Announcements The amendment to S 1 Amendment 20

Announcements The amendment to S. 1, Amendment 20, did pass in the Senate this evening. The vote was YES 55 and NO 43. This amendment protects grassroot organizations like CHURCHES FRC, Focus on the Family, etc. , from unnecessary reporting of their activities. TONY PERKINS OF THE FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL SAID THAT THE CHURCH "ROCKED" CAPITOL HILL THIS WEEK!!!!!!! THANK YOU JESUS Metro’s Book Keeper will begin working on the giving receipts next week. If you have moved this year please email their address corrections. Janienne Brey <janienne@jps. net>

The Sermon on the Mount SM-126 Matthew 6: 16 -18

Real Religion Jesus has been teaching us about the realities of the Kingdom of God. In this third section of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6 He has been instructing His followers about the subject of REAL RELIGION. 1. ) Giving verses 1 -4 2. ) Praying verses 5 -15

We come this morning to the final subject in this section – FASTING. It is interesting to note that this is a subject that the average Christian knows little or nothing about, in theory or in practice. The majority of Christians, I suppose, live their lives as though this passage had been torn out of their Bibles.

(Mat 6: 16 -18 NKJV) "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 INSIGHT: The Pharisees fasted twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays. (Luke 18: 12 NKJV) 'I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess. ’ INSIGHT: John the Baptist and his disciples also fasted regularly, even “often” we are told, but the disciples of Jesus did not. (Mat 9: 14 NKJV) Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast? "

KEY OBSERVATION: Jesus Himself, our Lord and Master, fasted forty days and nights in the wilderness. And one day, in response to a question He said, “When the bridegroom is taken away, … THEN they (my disciples) will fast. ” And in the Book of Acts and the New Testament letters there are several references to the apostles fasting. 2 Cor 11: 27 In…. fastings often, KEY POINT: Jesus not only expected his followers to fast, but gave them instructions on how to fast on the assumption that they would fast. So, we cannot dismiss fasting as an Old Testament practice or an unimportant external ritual.

KEY POINT: Jesus NEVER condemns the act of fasting. It is not wrong to fast, if we do it in the right way and with the right motive. He only condemned the Pharisees who fasted in order to win the praise of men. So let’s see how Jesus unlocks for us thing called FASTING.

WHAT Is It? The strict definition of fasting is “the total abstention from food. ” Our first meal of the day is called “break-fast” referring to the night period during which we ate nothing. It can be legitimately extended to mean going without food partially or totally, for shorter or longer periods. WHY Do It? Certainly NOT as a weight-loss program. In the Scriptures, we find that fasting - like giving and praying - is centered upon God!! It’s something that is a part of the believer seeking God with great intensity.

It is safe to say that on a daily basis we are preoccupied with the physical over the spiritual. Fasting is an act of bodily discipline that moves the believer to place a priority on the things of the spirit as opposed to the things of the flesh. Fasting serves the purpose of telling our bodies that they simply do not get the lion’s share of our attention. Instead of our bodies dragging us to the table we are going to drag our bodies before the Lord. KEY OBSERVATION: I believe that the very nature of fasting tells us why it is so little understood… so little practiced in contemporary Church culture.

KEY INSIGHT: Bearing that governing principle in mind, The Scriptures points out to us several critical times for giving extra attention to the spiritual over the physical. 1. ) Fasting is helpful in times of brokenness and correction. KEY INSIGHT: In fact, the practice of “fasting” and the attitude of being “humbled before God” are virtually synonymous terms. (Psa 35: 13 NKJV) But as for me, when they were sick, My clothing was sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting; And my prayer would return to my own heart.

That is why people often times fast in times of BROKENESS and CONFESSION before the Lord. Fasting is born out of the attitude that says “Lord, You are really dealing with me. “I don’t even want to eat until you have accomplished the work that you desire to do in this area of my life. ” EXAMPLE: Daniel (Dan 9: 3 -6 NKJV) Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. {4} And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said,

"O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, {5} "we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. {6} "Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land. EXAMPLE: Nehemiah (Neh 9: 1 -3 NKJV) Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads. {2} Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.

{3} And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for one-fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the LORD their God. EXAMPLE: Saul of Tarsus after his conversion, was so BROKEN over the fact that his persecution of Christians was in reality a persecution of Christ, that he did not eat or drink for three days. Somehow, having a “good time” and a dinner at Ruth’s Chris, or Outback, doesn’t seem to be the priority when the hand of God is heavy on your life.

