Well, good morning to you again. As you know, as most of you know, we're in chapter 6 of the book of Matthew, on page 1117, if you're using one of the Bibles in the pew. And this portion of chapter 6, running from verse 1 all the way to verse 18, is a sort of three-part sermon within a sermon, if you like. That Jesus has been moving through the topics of charity, and then prayer, and now fasting. And the main point that's been echoed in these verses thus far, and the main point that's coming up yet again in verses 16 through 18, is Jesus' focus on the antidote to hypocrisy. Really, it goes back to the oldest temptation that you and I want to be like God. We want to be made much of, we want everything to be about us, I want everything to be about me and everyone to recognize how wonderful I am. And this can happen even with our most spiritual and seemingly sacrificial activities. You see, it's possible to give in such a way that you're really intending to give something to yourself. In other words, it's possible to twist doing good to others so that you really are, in the first place, doing good to you. It's possible to pray in such a way that you're only aiming for the admiration of other people. In other words, it's possible to use the prayerful intimacy of our relationship with God in order to display our piety before others. And that's what Jesus has addressed thus far. And now we get to fasting. It's another example that Jesus selects, that He takes up and uses, of how we can turn even something good and spiritual, even something commanded by God, given by God, to try and make much of us. And so He says, verse 16, Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites. With a sad countenance, ESV uses the language of, do not look gloomy. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting, Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. The exact same formula we've seen in the earlier portions of the chapter. But you, when you fast, anoint your head, 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. All right. So, there is a problem where a first century Jew would be fasting. And he would intentionally look gloomy and sad and hungry and weak, so that when people at that time and in that culture would look at him, they'd say, well, that man must be fasting. What a fine man he must be. And that's the real evil of what Jesus is talking about. Fasting, something given by God. Why? I'm actually going to try to unpack that a bit this morning. But for now, let's just say the purpose of it is to point us to God. And we transform it then into something that points to us. Now, on the one hand, I have tried in the previous sermons of about the last four weeks to try and give a lot of focus to this aspect of hypocrisy and Jesus' warnings against hypocrisy and His solutions for hypocrisy in verses 1 through 15 so far. This morning I'm going to move in a slightly different direction. Because fasting, in my opinion, is something that has largely disappeared from Western evangelical culture. And I know that's not true of everyone here. It is making a comeback right now in Protestant circles, has been for some time. But I think that a lot of us, when we hear a text like this, the main question is, well, why? Why fasting? Should we do it today? And if we should, what exactly is the point? So, I'm going to try to speak to some of those questions this morning. I think it would be profitable for us, given that essentially the very same message is echoed here as has been in 1-15. I want to take a moment this morning and reflect on some aspects of fasting, using this text as a foundation and a guide for some questions. So the first question, why don't so many Christians fast today, at least in our context? I want to start by making the statement so that you are absolutely clear where I stand on this. Christians ought to fast. I'm just going to go ahead and lay that foundation from the start to say this is something that we ought to be doing. And the reason we don't, in part, is because, well, right now we're in kind of a food-obsessed culture that's ready to diagnose anyone psychotic enough to skip a meal. In reality, our three square meal a day system is a sign of our blessing. It's not necessarily a fundamental human requirement even for health. You see, Jesus seems to speak of it rather casually here. It's not a command so much as a passing reality. When you fast, verse 16. He said, when. Not if. And any who would say that fasting ought not be part of the Christian life, I would want to press them for their argument on why charity and prayer are also out, based on this text. That's the context, right? I would insist that if someone really wants to remove this practice, the burden of proof remains on them to why Jesus would speak of charity, which is vital, and then prayer, which is vital, and then fasting, which is unimportant. So then before I get to the question of why fast, I want to ask why don't we? And to me, there are mainly two reasons why many Christians in the West today have abandoned the practice. The first reason is probably an overreaction against some legalism in the Middle Ages. Perhaps you've read about the more brutal patterns of fasting enforced by some monks in the Middle Ages or right before the days of the Reformation. Martin Luther himself struggled with a number of health issues later in life, probably due in part to a brutal fasting regimen that wrecked his body. There have even been people in modern days who have gone on several 40-day fasts, and as a result, spend the rest of their lives dealing with obesity. That may seem somewhat ironic, but unless you come out of something like that carefully, it can have some ugly consequences for your health. So that's the first reason I want to say. And to that reason, I would want to respond that reactions to things that happen in church history are often overreactions, in many cases. To quote the philosopher Billy Joel, sometimes we go to extremes. And so we see how fasting was taken to problematic extremes in the past sometimes. And so we run to the other extreme, perhaps, and remove it from our piety. But patterns of fasting are as old as the nation of Israel, in terms of what God's told us about them. Jesus himself fasted in the desert. The apostles fasted. The church at Antioch, in Acts 13, fasted and prayed before they sent out Paul and Barnabas. In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul