Sunday, October 27th, 2019 - AM - For Whom Do You Fast? Yourself or Others? (Matt. 6:16-18)

You're joining in today on the services of the Broomfield Baptist Church. This is the pastor bringing the Sunday morning message. From Matthew and chapter number 6, you'll find our passage of study and verses 16 through 18 for today. And we invite you to follow along with your Bible in hand in the Book of Matthew and chapter number 6 and verse number 16 the scripture say moreover when ye fast be not as the Hypocrites of a sad countenance for they disfigure their faces that they may appear unto men to fast verily I say unto you they have their reward. but when the fastest anoint your head and wash your face too fast, but under the Father, which is in secret and I Father which seeth in secret shall reward the openly A gracious heavenly father. I ask your blessing upon a time in your word. I pray that you would make it profitable for us to understand your mind on this aspect of fasting. We thank you for the words of our savior who left these things for us to ponder and to meditate as we follow him Lord May each of us grow in the grace and knowledge of him and his word and I pray Lord that you would enable me today through the holy spirit's power to feed the flock of God, which is among me having first meditated and studied your word. May you bring to light those things that we need? To help us in our walk with Christ and I'll thank you for what you accomplished in our midst in Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen, as we approach Matthew in chapter number six. I need to confess to you today that I do something a little outside of the ordinary for me. And that is simply that I bring notes with me to this message. I don't have a formal outline for say for you to fill in the blanks to follow along. I felt a strange from the holy spirit for doing that for this Sunday now, please don't misunderstand. I believe me. I spent my time studying and meditating. But what I was hesitant to do for you today was to provide a point-by-point outline which might be construed as a way that you can take this away and and go fast and do it. Like your pastor says you need to fast. I think that that would be a great mistake and would not do Justice to the scriptures that Lord willing we'll be able to look at this morning here today. And so as we begin I want you to understand I am not giving you a set pattern necessarily on this is the right way to do this. I think fasting is ambiguous in the scriptures how many times on purpose of the simple definition of a fast would be too fast from food or fast for me to abstain from anything that that you would normally partake up and so fasting is so very broad idea. And so, oh I think of fasting in the Simplicity of it is not hard to grasp we say no to something and we abstain from something then we're technically fasting and I fast all the time, but that doesn't mean I'm fasting what I mean by that is inevitable.

I will skip a meal here or there and and I get so busy and things that I I wind up not eating when I should and probably I should have a better routine on that and be more structured because it would probably be healthier for me but I life takes over sometimes in and we say no to a meal here or we say no to a meal there in in while technically that's fasting that's not fasting because it's not fasting the way Jesus is talking about fasting here because there's no there's no purpose for God in that fast. It's simply just the circumstances that are that are moving me to have to miss that meal, but I'm not really seeking God while I'm doing that and so as we look at the Bible and what the Bible has to say about fasting I hope to help you understand that today a little bit better and give you some things from the word of God that will enable you to seek the Lord. Side effect of fasting better sent to your personal walk with God it would become so much more meaningful for you to be able to understand God's mind on fasting and I hope and trust I'll be able to do that with you here in our brief time. I think the best way that we could approach this topic this morning is to first off consider a how not to fast and let me give you some biblical examples of the wrong way of fasting if you would and so as we think about this idea of fasting for the wrong reasons or fasting in the wrong manner or fasting fasting in an improper way, I'd want to draw your attention to the Bible particularly because I share with you later in this message and I did scour the commentaries and I could find no one that presented the material that I'm going to share with you in in just a few moments about math. You chapter number 6, but before we look at that passage in particular, we need to understand the larger context context is King that was ingrained in me when I was in Bible school learning how to study the Bible. And so what that simply means is that begin with the word and in a verse and we look at that word and we try to understand that word but make sure that that word stays connected to the surrounding words that first and that understand the flow of that verse and then once we understand the context of that verse we move out to the context of the paragraph and that paragraph then moves out to the chapter in which that paragraph would be found in your Bible and then from the chapter we move out to the book or the section in the book that we're studying and then from the section or the book that were studying in the Bible then take the broader perspective and take context back to the to the Testament in which that paragraph That burst that word is found. And then after we consider The Testament whether it's Old Testament or new testament, we can consider the whole of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. And so before we look at what Jesus said about fasting we need to understand the larger context and the day in which Jesus Christ would have given these words. And as soon as he would have mentioned the word fast to his disciples when you fast he has already talked about almsgiving with them. He is talked about prayer with them and giving them a model for prayer. He has expounded in and help them understand the place of the Gods mind on the inside of us than the outside of us and our righteousness as his disciples must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees because it comes from an inward transformation of the word of God and so before I understand what Jesus says about fasting we need to understand what I probably would have come up in their mind when he mentioned the word fast in the day in which Jesus Christ walk. The earth fasting had evolved quite a quite a bit from when we read in the earlier portions of the scriptures and and the first accounts of fasting the command that God gave to fast on a certain day of the year to the nation of Israel. And so by the time we come to the day of Jesus fasting rotation, and so you have the account for example of the Pharisee pointed out that those days were probably Tuesday and Thursday and so are those were the fast days for the Jews because they would be the market.

