Nov. 13, 2016 Afternoon Service Beatitudes Part 18 by Pastor Josh Sheldon

Matthew 6 and the Context of Almsgiving, Prayer, and Fasting

Our text this morning will be Matthew chapter 6 verses 16 through 18. And to be sure we keep in mind the entire context and Lord willing to remind you of the previous messages that we've had on this series.

Let us begin back in chapter 6 and verse 2. 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. 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 that 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 shall be heard for their many words. Do not be like them for your father knows what you need before you ask him.

Pray then like this Our Father in heaven Hallowed be your name your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive as We also have forgiven our debtors and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For if you forgive others their trespasses your heavenly father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others Their trespasses neither will your father forgive your trespasses. In this morning's text for if you forgive others their trust excuse me.

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 the 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. I think we have before us the opportunity for some very practical teaching this morning. Perhaps the question that comes to us when we read these on our own or when you were hearing proclaim from a Pulpit or in whatever form we hear it is am I supposed to fast?

Should I fast? Does Jesus mean that that is a practice that the church should practice. Well the answer is and Lord willing you will see this as we go through it. Yes. Yes, we should fast as Need arises and as you as an individual son or daughter of Jesus Christ a believer in him who comes to the Father in Christ's name as one of those as a Christian as a called-out one as a chosen as an elect if you are one of those by faith in Christ the answer to you if those are questions that rise in your mind is sure Fast.

The other half of that answer, and I'm going to repeat this as we go through the message is. But you don't have to. It's not commanded. It is a voluntary entrance into a particular spiritual practice that has its use.

That is there for us if we need it if we as individuals members of the household of faith feel that it is necessary then by all means Fast because here it sounds as though Jesus assumes that his disciples fasted as a matter of course.

You when you fast as Sort of like a parenthetical you you do fast don't you. And if that were the parenthetical the assumption of the question is. Yes, of course we do. And there are examples of fasting in the New Testament Church.

Recorded in the book of Acts though. It's nowhere Commanded that we must fast at all infrequently or otherwise and yet the examples are before us. It's possible that fasting went the way of many other things that were common with the Lord during his incarnation with the Apostles after his ascension and The church may need not today pay any attention to it because it passed into that period.

But I take a little bit of a different approach, and I suggest you that my approach is not radical in any way. I suggest that our Lord in this sermon was not at all slow to condemn practices that were either ungodly or were performed in a way that was meant to showcase man rather than God.

If Fasting were something he didn't want us to do at all I Suggest to you he would have said so. If after his ascension he did not want the church to even think about this if he wanted it excluded. I Suggest to us that he would have had Paul or John or James or any of the other New Testament authors Make such plain to us.

Such is not the case. Fasting falls at the end of a triad. Remember we spoke before as we started this section of the Sermon on the Mount we have this these these three pillars of piety in the Jewish mind, which was almsgiving and Prayer and fasting and this is what the Lord is talking about when you're doing these things these foundational practices of A son or daughter of God here is the Demeanor here's the attitude.

Here's the way you go about it speaking of what's in your heart that is causing the physical act. So six one two four was about giving to the needy. Five to fifteen was about prayer and now sixteen to eighteen fasting.

Now we speak about the current Binding nature of these on the church and clearly Open-handedness to those in need is a hallmark of the Christians. So that is still with us. Obviously the idea of prayer being something the church is still commanded to do is necessary for us is Inarguable.

The church must be a praying church. Let this be a house of prayer. So fasting then would seem to have no more or less current place than these other ones so with one nuanced exception fasting is Optional with a nuance that I hope will be able to explain to you fasting is optional and the other two are not.

So we are to be generous. We are to be open-handed. We are to be praying and you may fast or not as you deem necessary. Now I don't have time this morning to go through even a survey of fasting everywhere.

It's found in the Bible. I'm sort of picking my shots this morning and those of you have read through the scripture a few times yourself will understand that I'm Really picking my shots. But so be it let us press on and see what we can make of the Lord's Teaching on fasting there in the Sermon on the Mount there was only really one required fast in the Old Testament and That was to prepare oneself for the Day of Atonement.

