"Real Faith: Pleases God (Enoch)" - sermon notes for 11/07/10

(You can hear the sermon audio here)

Enoch is well known for one of the greatest disappearing acts in history. One moment he was, the next he was not.

Read Gen 5.21-24 - Enoch is well-known for one curious fact, but if we focus on that to the detriment of another facet to his story, we miss out in a big way...

In the centuries prior to Christ's arrival, the Jews were increasingly interested in heaven/angels/afterlife. Subsequently there was a lot of interest in this little-mentioned man called Enoch. He became popular in Jewish writings in few centuries before and after Jesus. His strange apparent escape from death seemed to grant him a certain mystique. Books were written in his name which were increasingly mystical (Jude 1.14 also quotes from 1st of these - not as authoritative but as example!); the 3rd even claims that he's an angel called Metatron. But Hebrews turns from this aspect of his story and zooms in on what really matters::::

Heb 11.5-6: = walked, pleased, rewarded by...

1. The PACE And The PLACE (The walk itself)

"The 11th chapter of Hebrews is not about ultimate achievement in the world's eyes; it's about holding to faith, even when the world thinks you're ridiculous" Steve Ayers

Knowledge vs faith: "knowledge puffs up, but love builds up". DEMONS WILL BEAT YOU HANDS DOWN IN A BIBLE QUIZ! Needs to be centred on and in faith. Applied. Worked out. Why was Enoch commended as one who pleased God? Twice the Genesis text says He walked with God = commended as pleasing God BECAUSE he walked with God.

God "walked" in the garden Gen 3.8 and Noah "walked with God" Gen 6.9 (=generational family values!)

Ray Stedman = "Enoch used to take long walks with God. One day he walked so far God said, 'It's too far to go back; come on home with me.'"

Ever since the Fall there's been a need to walk WITH God that has been absent. There is a value to be found in walking with God so naturally and so genuinely that we can find ourselves closer to His place than to ours. Walking = lifestyle. He walked with Adam and Eve in the garden - and that relationship was broken - but now that kingdom is at hand, we are under an open heaven, it is available to us. Right here, right now. Through Jesus.

Our sin - the things we should do but don't, shouldn't but do, and more importantly the state of our selfish heart that causes that - this sin has separated us from the perfect, one-of-a-kind, HOLY God & made us subject to the judgement that that bears. Forever. EXCEPT by His Son Jesus... Once more we can walk WITH God. No shame. No hindrance. Perfect union. Through Jesus. Walking with Him: sometimes it's a walk, a run, a climb. Wrestling or resting.

2. the PERSON:

TOM WRIGHT: without faith, you can't begin to please God... you may have a general sense that there is a supreme divine being, and you may even have an idea that this being wants people to seek Him out. But unless you have faith, unless you really believe that God exists and that he does indeed want people to seek Him, and will reward them when they do, you can't actually begin to worship Him.

Why did Enoch please God? Because his heart & his mind were in step with God. He acknowledged God as THE context. And so, He ultimately found his pleasure IN God. Finding your joy in something gives it worth. So wherever you find most joy is what you consider of greatest worth. Is that Him? Or stuff/people/dreams?

God was not Enoch's means to an end. "Loving God means I get saved, ticket to heaven/ means I can ask Him for things/ means I'm not alone". Are we loving the walk/walking more than the One we're walking with?

3. PURPOSE: FAITH = TRUST = GLORIFIES THE FATHER!

(John Piper illustration of 3-year old on edge of pool and Dad says, "Jump! Trust me!" It makes HIM look good, not us. And the harder it seems for him to fulfil his promise, the better he looks when you trust him.)

We give glory to God when we trust him to do what he has promised to do – especially when all human possibilities are exhausted. Faith glorifies God.

THUS: what is faith? = more than facts/knowledge. It is trust. It is more than simply knowing someone, it is whether you trust them. We cannot rely on someone else's faith or trust.