How do you say can go to town? They could go to the market and everyone could see them that they were fasting and so when he talks about having your hair disheveled in and having you having a somber look about you having disfigured your face and maybe even painting that white to make it look like you haven't eaten then you look pale from that you carry around a sad countenance the whole purpose was so that they could go to the market and everyone can see how spiritual they were on Tuesday in on Thursday because they fasted and in this was so spiritual for them to do and it was more to be seen of men rather than try to try to get ahold of God. So how did they get to that? Please question I had in the back of my mind and comes to set them in correction on that to help them understand to help his disciples in particular those who are saved and following the Lord to help them understand. How to properly fast in order to get ahold of God. Well, let's go back to the Old Testament and let's consider some passages that I think will help us understand fasting and I won't necessarily turn to chapter and verse I will just a look at the Old Testament and tell you about some incidents where we see his real fasting in particular times, but we also have the record of individuals fasting those individuals who fasted I believe they would have fasted properly. So let's not misunderstand that and 40 nights as he was trying to get ahold of God. We see Daniel fasting and praying and his men that are with him and they're refraining from their staining from eating meat sacrificed to Idols so that they can keep themselves pure for God. There was a purpose in seeking God for their fasting we think about others in the Bible who might have Fasted and prayed and sought the Lord for things but think about the nation as a whole with me if you would for just a moment and let's consider the times that we see the nation of his real fasting as we consider the nation of Israel. I want you to know up front that there was one fast that God commanded for that nation in that fast would have been on the day of atonement which is a picture of Salvation. It was a picture of faith that Messiah would one day come and take away the sin of the world. And so the day of atonement was the day when the high priest would go into the holy of holies having first atone for his own sins with a blood of an animal he would take the blood of another animal. He would sprinkle that blood on The Mercy Seat to roll the sins of Israel back for another year and he would do that for the nation of Israel one time a year on the day of atonement. We just came through the Time for that are Jewish friends celebrated the day of atonement in the middle of October just a few weeks ago. And so it was Yom Kippur the day of atonement that was a proclaimed fast by God, so he did encourage and command his people to fast on that day as they looked toward what God would do and they look toward his provision of Salvation apart from that fast that God really commanded them to do and so the fasting that we see them doing as a nation was not God's idea as a nation. So having understood that consider. When do we find the nation of Israel fasting tragically? I look in the scriptures and I see them fasting at moments and that and their life and in their walk after God had delivered them through the Red Sea with a mighty hand out of Egypt. I see the nation of Israel fasting when they're in trouble with god, let's verify that

Show us how Israel fasted because they were in trouble with God. The first place that I would think of and I would come to my mind would be in Exodus chapter number 32 in that passage. We find out Moses has been up on the mountain for 40 days with God and God has been getting him the law and he's been riding that law for Moses with his own finger on those tables of stone. And while Moses was up communing with God, we find the children of Israel getting themselves into trouble down below with Aaron watching over them and Aaron in the place of Moses while he's away. We have Joshua halfway between Aaron and Moses the mountain from their Covenant that they had made with the Lord promising that they would serve him and that they had already given themselves to idolatry before Moses could even come down from the mountain and the Lord basically Encourage Moses to get down from the mountain because his real was already in trouble. So Moses begins to descend the mountain with the tables of the law of God in his hands and as he meets Joshua halfway down the mountain Joshua has a concerned look upon his face because Joshua's is Moses Moses. There's a there's a noise of war in the camp and I'm not sure I'm not sure what's happening down there and Moses Comforts Joshua in some way. But in another way it's a grievous thing that Moses has to share with Joshua because he tells them know it's not a sound of War. It's the sound of their lasciviousness and their unbridled lust taking over their heart and they've already broke it broken the law of God. Now, I'm paraphrasing the story continues and Joshua and Moses they descended they meet the children of Israel and they find out their other half their heathered they're running around without their clothes on then they're partying in there dancing in there.

