Sermon
delivered on May 22nd, 2016
By: Pastor Greg Hocson
Scripture Text: Matthew 6:16-18
Introduction
This
morning I want to talk about the subject of fasting, a very important spiritual
discipline but a much-neglected discipline. In a culture of plenty and
prosperity, this subject on fasting seems to be out of place, strange, and
irrelevant. It runs counter to our culture of "I, me, my, mine"
mindset. Not only, this spiritual discipline directly opposes the desires of
our fallen nature, which are continually being enticed by the world and Satan.
Few
disciplines go against the flesh and the mainstream of culture as this one. - Donald S. Whitney
We don't hear much about fasting
these days, even in our churches, but the Scriptures say much about fasting. Fasting
is mentioned in Scriptures more than baptism (about 77 times for fasting, 75
for baptism).
In
the Old Testament
Moses fasted during the 40 days and 40 nights he was on
Mount Sinai receiving the law from God.
Exodus 34:28 And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty
nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote
upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
King
Jehoshaphat called for a fast in all Israel
when they were about to be attacked by their enemies - Moabites and Ammonites.
2 Chronicles 20:3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to
seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
In
response to Jonah's preaching, the men of Nineveh fasted and
put on sackcloth.
Jonah 3:4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's
journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be
overthrown. 5: So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast,
and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
In
the New Testament
Prayer
and fasting also occurs in the New Testament.
Anna "worshipped
night and day, fasting and praying"
at the Temple
Luke 2:36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser:
she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her
virginity; 37: And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which
departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings
and prayers night and day.
John
the Baptist taught his disciples to fast
Mark 2:18 And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees
used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and
of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?
Jesus fasted
for 40 days and 40 nights before His temptation by Satan
Matthew 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the
wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2: And when he had fasted forty days and
forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
This
morning I want to talk about the What, Why, Who, When,
and How of Fasting.
I - What is Fasting?
1.
What it is not
People
often fast for personal health, or for dietary reasons. But our Lord is not
talking about this kind of fasting. This fasting is not to be used in order to
lose weight.
Fasting
is not a method of punishing our bodies like what they do in
the Philippines where some practice self-flagellation, or whipping oneself.
Fasting
is not to impress God nor to earn His acceptance or
favor, our acceptance having been made full and complete on the basis of
the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Like
alms and prayer, fasting is to be done as an act of devotion to God and not to
win the approval of anyone else.
Fasting
is not like a "spiritual hunger strike" to compel or
to manipulate God into doing what you and I desire. Fasting or no fasting, God
only promises to answer our prayers when we ask according to His will.
2.
What it is
Fasting is defined as the Christian's voluntarily abstinence
from food and drink in order to focus on prayer and fellowship with God.
Fasting is seeking God's face.
And
that is what I am calling each and everyone to do - to seek God's face
and to ask God to bless our Anniversary Sunday Service. We will ask God to
bless this special event with many first time visitors. As Pastor Obero preaches that God would speak to the lost and bring
them to saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and that God may be honored and be
glorified. Fasting is seeking God and His glory.
But
we must not confined fasting to the question of food and drink. I like what the
late Martyn Lloyd-Jones says ...
"Fasting
should really be made to include abstinence from anything which
is legitimate in and of itself for the sake of some special
spiritual purpose. There are many bodily functions which are right and normal
and perfectly legitimate, but which for special peculiar reasons in certain
circumstances should be controlled. That is fasting."
What
he is saying is that we can fast from good things other than food and
drink as well. When we fast, we are saying that God is more valuable to
us than things, than pleasure (even legitimate pleasures), and
relationships. We are seeking God's face and His reward.
The
purpose of Christian fasting should be to take our eyes off the things of this
world and focus our thoughts on God. By taking our eyes off the things of
this world through prayer and biblical fasting, we can focus better on Christ.
So,
what is fasting? Fasting is the Christian's voluntarily abstinence from anything,
food, drink, things, pleasure, and relationships in order to focus on seeking
God's face.
Hungering
for God
The
point of fasting is not a giving up of food for its own sake. It is a giving up
of food, willing to be hungry because we hunger for something more than food.
That is the meaning of fasting: it cries out, "This I want more than the
pleasure of food!"
Prayer
is one hand with which we grasp the invisible; fasting the other, with which we
let loose and cast away the visible.
