held together with Fasting Prayer Service Session III
Matthew 6:16-18
6:16. "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.
6:17 "But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
6:18 "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. "
Worship with fasting is to wash our sad countenance, whose spiritual meaning is as follows:
17:1. Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves;
17:2 and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.
The way out of the problem of sad countenance is real through worship prayer.
There is a renewal of life in worshiping God, from sad countenance to shining face as the sun.
Fasting is a way to hasten the renewal process, and to make the shining face permanent.
The results we will get if we have the shining face are as follows:
Matthew 6:16-18
6:16. "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.
6:17 "But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
6:18 "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. "
Worship with fasting is to wash our sad countenance, whose spiritual meaning is as follows:
- Bitter heart, anger, jealousy, and hatred without any cause.
Genesis 4:5-9
4:5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell
4:6 So the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?
4:7 "If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."
4:8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
4:9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"
The facts found in this meaning are as follows:- Beating = bad deeds giving other people disadvantage.
- Murdering = hating without any cause.
- Lying.
- Beating = bad deeds giving other people disadvantage.
- Being sorrowful, in distress because of facing problems in marriage and children as well as impossible matter such as barrenness.
1 Samuel 1:15-18
1:15 And Hannah answered and said, "No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.
1:16 "Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now."
1:17 Then Eli answered and said, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him."
1:18 And she said, "Let your maidservant find favor in your sight." So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad. - Jerusalem which is in ruin, meaning not being active or being unfaithful in the ministry of building Christ's body even leaving it.
Nehemiah 2:1-3
2:1. And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before.
2:2 Therefore the king said to me, "Why is your face sad,since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart." So I became dreadfully afraid,
2:3 and said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?"
If Christ's body becomes in ruin, Jesus will no longer be the Head but wolves and birds. The wolves refer to wickedness sins, and the birds refer to uncleanness sins. Consequently, one will be built to become the city of Babel or the bride of Satan which will be destroyed in one hour.
Revelation 18:1-2
18:1. After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory.
18:2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!
Nehemiah 2:10
2:10 Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard of it, they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel.
On the other hand, if we want to fight to become faithfulin the ministry of building Christ's body, the Lord is fighting for our well-being, and He wants to make everything good. - There is no hope but disappointment, not understanding the meaning of Jesus' death and resurrection.
Luke 24:17,19-21
24:17 And He said to them, "What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?"
24:19 And He said to them, "What things?" So they said to Him, "The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
24:20 "and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him.
24:21 "But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.
17:1. Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves;
17:2 and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.
The way out of the problem of sad countenance is real through worship prayer.
There is a renewal of life in worshiping God, from sad countenance to shining face as the sun.
Fasting is a way to hasten the renewal process, and to make the shining face permanent.
The results we will get if we have the shining face are as follows:
- Sunshine = God's love and covenantwhich will never change but become a shield to protect us from the fiery darts of the wicked.
Psalm 84:12
84:12 12 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory;No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.
The fiery dart of the wicked means as follows:- Sins up to the peak, i.e. sins concerning eating-drinking and marrying-giving in marriage.
- Temptations and disasters.
- False teachings or strange voice in shepherding.
- Sins up to the peak, i.e. sins concerning eating-drinking and marrying-giving in marriage.
- Sunshine = God's love and goodnessto do these things:
- To preserve our life in the dark world.
- To help and to solve all problems even the impossible ones.
- To employ our life in the revival of Holy Spirit at the last rain.
- To preserve our life in the dark world.
- Sunshine = God's love and gloryto renew our life to become as glorious as He is.
The renewal of life begins with HONESTY whatever risk may come. One will not be renewed if s/he does not have the honesty.
Matthew 13:43
13:43 "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!