The True Fast
Matthew 6:16-18
This may be a shocking statement to many people, especially if they have been trying to DO BETTER as a Christian: .Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is NOT a list of things that you must DO or endure in order to be FIT for God’s Kingdom! Rather, IF YOU HAVE this kind of heart, you can be ASSURED that God has given you, by His Grace, a NEW SPIRITUAL, KINGDOM of God-HEART, capable of pleasing God. IF you can see these qualities in your life and you are experiencing many difficulties in your LIFE, well: WELCOME to the KINGDOM of HEAVEN.
That is NOT to mean that we are PERFECT in these qualities. God’s Kingdom does not make its entrance into the HUMAN HEART in PERFECTION any more than when someone receives a PHYSICAL HEART TRANSPLANT, they are immediately healthy and well. (Sins are forgiven perfectly, but you aren’t yet perfect!), Our SIN HAS BEEN COMPLETELY forgiven, the old has passed away, (consider yourselves DEAD to SIN), but there is a time process of recovery and strengthening where there will be definite SIGNS of NEW HEALTH and LIFE, but there will also be struggles. There will be weakness, but definitely VICTORY.
In the SPIRITUAL and HEAVENLY REALM, there is a process during which we are being CONFORMED to the IMAGE of CHRIST. We can and will have spiritual “set-backs”. We can have relapses, times of weakness, ESPECIALLY if we don’t obey the GREAT PHYSICIAN’S orders. If we listen to what other people “THINK”, rather than what God says, and follow worldly, advice rather than God’s, we will have relapses.
The Kingdom is revealed to us in Christ, His Word, and His Spirit, but He is still FULFILLING HIS PROMISES in our lives. Everything isn’t fulfilled at once, and we have seen how, for one who has received a new HEART from Him, He causes ALL THINGS (during this process) to work together for GOOD to those He has CALLED ACCORDING to His Purpose and Will. (Romans 8:28)
I want us to recall those “BEATITUDES”, those blessings of the Kingdom of God:
*Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (I’m destitute and needy SPIRITUALLY.) (Matt. 5:3)
*Blessed are those who mourn: for they will be comforted. (5:4) (I repent of my sin and confess my need for the Savior.)
*Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. (5:5) (I am willing and humble to follow you, Lord.)
*Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they will be satisfied. (5:6) (I want to love and honor You, Lord, more than anything else. Give me the bread of Life and the Living Water.)
*Blessed are the merciful: for they will be shown mercy. (5:7)(You have shown me mercy; I have to show others mercy as well.)
*Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. (5:8)(My only purity and righteousness is that which You have given me.(Imputed)
*Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God. (5:9)(I want to proclaim to others, the peace of God found in Christ Alone. It is a peace that the world does not understand and inevitably, is rejected often.) Therefore…
*Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Persecution and rejection is inevitable, but be of good courage. Don’t lose faith! Actually, YOU WON’T!)
Letting Go
In our last study we looked at the Lord’s Prayer, but did not look at Matthew 6:14-15: "For if you forgive others for their transgressions, Your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” This is really completing the thought of verses 12 and 13: “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” The forgiveness that you have received freely, should be freely given to others.
I realize that forgiveness for some things and some people doesn’t always come easily, but A FORGIVING SPIRIT is what Christ exemplified, and if we have His Spirit in us, then we should be examples OF HIS FORGIVING SPIRIT. If you have been forgiven by God, that forgiveness will be evidenced in your forgiving spirit. OUR forgiving spirit will attract others to the love of Jesus in us, because FORGIVENESS is not a fruit of the world; revenge and retaliation are the world’s “fruit”. Forgiveness and pardon are letting go of infractions against you, as God has “let go” of your sins on account of Christ, you are to “let go” of the sins against you.
The truth about FASTING according to Jesus
Look at Matthew 6:16-18: "Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 17 "But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face 18 so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret ; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”
Jesus doesn’t say you shouldn’t fast, but the Old Testament only commanded one day of fasting, and that was on the Day of Atonement. (For us, I guess that could be Good Friday!) Other fast days were instituted by men for various purposes and occasions, and the Pharisees had instituted fasts TWO TIMES PER WEEK, but these were not mandated by God, but seemed to be observed as occasions for religious showmanship. Very clearly, Jesus does not approve of the methods and reasons for their Fasting, and calls for us to EXAMINE the WAY that you fast. What is your true motive, and how is that being revealed? Is your fast about YOU or about God? Is it bringing glory to yourself or to your God?
In our society there is much talk about healthy diets and exercise, and it’s not a bad idea to put food in the proper perspective, but these verses are not about diet or to refrain from gluttony! But Jesus clearly tells us that WHEN you fast, Do NOT Put on a FASTING FACE to call attention to yourself and your activity. Don’t “blow the trumpet” to announce your piety. Don’t try and look all "drawn ou"t. Get up, wash up, dress up AS USUAL. Present yourself to others ON THE OUTSIDE like you normally would.
The word for “fast” in the Greek is actually the negative form of the word “to eat” or “devour”, so in other words, “eat not”. We know that there are certain things that are bad for our health, and if we have the will power, we can stay away from those foods. I thought about this in PURELY spiritual terms: We should NEVER feed on the foods of satan because they will poison us, corrupt us, and KILL US. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve should have fasted (it’s not from the same word) from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil, but they didn’t. They should have obeyed God’s command to “EAT NOT” from that tree!
