Welcome to Covenant of Hope Ministries and our Sunday sermon. You will normally see us posted in written and live form on Sunday. I am Rev. Laura A. Neff. Our ministry was built on the truth of God’s love and sharing the Word of God, the Spirit of Christ Jesus in a way that we believe embraces the ways Jesus taught us to manage. We bring His Word to the many as opposed to the few, in order to continue the legacy created by the ministry of Jesus Christ. 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 & Linkedin
Wedding officiant page: Wedfolio
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. May the Lord bring his spirits up and help heal him.
- Please pray for Evangelist Cal Jennings’ sister who has a malignant meningioma.
- Please keep several friends and other family members in prayer for their trials and tribulations. They have each requested to remain anonymous for the time being.
One who has been diagnosed with some painful health issues.
Three who have lost a loved one in the past week.
One who has had cataract and other surgeries in recent weeks.
One who has returned home for more rehabilitation after a stroke.
One who has been working with cardiac rehabilitation after a heart attack a month or so ago.
Another pair who have had serious issues with pain levels in recent weeks and months. May their pain ease sooner rather than later.
Another who has been suffering after a fall that has caused a great deal of pain.
- Pray for the economy around this world as inflation, fuel, and other supply chains suffer from extremely high prices and overly high demand.
- Pray for those who will be choosing candidates for the United States, that they choose wisely with knowledge of the issues and the stance of each candidate.
- Pray for those who have suffered from violent events, that they heal and do not have scarred psyches and that those who have lost their loved ones to violence find peace in the face of fear.
- 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.
* Happy birthday greetings to my granddaughter, Maria, who turned 3 on the 1st.
* Happy birthday greetings to Maria’s Nina, Suzanne, whose birthday was also on the 1st.
* Happy birthday greetings to my sister Lisa, whose birthday is the 11th.
Prayer: Father in heaven, our prayer today is to have the Holy Spirit bring healing to each of our bodies, minds, spirits, and souls. We pray for enlightenment in the wonders that You bring each of us and understanding while studying Your Word. We thank You for the many awe inspiring 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 sick including Faith’s granddaughter Aurora, and another friend’s mother who is still recovering after a stroke. We pray for those who have lost their lives this week including Mary’s uncle and Ron & Laurie Scott who lost their grandmother. We pray for the homeless, the survivors of the latest weather related chaos. 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: Stephen Curtis Chapman ~ Don’t Lose Heart https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAMwqBynjCs
Sermon: This week we are beginning the study of the fourth chapter in 1 Thessalonians. Learning what it is to be a Christian takes time, an ability to concentrate on reading, reciting, and living within God’s Word. This isn’t as easy to do as some might think it could be. In fact, with all the worldly influences found around every corner, even the simplest things can be affected by the sins of excess and the seven troubles that get in the way so much. This is why the Apostle Paul shares these words with the church at Thessalonica.
1 Thessalonians 4:1 KJV –Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.
NIV –As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.
It is important to “practice” Christianity. Much like the practice of your career aspirations, it takes time, concentrated effort, and an ability to pace yourself, so you don’t miss something on the path to God’s eternal and unconditional love through the walk we take with Jesus. It’s a job, all by itself, but it should be one we enjoy far more than our daily grind, whatever that might be. Paul points this out in his references to other letters written to the churches at Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, and Philippi.
2 Corinthians 5:9 KJV –Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
NIV –So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.
2 Corinthians 13:11 KJV –Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
NIV –Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.
Galatians 6:1 KJV – Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
NIV – Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.
Ephesians 4:1 KJV – I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
NIV – As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
Philippians 1:9 KJV – And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
NIV – And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,
Paul also points out the single commandment that Jesus gave, which contains all ten of the original Ten Commandments given by God to Moses on the stone tablets so long ago.
1 Thessalonians 4:2 KJV –For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.
NIV –For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
Added to that reference is one written in the words God spoke with Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 3:17 KJV – Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
NIV – “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.
To this thought we need to add what Jesus insisted the Apostles and Disciples do. In Christian circles, this is known as the Great Commission. It is a mission to bring everyone to salvation. This is one thing all of the Apostles worked to the ends of their lives to manage while they lived here on this earth. It is up to us all, as truly faithful Christians, to keep it going until the moment of the Second Coming.
Matthew 28:20 KJV – Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
NIV – and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Paul also reflects on his first letter to the citizens of Corinth as well.
1 Corinthians 9:21 KJV –To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.
NIV –To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.
Paul is sharing how important it is to teach, to witness with each other, to learn first how to pray effectively, and then teach others the comfort and strength those prayers would be. Paul points out one of many reasons he worked so hard, even from behind prison bars, to transform the lives of men, women, and children by bringing them the ultimate gift of unconditional love through the salvation that Jesus afforded all of us. He warned, as all the Apostles and disciples did, that sinfulness, wickedness, and the committing of sins, must end in order for us to realize the gifts of God’s unconditional love.
1 Thessalonians 4:3 KJV –For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
NIV –It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;
Again Paul is referencing a conversation, a lesson, as taught to him by our Savior Jesus Christ.
Matthew 5:32 KJV – But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
NIV – But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
It is a very difficult thing to preach, abstinence, keeping your thoughts to one spouse, one man for one woman, in a world that flaunts everything wicked about sex and sexuality, affairs, molestation, all of that, which is directly against God’s law. In this world today, those lines are blurred so much you couldn’t actually find the actual lines as they were originally drawn. Paul knew this even in his day, and points it out here again in his letter to the churches at Corinth and Ephesus.
1 Corinthians 6:18 KJV –Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
NIV –Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.
