Welcome to Covenant of Hope Ministries and our Sunday sermon. You will normally see us posted in written and live form on Sunday. Due to the fact that I am out of town this week, the sermon is not going to be live or recorded. 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 my family as we prepare to say a final earthly farewell to my father-in-law Raymond C. Neff, who passed away early in the morning yesterday.
- Please pray for my friend JB’s aunt, Sharon Knipp, who has been in the hospital and also pray for the family since her uncle, John Knipp, passed away this past Thursday.
- Please pray for Evangelist Cal Jennings who has been in his own apartment for a couple months now and enjoying it immensely. Let’s pray that his health keeps continuing in a good lane as it has been of late.
- Please continue praying for Evangelist Cal Jennings’ sister who has been in rehabilitation after having her benign brain tumor removed.
- 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.
Several who are having money issues.
One who is continually suffering from loneliness that keeps them from peace and patience.
One cousin who is having a great many issues in their family, including two suffering cancer, other family issues especially difficult include several diagnoses that are a lot to process for them.
- 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.
- Pray for comfort and solace to be shared with those who have said farewell to a loved one this week, known or unknown.
- 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.
Prayer: Father in heaven, our prayer today on this beautiful and blessed Sunday is to have the Holy Spirit bring each of us the gifts of spiritual strength, joy and peace to our hearts, faith to our minds, and healing to our bodies, and souls this week and always. We pray for those who we have lost this week and those who mourn them. We pray for family and friends who have health and other issues that are causing upheaval, sorrow, fear, and more around this world. We pray for those around this world who have had serious medical issues and include our families, colleagues, and friends. We pray for the many people who have suffered unjustly for things they could not control. We pray for those who have lost faith and live in agonizing fear and sorrow. We pray for the homeless and the jobless in this world. We pray for the hungry and the malnourished. We pray for the poor, weak, and sorrowful people in this world. We pray in thanksgiving for all the great gifts that You have given us, even if we don’t always realize they are there. We pray in hope and patience for those things that are worrying us in our hearts and minds. 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: The Old Rugged Cross https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aKbGzQzp30
Sermon: Today we are continuing the eighth chapter in the scroll of Romans. Righteousness is a very tough subject for some people to get a true grasp of. This is why Paul repeats himself so much. For that matter, this is why the entire Bible repeats righteousness and how to be righteous time and time again for each generation. There is a reason we all need refresher courses in the understanding of righteousness. Sometimes we plain forget what it means to be righteous Brothers and Sisters in and through Christ. Let’s see how Paul starts us off today.
Romans 8:7 KJV –Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
NIV –The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.
Paul has several points of reference in the carnal mind and fourth of seven troubles, enmity. He goes all the way back to the second scroll in the Torah as a starting point and goes through the prophet Jeremiah, the gospel of Matthew and the words of our Savior Jesus Christ, Paul’s letter to Colossae, and the letter from James, younger half-brother of Jesus.
Exodus 20:5 KJV – Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
NIV – You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
Jeremiah 13:23 KJV – Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.
NIV – Can an Ethiopian change his skin or a leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil.
Matthew 12:34 KJV – O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
NIV – You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
Colossians 2:18 KJV – Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
NIV – Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind.
James 4:4 KJV – Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
NIV – You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
I have had people ask me, quite recently, what it means to be “in the flesh” and “in the spirit” and why they are so different. The flesh is subject to sin, iniquity, and all of the seven troubles. Those are the reasons Paul differentiates between being “in the flesh” and “in the Spirit”. He states it this way.
Romans 8:8 KJV –So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
NIV –Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
God created us to be spiritual beings, but original sin and the seven troubles that spawned from it have been taking that ability away from us for millennia. Jesus made a living sacrifice that brings that ability back to us, but we have to remember that it takes work to bring faithful spirituality into focus and leave that earthly sinfulness behind. This is work we need to do every single day. That’s why there is so much repetition between the gospel writers and the Apostles and prophets of the New Testament. We start with this reminder from God Himself in the gospel of Matthew.
Matthew 3:17 KJV – And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
NIV – And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
We will add to this with the Word as spoken by Jesus Christ in the gospel of John the Beloved. In these two excerpts Jesus is speaking with Nicodemus and also with the Pharisees in the temple.
John 3:3 KJV – Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
NIV – Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
John 3:5-6 KJV – Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
NIV – Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
John 8:29 KJV – And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.
NIV – The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.”
Notice what Jesus says there? He who sent Me is WITH ME. God is with all of us because the Lord Jesus Christ ensured that definite condition. We are never alone so long as we remember Him. This is what Paul is teaching the citizens of the church at Rome.
Romans 8:9 KJV –But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
NIV –You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
Paul draws reference from the prophet Ezekiel in regard to renewing and refreshing our heart toward godliness. This is foretelling the moment where accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior holds the greatest impact. There’s a reason it does so. In accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior we have the ability to ask for and receive forgiveness, no matter what happens. The premise is that we must remember our connection with Jesus in order to keep His grace alive and active in our lives.
Ezekiel 11:19 KJV – And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:
NIV – I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.
Ezekiel 36:26-27 KJV – A new heart also will
I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the
stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And
I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye
shall keep my judgments, and do them.
NIV – I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
Paul adds more references from the Gospel of John the Beloved as Jesus speaks to the Apostles regarding the Holy Spirit. He adds when Jesus directly speaks to Judas as well. In the last one Jesus is in deep prayer with the Heavenly Father regarding what would soon be the crucifixion of Jesus Christ our Savior.
John 14:17 KJV – Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
NIV – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
John 14:23 KJV – Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
NIV – Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.
John 17:9-10 KJV – I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
NIV – I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them.