2 Cor 5.7 = memory verse! = "For we walk by faith, not by sight"

Do you have any promises God has given you that you need to act upon? Not just prophetic promises given to you, but also trusting the promises in the Bible?

Is He clearly saying something to You and you have yet to step out in faith upon it? eg giving/ commitment/ prophetic gift/ baptism/ sharing your faith with your neighbour? YOU'RE ON THE DIVING BOARD; GOD SAYS JUMP!

...walk with Him. It pleases Him. And there lies the greatest reward. Christ walked among us. Let that continue to be a reality as demonstrated in our lives, in step with him, through His Holy Spirit.

Cell Q's:

1. How do we really know we're walking in step with God? What clarifies or endorses that? Give Biblical examples.
2. Share stories of when you've trusted God and the lessons the rest of us can learn from that.
3. Jesus says in John 10.10, "I came that they may have life and have it abundantly"

• What are the common misconceptions of that promise?
• What does it really look like?
• What is your personal response to that?

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Beacon Touchpaper #24: "God's Welfare System, part 2: Seeking to Sow"

"But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare." (Jer 29.7, ESV)

Shalom! Last month we considered what is meant by "welfare" when God told His people, through the prophet Jeremiah, to seek it on behalf of the city they were living in: Shalom. Wholeness, completeness, well-being... and now we'll look at why God instructed them to actively seek it.

Who springs to mind when you think of the term "unreached people groups"? Is it people who live thousands of miles away from you? Is it people who live in a remote land, or under a communist regime, or who worship strange-looking idols? And who springs to mind when you think of the poor? Would that be people with less money than you? People who can't afford a certain lifestyle? Those who live on the streets? Might I suggest that "the poor" could also be those with money: those who drive posh cars, live in big houses, play on golf courses... Because being poor is not simply being without money. It can also be those without the Spirit.

Unreached people groups are moving into our nation in increasing numbers. They are coming to us. Opportunity knocks! From the Middle East, Asia, Eastern Europe, these people are coming here to live in huge numbers. In our town and our region. Should we be moaning about that, or seeing it as opportunity to share the Gospel? Many Iranians, for example, are being saved across the UK, and determining to return home to Iran to take the Gospel back there. See? Exciting!

And yet... the phrase "unreached people group" goes even further: it can also include the disabled - over a quarter of the UK population have a long-standing health problem or disability*. How many of them are hindered in hearing the Gospel as a result? Do you know who the world's largest unreached people group actually are? It's the Deaf.

Jesus referred to words from Deuteronomy 15.11 when talking to His followers and friends in Bethany: "For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.'" IN YOUR LAND. They're here. Which is why we have a responsibility to participate in seeking the welfare - the shalom - of those around us. Look around you. Up your street. In your local shops. Where you work. Where you play. And see opportunity - amongst the poor in spirit, the unreached, the broken and the lonely - to share the wonderful news of our Jesus with those who may well have not met Him before.

*27.2% - Eurostat research results (2003), cited in OSSATE Accessibility Market and Stakeholder Analysis 2005
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"Christ's Bride: the Betrothal and the Feast" - sermon notes for 06/06/10

(You can hear the sermon audio here)

Matt 26.26-29 and Rev 19.6-9

David showed us last week that God calls himself Israel's husband: Isaiah 54, "...your Maker is your Husband". The image of mankind being either in or out of a marriage with God, or cheating on Him, is presented throughout the Old Testament, and it continues into the New Testament when just as God the Father called himself the Husband, so Christ calls Himself the Bridegroom (Jn 3, also Matt 9 and 25). Paul continues the theme calling earthly husbands to follow Christ's eg (Eph 5.25-27).

The great climax of history as we enter new heaven/earth is described amongst other things as our groom returning for His bride (Rev 19). But first, there's another New Testament passage I'd like us to look at that seems to bear no relevance to the pic of Bride. Or does it?

