Welcome to Covenant of Hope Ministries and our Sunday sermon. I am Rev. Laura A. Neff. Today we are sharing the best way to remember and remind ourselves of the sacrifices that were made just to get us to this point in life and sharing Unconditional Love.
You will find us in the following location: http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com
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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.
- Pray for my friend Dena, who is going through a lot of health issues these days.
- Please continue to pray for Elder Cal Jennings and his health issues, which are numerous. He has been having issues with his pain, vision, and memory. Keep him up in prayer as he too has had all sorts of family issues over the years.
- We are ever watchful in regard to the weather, the unrest, and the virus and response to that virus. Let us pray for calm skies and seas, calm voices and spirits, and also healthy outcomes for those who are affected.
- Be thankful for each day we live as we do not know what tomorrow brings.
- Pray for all of our outreach ministries with Pastor Stephen Okoth, Pastor Robert Nganwa, Pastor Simon Peter Javaji, Rev. Lisa Tyler, and all the others who have joined us.
- 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.
- Pray that truth is revealed where falsehoods have been shared around this world.
- Pray also for the soldiers who gave their lives to save us.
Prayer: Father in heaven, this is our prayer for today. We pray for my whole family still as life adjusts after the loss of our father. We pray for understanding and clarity when it comes to how he died far too soon for most of us. We continue to pray for Elder Cal Jennings and his health concerns, pain, memory, and comfort right now seem to be the biggest hurdle for him right now. So many people are being infected with this deadly virus, we pray for their healing well and able to return to normal life. We pray for an end to this terrible virus. We pray for family, friends, and colleagues affected by COVID-19, especially first responders and caregivers. We pray for healing, and an ability to return to work. We pray for those who have been affected physically or otherwise by the terrors and disasters that have occurred 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: Remember ~ Lauren Daigle https://youtu.be/nThnLyjQgbA
Sermon: We are continuing our voyage into the Word recorded by Judah, brother of Jesus. There is a lot for us to understand and this is where we will begin today.
JUDE 18 KJV – How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
We all learn what mocking someone or something is as we grow up. We just don’t always learn how bad mocking someone or something is, for ourselves, as much as it is for the one being mocked. We’ve all seen it, and many times have ignored that pang of pain as though we’ve been slapped when we see those mockers around us and allow what they do to those being mocked. This is something Judah is warning us about. Now, let’s see what Timothy shares.
1 Timothy 4:1 KJV – Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
Understanding what Timothy means with this verse takes a bit of discernment. Go back to what Judah shared in verse eighteen. Notice how Judah mentions one of the Seven Troubles, as though it is integral in what people think. The thing is, it truly is integral to what we think and how we react with the Seven Troubles. All of us are hindered by these seven pains in the backside. Judah warns that this type of thinking is very dangerous for the followers of Jesus Christ our Savior. Let’s see what you think.
JUDE 19 KJV – These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
It’s unfortunate that so many professed “Christians” are hardly ready for what will come in the days of Armageddon. This is why so many of the Apostles and Disciples, the family members of Christ, emphasize the importance of true understanding of God’s Word through the gift of our Savior Jesus Christ. All of this takes practice, a whole lot of practice. True scholars of Scripture find something new every time they read and study the Word. That’s what we find here in this next supporting verse.
HEBREWS 10:25 KJV – Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
What does it mean to “FORSAKE” others? There are two definitions and they meet each other in Scripture and in Life. This is what the dictionary shares.
The first definition is: to quit or leave entirely; abandon; desert: She has forsaken her country for an island in the South Pacific. Also this definition fits quite well with the verses we are sharing today: To give up or renounce (a habit, way of life, etc.).
When we first accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and as the Living Word, we forsake all the other feelings, teachings that lead us away from what Jesus did for humanity all those centuries and millennia ago. Understanding how this impacts our lives as we continue our personal walk is very, very important. That’s why we have so many supporting verses to share with our primary understanding. If we don’t see God’s Unconditional Love from all directions, how will we be able to share it with others? This is the one issue Jesus worried about, even on His last day alive in flesh and blood. Now we’re going to see Paul’s sharing of the Word at Colossi.
Colossians 2:7 KJV – Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
Though we do not see some of the parables Jesus brought in the supporting verses, the implication would be obvious in the words Judah shared. That’s why we have to keep working our faith. We have to keep striving for God’s Unconditional Love in our lives and in the lives of those we love.
JUDE 20 KJV – But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
When we pray, we must remember to acknowledge God and Jesus through the Holy Spirit. To do so improves the understanding of those who are being taught God’s Word and how to apply the Word to our lives every moment of every day. That is what Peter shares here.
2 Peter 2:10-11 KJV – But chiefly them that
walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government.
Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of
dignities.
Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing
accusation against them before the Lord.
Peter is warning us that our behavior and our study of the Word are integrally linked. Just because we can recite Scripture does not mean we can instantly apply it to our lives. This is why there is so much repetition in Scripture. It’s also why we return time and again to verses we have already covered once. Our lives change, and because of that, the Word changes us to follow more succinctly the Savior of All, Jesus Christ. That’s why we go back to verses like this one.
Ephesians 6:18 KJV – Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Not everyone will understand the concept of supplication in the Spirit as this verse Paul shared in Ephesus would do. So, what exactly is supplication in the Spirit? Humble prayer, entreaty or petition. All of us should learn this, and gather more learning toward this understanding as we continue to share the Word with others around us. Daniel also knew what it meant to work hard in learning to share humility, prayer and petition in our lives. That’s what we see here in our last verse today.
Daniel 12:1 KJV – And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
When we study Scripture, we should study all of it in bits and pieces so that we see where they connect in real life for each of us. Jesus would always say that one person’s walk toward eternal life would not be identical to their family, their friends, or anything in their lives. Each of us must learn what our lives would be sharing in the realm of Christian faith and Unconditional Love. Now that’s something to think about as we share the words that Jesus taught.
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)
Closing Song: It Is Well With My Soul https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHe_qmo3gX4&list=PLqHFn7Rw4txXxknVcDunpzxMYf_idiQBZ
~ 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 © 2021 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.
