Your Reason Determines Your Reward (3)
Notes
Transcript
Doxology:
This is my Bible. It is God’s Holy Word. It is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path, and I will hide its words within my heart, that I might not sin against God. Amen!
Welcome visitors!
Scripture Reference: Matthew 6:16-18
Context
Context
Today, our text is on that of fasting. In this particular area of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, He has been dealing with areas of private worship. So far, we have seen Him speak on almsgiving (or compassion giving) and prayer. Both of these things were meant to be private. By private, we mean between you and God. Jesus commanded that we are to give secretly, so that our left hand does not know what our right hand is doing. He also taught that we when it was time to pray, we were to enter a room, close the door, and pray to God in secret.
With these teachings also came a stern warning:
1 “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
“Take heed”, Jesus said. These words literally mean to beware, or be on guard. We are to guard our hearts in these private matters so that we do not fall into the trap of becoming hypocritical. “Otherwise”, Jesus said, “you have no reward from your Father in heaven.”
In this area of fasting, it is no different. We see the same dangers here as we did with both almsgiving and prayer. He tells them plainly:
16 “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
18 so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
Fasting is to be a private matter. It is something that should take place between you and God. No one else needs to know, except for maybe your spouse. The only reason they need to know is so that there is no suspicion or worry on their part when they notice you haven’t eaten all day, or for a couple of days.
I remember once when I fasted that I did not tell Keshia what I was doing. After I skipped her breakfast and supper for a whole day, she wanted to know what was wrong with her cooking...lol.
But let me say this also. Spouses, when you are told that your spouse is fasting, it should be as much of a private matter to you as it is to them. Don’t talk about it, don’t ask questions about it, don’t tell others about it....the only reason you have been told about it in the first place is because you needed to know. In your case, you are to move and operate as if you know nothing. It is a private matter.
I want to take a few moments to dig into this idea of fasting and explain why it is so important for our spiritual health.
Content
Content
What Is fasting?
What Is fasting?
The Greek word from which we get the word “fast”, literally means “to abstain”. In context, the word is always used in reference to abstaining from food and/or drink.
Today, fasting has become commonplace in the health and wellness circles. We hear the term a lot as it is attached to several different dietary plans and weight loss plans. But it is very important to note that in Scripture, fasting is never mentioned for personal reasons. Every time Scripture mentions fasting, it was always for religious purposes.… Always!
I’m not saying that fasting for weight loss is wrong, but make sure that you never attempt to attach some spiritual reasoning to a personal fast. That would be doing the exact same thing as Jesus openly condemns here in this text. These religious leaders were fasting for personal reasons. They were fasting so that they could gain a reputation from others. The proof of this is that they would disfigure their faces so that others would know they were fasting.
A fast for spiritual reasons, has nothing to do with weight loss, fixing health problems, or any other physically beneficial thing. It is completely spiritual in nature and is done solely for spiritual reasons.
How Do I Fast?
How Do I Fast?
First, let me say that there are no commanded regulations for fasting in general in all of Scripture.
What I mean by that, is that we have many examples from Scripture of how fasting was observed in many different ways, and nowhere, except for these few verses here concerning personal fasting, are these other examples of fasting condemned because of how the fast was observed. God does condemn the fasting of some in the OT, but it was not because of how they observed the fast, it was because they did so without having their heart in the right place.
In the Old and New Testaments, we see examples of where many people fasted together. In one instance, God even commanded the entire nation of Israel to fast. So group fasting is not wrong, if done so in a spiritual way for spiritual purposes.
26 Then all the children of Israel, that is, all the people, went up and came to the house of God and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.
1 Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.
Both of these examples, one from the OT and one from the NT, show us that fasting was observed by a group of people for a spiritual purpose. This is not wrong. Just recently, our lawmakers in the state of TN has designated that the month of July is to be a month of fasting and prayer. This is a statewide recognition. Praise the Lord for that. Is that wrong? Of course not. July is to be set aside for fasting and prayer so that we might seek God during that time and ask His guidance, His wisdom, His power, His forgiveness, and His love to overshadow us. This is a good thing as long as it remains spiritual in nature and does not become some show of religious proportions.
