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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
Rev. Laura’s other sites: Facebook & Blogspot & Twitter
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 pray for Evangelist Cal Jennings who has been suffering greatly with his health. He continues to fight with several issues he has had for many years, pain, vision and memory. May the Lord bring his spirits up and help heal him.
- Please pray for the Leffler family senior members and ministers of Calvary Baptist Church here in Savannah, Georgia as their boat crashed against another in one of our local rivers. Thus far two of them have been found and one is still missing. One survivor, their daughter, is fighting for her life in ICU.
- Please pray for three friends who request to remain anonymous. One for their healing, another for their heartbreak, and a third for answers to questions they’ve had come up this past week.
- Please pray that surgery done on Friday helps our friend Dena and allows for a swift recovery. She has been through far too much lately.
- Please pray for the homeless, the sick, the hungry, and the poor, that their situations may be changed by faith, by hope, through unconditional love.
- Please pray for the families, colleagues, and friends of the children and teachers who were killed earlier this past week in Texas. Please also continue to pray for all those who have suffered as a result of a school shooting around this world.
- Pray for the citizens of Ukraine as they continue to pursue freedom and sovereignty.
- 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.
- As we celebrate Memorial Day tomorrow, pray for all of those who lost their lives in the pursuit of freedom.
Prayer: Father in heaven, our prayer today is to have the Spirit bring healing to each of our bodies, minds, spirits, and souls. We pray for enlightenment and understanding while studying Your Word. We thank You for these gifts and the many more You have brought us. May our fears be drawn out of us. Help us to see the many gifts Your love brings and the unknown locations it might be found. May our pain and sorrow be eased. May peace be brought from our hearts and shared with others. May Your gifts of love shine through us toward others. We pray for the poor, the sick, the sorrowful, the wounded, and the frightened. We pray for the soldiers, the Samaritans, the children, and the rest. We pray in thanksgiving for every gift brought us. We pray that every tomorrow would bring good things. 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: Onward Christian Soldiers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTRS7PxNPxc
Sermon: Today we are continuing where we left off two weeks ago in the Epistle of Titus. There is a lot to do in order to get an understanding of exactly what was going on with Titus. Let’s begin here.
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.
NIV – and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
First shot out of the box, here we have Titus pointing out that honesty in everything a person says, thinks, imagines, or does will keep evil and wickedness away from themselves. Now, this is an individual consideration, which is a little unusual, but, if all the individual people would keep these thoughts in mind every day, we wouldn’t have evil or wickedness anywhere collectively. Now, that would be a serious difference in life around the world. We have two verses connected and they are brutally honest at the amount of evil and wickedness that existed then, still exists today. Those views are seen in the recorded history of the modern Hebrew theologians and also in the citizens of Thessaly.
Hebrews 9:14 KJV – How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
NIV – How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
2 Thessalonians 2:15 KJV – Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
NIV – So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.
Basically, Titus, Paul and the others are telling the people in their churches and diocese to hang on to their hats and spirits, it’s going to be a rough go to keep the faith in God and Jesus. The times then were quite dangerous for new Christians. Added to that, this is still the status quo to this day in some places here on earth. The next verse is yet another to remind us that at one time servitude was quite different. To bring it to modern day, employees, please listen and follow the rules that your employer has for each of you, for your safety and benefit.
Titus 2:9 KJV – Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again;
NIV – Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them,
We see this same consideration in the words of Paul and Timothy.
Ephesians 6:5 KJV – Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;
NIV – Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.
1 Timothy 6:1 KJV – Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.
NIV – All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered.
Obedience is something that we all struggle with on occasion. It’s not easy to follow every law in every land to the letter of that same law. It is also not easy to understand and work within etiquette and protocol because, as even Jesus stated, all of us are human beings. We are, all of us, flawed in some way. However, there is ONE WAY to be practically perfect in every way, and that is when we are one with Jesus Christ our Savior and standing with Him faithfully. Titus comes back to share this.
