Galatians 1:18 “Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. (19) But other of the apostles saw I none save James the Lord’s brother. (20) Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not. (21) Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. (22) And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ: (23) But they had heard only, that he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. (24) And they glorified God in me.”

Saul (Paul) was one who was bent and effective in stamping out the growth of the early church. He was church enemy #1 but ended up quickly becoming the greatest speaker for it. On the road to Damascus he met the Lord; in that experience he was blinded by the great light he saw.  After regaining his sight he went to the synagogue. He had papers in his hand to do harm to Christians; what did he do when he got there?  HE PREACHED JESUS!  Talk about a confused group of people. Saul, the Pharisee who hated them, now called them brothers and sisters in the Lord.  Was it too good to be true?  It certainly was understandable if they were fearful of him.

Later he goes to Jerusalem and spent two weeks with Peter and saw only James, the brother of Jesus. James was the pastor of the church in Jerusalem. So, here we are. The church enemy who left Jerusalem with papers giving him authority to arrest Christians was back to prove he was not their persecutor.  All the ability he used to pull down was turned around to build up. He used that same energy to lift up the church that the devil used him to take it down.  Instead of defaming the church, he spoke well of it. He used the Old Testament scrolls to defy Christianity; now he took those same scriptures and preached Jesus.  Was this too good to be true? They saw Saul hold the garments of those who stone their beloved deacon Stephen. Now this same man was preaching in their synagogues. They chose to trust him and the gospel he shared.

Look at the potential you have. Galatia was getting away from the simplicity of the gospel. They threw in their own ideas or went back to the law and self-righteousness as the means of salvation. They forgot the faith that saved them. It was tearing the churches apart.  Paul told them he did the same thing before he was saved but had learned to set it all aside and go on for the Lord. He told them they were brothers and sisters in the Lord. What a great potential they had.

You have a great talent, a great deal to contribute to the gospel. Satan may tell you otherwise, but don’t listen to him. He can use us to get in the way of the gospel. Our prayer must always be “Lord, help my light to shine and help me to promote the gospel through what talents I have.” Let’s lift up the faith not destroy it.

God gave us all potential to do great things. When we give it all to the Lord, it can be used for him. Things will get complicated otherwise. Let Jesus be where he needs to be in your life. We can work together. Is this too good to be true?  If Jesus can turn someone like Saul around and use him to promote the gospel and the church as he did, he can do the same for us.  Let’s bind our hearts together. Let’s use our potential.  What great things we can do when we follow this.  Is it too good to be true?  Absolutely not!  We’re all important and God can use us if we let him. Nothing is too good to be true with the Lord.

Ecclesiastes 7:10-11 “Say not thou, what is the cause that the former days were better than these? For thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this; wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the sun.”

This was about 1000 B.C. by King Solomon. It was a different culture, a different people, in a much different time, but Solomon knew the Lord, and God gifted him with truths that we overlook. He had a vision of what life is all about. He had similar thoughts to ours. The days gone by are the “good old days.”

So. Better days ahead? Behind? Which is it? Don’t be one that talks about the former days being better than these. Stop and think about it. We all have a tendency to think the past was always the better time. We also have the tendency to elevate the past excessively because the focus is on good things and times while the bad is forgotten.

Yes. In the past we may have had better health, but other areas maybe not so good. We can pick from any good or bad day, any time of laughter or sorrow in the past or present. We must quit comparing them and saying today could never be better than yesterday. Serving the Lord was good then and it’s still good today. Sure there have been ups and downs. We’ve sinned and repented. We’ve had defeats, but we’ve had victories. Through it all Jesus has been the same. Today is as good as any day in the past because of Jesus Christ. In fact, today ought to be a better day. We’ve prayed a little more than yesterday. We’ve been in another worship service and fellowshipped with our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

We can’t stand in front of the mirror and watch our wrinkles come. It takes time. Our spiritual growth takes time too. It doesn’t spout out; it’s a steady process. We grow everyday. Every verse we read, every prayer we pray, every time we say no to the devil helps us grow. In the present we focus more on our problems and not the love and mercy of God. The past seems better. Verse 8 says “better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” It comes with patience. It is not piled on everyday. The children of Israel received manna each day that was sufficient for that day alone. The Lord has given us enough to satisfy and sustain us. We’re blessed and cared for.

