Welcome to Covenant of Hope Ministries and our Sunday sermon. I am Rev. Laura A. Neff. This ministry shares the Word of God, the Spirit of Christ Jesus. Our ministry was created with twelve people around this world back in 2008. Each of us shares God’s Word in ways He guides us to utilize. 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
Rev. Laura’s other sites: Facebook & Blogspot & Twitter & LinkedIn
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 having issues with his pain, vision, and memory.
- Please pray for several members of my family who are getting ready for some major changes in their lives.
- Please pray for a dear friend who had no choice but to delay some life-changing surgery. Pray that she gets to that date as well as she can be and that the surgery does everything she hopes it will manage.
- Please pray that some decisions yet to be made will benefit this ministry and each of its members.
- Please pray for one set of my daughter’s grandparents-in-law who have both been diagnosed with COVID-19 and are in the hospital.
- We are ever watchful in regard to the weather with tropical weather and with the high winds around many places.
- We continue to pray for those who suffer or have suffered from the COVID-19 chaos. 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 who are jobless, homeless, no matter what might have ended up causing either of those. Pray that providence would find them and ease the suffering.
- 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.
Prayer: Father in heaven, this is our prayer for today. We pray for family and friends who are approaching major decisions in their lives that will transform their lives from this moment forward. We pray for family and friends who are suffering illness, including COVID-19 and other diseases or ailments. We continue to pray for the ones suffering as a result of shootings and unrest around this world. We pray for the medical scientists, and physicians who battle on the front lines of the COVID-19 virus and all the other terrible diseases in this world. We pray that truth can be seen where too many lies have filled life as we know it. We pray for those whose jobs are in a scary position. We pray for the travelers around this world so they remain healthy. 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: Sarah Reeves ~ Faithful https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ykj8DWLMPaE
Sermon: We continue to explore the second chapter of Peter’s first epistle today. Some of the supporting verses are repetitive, but that’s often what makes us return to them in several different moments in time, whether we are studying, preaching, or teaching. We start today off with this from Peter’s first epistle.
1 Peter 2:14 KJV – Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
Governors, judges, we’ve all seen what they do in this world, and how similar, and even dissimilar they would be if we were to place them back in the days where Peter was preaching here. Every day we see things that appear to balance, and then skew into different and sometimes dangerous ways. This is something that Jesus spoke of in a verse nearly everyone recognizes the moment it is spoken aloud. This is an argument that is nearly as old as time for Christians in all walks of life. We hear it said so often and yet follow the directive so seldomly in real life.
Matthew 22:21 KJV – They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.
What is God’s we should reserve for God alone. So, what exactly is Jesus speaking of? Well, it is not money. It is not monetary or monetized. God wants the part of ourselves that money can’t buy. He wants pure, unfathomable, unconditional love from each and every one of us. He wants us to remember to share that gift, which He gives us the choice to use as we see fit, and often we forget just how we are supposed to do so. This verse in Peter’s epistle echoes the thoughts of his fellow Apostles, including Paul as shared in these two verses as he spoke to the citizens of Rome.
Romans 13:1 KJV – Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Romans 13:7 KJV – Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
Paul restated exactly what Jesus once said to the Apostles and Disciples who followed Him to the day of His resurrection. It’s very important for us to understand that God’s love doesn’t end when someone dies. God’s love doesn’t end even at the end of time. He loves us unconditionally as His greatest creations. It is up to us whether we will stand there on the right side of God the Father, or not. Yet, even unconditional love has something to pay attention to, because we often forget just how powerful those seven troubles tend to be when we let them stew and stir up the storms that come about as a result of unleashing them. This is what Peter shares.
1 Peter 2:15 KJV – For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
Pay attention to what we are doing, so we do not end up one of those foolish people at the end of days. Titus repeats this in these words from his epistle.
Titus 2:8 KJV – Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.
We have to pay attention to how we think, work, and interact with others. Yes, I know this sounds psychological, but it is more than that when it comes to being one of God’s adopted sons and daughters. We are free, in the Holy Spirit, as adoptive children of God. We learn this through the Word of God and here Peter shares that thought with us.
