Giving, Prayer, and Fasting
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
Connection
Imagine someone who is praying for food while having pockets full of cash and right in front of them is a vending machine. Do you see the irony? You see, oftentimes God channels his blessings to us through means. If we want God’s power and presence in our life we must seek the appointed means given by our Faithful Lord.
Theme:
Giving, Praying, and Fasting
Need:
In most churches there is either a contentment with little of God’s power and presence in their lives; or their is a hungering for more of God’s power and presence in their lives but they aren’t doing anything about it. Such a reality is what led Spurgeon to say: “Our cup is small, and yet we blame the fountain. It matters little what other power you possess; if you have no power with God, you are powerless”
We need to be ever hungering after righteousness, after God’s powerful presence, while pursuing the means of grace appointed for his blessings in our lives. We must not be stagnant or ignorant. We must be zealous and earnest.
Purpose:
To exhort the saints to the practice of true private piety for the glory of God; to comfort the saints in the redemption that is in Jesus Christ our Lawgiver and Redeemer; and to encourage the saints in the gracious rewards given by our Father’s power and presence as we seek His face.
Read Text:
Matthew 6:1-8; 16-18 ESV
PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY
Preface: Beware of Public-Pride and Vain-Glory— v. 1
Preface: Beware of Public-Pride and Vain-Glory— v. 1
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
John Gill writes: When a man’s self, and not the glory of God, is the chief end of any action, that can’t be call’d a good work, nor will it have any reward; whereas a good work, which springs from a principle of grace, and is directed to the glory of God, will have a reward, not of debt, but of grace, from whence it arises.
The leaven of the Pharisees was their hypocrisy. It was self-praise. It was self-righteousness. It was self-exaltation. And what was the source of all such public pride? It was a heart set on wanting to steal God’s glory, to build their own kingdom, to spread their own fame—in sum—they wanted the worship of the Creator to be transferred to the worship of self.
In light of this our blessed Lord gives a preface to his trifold sermon on true piety, true holiness, true love for God—and he says: BEWARE—Don’t practice your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, praised by them, applauded by them, approved by them, and to be glorified by them. BEWARE—We all have that fleshly principle of the love of self that boils up within us whenever we step in front of other people. We all have that sense of patting oneself on the back, that feeling in your gut when others see your excellence, your gifts, your graces—BEWARE—pride is the sin that made the angels fall, that threw humanity into the pit, and that stores up the wrath to come—BEWARE.
So what should be do when we are called upon God to serve Him in the public square, in public worship, in public duties? We must cry out with the Psalmist:
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
The Lord is in his holy temple;
the Lord’s throne is in heaven;
his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.
You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.
Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
What do we need? We need the Fear of the Lord. Prov. 3:7
Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.
Do we want God’s gracious approval and rewards? Do we want God’s power and presence in our lives? Do we want God’s blessings and growth in our lives? Do we want revival and reformation? Then the first words that must pierce the depth of our soul is: BEWARE. This our where our Lord Jesus begins, and only then does he take us to the trifold duties of giving, praying, and fasting.
But before we unpack these we must recognize that bare commands do not have the power to instill God-honoring humility within our souls. Only the Gospel of the grace of God in Christ, only the fruit of the Holy Spirit, only through faith in God’s promises, working by love—only the finger of God can write genuine humility on the tablets of our hearts. Beloved, we must look to the Lord and Giver of the Law—who wasn‘t just another Moses, he didn’t just come to restate the moral law, he also came to fulfill all righteousness himself, he also came to die for our sins on the cross, he also came to rise to new life, and to secure our everlasting inheritance in the new creation. Our Lawgiver is also the Redeemer! John 1:14-17
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
So beloved, look to Christ Jesus and his grace, his free gift of salvation to all who believe—repent of your sins and return to the living God. You will be forgiven of all your evil deeds, you will be clothed in his perfect obedience, you will be adopted into his family, and you will be given the Spirit of Life to dwell within you—and for us who are in Christ this morning, it is the constant gaze upon Christ, upon the power of the Gospel unto salvation, that we will find our hearts warmed and wood by our blessed Jesus—and it is here that we find true power in the Spirit to walk in humility and good fruit—it is only here that we can even begin to obey what Christ is about to lay before us.
