Are You Paying Attention to How You Praise God Through Jesus?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImccLpzlIOA

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: Blogspot & Twitter & Linkedin & USAlife & YouTube & Twitch & TruthSocial & Instagram & Facebook

Wedding officiant page: Wedfolio & Wedding Chicks

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.

-      Evangelist Cal Jennings is healing from his latest stint in the hospital just last week. He is home, thankfully, but keep praying for his health and healing.  

-      David Doyle, brother-in-law of Evangelist Cal Jennings, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. David is a preacher of the Word as well, and this is a new challenge for him and Cal’s sister and their family to experience this close to Christmas. Please keep all of them in prayer during this journey.

-      We keep my Uncle Bob in prayer as he heals after his lung issues late last year.

-      We continue to pray for JB & EB’s neighbor Jerry who is healing after completing his prostate cancer treatment.

-      We bring JB’s sister Debbie back into prayer as she has now been diagnosed with Lymphoma after conquering two rounds of breast cancer.

-      We continue to pray for my sister-in-law Fran who is fighting cancer and undergoing treatment.

-      We continue our prayers for JB and EB as they navigate through the maze of medical tests and specialists to get all the answers that they need in both of their health issues. They are continually frustrated with the runaround they have been getting with the various referrals. JB has been especially sick, losing weight way too fast and no complete solution in sight at the moment. She has pneumonia and a lot of tooth pain going on after having a tooth pulled about two weeks ago. Pray she recovers well while she spends the next week resting.

-      We continue to pray for a friend of ours, Alexis, who is in desperate need to improve her current situation and is seeking to sell things she owns to help her with this. If you want more information, send me a private message and I’ll pass on the information. 

-      We continue with our prayers for my niece Autumn, who has been suffering seizures due to a head injury from a car crash, though, according to her mother she is doing better these days.

-      We continue to pray for my Mama who has had a lot of anxiety issues lately after the loss of my sister four months ago. These anxiety issues are really devastating for her and for the family, so please keep all of them in prayer.  

-      We continue to pray for all sufferers and survivors of the various types of cancer, including several survivors of the disease, JB’s sister Debbie, our friend Alexis, my Aunt Donna, and my friend Kelly.

-      We pray for those who are in the path of dangerous weather, and other dangerous conditions, including wildfires, storms, flooding, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, worldwide.

-      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.

* Thank you all for your prayers and good thoughts while I was sick last week. I am much better now and had a relatively good report from my doctor on Friday, so thankful for answered prayers.

 

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we have so much and so many to pray for. We pray for Evangelist Cal Jennings, and his health as he has been quite ill. We pray for JB who has also been quite ill for the past week. We pray for David and all the others suffering or having suffered from cancer. We pray for those who have survived cancer. We pray for all those who have lost loved ones in the past week. We pray for all of our outreach ministries and their memberships. We pray for the orphans and the hungry. We pray for all the world that peace shall one day reign in full thanks to the glory of God through our Savior Jesus Christ in the gift of the Holy Spirit, Amen and so it shall be.

Opening Song: Doxology

Sermon: Today we continue with our study of 1 Corinthians. We are completing our voyage through Chapter 8. There’s a lot to get into, but I’m going to read the first of these verses and then I will get into detail with each of these verses. I’m doing this for a reason and you’ll understand soon enough. 

 

1 Corinthians 8:8 KJV – But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse.

NIV –But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

 

Food is not nearly as important in life as our relationship with YHWH (Yahweh) would be. This is what Paul is telling the church there at Corinth. Now, no mistake, food is important in physical nourishment, which is vital for life, but spiritual nourishment is equally important in life. Sacrificial creatures are no longer considered Biblically required after the resurrection of Yeshua Jesus Christ. Paul has several references from both Old and New Testaments.

 

Isaiah 58:3-7 KJV – Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.
⁴ Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.
⁵ Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord?
⁶ Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
⁷ Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

NIV – ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’
“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers.
⁴ Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.
⁵ Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?
⁶ “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
⁷ Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

 

Hosea 6:6 KJV – For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

NIV – For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.

 

Micah 6:6-8 KJV – Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?
⁷ Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
⁸ He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

NIV – With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?
⁷ Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
⁸ He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

 

Mark 7:18-19 KJV – And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;
¹⁹ Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?

NIV – “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? ¹⁹ For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)

 

Acts 10:14-15 KJV – But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.
¹⁵ And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.

NIV – “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
¹⁵ The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

 

Hebrews 13:9 KJV – Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.

NIV – Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods, which is of no benefit to those who do so.

 

One thing that Yeshua Jesus Christ warned about was obedience to our faith. It’s not easy to be obedient to our faith. This is something Paul points out to the congregation at Corinth. You see, freedom can be as much a stumbling block as it can be the opposite, because we take advantage of that same liberty in ways that destroy its very essence. This is how Paul points this out for the church at Corinth.

 

1 Corinthians 8:9 KJV –But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.

NIV – Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.

 

Stumbling blocks are spoken about quite rarely in Scripture. In fact, the word “stumbling” only appears sixteen times in all of Scripture. Over the nearly three decades I’ve been working with Scripture, the fact that there are fewer than twenty mentions of anything is significant. Stumbling block appears only eleven times. However, the phrase stumbling stone only appears once. Now, although these phrases and words only appear sparingly, the word stumbling alone appears more than seventy times, fourteen of them in the gospels. We all stumble, and God understands this. That’s why Jesus taught so much regarding how to handle our stumbles and the stumbling blocks that occur in life. This is also why the Apostles all taught about methods toward avoiding stumbling blocks as well. Here are some examples Paul points towards in the Old and New Testaments, including one that Jesus shared and repeated in three of four gospels. Yes, it is important to hear how each of the gospel writers treated this very same moment.

