Spring City Fellowship
251102Sunday
Sunday November 2, 2025 10:15AM Service

      • Psalm 150:3NIV2011

  • Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing (w/Chorus)
  • Goodness Of God
  • Be Enthroned
  • Always Only Jesus
  • Mighty Name Of Jesus
  • I Stand In Awe
  • 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.
    Over the last several months we talked about divine healing, deliverance and forgiveness .
    We have talked about faith, repentance and having a personal relationship with God.
    We looked at parables of Jesus and about miracles, signs and wonders which demonstrate both the power of God and His purpose to restore all things.
    We covered the subjects of religion, tradition and spiritual transformation.
    Most recently the message was about restoration and reconciliation of relationships.
    We have covered just about everything that Matthew tells us about the renewed life and living like Jesus.
    So last week I asked the question - “So what is the reward for all of this?”
    You might be surprised to learn that the reward for serving God is that we get to do it for all eternity!
    That’s only a reward if you really love being with God and enjoy serving Him.
    If you don’t - well then there really is no reward that will ever be enough and none of this makes sense.
    Serving God is a matter of devotion - it’s not just something you do - it’s all encompassing.
    It defines you and gives meaning and purpose to your life.
    You can be devoted to sports. There are people who watch sports. There are people who play sports and then there are people who LIVE sports. Everything they do revolves around their team and their love of the game.
    These are the people who are feeling a little lost this week because the Eagles are having a bye week.
    I’m glad you came this morning - we are here to console you and hopefully show you something even more exciting that you can devote your life to.
    To be devoted to Jesus means being a real fan - a “Jesus Freak”.
    DC Talk wrote "Jesus Freak" to be a bold declaration of love for Jesus Christ, even in the midst of persecution. The song's title was derived from the derogatory term "Jesus freak," which was turned on its head by the band. 
    What will people think when they hear that I'm a Jesus freak What will people do when they find that it's true I don't really care if they label me a Jesus freak There ain't no disguising the truth
    Jesus Freak" was released in 1995 and became a significant part of contemporary Christian music, winning the Dove Award for Song Of The Year in 1996.
    You get the idea - there are people who follow Jesus - meaning that Faith in Christ has some place of importance in their life; and then there are people for whom their entire life is devoted to serving God.
    I’m going to try to convince you this morning that the latter is what it really means to live like Jesus.
    At when Matthew reflects on the teachings of Jesus, the renewed life is a life that is entirely devoted to God.
    So I asked My Bible AI program to define devotion and this is what it came up with:
    What is devotion?
    Devotion is a multifaceted concept encompassing deep emotional and spiritual commitment. 
    It fundamentally represents strong attachment, love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person or cause.
    In a religious context, devotion is the emotional side of Christian faith, involving responses to Jesus Christ that include admiration of God’s works, a sense of familiarity with Jesus, sorrow for sin, feeling secure in God’s care, and joy in companionship with other believers.
    Critically, devotion links belief with action, serving as a motivational environment that enables believers to embody gospel principles.
    It is considered authentic only when it prompts and sustains Christian behavior, rather than remaining mere religious sentimentality. 
    At its core, devotion can be understood as the intimate, inner side of worship—an intentional attitude involving the deliberate movement of one’s will towards the object of worship. 
    Ultimately, it represents a state of being dedicated or consecrated, involving a yielding of heart and affections to God with reverence, faith, and piety.
    That is a lot of definitions!
    You don’t want me to unpack all of that, we would be here for hours.
    I’m thinking that I do not have that much devotion from my congregation that you would be willing to listen to me for that long.
    So I summarized it in three points that fit nicely with our passage for today.
    Devotion is admiration.
    Devotion is loyalty.
    Devotion is an act of our will in accordance with our faith.
    My hope is that as we read this passage in Matthew’s gospel we will rekindle and renew our devotion to Jesus Christ.

    Devotion is admiration.