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Thus, saved by the perfect humility of our God and Saviour, we participate in the Spirit of Life, who brings the power of Christ’s humility to bear upon our day to day lives as we seek Him with purity of heart. So yes, BEWARE of public pride and vain glory—but also BEHOLD the public humility and true glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. By faith in Him, by trusting in His Person and Work—we now come to hear what he requires of us—and we plead for the Spirit of God to give us grace to walk in His precepts, in true love, glorifying God and enjoying Him forever in blessed communion with Christ. James 4:6
But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Preface: Beware of Public-Pride and Vain-Glory— v. 1
This brings us to the first of Christ’s trifold exhortations on the true practice of piety, godliness, and fellowship with God. I’m going to do my best to keep this as simple as I can, as pointed as I can, and as practical as I can—so that we can hear and do the words of our Lord and Saviour:
(1) Giving in Secret brings the Reward of our Father - v. 2-4
(1) Giving in Secret brings the Reward of our Father - v. 2-4
“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Have you ever wondered why most churches have envelopes for the time of collecting tithes and offerings? Because they want to safeguard the fact that giving should not be a public statement to draw attention to ourselves. Giving should be a private-event whereby the individual Christian gives cheerfully and sacrificially to the work of the Lord without bringing honour or attention to himself.
Hypocritical givers blow a trumpet when they give, and they cry out for others to look to them and how generous they are, wherever true piety and godliness is sincere, sacrificial, and secret. God knows—and no one else needs to know. Our reward does not come through human praise—our reward comes from our Father who sees in secret and will reward you.
Financial giving is both the duty and delight of true Christians. It is the duty of the saints to not lay up treasures on earth, and to give heartily unto the work of the Kingdom of God—and it is the delight of the saints to be good stewards of what God has entrusted to them, as they get to participate in the work of the Great Commission.
In 2 Corinthians 8-9 Paul goes over some incredible principles for giving that the saints at Corinth were exemplifying:
(1) The church was given grace by God as they gave joyfully and generously even in affliction and poverty.
(2) They church was giving beyond their means, beyond the ordinary standard, willingly and earnestly.
(3) The church was begging Paul so be able to partake in the relief of the saints and the building of the church.
(4) The church was blessed bountifully by God as they gave bountifully unto his work.
(5) The church was blessed by the grace of God abounding to them as they were partaking in the work of true giving.
In light of all of this Don Whitney says: “God owns everything you own. In light of this, giving is: (1) an act of worship, (2) it reflects faith in God’s provision, (3) it should be sacrificial and generous, (4) it reflects spiritual trustworthiness, (5) it is to be done in love, not legalism, (6) it is to be willingly, thankfully, and cheerfully done, (7) it should be an appropriate response to real needs, it should be planned and systematic, it should result in bountiful blessings”.
We are to give so freely and so bountifully—that our left hand does not even know what our right hand is doing—and as we sincerely and sacrificially give unto God’s work He rewards us with grace and favour and joy and a harvest—both now and in eternity when the fullness of rewards will be given from the hand of Christ.
Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.
In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
We should be giving first to our church and supporting its ministry and mission—then to other noble causes for the Kingdom, both local and global—then to the work of justice in our land. And we must not forget the words of our Lord:
English Standard Version Chapter 12
Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
Spurgeon says: “Our giving is not to be measured by the amount we contribute, but by the surplus kept in our own hand”.
And oh what a joy it is to store up treasures in heaven, to give money to the advance of the Kingdom to all nations, to missionary endeavours, to the relief of the saints, to the planting of new churches, to faithful Gospel ministries—and to give unto fighting against the wickedness of our day, giving unto the fight against abortion, giving to support the orphans and widows—giving unto pure religion that is undefiled before our God and Father. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. What a motivation the Lord Jesus gives us—true giving in true piety brings true rewards and blessings from our Father who is in heaven. True giving is a means of God’s abounding grace, power, and presence in our lives.