For what today is called Yom Kippur the Day of Atonement and that was in Leviticus chapter 23 and verse 27. Now on the tenth day of the seventh month is the Day of Atonement. You shall it shall be for you a time of holy convocation.

And you shall afflict yourselves and present a food offering to the Lord. Now afflicting yourself and some version says afflict your souls. This is what speaks of fasting afflicting yourself. Now the book of Hebrews makes it unmistakably clear that this observance with its required fast has passed away with what.

With the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross because he accomplished everything the Day of Atonement Was to point towards all that it was typical of Completed in the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross.

We know Logically because of what I just said and Scripturally because of what it says in the book of Hebrews that we do not celebrate in any way the Day of Atonement and With it the fast. Now we're going to talk a little bit about other examples of fasting in both Testaments but first I need to find for us just what a fast is and Then we'll try to merge these together and and see how this might serve us today.

So keep me in mind that we had this one required fast and we speak about Jesus Assumption that his disciples at least in the first century they were speaking to he assumed that they fasted. How do we define fasting?

What exactly is it? Now in the scripture we don't have a single verse That defines for us in a procedural and clear way what fasting is. It doesn't say your fast is to abstain from these things and to behave in this way and to dress like this.

So what I'm gonna read to you is kind of my compilation of various theological dictionaries and commentaries. The historical examples we have in scripture on how men actually accomplished a fast. Fasting then is the self-imposed denial of food and water for a specified time undertaken for religious purposes as the person by this abstinence from life's necessities Humbles his or herself before God thereby focusing all their attention on whatever matter is at hand That led them to the fast.

That's what a fast is. Self-imposed and of course here I'm speaking to the church and not from the Old Testament where it was required in the case I spoke of a self-imposed denial of life's necessities That humbles you before God.

Remind you of your dependence upon him and focuses all your attention Upon the matter at hand that led you to say I should fast. To bring my attention Towards God in this razor-sharp this laser like precise manner.

That removes from me anything that could distract me from this particular spiritual exercise because of this particular Issue that is at hand with me. So other than the one prescribed Fast the Day of Atonement fasts were voluntarily engaged.

Now of course I'm speaking from the narrative histories that we have in the scripture. By nations or individuals. In what? Well in times of great national distress. Distress and this is very important as we look to.

How does this bear upon us today? What kind of distress should lead me to a fast keeping in mind that I have? Taken the position that they're not commanded to you. But you have this resource in times of distress in times of calamity.

Be as something occurring in the providence of God and the circumstances around you or spiritually something No one else could know about but you yourself and God. So an example of a fast this Voluntary national fast this engagement of this exercise because of national crisis.

Second chapter. Second Chronicles chapter 20. Beginning at verse 1. I'll just read to verse 4. After this the Moabites and the Ammonites and with them some of the Muanites came against Jehoshaphat for battle.

Some men came and told Jehoshaphat a great multitude is coming against you from Edom from beyond the sea and behold They are in Hazzan Tamar that is in Gedi. Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah and Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord.

From all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord. So clearly we have a national crisis. God's people Judah are being attacked from all around from all these nations gathered together as a coalition against them and Of course Jehoshaphat being one of the good kings of Judah one who?

Followed the good ways of his father David as the scripture tells us. He doesn't assemble an army. He doesn't call out on a draft. He calls out a fast and they come together and they seek the face of the Lord for his help.

And when they come together Jehoshaphat prayed. So what do we have here sort of a revival meeting? Yes, but a revival meeting based on the command of the king to come and Together we will go to God and we'll go to God as a humble people and we will accentuate our humility both personally and nationally.

By declining for ourselves Luxuries particularly food we'll speak more of that in a little bit. Another example when Jonah preached at Nineveh, what do we read and the people of Nineveh believed God? They called for a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest of them to the least of them.

And then of course we know from Most of us have read Jonah several times her to preach many times when word reaches the king. He affirms everything that was happening. He didn't call the fast. He was told the people are fasting.

