Please now turn with me in your copies of God's Word to the Gospel of Matthew. The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 6, verses 16 to 18. If you're using your pew Bibles, you can find this on page 1031. In the Gospel of Matthew, verses 16 to 18. And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces, but their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, for your fasting may not be seen by others, but by your father who is in secret. And your father who sees in secret will reward you. So in our reading of God's Word this morning, let's once again bow in prayer and seek His blessing. Our gracious Father, Lord, we pray that You would bless us now as we look at these verses we have found in the Gospel of Matthew. We pray, Father, that You would guide our hearts and minds to Your truth, and that You, Lord, would bless my mind and mouth that I may think and speak clearly this morning. In the name of our Lord and Savior, we pray. Amen. Well, these three verses have to do with the subject of fasting. And to put in the context of what we've been looking at in the Lord's Prayer, in a section, it closes a section where Jesus is dealing with that great righteousness and what that greater righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees looks like. If you recall, the section before this dealt with Jesus giving a proper interpretation of the law of God, showing that the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees was just outward, and it shows that the true greater righteousness that we need is far beyond anything that the scribes and Pharisees could attain to. We look at theirs only by faith in Him that we can attain that greater righteousness. Then he goes on, in this section, as we've been looking at, Seeing how that greater righteousness is actually practically implemented in the lives of his followers, in the lives of his disciples, and we see contrary to the way in which the people of that day exercised their righteousness, it was to be a secret righteousness. It was to be done in secret, something that only God could see. Now, it doesn't mean As I said, we try not to make sure that nobody can see or tell that we're doing anything good at all. Naturally, people will observe that as we actually do this, but it goes to the heart of our motivation. Are we seeking to do it publicly, pleasing men, getting glory from men, or are we seeking to glorify God and to glorify His name? And in the three examples that Jesus gives of giving to the needy, of praying, and here as we look at these verses of fasting, each time he says that what we do in secret, or what our Father who is in heaven sees in secret, or that our Father is in secret, that he will reward us for what he sees. And so as we look at these verses, as we deal with fasting, we're going to look at the simple theme of when you fast, make sure that it is between you and God. When you fast, make sure that it is between you and God. And we'll be looking at it in three points. First of all, it is assumed that the people of God will be a fasting people. Secondly, when we fast, we are not to be like the gloomy hypocrites. And third, fasting is between God and His people. Fasting is between God and His people. So first of all, in looking over these verses as a whole, it is assumed that the people of God will be a fasting people. We see this in verses 16-18. And we see that especially in verse 17 when it begins, "...but when you fast." Jesus is giving his argument based on the assumption that his followers will fast, much like he said, but when you give to the poor, but when you pray, the assumption that he's making in his arguments is that his people will be doing these things. And so the assumption is that the people of God will be a fasting people. Now, I know unless your memory is like mine, which can't really remember what happened a couple of weeks ago, or maybe even less, I'm sure that you all remember well our our little mini-series that we did in celebration of our Presbytery's 100th anniversary on biblical fasting. As our Presbytery recalled or called a time of fasting for our Presbytery. So, some of the issues and things of fasting I'm not going to go into great detail about, about why we fast, the biblical basis for fasting. We can have those to listen to and I direct your attention to those sermons and you can find them online on our website if you would like. But just giving a brief overview here, the fasting that God gave and required, He really, in the law, only required one fast. In the law, we only find fasting in Leviticus 16, 29-31 and 23, 27-32. In the law, this is the only prescribed fast that God actually gave. We read one of those portions for our scripture reading earlier. Now, where does fasting fit in with those verses? Well, as we were reading twice, it said, afflict yourselves. This afflicting of ourselves was not something that we were to do physically of beating ourselves into submission in some way, but it's commonly held that that affliction, that afflicting of ourselves was a solemn fast. that the people of God did in preparation for the Day of Atonement, the affliction of oneself. But as we read through the pages of Scripture, we see that other fasts were also done, not directly by the direction of God, but they were also done at various times. They were done individually, in face of individual or sometimes national crises. Just a couple of scriptural examples for each, 2 Samuel 12, 16-23, and Daniel 9, 3. These are evidences of an individual crisis that is at hand, and the person there is having