And When You Fast…

Matthew 6:16-18

RECAP:

Sermon on the mount (chapters 5-7)

Chapter 5 Beatitudes : “Blessings” you are blessed! Salvation available through faith!!

(READ A FEW OF THE BLESSINGS!)

Through faith Christ our identity is “sons and daughters of God”

Jesus has made us righteous!!

NOW…Chapter 6- How to walk in righteousness

What to avoid: Hypocrisy

Particularly in the Pharisees…these “holy” Jewish men who work in the temple…

Pharisees look righteous on the outside but aren't on the inside

Jesus calls them white washed tombs (pretty and white on the outside but full of decaying bones inside).

He tells them their cups are clean on the outside, but on the inside (Where it really matters) they are filthy.

The people Jesus is speaking to…the only “walk of righteousness” they have seen has come from the Pharisees

But He is telling them…this isn't the proper walk because their heart motives are for self glory…not for God’s glory

As we opened chapter 6…Jesus shows us examples of this in the Pharisees giving, and prayers…

Starting in Verse 16…Jesus addresses how we should FAST in a righteous manner with the correct heart…

It is my prayer…that after today the Lord will move the people here at The Rock to fast to Him in a God Glorifying way!!!!

HOW TO FAST IN A GOD GLORIFYING (BIBLICAL) WAY:

WHAT IS FASTING?

A little bit heady today

We are going to spend some time here before we dive into the text understanding what fasting is and why we as man do it….

Once we have a good understanding of what true biblical fasting is…its going to make Jesus’s instruction to us in v 16-18 simple…

Many people in the Bible fasted…both OT and NT

NOW…there are circumstances today where it is good for us to fast from physical things (Social media, tv, cell phones, ect)

BUT in Gods word the fasting we see is always in things that sustain us (food and drink)…

Its is a common response among Gods people…

FASTING NOT A COMMAND BUT WE ARE GOING TO SEE IN GODS WORD TODAY THAT THERE ARE BLESSINGS IN FASTING…

Moses, David, and Daniel in the Old Testament and Anna, Cornelius, Paul, and Jesus in the New Testament.

TYPES OF FASTING:

3 Types of personal fast in the bible

-Partial > abstaining from certain foods or drinks

Daniel 10:2–3 “In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks. I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks.”

(Daniel- “Pleasant Bread/special delicacies that were available to him in the kings palace)

-Regular> abstaining from just food and drinks except water (Jesus- in the wilderness, Satan tempts Him to turn rocks into bread)

Matthew 4:2 “And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.”

-Total> Zero food or drink, even water (Paul- short ,3 days)

Acts 9:9 “And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.”

WHY FAST?

We see these 3 types of fasting happen for multiple reasons in Gods word:

-Mourning (Daniel was mourning…so he fasted)

The Pharisees questioned Jesus “why don’t your followers fast?”

Matthew 9:15 “And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

-Repentance- 2 Samuel 12. (King David)

-Lament- Psalm 35. (King David)

-Victory (an enemy or temptation)

-Protection

-God’s Will

Heres a few others:

-Strength

-Humility

-Out of Worship

***WHAT IS FASTING????

***FASTING IS LAYING DOWN OUR MOST WANTED AND NEEDED PHYSICAL DESIRES FOR WHAT SHOULD BE THE MOST WANTED AND NEEDED SPIRITUAL DESIRE…TO SEEK THE LORD, WORSHIP HIM, AND SEE HIM INTERACT IN OUR LIVES

That is true biblical fasting!!!!

***Its a choice of physical hunger over spiritual hunger.

ILLUSTRATION:

We all know what its like to be hungry right? (effects our mood)

Being hungry is terrible…

Hunger has a power over our flesh…

Fear of hunger made the Israelites go to Egypt…

“a hungry man doesn’t see right or wrong…he just sees food”

BUT biblical fasting calls us to die to that intense physical desire…

Calls us to put that second before God…

For something WAY BETTER!!!!

SO THE QUESTION IS…HOW DO WE FAST IN A WAY THAT IS RIGHTEOUS…THAT HONORS THE LORD?

Like we have seen through out chapter 6…NOT LIKE THIS BUT LIKE THIS

HOW NOT TO FAST. (v16)

READ V 16

-Not to be seen by others.

Disfigured faces???

Pharisees fasted twice a week. Would wore tattered clothing, cover their faces in dirt, mess up their hair, even wear makeup to make themselves look more sickly…

And all to let people know they were “holy men” fasting…

The heart motivation is SELF GLORIFICATION

“Look how holy he is” “Look how spiritual” “Look how religious”

HOW TO FAST. (v17-18)

READ V 17-18

—Only to be seen by the Lord.

You are approaching the Lord with your fasting…

Wash your face…anoint your head!!!!

Go to the Lord in joy!! With reverence…because you are blessed!!!

Glorify the Lord in your fasting!!!

This is the only motivation your heart should have!

THE LORD ONLY WANTS YOU AND YOUR PURE HEART MOTIVES FOR HIM!

Its not about how others perceives you…

Its about SEEKING THE LORD (we are going to dive into this next week deeper)

ITS ABOUT PLEADING WITH HIM FOR YOUR NEEDS…WORSHIPPING HIM…

AND MAKING THAT A PRIORITY ABOVE ALL OTHER THINGS…

ABOVE HUNGER…

ABOVE THIRST…

ABOVE MONEY…

ABOVE SOCIAL MEDIA…

ABOVE RELAXATION…

ABOVE ALL THINGS!!!

A FAST IS PLACING THE LORD ABOVE EVERY DESIRE IN YOUR LIFE…THE MOST IMPORTANT NEEDS…

BIG IDEA: The motivation to fast should only come from a desire to be seen and heard by the Lord.

REMEMBER…ALL OF THIS IS TO THE GLORY OF THE LORD…NOT FOR US!!!

LOOK AGAIN AT THE STRUCTURE OF THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT…YOU ARE BLESSED…NOW WALK IN RIGHTEOUSNESS!!!

WE CAN FAST IN A RIGHTEOUS MANNER ALL WE WANTED…WITHOUT THE BLESSING OF SALVATION THROUGH FAITH IT WOULD MEAN NOTHING…

IT WAS JESUS THAT MADE US RIGHTEOUS…NOT OUR GOOD PRAYER…NOT OUR RIGHTEOUS GIVING OR FASTING…THESE ARE ALL PRODUCTS OF THE BLESSING…

PLACING YOUR FAITH IN CHRIST…IN THE FREE GIFT OF SALVATION THROUGH HIS BLOOD…MAKES US RIGHTEOUS AND NOW WE ARE CALLED TO WALK IN THAT RIGHTEOUSNESS…

TODAY…WE ALL GET TO WITNESS 2 PEOPLE WHO HAVE HEARD THAT BLESSING THAT JESUS PREACHED (THE GOSPEL) AND PLACED THEIR FAITH IN IT…AND ARE NOW GOING TO BE SANCTIFIED THROUGH OBEDIENCE TO GODS WORD AND BE BAPTIZED TODAY

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