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JESUS AT OUR SIDE

SCRIPTURE READINGS
ACT 3:12-19
1 JOHN 3:1-7
LUKE 24:36-48

The theme of our reflection is “Jesus at our side” To be at person’s side means to be faithful and offer dependable support, guide and comfort. Jesus at our side means Jesus is our is our trusted, faithful and dependable friend and Lord who we look up to for support, guide, comfort and deliverance. Jesus is always at our side so that we will remain in the the light of salvation. We shall meditate on the theme using the following three key points:
1.Jesus is at our side to open our minds because He is the fulfilment of Scripture.
2. Jesus is at our side to open the minds of those who sin ignorantly.
3. When you have Christ in your life, your mind is perpetually opened and you become allergic to sin.

Beloved in the Lord, Jesus must be at our side because He is the only one can open our minds to know the will of God and be saved. He is the fulfilment of Scripture. An extract of our third scripture reading Luke 24:44-45 brings this fact to light when Jesus said “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,” In other words, to understand Scripture, you must know Christ, because every Scripture that was written before the coming of Christ pointed to Christ and every Scripture written after the resurrection and ascension pointed back to Christ and His Second Coming. Therefore, to know God and to understand His purpose in Scripture, a believer must have personal relationship with Christ in order to have his or her mind opened. During the Transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain, Peter, James and John witnessed in the presence of Jesus, Moses and Elijah, “ a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” (Mark 9:7). It goes to reemphasize the fact that Jesus is the fulfilment of Scripture and that when He is at our side and we listen to Him and follow His examples, our minds will be opened and we shall fulfil God’s perfect will according to Scripture. If you have read the Scripture and you still have not met Christ as the fulfilment of Scripture then I am inviting you to re-study the Gospels and critically reflect on the words and deeds of Christ. What then makes Jesus the fulfilment of Scripture? Jesus said in Luke 23:46-47 that “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” It means without Christ there is not genuine repentance, forgiveness and salvation. He is the fulfilment of Scripture and the only way to Salvation therefore we must let Jesus be at our side always and never depart from Him.

Dear friend in Christ, if Jesus is the fulfilment of Scripture, then He has the power to open the minds of those who sin ignorantly. Peter’s preaching in our first Scripture reading, Act 3:12-19 is a call to repentance by those who sinned ignorantly against Christ. Jesus is so merciful that even those who sinned ignorantly can have their ignorance cured through repentance and forgiveness. Peter said to Jews “But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all. “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,” (Acts 3:14-19) To again prove the fact that Jesus is ever ready to be at our side and to forgive and open the minds of those who acknowledge that they have sinned ignorantly against God, Jesus said on the cross in Luke 23:34 that “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” It is never too late my dear brother or sister, ignorance is no excuse on the judgement day, now is the time to repent and have your mind opened to a life of righteousness and salvation in Christ. We are greatly caustioned in Act 17:30-31, “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Our second Scripture reading, 1 John 3:1-7 points to the fact that when we have Christ at our side, our minds are perpetually opened and we become allergic to sin. In other words, a Christian who is saved and enlightened in Christ develops resistance to sin. It is for this reason that 1 John 3:4-7 tells us, “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that He (Jesus) appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.” If you have been a Christian all your life, you have been baptised, confirmed and regularly participate in the Communion or Eucharist, please don’t be deceived, the truth is that if you are still addicted to sin in its different forms, your mind is still not opened, you are still in a state of lawlessness. You need to repent and a be saved. Sinning wilfully or deliberately is known as the sin of commission. Sin of commission is described by 1 John 3:4 as “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.”

In conclusion beloved in the Lord, we must walk with Jesus and always let Him be at our side because He is the fulfilment of Scripture and our Saviour in whom we have eternal life. May the Lord, always be at our side to strengthen us to live a righteous life that is pleasing to God. Amen