Mass 6:16-21 Religious Practices Case Study 3 Fasting.

INTRODUCTION:

Good Morning Life Church!

Please stand with me as we read God’s word to us today.

Matthew 6:16–21 NASB95

“Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

THANK YOU, YOU MAY BE SEATED:

Today we will finish up the third case study Jesus gave concerning religious practices.

As was his method in chapter five - how to live righteously in an unrighteous world, Jesus uses common practices to build case studies around as examples of how and how not to live as citizens of the Kingdom of God.

Chapter 5 Jesus showed us what it looks like to live righteously towards God, our neighbor, and our enemies.

Chapter 6 Jesus places the focus on our religious life and what proper religion does and does not look like.

We have discussed the religious practices of

Giving - give in a manner that is focussed on the other and the need and not to gain attention for yourself.

Prayer - Focus our prayer towards an audience of one. Prayer is not to be used as a method to gain attention or to build social credit amongst our peers or others.

Jesus has introduced an idea of rewards towards religious practices, saying that if our religious practice is towards Him and His Kingdom work, God will reward us. But if our religious practices are for the attention of others, our only reward will be the attention of others.

Today we look at the religious practice of FASTING.

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ALLOW ME TO REMND YOU OF A COUPLE THINGS BEFORE WE GET STARTED.

When I use the term religious I am refrencing the continued practices of faith that are meant to transform our character and nature towards the character and nature of God.

The disciplines of giving, prayer, and fasting are meant to keep the sinful nature from taking over and aligning us with the will of God.

Second, these three case studies are to give us principles that help us judge our motives in all our religious practices.

What is my motive in singing this morning?

What is my motive in how I dressed this morning?

What is my motive for preaching today?

Funny example - Paul says for women to cover their heads in prayer.

I have attended a few Black churches when I was younger and seen some loud and very large hats. What is the motive?

Today there is a cultural phenomena in church culture amongst younger people starving for Christian tradition and historical roots. Younger women are going back to head coverings - some to be in order with the basic reading of Paul and others to be part of a cultural trend. What is our Motive.

These case studies are meant to cause us to reflect on every area of our religious life and judge ourselves rightly so we can repent and adjust when needed.

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SO LET’S TALK FASTING AND SEE WHAT JESUS HAS TO SAY TO US.

I. The First Thing I Want You to Notice is Jesus Assumption About His People and the Practice of Fasting.

Matthew 6:16–17 NASB95

“Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face

WHENEVER YOU FAST AND WHEN YOU FAST.

Jesus does not command fasting here but He assumes His people will fast.

In the Didache - The Teaching - A manual of discipleship for first century Gentiles - We read.

“Don’t let your fasting coincide with those of the hypocrites. They fast on the 2nd and 5th days of the week (Monday and Thursday). So, you should fast on the 4th day and the preparation day of the week (Wednesday and Friday).”

Didache 8:1

FASTING IS TO BE A REGUALR SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE OF THE PEOPLE OF THE CHURCH.

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II. SO WHAT IS BIBLICAL FASTING AND WHAT PURPOSE DOES IT HAVE?

Biblical Fasting is to be a Response to Thin Moments and Reflection on Grievous Sacred Moments.

Exodus 34:27–28 NASB95

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

Leviticus 23:27 NKJV

“Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.

1 Samuel 7:3–6 NASB95

Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your hearts to the Lord and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” So the sons of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth and served the Lord alone. Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah and I will pray to the Lord for you.” They gathered to Mizpah, and drew water and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the sons of Israel at Mizpah.

Saul after seeing Jesus and going blind - fasted 3 days and nights

(Acts 13:1-3) A Thin moment the church worshipped and fasted and then the Holy Spirit spoke to set aside Barnabas and Paul for missions.

(Acts 14:23) - A Holy and fearful moment of appointing elders - Paul and Barnabas prayed and fasted before appointing the elders.

And of course Jesus was led by the Spirit for a Holy moment and Jesus fasted 40 days in the presence of the Spirit. (Sonship and calling)

BIBLICAL FASTING IS A FULL BODY EXPRESSION OF WORSHIP AND HUMILITY WHEN -

We contemplate our sinfulness, confession, conversion, death, a desire for holiness, and sacred moments where God invades our space and encounters us, leaving us unable to eat for the moment is too sacred to be self-concerned.

WHAT I REALLY WANT YOU TO TAKE FROM THIS IS FASTING IS A FULL BODY EXPRESSION OF WORSHIP IN RESPONSE TO THE MOVING OF GOD.

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III. NOW JESUS KNOWS THE HEART OF MAN AND GIVES A DIRE WARNING THAT WE DO NOT MISUSE THE SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE OF FASTING.

Matthew 6:16 NASB95

“Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

JUST AS JESUS WARNED ABOUT GIVING AND PRAYING, HIS MAIN CONCERN IS THESE SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE BE USED IN A WAY THAT HONORS GOD, TRANSFORMS US INTO HIS IMAGE, AND MORTIFIES OUR SINFUL AND SELFISH NATURE.

Yet people then and today use spiritual disciplines like fasting to draw attention to themselves.

POINT 3 YOUR MOTIVES DETERMINE YOUR REWARD!

Matthew 6:17–21 NASB95

“But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

THE REWARD FOR USING SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES FOR SELFISH GAIN AND TO BE SEEN.

In all three case studies, giving, prayer, and now fasting, Jesus makes it very clear, if we practice these disciplines with the intent of selfish ambition, our only reward is that we will be seen by people.

You may be seen by brothers and sisters as super spiritual.

You may get human honor / promotion in the church.

And all these rewards and other human rewards will rot, rust, and die. 100 years from now NO ONE WILL CARE! You will be dead and your pomp and fake holiness will be forgotten.

Worst of all you will not receive the imperishable reward from God.

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WHAT IS THAT IMPERISHABLE REWARD?

Mortification of our sinful nature - All three practices (giving, prayer, and fasting) lay hold on our selfish and sinful desires with a death grip.

Transformation into the nature and character of God! Each practice aligns us to look more like Him.

Alignment with God’s Kingdom work in the world. As our character changes to reflect His nature we begin to see clearer the His movement in the world and can freely participate in what He is doing.

IN OTHER WORDS, MOVING TOWARDS OUR RESURRECTED LIFE.

I will end today with the words of Paul -

Philippians 3:4–11 NASB95

although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless. But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.