Titus 2:10 KJV – Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.
NIV – and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.
Titus speaks of theft, stealing, which is blatantly against the Ten Commandments, as Commandment number eight is “Thou shalt not steal”. These are rules, regulations from God all the way back in Exodus and again shared in Deuteronomy and also repeated by Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Matthew. The Apostles share this as well.
Acts 17:28 KJV – For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
NIV – For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
There is so much to live for as citizens of Christ’s congregation here on earth. There is so much to prepare for in the Last Days as predicted. We all must build our faith even if we’re broken and brittle we can still build up and be better citizens of the New Earth, the New Jerusalem that is promised to be in the future for all that have faith and believe. This is something that even Titus, who tried very hard to believe and understand, could see becoming reality.
Titus 2:11 KJV – For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
NIV – For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.
God’s Amazing Grace will at last set us free from the sins of this world. That Amazing Grace has been brought to us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. It is important to remind ourselves of this amazing gift of grace, the ultimate show of faith in God’s unconditional love. You recognize the verses of this song that stretches beyond the confines of Christianity, just as God and Jesus could do if all would participate in their personal walk of faith collectively with their families, friends, neighbors, and all the rest of the citizens of Christian faith. Paul and Timothy share still more understanding here in Rome and Asia Minor.
Romans 5:15 KJV – 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.
NIV – But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
1 Timothy 1:4 KJV –Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.
NIV – or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith.
There are so many teaching moments to be had in life as we live it every day. The only thing is, we need to be willing to be those who teach or be one of those who is taught. Yes, even teachers must learn, sometimes even more than they might think. So many of us are trying to understand all the meaning within Scripture, and sometimes we get it right, while other times we learn lessons we might not have realized needed to be learned. This is what Titus was going through.
Titus 2:12 KJV – Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
NIV – It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,
Godliness, this is the goal that all good Christians should pursue. We get thrown down dark alleys and fall off the path that Jesus left us to follow, sometimes multiple times a day. It’s not easy to stay on that path, because it twists and turns based on life as it goes on with us, around us, and through us. We all must share the experience, even if we each don’t have an identical path. Take your faith, strengthen it, justify it, prove it, to yourself and to those around you. This is what Peter, Paul, Timothy, and the rest of the twelve Apostles wished us to recognize and realize.
Romans 3:24 KJV – Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
NIV – and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Paul’s words say a whole lot while he taught in Rome. Early in his days there and then later on in the city of Rome, Italy, he shares how easily we can miss things, cleanliness in Christianity is simply “not sinful”. Thus, uncleanliness is just as simply "sinful”. Yet, people still argue that there is no true clarity in the words of Scripture. In a world filled with “unrighteousness” and “sinfulness” at beyond gargantuan scale, it is not easy to recognize “cleanliness” which is always next to “godliness”.
Romans 14:14 KJV – I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
NIV – I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean.
Timothy too has thoughts in this debate on cleanliness and godliness.
2 Timothy 3:5-7 KJV – Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
NIV – having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.
Too often we want to usurp, or take away, the power of the godliness in this world. We want to fritter it away, ignore it, even hide it because there is so much sin and sinfulness in this world. However, for those of us in this world who can spot those rare gems, those godly features, thoughts, endeavors, in this world, to those people, there is a glorious future ahead of them. That future could be for all of us when we spend more time believing in what we are learning through Scripture, through Prayer, through simple acts of Kindness, Generosity, Faith, and Unconditional love. This is the reward for that, according to Titus.
Titus 2:13 KJV – Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
NIV – while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
Peter, Paul, and John the Beloved all have similar thoughts to Titus as he writes letters to the members of his small church on an equally small island south of Rome. All of us hope for the day that Jesus promised would bring heaven and earth together again, life would overcome death and destruction, grace would remove the sins of this world. When that glorious moment occurs, we all want to be there.
2 Peter 3:12 KJV – Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
NIV – as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.
