The Good Shepherd leads through the Narrow Gate (Matthew 7:13-20)
Matthew: The Gospel and the Kingdom of Heaven • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 51:13
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Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Here we are, it’s 11: something, and you can feel it in your stomach… Lunch is coming and the only thing that seems to be standing in your way is this sermon. Isn’t it funny how suddenly hunger strikes in the pews unlike anywhere else…
Hunger is not something that we have to learn to be. Even the youngest of babies know hunger from the first moments of birth.
Hunger is not something that we have to train ourselves to be, it simply happens. We go for periods of time without eating and we get hungry.
Sometimes we eat not because we are hungry, but because we are bored, worried, anxious, or whatever.
What if you and I are missing one of the purposes for being hungry? What is you and I are not simply biological creatures that evolved from pond scum billions of years ago and we developed hunger to keep us alive reminding us that we must eat to survive. What if you and I were created by God, and in the Garden of Eden BEFORE the fall we were hungry and we would eat and Heaven we get hungry and we eat (Marriage supper of the Lamb, tree of life producing fruit). What if hunger is more than a biological response to needing food. It’s not a sin to be hungry, it’s a gift from God.
What if you and I treated our spiritual growth, like we do our physical hunger?
What if we had spiritual hunger pains that could only be satisfied by feasting on the bread of Life?
What if the bible does give us something to help us in this area! But it seems to have been neglected by us…
Fasting.
Fasting is mentioned 77 times in scripture, Baptism is mentioned 75 times.
Believer’ s Voluntary abstinence from food for spiritual purposes.
Believers in that unbelievers might fast but it will not make them more godly. “Christian” fasting has the purpose of maturing believers in Christ.
Voluntary in that for it to be a Christian fast, it cannot be coerced, it must be started and maintained by the person fasting.
Abstinence from food in that strict biblically speaking the bible only addressed this with food. You can take the principle and apply it to other areas, but abstaining from food is the specific thing mentioned in the scriptures. We will delve into this more in a but.
For Spiritual purposes, in that there are lots of reasons someone might for but for it to be Christian fast, it must be for spiritual reasons.
Day of Atonement, Seems to be the only commanded time for fasting, and even then it’s not speicifially mentioned as a requirement, but the general idea if clearly present. On the day when the priest is going to make atonement for sins, take the offering and sprinkle the blood of the lamb on the mercy seat, lid of the ark of the covenant. On that day people were called to fast in preparation for this.
The Lexham Bible Dictionary Fasting Associated with Repentance and Confession
Fasting Associated with Repentance and Confession
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
Then John’s disciples came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests be sad while the groom is with them? The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
The Lexham Bible Dictionary Fasting in Acts
The earliest Christian fasts seem to have been voluntary and were undertaken for a variety of reasons, such as self-discipline and reinforcement while praying. Calling for God’s blessing on the church’s mission, the church at Antioch engaged in fasting before sending out missionaries (
The Lexham Bible Dictionary Fasting in the Early Church
Fasting in the Early Church
A number of Christian authors comment on fasting, indicating that it was widely practiced by the church before the middle of the third century (Brattston, “Fasting,” 238). Various Christian documents reference fasting as an ongoing practice. While the Didache encourages fasting and mentions a twice-weekly fast (Did., 8:1), the Shepherd of Hermas conveys that obedience is more righteous than fasting (Shepherd of Hermas, Similtude 5:1–4).
The early church fathers might have believed that fasting could conquer temptations (Polycarp, Phil, 7:2) and prepare people for worship (Origen, Hom. Lev., 7.1.3; Brattston, “Fasting,” 239). Certain texts recommend fasting before baptism (Did., 7:4; Tertullian, Bapt., 20).
“Whenever you fast, don’t be gloomy like the hypocrites. For they make their faces unattractive so that their fasting is obvious to people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting isn’t obvious to others but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Pray
Pray
Context
Context
Righteous Giving
Righteous Giving
Righteous Prayer
Righteous Prayer
Hypocritical Fasting
Hypocritical Fasting
“Whenever you fast, don’t be gloomy like the hypocrites. For they make their faces unattractive so that their fasting is obvious to people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward.