But here in this text of Matthew 6, Jesus is speaking directly of a personal fast. This is when an individual is stirred in their own heart, for personal reasons known only between them and God, and is led to fast.
The only stipulations, make sure to keep it private. It is between you and God. Do not make a show of it. Do not broadcast it.
But even in a personal fast, there is much liberty. Some in Scripture fasted for an evening, some for a day, some for three days, some for seven days, some for fourteen days, some for forty days. None of them were wrong. Your fast will be determined by you and God. Only you know why you are fasting and only you can determine when the fast has been enough. It is completely personal and private.
On another note. Sometimes in Scripture, we see a complete fast, to where they neither ate food nor drank water. Other times the fast was only of food while water was permitted. There are no commandments that stipulate what your fast should look like in this regard. This is important to note, because many people have blood sugar issues, blood pressure issues, and other health reasons for why they might not be able to perform a complete fast. If they ate or drank nothing for a day, they might pass out, or worse.
Listen, God knows your heart. He knows what you are doing and why you are doing it. Maybe your fast has to be from a certain type of food for a specific amount of time. Maybe you fast from sodas for a week; maybe you let go of the sweets for a week; maybe you do the Daniel Fast for 40 days. You might decide that fasting from food isn’t possible due to health reasons, but you can fast from TV, or your phone, or something else for the glory of God.
Do I have to fast?
Do I have to fast?
The only time fasting was commanded in Scripture, it was attached to a yearly feast. Israel was commanded by God to keep certain feasts throughout the year, and to prepare their hearts, fasting was a part of that preparation.
29 “This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you.
This phrase, “you shall afflict your souls” meant that they were to fast. On this Day of Atonement, every person in Israel was to fast before the Lord as atonement for their sin was made upon the altar.
When Jesus came, He completely fulfilled all ceremonial Law. We no longer have these feasts, because they all pointed forward to Him. After the person has come, in which all of these feasts looked forward to, the feasts are no longer necessary. So the only place where a fast was commanded by God has been completely fulfilled in Jesus, rendering the command of fasting that was attached to it fulfilled as well. No where else in Scripture is there a command to fast.
With that being said, it is important to note that fasting was observed by many throughout the Scriptures for various reasons, and these reasons were not attached to the commanded fast of God.
17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
Notice in text for this morning, Jesus said, “When you fast...”
This implies that fasting was an expected part of their lives. Some might try to argue that this reference to fasting is simply referring to the commanded fast since they were technically still under the law until the death of Jesus, but that would not make sense. During the commanded fast, everyone was fasting corporately, so there would be no reason to hide that.
There are no stipulations concerning how often one should fast, but there are plenty of examples in Scripture that give us reasons for why someone fasted:
Fasting in times of sorrow:
David fasted when his firstborn child became sick unto death (2 Samuel 12:16)
David fasted when Abner died (2 Samuel 3:35)
David even fasted on behalf of his enemies (Psalm 35:13)
In times of danger:
King Jehoshaphat proclaimed a national fast in Judah when they were threatened with attack from the Moabites and the Ammonites (2 Chronicles 20:3)
Queen Esther commanded that all the Jews in Susa fast with her for three days before she went into the presence of the king (Esther 4:16)
When the exiles were about to leave Babylon for the return to Jerusalem, Ezra declared a fast asking for God to keep them safe (Ezra 8:21)
In times of repentance:
David fasted once Nathan the prophet brought his sin before his eyes
Daniel fasted as he prayed for God to forgive the sins of his people
Ahab fasted when Elijah prophetically announced God’s judgment upon his sin
Ezra fasted as he proclaimed the sins of Israel before them and God (Ezra 10:6)
The entire nation of Nineveh repented and fasted before God when Johan brought a message of destruction before them (Jonah 3:5-7)
In seeking wisdom and understanding:
As Daniel contemplated the prophecies of Jeremiah he fasted (Daniel 9:2-3)
Daniel also performed a partial fast for three weeks in receiving another vision (Daniel 10:3)
For the purpose of ministry:
The early church at Antioch fasted as they sought guidance from God in ministry (Acts 13:2-3)
After the Holy Spirit called and commissioned Saul and Barnabas for a particular ministry, they both fasted before the Lord (Acts 14:23)
Jesus fasted for 40 days before stepping into His ministry as the Christ, the savior of the world.
