OPEN HEAVEN FOR TEENS 10 FEBRUARY 2021

THEME: BE YOUR BROTHER’S KEEPER

MEMORISE: You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. Romans 14:10

READ: GENESIS 37:13-30

13 and Israel said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them.” “Very well,” he replied.

14 So he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. When Joseph arrived at Shechem,

15 a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”

16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?”

17 “They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’ “So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan.

18 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.

19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other.

20 “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”

21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said.

22 “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the desert, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father

23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe-the richly ornamented robe he was wearing-

24 and they took him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

25 As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.

26 Judeh said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?

27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.

28 So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.

29 When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes.

30 He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now?”

READ >> OPEN HEAVEN 10 FEBRUARY 2021

MESSAGE:

Our Bible reading for today tells an interesting story. Not long after Joseph told the second dream he had to his family, his father sent him to the field to give his siblings food to eat. When they saw him from afar, they planned to kill him but they later changed their minds and sold him into slavery.

Today, a lot of siblings are doing more than selling one another into slavery by their attitude. God expects us to be our brother’s keeper.

Your siblings, cousins and relations, particularly the ones who are younger should be able to look up to you; they should feel safe with you. For instance, if your siblings cannot confide in you when they are having any personal issue, you are not doing well.

Joseph’s brothers hated him because of his dreams. Do you hate a sibling because you feel he/she is your parent’s favourite or he/she is more intelligent than you are? No reason is good enough for you to hate your sibling as a child of God. Envy leads to nothing good.

Remember that Cain killed Abel his brother because he envied him. Treat your siblings kindly, gist with them, be closely knit with them, correct in love and preach Christ to them.

KEY POINT: Let your siblings see Jesus in you.

HYMN 14: LET OTHERS SEE JESUS IN YOU

1. While passing through this world of sin,
And others your life shall view
Be clean and pure without, within,
Let others see Jesus in you.

Chorus:
Let others see Jesus in you,
Let others see Jesus in you;
Keep telling the story
Be faithful and true,
Let others see Jesus in you.

2. Your life’s a book before their eyes,
They’re reading it through and through;
Say, does it point them to the skies,
Do others see Jesus in you?

3. What joy ’twill be at set of sun,
In mansions beyond the blue,
To find some souls that you have won
Let others see Jesus in you.

4. Then live for Christ both day and night,
Be faithful, be brave, and true,
And lead the lost to life and light;
Let others see Jesus in you.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
LEVITICUS 10-12; MATHEW 26:1-19
AUTHORS: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE
PASTOR (MRS) FOLU ADEBOYE