And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.

I had the pleasure of going to Fellowship’s House Group tonite, and I really had a great time. We talked a bit about doing quiet time, and the importance of thinking about things after we read them. So I figure I’ve been slacking lately, so even though it’s late I’m going to try to write up a commentary for this passage.

Back in Matthew it says ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ I think that this is a very easy thing to do – to tell God “if you do this, then I’ll do that.” That’s wrong. The Pharisees and Sadducees are a constant example of what we’re not supposed to be doing. These guys are saying ‘do something amazing, then we’ll believe you.’ But they are completely ignoring all the miraculous works that Jesus had been doing for a long time.
It seems ridiculous to us. Jesus had just fed 2 huge groups with a couple loaves of bread. He’s healed hundreds of people. And yet these guys still want him to do something before he believes them.
They didn’t really need a sign to decide on thier position about Jesus. They were simply testing Jesus. Do we ever do that?
It’s tough. I’ve said things before like ‘I’d do this if God just tells me he wants me to do it.’ But is that really the issue? Or has God been telling us all along and we’re just trying to ignore it. One more, God. Give me one more sign that you want me to do this, and I promise I’ll do it.
In fact, I’ve done that with things outside of the Bible too. Yeah, I need to get up, but I’ll wait until the next time my mom tells me. Yes, I should do this essay, but I’m waiting till the last minute.

Why do we always need 1 more assurance? If we know we should be doing something, why do we wait to be told another time? What are we waiting for?

O you of little faith, why did you doubt?

I really gotta get to bed, but I haven’t posted in a long time and I really want to make a very short point.
We’re all doubters. All of us know that Jesus can save us, but all of us doubt and try to take matters into our own hands. That’s wrong. We’re gonna sink.

Solution? Trust. Think about it, I’m not going to write out an explanation.

Noeo Commentary for Matthew 12.

“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”

That’s depressing. We’re doing something wrong, a terrible habit that we can’t seem to break. We think we’ve got a hold on it, but it comes right back at us, 7 times as strong, and we’re forced to our knees again. Psychology calls it spontaneous recovery. It’s a bad thing, and I’m sure we’ve all experienced it. I’m sure it’s happened to most of us with our new years resolutions. Humans suck at breaking habits. We’ve got an entire section of our brains dedicated to doing the same thing over and over again – it’s called procedural memory. It’s good when you’re riding a bike… not so good when you’re trying to stop smoking. To stop doing drugs. To stop stealing or swearing or lusting or disobeying. The desires’ going to come back.
I’ll write about a friend of mine. I’m not going to mention his name or the specific habit he was trying to break. We were talking, and he says, ‘I was doing so good on breaking this habit, but Christmas break really did me in.’
It’s rough. Those kinds activities give us pleasure. They release dopamine and endorphines, they make us want to do it again. The habit left, but when it stopped by during Christmas break and found nobody home, he gladly waltzed back in with his buddies. So what are we going to do about this. I’ll now post the paraphrase of another one of my friends, in response to the last quote…
‘You just gotta keep busy, man. You gotta keep your mind off of it.’
That’s the key. When that habit, that evil spirit, walks back to your house with his friends, you’re place has gotta be packed. Learn from the poker players – go for the full house. Nobody robs you when you’re home.
But what do you fill your house with? Invite over your Christian friends. Tell ‘em to burn you some good music. Do a read-the-bible-in-a-year study. Study for Spanish, do some SAT prep. Go sledding, skating, or skiing. Grab some friends and chase geese. Work. Work out. Play baseball. Play Wii baseball. Make a post in your blog.
The same applies to hunger, to pain, to boredom. If you don’t pay attention to it, you won’t do it. When you’re doing good stuff, you’re not going to be thinking of bad stuff. Keep your mind off it. Keep the house full.

It works.

Today’s Song: Ghostbusters – Ray Parkey Jr. (apparently)

Noeo Commentary for Matthew 12.

Jesus is so often portrayed as a nice guy in white robes with a sweet beard who came to heal people and be an all-around nice guy. This section of Matthew shows us a quite different side of Jesus, a is not often seen. The religious guys are calling Jesus a demon. What does Jesus say? You brood of vipers! You big group of snakes! You’re a wolf in sheep’s clothing! You’re telling these people that you’re the good guys, but you’re evil. You’re going to hell.

