Sermon
Fasting…The Biblical Way To Pray
September 4-5, 1999
Pastor Donald Sheley

Let's take our Bibles, together we're going to turn to the book of Matthew, and for the last number of months, in fact, it's getting on to nearly a year, we have been studying the Sermon on the Mount. And we've just taken it almost word for word, phrase by phrase, because we have found it so helpful in understanding what Jesus taught. We're now in Matthew 6:16 and we're going to take a number of passages and so you might find it easier just to have a Bible there. Verse 16 says, "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. In the original Greek it means they have been paid in full. There's no further payment in heaven. That's all the reward they get. "But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 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.

Now when we came to chapter six Jesus has taken at least three expressions that should flow from a Christian life, and He is saying, if you do these in a Christ-like way they're beautiful. But you can also turn something that's beautiful into something that's ugly, so He talked about giving, and He talked about praying, and now He's going to talk about fasting. Do you remember what He said about giving? He said; when you give make sure that your right hand doesn't know what your left hand is doing. In other words, it's something you do in your heart that's between you and God. It's not for public display. You don't want people to clap their hands and give you applause for your supposed generosity. When you give you do it between you and God. 

We've always believed that here at Church of the Highlands. That's why for 40 years we don't have pledges. I don't have anybody stand up and say I'll give a thousand for this or a thousand for that; none of that nonsense. We don't take collections. I want giving that you do before God to be so sacred and so precious. It's just between you and God. And we have found that that kind of giving at the church here for 40 years, God has always blessed, all of our needs have always been met because you've responded in love to God and He's provided for the needs of the church.

Then Jesus brought up the subject of prayer and He said, when you pray don't be a hypocrite. You see in those days prayer meeting time was three o'clock every afternoon down at the synagogue or down at the temple. And the idea was hurry to the temple so that you could be on your knees at three o'clock with the rest of the congregation, but if you're really a hypocrite you'd leave home about five minutes to three and you'd be about half way there, and right in the middle of the town, well it's three o'clock, it's time for prayer, and you'd kneel down and start doing your religious spiel there on the sidewalk. Jesus said that nonsense. I don't want you to do it that way. When you pray find a closet, close the door, and you pray to God in secret. Don't make a pubic display of it. 

And then He said, and this is the way you pray. And remember we've spend a great number of months going through that Lord's Prayer trying to find out the depth of that prayer, so He's taught us how to pray. Now He says, when you fast. It's interesting. It's not if you fast. It's when you fast, and yet strange enough fasting is a very unfamiliar subject with most Christians today. It's something very few of us ever do, and yet Jesus said when you fast. Remember in Mark 2:18, people came to Him and said, Jesus, why is it that Your disciples are not fasting? Jesus said, well, when the bridegroom's here we don't fast, but when I'm gone then fasting will take place. What Jesus was simply saying, the church is the bride, I'm the bridegroom, as long as I'm here there needs to be no fasting, but when I'm gone then the church can go back to fasting. 

Fasting has always been a part of religion. You take in the early church in Acts chapter 13 when they started their missionary program; it started as the result of fasting and praying. Jesus started His public ministry, Matthew chapter 4, in fasting and praying. And now Jesus wants to deal with this issue of fasting. He is saying; look at don't be like a hypocrite. You see in those days market day in the little villages of Palestine and in the city of Jerusalem was Monday and Thursday. It was an agrarian community, and everybody grew their little crops and they all bring their sack of onion or whatever they had down to the marketplace. So these little villages, and Jerusalem was filled, that was shopping day. Everybody went to town, and it was when everybody was in town that these old hypocrites who tried to look pious and religions. Jesus said you disfigure your face, you don't comb your hair, you wear soiled clothes, and, in fact, you paint your face white so it's pale. It looks like you've really lost a lot of meals. Jesus said you great big hypocrites. If you're going to fast be genuine about it. It's between you and God, and the God who observes in secret He will reward you openly, but don't make a display of hypocrisy trying to act religions. 

Super spiritual people always bother me. They bothered Jesus too. Jesus said I don't want that as Christians. I want you to be genuine. Now God had to deal with this same problem centuries before with the whole nation of Israel. Go with me to Isaiah chapter 58, and God takes on a whole nation for this whole matter of fasting with wrong motives and insincerity. This whole chapter is a fascinating chapter. The whole chapter is on fasting. Isaiah 58 and God takes on a nation. He says I'm tired of this nonsense of this pious religiosity that doesn't amount to a hill of beans. I don't want it. So God says, "Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgressions. In other words, I don't want this to be kept a secret. You tell them that I am disgruntled as their Jehovah God and I don't like their transgressions. They are the house of Jacob, but I don't like their sins.

