Matthew 9:14
"Then John's disciples came and asked him, 'How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?'"
--->Jesus's point was that He desired mercy over sacrifice.
--->Fasting is an encouraged practice
--->Fasting is commended, not commanded
*Matthew 11-13
"Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners? On hearing this, Jesus said, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.' But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.'"
*Jesus' two greatest commandments: Love God and Love People
*The Heart of God: To see mercy shown to every human who are away from Him in their relationship.
*Fasting is not a scriptural requirement, it's a voluntary expression of your faith
Matthew 9:15-17
"Jesus answered, 'How can the guest of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.'"
*Doing our duty through sacrifice is not the heart of God
*The key is our motivation -- having the heart of God
*Jesus intends for His followers to individually fast
*Jesus is doing a new thing in our lives -- salvation
