Spring City Fellowship
250615Sunday
Sunday June 15, 2025 10:15AM Service

      • Psalm 150:3NIV2011

  • All Honour
  • Be Enthroned
  • Earth And Heaven Roar
  • Worthy
  • Tremble
  • Our Theme for 2025 is “Live Like Jesus”
    It comes out of a simple desire to follow Jesus - and to learn better what that means.
    We are spending the entire year in the Gospel of Matthew.
    We began by going very slowly through twelve verses at the beginning of chapter five, known as the beatitudes.
    We skipped ahead to chapter 25 and moved through the teachings and narrative of Jesus’ Passion, leading up to His death and resurrection.
    Then we went back to chapter five to pick up where we left off.
    Most of the rest of our time in Matthew will be spent examining the way that Jesus describes the renewed life that we have in Christ.
    We talked about being salt and light - a demonstration to the world of who God is.
    We also talked about living as a changed person.
    And we talked about bearing “good fruit.”
    Last week we talked about divine healing; how God’s plan is to restore all things and healing demonstrates that His plan is already begun.
    And even when we don’t see it right away, we can be sure His plan is ultimately to heal - one way or another.
    We continue this week in Matthew chapter 8.
    We ended last week with the statement that healing is part of the gospel.
    It is part of the good news that Jesus has begun to fulfill God’s plan and make a way to restore all things.
    Matthew 8:16 ESV
    16 That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick.
    The renewed life is not just that God will heal you and restore you; but that God will also deliver you from the evil that is trying to oppress you.
    They brought people to Jesus who were oppressed by demons.
    He evicted them; threw them out; sent them packing.
    Not only is it God’s plan to restore what is good; He has also declared war on the forces of evil.
    Are demons real?
    Yes, but get your information from the Bible, not from the movies.
    I have been involved in numerous ”deliverances.” I have seen people get all weird and heard their voice change. I have had people spit at me, growl at me, even threaten to kill me. I can often feel the presence of evil even before it begins to manifest.
    Someone may ask, “Aren’t you afraid when that happens?”
    No, I’m not afraid, because I know that Jesus has defeated the powers of darkness. In fact, like a frightened animal, they don’t just show up unless you have them cornered. If I see a demonic manifestation, I take it as a sign that Jesus wants to set this person free.
    I don’t need to do anything profound. I don’t need to solve any clever riddles or work up some kind of spiritual power. I just need to be obedient to the Holy Spirit; and be humble and gentle with the person who is suffering - Just like Jesus is toward me.
    I know what is is to have an area of my life that is out of control.
    I have wrestled with thoughts and impulses that didn’t originate with me.
    I have had to come to the place where I finally admit - yes, I did that, but it wasn’t me.
    At least it is not me at my best or the real me.
    This is not what I really want.
    I gave in to the pressure.
    I allowed other voices to drown out what I know is right.
    You might say, “ well that’s just human nature.”
    Yes it is, but its more than just our sinful nature.
    It’s playing right into and along with a spiritual realm that is in rebellion against God.
    There are evil forces that feed on our sinful tendencies and feed into them.
    Ephesians 2:1–5 CEV
    1 In the past you were dead because you sinned and fought against God. 2 You followed the ways of this world and obeyed the devil. He rules the world, and his spirit has power over everyone who doesn’t obey God. 3 Once we were also ruled by the selfish desires of our bodies and minds. We had made God angry, and we were going to be punished like everyone else. 4 But God was merciful! We were dead because of our sins, but God loved us so much that he made us alive with Christ, and God’s wonderful kindness is what saves you.
    Jesus offers a path of deliverance.
    When we turn away from sin; we turn our back on evil and toward God.
    As long as you are moving toward God, you are on the path of deliverance.
    As we will see in our passage today, the renewed life means staying on that path and following Jesus.
    The Bible offers some steps that you can take toward overcoming the evil that is trying to oppress you.
    James 4:7 TPT
    7 So then, surrender to God. Stand up to the devil and resist him and he will turn and run away from you.
    James lays out the path of deliverance just as Matthew describes teaching of Jesus and the events which demonstrated to the disciples His power over the forces of evil.
    The order in which Matthew tell these events is intentional, it is mean to show the path to follow.
    Surrender to God.
    Stand up to the devil.
    Resist until they flee.

