June 24, 2001
Secret Christianity – Part 3
INTRODUCTION
There has been a lot of talk about consumer privacy lately. Have you gotten any of those statements in the mail recently? Our life insurance company, our bank, the company that holds our retirement account – all sent us statements on privacy.
Privacy became a hot issue when certain companies began to secretly sell or share consumer data. It’s complicated by the Internet. Web sites that deposit cookies into our machines led to a scare that companies can now know which sites a user has visited. Done to target advertising and promotions.
Grocery stores now lure customers into obtaining a preferred card or a fresh values card on the premise that you’ll save more money at check out, when in reality the stores now are able to track what you, personally purchase every time you shop.
The Microsoft mantra, which says, - ’’The power over one’s personal information belongs in the hands of that individual,’’ is becoming an increasingly popular position in the eyes of consumers.
This shows that most of us would rather do our banking, shopping, investing and Internet browsing without the watchful eyes of others.
I don’t want people knowing this about me. (Actually it may not be to our advantage if they did – It may take total control away from us)
The Privacy Policy of Jesus is stated in Matthew 6:1
“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them.”
And yet when it comes to the most private religious activities of all we are strongly tempted to be seen. (Maybe it is to our advantage and places us in a position of control).
Just like you want to shop, invest, bank and browse in secret – fast that way too.
READ TEXT – MATTHEW 6:16-18
16“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Here is today’s Big Idea: When I fast, I’ll focus exclusively on God.
TRANSITION: To get at this today, I want to show you what fasting is, how not to do it, how to do it correctly, then finish with a few suggestions on giving it a try. First of all…
I. WHAT IS FASTING?
Quite simply - Fasting is abstaining from food for spiritual purposes.
For instance we’re all familiar with the word “Breakfast.” It’s a combination form or two words – break and fast. It implies breaking our fast from the night period when we ate nothing.
In the Bible, the words prayer and fasting are often coupled to show that the two go hand in hand. This doesn’t mean that whenever we pray we have to fast. But it does suggest that when we fast, we certainly need to pray.
Fasting is different from a hunger strike. The Rev. Al Sharpton recently underwent a hunger strike while in prison in New York to protest the U.S. Navy’s practice bombings on a Puerto Rican island. A hunger strike is a tool to gain leverage. Fasting is a tool to greater learning.
It is different from dieting, which is a tool to lose weight. Fasting is the practice of losing ourselves in God.
There are a couple of ways fasting shows up in the Bible:
1. For one, fasting is sometimes an expression of sorrowful turning from sin.
In Joel 2:12 we read, “Even now,” declares the LORD,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
That’s the language of repentance. Repentance accompanied by abstaining from food.
In the book of Nehemiah, after Ezra reads the Law of God out loud for the Israelites returning from exile, they gathered together for a fast where they confessed their sins.
In Acts 9, Paul had been doing his best to destroy the church, but after Paul (at that time still called Saul) met Jesus on the road to Damascus, he fasted for three days. So fasting was done when a person was sorrowfully turning from sin.
2. Fasting also shows up in the Bible when a person wanted to seek God for some particular direction or blessing. When a person was faced with a major decision, or a major crisis, they would turn away from food and other distractions in order to concentrate more fully on prayer.
Moses fasted during the time he received instructions from God on Mt. Sinai
Jehoshaphat saw enemy armies approaching proclaimed a fast throughout Judea
Esther, before she took her life in her hands by approaching the king to plead for the lives of the Jews, urged Mordecai to gather the Jews and have them fast while she and her maids did the same
Jesus fasted for 40 days immediately before his public ministry began
The church of Antioch fasted before sending Paul and Barnabus on their first missionary journey
And Acts 14:23 says, Paul and Barnabus themselves fasted before appointing new elders in every new church they planted
People fasted in the Bible when they repented, and when they needed God’s help. But we may wonder…
Is Fasting Still Legitimate Today?
