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.
- Please continue to pray for Elder Cal Jennings and his
health issues, which are numerous. He has been doing well since his surgery on
another crushed vertebra in his back this past Tuesday. Continue to pray for
his health as he soldiers on.
- Please pray for faith and hope boosters to help bless
Sister Theresa Bogard.
- Please pray that the protests and protesters that are
currently all over the place in the US will disband and truth, honor, and
honesty may fill the headlines as opposed to hype, terror, and falsehoods.
- 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 those suffering as a result of the terrors
that have occurred just this past week around this world.
- Pray for our sick and wounded that they may heal,
including all those who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 Coronavirus, have
survived it, and those who have lost their lives because of it. May the first
responders help us stay safe, healthy, and aware of our surroundings and the
dangers in this world.
Prayer: Father in heaven, this
is our prayer for today. We pray for health and happiness for our friends,
colleagues, and even our enemies. We pray for peace and patience to prevail
over anger, despair, and fear. We pray that all sickness and pain will be
lessened and removed from life as we know it. We pray for those who have lost
their lives and those who have been hurt in this past week. 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: I Will Walk With Jesus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FswogEd6Rec
Sermon: Today I am beginning
a study on a very small epistle written by Paul as he worked sharing the Word
in the Greek city of Ephesus. As you have learned in our past sermons, the city
of Ephesus is quite the pivotal location for the Apostles of Jesus as they worked
to share the Word with those who wished to be brought into the truth, the light
of belief and faith. Let’s start at the beginning, where Paul enters the city.
Ephesians 1:1 – Paul, an
apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus,
and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
Paul is very happy to share the gifts of
faith and belief that Jesus had been teaching with him for many years. He
wanted to show the fantastic, awesome, capacity of God’s Unconditional Love. In
order to do that, he had to travel, as Jesus would always travel within Israel
and other nearby locations. He reflects back to the time spent in Rome.
Romans 1:7 – To all that be
in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God
our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts 19:2-7 – He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.
Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
And all the men were about twelve.
Notice how the number twelve is shared here. There were
twelve Apostles. Twelve men surrounded Jesus at almost every moment of His
ministry throughout Jerusalem and beyond. Carrying that number forward shows
solidarity, unity, in Christ’s church. That’s one of the many things that all
of the authors of the New Testament worked toward, to share the perfect
ministry of the Savior Jesus Christ. Now we see another supporting verse, from
sharing the way, the truth, and the light, in Colosse.
Colossians 1:2 – To the
saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you,
and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace is something that is given to us through the Spirit
of God, that same Holy Spirit which surrounded and filled the twelve Apostles
shortly after the death and resurrection of Christ. It is something Paul and
the other Apostles wanted to share in their experience with the life-altering
gift shared with each of them individually and collectively that long ago day.
It is an awesome gift, to be enveloped in grace, peace, hope, and faith all at
once.
Ephesians 1:2 – Grace be to
you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
All of us hope to have grace brought to our lives. Peace
too, would be a much desired component to our lives on this earth filled with
chaos of too many forms. This is something Paul wanted to share with everyone
he met. Grace, peace, hope, faith, all elements of the greatest gift God brings
to our lives, LOVE, not just any form of love, UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. There are no
human or environmental conditions in this view of love. That’s what makes it so
special and worthy of deep discussion. Here are more descriptions of this
greatest gift Jesus left this world with.
Psalm 110:3 – Thy people
shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the
womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.
No matter our age, we can reflect on
those moments in our lives where peace and faith, love, and belief, felt as
though they were bursting within us and shining through to others around us. It
is not something we often reflect on in the day to day life we get through, no
matter what that might be. Paul reflects on what David shared when it comes to
faith, peace within that faith, and the amazing gift of God’s love it would be.
His grace can dwell in us in every way we can think of and even those we can’t think
of.
Galatians 1:3 – Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord
Jesus Christ,
Paul shared this with everyone, family, friend,
acquaintance, and even those who were strangers in his midst. It is the only
way to teach the truth of Scripture, do not discriminate between those who know
and don’t know. Hold nothing against another if they are willingly coming to
hear the truth of God’s Word. This is something Paul impressed on everyone he
encountered and spent time with.
Titus 1:4 – To Titus, mine
own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.
When I was younger, I often would ask why there were so
many stories shared when it came to Jesus and His journey in life with the
Apostles, disciples, and His earthly family, friends, and even those
adversaries He met in just thirty-three years of life. Here we see the Acts of
the Apostles and what they shared in their journey of true belief, true faith,
full understanding of the sacrifice God and Jesus made for each of us to be
here today.
Acts 2:24 – Whom God hath
raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that
he should be holden of it.
Acts 2:33 – Therefore being
by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise
of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
The gift of the Holy Spirit is pivotal
in belief of Christ and God. The reason is simple. If we had not had first hand
descriptions of what the gift of the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit, surrounding
and filling the Apostles and Disciples, we would hardly have the faith to
believe that there is a singular, extraordinary reason we are sharing the
faith, belief, in unconditional love that exists in everything and everyone on,
in, or within this earth we share.
Ephesians 1:3 – Blessed be
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
You remember when we learned that
whatever happens here on earth happens in heaven as well. So, for those who are
skeptics, yes, the spirits and angels who are there with Jesus and God in
Heaven know all to well what pain, sorrow, fear, and all those crazy emotions
and thoughts that are here on earth. Yet, seeing beyond those earthly
considerations is what heaven promises us, as shared in the stories and
parables Jesus spoke of so often in His life. That is amazing comfort that we
all need in daily living when life seems hopeless.
2 Corinthians 1:3 – Blessed
be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and
the God of all comfort;
It is a blessing to have something to believe in. It is a
true blessing to pursue that belief and share it with all of those who come
into our lives. In doing so, we share the belief, the faith, the hope, the
truth that is part and parcel in Unconditional Love as Jesus proved to each and
every one of us at some point in our lives. This is something that all of the
Apostles, all of the Disciples, have infused in those of us who are devoted
followers of the way, the truth, and the light of life.
1 Peter 1:3 – Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy
hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead,
A
living hope, a daily boost to our faith, our belief, is just a single thought
away from us on those worst days of our lives when we suffer pain, sorrow,
fear, and anything that feels as though it removes hope from our minds, our
spirits, our bodies and souls. That’s something we must work to fight against
and promote the gifts of peace, faith, hope, love, and truth in the Light of
the World, Jesus Christ our eternal salvation. 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: The Walk ~ Steven Curtis
Chapman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0znonswTnYQ
~ 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 © 2020 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.