He didn't command the people to repent. He was told the people are repenting. And this Assyrian king we know from scripture that Assyrian kings were arrogant and prideful and boastful. He's broken by the word of the Lord which he heard and he says this.

By the decree of the king and his nobles let neither man nor beast herd nor flock taste anything. No, that's really what a fast is by the way. Let them not feed or drink water. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth and let him call out mightily to God.

Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands who knows God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger that we may not perish. Much like with good King Jehoshaphat this time of crisis and It is need to go to God in this particularly humbler this particularly Dependent way they fasted and prayed to God.

Another example. This is from Nehemiah one of my favorite chapters in all the Bible by the way Nehemiah chapter 8 but after Hearing the law read by Ezra and remember the Levites moving amongst the people and making sure they understood what he Ezra was saying.

What was Ezra doing? He was reading word for word and the Levites were telling people what they may made sure they understood the sense of it and they were cut to the heart by the reading of the law and the Explanation of it as it was applied to their hearts by the Levites explaining what it meant.

And so we get to Nehemiah chapter 9. Now in the 24th day of this month the people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth and with earth on their heads meaning throwing the dust on their heads as a sign of this humility as part of the fast and The Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.

There are more examples we can go through but these are pretty characteristic. Judah in time of national emergency as a nation fasted Nineveh was actually not in a crisis at all at least not that they knew of but they weren't really in crisis until they heard The word of God's coming wrath which by his grace.

They recognized to be a nasty an enormous emergency. In Nehemiah that fast was a continuation of this remarkable Revival brought on by the reading and the explaining of God's Word and the repentance that that brought to them.

The parallels between Judah and pagan Assyria Nineveh. They're very interesting. Maybe that's for another day. But I just throw that out there for you to think about that. There are a lot of parallels between the two.

The fast in Nehemiah 9 was followed by a renewal of the covenant by the renewal a Reaffirmation to follow the law. The leaders are fixing their signet Signet rings to it on behalf of their tribes. And then the dedication of the rebuilt wall for the Ninevites.

What was the result of the fast? We read when God saw what they did how they turned from their evil way. God relented of the disaster that he said he would do to them and he did not do it. The crisis for Judah.

With Jehoshaphat and that fast it ended like this. And when they began to sing and praise the Lord sent an amp says an ambush. Against the men of Ammon Moab and Mount Seir that's the Edomites who had come against Judah so that they were routed.

Now none of these glad conclusions means that fasting is a way to ensure that prayers are answered. It doesn't guarantee us unanswered. It only means that that's what happened then. Of course the best known of fasts in the Old Testament Would have to be Moses on Mount Sinai when he was without water and food for 40 days before he met with God.

And then several Centuries later David's fast for the life of his firstborn after Nathan uncovered his the details of his conception. God met with Moses speaking with him face-to-face as a friend. An Addendum to the book of Deuteronomy says he was the humblest man on the face of the earth.

And I believe home humility is very much connected with fasting now. David's fast of course Ended when God denied the desire of his heart. For which he was fasting. So those are just examples of fasting.

How do we know what a fast is. We know what a fast is by how it was enacted by the people who were fasting? Because we don't have that chapter in Scripture. It says thus do it this way dress like this eat like this.

It doesn't tell us that and so very quickly to the New Testament. What do we learn about fasting? Again not a lot of examples for us, but they are good examples. Acts chapter 13 verses 2 and 3 while they speaking the church in Antioch the leaders in Antioch Were worshiping the Lord and fasting.

The Holy Spirit said set them apart for me for the work, which I have called them to. Then after fasting and praying they laid hands on them and sent them off. Of course speaking of Paul and Barnabas as the first missionaries of the church officially commissioned as such.

Acts 14 verse 23 reinforces this gravity of church appointments, and how fasting is Part of this. And when they had appointed elders for them in every church with prayer and fasting. They committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

So again, what is a fast this has barely been a survey, and I'm done with the examples. This has barely been a sliver of a survey really because there's so much more we could go through and so many more Analyses we could make of the historical examples that we have.

I do believe though we have enough for a conclusion. Fasting is a self-imposed denial of food and water for a specified period of time undertaken for religious and spiritual Purposes as the person by this abstinence from necessities humbles his or herself.