To answer that we need to look at Matthew 6:16. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus introduces this practice by saying…“When you fast…”
By using the word “when,” He was making the assumption that we would do this.
A few chapters later in Matthew 9, Jesus is questioned about why his disciples don’t fast. He says, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is still with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; Then they will fast…” (Matthew 9:15)
Jesus made it clear that he expected his disciples to fast after he was gone. He upheld the practice of fasting and anticipated that his followers would do it. He told us how to do it on the assumption we would. Yes, fasting is still legitimate today. Jesus expects we will. And there are two tremendous benefits we gain from fasting.
The Benefits of Fasting
Fasting centers us on God
When we fast we truly begin to seek the giver and not the gift. We find out where are hunger really is. Are we simply hungry for food, or are we hungry for God?
Dallas Willard says…
“This discipline teaches us a lot about ourselves very quickly. It will certainly prove humiliating to us, as it reveals to us how much our peace depends upon the pleasures of eating.” (Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines, p. 165)
We probably don’t realize how tied we are to food. But try going without for a period of time, and you might be surprised. First your stomach may growl. You might get a headache. We have a problem – let’s medicate it. Food usually stops this stomach rumbling. I have a headache b/c I need to eat. So I’ll eat. Most of us eat with great regularity.
But fasting confirms our utter dependence upon God by finding in him a source of sustenance beyond food. Through it we learn by experience that God’s Word is a life substance. And that God himself is enough.
When Jesus was fasting, Satan tempted him to turn stones to bread. Jesus could have easily done that, but do you remember instead how he replied? Matthew 4:4 Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
And in John 4, when the disciples urged Jesus to eat something, he said, I have food to eat that you know nothing about
Did you hear what Jesus said? Even though he didn’t have food, he had food! That’s what fasting is all about.
So, when fasting we ingest the bread that is the Word of God and dine on the meat the world knows nothing of. And we learn that fasting is really feasting. Feasting on God – and getting as much of Him into our lives as we can get.
The Christian poet Edna St. Vincent Millay expresses the discovery of “other” food in her poem entitled “Feast.”
I drank at every vine
The last was like the first
I came upon no wine
So wonderful as thirst
I gnawed at every root
I ate of every plant
I came upon no fruit
So wonderful as want.
Feed the grape and the bean
To the vintner and the monger
I will lie down lean
With my thirst and my hunger.
For some mysterious reason – when we say we’re going to skip some meals to focus on God – an amazing thing happens. We have a greater awareness of God’s presence. Every stomach growl is a reminder that today I am seeking God. Meal times are substituted with quiet times of reading the Bible and praying or sitting and listening to God.
When I fast, I find I have a hard time taking my mind off my fast. Which immediately puts me into prayer. The whole day seems like it is lived in God’s presence. Food doesn’t get in the way of me listening. Which brings up the other benefit. Not only does fasting center us on God…
Fasting reveals the things that control us
What our bottom-line passions? What are the things that really drive our lives? You’ll find out when you fast. I guarantee it. You’ll find out what really is controlling your life when you say no to food so you can better listen to God.
Things come up – things are exposed that typically stay buried under brought to the surface through a fast.
ILLUS - Two years ago the elders asked the church to fast concerning the purchase of the Lundquist property. So I did. What I didn’t realize was how through the fast, God would expose some of the shameful things in my life. As a result of that fast, to seek God’s will on a matter related to the advancement of his Kingdom in this community - I realized I had to confess some sins to Kim and ask for her forgiveness.
I could relate to David who said, Psalm 35:13 – “I humbled myself with fasting.”
It is a humbling experience because it reveals what’s really inside us. Sometimes what we find isn’t so pretty. But God wants to flush those things out of us. Fasting is a good way to get a flushing.