- Andrew Murray
By
fasting, the body learns to obey the soul; by praying the soul learns to obey
the body. - William Secker
Fasting
is calculated to bring a note of urgency and importance into our praying, and
to give force to our pleading in the court of heaven. The man who prays with
fasting is giving heaven notice that he is truly in earnest. - Arthur Wallis
II - Why Should We Fast?
Without
a purpose, fasting can be a miserable, self-centered experience. - Donald S. Whitney
As
far as a command to fast, there is only one place in the Bible where fasting is
required and it is found in the Old Testament.
Leviticus 16:29-31; 23:26-31
The
Old Testament law specifically required prayer and fasting for only one
occasion, which was the Day of Atonement. This custom became known as "the
day of fasting".
Jeremiah 36:6 Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou
hast written from my mouth, the words of the LORD in the ears of the people in
the LORD's house upon the fasting day (day
of fast): and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of
their cities.
It
the New Testament, there are many places in the Bible where we are
commanded to pray and to give, but no command to fast. But, while there is no
command to fast, in Jesus' teachings, fasting is implied that His disciples
would fast.
Matthew 6:16 Moreover when ye fast ...
Notice
our Lord did not say "if you fast", instead "when you
fast". He is assuming that in the lives of His disciples at least on some
occasions they will be fasting. Jesus assumes that fasting was a good thing and
that it would be done by His disciples.
This
is what we see in ...
Matthew 9:15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them?
but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then
shall they fast.
When
the bridegroom is taken away, then the disciples will fast.
So
Jesus is not teaching on whether we should fast or not. He is assuming we will
fast and and here in our texts, He is teaching us how
and how not to do it. And so it is important that we know what is fasting and
what is involved in fasting that pleases God.
J.
C. Ryle ...
"It is a
subject about which we find no direct command in the New Testament. It seems to
be left to everyone's discretion, whether he will fast or not. In this absence
of direct command we may see great wisdom. Many a poor man never has enough to
eat, and it would be an insult to tell him to fast: many sick people can hardly
be kept well with the closest attention to diet, and could not fast without
bringing on illness. It is a matter in which each person must be persuaded in
their own mind, and not rashly condemn others who do not agree. One thing only
must never be forgotten: those who fast should do it quietly, secretly and
without ostentation. Let them not "show men
they are fasting." Let them not fast to man, but to God."
Thus
fasting is a choice we each must make. It is a voluntary spiritual discipline.
It is a Christian's voluntary, non-coerced abstinence from food or water or
anything for spiritual purposes.
III - Who should Fast?
In
Jesus' day, fasting was not such a mystery. It was a practice that was part of
the culture. Everyone was expected to fast once a year on the Day of Atonement.
Of
course, there are some people who cannot and should not fast because of medical
reasons. However, for the majority of Christians, it would be wise to consider
engaging in the practice of fasting.
Unless
we have medical reasons not to fast, we have very good reasons to motivate us
to fast! But be sure that we fast for the right reason.
My
prayer is that by means of this message, those who are able to fast will hear
God's call to fast.
IV - When to Fast?
There
are times fasting is not appropriate. Even Jesus taught us that fasting
was not always appropriate. He was once approached by the disciples of John the
Baptist and asked,
Matthew 9:14 Then came to him the disciples of John,
saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? 15:
And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber
mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the
bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
For
the disciples to have fasted when Jesus - the Bridegroom - was sitting right
there with them would have been very inappropriate.
This
is what makes fasting different from praying. There is never a time when
it is not appropriate to pray, actually, we are commanded to pray without
ceasing. But when it comes to fasting, there is time and a season for it.
What are these times and occasions? The Bible tells us a lot about the reasons
why someone would fast before God in this way.
1.
Times of distress and trouble
Prayer
and fasting was often done in times of distress or trouble.
David fasted when he learned that Saul and Jonathan had
been killed
2 Samuel 1:11 Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent
them; and likewise all the men that were with him: 12: And they mourned, and
wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the
people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by
the sword.
Nehemiah had a time of prayer and fasting upon learning that
Jerusalem was still in ruins
Nehemiah 1:1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, 2: That Hanani,
one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them
concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and
concerning Jerusalem. 3: And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of
the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the
wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with
fire. 4: And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and
wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of
heaven,
Nehemiah
had a deep sense of Jerusalem's significance to God and was greatly distressed
that affairs there had not advanced the cause and glory of God. Note that
Nehemiah's focus was toward the God of heaven and for the glory of God. When I
fast is that my focus and my goal
Darius, the king of Persia, fasted all night after he was forced
to put Daniel in the den of lions
Daniel 6:18 Then the king went to his palace, and passed
the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick
brought before him: and his sleep went from him.