But when we have sought the Lord in the matter and come to a place of true repentance we feel as though the Lord says, “O. K. , Get up, wipe away your tears, and replenish your body. ” KEY QUESTION: Could the absence of such fasting today have to do with the fact that so many professing Christians are rarely moved to a place of brokenness and deep conviction? 1. ) Fasting is helpful in times of brokenness and correction. 2. ) Fasting is to be done for the purpose of seeking a deeper experience in knowing God

“Lord, I have spent plenty of time taking care of my physical needs, but I just want to SEEK You and FELLOWSHIP with You. I want to HEAR from You. ” (Job 23: 12 NKJV) I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food. (Psa 42: 1 -3 NKJV) As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. {2} My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? {3} My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, "Where is your God? "

1. ) Fasting is helpful in times of brokenness and correction. 2. ) Fasting is to be done for the purpose of seeking a deeper experience in knowing God (Isa. 58; Zech. 7: 5). 3. ) Sometimes fasting is for the purpose of seeking God for REVELATION and DIRECTION. EXAMPLE: Moses fasted forty days and forty nights (Exo 24: 15) as he went up to meet with God and receive the Law from God. EXAMPLE: Daniel fasted as he awaited God's word of explanation concerning God’s dealings with the nation of Israel (Dan 9: 3).

EXAMPLE: In the book of Acts we see the early Church fasting in regards to seeking God for DIRECTION in ministry. (Acts 13: 2 -3 NKJV) 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. 4. ) Sometimes fasting is for the purpose of PREPARATION for spiritual conflict. EXAMPLE: Jesus himself fasted as he awaited the ordeal of temptation (Matt 4: 2).

WE NEED TO KNOW THIS because the intensity of spiritual warfare demands that our mental and the spiritual faculties are most alert. 1. ) Fasting is helpful in times of brokenness and correction. 2. ) Fasting is to be done for the purpose of seeking a deeper experience in knowing God (Isa. 58; Zech. 7: 5). 3. ) Sometimes fasting is for the purpose of seeking God for REVELATION and DIRECTION. 4. ) Sometimes fasting is for the purpose of PREPARATION for spiritual conflict. Having seen WHAT it is, and WHY we do it, let’s close by examining the WRONG WAY and the RIGHT WAY to fast.

KEY INSIGHT: Jesus took it for granted that GIVING, PRAYING and FASTING would have a place in our lives. His concern was that in our giving and praying and our fasting, that we should not be like the hypocrites, trying to draw attention to ourselves. KEY INSIGHT: The great danger is that A person might fast as a means of appearing to be “super -spiritual” That his fasting can be a deliberate demonstration, not to God, but to men, of how devoted and disciplined a person he is.

ALL of that to the end of some self-serving purpose Pride…. Position…. Gain THAT is exactly what Jesus was condemning. The WRONG Way KEY POINT: Jesus was condemning fasting when it was used as parade of piety. REMEMBER - Jewish days of fasting were Monday and Thursday. These were market days, and on these days people would flock into the towns and villages…. Jerusalem would be especially jammed with people.

There were those who knew that on those days they would have a bigger audience to see and admire their “spirituality. ” They would take deliberate steps to see that no one could miss the fact that they were fasting. QUOTE: William Barclay They walked through the streets with hair deliberately unkempt and dishevelled, with clothes deliberately soiled and disarrayed. They even went to the length of deliberately whitening their faces to accentuate their paleness. This was no act of humility; it was a deliberate act of spiritual pride and ostentation.

The RIGHT Way (Mat 6: 17 -18 NKJV) "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. When you fast…. . not IF…. Act and look the same you would if you were going out to your favorite place to eat so that you will NOT appear to be fasting.

BECAUSE the purpose of fasting is NOT to ADVERTISE ourselves but to DISCIPLINE ourselves NOT to gain a reputation for ourselves but to SEEK GOD! Up to this point in Matthew’s account of this Sermon on the Mount Jesus has been teaching us about the realities of the Kingdom of God. 1. ) The Real Christian 2. ) Real Righteousness 3. ) Real Religion

Next week we find Jesus addressing a new subject – Real Riches I BELIEVE that this morning’s portion, and next weeks are so RELEVANT and so CHALLENGING to us because they address SPIRITUAL REALITIES in a world that is focused on only MATERIAL REALITIES. The fact that for the most part fasting is non-existent in the Church today shows us that we are fixated on physical comfort over pressing into things spiritual. We are also accustomed to viewing life as a dichotomy - the “spiritual” and the “material. ” We often look at our material possessions as something separate from our spiritual life.

But Jesus made no such division. The right way of looking at life is to understand that though we live in a material world we are never to divorce the material aspect of life from the spiritual. The KEY for the believer is how he or she SEES material things and how he or she REALTES to material things. May the Work of God’s Spirit in each of our lives cause us to see the superiority f the spiritual over the physical and material!!