God wants us to be real about the past and present. There will always be something to burden us. God gave us grace in the past to bear it, and he does the same today….and will tomorrow. One day we’ll leave this world for a better day. Everyday from now to then will have its troubles, but we’ll also have the unfailing love of Jesus Christ and the comfort of the Holy Spirit. God was good in the past; he is good right now; he’ll be good tomorrow. We tend to be bleak about the future, but don’t despair. Those without the Lord are the ones who should be in despair. I’m thankful I had the Lord in my past. I have him in my present. It’s very reassuring to know I’ll have him in my future. If time lasts to 2020, there will still be our Jesus Christ, Christianity and church; it will be a good time then.

We have an inheritance which gives us a settled assurance. It won’t all be paradise here, but in our heart everyday can be a good day. The God of all ages is still God, and he is within us. By him we can experience better days. Remember: THE better day is ahead.

Here is something Jesus reveals to the Jews, his own people. It’s important to every soul for time and eternity, a matter of life and death, heaven and hell. What do you see when you see Jesus?

Jesus spoke of what was between the people and God. It had to be removed. Something had to be done and someone had to do it. Jesus taught them their rituals couldn’t do it. Their religion couldn’t save them. That someone was before them. Jesus revealed himself. He alone is the Savior. Before his death, burial, and resurrection Jesus wanted all to know who he was. He still wants the “whosoever” to know.

We can look at someone and not really see them. We zone out. We all do it. We’ve heard about Jesus. We know about him. Sometimes we see him from the wrong perspective. The Jews did this. I would have loved to have been there that day and have seen the fullness of the Lord in his human form. I would still need to see him with the eyes of my heart. This is what the people should have done. They failed to recognize the obvious.

They looked right at their Messiah and said “is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?” They murmured among themselves. They didn’t see HIM. They didn’t see him for who he really was. This is the key to the realization of being lost and seeking repentance. If we fail to see the Son, why would we turn from our sins? What can save us if we fail to see Jesus for what he is? He is the key to it all.

They saw Jesus as one of them. Do we get used to seeing the “same old Jesus?” Do we sing the “same old hymns” and not see him? Our eyes should never go dim. We need to see God, the Savior, our friend, the bread for our hunger, the sacrifice for our sin, our very eternity. Jesus called them to look beyond their consciousness and see him. Do we look right through him? Are we too used to him?

They told Jesus they knew his parents so how could he say he came down from heaven? They didn’t believe it. From our earliest days we’ve heard and read the Bible. We’ve heard about Jesus all our lives. Do we see him? He should be fresh to us each day. Never get tired of or bored with him. Before we can follow him, we must see him. In him is entirely everything we need. See him for who and what he is.

See him for where he is. He’s not far away; we’re never separated from him. He said he’d be with us to the end of the world. He’s closer than a prayer away. Look. He’s there. Our greatest sin is failing to recognize where he is. When we see him, it should spawn a reaction. The Jews complained. Are we guilty?Have we lost sight of who, what and where he is?

He came to us from heaven to the cold manger and then the old rugged cross. John said, “and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father.” Are we willing to see him? Are our glasses fogged? Clean them. Everything looks better through clean lenses. It’s time to do it. There is nothing wrong with Jesus.

He knows if we see him as he is and for who he is. Our problem is we see the Jesus we want to see. It should be the desire of our heart to see him for exactly who he is for what we see is what we will believe. Jesus says “see me!” When we do we can have everlasting life. Say to him “open my eyes, Lord.” Blind Bartimaeus gave a simple answer when Jesus asked him what he wanted him to do for him. He said “that I might see.” When Jesus asks you what do you want, say “that I might see you for who, what, and where you are.”

Imagine a world with no sin. Imagine the perfect harmony of God’s creation. Everything worked. Adam and Eve knew a time of innocence. There was no shame, only love. We can’t comprehend it.

Adam received the commandment not to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but he ate of it. We’ve been born with a sinful nature because of that act of disobedience. We’re lost because of what Adam and Eve did. Eve tried to blame the devil, but that didn’t let her off the hook. The devil can’t make us sin.

It all comes back to our attitude to God’s word. If Satan can get us to doubt it for one minute, he’ll get us to believe things are OK; it’s OK to eat of the fruit we shouldn’t, whatever our fruit happens to be. Then we’ll fall. Knowing the experience of sin gives us a better understanding of why we mess up. All we suffer now is the product of sin. God intended for us to live forever with perfection in every way, even in our bodies. Our bodies became mortal and vulnerable after Adam sinned. Now we’re born to die. It lies in the nature of all things. Adam’s nature that came from the sin of one couple is now ours. It’s in our soul and our make up. We’re children born in iniquity.