And I think that's terribly important. Humbles his or herself. Before God there by focusing all their attention on whatever matter is at hand. So how does this relate to us today? To the church to you and me.

I Think in a very good way in a very helpful way it relates to us today as a helpful way. In an area where we all need help. Which is humility before God. How do we with God in the privacy of our relationship to God through Jesus Christ.

How do we demonstrate this humility when we really need to go to God for something that is just so crucial. And we're at a point. We don't know if we know what to pray. Or depending on the promise of the Word of God that when we don't know what to pray we can fall down before God in The Holy Spirit will interpret as it were for us and with groans and utterings bring our requests to God.

The self-imposed denial of food is an aid to our humility. It reminds us of dependence upon the God we go to. You know we need to state a couple of things about a fast is not. If after I preach this message when I finish in really just a few moments.

If you say well, I should fast. I Want to tell you a couple of things that a fast is not and there's going to go against some of the trend of what? We often hear about it. But a fast is not an abstinent absence from Luxuries, it's not an absence of non essentials.

I don't fast my Thursday trip to the gym. I don't fast fudge for dessert. A Proper fast is the removal of the necessities of life itself. It's about food. This is about food. You notice. They are always denying themselves food.

Now they dressed a certain way there you heard about the sackcloth and the ashes taken the dust of the earth. Pouring on their heads as a sign of this brokenness before God this abject need for his help.

But the point is If we're fasting we're not eating. At my first church the pastor taught fasting. But he insisted we take in some calories and so fruit juice and some certain essentials were recommended by him.

And he was a good man. He just didn't want us to get sick, but True fasting is more of a bread and water prison diet. Do drink water? We're not on a hunger strike if we fast. This is not a hunger strike you're not supposed to die.

You're not supposed to become sick, and there's another thing a fast is not. It's not for the small stuff. Now what the small stuff is I leave to your sensibilities a fast is engaged when the issue between you and God is of such Moment of so huge a significance that our normal everyday humility whatever on earth that is.

But when normal everyday humbleness before God just won't do it. And we need this special dose of dependence. We need a special reminder of abject inability To come accomplish or to correct. Whatever is at hand.

Now does that mean we ought not to eat until the salvation has been granted to this or that person who have been praying for? Would that suggest that? God alone being the determinant factor of salvation and the spirit goes as he wills and not necessarily where We would that he goes given all that.

I don't think that would be very wise. A fast is Truly something personal for you and not something that you desire for someone else in that route regard and as much as we would pray and Fast for our children for our loved ones.

I don't believe that that's the case that is appropriate to fasting. I Think this is a very personal matter between you and God. Perhaps one day this church as a whole will be called to a fast. Perhaps.

But until then I think fasting is a very individual exercise. And one support that I have for the individual nature of a fast is Jesus himself. He says when you fast do not look gleam gloomy now. That's in the plural.

That's to everyone speaking to the whole church when you all fast do not any of you look gloomy is one way to say it. But the very next verse, but when you fast anoint your head and wash your face. That's all in the singular.

So speaking to all of us He's saying don't put on a charade an outside show of what you're doing. And speaking to the individual he says but when you fast be sure you dress yourself and you behave yourself in a normal manner and Your God who sees in secret will reward you in secret between you and him and That's the hard part for us isn't it?

It's between me and God alone long faces won't do. They wore crumbled clothes and sackcloth. They they. They put some sort of makeup on to exaggerate the rigors of what they were going through. None of us would actually do that.

We're we would just look longingly at that plate of fried chicken as it goes by. Signaling like a telegraph how much we want a piece and just dying to be able to say oh none for me I'm on a fast or I'd like to come but during my fast I better not be tempted because I'm on a spiritual journey right now.

And here's what I would suggest if we get ourselves into a position where we are fast and we're conscience and spiritual desire leads us to do this and We get ourselves in position where we have to either divulge that we're on a fast or break the fast and in imbibe of the food if Our schedule can't be arranged to avoid that kind of a dilemma I actually would suggest that the fast get broken rather than divulge it and Do like Jesus said here the hypocrites do.