a fast, pleading for God's mercy or direction. But we also have a national crisis in Ezra 8, 21-23, and in Jonah 3, 5-9. There is a national emergency, a crisis, and so the people in general are called to fast. Jonah maybe raises some questions. What does that have to do with God's people? Jonah is away from God's people and he's ministering to the Ninevites. That passage shows us that the idea of a fast was not limited directly to the people of God, but it is the city of Nineveh, the Ninevites. As they are confronted with their sin, a fast is declared, and they fast before the presence of God, before they are destroyed. Now, the common question that is raised that we looked at a couple of years ago, a year and a half ago, too, is that, well, in the New Testament era, do we really need to fast? Are we supposed to fast? After all, we have Jesus Christ. We have the joy of salvation that he gives to us, the victory that he has won for us on the cross. Why do we fast? Well, by way of illustration, as a nation will rise against nation and go to war, Eventually there will be a victor. Now the victorious nation, although they may rejoice in their victory, there is still an intense mourning for the lives that were lost to get that victory. You know, we as a nation in past wars have memorials honoring those who have fallen. We recognize the price that was paid for our own freedom that we enjoy here. The sacrifice of blood. to get the freedom that we have. You know, we rejoice in those victories because they make our nation what it is today. But we also mourn greatly for the cost of that victory. You see, we as God's people have been given a great victory. And this is true. It is a marvelous and joyous and wonderful victory that we have in Jesus Christ. But the cost of that victory is unimaginable. The eternal son of God left the realms of glory, was born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under the law. He fulfilled every letter, every jot, every tittle. And he ultimately paid the humiliating sacrifice upon the cross. We hung there in his humiliation between two thieves. But apart from that, bearing the full wrath of his father on our behalf. We have been given a great victory that has come at an unimaginable price. The very life of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. So we can fast. It is right for us to fast because we can mourn our own sin. We can mourn our own reasons for Christ's death. But our fasting isn't like the fasting of the old. Our fasting is new in that it is mingled with a great, unimaginable joy that that victory does, in fact, give us because Christ did not remain in that tomb. Christ is victorious over death, over sin. And so even in our fasting, we can rejoice because Christ has given us victory over his and our enemies. This leads us then to our second point. When we fast, we are not to be like the gloomy hypocrites. Verse 16, Jesus begins, and when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. The word gloomy in the Greek is an adjective, and it could go really well with the word hypocrites. There could be a description of what Jesus is calling, don't be like the gloomy hypocrites. And then he describes them in their gloominess and how they are being gloomy. They disfigure their faces. Literally, they make ugly, they destroy, they hide. Some people interpret this as saying maybe they'll wear a veil over their face or something so that people will know that they're fasting. But one commentator pointed out that if they did, if you take the word as meaning hide, and they wore a veil of some kind, People are not going to get the glory that they seek because people are going to see someone that's fasting, but they're not going to know who it is because they can't really tell who it is because their face is hidden. So it's a hidden, it's a disfiguring, it's a making ugly, but they're still recognizable. So they can receive the proper glory that they are after. One thing that I maybe kind of liken this to as I was thinking about this is You know, we've all had the situation where maybe we've been out shopping at a mall or a big department store, and maybe we see a parent interacting with their child who their child really, really wants something. Or there's even a commercial that's been out recently where there's a child that is constantly begging and begging and begging the parents. And you can picture, you know, they contort their face and make it look ugly and disfigured and disgusting because they're in such pain and sorrow. because they really want that thing that they're after. And they do this and they get worse and more aggressive until, you know, in the commercial, the parent gives in and gives them what they want. And that's kind of a similar attitude that we see here in the gloomy hypocrites. They're disfiguring their faces. They're making them ugly. And it's for that prize, that treasured prize that people will look at them and say, oh, what a devout individual. That person is so spiritual. Look at how much they're suffering. in their fast. Well, Jesus says, no, we're not supposed to be like this. We're not to disfigure our faces. We're not to look ugly. We're not to the common practice would have been maybe to put some ash on your face. We're not to do these things. We're not to be apparent and and be able for people to look at us and say, oh, yes, that person is fasting. They must be very spiritual and very good. So basically, we're not to be obvious. about it when we do fast. We're not to be obvious about it. And then this moves us then to the final point