https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZz12iIC8jY
Welcome to Covenant of Hope Ministries and our combined written and live 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.
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.
- Pray for Evangelist Cal Jennings and his dog Scrappy who both have been sick this week.
- Pray for my friend Mary and her family. They lost a very good friend on Friday and also one of their two remaining dogs.
- Pray for two of my nephews who have been sick this week.
- Pray for my friend JB who has had a bad cold all week this week as well.
- Pray for a friend who has had a lot of issues to deal with in their life and is working hard to straighten them out. A lot of questions in regard to their health and more have plagued this person for quite a while. They have said they appreciate our prayers.
- Pray for those who were killed in accidents and violent criminal actions this past week, and for the families who hare saying good-bye.
- Be thankful for each day as we do not know what tomorrow brings.
- Pray for our nations that the voice of God be heard through the Holy Spirit.
- Pray for our friends and families that their tomorrows bring blessings and pray our own be the same.
- Pray for those who have lost their lives in the pursuit of faith and hope.
- Pray for our sick and wounded that they may heal.
- Pray for those who are serving our countries around this world.
- Pray for peace on earth and good will to men as Scripture shares as Christians everywhere are celebrating the season of Lent.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we ask that you watch over those who have lost loved ones this week as a result of violence, accidents, illness, disease, or anything else. We bring our families who have been through far too much chaos, that they find calm and peace within Your embrace. We pray for the travelers in this season of Lent. We pray for our church membership, that it continues to grow, and our voices get heard far and wide as we praise You and our Savior Jesus Christ, Your awesome and only begotten Son. We pray for all of this 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=mD-zEfPSYic
Sermon: Today we are completing the eleventh chapter of Romans. There is a whole lot to go through in his closing of this chapter in this letter written for the church at Rome. You can hear Paul’s faith and his wish for the church to grow and become closer and closer to what Jesus started while He lived on this earth. With that, let’s begin where we stopped last week.
Romans 11:27 KJV – For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
NIV – And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”
Remember when God promised that there would be a Savior who would literally take all the sin away from every person who had ever existed? It’s quite easy to find this promise because it is literally in every word of Scripture. The concept of salvation began in the Garden of Eden, and continues to this very moment in time. There would be no hope, no reason to keep trying to improve ourselves in our faith, our love, life itself, in this world. Through Him we are as clean, as unblemished, as our Savior was on the day He died on the cross. Paul is pointing this out to the church at Rome. He draws strength in this ideal from Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the writings of the Hebrew prophets.
Isaiah 27:9 KJV – By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit to take away his sin; when he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in sunder, the groves and images shall not stand up.
NIV – By this, then, will Jacob’s guilt be atoned for, and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin: When he makes all the altar stones to be like limestone crushed to pieces, no Asherah poles or incense altars will be left standing.
Isaiah 59:21 KJV – As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.
NIV – “As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.
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.”
Hebrews 8:10-12 KJV – For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
NIV – This is the covenant I will establish
with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds and write them 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. For I will forgive their
wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
Why did it take so long? This is something I was asked a good while ago. Why on earth did it take so long for everything to come to pass? It was hundreds of years from Adam and Eve to the birth of our Savior, His entire life of thirty-three years, and then His death, resurrection, and our salvation. It has been nearly two millennia since the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior. Everything in Scripture is leading us toward that moment where the gates of heaven will open for us. This is what Paul is sharing next.
Romans 11:28 KJV – As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father's sakes.
NIV – As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs,
This entire world has a promise fulfilled right in front of our eyes. God promised Abraham many, many years ago, that there would come a day when his children, grandchildren, and so forth, would one day fill the earth. Look at this world now! The current population of this planet created by God in six days would be 8,091,876,189 as of this date, February 18, 2024. Here is how it all began.
Genesis 26:4 KJV – And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
NIV – I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed,
Genesis 28:14 KJV – And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
NIV – Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.
Regardless of the great flood that destroyed the earth in the days of Noah, humanity had a serious issue with, well, being human, and allowing the troubles of vanity, envy, lust, enmity, wrath, shame, and doubt, overwhelm them. This still happens today. Here is what Moses wrote in this regard.
Leviticus 26:40-42 KJV – If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity: Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.
NIV – “‘But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors—their unfaithfulness and their hostility toward me, which made me hostile toward them so that I sent them into the land of their enemies—then when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they pay for their sin, I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.
Deuteronomy 7:8 KJV – But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
NIV – But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
The troubles continue to be the bane of existence. Here we see them in the days when Jesus walked the earth and after His resurrection.
Matthew 21:45 KJV – And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.
NIV – When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them.
Acts 13:45-46 KJV – But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
NIV – When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him. Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.
Now, Paul points out that there is something a great many Christians will misinterpret. What is it that Jesus taught His followers from the moment He started His ministry? He taught that there is something only He was capable of giving. That is “grace”. The gift of grace, once given, can’t be taken away. That is a “HUGE” gift. How did we receive it? Jesus Christ gave it to every person who has ever lived on the day He hung on the cross until the moment He said the words, “It is finished.” This is the moment that Paul speaks of here.
Romans 11:29 KJV – For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
NIV – for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.
Many, many times people want to question the divine nature of God. People are and were reminded of this from early in Scripture in the Torah, the teaching scrolls, and more.
Numbers 23:19 KJV – God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
NIV – God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
Hosea 13:14 KJV – I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.
NIV – “I will deliver this people from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction? “I will have no compassion,
Malachi 3:6 KJV – For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
NIV – “I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.