Say I can't do it. I'm on a fast. No better to forget the whole thing and if socially you can't back out. Get back to it after the occasion is over. I Think what's most important here is If you have chosen to delve into this spiritual exercise, which I think is perfectly valid in the church.

They vote though not required. Then Jesus makes very clear That no one is to know it is you and The God to whom you are humbling yourself. You see we're not on legislative ground here fasting is optional.

Letting it be known is not. And my last thought here actually is about the fast in Nehemiah for them. It was a part of the whole movement of repentance and humbling of themselves. It began in chapter 8 of that book Nehemiah who was the governor and Ezra the priest and scribe and the Levites Who taught the people said to all the people the day is holy to the Lord your God.

Do not mourn or weep for all the people wept as they heard the words of the law. The fast came later, but it was an extension of the same brokenness in Acts chapter 2. We actually have something very similar happening.

There's this Very similar response to the hearing of God's Word in Acts 2 after Peter preached the Pentecost. What do we read? Now when they heard Peter's Pentecostal sermon. They were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles brothers What shall we do.

And Peter said to them repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ. For the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Now what's the difference between the two?

Between what happened in Nehemiah's day when they put on the sackcloth and ashes. When they probably physically fell down before God. And in Acts chapter 2. Where Peter gives them no such instruction, but he says to them.

But to repent what's the difference? The difference is the cross. The cross is what spans the exiles in Nehemiah's day to the pilgrims in Peter's day. The cross bridges the repentance of the Jews at Jerusalem to the visitors there centuries later I mean crises may come we might need to fast to bring ourselves to greater depths of humility and more concerted prayer.

But it is the cross that answers our need. It is by our faith in Jesus and our utter dependence on him and his sacrifice that we come to God. Fasting Was meant to make us more sensitive to what it takes to come to God.

It reminds men of the chasm between them and the almighty who alone can answer our needs. And that being the case, what does the cross leave out? Nothing. Nothing if we need to Intensify our humility before God if that's where your conscience leads you by all means fast.

Perhaps according to the very brief instruction i've been able to give about it this morning what it is and what it is not. Let me suggest to you That true And final humility Is found as we look at the cross.

As we see Jesus Christ who humbled himself to death even the death of the cross. As we look upon that and we think of what he did on behalf of sinners. While we're yet enemies haters of God. Christ died for us.

The godly for the ungodly. I have no objection To fasting for myself or for others. But I think That in the normal event Of our progress and sanctification of our life with God through faith in Christ.

That the purest humility we can find is in the Lord Jesus Christ. And in seeing our station before God best Exemplified Is by seeing him on the cross. Who is exalted because of the humility that he showed And comparing ourselves.

And what of that could we have done? Nothing. By grace, you've been saved through faith and that not of yourselves. This is a gift of God not of works so that no one can boast. Here's humility. Here's humility that I would suggest if we would just ponder that In whatever spiritual crisis we are in Would bring us to that humbling before God that would accentuate and intensify our prayers.

He humbled himself to the point of death even the death of the cross. He did all that is needed for us to come boldly to the throne of grace and there find help in our time of need. We read that through him.

We also have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Ephesians chapter 3 and verse 12. Christ Jesus our Lord in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.

Fasting is a valid spiritual exercise looking to the cross. Meditating on what what Jesus Christ has done for you I would suggest would bring you this kind of humility as well. Fasting may help us in times of special struggles and needs.

But it adds nothing to the direct access to God the father that we have now in Christ Jesus our Lord. So yes. Is it valid today? Of course it is. Is it commanded to you? No, it is not. Can it help? Yes, I think when Jesus assumed that his disciples fasted it was an aid to their humbling before God.

Must we? No, and I hope I brought a little clarity to that. I hope you see. That you can or cannot as you see fit. And it's not a sin to do it is not a sin to not do it. The only error we can actually make here is to fast falsely to fast gloomily.

To humble ourselves before God in a way that everybody will look upon our piety and be impressed with us. Avoid those and I say God bless you. Fast if you will and may God answer the desires of your heart.

Amen.