They were not to eat the fruit. If they did, they would die. Satan worked on Eve first, and Eve worked on Adam. She looked at it and in light of what Satan said she crossed the line. She reached for the fruit, ate it and turned to Adam. He saw she didn’t die right there on the spot. He thought “there is nothing wrong with this.” He ate it too. What Satan says will always have a little truth in it.  Don’t believe it. Adam and Eve died from the inside out. It was a spiritual death followed by a physical one. The result was the need of a sacrifice to redeem what they had given up.

When she partook of the fruit, she saw things from the devil’s point of view.  Before Eve was created God gave Adam the commandment not to eat this particular fruit. That one bit of knowledge of good and evil was all he ever needed. The devil can wear us down to the point that we question the Lord. We say to ourselves “why is this right? Why is this wrong? Why is this happening?” When we give Satan the time of day, he won’t stop; he’s one step ahead of us all the way. When he approached Eve, he asked one simple question. “Yeah, hath God said?” This first approach was calm and objective. “Is what God said right (like he didn’t know the answer)?  The Bible says to abstain from even the appearance of evil.  Eve’s first mistake was staying there in the serpent’s presence. Her second was giving him a reply. She didn’t have to, and we don’t have to. We don’t owe him anything. She should have walked away. In verses 2 and 3 she tried to explain. When the devil saw this, he knew he had her. She was listening to him. When the devil poses questions to us, don’t give him an answer. We may have to explain things to God but never the devil. We owe no one the explanation of all the what’s and why’s about everything because we’re Christians. The only thing we owe is our testimony and effort to win others to the Lord. When Eve tried to explain she got mixed up. We need to get away. Change the channel. Walk away from the crowd. The longer we hang around what the devil offers, the worse it will be for us.

In verses 2 and 3 she added something to what the Lord said. “We can’t touch it.” God didn’t say anything about touching it. He said not to eat it. The devil saw the flaw; he saw her confusion. Remember, he can confuse even the most clear minded Christian. He played off this. He knew Eve wouldn’t fall over dead. He gave her a half truth. “You won’t die. God doesn’t mean what he says. This fruit won’t harm you.” Once it was plucked off the tree, it could not be put back. Satan deceived her. He tells us we can eat and have God at the same time. He told Eve it would be ok. He made her think God was keeping something from her. He said God knows if you eat this you’ll be like a god. He tried to make her feel sorry for herself. She fell for it hook, line and sinker. This is his driving force today. He tells us “control your own life, our own destiny. You can do it.” We can’t even control our next breath. It’s in God’s hands. Everything is in the hands of the Lord.

What Eve saw was pleasing to her. It appealed to her. She touched it. She broke the connection of the fruit to the tree. She brought it to her mouth and bit into it. SIn sure looks good; feels good; tastes good…doesn’t it?  But only for a short season. She saw she didn’t fall over dead and gave it to Adam. He said to himself “why not?” Don’t be flippant with God. Then suddenly, irreversably, everything changed. After they had eaten the fruit, Adam and Eve knew shame. They wore no clothes and up to that point saw no shame in it; there was none in their perfect, sinless world. They hid from each other and made clothes of fig leaves. They then hid from God. They were lost. Although God knew where they were, when he came down to fellowship with them he said “Adam, where are you?”

Where are we when it comes to the devil? Are we listening and interpreting beliefs as we go. When they told God what happened he asked “who told you?” Then Adam said Eve did it. Eve said the serpent did it. The curse was already in place due to that one sin. Man would have to work by the sweat of his brow to make a living and the woman would bear children in pain to populate the earth. Just as her children did, we’ll die some day.

The devil was already under the foot of the woman. The plan for Jesus to be born of woman was in place; Mary would conceive and bear the Son of God. All this had to happen because of sin.

Will the devil tempt you? Sure he will. The only way to shut the devil up is to shut him out. If you have fallen, call upon your Lord. If you have been listening to the serpent’s ramblings, leave him right now.

Forsake the devil. Stick with the Lord.

The Lord is up in heaven, but he’s here with us too. Later we’ll see that he had a question for himself. He would ask the angels, “Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?”

“And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?” Gen. 18:17-19

The Lord is good to us all. If we could only perceive how he watches over us. Sing that old song with me. “I sing because I’m happy. I sing because I’m free. His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me.” Would God say “shall I hide from Bob Surber?” If he wouldn’t hide from Abraham, he won’t hide from me. God has no secrets. Some are before us, in our eyes, but only because they’ve not been revealed. They aren’t secrets. In due time, we’ll know them. God is not a hidden God. Satan wants to present Him as aloof, separated from us—a secret God. However, God is open and straight forward with us.