    Surrender to God.

    Matthew 8:18–20 ESV
    18 Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. 19 And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
    In my Bible, this passage is under the heading “the cost of following Jesus”
    Why is it here?
    I thought this chapter was about healing and deliverance?
    Luke records the same words of Jesus, but places them later in Jesus’ ministry when He is traveling throughout the countryside with His disciples.
    These statements serve as a balance to the crowds that were following Jesus.
    The fact that he healed people and did miracles made Him popular.
    But not many people consider what is is actually like to become a disciple of Jesus.
    At this point, Jesus has many followers, but only a few disciples.
    Everybody wants to “live like Jesus” but only a few people ever stop to consider what that means - and specifically what it means for them.

    Get out of your comfort zone.

    Foxes and birds are wild creatures, but even they have homes.
    Your home is your place of comfort.
    It is where you can go to rest after a long day of doing whatever foxes and birds do - probably hunting for food - or trying not to become food.
    Home is safe.
    You know it.
    You know what to expect.
    You know what is expected of you.
    Home is routine.
    You go home to the same place.
    The same people.
    The same bed.
    There is comfort in sameness.
    Jesus and His disciples are on the road.
    They sleep wherever they can find shelter.
    Sometimes that means under a rock or a tree.
    They sleep where the foxes and the birds sleep.
    But they are not foxes nor are they birds.
    It illustrates an even bigger truth - we are not truly at home in this world.
    Jesus warned His disciples that by following Him, the world would reject them.
    John 15:18–19 NLT
    18 “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. 19 The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.
    So much for comfort!
    Follow Jesus and the world may disown you.
    Why? Because. like we read in Ephesians, it is under the influence of evil.
    That only becomes a problem when you decide to live differently.
    It is still the right decision, just don’t be surprised when people and circumstances suddenly change - because you changed.

    Be decisive in your focus.

    Matthew 8:21–22 ESV
    21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”
    In Bible times, one of the greatest responsibilities was to care for their parents in their old age.
    When a parent dies, they will mourn for that parent for a whole year.
    Burial happened in two stages.
    There was the initial preparation of the body and placement in a cave-like tomb.
    A year later they would go back and gather up the bones, put them in a box and intern them in a permanent location.
    This person was likely in the period between the first burial and the final one.
    They wanted to follow Jesus but they had a family obligation to fulfill.
    It wasn’t like they were just waiting for their parent to die.
    This is where a person needs to weigh, not only the cost of following Jesus, but the priority of their calling.
    Yes, it is important to honor your parents.
    But when you live in a moment in time where the Savior of the world is ushering in the reality of the Kingdom of God and you have the opportunity to be part of it...
    Something like that is even bigger than life and death!
    After all, what dignity is there to death without eternal hope?
    Burying his father was probably just a ceremonial role.
    Most Jews wouldn’t actually touch a dead body.
    They would pay someone else to do it.
    How important is it to preside over a death ritual when you can give someone new life!?
    Why is this important?
    I can assure you that when you decide to follow Jesus
    and especially if you start to interfere with with the ways of the world and its evil plans,
    you are going to encounter resistance.
    Not necessarily bad things - just lots of distraction.
    You will find yourself inundated with every request and obligation - anything to keep you from the path toward true freedom.
    Lots of seemingly good things will try to keep you from doing the “one thing” that God told you to do.
    And that is the test of a true disciple - simple obedience to God.
    Until you are willing to obey God above everything else, it doesn’t really matter so much what you do next.
    Obedience is the only path that will take you forward.
    Every other path will eventually circle back around to that place of surrendering yourself more fully to God.
    That is how we overcome the enemy.

    Stand up to the devil.

    Matthew 8:23–25 ESV
    23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.”
    Matthew, Mark and Luke all tell the story of Jesus asleep in the boat when suddenly a terrible storm come up.
    All three of them locate this story as being right before Jesus encounters the demonized man (or men in Matthew).
    Do you think that was a coincidence?

    Discern when a storm is not just a storm.

