55. Sermon on the Mount Secrets - What is important to God? Part 2

This is the second part of our study on “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:16-18)

The next two verses of the Sermon on the Mount are integral to our study on fasting. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal,” (Matthew 6:19, 20). With this we can read the following passage: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple,” (Luke 14:26). The former relates to material goods and the latter to relationships that can hinder God’s purposes for us.

Our purpose in life should be to prepare for eternity and to take as many

people to heaven with us as possible. In Luke 14:26, Jesus teaches that too much attention to loved ones takes time and energy that belong to our relationship with Him. Our loved ones are also a mission field, and we need to care for them and make them aware of Jesus’ love. They do need our attention and time, but not at the expense of our relationship with Jesus and our efficiency as obedient Christians. To a disciple of Jesus, everything should be secondary to carrying out His commands (Matthew 28:18-20). Our family members’ care, salvation, and training take first priority. Relationships with our family and friends, however, need to be balanced with the needs of the Kingdom. The closer our relationship with Him here on earth, the closer we will be to Him in heaven. If we sit at His feet on earth, it will be like that in heaven. If we are busy with many things here on earth, regarding Him from a distance, so it will be in heaven.

Fasting is part of relationship building and prayer; it is a statement. It shows God that we are serious about putting ourselves aside for His purposes. It is sacrificing time, goods, and energy for the sake of relationship building and prayer. We can set ourselves aside from television, the family, food, and any form of normal daily activity for the purpose of having more time to pray.

Again, our motivation could be to impress others or religious duty, or we can do it to accomplish something in the spiritual realm. But if we do it for selfish reasons, we have received our reward in full. At that point, we have accomplished our reason for fasting and have received what we were looking for: the attention of others. God ordained fasting, even from the earliest times. He did it because fasting restricts the carnal desires and needs and releases time and energy for the sake of God. The Lord then multiplies them, and it results in great power.

How foolish can we be in neglecting our relationship with the Lord? (We must be careful to distinguish between relationship and religion. To pray habitually and go to church without considering the Lord in your life, without giving Him full control of everything you have and are: this is religion, not a relationship. Building a relationship with and pleasing the church rather than the Lord is also religion.)

What percentage is the eighty-odd years that we live on earth in comparison with eternity? Is it perhaps 0.000000008% of a billion years? Why are we so interested in being well-off in this limited space of time? Why would we want to grasp position, pleasure, riches, power, and fame at the cost of our neighbour? In the process, we lose our treasure in heaven by displeasing God. At the end of this life, we lose our earthly treasures. What do we have left then?

The motivation and purpose by which we live, the treasure and reward that is important to us will determine how much time we will spend in relationship building with the Lord. It determines how much and how well we are prepared to pray and fast in order to be effective in the Lord’s eyes. Good works and religion do not impress the Lord. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do,” (Ephesians 2:8-10).

            According to verse ten, we are God’s products, which He created to do the works He prepared for us. We are not to do what we think is good (for then we can boast), but are to hear from the Lord, through prayer and fasting, what He wants us to do. We then act in faith, which pleases God (Hebrews 11:6). Through this, we gather treasure for ourselves in heaven.

Please pray with us: Dear Lord Jesus, I am so earthly-minded. Please open my eyes that I can become aware of eternity, that the full realization can hit me. Search my heart and show me where I gather earthly treasures, even if it appears to be good and Christian. Give me the grace to sacrifice time for prayer and fasting so that I can become aware of what You want me to do and so be effective in building Your Kingdom. Amen.

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