Matthew 6:16-18 part B

JESUS RETURNS TO his condemnation of the hypocritical practices of the religious leaders,

especially the teachers of the law and the Pharisees,

now concentrating on fasting, the third pillar of Jewish piety.

Since the religious leaders fasted in order to get recognition from the people,

that is all the reward that they will receive.

“Acts of righteousness,” such as fasting, are of no value if not done with the right motives.

BIG IDEA...

With the help of God’s grace, we will see Jesus, as the kind Savior and Lord He is, caution us,

not concerning our external actions, but our heart motive for doing what we do.

caution us, not concerning our external actions, but our heart motive for doing what we do.

Let’s break down the text.

A. Confidence

16"“Whenever you fast, don’t be gloomy like the hypocrites. For they make their faces unattractive so that their fasting is obvious to people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. 17"But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,”

Confidence

There twice in vv16-17 we find that Jesus is Confident that fasting is going to continue. “Whenever you fast” and “But when you fast”.

Here is a task that is required by all of the followers of Christ when God calls for it.

It’s interesting that prayer comes between giving to the poor and fasting.

This is because prayer is the life and soul of both!

Christ is laying this expectation down for private fastings.

In it’s not the Pharisee’s fasting twice a week but his boasting of it, that Christ condemns.

It’s an absolutely praiseworthy practice and perhaps we have reason to lament that it’s almost altogether neglected in American Christianity.

But Anna was much in fasting, .

Cornelius fasted and prayed, .

The primitive Christians were much in it.

Jesus is confident that fasting will continue after His ministry on earth was through.

B. Caution

"“Whenever you fast, don’t be gloomy like the hypocrites. For they make their faces unattractive so that their fasting is obvious to people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward.” ()

They tried hard to look glum so as to impress the fickle crowd.

Well, they attained their goal!

As if to say, “How utterly ridiculous, such a reward!”

How absurd to prefer it to the real reward

at the end of v18, which is being rewarded by our Father.

Jesus Caution’s us about The PRETEND fastings. v16, “so that their fasting is obvious to people.”

The PRIDE. v16, “so that their fasting is obvious to people.”

No greater affront to God’s face that Pretend Christianity!

God rejects all mock-Christianity.

Everything that is show and a shadow but w/out substance is rejected!

"For the training of the body has limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” ()

Training of our bodies (if that’s all) has limited benefits, since that is not fasting to God, even unto God!

Jesus Caution’s us about The POVERTY from their fastings. v16, “Truly I tell you, they have their reward.”

O how sad! Men that have, in some measure, mastered their pleasure, which is totally self serving, should be ruined by pride!

So they have their reward, the praise and applause of people, and inwardly, this is what they crave and covet so much,

Yes they have that reward and that is their all!! Tragic!

C. Counsel

"But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, "so that your fasting isn’t obvious to others but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” ()

Here our Lord gives us counsel on how to fast.

18 so that your fasting isn’t obvious to others

Our APPEARANCE v17 “But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that your fasting isn’t obvious to others...”

This is a real fasting. Jesus doesn’t play mamby pamby with us by saying, “oh just take a little meat for you!” or “just have a little drink of Gator-aid!” NO!

Let the body suffer!!!

Fully lay aside the show and appearance of the fasting and appear with your ordinary face!

You’re doing this on purpose to conceal your private devotion to God!

The APPEAL v17 “But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that your fasting isn’t obvious to others but to your Father who is in secret.”

If we we’re sincere in our solemn fasts, and humble,

and trust

God’s omniscience for our witness, and

His goodness for our reward,

His goodness for our reward,

we shall find, both that He did see in secret, and will reward openly.

The APPEAL

The AWARD. v18, “And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

A believer’s fasts, if kept properly, will shortly be recompensed with an everlasting feast.

Our acceptance with God in our private fasts should make us dead, both to

the commendations of men

(we must not do the task in hopes of this), and to

the criticisms of men too

(we must not decline the task for fear of them)

So in going back to our Big Idea, we see that Jesus cautions us, about our heart motive for doing what we do.

Motive being the key word in that sentence.

not concerning our external actions, but our heart motive for doing what we do.

Please turn with me to . "Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life.” ()

The heart is the fortified center of all people.

The heart is the great vital spring of the soul—the fountain of actions—

the center and the seat of principle,

both of sin and of holiness. Listen for both:

"Brood of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.” () "A good person produces good things from his storeroom of good, and an evil person produces evil things from his storeroom of evil.” ()

The natural heart is a fountain of poison.