    Matthew 20:29–34 ESV
    29 And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. 30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 32 And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” 34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.
    So Jesus is travelling from Jericho which is on a wide plain at the foot of the mountains of Judea and extends for miles to the Jordan river.
    You can see for quite a distance on that road.
    And you can probably hear for quite a distance as well.
    Two blind men were well aware of Jesus and his disciples long before they passed them by the side of the road.
    They were crying out “Lord have mercy!” which is not so unusual for a beggar.
    But they were also calling out “Son of David”
    That is worth noting:
    Son of David is a royal title, used for someone from the royal family of the line of David.
    The current rulers of Israel were from the Hasmonean dynasty which was not from the house of David.
    And it consisted of priest which were not from the line of Aaron or Moses.
    People who were opposed to Israel’s aristocratic leadership often referenced these facts.
    Son of David is a Messianic title - meaning that the Messiah would be from the house and the line of David - thus not the current rulers.
    These blind men are not just asking for a miracle, they are declaring Jesus to be the Messiah before He even reached them.
    Then Jesus stops and asks them what is their request.
    And their request - of course - is for their eyes to be opened.
    That is a request that Jesus is more than willing to grant - to them and to all of us.

    Let your eyes be opened.

    Here is the irony of the story - these were blind men but they saw Jesus coming from far away.
    They recognized Jesus as the Messiah before many others, even before some of His discipled did.
    They want Jesus to open their eyes, but their eyes are already open in ways that most people can’t see.
    What about you, are your eyes open?
    Who is Jesus to you?
    Is Jesus just a man, perhaps a great teacher?
    Is Jesus simply a religious figure, a miracle worker and a mysterious holy man?
    Or is Jesus so familiar that you call him your “home boy” and make jokes about Him?
    Both of these miss the point.
    If your view of Jesus doesn’t include both love and reverence, you have at least one eye shut.
    Seeing Jesus as He is inspires awe and worship.
    We come to Him with our need,
    But we come already recognizing who He is and expecting Him to do what we already know He does.
    Devotion recognizes who Jesus is and responds in worship and adoration.
    Yes, we come to Him with our needs and requests.
    But we come reverently expectantly because we already know and see who He is.
    By this point in Matthews gospel there were many who knew who Jesus was and that is what prompted them to worship Him as He entered Jerusalem.

    Give it all to Jesus.

    Matthew 21:1–5 ESV
    1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ”
    Have you ever imagined how this must have played out...
    “Hey, where are you going with that donkey!”
    “ The Lord needs it.”
    “Oh, ok, well if you say so...”
    There has to be more to the story than what we are told.
    In The Chosen, the owner of the donkey was already a secret follower of Jesus and the request fulfilled His desire to serve God.
    I have heard preachers preach whole sermons on those few words - The Lord has need of it...”
    Those were sermons on devotion - if the Lord asks you for something, do you have to know why?
    Or does God get what God wants, just because He is God and you trust Him!
    Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey not on a war horse.
    A donkey was the primary mode of transportation for prophets.
    Why? Because a donkey means, “I come in peace!”
    Donkeys are not fast animals.
    They are sturdy and reliable transportation.
    It’s the Ford F150 of the ancient world.
    You are not trying to win any contests, you just want to get the job done.
    By the way, do you know what vehicle is owned and driven by more millionaires than any other vehicle? - Ford F150 - practical/
    Devotion means you trust God daily and in practical ways.
    He has your attention.
    You are captivated, drawn to what you see.
    And there is nothing you wouldn’t give if you knew that God wanted or needed it.
    But what God mostly wants and what He really needs is you.

    Devotion is loyalty.

    If you were there on the day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem, what would you have done.
    Presumably, we would have joined the crowds is welcoming Jesus and shouting Hosanna.
    But did you ever stop to think that by doing so, you are making a public declaration, that you believe that Jesus is the Messiah.
    Sure, ok, so what?
    Well if Jesus is the Messiah - then the current political establishment is either in the way or totally irrelevant.
    It means that the Roman occupiers have a new challenger and there is going to be conflict.
    Declaring Jesus as the Messiah is nothing short of a declaration of war!
    But he’s riding on a donkey - which means he’s not a threat - however, to the religious leaders the symbology is unmistakable.
    It’s time for people to take sides.
    Devotion is definitely taking a side.
    There are simply no two ways about it.

