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16"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 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. |
The law of Moses had established only one fast for Israel and that was on the Day of Atonement. Even then, only part of a day. So, were they fasting for the wrong reasons?
Fasting for the wrong reason is condemned and not fasting in and of itself!
I. Fasting for the wrong reasons
A. Not to gain merit in the eyes of men...or parade or piety.
B. Not to feel superior and holier than others.
C. Not to cover up a broken heart - or be a paid crier.
D. It is not a substitute for repentance or Christianity.
E. Not to impress God....
F. Not to coerce God..........................He knows our intent!
G. It is not a method of evangelism----(Monks think it is??)
II. The Values of Fasting
A. Spiritual enrichment----allows one to concentrate on the will of God.
B. Health - removes some impurities from the body. Detoxifies the body.
C. SELF DISCIPLINE - one must learn to say 'no' to yourself.
D. Defense against the master of pleasure. Not all pleasure is sinful. Only when we allow it to control us.
F. Builds an ability to define essentials. Must not lose focus on our priorities in life. Even then, sometimes we need a break to re-plan our goals.
G. By fasting, we can learn to enjoy life more, allows us to look back
H. Give up any attempt to impress others and do this in private.
Biblical References for Fasting
Acts 13:3 Fasting and Prayers.........Acts 27:23; 14:23; 4:3; Ps. 55:14; Joel 1:4; 2:12; II Cor. 15.
Fasting is a humble expression of sin in the Bible (or should have been). It was very active in the apostolic church.
THE SEVEN CONCEPTS OF FASTING
1. Denying ourself (Psalms 69:7, 10). Improves diligence and relationships. Makes us more productive.
2. Sorrow for sin (Joel 2:12; Joel 1:14).
3. Humility - an outer expression which shows our higher purpose.
4. Used to discern the will of God, by thinking things through (Eze. 8:21)
5. Fasting is a matter of soul searching (Dan. 9: 2-5) (John 3:5-9).
6. Serious decisions (Ester 4:3).
7. Spiritual and physical revival (II Ch. 20:3; John 3).
The True Treasure and it isn't Wealth!
19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
20"But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
I. A Complete Prohibition against Laying Up Treasures on Earth.
A. Moth, means clothing. Short shelf life.
B. Rust - Foods and materials that perish. Food also has a short shelf life.
C. Tangibles - Things which can be taken away by thieves. Keep life simple and down to the basics. Earthly treasures cannot stand earth's deterioration. Beware of trusting in things that have a diminishing return. Food/clothing/tangibles offer no long term security.
Invest your life in the things of heaven. Heavenly things are eternal and do not deteriorate. Where do you think the best investment is?
We need to have clear goals and make clear statements to ourselves. "I will not trust in earthly things." I can leave this world without any reservation because I have put my trust in heavenly things.
II. Our Goals will determine Our Actions.
22" The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.
23"But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24" No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other You cannot serve God and wealth.
B. The person with a clear vision knows and understands his Christian responsibilities. In this text, it is fulfilling the beatitudes.
C. If we have the correct internal view, we are able to praise God and encourage others to do the same. That is, happy is the man will a clear vision.
II. The Goal of a clear vision (verse 24).
A. We will have singleness of mind.
B. We realize that we cannot serve two masters.
C. This realization allows us to focus.
D. "Seek First the kingdom of God."
E. In order to do that we must determine who we will serve, God or mammon.
F. Can't be the slave of two masters.
G. Need to determine what we want to do and who we will serve. Renew our promises daily.
25 "For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
26" Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?
27"And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?
28"And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,
29yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.
30"But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!
31"Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?'
32"For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
33"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Food and Clothing
We become anxious when we are threatened. This is an initial response and a primary emotion when we are threatened by poverty or lack of food and clothing.
Clothing Clothing is used to protect us from the rigors of the environment. Clothing allows us to present ourselves to the rest of the world.
Principle Involved. Do you really believe in seeking first the kingdom of God? If so -
Must realize that God is the God of our souls and bodies. God is concerned about our basic needs, since He even cloths the plants in nature. So - food and clothing are not the goals in life. The kingdom of God is our goal. God will see that His children have their basic needs met. We therefore ought to trust in God for our basic needs.
