Good morning! Over the last couple of weeks we have been looking at Jesus’ teaching about giving and prayer. These are two of the three righteous actions Jesus tells His followers to observe as they live their lives.
Today we are going to talk about the third righteous actions – fasting. We find Jesus teaching about fasting in Matthew 6:16-18
Let’s read this passage – if you do not have a Bible you can find the Scriptures printed on the insert inside your bulletin.
READ
(ME)
How many of you have ever been asked by the doctor to fast prior to having tests or some other medical procedure done?
Did you find that when you were told not to eat that suddenly your body began craving food? Suddenly you began thinking about food like never before!
Recently, I began Weight Watchers. I am trying to monitor my intake of food and be mindful of my portion sizes. As I have committed myself to losing weight and getting healthy it seems there are foods that I just cannot get out of my mind.
My wife, who has lost more than 70lbs. in the last 18 months, tells me that I will eventually think differently. But for now it is a struggle to think of food in a different light than in the past.
(WE)
When I was in Bible school I had a classmate who was addicted to fasting. As a matter of fact he fasted so much that he caused some imbalances in his brain. One day he disappeared from St. Louis and was eventually found in Atlanta, GA.
I have another friend who believed that fasting was the only way to bring revival. He and his wife fasted so much that she died of malnutrition. I am not talking about people with no access to food – but those who had believed that somehow their act of fasting was a way to force God into sending revival.
(TRANSITION) Fasting is certainly something we should engage in as believers. But what is it and why do we do it?
(GOD)
Jesus assumes that fasting would be part of the normal Christian life. Like prayer and like giving, the act of fasting helps to promote an attitude of dependence on God.
Fasting, to put it quite simply, is setting aside a space of time where we abstain from food and drink. Obviously, we cannot do this for days on end but we can push the plate back every now and then. We could take the time we would have spent eating and use it for prayer or devotional reading.
Fasting is not complicated and it is NOT MAGICAL! It is not a formula whereby you go on a hunger strike to get God’s favor.
Almost every religion requires some form of fasting from its adherents. Buddhists fast and so do Muslims. I remember trying to go to the shops in South Africa during Ramadan – the Muslim time of fasting. Some of the shopkeepers were looking pretty worn out.
Even in the Greek and Roman religions of Jesus’ day fasting was a part of their duty to the gods. To the Greek or Roman fasting was not about gaining some high spiritual place. Fasting was about ensuring the proper relationship between you and the spirits and the gods.
When Paul talks to the Corinthian believers about whether or not to eat meat offered to idols we get a glimpse into what the Romans/Greeks thought. In their minds one could ingest evil spirits through food. They especially believed that food was eaten near someone who had just died (often would fast until the person was buried).
But the Romans and Greeks also believed that fasting could provide a way for someone to gain stronger magical powers. Through fasting they could receive dreams, oracles from the gods, or the ability to cast stronger spells. It was a way for them to have greater PERSONAL POWER.
Though other religions practice fasting it does not mean that we, as Christians, have the same motivation for fasting as they might.
The OT speaks often of people fasting. Moses fasted 40 days prior to receiving the 10 Commandments (cf. Ex 34:28). Daniel fasted prior to receiving visions (cf. Da 9:3; 10:2f., 12).
Esther called for a season of fasting before entering into the king on behalf of her people.
The OT idea of fasting speaks to a “humbling of the soul.” To fast was to humble oneself before God in total dependence on Him for strength and life. But what was the motivation behind the fasting?
When we look at the fasts of Daniel, Moses and Esther we see the motive rests on how their humble action COULD BENEFIT OTHERS. It was NOT ABOUT REVELATION – THAT WAS A BY-PRODUCT OF COMING HUMBLY BEFORE GOD. IT WAS NOT ABOUT POWER – IT WAS ABOUT SERVING A NATION THAT NEEDED GOD’S PROTECTION.
The OT only REQUIRED of the Jewish people ONE FAST DAY PER YEAR – on the Day of Atonement. This was a day of NATIONAL REPENTANCE (cf. Lev 16:29; 23:27; Num 19:7).
But after awhile the ONE fast day evolved into a legalistic system of rules and regulations surrounding the fast. It had become a day where people were not acting in a humble manner. Look at Isaiah 58 with me this morning.
