Fasting - The Affliction of the Soul

Introduction

In the Sermon on the Mount, we have covered the chapter 5, and when we get done today, we will have finished half of chapter 6.

In chapter 6, Jesus starts off by warning us to not do our righteous deeds for our own glory, seeking the applause of men. Everything that we do should be primarily for the Lord. God has rewards for those that serve Him. He wants to reward His faithful servants. In fact, next week, if all goes as planned, we get to study about Jesus talking about heavenly rewards. So God has rewards in store for those that seek to honor and glorify Him, however, if our goal is to be recognized by others, then their applause, their praise is all we can expect as a reward.

This hearkens back to what we studied in chapter 5, the heart behind the actions is what matters the most.

Your heart determines your actions - how they are performed (if they are even performed), who they are performed for, and why. And it is your heart that God sees.

As your pastor, I cannot always see your intentions. But there are times when our hearts are exposed like an open book to the world around us. So as your pastor I will say this: “If you are serving in some way here at Good News, and you consistently find that your heart is not in it, or that you are not honestly doing for the Lord, don’t do it.” Talk to me, talk to your ministry leaders and be honest and step away for a while for the purpose of regaining focus.

If you are not ALL IN in your area of service, then get all of the way out.

I dream of a church here whose members are all in, serving God through their church with joy, who are committed to God in their personal lives and who are commited to His church here at Good News. That is my dream; that is my vision as your pastor.

We have too many half in Christians in this world and in this church. What do I mean by “half in”? When it is their time to serve, they’re here. When it is time to teach or be in the nursery of sing or play an instrument, they are here. But otherwise, they are here only if other things don’t come up that take priority.

The heart is the issue. We have spent nearly a year talking about the heart, and we will continue to talk about the heart.

You’ll remember, hopefully, that in this section of the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus is talking about personal righteousness.

Matthew 6:1–2 KJV 1900

1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

The use of the word “alms” in verse 1 and in verse 2 are two different words in the Greek, and it is important to know this. In verse two, the word “alms” in the Greek is eleēmosynē which are “donations to the poor.” This is in reference to how we are supposed to be compassionate to the less fortunate than we. We discussed this back in September, and as a response to that, we started a Food Pantry to be able to be a blessing to those that have need of food for themselves or their families.

But in verse 1,

Matthew 6:1 KJV 1900

1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

the word “alms” is not the same Greek word used in verse two, nor does it have the same meaning, as like “alms for the poor,” donations for the poor. The Greek word here is the word dikaiosynē which means “righteousness” or good deeds. So this would be better translated as “Take heed that you do not do your good deeds before men, to be seen of them: otherwise you have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.”

So Jesus introduces this chapter with this warning. Then he goes into three aspects of personal righteousness: Giving to the poor, Prayer, and the one we will be studying today, Fasting.

These are obviously not the only three righteous deeds that Christians should be involved in, but they each represent three areas.

what I do in relation to others

what I do in relation to God

and what I do in relation to myself, or in my own spiritual growth

And this is what the issue of fasting represents - what I do in relation to myself.

Fasting: The Affliction of the Soul

So let’s take a look at Matthew 6:16-18 and talk a bit about fasting.

Matthew 6:16–18 KJV 1900

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. 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.

In everything that Jesus has said so far in chapter 6, he has given the same warning - don’t do things just so that others can see you do the thing, whether that be fasting (like we see here), or praying, giving, or any other good work. If that is what you do, you have your reward. But if you want God’s approval, if you want rewards that will never go away, then do things for God with the right heart and right intentions.

Let’s look a little at this topic of fasting. It is not often that we here about fasting in the church. I emphasize that because we here about fasting and intermittent fasting in the realm of health and dieting all the time. But it is not often talked about in church, and I dare say it is even less often practiced, but here we find it right in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, so there is no denying that it is something that we should be participating in. But here in this passage, Jesus only concerns Himself with talking about one aspect of fasting, the most important aspect of fasting - the motive behind it and the exhibition of the practice.

What Is Fasting?

Before we talk about that, though, we first need to ask the question, “What is fasting?” Biblical fasting is abstaining from food for spiritual reasons. It is not done for the purpose of losing weight, getting healthy, or anything like that. It is specifically for spiritual purposes.

