The Habit of Fasting

Recap:

The whole chapter begins with 6:1

Matthew 6:1 (ESV)

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.

Then Jesus shares three habits to practice your righteousness in private

We’ve spoken about two different habits

The first was the habit of giving verses 2-4

Then we’ve spent some lengthy time talking about prayer

Verses 6:5-7 shares the privacy of prayer

verses 6:9-15 gives us the model of prayer

Today we begin the third habit or discipline called fasting

Now I know that this sin’t everyone’s favorite subject

based on my eating from the wedding this past weekend

As Baptists, we gotta eat

where two or three are gathered there’s a pot luck or a committee

Although we are talking about fasting this morning

and we’ll talk about what it means to do that

Jesus is more concerned not whether or not we fast

but when we chose to fast

that we aren’t making a public display of it all

It all goers back to verse 1

Matthew 6:1 (ESV)

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.

This verse becomes the bottom line for even the next set of verses we are going to discuss over the next month or so

when we begin a series in two Sundays called Stress Removal

But before we get there, let’s talk about fasting

As always, I try to read this text and put together questions to answer

Here’s the questions we are going to answer this morning

and I listed the questions in the bulletin this morning for you to follow along

and I hope they are helpful

What is fasting

Is fasting a command in the Bible?

Did Jesus’ disciples fast?

Why should we fast?

How should we fast?

What is fasting?

That depends on who you ask

usually when you hear the word fasting the subject of lent comes up

Let’s start with this

What fasting isn’t

Fasting is not a way to God or to get closer to God

Fasting is not a means to heightened spiritual experience, visions, or special insight or awareness

I’m sure we all know someone, or perhaps yourself,

that takes time during the Lenten season to give something up

the question that comes up a lot of times is why?

There are those who would say that by fasting

they are getting closer to God

some would say that fasting allows them to redeem the time

that means that what ever they are fasting from,

they would get that time back to do something else

usually to get that time back to spend more time with God

I’ve mentioned before the Jains

For those that don’t know these are our adopted people group

they are primarily from South Asia

One of the practices they do is called asceticism

asceticism means that they voluntarily abstain from the satisfaction of social needs,

including food, drink, sex, sleep, clothes, wealth, and interaction.

They do this somewhat legalistically

meaning they do it because they believe it will bring them closer to their enlightened self

When they feel they have reached the best that they have in life

and they feel they are the closest to reaching their best self

they will starve themselves to death

in order to leave the cycle of reincarnation at their best

This is an extreme example

but also gives us the extreme of what fasting is not meant for

Biblical fasting is not about reaching a heightened sense of oneself

or to get closer to God for a decision

According to the Bible

You can’t get any closer to God

other than after you get saved

you are either saved, or separated from God

until you make a decision to believe in Jesus

and place Him in authority over your life

you are separated from God

After you get believe and receive Jesus

you can get more mature in your faith

but once you confess Jesus is Lord

and believe that He died and rose for you

and ask Him to save you from your sin

the Holy Spirit, comes to dwell inside of you

I’m not sure you can get closer to God than that!

There is a place for fasting in our lives

but let me share with you a very short history of fasting from the Bible

and maybe answer some questions along the way

Is fasting commanded in the Bible?

Old Testament fasting

The only fast that was commanded in scripture is in the exciting book of Leviticus

Leviticus 16:29 (ESV)

29 “And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you.

Leviticus 23:27 (ESV)

27 “Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present a food offering to the Lord.

The Day of Atonement or in Hebrew Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur began in Leviticus 16 following the death of Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu

these boys took unholy fire before the lord in the tabernacle in the wilderness

At this point, because of the unholiness,

the Tabernacle needed to be cleansed

and sacrifices had to be made

Two goats were chosen and one goat bore the sins of the nation

and was released into the wilderness

that’s where we get the term scapegoat from by the way

The other goat would be sacrificed to God

In Leviticus, the book of the laws for the worship of God for Israel

God takes this incident and makes it one of the high festivals

they would celebrate year after year

We would hear about fasting again in Joel 1:14

Joel 1:14 (ESV)

14 Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.

Joel 2:15 (ESV)

15 Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly;

Joel is a preexilic prophet

meaning that he was trying to get Israel to repent of their sins

and was warning them of what would happen if they didn’t

preexilic means pre exile, before Israel was removed from their land into exile

Joel was trying to get Israel to fast and repent

There would be other Old Testament characters that fasted

Daniel, Jonah, David, Jehosaphat, Esther, Ezra and more

but none of these fasts were commanded

they were voluntary, seeking God through prayer and fasting

and we’ll talk more about those in a moment as to why they fasted

New Testament Fasting

New Testament fasting is a bit tricky

The first four books of the New Testament, known as the gospels

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

are New Testament books, but old covenant theology

Jesus is the dividing line between old and new covenant and the Old and New Testament

But when Jesus came, although He is written about beginning in the New Testament

He was still living under Old Testament, old covenant laws and rules

He went to the temple, he celebrated passover, he did all the Old Testament rules

and kept every one of the laws of God

When we read these four books, we have to understand

The New Covenant, the new rules for believers, hadn’t happened yet

they don’t happen until Jesus dies and is resurrected at the end of the gospels

That being said, the only law that had a command to fast was on Yom Kippur

However, the Jews and the religious leaders made it a ritual

and when they did they made it a show

all the way back to the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament

they were doing this

Isaiah 58:3–7 (ESV)

3 ‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers.

4 Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high.

5 Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the Lord?

6 “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?

7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

There were plenty of times the Jews and religious leaders would fast

but when they did, they made it known with how they dressed

there were plenty of examples in the Old Testament of people fasting

and would put on what is called sackcloth

which was a really uncomfortable clothing meant for mourning

put ashes on their head or tore their clothes

all this was to represent sin

What Jesus was challenging was the attitude of those fasting

Remember back in verse one when Jesus says don’t do your righteousness before men to gain a reward

that’s what was happening.