himself says he has often been in fasting. Even in our very own Book of Church Order for the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, there are instructions for the session of elders on how to call for a day of fasting and prayer. So that's... I'm going to leave that there and say that's probably the first reason, a kind of overreaction, but this is still very much something that I think should be present in our lives. It's been practiced since Israel, through both Testaments, most of Church history. I mean, come on, it's even in our Book of Order. That was a joke. The second reason is that we live in a culture where eating has become probably easier than ever, more convenient than ever, and cheaper than ever. And so in our culture, sometimes fasting's been forgotten, and gluttony is now glorified as an aspect of personality, rather than a sin to be repented of. And if you don't believe me, just think about how we respond when we hear that somebody isn't eating. Perhaps they skipped a meal. Oh dear. Are they depressed? Perhaps an eating disorder. Now, depression and eating disorders are realities in our time. I'm not making light of them. So, there's so much a reality in our time that we tend to associate any intentional abstinence from food as a sign of a psychological or emotional problem. So, I'm just going to say this right now from the start again, if that's where you are in life in terms of depression that's affecting appetite or eating disorder or something like that. First of all, Please have the courage to get some help. Come and talk to me or to an elder so we can help you or put you in touch with someone who can. And second, some of this sermon is not going to fit your present season of life. I want to make that clear because I don't want anyone plunging into something like anorexia and calling it fasting. That would be a grave misuse of my words and I just want to go ahead and sew that up before I go any further. Fasting is not like a radical hunger strike, and it's not like a disorder. So what is it exactly? And why have God's people done it throughout the Bible and the history of the Church? Well, let me give you a definition. Fasting is an intentional and temporary abstinence from food for the spiritual purposes of revealing our hearts, strengthening our prayers, and increasing our longing for God. And those things happen when fasting is coupled with prayer. Keep that front and center this morning. Fasting and prayer always go together. We already have a word for fasting without prayer, that's called dieting. So, I'm going to use the three points of that definition as we move forward. Why do we fast? Well, it helps our need It reveals our hearts and it increases our capacity to long for God. So, the first reason, it helps our need. I don't mean that quite how it might sound at first. I don't mean it fills our need, though I think it does. I think it does fill a need in our lives. Right now, I'm talking about how it makes us need. And how that's actually a good thing. That in the Christian life, there are times and seasons where we need to need. Here's what I mean. Have you ever noticed, perhaps, how it seems like some Christians in other parts of the world seem to be willing to sacrifice more for their faith than most of us? Have you ever noticed how Christians who are under the pain of persecution seem to do a far better job of loving their enemies? Have you ever just wondered at the stories of apostles who suffered in prison and kept on singing hymns? Have you ever noticed how Christians who don't maybe have as much as you or I really do seem to be more content in Christ? Why is that? On one level, the old adage really is true, that Jesus isn't all you need until He's all you have. There's some truth to that. But on another level, it's a simple reality that in God's world, He's closest to those who know their need. From Psalm 9, the wicked go down to the realm of the dead, all the nations that forget God, but God will never forget the needy. The hope of the afflicted will never perish. Psalm 72, "'For He will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He'll take pity on the weak and the needy and save them from death.'" Isaiah 25, "'Lord, You have been a refuge for the poor, for the needy and their distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat.'" And of course, Matthew 5. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied." Passages like these clarify that God is close to the needy, and the needy are close to their God. Read the Psalms and you will discover that some of the richest and most beautiful statements of God's power and love and faithfulness come right after verses that describe places of desperate need. And so there's a biblical connection between our need for God and our vision of God. So what is fasting? Fasting is when you intentionally put yourself in a place of physical need. Physical want and need with the knowledge that God is close to the needy. So that's one aspect of it. That it brings us to a place of need and I'm saying there's spiritual benefit there that we otherwise wouldn't know. The second reason, which is connected to the first, is that it reveals our heart. Fasting will dig up idols in you you didn't even think existed. Because food can be a numbing agent. It can be the place where you go when you're angry or tired or lonely and just don't want to process or think about it anymore. It can medicate unhappiness or restlessness. And when that little crutch gets removed, even just for an afternoon, you'll be surprised what comes out. When that annoying person at work, who you can usually tolerate, irritates you at the moment of a hunger pang, you'll then discover how much food holds up your daily smile. In preparation for this sermon, I came across an article by Dr. Susan Bialy. She's an MD, she's written a few books, as well as articles for Psychology Today. In May of last year, she wrote an article where she talked about numbing agents and how food especially functioned in such a way as to help her escape pain. She writes, I used to jokingly describe myself as a hedonist, but I wasn't really joking. I passionately loved good food, good wine, travel, life, passion itself. These days, however, I don't see myself so much as a hedonist. Really, I'm an escape artist. I wouldn't say I've had a dramatically difficult life, give or take some depression