Prayer and Fasting

When we begin to examine something like prayer and fasting it keys things off in our minds. The first thing that comes to my mind is Matthew 17, turn there with me

Matthew 17:14–21 “ And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16 So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.” 17 Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.””

We looked at prayer last time but wanted to spend a moment looking at prayer again and seeing the connection with fasting.

Today, we’ll re-examine some of the points of the prayer - and look at how fasting and prayer are essential in the life of a believer and very often connected.

Firstly - Another Manner of Prayer

Matthew 6:9–13 “ In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

Pray - proseuchesthe - its a deep word in the greek, meaning as much to make a vow as to invoke God. To speak to the Lord. To ask, beseech.

Often we pray for our daily needs, our hurts, our wants.

Sometimes we ask or remind God of His promises and what He has given us in His Word. Here, Jesus reminds you that He is our father, and He wants us to pray His will be done in our lives (earth as in heaven).

Dont let us fall to temptation. I don’t want to do you?

don’t forget, there is an active malignant enemy, who purposefully is seeking to destroy you. jesus even prayed that they be kept as well John 17:15 “ I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.” So Jesus exampled to us what and how we should do.

2 Thessalonians 3:3–4 “ But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. 4 And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you.” As the prayer goes, obedience is called for and expected. Not perfection but a heart that seeks the Lord. And the Lord will help us to do it! The trinity of prayer!

The debt of sin. If we died to sin, then we have died to the need for forgiveness. .

Deliver us from the evil one

Matthew 4:1 tells us the holy spirit led jesus into the wilderness to be tempted. Now it was another sign, it was another truth that We are at times tested.

Do we think God trying to get us to sin? Not all. He is putting your life into that testing to show you were you are at. Like taking a practical in class. You may know how stitches go, but show me you know by putting some stitches in.

James 1:2–4 “ My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

Peter said in 1 Peter 1:6–9 “ In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.” its not always keep me out but get me through. Don’t let me fail in it oh God.

yours is the the kingdom. God established His covenant with Israel then fulfilled it all in Jesus Christ His messiah.

So Jesus shows us what real prayer looks like in contrast to how the Pharisees did it. Then he talks about forgiveness and fasting. Lets examine

When Hypocrites Cry

Matthew 6:16–18 “ “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”

Fasting - nesteuō - basic meaning of the word is “one who has not eaten, who is empty,” but withholding from eating or denying oneself nourishment.

its not just fasting from specific food like the laws, but it abstaining from food of all kind. The Old Testament commanded fasting on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29-31 and 23:32-37; Numbers 29:7). During the Exile, the Jewish people expanded the practice of fasting (Zechariah 7:3-5 and 8:19).

Fasting has been around for a long time and seems to have no central origin but practiced in many religious circles. People would do it to purify, some occultic practices even thought the act of doing it could repel evil spirits. But I don’t wanna know so much how the cults do it, but what our biblical instructions are for it.

Why? Because Jesus, the Apostles and saints of old did it. So there must be something to it. jesus fasted (40 days/nights Matt 4) of there seems to be a spiritual physical connection. Jesus said demons respond to someone that has fasted and prayed would indicate that there is something beneficial spiritually to the person that fasts and prays. (as we read start Mat 17:14-21)

Turn to Isa 58, A hypocrite is one who lives like the devil and prays like a saint. Isa 58:1-9 puts this on display.

Isaiah 58:1–9 “ “Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins. 2 Yet they seek Me daily, And delight to know My ways, As a nation that did righteousness, And did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; They take delight in approaching God. 3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’ “In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, And exploit all your laborers. 4 Indeed you fast for strife and debate, And to strike with the fist of wickedness. You will not fast as you do this day, To make your voice heard on high. 5 Is it a fast that I have chosen, A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, And to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, And an acceptable day to the Lord? 6 “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? 8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. 9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ “If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,”