"For from the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, slander.” ()

The purified heart is “a well of living water.”

The natural heart is a fountain of poison. The purified heart is “a well of living water.”

"But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again. In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up in him for eternal life.”” ()

Why do we do the good things that we do?

Because of our gratitude to Jesus for inviting us to the kingdom of heaven,

or because of the rewards that he offers?

Because it is the right thing to do,

or because we want to be recognized by people?

Giving to the needy, praying, and fasting can be valuable in developing

personal righteousness, and God will reward those who practice them sincerely before him.

But they can also be practiced “hypocritically” (6:2, 5, 16)

for the acclaim of people,

the approval of the religious establishment, and

the accumulation of material blessing in this life.

In such cases there will be no reward from God except the hypocrites reward, which is hell.

Those who engage in such activities for the acclaim of people will grow in increasing self-righteousness,

and the only reward they receive will be the approval of people (6:2, 15).

SO let’s talk about the Point of

O Guard your heart above all else! Above all else.

Our hearts are the first to live and the last to die!

According to we’re supposed to treasure up God’s word in our hearts so that we won’t sin against God!

So guarding it above all requires diligence and constant use and

improvement of all holy means and tasks

to preserve the soul from sin and maintain sweet and free communion with God!

That’s the Point of guarding your heart.

Let’s talk about the Practice of

It’s “above all else”. It means, “everything, whole, all total” and could be rendered “keeping with all keeping!

We’re encouraged to set double guards over our hearts!

Just how vehement the language implies the difficulty of keeping your hearts and the danger of letting them go!

Let’s talk about the Purpose of .

What’s the reason for this practice?

Because our hearts are “the source of life.”

That reality ought to quicken you and cause you to feel the weight and force of this portion of Holy Scripture!

Our hearts are the source and fountain of all vital or living actions and operations.

Our hearts are like a spring in a watch. It sets all the wheels in motion!

So if your heart does error in its work, your words and deeds done with your hands and feet will all mis-fire!

The issue of the heart for us, cannot be overstated!

So here we are. God’s grace has, in great measure, adjusted the soul, and grace has given it a habitual and heavenly nature (or disposition).

Yet sin often actually throws the heart off again and again.

Sin disrupts the new natured heart!

It’s like Kenzie’s violin.

Keelie that tune that baby up perfectly and just the slightest issue brings it out of tune again!

This is the heart that has been saved by grace!

Oh how often our hearts will be in tune to one biblical task, only to find oneself, dull, dead, and disordered when you come to another biblical task!

Well then, to keep the heart is to carefully preserve it from sin, which provokes the new heart;

and maintain that spiritual and gracious frame,

which fits the heart for a life of communion with God.

So then,

ONE. Observe your heart frequently.

How is your heart today? Where does it stand with God and the things of God?

The Psalmist says, "At night... I meditate in my heart, and my spirit ponders.” ()

The natural man takes no heed to this!

There are some who’ve lived for 50 years plus and have never once had one hour of discourse with their own heart!

Believers know all to well that interior monologue that goes on!

Having conferences with yourself, which they find an excellent use and advantage.

The heart can never be kept until its case be examined and understood.

TWO. Have deep humility for heart-sins.

Godly Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride in his heart:

"Then Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart—he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem—so the Lord’s wrath didn’t come on them during Hezekiah’s lifetime.” ()

In , the people that knew the plague of their own hearts spread out their hands to God in prayer!

When God’s grace draws back the veil in your heart to let you see it as He dies, many of God’s upright and laid low before Him!

A heart that’s well kept is like the eye.

The smallest speck of dust, if that goes into the eye, that eye will not stop blinking and tearing until the eye is flushed!

So the upright heart cannot be at rest till it has teared out its troubles, and

poured out its heart-sins before the Lord.

THREE. This heart includes earnest cries to God for purifying grace.

Earnest please to God for cleansing when sin has defiled and disordered it!

“Cleanse me from my hidden faults.” (). “Give me an undivided mind to fear Your Name.” ().

All God’s people have many petitions sitting before God pending before the throne of God’s grace!

O for a heart that loved God more!

A heart to hate my sin more!

O for a heart that walks more steadily with God!

O God don’t deny me this heart!

O God whatever You deny me; give me a heart to fear You, love and delight in You!

Here’s a challenge. When you’re confessing your sins privately to God,

don’t stop until you’ve felt some brokenness of heart for that sin!

When praying for mercy to God, don’t leave off your prayer time with Him until you have some taste of that mercy!