And then verse 2 is written this way. 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. In the original that's written in the negative, it says, you put on the appearance as if you delight in Me. You make people; you want people to think that you really want to do justice, that you really want to be righteous, that you really want to be godly, but I Jehovah God know you differently. It's all false. 

Look at verse 3. 'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and You have not seen?' God, You don't realize how spiritual we are. I mean, we're fasting and You're not even paying attention. They couldn't even get God's attention with their fasting because God knew it was hypocritical, just as Jesus observed the people of His day. Why have we afflicted our souls? That term afflicting the soul is another term for fasting. We've afflicted our souls, and You take no notice. God answers back, "In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure. God said it's mockery. It's all on the outward side, but you want people to think you're religious, but you're doing your own thing. You exploit your laborers. You're unfair with those that are around you. You take advantage of people who work for you. You're unkind and He said, indeed you fast for strife and debate, and you strike with the fist of wickedness. God said you've got wicked hearts. You don't treat people rightly. You don't treat them with justice. You treat them with a fist of wickedness and you want Me to think you're religious. To make your voice heard on high. Is it a fast that I have chosen, A day for a man to afflict his soul? There it is again. Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? 

You see, when sat in sackcloth and ashes you were supposed to be really spiritual. You were showing humility before God. God said; I don't care how low you bow. You may bow as low as a bulrush that's being pushed by a strong wind. It's not how deep you bow that impresses God, and it doesn't make any difference how much ashes you throw on yourself to look pious. Would you call this a fast, God says, an acceptable day to the Lord? God said I've had enough of this. I'm tired of false religion. He said, "Is this not the fast that I have chosen. God said if you really want to get serious, if you're really genuine in your prayer and your turning to God, then He says you will loose the bonds of wickedness; you'll turn from you sin.

In other words, when we get serious with God in our prayer life, the first thing that's going to start changing is us. We're going to turn from our wickedness, and He says, To undo the heavy burdens. You held people in bondage, you've not forgiven, you've been harsh with other people. You're going to change your ways with other people. You're going to treat them with kindness and loveliness. He said you're going to let the oppressed go free. You're going to forgive. You're going to set people free. You're going to bless them with your love, and then He said you're going to share your bread with the hungry. You're going to turn from selfishness to selflessness. I mean true religion, there's not such a thing as a selfish Christian. It's incompatible. 

God has dealt with us is generosity and forgiveness and love, and what God is saying, if you're religion is genuine there's going to be a generosity. You're going to share what you have with others. You're going to share your bread with the hungry. You're going to bring to your house the poor. You're going to care about other people. I mean religion without a social dimension has no value. I don't care how religious we are, if we cloak ourselves and we don't reach out to those that are hurting, James says your faith is dead. It amounts to zero. And God says when you really are genuine with Me you'll bring in the poor. When you see the naked you'll want to cover them.

True religion says I can help those little children down in Mexico. I can put some shelter over them and I can help in my little way. And then He added something that really has always fascinated me. Look at that phrase, and not hide yourself from your own flesh. God says here that true religion is going to make us very sensitive about how we carry on our relationship with those closest to us. I'm going to read it from the amplified, and here's what it says in the amplified. It's very fascinating. It says, verse 7, Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house – when you see the naked, that you cover him, and that you hide not yourself from [the needs of] your own flesh and blood? It's an amazing thing. People try to act religious. They'll come and sing the hymns of the church, and yet, they know they're not treating their mate right. They know that there are inured relationships that that other person says if that's a Christian and that's the way they act, I don't want any thing to do with it. Those closest, and God says when my religion really becomes genuine, I'm going to be deeply concerned about those closest to me, my own flesh and blood. My children, my family, my mate. When you draw near to God He's going to make you very sensitive as to relational Christianity. 

We can't sit here and look pious and go treat somebody in our own family. Some of us have treated our in- laws like out-laws for years. God said I don't want to have anything to do with that. If you're going to be a Christian, if you're going to be genuine religious then be deeply concerned as to how you relate to those closest to you, your own flesh and blood. The Bible says it in a different way. Sir, how do you expect your prayers to be answered when you're at strife with your wife? God's not going to hear your prayer; it's the same thing. God says, listen; if your religion is genuine you're going to be working at making the relationships of the family lovingly Christ-like. 