The second question we might want to ask is, “Where does fasting come from? Does it have a place in the Christian life?” Well, that last question can be answered pretty easily in the affirmative since Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount (a sermon directed to His followers), “When you fast,” not, “If you fast.” We will look at more of Jesus’ teachings on fasting momentarily, but for now, let’s focus on the other question. Where does fasting come from?

Fasting was something taught in the Old Testament. Under Mosaic law, the Israelites were to fast one day out of the year on the Day of Atonement. We find this in Leviticus 23:32

Leviticus 23:32 KJV 1900

32 It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.

That phrase “you shall afflict your souls” is a phrase that was used to describe what fasting did for you. To afflict one’s soul was to weaken one’s self or humble one’s self. Humbling yourself is a spiritual thing, and one of the most often used corresponding physical acts to show humility was to fast. So when we read in the Bible, particularly the Old Testament, that someone afflicted their soul, it means that they fasted as a means to humble themselves before the Lord.

So from the very beginning of the practice of fasting, we see that it is an outward practice done from a heart intent on being humble before the Lord.

On the day of atonement, which was the day that the priests would perform sacrifices for the atoning of the sins of the nation, the Israelites were to abstain from food and water. The high priest would take two goats. One of these goats would be sacrificed and its blood would be sprinkled on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. The other goat was a scapegoat. It was released into the wilderness, symbolically carrying with it the sins of the nation.

The obvious symbolism is that Jesus was both the sacrificial goat, shedding His blood for the washing away of sins, and the scapegoat, taking upon Himself the sins of the world.

But during this day, fasting was required. In fact, it was so serious of a thing, that if you read verse 30, you see that those that did not fast were to be cut off from the nation of Israel - a phrase that could mean that they would be expatriated (kicked out of the nation) or even put to death.

Further, we read in the Old Testament that during times of national emergency or when the nation of Israel had backslid and was now turning back to God, that a period of fasting was sometimes instituted by God, the prophets, or the those in leadership of the country.

As we get into the New Testament era, we find that the Pharisees had a practice of fasting twice a week. This was never commanded by God, but they did so, and even made it a vital part of their religious practice. And as was common with the Pharisees, and is still common with a lot of folks that make much of their traditions and religion, they went beyond what the Scriptures said to do, and thought themselves better because of it. Luke 18:10-12

Luke 18:10–12 KJV 1900

10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

So we find that in the Bible, there is actually only one day instituted by God in which the nation of Israel needed to fast - The Day of Atonement. But what does that mean for us now? Should we fast on the Day of Atonement? Well, the answer to that is a resounding “no!” And the reasons are these:

The fasting for the day of atonement was commanded to the Nation of Israel. We are not Israelites, nor do we practice the Judaism of the Old Testament.

The reason we do not practice the Judaism of the Old Testament is because of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Lamb of God that took away the sins of the world. Hebrews 10:1

Hebrews 10:1 KJV 1900

1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

The law, specifically the ceremonial law, was a shadow of good things to come. What good things? Actual forgiveness of sin instead of the limited covering of sin, reconciliation with God, salvation. The ceremonial law, that included the sacrifices and the fasting on the day of atonement, could never perfectly satisfy. That is why they had to be done year after year. In fact, sin sacrifices were performed daily in the Temple, but the day of atonement was a national sacrifice.

Because it those sacrifices could not take away the sin, they had to be performed yearly. Hebrews 10:4

Hebrews 10:4 KJV 1900

4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

Look at verse 10. Hebrews 10:9-10

Hebrews 10:9–10 KJV 1900

9 Then said he [Jesus], Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first [covenant], that he may establish the second [covenant]. 10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

So Jesus came to take away the covenant of sacrifices that He had established with Abraham and his descendants, the nation of Israel. By His sacrifice that was made on the cross, He made a new covenant by which those that believe in Him are saved. Matthew 26:28

Matthew 26:28 KJV 1900

28 For this is my blood of the new testament [covenant], which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

That covenant did away with the effect of the ceremonial law, and with it, all the rituals and sacrifices - to include the whole celebration of the day of atonement that includes the fasting.

Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is the reason we do not practice Judaism. We now are followers of Jesus Christ, because it is through Him alone that we obtain forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with the Father.

Are Christians Expected to Fast?