Read Matt 26.26-29. Some manuscripts insert "new" = NEW COVENANT. A new marriage proposal. What does this have to do with the bride pic? Let me explain:

The Betrothal:

Jewish marriages focus on 2 separate parts: BETROTHAL and MARRIAGE. Nowadays it usually occurs together, but in ancient times these were separate: the betrothal itself was as good as declaring the couple married but they did not live together immediately as man and wife. Unfaithfulness within an engagement was considered as adultery. When Jewish man makes a betrothal, he presents the KETUVAH (written notice of the covenant being made). This protects the woman's rights. It is the written vows (Scripture!). If she accepts, she drinks from a cup of wine her bridegroom has poured out for her. The groom says: "I will not drink of this cup until we are reunited".Sound familiar? If he did, he'd be proposing to somebody else! He then goes away for a set period of time (up to 1 year; to prepare a place) when they are then brought together for the marriage ceremony.

Betrothal for us = an absolute promise by Christ that He asks for our hand for eternity. Absolute security, the promise of everything that matters, made possible by Him. And He didn't just humble Himself to get on one knee to propose this, but humbled Himself to death on a cross so that chasm between us and God might be bridged by Him. And he has now gone away to prepare a place for us (Jn 14.2-3)

At the Last Supper, Christ confirmed His betrothal: "Here's the cup, will you marry me?". And once He'd finished His work on the Cross, He went to prepare a home. One day he'll return to take those who said "Yes" back home with Him forever.

Do you know His security? Do you have confidence in His absolute promise to you? (Josh 1.5, Heb 13.5, 2 Cor 1.20a)

So we're between betrothal (as good as married, secure) and the wedding feast itself...

The Feast:

Rev 19.6-9

Looking forward to that great party with our King as everything is consummated, we mustn't lose sight of the fact that there's so much to enjoy now. Until our great wedding feast with Christ, we can find great excitement in knowing we can never know Him enough. We should be never having enough of Him! Are you enjoying the great romance?

Are you betrothed to Christ? Or are you only dating Him? Are you merely flirting with Him? Don't miss out on the great romance that is available to you, RIGHT NOW.

Equally important: are you betrothed to Him, but flirting with another? My marriage = not just a promise in 1994, but a daily promise. Same here. Secure in betrothal, FOREVER, but also a daily walk here and now.

...CHOSEN: v9: “invited” = who? = the Bride. No one gets in as a guest. You can't slip in as a friend of the church. You don't come to the feast as a distant relative. You're in or you're out. You are invited to accept His marriage proposal. It's up to you.

...ADORNED: v7b-8: What are those righteous deeds? Didn't Isa 64.6 say they were like bloody rags?

• But, in HIM = Bride/Church's gown of righteous deeds is her groom's gift of grace
• Eph 5.25-27: “sanctify”, “cleansed”, “present... to Himself in splendour” - our righteous deeds (Rev 19.7b-8) are a co-labouring, a responsibility, but only made possible in the first place by HIS cleansing.

Who are you adorning yourself for? Who are you trying to change for? Yourself? Others? Christ? Who are you trying to please? Flirting elsewhere?

Note: the gown of fine linen/righteous deeds is provided by Him, and meant for Him: Esther, as she was preparing herself for presentation to King Xerxes - when he chose her as wife - she was GIVEN the things she needed for adornment. She didn't bring her own make-up bags and fancy outfits she'd been able to afford from the Next sale: HE provided the cosmetics, perfumes and "Anything she wanted" (Esther 2.13).

The Betrothal:

• Have you accepted His proposal? Are you only dating Him? Or merely flirting?
• Have you been drinking from another cup/unfaithful?
• Are you secure in His absolute betrothal/promise?

 The Feast:

• Who are you adorning yourself for?
• Are your deeds (linen) what He has provided, or purely legalistic WORKS?