Now, look what He says. Verse 8 says, then, if you'll do these things, your light will break forth like the morning. Your healing shall spring forth speedily. Your righteousness shall go before you. The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer you. You'll cry and He will say, 'Here I am'. God says listen, if your religion is genuine it's going to be obvious that the blessing of God is resting on your life, and when you pray He going to say, what did you say? I'm here. He's going to listen when our religion is genuine not fake. He said, "If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations.

God's going to bless your family, if you're living your religion with genuineness, and honest, and sincerity, and not fakeness and hypocrisy. That's what God is saying. I'll bless you, and I'll bless your family and you'll raise up generations that'll exalt God. God is saying to the nation of Israel I'm tired of hypocrisy, quit playing religion, be genuine. That's what Jesus is saying. Quite parading in the street looking like you're pious. Be genuine in your faith. 

I just want one more story. Would you go with me to Matthew chapter 17, because if you're saying Pastor, that's all good, but how does fasting effect me today? Relate this truth to me where I am today. What does fasting mean to me?  It's Matthew chapter 17 and I'll be done in just a minute or two. But here's the truth I want you to get. Jesus has been up on the mountain of transfiguration; remember He's transfigured before them. Now He's coming down from the mountain, and verse 14 says; And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, "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. "So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him." 

Here's a daddy with a little boy who's sick and he says Jesus I want you to do something for my boy. Sometimes this disease makes him fall into the water and into the fire, and Jesus I brought him to the church at Highlands and they couldn't do a thing about it. You say, why did you say that? Because sometimes that's the way I feel. Sometimes needs are brought to me, and as your pastor after I pray I see them walk away with a need. You don't think that hurts? And this father says, Jesus, I brought him to the church and the church didn't do a thing about it. 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." And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him' and the child was cured form that very hour. Jesus healed the little boy. Now, Then the disciples came to Jesus privately. I mean they let the crowd get away from them. And said, Jesus, why could we not cast it out?

Look what Jesus says, "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. Jesus said the mountain in this man in this father's life is a little boy that's sick. That's his mountain. Your mountain may be different. It may be something that you've dealt with for years. It may be a relationship. It may be a mountain; you've tried to cross it, go around it, but it's always there. And Jesus is saying when you've got a mountain, if you've got faith, you can move the mountain. But where's the secret, and I'll tell you here's one of the great secrets. 

Look at verse 21; "However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." What's Jesus saying? There are just some mountains that never move until we get serious enough with God that we'll go to him in fasting and prayer. It's then that God begins to move the mountains. There are things as your pastor that I deal with on a day to day basis that I pray about that never happen. I find that there are sometimes I've got to go away and fast and pray. I had a situation 25 years ago where six families in the church, I mean they were ugly, they wanted to fire me, they wanted me to quit, they wanted to take over the church. And I mean, they were turning something lovely into something ugly and I said, God, I went away for nine days and prayed, and I said God You either get rid of them or You release me from the church because I'm not putting up with this nonsense. They're ugly. They're injuring the peace of the church, and they're a shame to You dear God and I won't have them around. You either change them or change me. 

When I got back all six of the families had moved on and God replaced them with six new people the same Sunday. I found that there are just some mountains I can only move when I go away and fast and pray, and I have found it to be a powerful way of praying. How does it effect you? Maybe you're here today and there's something in your life that's been a mountain, something, and issue, a relationship, something that has never changed. It's always painful to look at. It's always there. And what God is simply saying, if you'll take Me serious enough that you'll fast and pray, I'll take care of the mountain. And when we begin to add fasting to our prayer life it is a powerful way to pray. Try it. Let's stand.

Father in heaven Your Word is so clear. You do really want to answer our prayers. You really do want to remove our mountains. You really do want to demonstrate Your glory and Your power, but some of us are not serious enough to even fast and pray about it so we put up with our mountains. And I pray that today this congregation, many, will take this simple message to heart and learn this glorious secret to powerful prayer, fasting and prayer. And may in the days to come we hear of many mountains that have been moved and You've brought joy to our hearts. Thank you Jesus and everybody said, amen. God bless you. God bless you.