(1) Giving in Secret brings the Reward of our Father - v. 2-4
This leads us to the second of Christ’s trifold exhortations for true piety and godliness:
(2) Praying in Secret brings the Reward of our Father - v. 5-8
(2) Praying in Secret brings the Reward of our Father - v. 5-8
“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Thomas Watson exclaims: Prayer is a glorious ordinance; it is the soul’s trading with heaven; God comes down to us by his Spirit, and we go up to him by prayer. Likewise Spurgeon says: Prayer is the natural stream of a soul in communion with God.
Here we see the nature of true prayer private prayer. We see that prayer, just like giving, is not to be done to acquire the praise of men. That is hypocritical prayer. It’s also not to be done by formalities. It’s to be sincere and fervent, behind closed doors, pouring out one’s soul to God in precious communion—adoring Him in His glory, and pleading with Him to act. Praying in the Spirit begins in the secret place of private prayer. It is here that men and women are filled with the power of God—it is here that men and women are conformed into the likeness of Christ—it is here that the Spirit of glory rests upon the saints—it is here that the people of God are satisfied in the presence of their God—it is here that the children of God sit at the feet of their Father, in the name of Christ their elder brother—it is here that the Spirit of God fills the people of God and equips them with strength for service.
Yes there is the duty of family prayer, corporate prayer, and pastoral prayer—but these are not being addressed by Jesus here. Jesus is talking about communion with God our Father in secret prayer. Meditating on the written Word of God, and responding with the voice of our hearts in the Presence of God. It is in the presence of our gracious God and Father, through Christ the Son, in the Spirit of God—it is here that we wrestle with our Maker, that we strive with our Redeemer, that we struggle with our Provider. It is here that we plead and persevere—not giving up—but continuing to ask and knock until we receive—continuing to seek and search until we find. Do we actually believe our Lord when he says: Matt. 7:7-11
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
These are promises, beloved! These are guarantees! In God’s will, in God’s timing, with God’s blessings—through fervent wrestling with God in prayer the Lord will reward us, bless us, lavish us, fill us, strengthen us, equip us, and grant us a holy delight in his beauty and glory. Private prayer is the place of spiritual delight that is not comparable to any other earthly blessings. If you don’t know this pleasure of God in prayer—do not be discouraged, but press on until your heart is warmed and wrapped up with a sense of his beauty and majesty and kindness and love and mercy and grace and faithfulness. Until you can’t help but praise Him for his wonderful works—until you can’t help but rejoice in his excellencies—until you taste and see that He is good. Why do we lack this spiritual joy and affection? You do not have because you do not ask. Oh beloved run to the throne of grace! Why? Heb. 4:16
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
The only cure to prayerlessness is prayer in the Spirit—because it is here that we have been promised to find grace, mercy, and help in time of need. Do you need more of Christ in your soul? Then seek Him earnestly in prayer. Wrestle with Him and do not let go until He blesses you—and when he does reward you in his will, because he has promised to do that very thing, then give all the glory to God for his bountiful blessings of grace.
Spurgeon says: “When we cease to pray for blessings, God has already ceased to bless us—but when our souls pour out floods of prayer, God is certain to pour out floods of mercy”
Above all beloved—do not rest content with a lack of prayer. We must seek Him—we must run to Him—we must plead with Him—and only then will we find ourselves walking Humbly with our God, walking in the joy of the Lord, walking in the fear of the Lord, and being used by the Lord for the advancement of the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. Strive in prayer, struggle in prayer—and do not cease until the Lord grants his precious promises of spiritual reward, of spiritual power, and of the filling presence of God the Spirit.
I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
Or let them lay hold of my protection,
let them make peace with me,
let them make peace with me.”
