pursued, encouraged, and lived within. Now that’s
something to think about as we pray in the prayer that Jesus taught us saying:
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)
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)
Closing Song: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
~ Shalom ~
Rev. Laura A. Neff
Elder Calvin Jennings
Covenant of Hope Ministries Main Site: http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com
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 © 2019 http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com
Our mission for Covenant of Hope Ministries
is not to exploit fear, but to conquer it, and overcome all that is created
through fear together as the bringers of the light of Jesus found in the midst
of darkness.
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