Paul adds references to the writing of Luke in the Acts of the Apostles and his first letter to Corinth.
Acts 16:7 KJV – After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.
NIV – When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.
(pronounced Mish e ya and Bi thee nya)
1 Corinthians 3:16 KJV –Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
NIV –Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?
There is so much that Paul teaches us in his words and this next verse is no different. He points out that upon accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior His Spirit joins with Our Spirit to keep us away from the sins of the body, the part of humankind that leads to permanent death and destruction. It is one thing that should make every person on this earth breathe a sigh of relief for. The blessed assurance that Jesus Christ is there for us and assisting in making us the truest, purest children of God that we humans can be.
Romans 8:10 KJV – And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
NIV – But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.
One of the man places Paul takes us is this one where Jesus is speaking with the woman at the well. What Jesus shares here with her has a huge amount of significance in life as we know it even here and now. With things that are happening around this world today, this should shout over all the chaos we’ve seen, heard, and become involved in. This is something we need to understand, and that’s why Paul brings it up with the help of John the Beloved’s gospel.
John 4:14 KJV – But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
NIV – but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Paul adds to this with a reference to Jesus at the synagogue in Capernaum regarding the Last Supper that would be His final earthly farewell to all who loved Him as He walked upon this earth. Added to this Paul connects another significant moment in the life of our Savior Jesus Christ as He spoke with Martha prior to resurrecting Lazarus.
John 6:54-56 KJV – Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
NIV – Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.
John 11:25-26 KJV – Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
NIV – Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Adding to this, Paul references Jesus wanting to let the Apostles and disciples know that His death would not be the end as humanity understands death. In this conversation, Jesus is giving them hope, even when they do not realize just what it means.
John 14:20 KJV – At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
NIV – On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
John 15:5 KJV – I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
NIV – “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
As most of my ministry members know, the parable of the Vine and Branches is one of my favorite sections of Scripture. This demonstrates how those who believe and have faith in the Savior and His glorious Salvation of all who believe and how we connect to Him as well as to our Heavenly Father. This, in fact, connects quite well with Paul’s next words to the members and leaders of the church at Rome.
Romans 8:11 KJV –But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
NIV –And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
It feels good to have the blessed assurance that we are the children of God once we pursue faith in as many ways as possible. Imagine what it would be like if there were no form of hope in this world. It wouldn’t be a world we’d want to live in. Would it? This thought was brought through the Scriptures in the words of Isaiah and also in the words of our Savior Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 26:19 KJV – But your dead will live, Lord; their bodies will rise— let those who dwell in the dust wake up and shout for joy— your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.
NIV – Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
Here Jesus speaks to the Jews after healing the paralyzed man to where he lifted up his mat and walked away once more. In another view from the gospel of John the Beloved, Jesus speaks to the Apostles as well.
John 5:21 KJV – For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.
NIV – For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.
John 7:38-39 KJV – He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
NIV – Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
Again, Paul references the gospel writer Luke as he writes in the Acts of the Apostles.
Acts 2:24 KJV – Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
NIV – But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
Acts 2:32-33 KJV – This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 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.
NIV – God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
Paul wants us to remember that we owe it to God and Jesus to help our faith grow and share it with others. How do we do this? We study the Word, and we share what it means to each of us individually and collectively. If we don’t share the impact Jesus Christ has on our lives, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit as well, how are others to understand us fully? This is why Paul shares this here.
Romans 8:12 KJV –Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
NIV –Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.
Paul gathers inspiration from the writings of King David, and the prayer that Jesus gave us.
Psalm 116:16 KJV – O Lord, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.
NIV – Truly I am your servant, Lord; I serve you just as my mother did; you have freed me from my chains.
Matthew 6:12 KJV – And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
NIV – And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Paul adds to this with insight from his first letter to the church at Corinth.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 KJV –What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
NIV –Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
Paul repeats some conditions for humanity, specifically the difference between living in the flesh and living in the Spirit here in his letter to Rome.
Romans 8:13 KJV –For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
NIV –For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
Paul again draws influence from his first letter to Corinth, and the letters for Colossae, Galatia, and Ephesus as well.
1 Corinthians 9:27 KJV –But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
NIV –No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
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.
Galatians 5:24 KJV – And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
NIV – Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Ephesians 4:30 KJV – And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
NIV – And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Ephesians 5:18 KJV – And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
NIV – Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,
Paul gives us incentives to realize just how important faith in God through the Holy Spirit as a gift from Jesus Christ our Savior and exactly what it means for each of us to do so.
Romans 8:14 KJV – For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
NIV – For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.
There are a great many references that Paul could have chosen to touch upon with this, but again he goes to the words of the first king of the Jews, David, to give us more to work toward. Added to this is the writing from the second king of the Jews, Solomon and the prophet Hosea.
Psalm 143:10 KJV – Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
NIV – Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
Proverbs 8:20 KJV – I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:
NIV – I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice,
Hosea 1:10 KJV – Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.
NIV – “Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘children of the living God.’
Paul’s last two references for this week are from the gospels of Matthew and John the Beloved. In the case of Matthew’s gospel we see Jesus sharing what it means for us to be peacemakers, as the children of God. John just cements this factor with the words he shares.
Matthew 5:9 KJV – Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
NIV – Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
John 1:12 KJV – But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
NIV – Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
In this work that we ministers, evangelists, elders and more have set before us, it is to bring the many toward Jesus and accepting Him as our Lord and Savior. If you feel the desire to accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, please leave a comment below. 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: Amazing Grace in Cherokee https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvYIjFtPQEk
~ Shalom ~
Rev. Laura A. Neff
Facebook & Blogspot & Twitter & Linkedin
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 © 2023 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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