The Teachings of Jesus Christ. Pt. 16 The Sermon on the Mount
Good morning to every one of our faithful Readers. This is our last full day with our son's family in South Carolina and our Father in heaven gave us a most spectacular sunrise. The clouds were highlighted in shades of peach, coral and rose where the sun was coming up. Toward the horizon the clouds changed to deep violet colors and the light aqua blue peaking through the openings in the clouds.
After teaching His disciples how to pray in a God honoring pattern, Jesus spoke some words about forgiveness that we need to take heed to.
Matthew 6:14-15 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Jesus Christ would not have to teach us this truth unless this were an issue for the church and for individuals. I am sure that most of us know that it is a real issue and sometimes we struggle mightily with forgiving those who have wronged us.
The main idea here is that we are to have the same spirit of forgiveness toward other people that our heavenly Father has for us. We need to remember what our Father's forgiveness to the repentant sinner is like.
Infinite, merciful gracious forgiveness of our Father
The Father's forgiveness is merciful and full of grace. His mercy is unending and He removes our sin as far as the east is removed from the west. If you were to travel North to the North Pole and keep going, you would be travelling South. When you arrive at the South Pole and continue on, you would then be traveling North.
However, East and West directions are not like that. If you begin traveling East and circumnavigate the world you will always be going East. If you travel Westward and go around the entire world you will always be traveling West. The idea is that our sins are infinitely removed from us because East and West never meet.
Psalms 103:8-12 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. 9 He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. 10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. 11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
The Christian's spirit of forgiveness
Paul summarizes what the heart of a born again Christian should be like when it comes to forgiving those who sin against us. We are to forgive others the same way that God has forgiven us when we placed our faith in Jesus Christ. This is what our Lord Jesus is getting at in His teaching about this subject.
If we fail to forgive others like we have been forgiven then wrath, anger, bitterness, and malice will creep into our lives. If we forgive others the same way that we are forgiven then kindness and a tender heart will manifest itself in us.
Ephesians 4:3-32 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Fasting as a hypocrite instead of fasting to honor God
Matthew 6:1618 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
Christ paints an amusing picture of the Pharisee who fasted in a hypocritical manner in order to gain attention for their piety. Like an actor, they put on a sad mask where their countenance is disfigured. The Pharisees created a facial expression that was an unsightly grimace that made their face look different. It was all a show to maintain the outward appearance of fasting.
"Fasting emphasized the denial of the flesh, but the Pharisees were glorifying their flesh by drawing attention to themselves." Fasting was and still is an important way that we can seek God more earnestly. They trivialized it into a fake external posture that communicated you were fasting to others who saw you.
God's purposes for fasting in our lives
After teaching His disciples how to pray in a God honoring pattern, Jesus spoke some words about forgiveness that we need to take heed to.
Matthew 6:14-15 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Jesus Christ would not have to teach us this truth unless this were an issue for the church and for individuals. I am sure that most of us know that it is a real issue and sometimes we struggle mightily with forgiving those who have wronged us.
The main idea here is that we are to have the same spirit of forgiveness toward other people that our heavenly Father has for us. We need to remember what our Father's forgiveness to the repentant sinner is like.
Infinite, merciful gracious forgiveness of our Father
The Father's forgiveness is merciful and full of grace. His mercy is unending and He removes our sin as far as the east is removed from the west. If you were to travel North to the North Pole and keep going, you would be travelling South. When you arrive at the South Pole and continue on, you would then be traveling North.
However, East and West directions are not like that. If you begin traveling East and circumnavigate the world you will always be going East. If you travel Westward and go around the entire world you will always be traveling West. The idea is that our sins are infinitely removed from us because East and West never meet.
Psalms 103:8-12 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. 9 He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. 10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. 11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
The Christian's spirit of forgiveness
Paul summarizes what the heart of a born again Christian should be like when it comes to forgiving those who sin against us. We are to forgive others the same way that God has forgiven us when we placed our faith in Jesus Christ. This is what our Lord Jesus is getting at in His teaching about this subject.
If we fail to forgive others like we have been forgiven then wrath, anger, bitterness, and malice will creep into our lives. If we forgive others the same way that we are forgiven then kindness and a tender heart will manifest itself in us.
Ephesians 4:3-32 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Fasting as a hypocrite instead of fasting to honor God
Matthew 6:1618 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
Christ paints an amusing picture of the Pharisee who fasted in a hypocritical manner in order to gain attention for their piety. Like an actor, they put on a sad mask where their countenance is disfigured. The Pharisees created a facial expression that was an unsightly grimace that made their face look different. It was all a show to maintain the outward appearance of fasting.
"Fasting emphasized the denial of the flesh, but the Pharisees were glorifying their flesh by drawing attention to themselves." Fasting was and still is an important way that we can seek God more earnestly. They trivialized it into a fake external posture that communicated you were fasting to others who saw you.
God's purposes for fasting in our lives
- Fasting is connected to strengthening our prayer life (Ezra 8:23)
- Fasting is connected to seeking God's guidance (Judges 20:26)
- Fasting is connected to seeking deliverance by Jehovah (2 Chronicles 20:3-4)
- Fasting is connected to confessing sin to God (1 Samuel 7:6)
- Fasting is connected to being humbled in the sight of the Lord (1 Kings 21:27-29)
- Fasting is connected to dedicating yourself to God (Matthew 4:1-11)
- Fasting is connected to serving God wholeheartedly (Luke 2:37)
- Fasting is connected to seeking understanding from God (Daniel 9:1-4)
The Lord Jesus Christ gives us the proper way to observe a fast. We are not to tell others that we are fasting because this is a private matter between the individual and Holy God. We are not to let others know we are fasting by having a "disfigured" appearance.
In stark contrast to the Pharisees, Christ instructed His disciples to anoint their head with olive oil. This was common practice in the Middle East because it was good hygiene to work oil into your hair and scalp.
Jesus instructed them to also wash their faces so that they were clean and fresh in appearance. In the modern culture we probably are not going to work oil into our hair or scalps but we are urged to shampoo our hair and maintain cleanliness when fasting.
Points to Ponder...
- Forgiveness and fasting are two important practices for the born again Christian.
- We must forgive others as the Father has forgiven us in order to be blessed with a tender heart and loving kindness.
- Fasting is a wonderful means God has provided so that we may seek spiritual help in times of need, grief or trouble.
- The Pharisees played the hypocrite when they fasted by maintaining a false persona.
- Fasting is private and between God and the individual seeking help.
Christians struggle with forgiving those who have sinned against them. The reason I know this is true is because of how often the subject comes up in the Bible. An unforgiving spirit does not reflect the Spirit of Christ.
Fasting is a subject that we do not hear much about today. You could study out the references I noted above and enjoy a richer understanding of how fasting works in peoples lives.
I think the devil is set against you and me fasting in a Biblical manner. I think he fears the consequences of what might happen if the people of God all around the world get serious about their relationship with Him and begin fasting. As you read above, fasting is a powerful way that God can grab ahold of our hearts and minds more than ever before in our lives.
Failing to fast is in economic terms "forgoing" potential blessings from God and a potential revival in our souls.
We have much to pray about from this teaching of Christ and we can all be grateful that He has given us a chance to do just that.
Bob
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