https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82IbuDSGeX4
NOTE: Evangelist Cal Jennings songs did not get heard during the sermon, unfortunately. I have a new laptop and it's arguing with audio playing while I'm recording. I'll figure out how to fix that by next Sunday, I hope.
Welcome to Covenant of Hope Ministries and our combined written and live Sunday sermon, which is normally broadcast every Sunday. I am Rev. Laura A. Neff. Our ministry was built on the truth of God’s love, sharing the Word of God, the Spirit of Jesus Christ 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.
You will find us in the following location: http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com
Rev. Laura’s other sites: Facebook & Blogspot & Twitter & Linkedin & USAlife & YouTube
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.
- I learned last Sunday that Evangelist Cal Jennings son is in the hospital due to internal bleeding in his stomach. The news is not good at present. He was barely responsive Thursday per reports. He was unresponsive on Friday due to doctors putting him back into the induced coma.
- We learned on the day of Thanksgiving that our Aunt Renee was doing well after undergoing a procedure due to a blocked vein in her heart. The surgery was managed almost two weeks ago, Aunt Renee is doing well, responding to treatment. They are getting the excess fluid off her heart and the rest. Hallelujah!
- We continue our prayers for Evangelist Cal Jennings, that his health becomes steadier than it has been for far too long. We pray that his medical needs are fully met, and he has all that he requires for comfort and peace. We add prayers for his well-being and the worry for his son’s health, that God can help with his inner peace and calm during this difficult time.
- We continue our prayers for JB and EB as they navigate through the maze of medical tests and specialists to get all the answers they need in both of their health issues. They have too much red tape and confusion going on with their issues between insurance and doctor appointments. They are frustrated with the runaround they have been getting with the various referrals. JB has been very, very sick with a virus that has been making the rounds out there.
- We continue to pray for a friend of ours, Erica, who is in desperate need to improve her current situation and has set up a site for donations to help her with this. She has made some good progress, but still needs prayers and assistance if any are able. If you want more information, send me a private message and I’ll pass on the link.
- We continue to pray for my sister Emilie, who is still having family issues, job issues, and all kinds of craziness going on in her life.
- We pray for my son-in-law, Douglas, who has been suffering from unknown health issues that are still awaiting full diagnosis.
- We pray for a co-worker of my daughter Deanna, named Ms. Ramona, who is still having health issues that are not dissipating.
- We continue with our prayers for my niece Autumn, who has been suffering seizures due to a head injury from a car crash.
- We continue to pray for my Mama who has had a lot of anxiety issues lately. Her car ended up being totaled after the fender-bender. This combined with the fact she misses my father as he passed away three years ago due to COVID-19 has made it a tough year for her.
- We continue to pray for all sufferers and survivors of the various types of cancer, including my Aunt Donna and my friend Kelly.
- We pray for those who are in the path of dangerous weather around this world, as well as those who are picking up the pieces after the very dangerous winter storms in some places.
- We pray for the end of war and unnecessary violence around this world.
- We pray for the various outreach ministries we have joined with, with their leaders, Pastor Stephen Okoth, Pastor Simon Peter Javaji, Pastor Amir Aneel, Sister Santhi Swaroopa, Pastor Duke Moenga, and others in Kissee, Nairobi, and other places in Kenya, Pakistan, and India.
- We pray also for our American outreach ministries, including Rev. Lisa Tyler on the other side of Georgia from where I am and Rabbi Karen L. Hertzog with her ministry, Way Maker Messianic Jewish and Christian Center – USA as well.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we have so many reasons to be thankful for all the blessings that You bestow upon us. We praise and thank You for life and the liberty afforded within it. We thank you for the gifts of unconditional love, peace, patience, and more. We bring to you our sick, worried, and sorrowful including Cal’s son, my mother, my sister, my aunts and my uncle as well as my niece. We bring to you the many sick people we’ve been praying for, including JB and EB, Autumn, Aunt Donna, Kelly, Ms. Ramona, and so many more. We bring up those who are in need including the orphans and more that our outreach ministers keep watch over. We pray in the hope that is the celebration of Christmas and the gift of Your peace. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, through the Holy Spirit, Amen and so it shall be.
Opening Song: Silent Night(Sorry everyone! The music didn't translate to the live sermon. )
Cal Jennings Version: Silent Night
Sermon: Today we are going to continue with the second chapter of Second Timothy. Though we are not doing everything relative to this season, the reading plan I sent in last week’s comments is still available for everyone. This time I will be tagging it on the end of the sermon for easier viewing than it was in the comments last week. With that, let’s begin where we left off in the second letter that Paul wrote to Timothy.