 Cell Questions:
1.What aspects of life can we be in danger of flirting with? How can we be unfaithful to Christ as our groom?
2.How can we keep our eyes from straying away from our Groom?
3.Does anybody struggle with the security that Christ's betrothal promises? How can we help each other know this truth more and more?
4.Pray for each other, and share if appropriate, regarding our motivations: who are we trying to please? Ourselves? Others? Him?
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Beacon Touchpaper #23: "God's Welfare System, part 1: Shalom"

"But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare." (Jeremiah 29.7, ESV)

"Shalom" is a Hebrew word uttered by Jewish people as a greeting everywhere. Its basic translation is "peace", but it has a far greater meaning than some simple truce or state of mind. SHALOM encapsulates wholeness, completeness, health, fullness, rest, harmony, well-being... When Jesus often greeted the disciples with "Peace be with you" ("Shalom aleichem", John 20.19, 21, 26), He was not merely hoping they'd be calm and happy; He fully intended that they receive complete fullness through Him as Saviour. Shalom is the process of restoration to wholeness. Jewish people in their greetings are expressing a yearning for something that only their promised Messiah could bring. And He did.

We live in a broken world, where the once-perfect, FULL relationship between God and man has been fractured by the chasm of sin. And yet in Christ we find the complete restoration of that relationship once again. In His perfect life, death and resurrection, Christ has made it possible for us to be reunited with God the Father: whole and complete. Christ is also known as "Sar Shalom", the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9.6): His shalom extends beyond salvation to the ultimate restoration of all things to how they were first intended. And that restoration begins right here, right now, through us as His people.

In our nation, the concept of a "welfare system" guarantees minimum standards, social protection and provision of services. But these can only go so far in healing the cracks we see around us in "Broken Britain": abuse, anger, addiction, hurt, sickness... Nothing will ultimately heal these except for Christ's shalom. And in the same context, when God spoke to the Jewish people through the prophet Jeremiah about their place of exile, He told them to "seek the welfare of the city". That very same word translated as welfare is... "shalom".

We too are called to seek the shalom - wholeness - of those around us through meeting their needs and expressing Christ's love for them. Look for the needs around you and be Christ to them. That's God's welfare system. We will continue to study this verse in depth over future Touchpapers but in the meantime, "Shalom aleichem". Peace be upon you and our town.

Steve
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The Cell Leader's Life training resource

"How am I doing as a leader? Am I growing, passionate, envisioned?"

THE LEADER:

As with churches in general, so a Cell group takes on the DNA of its leader(s). Churches tend to mirror their leader(s). A particularly evangelistic leader will invariably result in a particularly evangelistic church, and so on. How you are spiritually directly affects your group. Recognising our strengths and weaknesses as individuals helps us recognise what will come naturally into our leadership and thus into the groups we lead:

• What are my strengths?
• Where can I recognise my limitations?
• Which of those are the way God made me...
• ...and which are areas where I need to act?

THIS IS NOT ABOUT LEGALISM OR GUILT!!! Our understanding of His grace and Fatherhood - hence, our identity and personal walk with Him - feeds our groups' own understanding and their witness and growth is a direct result of that feeding.

THE HEART:

PROVERBS 4.23: "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life"

• Whose life? Yours or others? Might I suggest both?
• It is always so easy to believe it is our knowledge, our skills, our acumen that matter in leadership. Not so. Which is why Solomon - the wisest man on the planet told his son it's the heart that needs priority.

 Michael Hyatt (CEO of Thomas Nelson publishers) gives the following wisdom¹:

“The most important thing you can do as a leader is to keep your heart open. What do I mean? Think of it this way. When your heart is closed:

You are distant and aloof.
You don’t connect to people.
Communication shuts down.
You leave people to fend for themselves.
You focus on what people are doing wrong.
You are critical and demanding.
People feel oppressed.

The result? Possibility dries up and the organization begins to die.