READ vv. 1-2: God tells Isaiah to expose the selfishness of the peoples worship. They pretend to want God’s blessing but really do not – demonstrated in their actions.
READ vv. 3-4: in their pretense of religious service they participated in fast days. But then complained because their fasting DID NOT GET THEM WHAT THEY WANTED. Instead God never even acknowledged their actions. He did not answer. Why? Because instead of humbling themselves for service to God’s will they used the days to exploit workers, to fight and quarrel with others
READ v. 5: Is this really what God intended? Did He expect your righteous actions would cause you to become something you are not? It is not that God is saying do not fast. He is simply saying do not let it become something devoid of His presence by your evil actions.
READ vv. 6-9: Look at what God expects to happen when we fast with the right motivation (comment on these along as reading). Notice that God’s fast prompts us to look outward to the needs of others.
We feel the oppression of hunger so that we can recognize there are those to whom God wants us to feed.
We feel the pangs of poverty – life without food – and it should make us want to be never see anyone in that position if we can help it.
We feel the nakedness that comes to our stomach to remind us of those who are in need of clothing.
As we fast God reminds us of how empty we were without Him and spurs us on to be those bring light and hope into the world.
READ vv. 10-12: But God does not JUST WANT TO REMIND US of these things. HE IS REMINDING US SO THAT WE WILL TAKE ACTION!!! We don’t just point fingers at the poor and say, “They need to do better – be better –act better.” NO NO! We put out our hands to the poor and help.
YOU become a part of God’s desire to REPAIR and RESTORE the brokenness of this world and of human life.
You are saying, “I believe everyone, created in the image of God, is valuable and important.”
I like the way Jesus put it…
READ MATTHEW 25:31-46
When Jesus tells us not to look somber or to act as the hypocrites do when they fast He must be pointing to some notion that one can receive JOY FROM FASTING. NOT A JOY FOR SELF – BUT A JOY THAT GOD WILL USE US TO BE HIS HANDS AND FEET TO THE HURTING – THE OPPRESSED – THE POOR
(YOU)
Here is the challenge. Go ahead and fast. When you fast is up to you. You can choose to fast a meal or a day or 3 day’s or whatever (caution: medical conditions). But no matter when or where or how long remember you are fasting for one reason:
TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE WORLD THE WAY GOD DOES AND THEN TAKE SOME ACTION TO HELP BE SOMEONE WHO REPAIRS AND RESTORES THROUGH THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
Fasting is about changing your perspective on a situation. Jesus told the disciples that some demons would only come out by prayer and fasting – what did He mean by that.
Well, in the context of Matthew 17 the disciples had failed to cast the demon out of a boy brought to them by his father. Jesus rebukes the demon and it comes out of the boy. The disciples then ask why He could do it and they could not. Jesus tells the disciples that the casting out of some demons requires prayer and fasting.
Then Jesus goes on to tell the disciples that they have a lack of belief that God can do the impossible. It seems to me that Jesus is telling them that the prayer and fasting has more to do with how they see things – how they see His power – how they see His compassion. NOT NECESSARILY ABOUT THE POWER TO CAST OUT DEMONS.
When you fast don’t forget to pray! Fast as unto God and pray unto God. Do not worry whether or not everyone knows you are fasting or praying. Just remember that what you do in your own walk with God will become evident by the fruit you bear in the public arena.
(US)
I am really tempted to call some days of fasting. And, at some point, we might ask for people to volunteer to fast. However, my challenge to all of us this morning is to begin building within ourselves the discipline of fasting (we are pretty good at feasting – now let’s try fasting).
As a church I want us to be individuals who practice the righteous actions of giving, prayer and fasting. But I do not want us to turn them into legalistic drudgeries that detract from the freedom that comes from doing them. On the other hand, I don’t want us to walk down the path of the prosperity gospel where fasting becomes a means through which we attempt to manipulate God. I do not want us to see fasting as a magical formula for dreams or visions or power.
I want us to practice fasting as an act of righteous behavior that leads us toward an understanding of our dependence on God – and one that spurs us toward compassionate action for our fellow human beings.