    Have you ever noticed that just before you do something really big for God, all hell breaks loose?
    It is as if, in some other realm, they can see it coming and they will try to stop you from your destiny.
    Once you realize this, you can know that at those times when you seem to experience the most resistance, just say to yourself - something good is about to happen!
    Turn to your neighbor and say “ Something good is about to happen!”
    The waters are getting rough and Jesus is asleep in the boat.
    When you know that you are walking in your destiny, you can rest, even when things are rough.
    Especially when things are rough - because you know that’s actually a good sign, because...
    The disciples are starting to panic, and these are not the kind of guys that are normally afraid.
    One third of Jesus’ disciples are fishermen - they make their living on the water.
    They know how to handle a storm, but this is no ordinary storm.
    This thing is evil - its out to get them.
    It seems to know exactly what they are afraid of - and that is what is happening.
    Like your worst nightmare being projected into living reality.
    How do you know when a storm is more than just a storm?
    It is a gift of the Holy Spirit to be able to discern what kind of spirit is operating.
    1 Corinthians 12:10 ESV
    10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
    And even though it is a gift of the Spirit, it is also skill that we can grow in as we mature in Christ.
    Hebrews 5:14 ESV
    14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
    We are spiritual beings who are awakened and made alive in Christ.
    And the more we learn to live from that place of being in Christ, the more we become attuned to spiritual realities.
    1 Corinthians 2:14 ESV
    14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
    Life does not get easier when you make the decision to follow Christ,
    I can pretty much guarantee you it will get harder.
    But you will get stronger,
    and you will learn to know and recognize when a storm is really something else,
    something that is designed to come between you and the assignment God has for you.

    Make your declaration.

    Matthew 8:26–27 ESV
    26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”
    Last week I asked the question, “what is faith?” - do you remember what we said?
    Faith is a covenant word.
    Faith is not just believing - it is belonging.
    Faith is knowing that you have a purpose and a destiny to be fulfilled.
    Faith is knowing that you are part of something much bigger than yourself.
    Faith can be expressed as authority - making things happen because you know who you are and Who stands behind you.
    What Jesus does is precisely because He knows who He is and what is really happening.
    This is not a natural phenomena, it is a supernatural manifestation meant to deter Him from His course.
    He’s not going to put up with it.
    He makes his declaration.
    He invokes His authority.
    He tells the wind and the waves how it is going to be.
    And they obey Him.
    Because He is God and this is part of His plan.
    Do you want to have that kind of confidence?
    I can tell you that you won’t get there by trying.
    Why? because that path begins with surrendering to God.
    It’s not about you and what you can do - it about you recognizing and aligning with what God is doing.
    Once you see yourself as part of something bigger, you are neither impressed nor intimidated by what the enemy is doing.
    You are totally focused on God and your obedience to Him.

    Resist until they flee.

    Matthew 8:28–31 ESV
    28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” 30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. 31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.”
    Mark and Luke go into more detail about the interaction between Jesus and this man or men.
    I find it interesting that Matthew says there were two of them, whereas Mark and Luke only describe one man, but a “legion” of demons.
    What is clear from all accounts is that they represented a clear and present danger to anyone who passed by.
    In fact, most people wouldn’t even go near them.
    That is, everyone except Jesus.
    But what did we just learn from the storm?

    Don’t be intimidated .

    Evil is not all-powerful.
    Evil survives by intimidation.
    Make people think that you are bigger than you are.
    Evil is a bully - they talk tough so people will cower.
    If someone stands up to them, they get upset.
    If enough people stand up to them, they are the ones who are cowering.
    The way to deal with a bully is to stand up to them and hope that you’re not the only one.
    1 Peter 5:8–9 CSB
    8 Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. 9 Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world.
    You are not alone in your struggle against evil.
    Those thoughts that the enemy tries to put into your head - you are not the only one.
    Other people have had to wrestle with those thought too - and they overcame by the power of Jesus Christ.
    Whatever lie, temptation or addiction you may be dealing with - you can be sure someone else has been there.
    Some one has been down that path and can help you to find the way.
    What is more is that Jesus is with you and has overcome sin and death so that you too can overcome in His strength.
    I know it seems overwhelming, but you can only walk that path one step at a time.
    And it is best not to try to do it alone.
    God is with you and we are with you too.
    Just keep the faith.
    The enemy know that His time is limited.
    Jesus is going to restore all things.
    All evil has an expiration date.
    Even these demons are wondering if their time is up.