Conversely, when your heart is open:

You are fully present and accessible.
You connect to people.
Communication is wide open.
You are a resource to your people.
You may focus on what is missing, but not on who is wrong.
You are affirming and encouraging.
People feel free.

The result? Possibility flows through the organization and the organization grows and develops.”

THE VISION:

Have the confidence to dream dreams for our folk!!! = boldness in leading folk/taking some degree of (wise) risk:

"...leaders can easily type cast people, boxing them in to a role that gives them no potential."

 "It was said that the core of Horatio Nelson’s talent for leadership was that he made his officers and men feel as if he had faith in them, and depended on them. Taking his captains into his confidence, not only engendering personal loyalty, quickly and permanently, but also created an atmosphere of trust and cooperation..." - Jesus did exactly this with a bunch of selfish, screwy oddballs 2000 years ago. He's still doing that with us too! (both quotes Colin Baron)

"Do you lead an organisation whose front line employee is a volunteer? Pay them vision and meaning. Today." (Will Mancini)

THE PREPARATION:

The behind-the-scenes stuff!

It is a well-documented fact² that those who pray the most for their cell groups on a daily basis are TWICE as likely to see their groups multiply than those who pray minimally. Prayer opens our eyes to the potential in each of our members, to enlightenment in how to tackle issues, in having HIS vision for our group before we cast it.

• How do you pray for your group?
• How do you prepare for a meeting?
• Are you able to meet with or phone your members regularly?
• And just as importantly: this acts as a model for your group to do the same...

¹Ref: http://michaelhyatt.com/2008/02/the-importance-of-a-leaders-heart.html
²Home Cell Group Explosion, Joel Comiskey, p34

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"Ruth: an amazing woman. A more amazing God." - sermon notes for 9/05/10

(You can hear the sermon audio here)


Providence: God at work:

God never needs a back-up plan. He's never taken by surprise:

• Deism = separates God/creation (not involved)
• Pantheism = mixes the 2 together and confuses where God begins/ends (so how is He involved?)
• Fate = elusive/ fairytale/ personifies “destiny”
• Chance (the god of evolution!) = “everything's an accident” (I'M NOT! NEITHER ARE YOU!)

Our God is the Creator Who still cares and is involved and has no back-up plan. When it looks like a lost cause He's not hastily coming up with another idea. He cares/ sustains/ provides.
At all levels: general (sustains everything; upholds, Heb 1.3); within that (makes grass to grow Ps 104.14, provides food for animals in season Ps 104.27, sends the rain Matt 5.45, puts gvt's in place Rom 13.1, gives life in the womb Ps 127.3); then even more specifically: Rom 8.28. (Now see Ruth 2.3: “happened to come...”)

Did God CAUSE the famine? Yes. Look at Ps 105.16-17 about His providence in Joseph's story. And here, God used a FAMINE to draw Ruth into His Son's bloodline. Why? Will look at that later...

Ruth: an amazing woman:

While still young, she had to deal with infertility PLUS widowhood within 10 years of marriage (v4)...

Ruth's character is exemplary – she is:

• Faithful - 1.6-22 (particularly 15-18). She CLUNG to Naomi (v14) – same verb used in Gen 2.24 (ESV - “hold fast”; NIV - “be united”) = binding, exclusive. It declares that future abandonment WILL NOT HAPPEN. See also Dt 10.20 - “Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name.” Ruth, the Moabitess, ex-idolater (1.15 “and to her gods”), is demonstrating the very devotion God asks of His own people. She means this for life (v17). She's determined that the bitter blows she's been dealt will not defeat her. She saw the hope that God can bring – witnessed in the lives of her husband's family. Thus Ruth refused to allow bitterness seep into her heart.
• Takes initiative (2.2) – isn't just some door mat who does what she's told.
• Respectful (2.10 and 13 (“bowing”, “my lord”)
• Humble (2.7, 10 and 13 again) - doesn't lean on her rights as a sojourner (Lev 19.9-10) but on Boaz's favour. Today, our whole culture is rights over responsibility! Ruth ends up in a BETTER place as a result of her humility (2.15)! And then better than THAT (2.16)!
• Her reputation precedes her (2.11)
• Hard-working (2.17)
• Patient (2.23) – some time before the next step!
• Sticks by her word (2.27b: “lived with her mother-in-law”)
• Teachable (takes Naomi's advice to the letter: 3.1-5). Were do you get advice from? From those who say what you need to hear? Or those who say what you want to hear?
• Kind (3.10) = hesed = same word used to describe God's covenanted love-faithfulness to His people. Boaz uses it in describing how she has looked after her mum-in-law, and now come to him as a preferable future, rather than a younger, eligible man.
• Self-controlled – lying at Boaz's feet may not have been the most appropriate of ideas! Very risky. Alone! At night! (3.13-14 = all night, rising just before dawn!). However, her (and Boaz's) self-control is quite phenomenal (not a recommended option for unmarried couples, by the way...)

 … It was all enough to make quite an impact on Boaz. His 1st impression of her was outstanding. Her character sang out. Proverbs 31: the ABC's of womanly excellence: can be depressing unless properly understood = an ideal, covers all aspects. Then we see Ruth... And her CHARACTER wooed him. (something for men to learn from too!). What would be people's most likely 1st impression of you?

Is she too perfect? An unattainable role model? NO. Why? Because she's human and she's real. So what's her secret? Because she vowed to “hold fast” to Naomi and to God. She took that vow seriously. A challenge for us all.

A more amazing God!:

Moab = modern-day Jordan. Moabites - descendants of Lot AND HIS DAUGHTER - worshipped Chemosh (incl human sacrifice). Moabites were not specifically forbidden in marriage, Dt 7.3, BUT not allowed into worshipping congregation, Dt 23.3

She was called “Ruth the Moabite” right up to her marriage: twice in ch1, three times in ch2, and twice in ch4. Emphasises that God's kindness extends BEYOND Israel - now see 4.10 = acquired as Boaz's WIFE, to maintain MAHLON's name thru property/deeds. Ruth also calls her daughter in 3.1. Israel have a position not of privilege but of mission - it was always God's intention to save the nations not a singular nation. So, here we see Ruth welcomed into HIS people as ONE OF HIS OWN. Why? Partly for this reason: so foreign blood flowed in Christ's veins!!!!!!!!

She was a foreigner and an idolatress (1.15) and yet God drew her into his Son's bloodline (Matt 1 = five women incl Mary, two of whom, Rahab and Ruth, were non-Jews) = means that Christ not only came FOR the nations but FROM the nations too!!!!

And so to the great romantic climax: the lovers marry, are prophesied over (An audacious prophecy! Telling a young woman who's had to deal with infertility that she'll have a child!), and she does indeed have a child. Obed is the grandfather of King David, the forefather of Jesus Christ.

Which brings us to this:


The overall EARTHLY goal of Ruth's story/Naomi's intentions = to find Ruth a home (1.9, 3.1)... The overall HEAVENLY goal of Ruth's story: to bring humanity home to the Father through His Son.

This story is about life from death: God the Father, in His Providence, brought life out of famine, out of infertility, out of death. Christ, the most marked result of this story, has done the same for us in His death and resurrection. What happened to Ruth has happened to us: Eph 2.11-13. We've been rescued from dead beliefs, from dead works, from death itself, into LIFE itself, by Christ Himself! Just like Ruth, we have been redeemed – rescued, delivered, saved.

The main point? That no matter how exemplary you are – even as much a man or woman of integrity as Ruth – we are still only saved by His grace. Ruth's high standards and faithfulness did not make up for her past, did not crowbar her into God's kingdom. God's providence did that. Her grandstanding speech, as much as it is a remarkable open commitment to Naomi, pointed the way to HIM – this is a prayer of commitment to the One Who is behind it all. HE drew her in. HE called her. HE saved her. And He is calling you too.