2.
Sorrow over sin
For
one thing, it is associated in the Bible with sorrow over sin -
and repentance from it.
In
the book of Judges, when the people of Israel were forced to
fight against the tribe of Benjamin because of its idolatry and wickedness,
they wept before the Lord and fasted all day until evening (Judges 20:26).
Some
of the great heroes of the Bible, who led others in repentance from sin, did so
with fasting. Nehemiah led the people in confession of
national sin by first calling them to assemble "with fasting, in
sackcloth, and with dust on their heads" (Nehemiah 9:1).
Daniel, when he prayed his great prayer of national confession
for his people, made "request by prayer and supplications, with
fasting, sackcloth, and ashes" (Daniel 9:3).
God,
through the prophet Joel, called the
people to repentance from sin; telling them, "Now, therefore . . .
turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with
mourning" (Joel
2:12); and said, "Blow the trumpet in
Zion, consecrate a fast . . ." (v. 15).
When
Jonah preached to the Nenevites that
God's judgment was coming, a national repentance occurred in which they "proclaimed
a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them" (Jonah 3:5).
Even Saul
of Tarsus (that is, the apostle Paul), when he was confronted by the
Lord on the road to Damascus because of his murderous rebellion against the
message of the gospel, repented and "was three days without sight,
and neither ate nor drank" (Acts 9:9).
This
kind of fasting illustrates the seriousness with which we are to grieve over
sin, and how nothing else - not even eating and drinking - is as important as
turning completely away from it.
3.
Humbling of one's self
And
not only is fasting associated with sorrow and repentance from sin, but it's
associated with a humbling of one's self in general.
King
David, when it appeared that his infant son
was going to die, "pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted
and went in and lay all night on the ground" (2 Sam. 12:16).
Queen
Esther, before she went before the king to
appeal for the life of her people, asked her cousin, "Go, gather all
the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me;
neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day" (Esther 4:16).
Ezra led the people in a prayer to God for protection, "proclaiming
a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might
humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our
little ones and all our possessions" (Ezra 8:21).
Even
the Gentile centurion Cornelius prayed to the God of Israel
with fasting. He received the message of the gospel through God sending Peter
to him and his household as a result of such intense prayer; because, as he
told Peter, "Four days ago I was fasting until this hour . . ." (Acts 10:30).
4.
When crucial things were about to happen
The church
of Antioch fasted and sent Paul and Barnabas off on their first
missionary journey.
Acts 13:2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the
Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have
called them. 3: And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on
them, they sent them away.
They
were fasting to seek the leading of the Holy Spirit in the direction of their
mission. They were hungry enough for God's leading that they wanted to say
it with the hunger of their bodies and not just the hunger of their hearts.
"We want your leading, O God! O Holy Spirit, what is your will for the
mission of this church?"
Jesus, before He
began His public ministry, preceded that ministry with forty days of fasting in
the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-2).
V - How to Fast?
Negatively
Matthew 6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be
not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces,
that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their
reward.
If
we are led to fast, we must be very careful that we do not fast in such a way
as to be seen and admired by men. It teaches us a principle that has
application to all those things that we do to deny 'self' out of reverence to
God - that we must always beware of doing those things so as to be seen by men.
Otherwise, we have no reward from our Father for our having done them.
Positively
Fast
to be seen by God in secret.
Matthew 6:17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18: That thou appear not
unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and
thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee
openly.
When
we fast, we must not do anything that will draw attention to our appearance,
our hungry state or our dedication to God. Fasting is between the saint and his
God. A true Christian fast is seeking God, seeking God's attention,
seeking God's reward.
Matthew 6:18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy
Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth
in secret, shall reward thee openly.
Closing Thoughts
I
could say more about this subject on fasting but I hope I have said enough to
stimulate us to seriously consider this important but much-neglected spiritual
discipline.
As
I have said, there are some people who cannot and should not fast because of
medical reasons. So, please check with your doctor for any health concerns.
However,
for most of us, it would be wise to consider engaging in the practice of
fasting.
My
prayer is that by means of this message, those who are able to fast will hear
God's call to fast.
"Fasting,
like the Gospel, isn't for the self-sufficient and those who feel they have it
all together. It's for the poor in spirit. It's for those who mourn. For the
meek. For those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. In other words,
fasting is for Christians.
It
is a desperate measure, for desperate times, among those who know themselves
desperate for God." -
David Mathis
AMEN!