Mary with everyone in and just having a good old time and right in the middle of all of that. There's a golden calf that they have set up and they began to worship that calf as Jehovah and here's Moses stands with the tables of the law of God in his hand and the very first commandment says Thou shalt have no other gods before me Jehovah says and in the second he tells them that they should not make they shall not make any Graven image because they are to Worship the Lord thy God and him only they should serve and here Moses stands with that law firm God and he looks upon their idolatry in his heart breaks. I'm sure and in complete control is all that was occurring. He takes those tables of stone as a living sermon before the children of Israel and smashes them before their very eyes as a picture of what they had done to the Covenant promises that they had made with Jehovah. They had already broken. Is there a word to him now? God kept he kept his promise, but it was the nation of Israel in their failure that let God down and did not do what they promised they would do and so Moses them crimes that that golden calf up after he does some investigation he finds out how they came into possession of that golden cap. They came to Aaron and Erin is it is in the place of Moses there and Moses is absent and Erin's trying to hold the fort down while he's gone. And so they come and they approached Aaron and they say they are and not what just happened to Moses and make us a God that we can worship and make us a Jehova that we can worship in. So Aaron has the plan to take all of the Golden Earrings and all of their gold bracelets and all of the things that they had taken out of each of the God bless them with on their way out and they They take all of that gold and they melt it down and it's a comical thing almost at II last I chuckle when I read that story every time because Moses in the sense that I'm paraphrasing he basically has it the thing that he says there where he says, I threw it into the fire and poop out came a calf and and that's almost like he didn't know how that happened. Somehow. They had to Fashion that into a cab. And Aaron is trying to pass the pass the buck on that and so Moses then grinds at golden calf up and has everyone that was involved in that idolatry to drink of that bitter water as a picture of what they had done to God in the bitterness that would consume their soul and upon the heels of that event is your Israel is broken before God and their fasting before God. And so they were fasting because they got in trouble with God. We fast-forward through the nation of Israel in their history and we find out in the book of numbers as they wandered in the wilderness. It was another account where they turn their back on God you remember the story we talked about it in Sunday school and we say the 12 Spies were sent out in 10 were bad until we're good and those 10 brought an evil report. And as Joshua and Caleb came back with those 10 and they told everyone of all the wonders of the land that God promised them in and they can have all the blessings that these 10 brought an eagle report and they discouraged the people of Israel from going in and taking God's promises and taking the promised land that he had said he would give to them and so in their own believe they were cursed to walk for 40 years in a circle in the wilderness until everyone that was twenty years and older would die in their carcasses would fall in the wilderness because of unbelief upon the heels of that of Guess what? We find we find because the nation of Israel was in trouble with God they became too fast and to try to seek the Lord now. Let me encourage you you should do all that. You can to try to get right with God and please don't misunderstand what I'm saying here, but I do believe that they missed the mark on how God sees fasting because if we're only fasting when were in trouble with him, then fasting becomes more about us and less about what I think God would be concerned about when it comes to our fasting. Let's fast-forward through the nation of Israel again, and let's find out another time that would verify that they fasted when they got in trouble with God. We come through their history. We find out they never really got rid of their idolatry and God reached out to them time and time of the prophet of God raised up judgment against Israel in warn them that judgment would come if they didn't forsake their idols and serve the living and true God and time and time again. God would have his Messenger to send that message and they would reject the message that God would send in stiff met stiff-necked and in Rebellion, they would turn away from God and they would seek to serve their Idol. And they couldn't get a Dollar Tree out of their heart and out of their life as a nation. Oh, there were good people scattered through and through and there was a Remnant for sure but by and large the nation went away from God, they went whoring after idolatry. They went a-whoring after strange gods and it broke Jehovah's hard, but he had warned them he had worn in the very beginning of that if they ever turn their back on him and took him then they would find his judgment waiting and he would raise up Nations to judge them and they would be dispersed and they would be broken up as a nation because they had turned their back on Jehovah who had delivered them with a mighty arm as Moses stood on the shores of the Red Sea and said stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. God had brought them out from Egypt and out of the bondage of a row with a mighty arm and here they turn their back on God time and time again and his Gray Jason is long-suffering continues to reach out to them and they turn their back on God turn their back on God. We fast forward to their history through the Kings of Israel only find that the day comes when Jeremiah the weeping prophet stands up and warms them of pending judgement that is coming and the Babylonians are coming to take Israel away. They're coming to take Judith the North and the north try it already been taken captive by Assyria and judgement looms for those who are in Judah and Benjamin those that remain the last two tribes and the final straw came when Nebuchadnezzar was on the horizon and when they found themselves in trouble with God, we find the nation of Israel fasting in Jeremiah's day. Now as they went into captivity. We see you in Babylon. We see in Persia after Babylon head full of depersia. We find out that there was a it was a king that I was seeking for a queen and you know the story of Esther in an S Thursday. King ahasuerus there on his throne and all that Esther would I would be seen doing by the Providence of God and being in a place for such a time as this with her Uncle Mordecai here to help her along and give her counseling guidance Esther finds herself as the queen. Do I has you whereas and Heyman has a wicked plot against the nation of Israel against the Jewish people while they're in captivity and we find out that they're in trouble in and they're about to be annihilated incurred his judgment.

And Esther laser life on the line and says two more to KI. I'll go in and I'll see cashew Eros. And if he doesn't lower the scepter to me to allow me entrance into his presence, then my life will be forfeit. But I'm willing to do that Esther laid down was willing to lay down her life for the sake of her people and she sent word back to more to KI encouraging Israel to fast. in the days of Purim when they were seeking God to deliver them from the wickedness of Haman and the evil plot that he attached and so here again, we see the nation of Israel fasting and yet there fasting because they hit send and gotten in trouble with God my friend. Can I tell you there's no good works. There's no amount of penance that you can pay. There's no amount of a goodness that you can do that will ever take away the black blood upon your life. There's no good works that will ever take you to heaven. There's no amount of fasting that you can do. There's no amount of religious exercises and rituals that you can do that will listen to heaven. The only way to heaven is by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ in God's Messiah and yet here is Israel trying to get right with God by fasting and if you're trying to get right with God by fasting I would submit to you you're following the wrong example, you're following a an example of a nation that got in trouble with God and their fasting try to get right. Like I said before you need to do all that you can to get right with God and if that means you missed the point Scott's hard on fasting when we're fasting only for ourselves because we got in trouble with God and we send against him we miss the mark on fasting. And so as we continue to the nation of Israel, we come to the days of the of the postexilic prophets. These are the prophets that God raised up after the Exile when God had promised that they would stay in captivity for 70 years and then return to the land as surely as he promised surely they returned and under the leadership of men like Ezra and zerubbabel. They came back to Jerusalem. And the first thing they did was to rebuild the altar in those days Israel return to the land just a Remnant just a tiny amount of what was deported and what who were carried out by the millions of Jews that went out from Israel. They were only about 40 or 50,000 that I understand returned with Ezra to go rebuild the Altar and rebuild where the temple would be in Jerusalem and begin to worship God again. And in those days in the days that God would raise up profits like Hagee I and Prophets like Zechariah. We find Zechariah in the nation of Israel in Ezra and all of them seeking God when they're fast and they raised up for fast and they had a fast in the fourth month in the fifth month and they had a fast in the seventh month in the tenth month four times a year outside of the one fast that God commanded for them to do every year on the day of atonement. These are four other fast that they imposed upon themselves without having lost erection on it. They just did this as a nation and we find them fasting in the fourth month in the fifth month in the seventh month in the tenth month and they're fasting because they got in trouble with God. Friend. I hope that you see the point here that I'm trying to make and belabor. And that these words won't be wasted upon you that you'll understand the wrong way too fast friend. I don't think you should take your time fasting because you're in trouble with God. I think you should get right with God and you should confess your sins before him and Trust the blood of Jesus Christ his son could to cleanse you from all sin and it just keep on cleansing and walk in the right relationship with God and like Enoch of old walk with God like Abraham did like Isaac did like Jacob did walk with God like David did walk with God like Moses did