It’s tough. It’s true.

Jesus is a nice guy. But he’s also a just guy. And when somebody’s doing something evil, he’s going to tell them. Plain and simple. Are we a brood of vipers? I don’t mean to be a bearer of bad news, but we’re all kind of in the same boat. Jesus is just, if we’re evil, he’s going to tell us. And decide our fate accordingly. It’s tough. It’s true.

I’ve decided to start titling my posts with an actual title. It’s more fun, and they’re all dated if I need to look back. OK, so Matthew 11…

This passage talks about different cites, and speaks of their unrepentance. Jesus came into these cities, preformed miricles, spoke, taught, and healed. And still, these cities are not repenting. When I first read this, I saw more cities I didn’t know, and started to skim over it. But there’s a powerful meaning here.
Jesus taught in these cities, and yet they didn’t turn from thier evil ways. Because of that, they’re going to hell. Plain and simple. It’s going to be the same with people. People that hear the good news of Jesus but still don’t choose to repent are going to hell. Plain and simple. Repetition is used for emphasis.

That’s bad. We don’t want people to go to hell, remember. That’s a bad thing.
We’ve discussed that we need to be out cutting grain, and that it’s going to be very hard to do. But we’ve forgot an important part of the equation. It’s not enough to just cut the grain and put it in the bag. There’s lots more to the process. We’ve got to bring it back to the building, and get it ready to sell. “I’m being metaphorical, Bob” (Anybody who tells me what movie that’s from gets a Ham Sandwich). Stay with me.

If people are told the good news but don’t repent, they’re going to Hell. So we’ve got to not only tell the people… but make sure they repent. We have to go all the way… or else they “will be brought down to Hades.” Yes, it’s rough. The last 2 posts have been the same way. But… it’s true. We’ve got to tell the people, or they’ll end up just like the mentioned cities.

Today’s Song: Any Colour You Like – Pink Floyd

We’re called to be out there sowing the fields. We’re called to harvest that grain for all we’re worth. But, like all work, it’s not easy. We all know that. Persecution Will Come.

We’re screwed. The Gospel is sending us out ‘as sheep in the midst of wolves,’ to a place where we are definitely not wanted and most likely not safe. It’s rough. People are going to hate us. Perhaps we’ll lose friends. Perhaps we’ll lose jobs. Heck, there are people in the world today who are losing lives because of the Gospel. But this is what we’re called to do. Yes, it kind of sucks. This is the hardest part of the job description. I love talking about God at SI. But at school? People may make fun of me. I love writing about this kind of stuff for you guys to read. But if brandonhorst.wordpress.com was read over the announcements… what would I do then? Yes, this really sucks. We’re being called to do something that’s going to hurt us. But we’re called to do it nonetheless.

Have no fear. How can Jesus say this? A couple verses before he stated that we’re going to get flogged and killed for this! But this is a very, very great verse. “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” I’ve said this before – I don’t fear death… I fear dying. Dying generally involves physical pain, but what does death give us? Eternal life! Death rocks! This doesn’t mean I’m suicidal – it means that I believe in Heaven. We get to go to a place with no pain and no sickness forever, to be with God. So what can people really do to us? Obviously all of us want to stick around here as long as we can, but is there really anything to fear in death? Nope, not really, no.

It’s a great passage. He tells us that we’re going to be persecuted, but he says that it’s alright. It’s not meant to be morbid at all – it’s supposed to be awesome! Lets get out there and harvest that wheat!

Well, finals tomorrow. Good luck to all taking them. To those who aren’t… screw you ;p.

I read the passage today, but nothing truely stuck out to me. I’m not going to try to force myself to write about nothing. I am continuting to read and enjoy the passages.

