Fasting

Written By Adam King

When I was in High School, I was always looking to do things that would bring attention to myself, especially if there were girls around. I went to Athens Drive High School, and in the main auditorium, right in front of the stage was the Orchestra Pit. This is where the musicians would sit during a musical, and it was below floor level. Around it was a wall so that people wouldn’t fall into it. From the stage to the railing was about 6 or 7 feet, and there were girls present, so what did I do? Yea, parkour parkour. I cleared it, and decided it would be best to slide on my stomach to punctuate the feat. In the process, the whole impact of the landing was absorbed by my knee cap, cracking the side of it. To this day, I can feel the separation. I wanted to impress others, I wanted their applause and approval, to the point of putting myself in a dangerous situation.

We see this morning, out of Matthew 6, the desire of some to gain the approval of others, which leads them to a dangerous spiritual situation. Go ahead and turn to Matthew 6. We’ll be in verses 16-18 this morning.

Matthew 6:16-18

Big Idea: We fast out of a longing for deeper relationship with Jesus, not for status or the approval of man.

Let’s set a clear definition of fasting from the onset, and then get into the text together. The Greek word that is used is “nesteuo” which literally means “not eat.” So at it’s base level, it is abstaining from food for a certain length of time. Let’s start there.

1. Fasting Is Not Optional

Notice what Jesus says right there at the beginning. “When” you fast. Not “if” you fast, but “when.” Let’s go back to the beginning of chapter 6 really quickly. Read 6:1. So there’s the warning shot. But then Jesus lays out disciplines that are expected of those who call themselves Christians.

6:2 – “When you give to the needy”

6:5 – “When you pray”

6:16 – “When you fast”

And it’s not just that it isn’t optional, but It’s talked about in the same way as taking care of the needy and praying. We like to talk a lot about praying don’t we! We feel the necessity of that. We want talk to God. We want to hear from God. It’s an essential part of our relationship with God. Hey, you know what else is according to Jesus? Fasting.

Often times in Scripture prayer and fasting are coupled together.

1 Corinthians 7:5 – Fast, and devote yourselves to prayer.

Acts 14:23 - Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord.

Luke 2:37 – The widow in the temple worshipped night and day, fasting and praying.

How about some Old Testament:

Nehemiah 1:4 – For some days I mourned, and fasted and prayed before the Lord.

Psalm 35:13-14 - I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered, 14 I went about mourning as though for my friend or brother.

Daniel 9:3 - So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

As much as prayer is essential, as much as helping people who are desperate is essential, so is the discipline of fasting.

One commentator said of this, “There are 2 lessons to be learned, One, that faith needs a life of prayer in which to grow and to keep strong. The other, that prayer needs fasting for its full and perfect development… Prayer is the one hand with which we grasp the invisible; fasting, the other with which we let loose and cast away the visible.”

Prayer and fasting.

Before we get into points 2 and 3, I want to take a minute to talk about the “why” behind fasting. Yes, it is expected, but why?

Why We Fast

Go ahead and turn over to Matthew 9. Matthew 9:14-15. So what Jesus is saying here is that fasting is an expression of a deep desire for the presence of Christ. This is why he says that it isn’t necessary to fast when He is present, but when He is gone, then those who love Him will fast. Their fasting is evidence then of their longing for Jesus.

There are other reasons mentioned in the Bible as to WHY we fast. Don Whitney, in his book “Spiritual Disciplines,” lays out many. I’ll withhold the Scripture references but will have them on the screen for proof-texting:

So while there are many reasons, one motivation rings true throughout them all, and that’s a personal, deeper connection with God brought on by the realization of our dependence on Him.

So we know what fasting is. We know why we are expected to fast. So HOW do we do it. And really the next 2 points are all about the heart motivation of the one who is fasting. Well let’s start with a how NOT to do it.

2. How Not To Fast

Enter the Pharisees. Read 6:16. The hypocrites, aka the Pharisees, would intentionally look like they were sad. The word behind disfigure is actually kind of a grim faced, sad countenance. They walked around with the appearance of suffering so that others would notice their suffering. And Jesus is very clear here what they will gain from acting like this. Their desire is to be noticed, to appear to be something or someone important, and that’s it. There are no more rewards or accolades coming their way. All they gain from a public display is just that, people noticing them, and maybe throwing some admiration their way.

Why were they considered hypocrites? The heart that motivates fasting is meant to be a heart that is after God. But the heart behind the fasting of the Pharisees was one desiring human admiration. So, they are being open to what they are doing on the outside, but it doesn’t reflect what’s on the inside. On the outside, they are saying they have a hunger for God, but on the inside, they are hungry to be admired by others.

Listen, the “how” we fast is driven by the “Who” we want to impress.

A simple illustration for you. I played the drums growing up, and started out on worship teams in High School. Even as an adult there was a propensity towards impressing others. So, if I’d have some intense fill coming up, or a drum-breakdown, I’d start to get into my own head. Man don’t mess this up, what will they think. And let me tell you, without fail, as soon as it became about others, I’d drop a stick or miss my moment. It seems trite, but in a spiritual, worship-filled setting, I wanted others to notice me, to the point where God saw fit to humble me.

