Sermon 4.19.26 | "Don't Be Obvious

Devotional

Day 1: Oil on Your Head

Jesus watched religious leaders smear ashes on their faces when they fasted. They wanted everyone to see their sacrifice. But He told His followers, “Put oil on your head—look normal.” Fasting wasn’t about performance. It was about turning physical hunger into spiritual hunger. God sees secret sacrifices. [00:58]

Fasting trains us to crave God more than food. Jesus cares why we fast. If we do it for applause, we’ll get empty praise. But when we fast for God alone, He fills us with His presence.

What do you do to be noticed? Social media posts? Church volunteering? Try this: Next time you serve, don’t tell anyone. Let it stay between you and God. Where does your heart seek approval more—from people or your Father?

“When you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting isn’t obvious to others but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
(Matthew 6:17–18, ESV)

Prayer: Ask God to reveal one act you’ve done for others’ approval. Confess it silently.
Challenge: Skip a meal today. Use the time to pray about a hidden area of your life.

Day 2: Mount Warning Lessons

Two brothers climbed a mountain to fast for 40 days. They filmed their journey—gaunt faces, shaky hikes. The world called it extreme. But Jesus said fasting isn’t about proving endurance. It’s about letting hunger point you to God. [02:21]

Fasting exposes what controls us. The brothers wanted physical healing, but God wants heart healing. When your stomach growls, do you grumble or pray? Empty stomachs reveal empty souls.

What do you use to numb your hunger for God? Streaming? Work? Try fasting from one distraction this week. When cravings hit, whisper Jesus’ name. What habit have you avoided confronting because it comforts you more than Christ?

“He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna […] to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word from the Lord.”
(Deuteronomy 8:3, ESV)

Prayer: Thank God for a time He let you hunger to draw you closer.
Challenge: Write down three distractions you’ll fast from this week.

Day 3: Bread and Every Word

Moses reminded Israel: God let them starve in the wilderness. Then He fed them manna—not to fill bellies, but to prove His faithfulness. Every meal became a lesson: “You need Me more than bread.” [09:24]

Jesus is our manna. Fasting shifts our focus from temporary fillers to eternal satisfaction. When we feel empty, God’s Word sustains us longer than snacks or screens.

What “manna” have you relied on instead of God? Comfort food? A friend’s approval? Open your Bible the next time you’re tempted to reach for a quick fix. What hunger do you try to satisfy without inviting Jesus into?

“He gave you manna to eat […] so that you might understand that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
(Deuteronomy 8:3, ESV)

Prayer: Confess one thing you’ve used to replace God’s presence. Ask Him to be enough.
Challenge: Read Jesus’ words in John 6:35 aloud before your next meal.

Day 4: When the Bridegroom Leaves

Jesus’ disciples didn’t fast while He walked with them. But He warned, “When I’m gone, you’ll fast.” Their future hunger would remind them: The best feast is coming. Every growling stomach would whisper, “Long for Me.” [10:55]

We fast because we miss Jesus. Our hunger aches for His return. Each skipped meal is a prayer: “Come back, Bridegroom. We need You here.”

What makes you ache for heaven? A broken relationship? Chronic pain? Let your next craving remind you—this world isn’t home. How would living for Christ’s return change your choices today?

“The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away, and then they will fast.”
(Matthew 9:15, ESV)

Prayer: Tell Jesus one thing you’re eager to leave behind when He returns.
Challenge: Fast from dinner tonight. Pray for someone who doesn’t know the Bridegroom.

Day 5: Hunger That Doesn’t Show

A church member wrote, “I can’t skip lunch—I have meetings. But I’ll fast TV instead.” His fast stayed hidden. No one knew he traded Netflix for prayer. That’s the goal: secret hunger. [29:33]

Fasting isn’t a rule—it’s a love language. Whether you skip meals, social media, or shopping, do it to clear space for God. He rewards what others never see.

What could you quietly give up to seek God this week? Don’t announce it. Let the sacrifice stay between you and Him. What’s one thing you’d struggle to fast from—and why?

“Your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
(Matthew 6:18, ESV)

Prayer: Ask God to deepen your desire for Him more than any visible reward.
Challenge: Journal about what you feel when you fast. Note where your mind wanders.

Sermon Summary

Jesus unpacks fasting as a disciplined, spiritual practice meant to realign desire toward God rather than toward comfort, approval, or self-control. Fasting simply means abstaining from food (and sometimes drink) for a season, yet in the biblical world it functions primarily as a confession of need and a means to sharpen spiritual sensitivity. It trains the body to acknowledge dependence on God, uses physical hunger to surface hidden cravings and sin, and increases receptivity to God’s voice. The teaching contrasts biblical fasting with the showy fasting of religious hypocrites who make their sorrow and sacrifice obvious to win human praise; instead, Jesus commands that fasting be done discreetly—anoint the head and wash the face—so the act remains between the person and the Father who rewards in secret.

Fasting carries freedom rather than law. The New Testament never legislates fasting for every believer, but it assumes the practice for those who seek deeper reliance on Christ—especially in seasons of longing, prayer, or corporate discernment. The greatest reward of hidden fasting lies not in physical change but in encountering God’s presence and approval: the bread of life satisfies what earthly goods cannot. Practical wisdom accompanies the call to fast: health and life circumstances may prohibit food fasts, so Christians are free to fast from TV, social media, or other pleasures instead. The discipline exposes how much the body pushes its own agenda, and it therefore becomes a spiritual laboratory for honest self-knowledge and repentance.