this morning. That fasting is to be between God and His people. That is ultimately what Jesus is getting at here. In this final verse, verse 18, or verses 17 to 18, that when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face. That your fasting may not be seen by others, but by your Father who is in secret. and your father who sees in secret will reward you. Now, when Jesus says anoint your head and wash your face, in our day and age, he would tell us to take a shower, to bathe, don't advertise, be normal, adorn yourself as you would any other day, and go about your life, go about your work. If you are fasting, anoint yourself, adorn yourself as you normally would each and every day. Even putting on the normal smile and attitude that you would have. Not letting people know and not advertising, not being obvious about the fast that you are taking. And the reason being is that God is in secret. Now, as we looked at last week, as Jesus says this, God is in secret. He is pointing out God's always present nature. The big term that we call His omnipresence. He's always present. There is nothing that goes unhidden from Him. He sees everything. He knows everything. And so these things that you do that nobody else recognizes, God knows. He sees. And when we do them not to be recognized, we're doing them, we're helping ourselves do them for the proper motive. That is that God would be glorified, that He would receive the glory in what we are doing with Him. Remember, in the Old Testament, as we have the fast and observe them, the one that was given and then the others that were done along the way in various situations. The two reasons that were given was one, the Day of Atonement. That was one that God specifically directed. The Day of Atonement, where the people would pay the price for their sins. The animals would be sacrificed and their sins would be washed away. And then also in the times of great crisis. You know, here in the New Testament age, we we brothers and sisters, you know, have the opportunity to fast because of that great atonement that Christ has done. But then we think of the other issues as well, the personal, the individual or national crises. You know, one. Illustration or way to maybe be illustrated is that if you consider and you don't have to think of anything in specific, but real personal family crises that happen, that happen from time to time. If it's a real intimate personal family crisis that is happening, what parents would really like is for the children to really come and to talk with them, to seek their counsel, to seek their advice, to seek their help. And to not do it in a position where it's out in public and for everyone to make known. I mean, there may be a common time to do that in such a situation, but to come to them privately. To come into their home, to talk with them about the crisis that is happening and to seek their counsel. That's ultimately if this is true for human families, this is true for our families, our situations and dealing with certain real crises in our families. And it is not also true then for the family of God. Do we need, if we're suffering a personal crisis, or maybe as a church we're suffering a crisis, and we decide to fast before God, God doesn't want us to announce it and to declare it, but to come to Him. And that's kind of the situation that Jesus is betraying here. It's an intimate, personal situation between a father and his child. Now sometimes, as I said, There are situations where it needs to be known, it needs to be public. But the vast majority of time, the crisis that we face as individuals, or maybe the crisis that we may face as a congregation, doesn't necessarily need to be broadcast to the whole world. It is to be done in an intimate, personal way with God and His people. You see, ultimately, the fast is between us and God. And to be quite honest, it's nobody else's business. That's basically what Jesus is saying here. So when we fast, we're called to fast as one who is a child of God, humbly seeking our Father's will. Humbly seeking after our Father's will. We can do this in relation to the great atonement that Christ has won for us, realizing the great cost of our sin and feeling the shame and the humiliation that can come from that. Or in times of individual or corporate crises where we can come before our Father. But we're to do it in such a way where Jesus says we take our showers, we bathe, we go about our business as if we weren't doing anything at all. Anything out of the ordinary. But just between God and His child. That is what our fasts are to be. So a fasting is a humble plea from a child to their father. Brothers and sisters, this then is the end, the short of it. That is our message. That is the theme. When you fast, make sure that it is between you and God. Not between you and those around you, but between you and God, as you seek His will. Amen. Our Heavenly Father, we, Lord, do pray that when times come for us to fast, that these times would be for your honor and glory, that they would be done in a way that you prescribe or not advertising it to the world around us, but more just between us and you in our inner rooms even. And we pray, Lord, that you would bless these times, that they would be really, truly fruitful, wonderful times of spiritual refreshment and guidance as we seek your will. May you, Father, uphold us now as we leave this time of worship, and may you bless us and uphold us by your grace as we go about our daily lives this coming week. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray these things. Amen.