    Give God your allegiance.

    Matthew 21:6–11 ESV
    6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”
    If you are waving a palm branch and shouting “Hosanna” you might as well be wearing a big bright T-shirt that says. “I’m on team Jesus!”
    You are declaring your allegiance -you have chosen a side.
    Participating in the palm Sunday celebration at Jerusalem would be like wearing a Dallas Cowboys jersey to a game at Lincoln Field.
    Or wearing an Eagles jersey to a game in New York.
    You are either very brave or very stupid!
    Or you just believe in your team so much that you don’t care what anyone else thinks - that’s devotion!
    Do you know who else was watching when Jesus rode into Jerusalem?
    I mean beside the Roman authorities and the Jewish leaders?
    There were principalities and powers
    Colossians 2:15 TPT
    15 Then Jesus made a public spectacle of all the powers and principalities of darkness, stripping away from them every weapon and all their spiritual authority and power to accuse us. And by the power of the cross, Jesus led them around as prisoners in a procession of triumph. He was not their prisoner; they were his!
    It’s one thing to talk about the political implications of the triumphal entry - it is another to talk of the spiritual implications of the power behind the politics
    Jesus was basically thumbing his nose at the whole spiritual realm.
    Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah - you can’t get me!
    Actually, he wanted them to come and get him.
    Because through what they thought would be his defeat would come the world’s redemption.
    1 Corinthians 2:8 AMP
    8 None of the rulers of this age or world perceived and recognized and understood this, for if they had, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory.
    It really matters where your allegiance lies.
    Especially when it comes to spiritual matters that are bigger than this world.
    You really want to make sure that you are rooting for the right team!
    Forget that - you want to be on the field playing for the right team!

    Give Him all your worship.

    Matthew 21:12–17 ESV
    12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” 14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16 and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “ ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?” 17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.
    When Jesus rode onto Jerusalem, He provoked the religious rulers - the civil authorities behind those religious rulers and the demonic powers behind all of them.
    And if that wasn’t enough, next He goes into the temple and turns over some tables with money and pigeon crap on them making people have to crawl around sorting through pigeon crap to find their precious coins
    He did this to make a point...
    What they are worshipping is not God - its crap!
    They are worshipping the experience.
    They are worshipping their temple.
    Everything is smoke and lights.
    Its all about getting the right feeling.
    And God is relegated to the sidelines somewhere.
    Their worship was all about the worshipper - or so they say.
    Really its about overpromising and under delivering.
    Keep them coming back for more.
    Meanwhile the religious leaders are raking in big profits.
    Why did Jesus clear the temple?
    He wasn’t trying to win a popularity contest.
    He wanted to restore true worship to the people of God.
    It’s about true devotion - worshipping God from the heart.
    Deuteronomy 6:5–9 NLT
    5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 8 Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
    That was what God always wanted for His people.
    That is what God wants for us.
    God is not impressed with our church services.
    Everything we do is supposed to bring us closer to God.
    If its not doing it - then we need to relook at what we are doing.
    All of this is not for us - it is for Him!
    He is the reason for why we do what we do.

    Devotion is an act of faith.

    Matthew 21:18–22 ESV
    18 In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once. 20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” 21 And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
    Did you hear that? You can have anything you ask for from God if you ask in faith.
    What does it mean to have faith?

    Faith tells it like it is.