    Recognize the destructive nature of evil.

    Matthew 8:32–34 ESV
    32 And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. 33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.
    Jesus casts out the demons with just a word.
    That’s what Matthew says in verse 16 too.
    He evicts them with a word.
    A word is how God created the world.
    And it only takes one word from God to restore order.
    The devil can’t create anything - he can only destroy.
    He warps and twists God’s word.
    Just like he will warp an twist your thoughts and your words.
    He will try to use your words against you.
    You have to know what you are dealing with, so you won’t buy into it.
    Demons are disembodied spirits - the only way they can do anything is by using someone else to do it.
    That’s why they try to convince you that you are inadequate, so they can get you to do what they want you to do.
    Thy will try to convince you that you are powerless, so that you won’t resist them.
    Many people dapple in evil and the occult because they believe it will give them power.
    The truth is that the devil takes their power and uses it against them.
    His power is in lies, deception, intimidation and whatever other power people give to him.
    When Jesus told the demons to leave, they went into a herd of pigs and the pigs ran over a cliff.
    Even a pig would rather be dead than be a conduit for evil.
    Imagine the guy or guys whom Jesus delivered watching this happen.
    No wonder I was crazy! That’s what was in my head!
    No wonder I was always so tired - all of my energy was going into resisting that impulse to kill myself.
    No wonder I was so confused - I was putting all of my effort into trying to understand my own twisted thoughts.
    No wonder I couldn’t get up in to morning, take care of my self or live a normal life - all of my effort is spend just trying not to let whatever has gotten into me destroy me.
    Sometimes the first step toward deliverance is simply realizing that you were not meant to live this way.
    The next step is surrendering to God.
    Sadly, many people will not take the first step, because they know it means surrendering to God.
    You would think that anyone who witnessed this miraculous deliverance would come running to Jesus.
    But that’s not what happened.
    Matthew closes the story by telling us that the people wanted Jesus to leave.
    Maybe it because they care more about pigs than people.
    Or maybe its because the enemy was already inside their heads, intimidating them and twisting their thoughts into fear.
    They were encountering the storm.
    What about you?
    If you can relate to what you are hearing, then you also know that there is a path to freedom.
    I can get you started on that path.
    And if you are willing, Jesus will see you through it.
    And you won’t be alone, we are all with you.

    Prayer of Deliverance:

    Jesus, I recognize that you created me and you have redeemed me. I am yours, and I surrender myself fully to you. I ask that you would give me the clarity to know your Holy Spirit’s leading and that all other voices would be silenced and seen for what they are. Help me to know how you are leading me and the courage to follow through.
    Jesus, I ask you for the gift of the Holy Spirit to distinguish what is of you and what is not from you. As I become aware of it, I choose to turn from any thought, motive or behavior that is not consistent with who you made me to be and your purpose for my life. I take up the authority that you have given me and declare that I will live my life according to your plan and for your glory.
    I resist, break off and send away every spiritual being or influence that is not from God. I will not allow evil to inhabit my thoughts, manipulate my mind or twist my words. I will not willingly participate in what would ultimately destroy me. I invite only God’s Holy Spirit to fill me continually and renew my mind and my heart to conform to that of Christ Jesus. Amen.

      • Matthew 8:16ESV

      • Ephesians 2:1–5ESV

      • James 4:7ESV

      • Matthew 8:18–20ESV

      • John 15:18–19ESV

      • Matthew 8:21–22ESV

      • Matthew 8:23–25ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 12:10ESV

      • Hebrews 5:14ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 2:14ESV

      • Matthew 8:26–27ESV

      • Matthew 8:28–31ESV

      • 1 Peter 5:8–9ESV

      • Matthew 8:32–34ESV

  • God Really Loves Us
  • In Jesus Name (God Of Possible)
Spring City Fellowship
office@springcityfellowship.com
(610) 948-5250
https://springcityfellowship.com
30 members • 6 followers