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
And when you go to him in secret prayer you don’t need to inform him—you don’t need to impress him—you don’t need to perfect your rhetoric and keep your grammar nice and tidy. Our Saviour reminds us that He already knows what you need—He searches hearts and minds, He knows your needs and wants—and He has appointed to ordinarily give you what you need through the means of secret prayer. Let your soul loose as you cry out to your God and Father, in joy or in sorrow, in pleasure or in pain, in prosperity or in affliction—draw near to Him, and He will draw near to you. O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Andrew Randall says: “When the Spirit of God fills you [through prayer], God takes over the controls of your life. Handing them over is both the hardest and the most liberating thing you can do. But when you do it, giving the Spirit free rein, you discover what it is to know the presence and power of God at work in your life”
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
(2) Praying in Secret brings the Reward of our Father - v. 5-8
This leads us to the third and the most neglected of Christ’s trifold exhortations of true piety and godliness.
(3) Fasting in Secret brings the Reward of our Father - v. 16-18
(3) Fasting in Secret brings the Reward of our Father - v. 16-18
“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Don Whitney says: “Christians in a gluttonous, denial-less, self-indulgent society may struggle to accept and begin the practice of fasting. Few disciplines go so radically against the flesh and the mainstream of culture as this one. Nevertheless, we dare not overlook its biblical significance.”
I’m convinced that one of the greatest reasons for our lack of fruit, our lack of growth, our lack of holiness, our lack of power, our lack of conversions, our lack of blessings, our lack of health, and our lack of spiritual advancement—is tied in part to our lack of fasting. Do a word search—very often in the Old and New Testaments prayer and fasting go together. Fasting is the cherry on top of fervent prayer—because it doesn’t just draw near to God, it draws near to God with an extra measure of dependence and commitment. It draws near to God for spiritual enrichment while trusting God to preserve us while we are in physical exhaustion and self-denial.
Fasting is not a regular act of godliness—it is not something that is ever commanded to be done at a weekly basis—but if we search the Scriptures you will see a consistent principle that fasting is always done in times of great need, spiritual poverty, a lack of God’s power, a lack of God’s presence, a lack of God’s blessings, and pleading with God for his favour, provision, and protection.
Judges 20:26 - One of the first times that fasting is mentioned is as an act of lament and pleading with God for his blessings.
1 Sam. 7:6 - Fasting is an act of repentance and returning to God.
Isa. 58 - True vs False fasting, very similar to our text this morning, and I think it in the mind of Christ when he gave his sermon on the mount here.
Ezra 8:21 - Fasting is done to implore God for his blessings on his covenant people and nation.
Ps. 35:13 - Fasting is termed afflicting oneself—it is hard and it meant to be an act of serious devotion to the living God.
Ps. 69:10 - Fasting is an act of humbling our soul before God with weeping and sorrow.
Jer. 14:12 - Fasting devoid of faith and repentance is an abomination before God
Dan. 9:3 - Fasting is a turning our face to God in prayer and pleased for mercy.
Joel 1:14 - A public fast in the public assembly is for a corporate pleading with God for his mercies.
Joel 2:12 - The Lord calls the people to return to him in fasting weeping mourning and with all our heart.
Matt. 4:1-2 - Fasting is a time of spiritual preparation for spiritual ministry and conquering of the evil one and his temptations.
Luke 2:37 - Fasting and prayer is an act of special worship.
Acts 13:2 - The church was worshipping the Lord and fasting for the Spirit’s blessings and direction.
Acts 13:3; 14:23 was a fasting and prayer and laying on of hands was a installation and sending ordinance.
What’s the principle—when the people of God are weak, when they are in danger, when the blessings of God are slim—then people of God beseech His mercies through fasting and prayer. This applies to secret fasting (which Jesus is talking about here), and it also applies to public fasting (when the entire assembly, or a group of believers, join together in a solemn day set apart to seek God’s face. Why do we fast? Do inflame our spiritual hungering for our God and Father—and to wrestle with Him for His blessings, rewards, and power.