Are Christians expected to fast?

If the ceremonial law has been fulfilled and with it the only time God ever commanded His people to fast, why teach about fasting at all?

Though Jesus never directly taught on fasting, He did do so indirectly. One of the examples we see is in our main text that we read at the beginning. We can see that Jesus clearly expected His followers to engage in fasting because Jesus says, “When you fast,” not, “If you fast.”

Some people will take this occasion and say, “Well, this was before Jesus died and established the New Covenant through His sacrifice, so those that were His disciples still needed to fast all the way up until the sacrifice of Jesus.”

And I would wholeheartedly support that if it weren’t for another passage in the Gospels. Matthew 9:14-15

Matthew 9:14–15 KJV 1900

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.

So evidently, Jesus expected that His disciples would fast after He had died, resurrected, and ascended into heaven.

So now the big question is...

When should we fast?

Jesus never established a specific time for Christians to fast, either in His earthly ministry or through any of the apostles and their writings. So, we can take it that there is no specific time in which we should fast. Our fasting, then, should be led by the Holy Spirit, and by our spiritual needs as they become clear.

So, when are appropriate times to fast? I believe they would fall under the same categories as when the Israelites fasted in the Old Testament.

To keep a humble heart before God. As in the Day of Atonement, fasting served to reflect a heart that was seeking to humble itself before God. If you find that you have become self-sufficient, proud, and continuously reliant on your own wisdom, it would be a good thing to take time to fast and pray, and to actively seek to humble yourself before the Lord.

In times of uncertainty or danger. As with Esther, when she called on all the Jews to fast with her for three days before she went to speak to King Ahasuerus so that the Jews in the empire would not be destroyed. Several times throughout the Old Testament we see the Israelites fasting as they ask God for His protection from enemies. When you are facing dangerous or uncertain times, it would be good to fast and pray.

After a time of continuous, unrepentant sin. Several of the prophets and leaders of Israel called for a day of fasting as they repented of sin. The city of Nineveh fasted as a sign of repentance in response to Jonah’s preaching. If you notice that there has been some time since you have confessed sin before the Lord, fasting as you confess those sins is an appropriate response.

In times of deep sadness. National fasts as well as individual fasts were observed in times of deep sadness. Nehemiah fasted himself after he had heard of the condition of the destroyed walls and gates of Jerusalem. David and his men fasted and mourned the death of King Saul and his son Jonathan. When sadness overwhelms you, and you can’t seem to handle it, fasting and praying, seeking God’s sustenance and comfort during that time is an appropriate response.

Remember, fasting in an of itself is not what gains us forgiveness or answered prayer. Fasting is simply a physical expression of what is going on in our hearts. As we humble ourselves before God, our response to danger, uncertainty, sin, and sadness are all a response of dependence on God.

Why Should We Fast?

Our natural response to difficult times is often eating. It is such a common thing that it has its own name - stress eating. Stress eating is characterized by the craving and consumption of high calorie, high fat foods (often called comfort foods) during times of stress. These foods, when consumed, send messages to our brain which in turn releases high levels of dopamine into our bodies. This neurohormone is often called the “feel good” hormone.

Fasting Directly Opposes Our Dependence on Physical Sources of Comfort

Fasting fights the dependence of dopamine and places our dependence on God.

In danger, fasting reflects our dependence and trust in God to get us through that situation and to be our peace.

In uncertainty, fasting reflects that we are willing to be guided by Him, and not by our impulses.

In repentance of sin, fasting reflects that we are turning away from the temporary pleasures of sin and resuming a right walk with God as we physically turn down the temporary satisfaction of food for the spiritual satisfaction that only God can give.

In sadness, we seek strength and grace and comfort in God through fasting, not in food that will make us feel good temporarily.

How should we fast?

Not Mechanically

Well, we should not do it mechanically. The Pharisees were mechanical in their fasting. Every Monday and Thursday they fasted like clockwork. It was empty tradition with them. Just like with our giving and our prayer, our fasting needs to be done from the heart. Author and Bible commentator D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote this:

“It is wrong to reduce fasting merely to a part of the process of discipline. Rather is it something that I do in order to reach that higher spiritual realm of prayer to God, or meditation, or intense intercession. Fasting is unusual and exceptional, something done now and again for a special purpose.”