    We think of faith as believing - but not just believing anything - it is believing what is true.
    Jesus makes this point in his conversation with the chief priest in the next passage.
    Matthew 21:23–27 ESV
    23 And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
    Whether He is talking to the fig tree or to the religious leaders - Jesus tells it like it is.
    In the case of the fig tree, it immediately shrivels up and dies.
    In the case of the religious leaders - they shrug it off - they were already dead inside.
    Devotion can’t be faked - when it is, its not true devotion.
    Remember our definitions that we began with:
    Critically, devotion links belief with action, serving as a motivational environment that enables believers to embody gospel principles.
    It is considered authentic only when it prompts and sustains Christian behavior, rather than remaining mere religious sentimentality. 
    Devotion has to be real, or it isn’t devotion.
    How do we know its real?
    Because it is consistent with the nature and character of it’s object.
    In the case of the fig tree - there should have been fruit and there wasn’t.
    In the case of the chief priest - there should have been faith and there wasn’t.
    They didn’t know and couldn’t say what they believe because they were just trying to look good - just like the tree.
    John 14:15 ESV
    15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
    If you love and devotion toward God is real - you have to call it like it is.
    And you have to back it up with your actions.

    Faith doesn’t just talk, it acts.

    Matthew 21:28–32 ESV
    28 “What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. 30 And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.
    What you do is more important than what you say.
    If you say one thing and do another, you are going to be judged based on what you actually do - not on what you said you were going to do.
    Actions speak louder than words!
    James 2:18 NLT
    18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”
    Some of the definitions of devotions focus on the feeling aspect of devotion.
    Devotion is a deep and abiding love for God.
    But that emotion looses its meaning if its only a feeling.
    Feelings are more powerful when they are expressed.
    It is good to put words to our feelings of devotion.
    I love to worship God and get lost in that place of worship and the feelings of being close to God.
    But sooner or later, devotion needs to translate into action.
    When we read and interpret the scripture, the last step of interpretation is application.
    What does God want me to do with what I have learned?
    At the Disciplemaker 101 seminar we learned how to do discovery Bible study.
    What does the passage teach us about God?
    What does the passage teach us about ourselves?
    What do I need to do to obey God according to this passage?
    Discovery Bible study assumes that the purpose for reading and studying the scripture is so that me may obey it.
    We then make “I will...” statements - what will you do with what you learned?
    Devotion is obedience - devotion to God always leads us to obey God.
    Our worship leads us to surrender and surrender leads to obedience.
    If our faith is not leading us to action then there is something wrong with our faith.
    Either we don’t have the faith that we say we do -
    Or our faith is in something other than God.
    Faith in our own ability.
    Faith in a religious system.
    Faith in works ( meaning we think we have already done enough).
    Living like Jesus is not something you can do half-way.
    It requires a life of devotion.
    And devotion is not a part-time activity.
    Devotion means you give all of you for all of Him.
    You can’t just add a little Jesus to your life.
    Just like you can’t be a little bit pregnant.
    It’s all or nothing.
    You’re either devoted or you are not.
    So what will it be?

    Questions for reflection:

    Prior to hearing this message perhaps you thought devotion meant your daily prayer and Bible reading? In what way does this represent your devotion to God? In what ways does your devotion to God go beyond your morning routine?
    Are you on team Jesus? If Jesus were riding into our town would you be waving banners and shouting “Hosanna?” Where have you had opportunity recently to stand up for Jesus? How did you handle it?
    Is your devotion real? Does your faith in church match your faith at home? Do your words line up with your actions? Is your devotion just for fifteen minutes a day or is it 24/7/365?

      • Matthew 20:29–34NIV2011

      • Matthew 21:1–5NIV2011

      • Matthew 21:6–11NIV2011

      • Colossians 2:15NIV2011

      • 1 Corinthians 2:8NIV2011

      • Matthew 21:12–17NIV2011

      • Deuteronomy 6:5–9NIV2011

      • Matthew 21:18–22NIV2011

      • Matthew 21:23–27NIV2011

      • John 14:15NIV2011

      • Matthew 21:28–32NIV2011

      • James 2:18NIV2011

  • With All I Am
Spring City Fellowship
office@springcityfellowship.com
(610) 948-5250
https://springcityfellowship.com
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