The idea of fasting is fairly simple. It’s abstaining from food for a certain period of time in order to focus on prayer and seeking the Lord more closely.
It is incredibly interesting that Jesus brings up Righteous Fasting here.
He says whenever you fast, not if you fast. But there is not a place in the Scriptures that commands fasting. (ONE OF THE SACRFICES?? MacArthur).
So this is different that righteous giving and righteous prayer.
Giving is commanded in several places in the bible, no not give would be considered a sin.
Prayer is commanded in several places in the bible, not to pray would be considered a sin.
Not giving and not praying both reveal hearts that are distant from the Lord, and in need of repentance and coming back to Christ.
But what about fasting?
There is no command in the bible to fast a certain way or at certain times.
Giving is talked about frequently. Prayer is talked about frequently. Both are described and modeled. This is how you give. This is how you pray.
But with fasting it’s talked about with some regularity, but there is not any passages that talk about this is how you fast.
YOU HAVE YOUR REWARD.
Righteous Fasting
Righteous Fasting
But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting isn’t obvious to others but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
It’s not about hiding what you are doing, it’s about not amplifying what you are doing.
Fasting to look good infront of others, is condemned.
Fasting to commune and grow in the Lord is celebrated.
Know who your audience is.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Fast:
Normal Fast- Abstaining from all food, but not water. (Jesus in the wilderness)
Partial Fast- Limiting diet. Daniel and other Jewish boys at the begining of the book eat only veggies.
Absolute Fast- Eating and drinking nothing. Esther before she goes to King risking her life requests that the Jewish people do an absolute fast for 3 days and nights.
Supernatural Fast- Moses and Elijah both do a complete fast for 40 days and nights when they are in the presence of the Lord in a supernatural way. Doesn’t seem like they intended to do this, but being in God’s presence He sustained them.
Private Fasts Mentioned in this text.
Congregational Fast- Fasts a church does together, before sending out missionaries or making important decisions.
Length-
The bible mentions fasting for one day, part of one day, one night, 3 days, 7 days, 14 days, 21 days, 40 days, and some are not speificed how long. There is no command on how long they have to be. This is between you and the Holy Spirit.
You can skip one meal and this count as a fast.
But it has to be for a spiritual purpose.
If there is not spiritual purpose then it is pointless…
It’s meant to be a constant reminder, I am hungry, why am I hungry? Because I am fasting. Why am I fasting? Be reminded of your purpose for fasting. Every time your stomach growls, pray. Every time your hunger pains come about it’s a reminder to go to the Lord in prayer for that purpose.
So that at the end of the day, you have spend the whole day in intense and deep constant prayer over whatever purpose you are fasting for.
In his book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, Dr. Donald Whitney gives 10 categories or purposes for fasting.
To Strengthen prayer: You struggle with your prayer life fast… and every time you get hungry pray.
To Seek God’s guidance:
To Express Grief:
To Seek deliverance or protection:
To express repentance and return to God:
To Humble Oneself before God:
To Express Concern for the Work of God.
To Minister to the Needs of Others:
To Overcome Temptation and Dedicate Yourself to God:
The Express Love and Worship to God:
Use Wisdom:
If you have medical issues that would be severely hindered because of a fast from food then use wisdom!
There is not specific commands on how to fast, but the purpose of fasting is clear. What is something you could abstain from for a time that would help you pursue the Lord? Phone? TV? For it to be a biblical fast it needs to be something that would remind you frequently to go to the Lord for this purpose.
Start small, Don’t start with a 40 day complete and total fast. Start small. Train your body and yourself better. Start with skipping one meal every week for a bit and then work your way up.
Seek the counsel of your Christian Doctor.
Fasting isn’t for asteatic purposes, your goal isn’t to lose weight it’s to grow closer to the Lord.
What makes this sermon a Christian Sermon?