First of all, they didn’t have to fast

But what does Jesus say?

Matthew 6:16–18 (ESV)

16 “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.

17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,

18 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.

In other words, don’t do it for show

and certainly don’t play act when you are fasting

what do I mean by that?

I like fishing.

I like to go and cast a rod into the water and wait

sometimes I even catch something

It’s not called catching, it’s called fishing

so if I catch something, it’s a bonus!

There are a lot of people that fish on social media though

Ever have someone that posts something on social media for attention?

Now I’m not criticizing those in genuine need

but there are some people that would post a comment

fishing for someone to make a comment back

“At the hospital, please pray”

OK. I’m praying for Suzy at the hospital. Lord, she didn’t tell me why but you know why

and then they next time I see Suzy she questions why I didn’t ask why she was at the hospital

I’m sorry, you didn’t tell me why so I didn’t think it was necessary to ask to find out why

Suzy was fishing for sympathy

These religious leaders would not only dress the part

but they would act it out as well

dressing in junky clothing

walking around like they were dying

looking for attention

seeking sympathy for fasting

fishing for sympathy

Here’s a random question about fasting that I get sometimes

Did Jesus’ Disciples fast?

They lived in the Old Covenant times so they should be fasting as well

Remember that the only commanded fast was for Yom Kippur according to the law

so there weren’t any other times they should

but when the religious leadership questioned them about it, this happened

Matthew 9:14–15 (ESV)

14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”

15 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.

There was no need for the disciples to fast

first, because this was a volunteer time of fasting

and second, because fasting was for the purpose of mourning, spiritual need or anxiety.

Since Jesus was there with them, there was no mourning, need, or anxiety

For that matter, the day of atonement was all about fasting for the sin of Israel

Once Jesus died and rose again

he was the atonement sacrifice, fulfilling that law

and there is no longer a command to fast for anyone

New Covenant Fasting

Then that brings up the point should we as Christians ever fast?

There is a point to fasting and we’ll talk about that in a moment

but the point of the passage for today is

if you do, don’t make a big deal about it

If you choose to fast, it’s ok

as long as it’s for the right reasons

and as long as nobody but God knows that you are

Now obviously if you’re married your spouse may want to know

so they aren’t serving you steak every night

but use common sense

IT’s about seeking from God, not about gaining attention for yourself

New Covenant fasting doesn’t always have to be food either

There are those that fast from devices

There are those that fast from TV

there are those that fast from other things

the point is that it’s not so much what you fast from

it’s more important to understand why and how

Why should we fast?

So here are some reasons you may choose to fast

this is not an exhaustive list

but just some examples

Fasting can be useful in

testing, trials, or struggle

Sorrow

2 Samuel 12:16 (ESV)

16 David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.

Psalm 35:13 (ESV)

13 But I, when they were sick— I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting; I prayed with head bowed on my chest.

Overwhelming danger

2 Chronicles 20:3 (ESV)

3 Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

Esther is in a dangerous situation and faces being killed and tells Mordecai

Esther 4:16 (ESV)

16 “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”

Ezra is returning to Israel and bringing the Levites with him and traveling through enemy territory to get there

Ezra 8:21 (ESV)

21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods.

For financial reasons

This is not for health and wealth

People can fast something to save money for something else

stories of people that would give up lunch for a day and use the money for mission work

Imagine if we fasted from Starbucks for a month

you could give about $25 that month toward missions

or some other kingdom project

Or if instead you fasted from eating our that month

all the money that you would normally spend on eating out

could be put toward something kingdom minded as well

I used to be involved in project called the 30 hour famine

This is a fundraiser started by World Vision

and it’s all about raising money for the hungry all around the world

we would for 30 hours give up eating.

It would be a juice fast and it was mostly overnight

and students would fund raise for the project

for every $40 they would raise, it would feed and care for a child for 1 month

How should we fast?

I believe that there are times when we should fast

Even though this is different than prayer and giving

the first two habits which are expected

fasting is not one of those things that are mandated to to

and probably shouldn’t be done on regular basis

because it often implies the wrong reasons

There are some guidelines to fasting before we talk about how it could be used

#1 We don’t fast for practical reasons, only spiritual

legitimate fasting always had spiritual purposes

and as we mentioned earlier

it has no value in and of itself

Fasting is not for attention or for gaining spiritual enlightenment either

it’s also not an excuse for pointing attention to yourself

it is to gain answers, direction, or for a spiritual purpose

#2 Fasting is always accompanied with prayer

In every biblical account genuine fasting is always accompanied by prayer.

You can pray without fasting, but you cannot fast biblically without prayer

Fasting is an affirmation of intense prayer

a natural effect of deep struggle before God

fasting creates a dependence on God

and a reminder of what God provides

#3 Fasting is voluntary, not a spiritual duty to be observed

also mentioned earlier

we don’t fast because we have to

we fast because want to and choose to

The main purpose Jesus placed this here is not to explain fasting

But to explain righteousness and how to seek it

This will also set up the rewards that we seek in the next section

in that we don’t seek rewards here on earth

but we seek rewards in heaven

IF you want to learn more about righteousness, specifically worship and righteousness

come back this evening.

My shameless plug to return back to church

we start at 4:30 with some snacks to make sure no one falls out in the service

but then we will spend time singing, praying, and tonight

we are talking about the spiritual discipline of worship

all about righteousness and working our way to godliness

It answers the bigger question

Why do we do anything here on earth as believers?

To glorify God and make His name known

So when it comes to fasting

we are seeking to glorify God in some way

and not make it about ourselves