FOURTH. Keep a holy sensitivity over your heart!

Be alert and awake to all the disorderly and fierce storms in your heart!

Be aware of what stirs up your passions and what breaks them loose and cut them off at the root level!

"Happy is the one who is always reverent, but one who hardens his heart falls into trouble.” ()

It’s this fear of the Lord that causes us to depart from evil, throw aside false securities and (by grace) be preserved from iniquity!

"If you appeal to the Father who judges impartially according to each one’s work, you are to conduct yourselves in reverence during your time living as strangers.” ()

FIFTH. Live before the face of God!

Realize God’s presence with you and deliberately setting the Lord before yourself!

This is a glorious means revealed to the upright in heart, to keep their hearts upright!

When that eye of faith is fixed upon the eye of God’s omniscience (He knows all things),

then we dare not let out our thoughts and affections to run after vanity!

What of holy Job? What kept back his heart from impure and vain thoughts?

What it not this? "Does he not see my ways and number all my steps?” () "For his eyes watch over a man’s ways, and he observes all his steps.” () "For a man’s ways are before the Lord’s eyes, and he considers all his paths.” ()

Abraham, the father of faith. How’d he live?

Here’s what he was told: "When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him, saying, “I am God Almighty. Live in my presence and be blameless.” ()

It’s as some children in the congregation.

You set them before you, knowing that otherwise, they’ll just be toying and playing.

So too, our hearts, the hearts of the most upright, would be just toying and playing were it not for the watchful eye of the Lord!

This is our work brothers and sisters!

And may I remind you,

1. It’s the hardest work!

Heart work is hard work.

To shuffle and skip through with a loose and heedless way will cost you nothing in this life!

But just go ahead and set yourself before God seeking to tie up your loose and vain thoughts

towards a steady and serious focus upon God and you’ll find that it will cost you something!

To get your heart broken for sin while you are confessing it;

melted with free grace while you are blessing God for it;

to be really ashamed and humbled through the apprehensions of God’s infinite holiness, and

to keep your heart in this frame, not only in, but after the task, will surely cost you some groans and travailing pain upon your soul.

To kill the root of corruption within, to set up and keep up a holy government over your thoughts,

to have all things lie straight and orderly (in your heart) is no easy manner.

2. It’s a constant work!

This is a work that only concludes when this life is over!

This work and our life end together!

Those old ships, if they spring a leak, if those sailors don’t constantly tug at the pump, the ship would quickly sink!

It would be absurd and vain for them to say that the work is hard and that they are weary!

There is no time or condition in the life of a Christian, which allows for a intermission of this work.

It’s just like with Moses and those faithful brothers holding up his arms during their battle with Amalek.

If Moses’s arms sunk down, Amalek would prevail.

You know it cost David and Peter many a sad day and night for leaving off the watch over their own hearts only for a few minutes.

3. It’s the most important work!

3. It’s the most important work!

Without this work, we’re just formalists.

Just having an outward show! All of our professions and tasks performed signify nothing! "My son, give me your heart, ...” ()

God rejects all our tasks (however outwardly spectacular) offered to Him w/out a heart!

We mentioned earlier of “Why” you should give yourself over to this task because out of your heart is the source of all your life.

Let me close with just a few more reasons as to why you should guard your heart above all else...

1. The record of God concerning heart-sin.

Heart sins, or heart evils are provoking evils to the Lord!

Many outward sins grieve the Lord and are of great infamy but heart-sins go deeper still!

How severely has the great God declared His wrath from heaven against heart-wickedness;

the great crime for which the old world stands indicted was heart crimes!

"When the Lord saw that human wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every inclination of the human mind was nothing but evil all the time, "the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and he was deeply grieved. "Then the Lord said, “I will wipe mankind, ...—for I regret that I made them.”” ()

God was so provoked that He gave up His peculiar inheritance into the enemies hand was do to the evil of their hearts!

"Wash the evil from your heart, Jerusalem, so that you will be delivered. How long will you harbor malicious thoughts?” ()

God took particular notice of their hearts and thoughts and because of this, the Chaldean must come upon them as

“A lion has gone up from his thicket” (v7) and will tear them to pieces.

O then never let us slight heart-sin, God is highly wronged and provoked by it and so let every believer give themselves over to keeping our hearts with all diligence!

2. The truthfulness of our profession depends upon it.

2. The truthfulness of our profession depends upon it.

3. The beauty of our way of life arises from it.

4. In large part, the Comfort of our souls depends upon it.

5. The improvement of our graces largely depends upon us keeping our hearts.