 

Leviticus 19:14 KJV – Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the Lord.

NIV – “‘Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the Lord.

 

Matthew 18:6 KJV – But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

NIV – “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

 

Mark 9:42 KJV – And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.

NIV – “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.

 

Luke 17:1-2 KJV – Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! ² It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

NIV – Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. ² It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.

 

Something interesting in this world is imitation. We imitate our elders when we learn to eat on our own. We imitate our elders when we learn to dress ourselves, tie our shoes, buckle our sandals, or belts, and so forth. The thought that people would imitate each other is not unusual. That’s why Paul says we don’t need to worry about “forbidden” sacrifices and how we treat them, because they are not relative to Yahweh and Yeshua by any stretch of our imagination.

 

1 Corinthians 8:10 KJV – For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols;

NIV –For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols?

 

A weak spirit, a weak conscience is not something that can be instantly transformed. It takes work, and someone willing to do that work. This is what Paul is trying to teach the congregation at Corinth. Paul brings up references from the Torah and from the gospel of Matthew, and the Acts of the Apostles as well.

 

Deuteronomy 32:21 KJV – They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.

NIV –They made me jealous by what is no god and angered me with their worthless idols. I will make them envious by those who are not a people; I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding.

 

Matthew 18:7-9 KJV – Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!
⁸ Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
⁹ And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

NIV – Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! ⁸ If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. ⁹ And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

 

Acts 15:19-21 KJV – Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:
²⁰ But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
²¹ For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.

NIV – “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. ²⁰ Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. ²¹ For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”

 

1 Peter 2:16 KJV –As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.

NIV – Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.

 

Weakness is something that Satan loves to exploit. It is this weakness that we need to fight against. Paul insists that we need to work hard on our spiritual and moral selves to ensure that our faith will grow the way it needs to so that our final destination is heaven where we should be with Yeshua Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. Jesus Christ died for us, all of us, the weak, woeful, and worse are included in that final sum. This is what Paul writes.

 

1 Corinthians 8:11 KJV –And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?

NIV –So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge.

 

Paul points toward the prophets Ezekiel and Isaiah to begin his explanations.

 

Ezekiel 34:4 KJV – The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.

NIV –You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally.

 

Isaiah 57:14 KJV – And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumblingblock out of the way of my people.

NIV – And it will be said: “Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.”

 

Paul includes two New Testament points of view with the words of Yeshua Jesus Christ in the gospel of Matthew and also the first letter that John the Beloved wrote.

 

Matthew 18:6 KJV – But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

NIV – “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

 

1 John 2:10 KJV – He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.

NIV –Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.

 

The final two verses of this chapter point out something interesting. Paul points out what sin looks like, and how it behaves. You see, though it is easy to sin, a lot of people often don’t realize they are sinning. Altering our behavior to avoid sin will thus influence others around us to follow suit.

 

1 Corinthians 8:12-13 KJV –But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.
¹³ Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.

NIV –When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. ¹³ Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.

 

What we do and do not do for God and for Yeshua is very distinct. If we don’t remember to praise God, He remembers. When we forget to pray, God hears. When we forget to study and explore the Word, it is obvious in our challenges throughout our lives. Paul reflects on one interesting parable from Jesus as shared in the gospel of Matthew. This one is the parable of the sheep and the goats. Remember Jesus said that whatever is done for the least of us would mean the most. Remember His words about children and how we should think of God through the purest thoughts like children. Look at this parable in that way to see what Paul is insisting we pay attention to.

 

Matthew 25:40-45 KJV – And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
⁴¹ Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
⁴² For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
⁴³ I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
⁴⁴ Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
⁴⁵ Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

NIV – “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

 

Paul includes references to his other letters to Galatia and Ephesus before looking at references from John the Beloved in his letters.

 

Galatians 6:1-2 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. ² Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

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. ² Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

 

Galatians 6:10 KJV – As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

NIV – Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

 

Ephesians 4:1-3 KJV – I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, ² With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;³ Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

NIV – As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. ² Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ³ Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

 

1 John 3:17 KJV –But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

NIV – If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?

 

1 John 4:20 KJV –If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

NIV –Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.

 

Paul’s work in his writing to the church at Corinth in this letter warns us about our behavior, our thoughts, our actions and reactions. It is important to think with our hearts and minds together. It is important to include our spiritual side as well as our logic and emotion in all actions, reactions, and interactions together. It is important to exercise our faith, yep, build it up like you would muscles in your body and knowledge in your mind. Without our faith and belief in YHWH and in Yeshua, Jesus Christ, the Savior, the gates of Heaven will remain closed to us. There is a reason that Jesus points out He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. God ensured that this would be possible in the Immaculate Conception, the Miraculous Birth, and the Resurrection. 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: Great Is the Lord

 

 

 

 

~ Shalom ~

Rev. Laura A. Neff

Blogspot & Twitter & Linkedin & Twitch & USAlife

Evangelist Calvin Jennings

Facebook & Twitter & Blogster

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

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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.