In verse 1 Abraham saw three men coming and perceived one of them was the Lord. If we would only perceive our personal God, we’d see he’s all around us. He’s visible; he can be recognized and felt. He visits us more than we can imagine. We just don’t take the time to see him. God made no attempt to hide himself or what he was going to do. Whatever you’re facing now, don’t believe the lie that God doesn’t want to be open with you. In every moment of your life God is near.

The things that seem hidden are actually only held back. Some things have to wait a while. God is still there, open and frank with us. He doesn’t beat around the bush. We fail to see what he wants us to see. He doesn’t play hide and seek, but we do. We keep the secrets OR think we do. We may keep them from others, but we don’t keep anything from God. We should be thankful for an open God.

When Abraham perceived it was the Lord, he ran, humbled himself and bowed to the ground. He invited him to his tent. Guess what?  He went!  The Lord liked the meal. He wants to sit down at our table and talk to us. He wants fellowship. Before he condescended to our level through Jesus, he sat and ate with Abraham.

After the fellowship he asked the angels “shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?” He didn’t. He revealed all of it to Abraham just as he does us. We get 100% of him. He wants us to plainly see, know and receive him in all his fullness.  He truly wants us to know him. In verse 19 God said “I know him.” He knows it all. He knows all of me, right down to a polyp in my colon, if there should happen to be one (hope not!).  I get an image of myself, but God knows the deepest corners of my life. Shame on me, shame on us when we won’t come honest with the Lord!

In verses 20-21 we see God’s plan to destroy the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. He shared with Abraham what he was planning to do, what he wanted to do, and what he was going to do. There are no accidents with God. Abraham’s tent didn’t just happen to be on the way. In that day God was in control. Now here we are on this side of the cross, and he’s still in control. We don’t know what’s ahead, but God does. He knows it all and will take care of it all including us. Don’t try to hide. Get to know him as Abraham did.

If God is open with you, why can’t you see? You’re looking in the wrong place. Turn away from the world. If you avoid prayer and Bible study, no wonder you think God is a secret. Think of him as the Bible portrays him, and don’t listen to what others may see. Find out for yourself. God doesn’t wear glasses. He has 20/20 vision he see us and is open to us anytime.  We might as well come clean with him.

What is God saying to you right now? What are you seeing? What is he showing you? Do whatever it takes to be open and honest with him. Be as open and honest as he is with you. God says “shall I hide?” No. He will not hide.

Let’s do the same. Let’s not hide from him.

We’re living in a time that the unsaved are bold and vocal with their sin. According to Christianity they think there are things which are wrong but believe they are not. The Bible says in Hosea 12:8b “they shall find none iniquity in me that were sin.” Years ago we said “surely we’ll never see that day,” but we are. In a sense you could say they win souls to Satan by converting people to their distorted views. They lead people astray from the truth of the Lord.

What the lost do or say doesn’t matter. Now more than ever Christians need to be bold right back at them.  We find ourselves silently going along having the tendency to be timid and uncertain of what to say. The last part of the armor of God is prayer. Paul even asked prayer for himself that he would preach the gospel and label sin as sin. God’s Spirit would do the convicting.

Be bold?  What are we to be bold about? A sinner can defend him or herself. Are we ready to do so? We can’t give personal views; we have to be “handy” with the scriptures. The Bible is the basis of the truth, and by knowing the scriptures we know where to go and what to show them. Some may not believe it without being shown. We need to both know and show the Bible’s black and white view of sin. In verse 19 Paul wanted prayer for utterance—not stutter-ance. We need utterance and remembrance of the scripture to take the Word to them. Verse 20 says we can then speak boldly as we ought to speak.

Let’s pray for boldness and be bold.

“Romans 15:22 For which cause also I have been much hindered from coming to you. 23 But now having no more place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come unto you; 24 Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you: for I trust to see you in my journey, and to be brought on my way thither ward by you, if first I be somewhat filled with your company. 25 But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. 26 For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem. 27 It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things. 28 When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain. 29 And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ. 30 Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me; 31 That I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judea; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints; 32 That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.”

At least 7 times Paul repeated, in some wording or another, “I’m coming to you.” He was determined. He knew the value of meeting with them so they could worship the Lord together. We need to consider this. We come to church to worship. Some people call it “going to meeting.” When it ceases to be of importance to meet the Lord and to worship with each other, we need to take a look at ourselves.