Nothing you say or do will change your past. Only He can do that. Not chance, not fate, Not an amoebic pantheistic god, not an absent or dead god. Only the True God, the God of providence. Seek Him first.

Cell Q's:

1. Look again at Psalm 105.16-17 about God's involvement in natural disasters.
• Is this difficult for you?
• How do we find comfort in this?
• What would the world say?
• What should be our answer?
2. Ruth was teachable and humble.
• Where do you get your advice/counsel from?
• How can we encourage more accountability, counsel amongst our Beacon family?

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Beacon Touchpaper #22: "Our FATHER"

"Pray then like this: our FATHER in heaven..." (Matt 6.9, ESV)

There are places on the internet where people can write their secrets anonymously for others to read. One in particular is extremely popular, with thousands of posts by people who cannot share their thoughts with others. Perhaps not surprisingly, for the most part it is a very sad and lonely place:

"My husband rarely talks to me. So when he's sleeping I look through his phone, his car & his clothes to see how his day went."

"I would never do anything to hurt myself, but sometimes I wish something would happen to me just to see if you actually cared."

"Mom, all I have ever wanted is for you to tell me you are proud of me! How hard is that?"

"I bring laughter to many, but I am so sad and lonely that I often wish that I will simply die in my sleep."

In many ways, the site has even become a virtual confessional booth, with people yearning for some relief from the things they struggle with and carry in secret. So many people wear masks; they live their days either pretending to be someone they're not, or allowing it to consume them on the outside too. We as believers aren't immune to this either, and can bottle up our feelings and our anxieties. But there is a truth that gives us freedom: we are God's children. We have been born through the Spirit into a family, created to share each others' burdens, to support one another and to provide accountability and counsel. We have been called to lean on each other.

But, praise God, neither does it stop there! As God's children we can call Him Abba Father - a name that combines honour, reverence, affection and intimacy in one beautiful name. There is a reason why Jesus taught us to pray with "our Father" before anything else.

Some people may have no one to turn to, or only to strangers on a website. Others believe they need a priest. Yet others may view God as an aloof king to whom they try to wave from the crowd and holler in the vain hope that he may one day notice them. We, however, have every opportunity - ALL THE TIME - to run through those throne room doors and straight into the embrace of our wonderful Father King. Go talk to your Father.
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How did Jesus spend His Saturday?

I've come across an interesting number of people who are confused, uncertain or wrongly taught about how Jesus spent the 36+ hours from 3pm Friday afternoon to dawn on Sunday. Many believe he went to Hell, but this is not Biblical.

The phrase "descended into hell" does not occur in the Bible, but appears in the Apostles' Creed: "...was crucified, dead, and buried, he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead." Even this particular phrase is not found in any early versions of the creed, but only appeared once in AD 390, and even then was intended to mean "descended into the grave". However, come AD 650 it appeared in final form, and spawned a number of explanations since to uphold its literal interpretation. This was not its intention, and is not upheld by Scripture.

One common piece of Scripture used to uphold the argument is from Ephesians 4.8-9 - the Greek text is, however, referring to descending into "the lower regions [which are] the earth". Another, 1 Peter 3.18-20, has been taken to mean that Christ literally visited Hell in his death and preached to the spirits there. The context, as always, is vital, and here it means the work that Christ did through His Spirit in the time of Noah. This also applies in similar vein to 1 Peter 4.6. There are no second chances for people.

And so, when Christ turns to the thief on the cross and says, "Today you will be with me in Paradise"(Luke 23.43), He meant just that. The Sabbath Saturday for Jesus was family time: with His heavenly Father, with his new friend the thief, and with the saints already there too who were true men and women of faith, their salvation secured in Christ's perfect death ("it is finished") and the glorious resurrection to come in just a few hours.
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