Worry - A word about worry.
Worry is sinful and is not a virtue of a Christian. It is irrelevant and only does harm. Worry is a lack of faith and places our attention and life focus on the wrong objects.
Worry is placing faith solely within our selves and does not give God credit. This makes worry a matter of arrogance. Freedom from anxiety may only come when we make God the center of our life.
Chapter 7
Chapter Five underpins the Idea of Having Mercy
Chapter Six underpins Issues of Faith
Chapter Seven is about Justice.
There are Four Summaries related to Justice in Chapter 7. We must remember, these are not a reference to non-kingdom people but people in the kingdom.
1"Do not judge so that you will not be judged.
2"For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.
3"Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
4" Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye?
5"You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
I. Verses 1-5 and Do not Judge or Judge with discernment.
That is, do not be a self appointed judge with a critical spirit. Particularly when not called for.
Do not use ourselves as a standard. Hard not to do.
Verse one, an extension of the 5th beatitude in reverse. (Judgment is a lack of mercy).
It is an extension of the 6th (not pure in heart)
It is an extension of the 7th (not a peacemaker)
So----this text is built on the structure of the beatitudes. Chapters five and six must be practiced before chapter 7 can be attempted.
II. But in fact - what this actually says is that we are to judge with discernment. We are to surrender our condemning mood and be people who are more discerning between right and wrong.
III. Surrender the disposition of justice.
We need to leave to God the disposing of justice. It is not our place. Being overly critical can bring about our own condemnation. We need to live the examined life. Do not measure others by the good works that we do. We are not the standard.
We must give when the opportunity knocks but be very discerning when doing good.
6"Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
VERSE 6. Don't be blind. Not everyone will be receptive to the word.
Not all are ready for the Lord's word. Avoid being a pressure type evangelist. Notice the methods of Christ. They were not high pressure.
Prayer and the Golden Rule
7"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
8"For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
9"Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone?
10"Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?
11"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!
12"In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Ask and it will be given and he who seeks will find!
1)Of course, this is conditional. When we meet the right conditions. See II Cor. 7:14.
2)
But it isn't just a matter of having a repentant heart. We must also
have a spiritual desire. I Sam. 1:10; II Kings 19: 14-19.
3) We need a confidence that leads to a trust in God. James 4:2. A faith that believes that God is both willing and able to deliver. Matthew 21:22. - AND- sometimes able to grasp our answer in a manner that does not fit our perception.
4) Verse 14 tells us that this is the law and the prophets. Question, if one just read over the gospels, do you think from the gospel accounts alone that this might be understood?
13"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
14"For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
I. This is a warning to the Kingdom people. The narrow gate is where we want to be. The 'wide' gate is: rushing herds, the mass, those who are always willing to follow a crowd and do the popular thing.
A Tree and its Fruit
15"Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
16"You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?
17"So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.
18"A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.
19" Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20"So then, you will know them by their fruits.
I. The Two Trees
Sifting
is based on a community of pretenders. We can identify these people
based on behavior. Not just bad behavior either but lack of behavior
(things they do not do). Because - good trees produce - good
fruit.
Beware of false teachers. Apply those principles (the ones
above) to identify those teachers.
By their Fruits you will know them!
1) Immoral, no standard of morality
2) Amoral, those who have a standard and ignore it.
3) Super-moral, those who have their own standards.
The Two Doers
21"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
22"Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'
23"And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'
This identifies three groups of people who we will call the Lord sayers!
1) There are those who are:
Wrong in message and wrong in life
2) Wrong in message and right in life
3) Right in message and wrong in life.
The third group is usually found in the church of Christ.
The Two Builders
24"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25"And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.
26"Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
27"The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell--and great was its fall."
28 When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching;
29for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.
1) Both builders wanted to do something
2) Both were competent
3) One built on a suspect foundation
4) Even though there was no authority to do so.
5) This amounts to the difference in attitudes.
6) They both had God's law but one just refused to follow.
7) The foolish man trusted in himself.
by Lane Rogers