As you can see, fasting was a normal part of the godly men and women’s lives of Scripture in drawing near to the Lord. It was not commanded of them, but rather performed by them voluntarily for the means of drawing near to the Lord.
Is Fasting Still Significant Today?
Is Fasting Still Significant Today?
To answer shortly, YES!
We obviously see more examples of fasting in the OT than we do the NT, but fasting was never attached to old covenant. Fasting was not a type or shadow that pointed forward to Christ. It is not something that was fulfilled in Christ and therefore obsolete as the ceremonial laws, because it was not a law.
Fasting has always been, and still is today, an act of selflessness. It is the denial of self, so that one might be filled with the Holy Spirit. It is an act that is accomplished for the sole purpose of drawing near to the Lord. That has never changed, and it never will.
Quiet honestly, I think we could all stand to get a little bit closer to God, Amen. This is simply another tool by which God has given us to accomplish that. He wants us to be close to Him, because He wants to be close to us.
8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…
God desires for us to be in close relationship with Him, and fasting is a means to help us accomplish that. It is not the only means. It is not a catch all… (If I fast, I don’t have to do anything else...). No, no, no!!
Matter of fact, fasting was always attached to prayer in Scripture. Always!! You can pray without fasting, but you cannot fast without prayer. To do so would be nothing more than going on a diet.
In becoming a Christian, we agreed that Jesus’ way was better than our own. We tried it our way and things didn’t turn our so great, but then we heard of Jesus, God incarnate, the lover of our souls, who came, lived, and died so that we might have life everlasting. We heard of all He did for us, even when we were far from Him, even enemies of Him. We heard about grace and mercy and unconditional love. And when we heard all of this, we realized that the God of all creation loved us with a love that went beyond anything we had ever experienced in this life. We wanted to experience that love and even give ourselves to that love. So we did. We admitted in that moment that God’s way was better.
The best example of selflessness we have in all of Scripture comes from Him. Jesus gave up everything that He might become a man. Can you imagine? The God of all creation who sits on the throne of eternity, who gains absolutely nothing at all by the salvation or destruction of all mankind, loved us so much that He was willing to step down from His throne, take on Human flesh and become a man, that He might live a life of absolute perfection to show us who God really is, be unjustly and gruesomely tortured and killed for it, and then buried in a grave that was not His own. Can you imagine? He did all of that so that we, mankind, could draw near to God. What selflessness…
We are not worthy to do what He did. Only Jesus could take that journey. Only Jesus could be the perfect sacrifice for all of sin. But in doing so, He showed us how far He was willing to go so that we might have a close relationship with Him. The throne was rightfully His, but He temporarily stepped away from it for us.
As we fast, we are mimicking Christ. God has promised that we would never go hungry. The food we eat is rightfully ours according to Him, but as we fast, we are temporarily stepping away from it so that we might draw near to Him. This is not a perfect analogy, as their are no perfect illustrations of God. We are putting Him before ourselves.
Commitment
Commitment
In closing, I urge you to consider where you are with God. Are you distant? Has it been a while since you felt the presence of God upon your life? Has it been a while since you felt the Holy Spirit fill your heart? If so, I urge you to fast. Do it privately. Do it secretly. But do it. Do it so that you might draw near to the One who gave everything to be near to you.
Maybe you have never known Him at all. Maybe you and Jesus have never had a relationship, but today you feel as though you need one. All it takes is belief. Are you willing to admit that His way is better than your own? Are you willing to admit that you don’t have what it takes to make it heaven on your own merit? Are you willing to admit to God that you need His grace and mercy?
Do you believe that Jesus came to die in your place? Do you believe that Jesus is truthfully the Son of God and the Savior of the World?