walk with God these men weren't perfect men, but they knew how to walk with God they weren't sinless man, but they knew how to walk with God and so as you walk with God, I'm sure he'll lead you down a path that someway somehow will lead you to where you have to say no to something and you might need to abstain from something for the sake of someone else's soul and I pray law. I pray Lord that she'll help your people to understand fasting now as we consider God's mind on fasting and we've considered the wrong way too fast looking at the nation of Israel as the prime example of the wrong way too fast. I want you to turn your attention now to what God says here in Isaiah chapter number 58 because I think this passage gives us his mind on fasting in a way that that will help us unlock some understanding and see the scriptures clearly take your Bible if you would and look with me on our way to Matthew chapter number 6 and Isaiah chapter number 58 again, Isaiah chapter number 58, we're going to read this and take it phrase by phrase thought by thought word by word and we're going to look at what God says here to the nation of Israel through his prophet Isaiah about fasting in Isaiah in chapter and number 58. We turn over and reread these words cry aloud spare not lift up thy voice like a trumpet and Show my people look at the next work with me their transgression and the house of Jacob noticed this their sins. So it is evident. God is calling to mind the times where they've stepped over his boundary where they have transgressed his law where they have missed the mark and where they have send notice. He goes on to say yet while they're in their sins. Keep that in your mind. They have transgressed. They have sand and yet he says they seek me daily. Is it not a good thing to seek? God daily. Should we have a daily time in the Bible where we get a loan and try to seek God. Shouldn't be adverse to build on to say Delight to know his ways. Should not be hard drive.

But notice here. The simile as a nation that did righteousness and for soap not the ordinance of their God in other words, they're continuing to do this and yet they remain in there since they have not asked for forgiveness from God for the Times where they had sinned against him and yet they continue on day after day like nothing ever happened like everything's okay between them and God and it's not yet. They see me daily and Delight to know my ways as a nation that did righteousness when they didn't they're pretending to be something they weren't and for soup not the ordinance of their God. They're pretending like they never forsook his ordinances in They asked me the ordinance of Justice. They take Delight in approaching to God over coming to the temple today. We're going to rejoice and be glad about this and we should be glad to go to God's house shouldn't we but not when we're walking in sand and missing the mark before God and haven't gotten right with him first. And we go and we seek the Lord and we say show us the right way Lord, and he's already told us long ago and yet we persist in the wrong way in our stubbornness in our stiff-neckedness. And so here they are. The Hypocrites that they be yet. They seek me daily and Delight to know my ways as a nation that did righteousness and forsook. Not the ordinance of their God explained that to me. They ask of me the ordinances of justice and take Delight in approaching t'god. First number 3. They're posing a question to God and they say we're for happily fasted say they and how the Lord that is see us not wear for reflected our soul and that'll take us no knowledge. So here's their argument before God God we come before you and leave fast and we've skipped food. We've we've said no to meals we've we've gone days without eating and we've got all this time without drinking without enjoying these things and you're not seeing us. You're not hearing us because they remain yet and their sins. We've Afflicted are so we we put on ashes and sackcloth and we mourn and we well and you're not doing anything.

God answers and he says we hold in the day of your fast you find pleasure. Exact all your labors. God sets them straight and reminds them of their hypocrisy and says you say you're fasting but you're finding pleasure in your fast you're doing it for the wrong reasons. You're doing it for yourself and not for me your exacting all your labors your fasting but you're not relieving any one of their user. You're you're not relieving any one of their debts. You're not sending anyone free your your labors. there's a parable that Jesus told about an unjust Steward who was forgiven his debt by his master and by his King and was released from all of his old that he had owed and the sadness of that terrible as fat man who had been forgiven so much then turns around and goes out and exacts All the Monies that he can from those that owed him money. And when the Lord heard about that when his King found out what he had done and persecuting people who couldn't pay him back. That King put him in prison and lock them up in the words of our savior was that he wouldn't come out until you pay the uttermost Farthing and here's Israel. They're trying to pretend like nothing's wrong between them and God that they're innocent in all of this and they're the victim in and they're fasting in their afflicting themselves and yet they're still exacting everything from anyone that owes them think it's the picture of that parable of the unjust steward.

