Keion Henderson - Don't Trust the Treasure

So, if you read the Pentateuch, which is another way of referring to the first five books of the Bible, you would discover that one of the preemptive choices or functions of a Jew is to attend all of the religious feasts and festivals. You 've heard me talk about the Feast of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. We call it the Day of Pentecost, but that was a feast. They had all kinds of rituals and feasts added to the fact that at least four times a year, every Jew would observe a fast, if I’m correct, and I believe I am. Verse 16 says, «Moreover, when ye fast.» God, what does fasting and treasure have to do with one another? Why would you be discussing fasting and, in three verses, be discussing treasure? If you see it that close, there must be a parallel that fasting and treasure are inextricably connected. When I read the text, I see God speaking to us in ways that are beyond a rushing fashion. If we would pause for identification and let the scriptures speak to us, we should approach the Word of God without preconceived notions-essentially, go to the Word empty. Most of us miss the substratum of the text because we approach it already knowing what it says, but that would prove to be faulty because the Bible says it is a living word, which means that everything that has ever lived is different from the last time you encountered it. Where your treasure is, that’s where your heart is. That scripture meant something to you when you first heard it. By the time I finish today, since it’s living and breathing, all of us will approach it empty, and there’s a possibility that you and I will get an opportunity to see once again what God was actually saying, even though what you heard the first time was true. Yes, did you hear what I just said? The Jews observed fasting four times a year. You should shout about the first one because the first time they fasted was in the fourth month-January, February, March, April. They fasted in the fourth month, the fifth month, the seventh month, and the tenth month. Now, when you fast, what do you think of? Doing without something, right? So, when we fast, we don’t eat, or we don’t check social media. Fasting is just doing without something for the purpose of attaining an answer from God-doing without something for the purpose of receiving the unction and power of the Holy Ghost. Most of the time, when we fast, nobody fasts just to fast; we’re always fasting so God will do something. Yes, sir, nobody just wakes up in the morning and says, «You know what? I' m going to fast so I can be holy.» Nobody wakes up and says, «You know what? I' m going to fast just because I want to be like the Jews and observe a fast .» Most of us think, «Oh, my children are acting up; let me fast.» «My relationship is on the rocks; let me fast.» «I need a new job; let me fast.» Most of us, when we fast, it’s not a real fast because you’re only skipping meals you already skip. You don’t eat breakfast, and then you go to the Lord at lunch and say, «Lord, would You accept my not eating this morning as a fast?» A fast is not when you skip something you would normally skip. A fast is when you do without something that you still have a desire for. It 's called a hunger pain for a reason. Whenever you fast, it ought to hurt; it ought to hurt you. You shouldn’t be able to fast and think, «Woo, that was good.» Whenever I hear somebody say they did a Daniel fast and they loved it, they are lying! When you don’t eat anything for 21 days and you only drink water and eat celery sticks, and you come out talking about how you loved it, you may have loved it at day 21, but by day 7, you are about to jump off a bridge! Come on, talk to me, somebody! It 's almost like people who go to the doctor and can’t even manage the fast before their appointment. The doctor tells you, «You’ve got an appointment tomorrow; don’t eat.» «Oh my God, can I get the 8:00 appointment?» So, nobody’s just in love with fasting. What I am trying to show you, and I’m unpacking this, is that they fasted in the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months-doing without something specific for a determined time. Here it is; I’m getting ready to show you that there have to be set times in your life when you intentionally go without. See, most people go without because they don’t have a choice-they lost their job, they went without. They got a pay decrease; they went without. But the scripture teaches us that sometimes, even with plenty, we have to decide not to have much. Now we’re talking about treasure and fasting. We’re talking about treasure and fasting. Everybody say, «Treasure.» Treasure. Everybody say, «Fasting.» Fasting. Now, I want to say this too, and I’m really laying this foundation because it’s going to make sense in a minute. Some would suggest that fasting is not necessary, and I have heard all kinds of ideas .