Think about what we looked at on Sunday from John 6, Jesus said: ‘I am the Bread of life, come down from Heaven. I give life to you, eternal life, so feed on me.” You should ALWAYS be feeding on the Bread of Life. To not be feeding on Christ means thatyou should separate yourself from the things of the world and JUST COMMUNE on Him.
The Primary idea of “Fasting” in the Hebrew lies in “your mouth being shut”. The first verse that came to mind when I read this meaning was, “Be STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM God!” (Psalm 46:10) Fasting is so that we might bring more glory to God, not to ourselves. If we devote time to HIM, He will certainly reward us in ways that the world would not initially even recognize.
Look at Isaiah 58:1-12, which should have been a familiar passage to the Jewish people when Jesus spoke these words. In verse 3 of Isa. 58, the children of Israel were saying to God: 3 ’Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’ (They were talking about the outward appearance, and not the heart. If it had been a matter of their hearts, their actions would have been different. LISTEN!)
God replies: “Behold, on the day of your fast you find YOUR desire, and drive hard all your workers. 4"Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist. (Your outward treating of others does not coincide with a humble and contrite heart that is seeking Me!) “You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high.” 5 "Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for A MAN TO HUMBLE HIMSELF? Is it for bowing one’s head like a reed and for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a FAST, even an acceptable day to the LORD? (God is saying: Your idea of a FAST does not agree with MINE!)
God says: THIS IS THE TYPE OF FAST OF WHICH I APPROVE: "Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, (FAST FROM SINNING, to be FREE FROM SIN) To undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke?
7 "Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house; (A True fast is NOT TO JUST ABSTAIN FROM BREAD! JESUS SAID in John 4:34: MY FOOD IS TO DO THE WILL OF Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. IT MEANS TO SHARE THE GOSPEL; DON’T JUST SHOW PEOPLE YOUR FACE OF FASTING!)
When you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? (WHO COVERS OUR NAKEDNESS? THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST. We bring That Gospel to those who are spiritually and sometimes physically naked. EXAMINE YOUR OWN HEART. WHEN YOU DO THIS BEFORE God… )
8"Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; (BECAUSE IT WON’T BE YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, It will be Christ’s.) The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. 9"Then you will call, and the LORD will answer ; You will cry, and He will say, ’Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, 10 And if you GIVE YOURSELF to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom will become like midday. (Try this once: Try ministering to others instead of carrying the “WOE IS ME” complex. Remember that if you are a believer in Christ, HE IS THE HOPE of GLORY in YOU.)
11 (A TRUE SPIRITUAL FAST will result in this, and it may not have ANYTHING TO DO WITH keeping your mouth shut toward food, BUT ACTUALLY SEEKING God FOR HIS WILL DO BE DONE instead of YOURS:) "And the LORD will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. 12 "Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; You will raise up the age-old foundations ; And you will be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of the streets in which to dwell. (AH! RESTORATION. That’s what Followers of Christ are called to do: WE MINISTER TO OTHERS and deny ourselves the pleasures and adoration that we think we need and deserve!)
Zechariah 7:5: "Say to all the people of the land and to the priests, ’When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months these seventy years, was it actually for Me that you fasted?” We studied this last year. Remember? Israel was taken to captivity and they set special fasts to commemorate the destruction of Jerusalem. They wailed over the homes and cities which they had lost, instead of the SINS THEY HAD COMMITTED.
Jesus implies that if you think you deserve better from people, if you want to be noticed and appreciated by people, maybe you have your reward in full now. Jesus came to serve, and to give to people; hearts that WILL serve, that will set others free, that will edify others and put God and others first. This prompts us, not to say, “Do I DO enough, but rather, have I received this kind of HEART from Him?
OUTLINE: The True Fast
Matthew 6:16-18
I. Forgiveness is “letting go.”
1.The forgiveness that you have received freely, should be freely given to others.
2. Forgiveness and pardon are letting go of infractions against you, as God has “let go” of your sins on account of Christ.
II. The truth about FASTING, according to Jesus
1. Examine the WAY that you fast.
2. Don’t Put on a Fasting FACE.
3. We should always feed on the Bread of Life.
4. Hebrew word for “FASTING”- keep your mouth shut: “Be Still and Know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
5. The TRUE FAST: WE MINISTER TO OTHERS and deny ourselves the pleasures and adoration that we think we need and deserve!
The Christian Righteousness Review and overview (G. Boesenecker)
1. The Messiah comes not to abolish the Law of Prophets but to fulfill.
2. The Messiah is the GOAL of the Law in that He is THE Authoritative Representative as sent from God and the Law’s Authoritative Interpreter-HE establishes the Law in this new age and He brings in and gives the Law its true meaning by bringing it to its fullest extent (goal- Rom. 10:4
3. The Messiah demands obedience from the heart as prophesied in Jer. 31:33 and Eze. 36:26. It is not a continuation of a religion of EXTERNAL works as epitomized by the Pharisees and their forefathers. Not a religion of outward form. It is a NEW response to God through the internal working of the Holy Spirit whom Messiah Jesus brings with Him as He establishes the new age, the Kingdom of God.
4.The Law as established by Christ finds its proper footing of faith in and through the context of Love. This yields an obedience of faith from the heart which is superior to that of the scribes and Pharisees.