He says behold. In a day of your fast you find pleasure and exact all your labors. The only one you're fooling is yourself behold you fast for strife and debate and to Smite with a fist and wickedness. You shall not fast as you do this day. That is it could be translated this way. It says she fast not as this day since you think you're fasting, but you're really not fasting. You might be afflicting yourself, but it's not a fast before me that is acceptable. You should not fast as you do this day to make your voice to be Heard on High.

Verse number 5 the Lord asks questions. Arise a n e says is it such a fast that I have chosen see these fast. They were not chosen by Jehovah. There was one fast he commanded his Nation again. That was the day of atonement but here these fast they had self-imposed and they did it without God's permission and without his choosing. He says it's such a fast that I have chosen the rhetorical answer is no it's not a fast that the Lord chose for them. Is it a day for a man to afflict his soul know the Lord didn't desire that for them. Is it to bow down his status of bull Russians spread sackcloth and Ashes under him Lord prescribed.

No, wilt thou coldest of fast and an acceptable day to the Lord. You see David missed the mark and they're fasting because the whole purpose of their fasting was because they had gotten in trouble with God for their sins. Notice inverse number 6 he continues to ask these rhetorical questions is not this the fast that I have chosen. What is the fast that the Lord would choose old friend look carefully at these next words. If you would with me the faster the Lord would choose for his nation of Israel is too loose the bands of wickedness to undo the heavy burdens and to let the oppressed Go free and that you break every yoke is it not two deals I bread to the hungry and that. I'll bring the poor that are cast out to the house without serious the naked that's out cover him and that they'll hide not thyself from thy own flesh. Oh, this would be the best at the board will choose now. Let me stop and just remind you right here with a question. Friend, are you saved? Do you know for sure you're on your way to heaven? Is your faith in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ who died to take away your sins the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world if you have believed on him by faith and our trust in him and him alone to take you to heaven where you can't go by yourself. You need a Shepherd to take you you need a good shepherd to lead you to those Green Pastures where you'll find eternal life for your soul. If you are saved the may I say fasting is something you need to be serious about My friend if your fasting to try to get right with God if you're fasting to try to gain some kind of Grace from him if you're fasting to try to gain his favor in any way or to get out of being in trouble with the damned if you think he'll see you because you do some kind of penance for you fast for you to abstain from something than friend. You're missing the whole point of what God would have you to see if you're saved. Then you're walking with the Lord as close as you can be to him. He'll lead you to those times where fasting might be appropriate and necessary as his disciples followed him. They came into a time where Prayer by itself and and even the anointing of the Savior to be able to do the works that he had called them to do fell short of being able to help a father free his young son that he was so concerned about from a demonic possession. And hear Jesus Christ comes down from the Mount of transfiguration in fine stripe in a debate happening among his disciples and his father and the scribes and the Pharisees in this father's beside himself and doesn't understand why the Disciples of Jesus couldn't help his son and the disciples are perplexed as to what's going on in Jesus in a magnificent manner comes in and releases this young boy from his demonic possession and the disciples are amazed and all are astounded this father who had said Lord, I believe help mine unbelief now finds his son set free from this demonic possession. And being made whole through Jesus Christ and faith in him and his disciples wonder and they asked Lord, why couldn't we cast this went out and Jesus told them very plainly this kind goeth not out, but by prayer and fasting there may be times as the father of the Lord Jesus Christ, as you are saved and know you're on your way to heaven that there may be times you be called upon to fast for the purposes of God that others might be impacted. Oh now we're beginning to understand a little bit more of God's heart and God's mind on how his people should be fasting. He says it's not this the fast that I have chosen and Isaiah 58 first number 6. What is this? It's a description of the Gospel work. It's a description of of the freedom that comes through Jesus Christ The Liberty that we have in him is not this the fast that I have chosen to loose the bands of wickedness to undo the heavy burdens and to let the oppressed Go free and that you break every yoke friend. That's the power. Gods that sets Souls free and he says this would be the fast that I would choose to fast. So that others might come to Salvation that others might be free but others might be liberated through faith is it not two deals I bread to the hungry. Hey, you might need to go without a meal so that another might be able to have their baby times were fasting would be appropriate because you're looking out for someone else before yourself old friend any cup of water that you give in the name of Jesus Christ any bread