-D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Fasting should not be one of those things that is planned out. It should be practiced when the need arises and when the Holy Spirit prompts us.

Not to Be Noticed

We also should not publicly in order to let people know we are fasting. Matthew 6:16

Matthew 6:16 KJV 1900

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.

The Pharisees fasted twice a week and were very proud of it. It’s very difficult to be proud of something and not publish it, but then, it would be weird to go around telling random people, “Hey, you know what? I’m fasting today.” It’s kind of conceited to be doing that too. So, what the Pharisees would do is that they would walk around with deliberate frowns. They would abstain from laughter and joyous expressions, and when people would ask them, “Is everything alright?” They would respond, “Oh, yes, I’m just fasting, that’s all.”

They would also “disfigure” their faces. That does not mean that they would make scars on their faces or that they walked around with awful facial expressions, but it means that they would put dirt or ash on their faces as a sign of fasting. This way, everyone could see that they were fasting, even if they missed the fact that they were not laughing at jokes that day.

Notice what Matthew 6:17 says.

Matthew 6:17 KJV 1900

17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

One of the other things that the Pharisees would do is that they would not bathe that day or anoint themselves with oil.

It was the custom for people that had the means to do so, to bathe with aromatic oils. This helped eliminate the odor causing bacteria that would otherwise be present on the body. If they couldn’t take a proper bath, the next best thing was to anoint your skin with oil and use a brass scraping tool to pull the oil off your skin and along with it, dirt, body oils, and dead skin cells leaving behind a pleasant aroma that would linger throughout the day. The Pharisees would not practice this on their fasting days.

What a great excuse for bad body odor though, isn’t it? “Goodness, bro, you stink! Go put some deodorant on!” “Oh, I would, but you see, I’m fasting today. I’m stinkin’ it up for Jesus!”

But thankfully, Jesus said, “When you fast, take a shower and use deodorant.” Maybe not those exact words, but what Jesus is conveying here is continue life as normal. Why?

Matthew 6:18 KJV 1900

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.

Don’t go out announcing your fasting or dropping hints that you are fasting. If you are fasting so that others can say, “Wow, look how spiritual they are. They are just over there fasting and disciplining themselves as they seek to be more spiritual.” That is your reward. Not only that, but that is not true fasting, because that attitude is driven by pride whereas fasting is driven by humility.

But let your fasting be done in the same way that your giving and your prayer is done - not blowing trumpets, not publicly on the street corners, but for the purpose of seeking deeper fellowship with God.

And when you fast this way, you receive your reward from the Father.

Not Manipulatively

There are those that think that fasting is the key to getting your prayers answered fast or to receive blessings from God. Fasting is not a way to manipulate God. The moment we start to think, “If I fast, I will be blessed,” then we are trying to control the blessing. Just as with prayer, fasting is meant to bring us closer to God, not bring God’s blessings closer to us.

We need to fully expect with our fasting that God will answer according to His timeline and according to His will. We have studied well that our prayer time is one of surrendering our will to His, and that attitude must carry over into any fasting that we practice.

With Prayer

Almost every time that fasting is mentioned in the New Testament, it is accompanied with prayer. We should take time to pray when we fast. The obvious times to pray would be those times that we would normally be taking to consume food.

With No Concern for Yourself

As with anything, fasting should be done for the glory of God. Fasting is not done for me, it is done for God’s ultimate glory. Therefore, I cannot be concerned about the thoughts of others, my own pride, my discomfort, or anything else.

I do not want to be like the Pharisees when I give, when I pray, or when I fast, but at the same time, I must not be so concerned about looking like anything. I’d like to read an excerpt from D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ commentary on the Sermon on the Mount. It says:

There are some people who are so afraid of being regarded as miserable because they are Christians, or afraid of being called foolish because they are Christians, that they tend to go to the other extreme. They say that we must give the impression that to be a Christian is to be bright and happy, and so, far from being dowdy in dress, we must go to the opposite extreme. So they go out of their way not to be drab, and the result is they are quite as bad as those who are guilty of dowdiness. Our Lord’s principle is always this: `Forget other people altogether.’ In order to avoid looking sad, don’t put a grin on your face. Forget your face, forget yourself, forget other people altogether. It is this interest in the opinions of other people that is so wrong. Don’t worry about the impression you are making; just forget yourself and give yourself entirely to God. Be concerned only about God and about pleasing Him. Be concerned only about His honour and His glory.