1 Corinthians 11:34 KJV – And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.
NIV – Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment. And when I come I will give further directions.
Revelation 1:7 KJV – Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
NIV – “Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him"; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.” So shall it be! Amen.
Colossians 3:4 KJV – When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
NIV – When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
There is so much to think about as we pursue our faith. It takes work and a willingness to do the studying to prepare us for the future in Christ’s eternal church. We, as the body of the church, with our individual and collective work that must be managed, have so much to do, and no one has a time frame in which this needs to be done. This is something that Jesus said would take time, patience, faith, and hope to achieve. Titus is sharing the view of sacrifice that Jesus made, and that all true Christians make toward their faith.
Titus 2:14 KJV – Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
NIV – who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
Faith without works is dead. That’s what Scripture shares. However, also the opposite is true. Works without faith would also be fruitless. They are mutually dependent upon each other. All of Christianity is mutually independent in their paths, but dependent in their eternal destination. Life pursued here on earth is for the glory of Jesus, the grace of God, the hope of the Holy Spirit, available for each, and every, person who works to keep their faith and exercises that faith not only upon themselves but with all those who surround them, friend, foe, neighbor, and family. Here we find Paul, the Hebrew Scholars and Theologians, King David, all sharing these thoughts, facts, necessities toward a truly godly, outstandingly Christian lifestyle.
Ephesians 5:2 KJV – And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
NIV – and walk in the way of love, just as
Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice
to God.
Psalm 130:8 KJV – And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
NIV – He himself will redeem Israel from all
their sins.
Hebrews 9:14 KJV – How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
NIV – How much more, then, will the blood of
Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God,
cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the
living God!
1 Peter 2:9 KJV – But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
NIV – But you are a chosen people, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the
praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Galatians 1:4 KJV – Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
NIV – who gave himself for our sins to rescue
us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
It takes a great deal of discipline to sit and study the Word of God with a ready mind, a willing heart, and a strong spirit. Yet, if all we do is repeat a verse inside our head, in our scribbles during the day, or even in our prayers, that will bring us each just a little closer to the path that Jesus left behind and will lead us to stronger relationship with God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Even in the hardest times of our lives, God is there, waiting to be recognized. This is what Jesus taught throughout His thirty-three years, even as a boy, all the way to the moment He gave up the ghost on that cross. The fact that He lived a godly, truly faithful life as a child of God, and taught anyone willing to listen just how to do exactly that, says a lot about those short thirty-three years He walked this earth in a human body. Have faith, share it, prove it, teach it, learn it, and you’ll know what Jesus wants you to know, needs you to know in your life here on earth. This is what Titus has to share.
Titus 2:15 KJV – These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.
NIV – These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.
Encourage Christlikeness, study, faith, hope, unconditional love. This is what Titus is sharing in the little church there. He references the minister, Timothy, with his last thoughts here. Young or old, all of us have the ability, the right, the promise that we can reach the goal of Christlikeness, Godliness, that is so important to gain. Age doesn’t matter. Ability doesn’t matter. To God, we are perfect through the sacrifice made by Jesus Christ nearly two millennia in the past. We are blessed by His unconditional love, and we should prove it every day by sharing it with those who might not understand the power of that very same love. It is the single most powerful condition in this world. Love, especially when shared with others as much as toward ourselves, can do anything and everything. This is one last view from Timothy to share today.
1 Timothy 4:12 KJV – Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
NIV – Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.
Age has no foothold in faith. You can build faith as an infant, lose faith as a child, regain it as an adolescent, expand upon it as an adult, fall away from it in middle age, face it when you are ill, enjoy it when you are well, and embrace it when you are old. Each of these facets of faith is different for every person, unique just as each of us would be. This is the beauty of unconditional love. It has an infinite and eternal nature that changes with every moment that passes. 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)
Closing Song: Hillsong Music ~ Remembrance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDtT3UMHYBg
~ 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 © 2022 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.