that you deliver to another hungry soul in the name of Jesus Christ will be returned doubly upon you for blessing from our savior when he judges the quick and the dead and it will not go unnoticed Lord Wingate we gave Weezy. Food Lord win gave Weezy drink. Jesus will tell his disciples in that day in that she did it to the least of these you did. It also unto me when we can say no to ourselves so that we can help someone else find Jesus friend. That would be a way that I believe you could have God's mind on fasting. Deals on bread to the hungry again. We're not trying to get to Heaven by this. We're trying to help others find heaven. Buy are sacrificing our labor of love is it not to deal that bread to the hungry and that thou bring the poor that are cashed out to the house when they'll see us the Naked that don't cover him and that they'll hide not thyself from that own flesh. Noticed What God Says will happen if we get his mind on fasting the way that he would have us to fast. He says in verse number 8 then shall die light Break Forth as the morning and I inhaled shall spring forth speedily and I righteousness shall go before thee in the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward then she'll tell Cole and the Lord shall answer Thou shalt cry and he shall say here I am. If that'll take away from the midst of Thee the Yoke, the putting forth of the finger and speaking of vanity over and we've got understand there's a right way to fast. Let's not fast the wrong way as we make our way to Matthew chapter number six just very briefly now having done the groundwork and considered the Old Testament in the larger context and remembering that by the time Jesus says these words fasting had evolved in the nation of Israel to a religious ritual. So that they could look spiritual before God. I fast twice and twice a week and I give to the poor and I do all of this and Jesus reminds us in Matthew chapter number 6 more over on top of everything. He said about forgiveness in in about the and about the disciples prayer in about how to pray and in in a corporate setting and how to pray in secret and how to give alms and what the purpose of the law was 4 in and how are light should shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify our father in which is in heaven and how we ought to be Salt and Light and how we are to be walking the blessed life inthe Beatitudes having settled that more over on top of all of that. Jesus says when he plural Bass Be not as the Hypocrites of a sad countenance for they disfigure their faces that they may appear unto men to fast. There's a play on words that many commentators pointed out here disfiguring their faces that they may appear under men too fast. You see there? Disfiguring so that they might be able to appear there their they're disappearing so that they can be seen in their disappearing and if they are buying the praise of men many commentators also pointed out the fact that they got that what they were buying they they got what they paid for. They aren't the praise of men. Jesus says truly verily I say unto you they have their reward its temporal. It's not Eternal it's lost in the here and now and doesn't carry anything into this are in the end of Eternity. He says his disciples butt dial singular when thou fastest anoint 9 hadn't washed one else needs to know about this, but you and God You do this in secret just like we pray in our prayer closet and we learned about that earlier in this chapter. He says that the owl appear not unto men too fast. There's one who will see it's that Father which is in secret and thy father which seeth in secret shall reward the openly now here's what I need you to validate and check for me because I couldn't find any commentaries that validated it for me and I just want you to make sure that I'm on the right track. I believe I have good contextual evidence for this and I believe that we're on good ground with the scriptures, but may I submit to you that? I don't believe Jesus's words on fasting should be concluded right there. I believe that we should continue reading into verses 19 20 21 22 23, perhaps even Beyond And take that into account into what Jesus is saying about fasting and so I want you to consider verses 19 through 23 in the gospel of Matthew chapter number 6 as being applied to fasting just as the disciples prayer would be applied to how Jesus said when you pray. so when you fast make sure your father sees you and secrets and why are you fasting Mass submit to you that if you'll fast so that you can lay up treasure in heaven, then you're following what he says in verse number 19 where he encourages us as his followers to lay not up for ourselves Treasures upon Earth where moth and rust doth corrupt where thieves break through and steal but Jesus says lay up for yourselves Treasures in Heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through nor steal verse 21 says for where your treasure is there. Will your heart be also The light of the body is the eye if therefore thine eye be single thy whole body shall be full of life, but it's on I be evil. Whole body shall be full of Darkness if they're for the light that is in thee be Darkness how great is that Darkness? You see Israel was to be a light for God and their life had become Darkness because they had missed his purposes in many many ways and fallen short as we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We need the Lord Jesus Christ, but as having been saved by faith through him and heard his call to follow our savior and say Wherever You Lead I'll go having put our hand to the plow and not looking back.