Richard Foster says in Celebration of Discipline, “Fasting can bring breakthroughs in the spiritual realm that could never be had in any other way.” (p. 52-53)
He’s right. If you’re looking for a real breakthrough in your spiritual life – if you’ve been chasing that elusive life change that you’re hoping the Holy Spirit would bring to your life – if it just seems like you’re at a standstill in the level of intimacy in your relationship with God – have you tried fasting recently? If you haven’t, maybe food is getting into the way of you really hearing from God. Maybe your desire for regular meals is greater than your desire for regular times of intimacy before your Maker.
ILLUS – I went to Promise Keepers in Chicago this weekend. But I also fasted this week to prepare for it. When it came time to write down our sins and take them to the cross, I was ready. God had been dealing with me on some things in my life.
I love how John Piper describes fasting as the “Hungry Handmaid of Faith,” and says, “What a servant she is! Humbly and quietly, with scarcely a movement, she brings up out of the dark places of my soul the dissatisfactions in relationships, the frustrations of the ministry, the fears of failure, the emptiness of wasted time. And just when my heart begins to retreat to the delicious hope of eating supper with friends at Pizza Hut, she quietly reminds me: not tonight. It can be a devastating experience at first. Will I find spiritual communion with God sweet enough and hope in his promises deep enough, not just to cope, but to flourish and rejoice in him? Or will I rationalize away my need to fast and retreat (once again) to the medication of food? (A Hunger for God, p. 20)
Fasting reveals the things that control us. Jesus wants us to be controlled by the Spirit. Romans 8:9 says, “You, however are not controlled by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.”
Are you letting the Spirit have control? Or is something else in control. Fast and you’ll find out. You’ll find out what’s really in there – and then Jesus will help you get it flushed out.
TRANSITION: Now that we know a little bit about what fasting is, let’s hear what Jesus has to say concerning…
II. HOW NOT TO FAST (v. 16)
Jesus took it for granted that that fasting would have a place in our Christian life. His concern was that in fasting we don’t draw attention to ourselves. In the same way that he talked about how the Pharisees had turned both giving and praying into spectator sports, he does the same with fasting.
Here is how verse 16 reads in the New Living Translation: And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, who try to look pale and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I assure you, that is the only reward they will ever get.
Don’t change your appearance
When the Pharisees fasted they made it as obvious as possible. They neglected personal hygiene. The smeared ashes on their faces to make them look pale as statues. They wore these horrible pain-filled expressions on their faces (as though it was some big burden to follow God!). Jesus said, don’t change your appearance. He also said…
Don’t do it for show
Fasting is a time of drawing near to God. The Pharisees fasted so others would know. Look at me! I’m fasting. I engage in a spiritual discipline that only the spiritually mature even attempt. They wanted the applause of people. So Jesus says…
Don’t settle for small rewards
If you fast like this, he says, “I tell you the truth, you have received your reward in full.”
This totally defeats the purpose of fasting
If we focus on gaining the attention of others, we show we don’t understand the purpose of the fast.
Because when I fast, I focus exclusively on God. That’s why we do it. To focus on God – not on food – not on the things that control us – and certainly not on whether or not people notice us and approve of us.
Jesus wants us to cut the spiritual play acting and be real. This is your Father you’re talking about. You’re living out your life before an audience of One.
TRANSITION: So if that’s how not to fast, how should it be done? Jesus also tells us…
III. HOW TO FAST CORRECTLY (v. 17-18)
Matthew 6:17-18
But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
The point of those verses are that no one should ever be able to tell just by looking that we have been fasting.
Instead of changing our appearance we should…
Keep Business as usual
Jesus says “Wash up, put oil on your head” Under normal circumstances, people in Jesus day trimmed their beards, changed their clothes and washed their faces before appearing in public. They also used oil as a finishing touch to their clean up.
Today we might say, when you fast, do what you normally do. “Take a shower, brush your teeth, shave, fix your hair, and put on deodorant.” Remember you’re not fasting for show. You’re fasting exclusively for God.
Jesus would also have us know, instead of fasting for show…
Keep it a secret
Verse 18 – so it won’t be obvious to men you are fasting, but only to your Father who is unseen.