1 Peter 2:16 KJV – As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.
We should use the freedom God gives us to portray His love toward others as we go through our days and nights walking this earth doing whatever we do in our daily lives. The sermon to the citizens of Galatia shares still more in regard to liberty and here are two examples of that.
Galatians 5:1 KJV – Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Galatians 5:13 KJV – For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
When we serve one another with unconditional love, this is what God has been teaching us since the very beginning with Adam and Eve. Yes, we have our own issues in life that seem to block us in too often where we cannot see the horizon of a better day, month, or year in this world we live in. However, if we remember to follow that single sentence Jesus shared, love one another not as man would love, but as He loves us. It’s important to keep that thought, that action, that memory, intact. This is what Peter says there.
1 Peter 2:17 KJV – Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.
Honor is something that we always hope we can portray for those around us. God asks us to honor our parents, our elders. Jesus, however, teaches that we should honor our faith, our belief, by following the ultimate directive of love one another. You will notice the same thoughts are shared in each of these connecting verses that follow.
Proverbs 24:21 KJV – My son, fear thou the Lord and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change:
Have you ever heard the phrase, “keep your nose out of other people’s business’? Basically, this is exactly what the proverb above is sharing. Sure, we can interact with everyone around us, but be polite and respectful of their privacy, and they will manage the same toward us. Paul shares this same thought with the citizens of Rome here.
Romans 12:10 KJV – Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
Notice how easily these verses repeat the same directive of Love One Another. It is amazing that the word, or expression of LOVE ONE ANOTHER would be in every Scroll of Scripture. You know it is an important facet of Christian faith if the thought, word, emotion, of love would be seen over four hundred times through all of Scripture. Peter, Paul, John the Beloved, and all the Apostles, Disciples, and family members of Jesus shared these thoughts through all of the New Testament. We see this here as well.
Philippians 2:3 KJV – Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Vanity, one of those seven troubles, in this case, boastful vanity, which is that much worse, is something we must learn to fight to keep us from that rock and a hard place. The seven troubles are the direct opposite of loving one another, and this is why we are warned over and over again to watch what we say, hear, think, or do. John the Beloved proves just how important Loving One Another is to the future of mankind, and the ability to access the realm of heaven as God’s home. Let’s see this thought.
John 13:35 KJV – By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
We all have days when we feel like we should hate everyone and everything. We all have days when we wish that moment would be a long forgotten memory. This is something everyone experiences at some point in their lives. Yet, Jesus says to His Apostles and Disciples to love one another, and they, as we also, would be His True Disciples. Three little words, I LOVE YOU. In this case, LOVE ONE ANOTHER, also three little words. It might seem far too simple, but it is just as difficult as it is simple. It is hard to understand for some, that it is a vital importance to keep that love in our hearts, our minds, our spirits, and souls, to LOVE ONE ANOTHER, not as human beings love, but as JESUS would, as GOD would. In this way we please God, and the Holy Spirit notices as much as Jesus would do the same. These two supporting verses also share what can be gained by shunning the seven troubles.
Proverbs 16:7 KJV – When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
Romans 8:28 KJV – And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Love God by allowing for peace to be shared. Did you know that spreading God and Jesus’s Unconditional Love you would be sharing peace toward everyone around you? It’s true, and God’s Word proves that all the time. Here we see how wisdom grows through the study of Scripture in our last pair of verses today.
Psalm 111:10 KJV – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
Proverbs 24:21 KJV – My son, fear thou the Lord and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change:
Fear is another word we hear quite frequently in Scripture. In this case, it’s not the shaking, quaking type of instinctual fear, but in respect. There’s something that does not get enough understanding in this world today when it comes to teaching God’s Word. Let’s remember that respecting and loving God unconditionally will help us to be loving and respectful with those we are around every day of our lives. Now, that’s something to think about as we pray in the prayer that Jesus taught us.
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: Steve Green ~ Find Us Faithful https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eERKnxzNzwg
~ 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.
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