Moses fasted in Deuteronomy 9:18 and man, the story says something turn there with me - Moses is relating how the people had sinned mightily against God - Deuteronomy 9:16–20 “ “ And I looked, and behold, you had sinned against the Lord your God—had made for yourselves a molded calf! You had turned aside quickly from the way which the Lord had commanded you. 17 Then I took the two tablets and threw them out of my two hands and broke them before your eyes. 18 And I fell down before the Lord, as at the first, forty days and forty nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all your sin which you committed in doing wickedly in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger. 19 For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure with which the Lord was angry with you, to destroy you. But the Lord listened to me at that time also. ”

fasting as moses puts it, was not just denial of ones flesh/desires, but communing in prayer with God. Its the addition of a physical interaction, the exclamation point on prayer & devotion. And though not commanded or featured, we see people walking in Christ - and seeking God through? Prayer-ing and Fasting. (Acts 13:2–3; 14:23) if moses did it, the apostles/disciples did it, maybe we can as well? Jesus in our text says, “When you fast”.

The pharisees though of course, created traditions would wear sackcloth, cover themselves with ashes, wear makeup to look gaunt, have mourners sing and wail as they suffered interceding for you wretched sinners.

The people loved the show, often inspired to donate to their favorite pharisee or rabbi who did it really well. To know that these amazingly spiritual people are praying for me! wow.

But Jesus says, the show, the praise, the money, the excitement was all they were getting. God wasn’t listening, wasn’t pleased.

In contrast (like with the prayer) Jesus says look your best. You might be starving but you walk around in joy and rejoicing! Not fake it, but find it and live it out for folks to see!

Anoint your noggin, now let me tell ya, some holy men in scripture have held that oil back - Daniel 10:3 “ I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.” but Daniel was in a strange land and not being performative. Daniel was far from a hypocrite.

Jesus is telling us to be real - to live out our faith. Denial of self is joy! Communion with God rejoicing.

Now questions - can I just not chew gum or something? I have hypo or hyper glycemic - and I cannot miss a meal. I get that. If I don’t eat, i tend to get nauseous. But if i’m gonna fast, I need to really deny my flesh and go after it. Praying, seeing, knocking to know my God.

a comment, what if there is no response? What if I don’t hear? If I don’t fast does it mean God wont answer or less chance of getting it?

There are some people who fast because they expect direct and immediate results from it. In other words they have a kind of mechanical view of fasting; they have what I have sometimes called, for lack of a better illustration, the ‘penny in the slot’ view of it. You put your penny in the slot, then you pull out the drawer, and there you have your result. That is their view of fasting. If you want certain benefits, they say, fast; if you fast you will get the results.

Studies in the Sermon on the Mount (2), 39

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Welsh Preacher and Writer)

This is not that. You are worshipping not making an exchange. An old yiddish proverb says, “Man plans and God laughs.” So don’t think as long as I fast and pray God has to answer, or will take me seriously. When our hearts are lined up with His, our desires line up with His and we’ll ask according to His will the answers come flooding in.

Warren Wiersbe said that hypocrisy Rob’s us of 3 things

Spiritual living - our Christian Character - when we look for praise of men, living by reputation rather than character, let’s cast off the dishonest flesh, and simply give ourselves to a authentic Christlike live to please God and without care of who people think we are.

Spiritual Rewards - what could God do vs what could men do? What reward would God bestow that men could overshadow? Because when we walk in hypocrisy, we live only for the praise of men.

Spiritual influence. When we aren’t walking in truth, we drag everything down. It’s the lowest common denominator. And when we try to promote ourselves, impress others and present false humility, it affects not just us, but the body’s health.

let’s cast off the dishonest flesh, let’s simply give ourselves to a authentic Christlike walk with Him. Truly living, praying, giving, and loving Him being honest about who we really are in Him. Lets now give ourselves to Him again.

Lets not bring our walk down to the flesh, which could never save us. Lets not live in failure and fear of men, but in love and faith toward our heavenly father who longs to hear from us. Let us concern ourselves with our reputation with God, not men.

Lets pray.