The Heart of Fasting
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Today we continue our message series from the book of Matthew. It is a 3 chapter section known as the Sermon on the Mount - The greatest sermon ever. The last two weeks we talked about prayer and giving. This week we are going to take a look at fasting. Each of these three disciplines would have been very familiar to who Jesus was talking to. In the Jewish culture at the time, prayer, giving and fasting were practiced on a regular basis. Jesus is teaching them the proper way to participate in them.
From what Jesus says, we can infer that the Jewish leader in particular had made a a public spectacle of what was meant to be a good thing to do…a right thing to do. They were doing the right thing in the wrong way and as a result they were missing the blessing that comes from prayer, giving and fasting. In the book of Luke, Jesus tells a story that is an example of what Jesus is speaking to...
9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
The lesson here is to come and do the right thing with the right heart and intention. That is the big idea in this portion of the sermon on the mount. Let’s go ahead and read our passage for this week:
16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others 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.
These are the words of Jesus to us. A couple of principles from what Jesus says here...
He starts with the word when…there is an expectation that followers of Christ would participate in fasting.
Not only would they fast, their fasting would require some level of sacrifice that if not put in check would result in us being somber and having some physical effects of the fast.
Jesus warns us to be mindful of our physical appearance, that it would not be apparent that we are fasting. Our fasting should be done in secret, potentially with a small group, but not something everyone around us should know about.
With these three things in perspective that Jesus said - Fasting is expected, that it will require sacrifice and that it should be done privately - I want to answer three questions for you today using scripture as our source:
When should I fast?
Why should I fast?
How should I fast?
Let’s take our first question - When should I fast? Let’s start with Jesus in the Matthew 4...
Jesus was just baptized and his ministry time was just about to begin. Here is what he did:
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
When starting something new
Matthew 4:1-2
This time in the wilderness was a time alone. He was tempted and had to respond to those temptations with scripture. In a way this 40 day fast and time away was preparation for the new season that was coming.
If you find yourself in transition to a new season, a new calling, something new about to start, that is a good time for a fast.
Let’s look at the book of Jonah for our next one…Chapter 3.
Jonah was a prophet sent to Nineveh to warn them of God’s judgment that was coming because of their sin. Jonah is known for his unwillingness to go and the time spent swallowed up by a fish. Ultimately Jonah goes to Nineveh. Let’s read:
1 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”
3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
6 When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh:
“By the decree of the king and his nobles:
Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”
10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.
The second reason to fast is
When we are convicted of sin
Jonah 3
Just like in the story, it is appropriate to fast when convicted. It is a time for mourning over our actions and seeking the Lord and asking forgiveness. Is a fast required…no, but it has benefits in our time of repenting and seeking the Lord.
Let’s turn to Ester chapter 4. The Jewish people are in Persia and the king has been tricked into issuing a decree to kill all of the Jews. Ester is the Queen and her father Mordecai hears of this. We’ll just read the first few verses...
1 When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. 2 But he went only as far as the king’s gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it. 3 In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
When something bad happens
Ester 4:1-3
Something bad has happened and Mordecai and the Jewish people are seeking God’s intervention in this situation. If you are in the midst of terrible news, or something bad has happened to you or someone you love, fasting is an appropriate response.
One more…turn to Acts 13. The church is growing and spreading. They needed additional leadership to help with this growth and spreading. Here is how they worked through that:
1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
When you need an answer
Acts 13:1-3
The church had five qualified guys to take up the work of the church. They went to the Lord in prayer and fasting to get their answer. If you find yourself in a situation where you need to make a decision, fasting is an appropriate thing to do alongside praying.
To recap…When should I fast?
When starting something new
When we are convicted of sin
When something bad happens
When you need an answer
Next question…Why should I fast?
Let’s look at Ezra 8. Ezra is leading God’s people back to Jerusalem. He just got a blessing from the king and could have asked the king from some security for their travels. Instead, look at their posture:
21 There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. 22 I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.” 23 So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.
A need to humble ourselves
Ezra 8:21-23
Fasting is an act of humility. in any of the situations we may find ourselves in to fast, the best way to approach the Lord is in humility. Fasting as a act of humility reminds us of that posture we are to have.
Our next why is in the book of Joel, the prophet brings a message to God’s people about the recent plague that struck them. It was meant as a warning. The Lord then encourages them to turn back to him. One of the things he specifically wanted them to do is fast...
12 “Even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
The result of their turning back to him in this way was not only the restoration of what the plague took, but look what it says will happen:
28 “And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
There is a transformation that happens when we turn to the Lord. Fasting is one of the ways in which we actively turn to him.
A need to be transformed
Joel 2:12, 28-29
One more answer to why we should fast...
Daniel, the prophet had some questions about a prophecy from Jeremiah that he saw playing itself out. He writes this...
3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.
Then we see the result:
20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hill—21 while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. 23 As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision:
A need for a renewed mind
Daniel 9:3, 20-23
Daniel was lacking information, insight, his heart was troubled by what he was seeing and understood. He fasted and prayed and God provided revelation and understanding to him. If you find yourself in a season of discouragement or confusion, consider adding fasting to your time of prayer to get the renewal of you mind that God wants to give you.
To recap…Why should I fast...
A need to humble ourselves
A need to be transformed
A need for a renewed mind
Lastly, let’s talk briefly about the Biblical ways to fast.
In Daniel 10, Daniel talks about a vision he got and how he fasted...
2 At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. 3 I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.
This is what is called a partial fast. This is a great way to start your fasting journey. Commit to fast a certain food or group of foods for a certain time. When you would normally eat that food, dedicate that time to prayer, scripture reading and seeking God for what he wants to reveal.
Ex: Fast Deserts and after a meal, instead of desert, spend time in the word.
Another way to do a partial fast would be to fast just one of the daily meals. Perhaps it’s lunch and instead of eating lunch, you’re praying and reading the word.
The next fast would be a daytime fast.
26 Then all the Israelites, the whole army, went up to Bethel, and there they sat weeping before the Lord. They fasted that day until evening and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord.
This would be a good next step from the partial fast. From getting up until the sun goes down, refrain from eating. As a quick side note…typically in these fasts, water is permitted. I would suggest having time to get alone and seek the Lord as you fast.
Lastly, there is a multi-day fast. Both Moses and Jesus did a 40 day fast, but we also see in Acts where Paul fasted for three days when he had an encounter with the Lord where he didn’t eat or drink anything.
I would not recommend this as a starting point for you if you’ve never fasted before.
So, I’ve laid out all of the different ways fasting is talked about in scripture. The when, the why and the how. I want to encourage you that this is a spiritual discipline Jesus intended for us to have. Let me leave you with a few very simple steps to getting started.
Why am I fasting?
New? Sin? Bad? Answer?
What am I fasting?
Meals? Activities? Just a food?
If all food, juice ok?
How long will I fast?
Day? Weeks?
In what ways will I seek the Lord?
Prayer? Scripture? Journaling?
Can you commit to scheduling a fast? Who can hold you accountable? Who can do it with you?