My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue old friend. I pray that the next time you fast, it'll be on purpose. It'll be cause it'll be because you're laying up treasure in heaven. By helping another Soul find Christ. You're fasting for gospel purposes. You're fasting to spread the good news as we continue through the Bible. We see times where the early church which fast we see Jesus himself fasting. We also take into account his words that while the bridegroom is with us. We don't fast but the day would come for his disciples when he would have send it to Heaven if he be away from them and he would go where they could not go then but they would follow later and during that time now in the time which we find ourselves as followers of Christ knowing that Christ is at the right hand of the father and we're seated in Heavenly places in Christ in him. And we have the Blessed hope of his return that trumpet will sound one day and he'll catch us all the way until then from the time. He ascended into heaven to the time he will descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the Archangel with the Trump of God and the dead in Christ rise in can I tell you that his disciples should be more serious about fasting because the bridegroom is absent and he's given us another comforter. He's giving us the Holy Spirit to be with us, but I think that we minimize fasting many times to our own detriment in our churches struggle because this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting Souls aren't safe because this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting lives aren't set free because this kind may not go out without some prayer and fasting and so we must get serious about fasting there were times in the early church after Jesus had ascended into heaven when we find them. Praying and fasting and those times in the book of Acts in the early days of the church. We see the apostles and we see the disciples fasting together in order to get God's mind about church planting in order to get God's mind about spreading the gospel and sending the good news of Jesus Christ abroad Acts chapter number 13 Acts chapter number for places that are the early church which cold too fast together and when they did so it was because the Holy Spirit had come to them and said separate that would be a great church planting Endeavor those missionary journeys of the Apostle to go and preach the gospel to the ends of the Earth. In the Holy Ghost would move in that early church and in the church at Antioch and God's people would want to make sure that they are right with God and following him and have his mind and have his will or do we send these men out and they had confirmation as they prayed and fasted that it was for the gospel and so friend if you fast today, I hope and pray that we'll be fasting so that someone else might find Christ so that the gospel can go forward so that the good news can be spread abroad and souls can be set free and folks might find Jesus Christ. I hope and pray that you'll understand better what our savior says a little bit more when it comes to this idea of fasting. Would you pray with me as we close our gracious Heavenly Father? We thank you for your word and how it reveals to us your mind. And so many ways may we use your disciples be faithful to fast when you call upon us to do so when the moving of the Holy Spirit would lay someone upon our heart in mind that we would need to say no to a meal or skip a drink or or abstain from other pleasure on Manatee in order to see them come to Christ. Oh Lord. I pray that we would be disciples with discernment always bearing about in our body the dying of the Lord Jesus Christ as we fellowship with his sufferings. We might be able to see the power of his resurrection as the Apostle Paul said and they are fasting sent around around this thought that for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain, Lord may I lose my life that I might find it through Christ. May I say no to something that I might be able to help another along the way be brought to Jesus Oh Lord bless your people as they seek you in there fasting and father have your hand upon them and watch over them as we go out from this place as your disciples Lord. I pray that you would have your will done on Earth as it is in heaven and give us this day our daily bread, but also Lord as you lead us along may we know when we need to take our daily bread and give it to another But they might find Jesus. Oh Lord, help us all to be saved as we go in the name of Jesus Christ as Peter said to that man at the gate beautiful Silver and Gold Have I None but such as I have give I Thee in the name of Jesus Christ. I pray your blessing upon your people as they go out as your witness. Is this Sultan light to take the gospel to a lost and dying world. Whatever they cost Lord, may we lay it on the Altar and take up our cross and follow you in Jesus name we pray. Amen.