The Harvest is Plentiful, the Laborers Few
Laborers work in the fields, picking the harvest. Grain that is harvested is put to good use – sold to further the purposes of the laborers. Grain that is not harvested is quickly stolen, eaten, or simply dies and rots. That does no good, and results in losses for the planter of the grain.
This analogy excellently explains both the past and current situation.The harvest is plentiful. Billions of unsaved shafts, sitting in the fields, with nobody to pick them. It’s a horrible thought, in reality. They’re going to rot. In fact, they’re rotting as you read this. Odds are, hundreds will rot as I’m writing out this post. It’s terrible! The landowner is losing everything he’s planted. And in reality, who’s fault is this? Not the landowner – it’s the fault of the workers.
Yep, that’s us. The workers. The laborers in the fields. You may think that laborer is an unflattering analogy, but it beats being called grain. Some of us (1) are out working our tails of in the fields, sickle in hand, collecting as many shafts as we possibly can. Some of us (2) are walking around, just cutting the shafts when they’re right in our path. And then some of us (3) are in some dark corner playing cards.
Did I just use an metaphor to explain a metaphor? The point is, each of us is hired to get that grain. It’s our job, we’re getting paid with eternal life. Where do I fall? Somewhere between 2 and 3. Where was Jesus? In a catagory of his own. We’re called to be the 1s, and quite frankly, the vast majority of us suck at it. Myself entirely included. We’re called to be out saving the lost… perhaps all of us could try a little harder.

Today’s Song: Free Bird – Lynyrd Skynyrd. Because I nailed it on Guitar Hero.

The Lord works in Miraculous ways. I don’t have long to discuss it, but I’ll take a stab at this great passage.

Isaac was in need of a wife. God provided. All that Abraham and his servant did was obey and trust God. My last passage talked about how we shouldn’t use God as our personal computer program, but we need to understand that God also wants to help us. He’s willing, and obviously he has the power, to help us out of tough situations. We need to trust him. I’m pretty sure that all of us are in a pretty tight spot now, with finals approaching. I’m not saying that Jesus is going to come down and quiz you on Trigonometric Functions, or that the Holy Spirit will write you an essay… but I believe that God wants to help you if you let him. Perhaps with nothing more than a good night’s sleep, but he’s on our side. Along with your worship and adoration, “with prayer and petition, and with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Genesis shows that God provides for those who love him. Perhaps all of us could take a lesson in trusting that God knows what’s best for our lives.

Today’s Song: I’m So Glad – Cream

This is truely an amazing section of scripture. God asks Abraham to sacrifice his only son on the alter, the son that God promised to make Abraham into a great nation. Lets put this into perspective, although I’m pretty sure you could imagine it already. Most of you don’t have sons, but I believe it would be pretty easy to imagine the enormous request that this is. You’ve waited 100 years to have a son to carry on your name. You tough it out and your son finally comes, and he turns out good. You’ve been promised that he’s going to make a great nation… and then God asks you to kill him. I can’t even imagine what I would do in that situation. I mean, if he asked me to destory my iPod, I don’t know what I’d do. I’d come up with a million excuses how that couldn’t possibly be God talking to me, and I’d procrastinate to no end. But what does Abraham say? Here I Am. Here I Am, Lord. Can you imagine? Abraham’s faith is absolutly astounding.

I’m here, God. I can hear you. I understand what you are saying and I understand the consequences of my actions. I don’t know why I have to do it, I don’t know why this is happening to me, but I’m going with it.

That’s astounding. And it’s something that every one of us is bad at. And this isn’t just with God! It’s with our teachers, with our parents, with our friends. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you get assigned homework.

This sucks. I’ve already got lots going on tonite, and I’ve got an essay due on friday. Why is she assigning this stupid busy work? Why do we have to do this? It’s a stupid assignment, it’s only a few points, ad I’m not doing it.

You laugh because it’s true. We don’t even do things for our teachers, things that only require a few minutes. How are we expected to do stuff for God? It’s a topic that everyone needs help with, especially with finals coming up. We all need to have more faith in God, in our teachers, in everybody. It’ll be alright. He’ll provide the ram caught in the thicket. All we need to do is build the alter. After all, God created biology… can’t we study it?

Hope you guys all have a great time tonite at SI or whatever else you’ve got going on tonite (here’s lookin’ at you, Aurora kids). It’s the best night of your week. I’m out.