Ephesians 5:17 KJV – Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
NIV – Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
Sanctification and honor, that’s what Paul put in his letter to the church at Thessalonica. So, what are they? Sanctification is the act or condition of sanctity, or being consecrated and sacred. Sanctification also relates to being cleansed of sin and to be spiritually blessed. Honoring our Christian faith is simply staying within that, no matter what happens to the world around us. This is what Paul is sharing in the letter to the citizens of the church at Thessalonica.
1 Thessalonians 4:4 KJV –That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
NIV –that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable,
In a world filled with war, pestilence, poverty, depravity, and so much more, there sure don’t seem to be many bright moments to be found. Yet, even in our worst moments, we have God willing to listen to us. We have the power of prayer, and that is a powerful tool for all Christians to have. Yet, we don’t always use that powerful tool in the right way. We see some of that manifest in the words of Samuel reflecting on a conversation between King David and a priest.
1 Samuel 21:5 KJV –And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel.
NIV –David replied, “Indeed women have been kept from us, as usual whenever I set out. The men’s bodies are holy even on missions that are not holy. How much more so today!”
Paul points out that it is very easy to fall away from the path of righteousness and faith. He shares that with the letter to the church at Rome as well as in Corinth.
Romans 1:24 KJV – Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
NIV – Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.
Romans 6:19 KJV – I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
NIV – I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness.
1 Corinthians 7:2-9 KJV –Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment. For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.
NIV –But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. I say this as a concession, not as a command. I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
We see still more of that in the words written in the first epistle of Peter as well.
1 Peter 3:7 KJV –Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
NIV –Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.
There are godly ways to love, and ungodly. Paul is warning the church at Thessalonica to be aware of the difference. We see that here in this next line of his letter to the citizens that filled the church at Thessalonica.
1 Thessalonians 4:5 KJV –Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:
NIV –not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God;
Paul again references King David’s own words in relation to sin and wickedness.
Psalm 79:6 KJV – Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name.
NIV – Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the kingdoms that do not call on your name;
Paul adds to that with these words from the prophet Jeremiah and adds to them with a reference to his letter to the church at Colossae.
Jeremiah 10:25 KJV – Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate.
NIV – Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the peoples who do not call on your name. For they have devoured Jacob; they have devoured him completely and destroyed his homeland.
Colossians 3:5 KJV – Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
NIV – Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
Earthly natures are found in everything we see, hear, and experience in this world today. We see it in all things. Being pure and faithful is made more and more difficult with every moment that passes. God knows we are influenced by everything everywhere. That’s why Jesus gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the ability to effectively pray for forgiveness. Yet, we still need those warnings, as the letter to the church at Thessalonica proves with this next verse.
1 Thessalonians 4:6 KJV –That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.
NIV –and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before.
Paul brings two references to the Old Testament with pointing out punishment for sin, and forgiveness as well. This is a reminder that you can't have everything your way, nor can you force that idea upon others.
Leviticus 25:17 KJV – Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God: for I am the LORD your God.
NIV – Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God. I am the LORD your God.
Proverbs 22:22 KJV – Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate:
NIV – Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court,
Romans 12:19 KJV – Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
NIV – Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
There is one sentence that floats around in some people’s thoughts that is accurate for Christians to reflect and remind themselves of. That one sentence is “vengeance is mine”. It is found in the scroll of Deuteronomy in a conversation held between God and Moses. It is a reminder that this is what God wants us to be, sanctified, clean, holy, faithful to His Word and the gift that Jesus Christ bought for us with His very blood. Paul points this out to the church at Thessalonica here.
1 Thessalonians 4:7 KJV –For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
NIV –For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.
He references, again, the Old Testament scroll of Leviticus, and Peter’s first letter.
Leviticus 19:2 KJV – Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.
NIV – “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.
1 Peter 1:15 KJV –But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
NIV –But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;
What does it mean to despise something, anything? It means to regard anything with contempt, disgust, disdain, or scorn or loathe. Too often, in this world, we see far too much of all these conditions. Paul warns us that this is the opposite of the consideration to “love one another as He has loved us”.
1 Thessalonians 4:8 KJV –He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.
NIV –Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.
Again, Paul references conversations held between Jesus and the Twelve Apostles as shared here in this passage from the Gospel of Luke.
Luke 10:16 KJV – He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.
NIV – “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
One of the greatest gifts of love is the element of hope. This is something all twelve Apostles and Jesus taught. Hope is something that exists even when everyone thinks there’s nothing left, no opportunities to stop something, or change something. This isn’t true. The one element of unconditional love that keeps us in that embrace is hope. It might appear to be the last resort, but it is the strongest form of unconditional love that exists in this world today. We see that thought woven through all the letters Paul wrote, and also in the words of John the Beloved.
Romans 5:5 KJV – And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
NIV – And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
1 John 3:24 KJV –And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
NIV –The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
At the halfway point in this letter to the church at Thessalonica, Paul presents the gift of brotherly love, which is always a welcome gift. Everyone should hold out the hope of brotherly and sisterly love toward each other as a gift that gives to both the ones sharing and the ones receiving. Love is, after all, the gift that keeps on giving eternally.
1 Thessalonians 4:9 KJV –But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
NIV –Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.
In our last corresponding verses we find just how important the three words “love one another” should be in our vocabularies as we speak, listen, hear, and respond. We see them in this passage from the prophet Jeremiah, and also in the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Jeremiah 31:33-34 KJV – But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
NIV – “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
John 6:45 KJV – It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
NIV – It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me.
John 13:34-35 KJV – A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
NIV – “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Every person on this earth deserves to be loved, as a brother, sister, son, daughter, parent, grandparent, any other family members, and all should be friends. It’s an important element of faith and love that often gets overlooked. 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: Josh Groban ~ (Don’t Give Up) You Are Loved https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGLSk3AVcUU
~ Shalom ~
Rev. Laura A. Neff
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Evangelist 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.
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