If our great concern is to please God and to glorify His name, we shall be in no difficulty about these other things. If a man is living entirely to the glory of God, you need not prescribe for him when he has to fast, you need not prescribe the sort of clothes he has to put on or anything else. If he has forgotten himself and given himself to God, the New Testament says that man will know how to eat and drink and dress because he will be doing it all to the glory of God. And thank God the reward of such a man is safe and certain and assured, and it is mighty-’Thy ‘Thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.’ The one thing that matters is that we be right with God and concerned about pleasing Him. If we are concerned about that, we may leave the rest to Him. He may withhold the reward for years: it does not matter. We shall receive it. His promises never fail. Even though the world may never know what we are, God knows, and at the great Day it will be announced before the whole world. `Thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.’

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Studies in the Sermon on the Mount (Kindle Locations 5392-5399). Kindle Edition.

Invitation

For the last year we have been talking about the heart. In everything that we do, the heart matters. Jesus has just wrapped up this section of living righteously in three different realms- righteous treatment of others (alms giving), righteous relationship with God (prayer), righteous personal humility (fasting), and all of it has to do with the heart behind the actions.

Teachers, it doesn’t matter how good of a teacher you are, how fun the kids think you are, or how awesome the illustrations were, where is your heart when you are teaching? Where is your heart when you are preparing for the lesson, for the craft, for the games, for the songs?

Teens that help out in the classes with the songs, it does not matter how good of a singer or a musician you are. Where is your heart while you lead the kids’ songs? Where is your heart as you practice at home?

Worship team members, it does not matter how well you sing or how well you play an instrument. Where is your heart? Do you mean the words you sing? When you sing songs like “Jesus there’ no one like you” is that truly your heart? Or “All I have Is Christ,” is that truly what you believe? Does your life and your commitment to Jesus show that the only thing you depend on for satisfaction in life is Jesus and that there is nothing or no one like Him?

Nursery workers, where is your heart when you’re with the little ones? Is it for the Lord with love for the families? Are you praying for these babies and their families? Is your heart concerned about truly being a blessing to the parents for a couple of hours?

Members of Good News Baptist Church, where is your heart when you come to church? Is it truly looking for the Lord? Is it truly singing for Him? Is your heart truly invested in the work that God is doing here in His church of which you are a member? What is the heart behind your interactions with others? What is your heart condition when you give?

Let me ask you this, what is your heart condition when you chose to not come and be with the rest of the body here?

I’ll ask everyone to bow your heads and close your eyes.

Life Groups

Did anything stand out to you about the sermon; are there any questions you have?

What can be considered a fast? First, we remember that a fast is the abstinence of food or water for spiritual reasons. It is a physical expression of the humbling of the soul. Therefore, when we proclaim something as a fast, it needs to meet certain criteria:

it is a practice with a spiritual goal;

it is an expression of dependence of God alone;

it is, therefore, self-sacrificing;

it is complete abstinence of the thing being fasted (not simply moderation -this is discipline, something that should be a continual practice in our lives).

So what can be fasted? The notion of fasting does not have to be confined only to food and drink, but we can fast anything that is legitimate in and of itself for the sake of some spiritual purpose.

Warren Wiersbe put it this way: “

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament Chapter 6

Fasting for the Christian is preparation for praying and other spiritual exercises. It means giving up a lesser thing to gain a greater, and this could involve [food, drink, sleep, or other regular functions].

In what ways does the meaning of fasting differ from the cultural practices of dieting or health?

How does fasting serve as an expression of humility before God?

How can we examine our motives for fasting to ensure they align with Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount?

What steps can we take to ensure our acts of service, like fasting, giving, and praying, are done for the right reasons?

How can fasting help us address moments of stress or dependence on physical comforts in our lives?

We talked about it in more general terms, but what kind of situations involving personal spiritual growth would call for fasting?

What kind of situations would call for a church to join together and fast?

How can you recognize the right time to fast in your life?

How do our expressions of dependence of God during in the Model Prayer and the expression of dependence of God through fasting work together?

10. How can having accountability be helpful in a period of fasting?