Finally, the practice should flow from a posture of curiosity and openness—observe irritability, track where the mind wanders, journal responses, and take discoveries to God in prayer. Whether fasting a meal or a habit, the aim remains the same: to cultivate an appetite for God that outlasts any temporary abstinence and prepares the heart for the final fulfillment of every hunger in Christ.

Key Takeaways

1. Fast to express dependence on God Fasting should pronounce spiritual need louder than physical appetite. When practiced rightly, it uses bodily hunger to turn attention away from created comforts and toward the Creator’s sustaining word. This discipline cultivates humility by demonstrating that life ultimately rests in God’s provision, not in one’s own resources or routines. [07:34]
2. Avoid fasting for public approval Public displays of sorrow or obvious deprivation empty fasting of its spiritual end. If the goal becomes human recognition, fasting only secures worldly rewards and hardens the heart. True fasting hides motives and seeks God’s private commendation rather than social praise. [11:35]
3. Hunger for God, not comfort The telos of fasting centers on meeting with God, not achieving bodily mastery or spiritual status. Fasting clarifies what actually satisfies the soul by revealing where longings truly settle. Pursuing God as the ultimate reward reorders desires so that earthly comforts lose their deceptive claims. [21:22]
4. Practice fasting with freedom and curiosity Fasting functions best when chosen freely and explored with honest reflection. Track emotional and mental shifts, journal temptations, and bring discoveries to God for confession and insight. If physical fasting proves unsafe, replace it with another abstinence that creates space to seek God. [27:18]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:17] - Scripture reading
[01:13] - Opening prayer
[02:21] - Fasting in culture
[06:42] - What is fasting?
[07:34] - Purposes of fasting
[11:35] - Hypocrisy exposed
[16:54] - How to fast privately
[21:22] - Hunger for God explained
[27:18] - Practical tips: freedom & curiosity
[30:28] - Invitation and silent prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Matthew 6:16-18 (ESV)
“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that 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, 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.”

Deuteronomy 8:3 (ESV)
“And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”

John 6:35 (ESV)
“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.’”

Observation questions

In Matthew 6:16-18, what specific actions does Jesus criticize about hypocritical fasting, and what does He instruct instead?
According to Deuteronomy 8:3, why did God allow Israel to hunger in the wilderness? [09:24]
What two spiritual benefits of fasting were highlighted in the sermon? [07:34]
How does Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6 contrast worldly rewards with God’s rewards for fasting?

Interpretation questions

Why might Jesus emphasize secrecy in fasting rather than public displays of devotion? How does this connect to the idea of God as the ultimate audience?
Deuteronomy 8:3 says God allowed hunger to teach dependence on His Word. How does fasting help modern believers internalize this truth? [09:50]
The sermon described fasting as a “spiritual laboratory.” What does this metaphor reveal about how fasting exposes hidden desires or sin? [18:56]
How does John 6:35 redefine the purpose of physical hunger in light of Jesus’ identity?

Application questions

When have you prioritized others’ approval over God’s in your spiritual practices (e.g., prayer, serving, fasting)? What steps could help refocus your motives? [14:12]
What distractions or comforts (food, social media, TV) tend to dull your hunger for God? How might fasting from one of these create space to seek Him? [27:18]
The sermon encouraged “curiosity” during fasting. If you tried fasting, how would you track emotional shifts or temptations? What practical tools (journaling, prayer prompts) could help? [27:51]
How can you discern whether a fast is driven by genuine dependence on God versus a desire for control, achievement, or spiritual status? [21:22]
For those unable to fast from food, what alternative “fast” (e.g., technology, entertainment) could create similar opportunities to depend on God? How would you structure it? [28:55]
What would it look like to approach fasting as a joyful act of longing for Christ’s return rather than a burdensome duty? [10:55]

Sermon Clips

I wonder this morning, if you're going through life, no matter what I get, no matter what I put in my body, no matter what I put in my bank account or or in my house, no matter what I want in my hopes and my dreams, I'm just still hungry. I want people's approval. I want people's love. I'm not getting it. I want more and more. Is this it? Is abundance really helping us? Or or are you feeling this I'm getting more and more and more, and I just feel empty. Someone here this morning has tried to fill their souls and bodies with everything but God, and you're still hungry. [00:23:49] (50 seconds) #StillHungryInside

But if you truly hunger for God, then fasting becomes a vehicle which you focus your physical and spiritual energy on the goal of fasting, which is God himself. He's the goal. The presence of God, getting God is the greatest reward. And friends, there there are so many rewards for being a Christian. We become children of God. We become co heirs with Christ of everything in the new heavens and new earth. We get to reign with Jesus forever, and there are a thousand more, but the greatest reward that we get in the Christian life is the presence and favor of God almighty. That's the greatest reward. He will be the crowning achievement of heaven. We'll get to be with him. [00:21:39] (54 seconds) #SeekGodsPresence

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Sermon 4.19.26 | "Don't Be Obvious

Devotional

Day 1: Oil on Your Head

Day 2: Mount Warning Lessons

Day 3: Bread and Every Word

Day 4: When the Bridegroom Leaves

Day 5: Hunger That Doesn’t Show

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Sermon 4.19.26 | "Don't Be Obvious

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