2 Timothy 2:17 KJV –And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
NIV –Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,
Paul is providing Timotheus and the congregation there at Lystra a warning about allowing certain people and their ill-gotten ideas into the church. It is not a good idea because they pull people away from the truth, the way, and the life, which is Jesus Christ, the path toward eternal life. He does so by pulling references from these Old Testament prophets.
Jeremiah 23:16 KJV – Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord.
NIV – This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord.
Nahum 3:15 KJV – There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts.
NIV – There the fire will consume you; the sword will cut you down—they will devour you like a swarm of locusts. Multiply like grasshoppers, multiply like locusts!
Ezekiel 13:3 KJV – Thus saith the Lord God; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!
NIV – This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!
Paul then pulls more influence from the Word of Jesus Christ in the gospels of Matthew.
Matthew 7:15 KJV – Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
NIV – “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
Matthew 16:6 KJV – Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
NIV – “Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
He adds to this with Luke’s writing from the Acts of the Apostles, as well as Paul’s letter to Corinth.
Acts 20:29-30 KJV – For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
NIV –I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.
1 Corinthians 5:6 KJV –Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
NIV –Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?
1 Corinthians 15:33 KJV –Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
NIV – Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
To top it off, Paul references the younger human brothers of Jesus as well.
James 5:3 KJV – Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
NIV – Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.
Jude 1:4 KJV – For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
NIV – For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
There is one thing that has tripped more people up in their voyage toward Jesus Christ and the path to righteousness and the gates of heaven. That one thing is an actual event that has not happened yet. This event is known as the final resurrection. Remember, it was said that Jesus would judge the living and the dead in the last days. Well, if that had already happened way back in the days of Timothy, we wouldn’t be seeing what we are seeing today. This is Paul’s warning.
2 Timothy 2:18 KJV –Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
NIV – who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some.
Now, Jesus wasn’t the first to speak of resurrection. The idea of resurrection was alluded to all the way back in the books of the prophets, including Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel.
Isaiah 26:19 KJV – 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.
NIV – 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.
Ezekiel 37:1-14 KJV – The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord.
NIV
– The hand of the Lord
was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the
middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them,
and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very
dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”
Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear
the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to
these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to
life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you
and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life.
Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a
noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I
looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there
was no breath in them.
Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to
it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds
and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” So I
prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and
stood up on their feet—a vast army.
Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They
say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ Therefore
prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I
am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back
to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am
the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I
will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own
land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it,
declares the Lord.’”
Daniel 12:2 KJV – And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
NIV – Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.
Paul adds to this with reference to the Word as shared by Jesus Christ in the gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John the Beloved.
Matthew 15:13 KJV – But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
NIV – He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.
Matthew 22:29 KJV – Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
NIV – Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.
Luke 8:13 KJV – They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
NIV – Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.
John 5:28-29 KJV – Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
NIV – “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.
Paul then adds a reference to his letter to the church at Rome.
Romans 6:5 KJV – For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
NIV – For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.
Now, this next pair of sentences that Paul shares with Timotheus and his congregation are very important for every Christian in this world today, as it was for all Christians throughout history.
2 Timothy 2:19 KJV –Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
NIV –Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”
The TRUTH of God’s Eternal Unconditional Love was formed long, long, before any of us were even thought about. God knows us to the last hair on our heads. There’s a reason we have so many songs that relate Jesus as the “ROCK” that builds foundations for faith, hope, and love everlasting. There is a warning throughout. Watch yourselves, so you don’t fall away from the path to the point where you cannot find it again. It is possible and many have done just that in this world. These are the Old Testament references that Paul points toward next.
Numbers 16:5 KJV – And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the Lord will shew who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him.
NIV – Then he said to Korah and all his followers: “In the morning the Lord will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will have that person come near him. The man he chooses he will cause to come near him.
Psalm 1:6 KJV – For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
NIV – For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Psalm 4:3 KJV – But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto him.
NIV – Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him.
Isaiah 26:13 KJV – O Lord our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.
NIV – Lord our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone do we honor.
Isaiah 44:5 KJV – One shall say, I am the Lord's; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and surname himself by the name of Israel.
NIV – Some will say, ‘I belong to the Lord’; others will call themselves by the name of Jacob; still others will write on their hand, ‘The Lord’s,’ and will take the name Israel.
