OPEN HEAVENS FOR TEENS DATE: THURSDAY 12TH OF OCTOBER, 2023 THEME: YOUR ASSOCIATION MATTERS

MEMORISE: Blessed is the man That walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor standeth in the way of sinners, Nor sitteth in the seat of the Scornful. Psalms 1:1

BIBLE TEXT: Mark 14:54,66-71

[54]And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire.

[66]And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high priest:

[67]And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth.

[68]But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew.

[69]And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them.

[70]And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto.

[71]But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak.

MESSAGE: 

The Bible, on many occasions, warns against keeping the company of the ungodly so as not to be entangled with their wickedness. For example, the Bible says in Proverbs 1:10: 

*"My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. The Bible also says: Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners"* (1 Corinthians 15:33).

Our Bible reading for today shows that Peter did three deadly things that fueled his denial of Jesus Christ. First, he was following Jesus from afar (from a distance). It is possible that he would have received courage from the Master if he had followed Jesus closely. Secondly, even though Jesus had asked the soldiers to allow His disciples to leave, Peter ignored this request: he followed Jesus fearfully. Thirdly, he sat with the servants, enjoying the warmth of the fire with the ungodly: he found comfort with the wrong people.

Beloved, be wary of the comfort zones of life; they may be physical ly comfortable but not spiritually ideal. Don't share an apartment with a member of the opposite sex due to accommodation issues: it is simply playing with fire.

ACTION POINT:

Study your environment te see whether it is conducive to your spiritual growth, and take wise steps to avoid temptation.

HYMN 3: ALL TO JESUS I SURRENDER

1. All to Jesus I surrender

All to Him I freely give;

I will ever love and trust Him,

In His presence daily live.

CHORUS

I surrender all.

I surrender all:

All to Thee, my blessed saviour

I surrender all

2. All to Jesus I surrender,

Humbly at His feet I bow;

Worldly pleasures all forsaken.

Take me, Jesus, take me now.

3. All to Jesus I surrender.

Lord, I give myself to Thee;

Fill me with Thy love and power,

Let Thy blessing fall on me.

4. All to Jesus I surrender,

Now I feel the sacred flame

O the joy of full salvation!

Glory, glory to His name!

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 

Matthew 27-28

AUTHORS: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE 

PASTOR MRS FOLU ADEBOYE