Whitney again says: “As a Christian you should fast for at least one of these biblical purposes: (1) To strengthen prayer, (2) to seek God’s guidance, (3) to express grief, (4) to seek deliverance or protection, (5) to express repentance and return to God, (6) to humble oneself before God, (7) to express concern for the work of God, (8) to minister to the needs of others, (9) to overcome temptation and dedicate yourself to God, and (10) to express love and worship to God.
So how do we fast? Well there’s many biblical examples:
(1) Normal fast - no food, only water.
(2) absolute fast - no food or water for up to 3 days.
(3) partial fast - abstaining from certain kinds of foods.
(4) principle fast - abstaining from some good thing in your life to renew one’s devotion to the Lord.
And remember that fasting is not just the removal of food or drink or pleasure—it is also the pursuit and addition and devotion of the soul to God in the Word, Meditation, and Prayer. We empty ourselves in order to spiritual fill ourselves—as we seek the Lord for His gracious rewards and blessings in our life. Don’t make yourself look miserable to bring attention to your piety—that is the hypocrisy of the Pharisees that Jesus rebukes. Wash your face, put on your makeup, make yourself presentable—and keep your secret fasting between you and the Lord.
The Lord never tells us how often to fast. That is up to prudence, wisdom, discernment, and the leading of God. But the Lord does not say if you fast, but when you fast. Will you commit to seek the Lord in earnest, and will you expect great things from Him?
Occasionally, join your times of secret prayer with secret fasting—and as a church occasionally we must join or times of public prayer with public fasting—all for the glory of God, that He might lavish us with every spiritual blessing in Jesus Christ, that we might bear good fruit, that we might be used by God to win souls for Christ, that we might be built up in our holy faith, that we might see the Kingdom Come and the Will of God be done. That we might see revival and reformation in our church, in our churches, in our city, and in our nation.
Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
Where is our Bridegroom? He is in heaven interceding for us. He stands there victorious!
He gave himself for us and for our salvation that we would share in his eternal riches. He is the greatest gift of all, God’s one and only begotten Son—thus we can out of gratitude give our riches for His sake.
He lived a life of perfect prayer and communion with the Father, filled beyond measure with the Spirit, and empowered for life and ministry, and we are clothed in his perfect obedience—thus we can out of gratitude live in sincere prayer for His sake.
He lived a devout life of fasting, whereby he conquered the devil with the Written Word of God, as the faithful 2nd Adam and our blessed Redeemer—thus we can out of gratitude fast to share in this spiritual power and victory.
We are waiting for Him—we are trusting in His blood—we are hoping in His righteousness—we are united to His redemptive benefits—we are one with Him—we are saved by Him—and we are hungering for His return, when He will set up the eternal Kingdom of God and we shall no longer fast—but we shall come eagerly to the marriage supper of the Lamb to feast for endless days in the presence of our great God and Saviour. Come, Lord Jesus! Maranatha! Until then, let’s be faithful and fruitful, in secret and private piety and godliness, in public worship and mission, and let’s occasionally express that longing and zeal for our Triune God in fasting.
This is the essence of fasting, says Piper: we ache and yearn—and fast—to know more and more of all that God is for us in Jesus. But only because he has already laid hold of us and is drawing us ever forward and upward into all the fullness of God”
(3) Fasting in Secret brings the Reward of our Father - v. 16-18
This takes us to our conclusion:
(C) Giving, Prayer, and Fasting are Channels of God’s Rewarding Power and Presence in our Lives
(C) Giving, Prayer, and Fasting are Channels of God’s Rewarding Power and Presence in our Lives
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Lloyd-Jones says: Seek this power, expect this power, yearn for this power, and when the power comes, yield to Him. Do not resist. Let Him loose you, let Him manifest His power in you and through you. Seek it until you have it; and be content with nothing less. Go on until you can say that [you are filled with the] Spirit and of power.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
C) Giving, Prayer, and Fasting are Channels of God’s Rewarding Power and Presence in our Lives
C) Giving, Prayer, and Fasting are Channels of God’s Rewarding Power and Presence in our Lives
Amen, let’s pray.