Now, isn’t this hypocritical? To hide this? I mean if you’re fasting, to be real shouldn’t you show it instead of being dishonest by hiding it?
No. Actually showing it would be hypocritical.
Fasting means love for God – a hunger for God. So with our actions we are saying we have a heart for God. But, if we want others to know, that means on the inside we are desperate to be admired by other people. That’s hypocritical. Looking hungry for God when we only hungry for praise.
Being seen fasting and fasting to be seen are not the same thing.
Does Jesus mean that the only fasting that is permitted is private fasting that no one else can know about? This would almost put fasting out of existence, since even our private fasting is nearly impossible to keep secret if one is married, or ordinarily eats meals with others. The idea is we don’t fast simply to be seen. We keep it a secret.
Now you may not want to begin a fast the day you’re supposed to go over to your grandma’s house. “Why don’t you eat? You need to eat!” She’ll think you hate her cooking and you’ll make a scene unless you finally break down and tell her, “I’m fasting,” which you didn’t want to do, b/c you wanted to keep it a secret. So we might want to look for opportunities when fasting can most easily go unnoticed – so we can keep it a secret.
Is there a time when you don’t have to eat lunch with colleagues? Is there a way to minimize the attention you’d receive if you didn’t eat. If someone finds out, you haven’t ruined your fast.
What we remember is, when I fast, I’ll focus exclusively on God. Not how it might gain me praise, not how it might encourage someone else – I’ll just focus on God.
Jesus also says, instead of settling for small rewards, we should…
Seek God’s reward
Verse 18 ends with these familiar words, “And your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”
The rewards in fasting are great. More of God
God responds. God acts. God rewards.
His name is hallowed
His kingdom comes
His will is done on earth as it is in heaven
Which is what we want
Which is why we fast
In Zechariah 7:5, God asks the Israelites a question, “Was it really for me that you were fasting?”
We want that answer to be a resounding Yes! When I fast, I’ll focus exclusively on God.
Here’s what John Wesley said…
“First let our fasting be done unto the Lord with our eye singly fixed on Him. Let our intention herein be this, and this alone, to glorify our Father which is in heaven.” (John Wesley)
And your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
TRANSITION: Now as we draw things to a close, I want to give you…
IV. SOME SUGGESTIONS ON FASTING
Begin slowly
24 hour fast – skip 2 meals. Eat dinner tonight, then skip breakfast and lunch tomorrow. By the time you eat dinner tomorrow night you would have fasted for 24 hours.
36 hour fast – skip three meals. Eat lunch today, then skip dinner tonight, as well as breakfast and lunch tomorrow. By the time you eat dinner tomorrow night, you would have fasted for 36 hours.
Then maybe after you’ve tried a regular 36 hour fast, you could attempt a fast of 3 to 7 days.
Seek medical advice
There are some with health concerns that maybe shouldn’t fast.
Diabetics, expectant mothers, and heart patients shouldn’t fast. If you have any questions, ask your doctor.
Some instead may choose to fast from TV, Playstation, radio, or a “favorite” food.
Recognize occasions for fasting
Facing a decision (i.e. our church is hiring a new worship minister)
An illness (i.e. Mark Niebalec recently found out he has cancer)
Struggling with a sin
Holidays (i.e. between Good Friday and Easter)
Requested by the leaders of the church
These are all great occasions for fasting.
Make fasting a regular part of your life
I’m going to challenge you right now to do that.
Pick a day this week….
Use the time you would spend eating for a period of prayer, Bible reading, silence, listening to God
Campus Crusade for Christ has an extremely helpful and detailed guide on fasting at www.ccci.org/howtofast. Check it out!
TRANSITION: When I fast – that means I will – when I fast, I’ll focus exclusively on God.
WRAP UP
So when it comes to fasting, what’s our privacy policy?
Are we still content when no one but God knows that we’ve done what we ought to have done?
Take some time to focus just on God this week. You may be amazed what happens. Be hungry – very hungry for Him.