Nahum 1:9 KJV – What do ye imagine against the Lord? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.
NIV – Whatever they plot against the Lord he will bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time.
Paul references Jesus’s Words from two of the gospels, Matthew and John the Beloved, and also John the Beloved’s first letter.
Matthew 7:23 KJV – And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
NIV – Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
John 10:14 KJV – I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
NIV – “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—
John 10:27 KJV – My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
NIV – My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
1 John 3:9 KJV –Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
NIV –No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.
Paul adds a final reference to John the Beloved’s writing in Revelation.
Revelation 3:12 KJV – Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
NIV – The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.
It is of vital importance for Timotheus and the congregation at Lystra to know the difference between good, bad, and in between. The same can be said for useful, and not being useful. These are the comparisons Paul points toward next.
2 Timothy 2:20 KJV –But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
NIV –In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use.
When it comes to our faith and how we pursue it, Paul wants us to treat our faith and our belief as if it were solid gold and silver. The reason for that is because otherwise we will fail to see that the truth, the light, and the life are worth far more to us than anything that can be created by humanity. You can’t buy eternal life. You can’t buy salvation. Yet, you can earn them by building your faith, enhancing your belief, practicing the Word not just by repeating the Scriptures, but by living them. It’s not easy. Jesus never said it would be. These are the references Paul draws from in the Old Testament.
Proverbs 25:4 KJV – Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.
NIV – Remove the dross from the silver, and a silversmith can produce a vessel;
Isaiah 64:8 KJV – But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
NIV – Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.
Jeremiah 18:1-6 KJV – The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
NIV – This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.
Paul adds to this with the gospel of Matthew and one final reference to this from his letter to Rome.
Matthew 13:47-50 KJV – Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
NIV – “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 25:24-30 KJV – Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
NIV – “Then the man who had received
one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man,
harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered
seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here
is what belongs to you.’
“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest
where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then,
you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I
returned I would have received it back with interest.
“‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For
whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does
not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless
servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of
teeth.’
Romans 9:21 KJV – Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
NIV – Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?
Our last verse from this second letter to Timothy today points toward solutions. What kind of solutions? Well, the kind that get you to heaven. This is what Paul has to say.
2 Timothy 2:21 KJV –If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
NIV – Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.
Every person has been born to fulfill some purpose here on earth in the time that we are each given to live here. Some of us learn that purpose early. Others wait. The time for every person is as unique as they are. Only God knows the time and place where and when we will walk through life. We have the choice to follow or not. We have the choice to listen or not. We have the choice to do or not. It is important for us to understand what free will entails. Free will, as given to us in the days of creation. Free will is the power to decide what you will do in a certain situation. However, don’t forget your choices have consequences. Not only do these choices have consequences, but those consequences then influence your next series of choices. These can lead you towards Jesus and Salvation, or away from both. This is the choice we have to make on our own. That’s why we often hear ourselves asking this as shared by King David and the prophet Isaiah.
Psalm 51:10 KJV – Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
NIV – Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Isaiah 52:11 KJV – Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord.
NIV – Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the articles of the Lord’s house.
Jesus spoke of this as well in the Sermon on the Mount as shared by the gospel writer Matthew, and my favorite passage in Scripture, the parable of the vine and branches as told through the gospel of John.
Matthew 5:8 KJV – Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
NIV – Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
John 15:2-3 KJV – Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
NIV – He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
Paul’s final three references include his letter to Titus, the Hebrew prophets, and the first letter John the Beloved wrote.
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.
Hebrews 12:14 KJV – Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
NIV –Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
1 John 3:3 KJV –And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
NIV –All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
Hope is something we all wish wouldn’t be so elusive. There are many who have their hopes hanging by the barest of threads. This season can be very difficult for some people. Whether it is due to someone having passed away far too soon, or just feeling isolated and alone. These are the people who need us the most, and they also need the connection to God’s Unconditional Love. It is important to remember the reason for this season we call Advent. His name is Jesus Christ, who comes from the great Jehovah, Yahweh, God, our Heavenly Father. It is through the life, death, and eternal legacy of Jesus Christ that we are here today. Now, let’s show each other how faith and belief in God go hand in hand, and all of us have the opportunity to walk in the faithful steps of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The ability to do this requires us to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. If you are willing to do so, please leave me a note in the comments and I’ll be in touch. 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: Cal Jennings sings Let There Be Peace on Earth
Here is the reading plan for all of Advent.
~ Shalom ~
Rev. Laura A. Neff
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 © 2024 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.
