OPEN HEAVENS FOR TEENS 28 MARCH 2020: DO YOU RESEMBLE JESUS?

MEMORISE: But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18

READ: JOHN 15:3-7

3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.

6 If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

7 If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

MESSAGE:

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman.” John 15:1

When you ask someone to introduce him or herself, you want the surname, first name and so on.

In the above passage, Jesus introduced Himself as the Vine and His Father is the Husbandman.

He went on to say in verse two that His children are the branches.

At other times, Jesus introduced Himself as the Door, Lamb, Way, Truth, Life, Resurrection, Alpha, Omega and so on.

As strange as these illustrations may seem, they carry the true picture of who He is.

He is the Vine and we are His branches; therefore, we are an extension of Him.

If you open up a vine and you open up a branch, you would find the same thing in both of them; one is only bigger.

That is why Jesus said in John 9:5 that He is the light of the world and then said in Matthew 5:14 that we are the light of the of the world; this simply means that we bear the light of Jesus.

1 John 4:17 tells us that as He is, so are we in this world. In Romans 8:16-17, we are called join heirs with Christ.

This means that we are His brothers, thus the same genes that are in Him are in us also. Ephesians 2:6 says we are seated together in heavenly places.

In Acts 4:13, people saw Peter and John speak and they recognised Jesus in them.

All these scriptures make one thing clear; as long as you are a child of God, you are to resemble your Father.

But then, how come we have so many ‘Christians’ who don’t resemble Christ? The answer is in our memory verse for today – they do not behold His glory.

If you immerse yourself in God’s presence everyday – studying your Bible and praying, you will begin to resemble Him as the days go by.

When a man and a woman have been married for a few years, they begin to look, sound and even think alike.

That is because they have been spending time together for long. Who you spend time with determine who you become. You want to truly resemble Jesus? Spend time with Him daily.

REFLECTION:

Can anyone take a look at you and say you resemble Jesus Christ in your words and actions?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: JOSHUA 19-21

HYMN 13: I HAVE DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS

1. I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.

2. Tho’ none go with me, I still will follow;
Tho’ none go with me, I still will follow;
Tho’ none go with me, I still will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.

3. My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.

4. The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
No turning back, no turning back.