Paul adds some insight from his first letter to the church of Corinth and also of Ephesus.
1 Corinthians 1:26 KJV –For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
NIV –Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.
Ephesians 1:18 KJV – The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
NIV – I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,
Ephesians 4:1-4 KJV – I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
NIV – As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;
Faith and belief go hand in hand for Christianity to first make sense, and then to be easily shared with those who are just being brought into their faith and belief. Every person pursues these differently, whether it’s emotional, mental, spiritual, or all of them in one combination or another. Going through periods of disbelief and unbelief happens more often than anyone would realize. This is what Paul addresses next.
Romans 11:30-32 KJV – For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
NIV – Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.
Notice, Paul adds a new facet to the combination of belief and faith. He adds mercy. This is something Jesus assisted in delivering to each and every person. Faith, Grace, Mercy, Peace, and do you know whose children these would be? These are the children of Unconditional Love. Who brought us Unconditional Love? Jesus did just that. Paul puts more into this with these references from his letters to Galatians and Titus as well as a reference from the Hebrew prophets.
Galatians 3:22-23 KJV – But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
NIV – But Scripture has locked up everything
under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith
in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. Children of God
Children of God
Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked
up until the faith that was to come would be revealed.
Titus 3:3 KJV – For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
NIV – At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.
Hebrews 3:18 KJV – And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?
NIV – And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed?
What is worth more than any form of money to God? Knowledge, understanding, wisdom, within the Word is worth more than anything we might believe holds value. These three are all facets of Unconditional Love, because you will find them within the thoughts of Mercy, Faith, Grace, and Peace. This is what Paul is pointing out next.
Romans 11:33 KJV – O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
NIV – Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
Paul, this time, references one of the most difficult Scrolls in Scripture. That is the scroll of Job. Here are four that Paul points toward with the words he shared in this letter to Rome.
Job 5:9 KJV – Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number:
NIV – He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.
Job 11:7 KJV – Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?
NIV – “Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
Job 15:8 KJV – Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?
NIV – Do you listen in on God’s council? Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?
Job 37:23 KJV – Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: he will not afflict.
NIV – The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.
Paul adds to this with the words from David, first king of the Jews.
Psalm 36:6 KJV – Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O Lord, thou preservest man and beast.
NIV – Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.
Psalm 92:5 KJV – O Lord, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.
NIV – How great are your works, Lord, how profound your thoughts!
Psalm 139:6 KJV – Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
NIV – Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
It is not easy to show that God cares so much with the words in our thoughts and minds. It is not something to take lightly either. This is what Paul adds as to the consideration of taking things for granted. We can’t do this, because it causes us to fall into the trap created by the seven troubles of vanity, envy, lust, enmity, wrath, shame, or doubt.
Romans 11:34-35 KJV – For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
NIV – “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?”
God’s methods and those reflected through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, are guidelines for us. These guidelines remove the seven troubles, if you allow for that. Sure, we’re not perfect on our own. But, with God and Jesus, those imperfections are wiped away. There are several people within Scripture that portray these issues, and again Paul focuses on the life and times of Job.
Job 21:22 KJV – Shall he teach God knowledge, seeing he judges those that are high?
NIV – “Can anyone teach knowledge to God, since he judges even the highest?
Job 35:7 KJV – If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thine hand?
NIV – If you are righteous, what do you give to him, or what does he receive from your hand?
Job 41:11 KJV – Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.
NIV – Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me.
Paul adds to this with the prophet Isaiah and yet again he points toward Jesus Christ and the parable of the workers in the vineyard.
Isaiah 40:13 KJV – Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him?
NIV – Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord, or instruct the Lord as his counselor?
Matthew 20:15 KJV – Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?
NIV – Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
Note how in the words Jesus spoke about the owner of the vineyard He portrays several of the seven troubles in a pair of questions? He portrays envy, lust, enmity, vanity, all four, in two questions posed to those He was speaking to. If you read the rest of that parable you will find the remaining three of wrath, shame, and doubt included. Regardless of which author we speak of in the New Testament Scriptures, those seven will be found in many, many forms. To complete this Paul shares just how integral Jesus is toward building our faith and belief from small as that mustard seed to as limitless as the heavens filled with stars on a crystal clear night.
Romans 11:36 KJV – For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
NIV – For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Paul references several with this, including the historical and poetic scrolls, along with his first letter to Corinth.
1 Chronicles 29:11-12 KJV –Thine, O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.
NIV –Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.
Psalm 33:6 KJV – By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
NIV – By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
Psalm 96:7-8 KJV – Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts.
NIV – Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts.
Proverbs 16:4 KJV – The Lord hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.
NIV – The Lord works out everything to its proper end— even the wicked for a day of disaster.
1 Corinthians 8:6 KJV –But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
NIV –yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
1 Corinthians 11:12 KJV –For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.
NIV –For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.
Paul shares quite a lot of information in just a few lines in this portion of his letter to the church at Rome. Due to the fact that he could not be there in person, Paul wanted to give the members of this fledgling church a foundation as strong as possible. This is something that still needs to happen in this world to this very moment in time. Each of us has a mission to learn more and more within Scripture. You will learn more and more as you read and study God’s Word. If you want to learn how to put the Word into your life on a daily basis, that requires faith and belief to be central in your actions and reactions, study well and learn as Jesus wants you to do so. 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 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: Michael W. Smith ~ Great Is the Lord https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocmCTU_rEeI
~ 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 © 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.
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