3. How To Fast

In other words, try and look like you always do. Look normal. Don’t let on that you are in some intense spiritual moment of devotion before the Lord. Why? Think about this: To Judaism, a fast was an outward sign of an inward condition. To Jesus, a fast was an inward sign of an inward condition. It’s a private time between you and the Lord. And when we do this in private, Jesus says that God will reward you. Well what does THAT mean?

God sees us fasting, He sees that we have a deep desire in our heart to have more of Him, and less of this world. He sees that we want His approval only, and not that of our peers. He sees that we are coming before Him in our weaknesses and desperation, confessing to Him that without Him, we are nothing. And when He sees this as our motivation, He responds. But what is that reward? Money, perhaps? Probably not, seeing as the very next verse talks about the dangers of gathering up material possessions.

While there could be many spiritual rewards, let’s go back to the previous section and look at what our prayers revolve around.

1. Hallowed Be Your Name

2. Your Kingdom Come

3. Your Will Be Done

So, if that is the goal of our prayers, could it also be the reward of fasting? Let’s revisit the list from earlier of reasons why we fast:

  • seeking God’s guidance – YOUR WILL BE DONE

  • seeking deliverance or protection – YOUR WILL BE DONE

  • expressing repentance and returning to God – YOUR KINGDOM COME

  • humbling oneself before God – HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME

  • expressing concern for the work of God – YOUR KINGDOM COME

  • ministering to the needs of others – YOUR KINGDOM COME

  • expressing love and worship to God – HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME

We receive great joy from fasting. We have a closer connection with God and deeper understanding of who we are in light of who He is. The rewards are many. But it isn’t always in the form of a spiritual reward, it can be something physical, tangible:

Dr. Joon Kim was chairman of a crusade expected to bring a million people to Yoido Plaza in Seoul, South Korea. But six months before the meeting the police informed him they were revoking their permission for the crusade. Korea at that time was in political turmoil and Seoul was under martial law. The officers decided they could not take the risk of having so many people together in one place. So, Dr. Kim and some associates went to a prayer mountain and there spent 40 days before God in prayer and fasting for the crusade. Then they returned and made their way to the police station. "Oh," said the officer when he saw Dr. Kim, "we have changed our mind and you can have your meeting!"

But even in that story, “Hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done.”

Application

Big Idea: We fast out of a longing for deeper relationship with Jesus, not for status or the approval of man.

Listen, fasting doesn’t always have to be giving up food. The whole point is admitting that we want Jesus more than anything on this earth! So, what is it in your life that has become like a god to you. What has mastered you and holds you under it’s rule? In Philippians 3:19 we see that some were mastered by food and drink, “their god is their belly,” Paul says. They allow earthly pleasures to dictate their lives. Some have been mastered by these little pocket devices. First thing when we wake up, last thing before we close our eyes at night. Constantly refreshing, scrolling like mindless creatures. Some have been mastered by work. Some have been mastered by money. Some by sports teams, others by unhealthy relationships.

These appetites dictate our lives, and replace the appetite for Jesus. So in order to turn those things over to God, we fast. We delete social media for a season, and when we feel a desire to go and see what everyone else is doing with their lives, we pray. We give up food for a certain amount of time. Every time we feel the pangs of hunger, we pray. We give up entertainment for a season. Instead we read the Word, we pray. It’s intentional, it’s disciplined, it’s with pure motivation.

Let me give you some practical ways to fast before we wrap up our time this morning:

1. Choose a meal during the week to skip, but make sure that during that hour, you spend time in the Word and in prayer.

2. Choose 1 day every month to set aside to fast. Maybe it’s the 1st of every month. Put it in your calendar. Start after dinner the previous night, and go all day until dinner that evening. Carve out some time during the day to get in the Word and pray. Every time you feel your hunger stop and pray. Be intentional. Go into that day with specific things you are bringing before the Lord.

3. When there is a big decision that you need to make, spend some time fasting and praying before making the decision. When you feel broken and weak, take that brokenness before the Lord through prayer and fasting, inviting God to fill your weakness with His strength.

Here’s the beautiful thing about fasting, we GET to pursue more of Jesus. We GET to have a deeper connection with God. Through Jesus’ blood we are free from the worldly devices that ensnare us and trap us. He has given us freedom from those things. We don’t have to be enslaved by our sinful desires anymore. And when we feel like their grip on our lives is tightening, we fast. We humble ourselves before God and beg him to remove them from our lives. More of Jesus, and less of this world!

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his incredibly challenging book “The Cost of Discipleship,” says, “When the flesh is satisfied it is hard to pray with cheerfulness or to devote oneself to a life of service which calls for much self-renunciation…We have to practice strictest daily discipline; only so can the flesh learn the painful lesson that it has no rights of its own.”

We belong to Jesus. He is enough. We want more and more of Him, so we fast, and we pray, and we leave those things that distract us from Him behind, for His glory.

Adam King
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