In verse 22 Paul said he was hindered from “coming to you.” It’s been such a winter that we’ve been hindered several times from having services. Sometimes our health hinders us. We miss coming together as God’s people. When we meet, the Lord comes too. Never think there is no one here. God and one are a majority. The Bible says where two or three are gathered together, HE is in the midst.  Sometimes we let things hinder us. We shouldn’t. I’d rather be with God’s people than anyone.

In verse 23 we see that Paul had a desire to “come unto you.” I don’t know exactly where they worshiped, in buildings or underground, but Paul was coming to see people. He knew faces and names and had a great desire to see them.  What kind of desire do you have for fellowship? It should be our desire to be blessed and be a blessing.  Don’t lose the desire to come. Pray if you feel it slipping.

Verse 24 lets us know that Paul made his decision.  When he headed to Spain he said “I will come to you.” He made his choice. What choices are made about coming to church?  We can’t be wishy-washy about it. We can’t be indecisive and think twice about it. Christian fellowship encourages us; the family keeps us. Paul told them “I will come to you.” He decided to meet with them. Ruth decided she was not leaving Naomi. This is what we need—decision.

In verse 28 Paul said he was not going the long way around. The church in Jerusalem was in need; Rome knew that and understood it. It was important for Paul to visit Jerusalem.  He told them when he finished his visit at Jerusalem, “I will come by you into Spain.” He was saying “I’ll come there before I go anywhere else.” He wasn’t taking the round about way. Do we take the round about way with church?  We should not be ashamed, never of the church or our brothers and sisters in Christ. We make each other valuable. Professing Christians should not put other things in front of the church and the believers. God’s family helps us when others fail. The Lord is in us. When we meet together, the world can’t match the unity that comes from it.

Paul’s determination is seen in verse 29.  “And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.” He said “when I come unto you.” There was no “if I come.” Some of our best times are with our Christian family. The blessing is from above through each other when we come together.

Look at verse 32. “That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.” Paul wasn’t coming grumbling and complaining. It’s good to bear each others burdens, but come to be a blessing. Paul probably knew his life would end at Rome. It was hard to go there. He could have been discouraged. Yet he told them he “would come unto you with joy.” He planned to meet them for a refreshing. Some people want others to make them happy while they make no effort to do the same for others. We need to counteract that and come with joy.

Come what may with the world, but if we fail to come to each other and meet with the Lord, we will lose something. How about a simple prayer of commitment to our brothers and sisters and together let’s meet with the Lord.

As a verb trust means we relax with a person; we believe to the point of opening up to him/her. As a noun it is something that can be taken care of and managed well. God is a trust. We can turn ourselves over to him. He’s safer than a bank. God is a trust that is devil proof.

I Timothy 6:20 “O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: 21 Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee.”

Paul reminded Timothy he was a vessel of trust. In almost a plea Paul said “O Timothy.” Whatever is failing, we can’t forget the trust committed to us. What God has given us is vital to the salvation of the lost, to the church and to our own soul.

How can God trust us? As a committed child of God, He has given us the same in return. What we do with that trust is important. These are things that destroy it—“profane, vain babblings, and oppositions of science so falsely called.” We can’t give space to these. There is no room for toleration of sin. We must be a vessel of honor to be used by God.  Our prayer should be “Lord, I know you’re counting on me. Help me be that strong vessel that uses what you’ve given me in a right way.”

Do we realize what God has given us? We’re not empty. We have so much to enjoy and so much to share. We have a new nature and the ability to help others find Jesus. Our testimony helps others see God as the true and living God. Our testimony for the Lord speaks of the forgiveness of sin. God put salvation inside us. There is now a light within. We are the salt of the earth. When a light goes out or a bag of salt leaks, they are no use to God. They become empty bags. If we don’t trust the Lord, we can find ourselves with an empty bag. We need to patch up leaky spots.

The reason we’re still alive is for others. If that wasn’t the case the Lord would have taken us to heaven when we were  first saved. The world is in jeopardy, and the presence of our light can get the word of God to the lost. The only way for them to be saved is by the hearing of the word. Our testimony can give it to them.  Paul said it would be far better for him to go on to heaven, but it was needful for him to stay here. The same reasoning goes for us as well.

Salvation is our trust. It’s the reason Paul told Timothy to remember what he had. The world needs what is invested in us. We got the best job in all history when we were entrusted with telling others about Jesus. We can’t just have the word in our head; it must be in our heart. The Lord doesn’t expect us to save people but to keep the trust he’s given us and communicate to others what he has done. The truth of the ages is that salvation comes through trust in Jesus.

What are you doing with your Jesus? How far can he trust you?