Author: sparkythejesusfreak

I Don’t Want To Listen

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Hear me, my people, and I will warn you— if you would only listen to me, Israel! “But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices. “If my people would only listen to me, if Israel would only follow my ways,
Psalm 81:8,11-13 – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Psalm%2081:8,11-13&version=NIV

It’s not hard to listen if your ears are functioning properly. It’s not hard to listen if your heart is pumping blood to your brain. It’s hard to listen if all things being equal you choose as an act of your free will to NOT listen. It’s your choice. Choose to plug your ears and your heart to God. The consequences of NOT listening are not “fake news;” they are not fantasy; they are reality: a Christ-less eternity forever separated from your Creator. That sucks but it is very real.

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If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Hebrews 10:26-31 – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews%2010:26-31&version=NIV

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to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.
Romans 1:7,2:5-11 – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Romans%201:7,2:5-11&version=NASB1995

Veritas

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[This revamped sparkythejesusfreak blog is dedicated to a wonderful, sweet lady, Nancy Moucha, from my former church, First Baptist of East Stroudsburg, PA. Years ago after I preached my once to twice-a-year sermon at our church, Nancy came up to me and essentially said, “Tim, you are easy to understand. Your message is clear. You should start a blog.” Well Nancy, today, April 29, 2022 is the day. The blog I started many years ago is finally ready to deliver the truth in as much clarity as this fallen but redeemed self-proclaimed “Jesus Freak” – (all human credit to D.C. Talk – Michael Tait, Kevin Max, and TobyMac – for being faithful to listen to the voice of the Spirit [God gets the real credit :)] and write the lyrics to “Jesus Freak” all those years ago. Rock on Freaks!!) – that this Jesus Freak is capable of delivering. By myself I can deliver nothing of eternal value; fully submitted to the will of God and being filled consistently on an ongoing basis with the Spirit of Jesus Christ . . . CLARITY will NOT be an issue.

Thank you, Nancy Moucha, for your wise words of counsel those many years ago. You have NO idea the impact you have had on my life and will continue to have not only in my life but Lord-willing in countless thousands of lives because of those handful of words well-chosen and faithfully spoken. Well done Nancy!]

Volume MMXXII:IV-XXIX (2022:4-29 or April 29, 2022 for Roman Numerals 101 preschool flunkies)

I believe in . . . What? I want to believe in whatever is true. It seems logical, practical, wise. To not believe in the truth to me seems illogical, impractical, and unwise, a.k.a. foolish. You may feel differently. Knock yourself out, i.e. you are free to believe what you want to believe.

Veritas = Truth. “What is Truth?” Pontius Pilate wasn’t asking a question in all likelihood. He just didn’t think truth could be figured out and known except for his “truth” that his life stunk. He was stuck in Israel tasked with keeping the Jews from rebelling and rioting. He needed to keep order or his emperor would have his head. His “truth” = “I’m stuck in this lousy land tasked with keeping order when I would rather be soaking my bones in a Roman bath!”

Veritas = Truth. What is THE Truth?

THE TRUTH Is . . .

Jesus Christ

John 14:6: “Jesus answered, ‘I am The Way and The Truth and The Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ “

“And I was afraid . . . “

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In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30, three servants are given various amounts of money/possessions/”talents”. One receives five talents and doubles it. One receives two talents and doubles it. The third servant receives one talent and buries it in the ground. Two servants have a holy ambition to increase their master’s possessions. One servant has an unholy lack of ambition to protect him or herself from failure, from difficulty, from the real possibility that he/she would have to do difficult things in order to add to the talent he/she was given.

WHY?

“AND I WAS AFRAID”

I am that servant.

I have lived much of my life afraid, paralyzed by the wrong kind of fear of the master, fear of failure, fear of the “what ifs” of decision-making, fear of “what will people think of me if I do something different or wrong?????!!!!!” What a dope I am.

Why does God have to say in the Bible so many times, over and over again: DON’T BE AFRAID?

Because I am afraid.

Fear paralyzes. It causes me and perhaps you also to not do difficult things, to procrastinate on loving my neighbor if it is slightly difficult or uncomfortable, to not make that decision that needs to be made because I might get it wrong or I might be criticized by somebody for my decision.

Talk about gutless.

My conclusion: FEAR STINKS!

Fear is a choice. Trust in God is also a choice. As for me and my house, we will choose to trust God and fear Him, not everything else under the sun!!

Just like Israel

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“But My people did not listen to Me; Israel did not obey Me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own plans. If only My people would listen to Me and Israel would follow My ways, I would quickly subdue their enemies and turn My hand against their foes.”
Psalm 81:11-14 – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Psalm%2081:11-14&version=HCSB

Sometimes I’m just like Israel was: stubborn, selfish, disobedient. I need to listen and follow.

Jesus: Kingdom Without End

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Then the angel told her: Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Now listen: You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end. – Luke 1:30-33 https://biblegateway.com/passage?search=Luke.1.30-Luke.1.33&version=HCSB