Fasting Series

(b) As Christ says, "they disfigure their face"

i) Turn to Matthew 23:5

Matthew 23:5 (NKJV)

"But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments

4. Fasting the wrong way has its reward

a. A person will receive human recognition and esteem, but the recognition of men is all he will ever receive

5. Some gain the control and discipline of their bodies through fasting, but they ruin themselves and their ministry through pride

a. They lose their reward

(1) Turn to Matthew 6:17-18

B. The right way to fast

Matthew 6:17-18 KJV)

"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.

1. As stated before, fasting means being so consumed with a matter that it becomes more important than food

a. Therefore, the believer sets food aside in order to concentrate on seeking God about the matter

b. Biblical fasting means more than just abstaining from food; it means to abstain from food in order to concentrate upon God and His answer to a particular matter

c. Biblical fasting involves prayer, intense supplication before God

(1) Fasting is a duty

(2) Every believer is expected to fast

(a) Christ said "When ye fast."

(b) He expects us to fast

(3) But, there are problems and we will discuss these problems further a little later

2. Fasting is to be done without notice

a. The believer is to fast before God, not before men

b. There is to be no change in appearance or behavior to indicate that he is fasting

(1) Think about it

(2) Why should there be?

(3) Why should anyone know that a person is seeking God in a very special way?

(4) The matter is God's affair, not man's affair.

(5) It is between the person and God, not the person and other people.

3. What is fasting?

a. It is to "appear not unto men...but unto thy Father"

b. It is to come into God's presence for a very, very special session of prayer

c. Fasting is to be to God alone

(1) The believer is to fast to God alone

(2) God is the object of his fast

(3) He needs to meet God in a very, very special way

(4) In meeting God all alone, the believer is demonstrating his dependency upon God and His provision

4. The Scribes and Pharisees, others in our time who follow the doctrine of the Pharisees fast before men

a. A genuine believer fasts before God

b. God does not say when nor how often we should fast, but He does tell us how to fast

c. We must take every precaution to fast exactly as He says: before God, in secret, without any public show or show whatsoever

d. No one is to see or know.

(1) Fasting the right way has its reward

(a) God shall reward us openly

(b) How much greater is His reward than the recognition of men

(c) God's acceptance and eternal reward is enough for genuine believer

C. There are at least four times when the believer should fast

1. There are times when the believer feels a special pull, an urge, a call within his heart to get alone with God