here and there. Nonetheless, it appears that I've gone through enough difficulty that, like so many other people, I've developed a chronic level of existential pain and wounding. I wasn't really aware of it. But what I was aware of was a constant drive to stimulate my senses through sugar, fat, alcohol, TV, travel, or highly distracting relationships. Even though I first identified my issues with food, particularly sugar, she says, as an addictive behavior, I failed to see the myriad of ways I sought to escape. Now listen to this next bit. I've worked on self-awareness, healing, and personal growth for many years now, with some success. This year, through a powerful program offered through my church, I realized I am still running from unacknowledged pain. I haven't seen some of my favorite pastimes as being compulsive routes of escape, but they have been, and often still are, it's so marvelous to wake up." So what was her solution? She writes, this month, one of my closest friends suggested we fast. She's fasting social media, I'm fasting Netflix, which has become my favorite way of relaxing and escaping reality. She said, I feel so awake, not always comfortable though. When a difficult day's events bring up that familiar ache in my chest and I long to escape, accountability is a powerful tool, as knowing that I'd let down a friend by caving in is usually what stops me. I also really don't want to lose the fresh awareness that I've recovered. I'm quite sure my escape patterns have been progressively shutting down. now that I've woken up and refuse to let it happen again. In addition, I'm doing my best to only use food as nourishment, not as a form of distraction or numbing out. If I suddenly crave, I ask myself why." Look, what amazed me about this article is that Dr. Bialy is writing for Psychology Today, which generally speaking isn't really a Christian publication in terms of their worldview. She's sharing her newfound wisdom with the world. And what's the newfound wisdom? It's that we're prone to make good things into ultimate things, to turn pleasures into numbing agents, that fasting can reveal your idols so your heart can begin to heal, and that accountability is better than trying to go it alone. All the things God's been telling His people for well over 2,000 years. Now, she made the comment about fasting from Netflix and social media, things like that. Is that fasting? Sure. It has become more popular. Let me say this. It's become more popular, especially during a Lenten season, to do that kind of a fast. And it has its place and it has its value. I'm not devaluing it. But personally, so this is I, not the Word and not the Lord, this is my personal opinion that I personally wish we'd call it something else, like a season of media abstinence or something, rather than fasting. I think fasting from things rather than food has some real value and I think it is similar to the value that comes from fasting from food. But I also think there's a reason why fasting from food is the primary meaning of the term in Scripture. And so I think that that ought to be its primary meaning among God's people. Secondarily, sure, it could mean fasting from some thing or some other habit, but we've actually inverted that today, haven't we? Where if we talk about fasting, we usually mean fasting from a thing or a habit, rather than from food. So we've inverted the sort of priority of meaning. I'm just suggesting maybe we rethink that a bit. I also think God gave us fasting, this is the third reason, because we are complicated beings. You see, God understands the relationship between body and soul and spirit. He understands that your physical life and your mental life affect your spiritual life, and your spiritual life affects your physical and mental life, and your mental life affects your physical and spiritual life. These aspects of our being are very tightly interwoven, always affecting each other. It's why you can worry yourself sick. It's why you can get ulcers from stress. It's why sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is take a nap. Our bodies are not incidental to our being. God understands that. So, why fasting? Because when the moment of hunger hits you during a fast, you can in that moment pray, Oh God, let me long for you this much. Let my hunger for righteousness be as strong as this hunger in my belly right now. You see, some of our failures in moments of temptation come about simply because we get to where we have little experience telling ourselves no. And because you're a physical and spiritual being, think about what fasting does. Rather than training yourself continuously to submit to every impulse or desire that hits you, you're training your body, mind and spirit to respond to an impulse or desire with prayer. You see, God's given us this discipline so we can begin to cultivate a habit of meeting our impulses with prayer. And so this becomes one more beautiful upside-down method of the Kingdom of God, that what feels like a passive abstinence from food is in fact an active and mighty strike on temptation and sin. Now, when you get hungry, you get emotional. Sometimes. Some of you who have fasted know that your prayers even are more emotional during that time. You feel things more deeply. And that also means you're more vulnerable to emotional arguments and things like that. But also, you pray more earnestly. You come to God feeling your need more deeply. And so you pray more fervently. Now, just as a side note, I think in our culture, sometimes we're spring-loaded to respond to something like that by saying, well, of course, I mean, if you deprive yourself of food, you're gonna feel things more deeply and get more emotional. Well, of course you would, right? There's no, there's no buy-in. I mean, of course it would do that to you. And I say, amen. Isn't it great that God knows us well enough to say, I know how to escort you into a state of mind and heart where really you always ought to be. in terms of your prayer, in terms of your worship. Because of sin, it's hard for you to be there. I'm going to help you feel what you ought to feel in prayer. And so, where do we go from here? Look, if you've never fasted before, my advice would be to try a 24-hour fast, supper to supper, or breakfast to breakfast for one day. Continue to drink water, and above all, replace mealtime with prayer time. Because fasting without prayer is dieting, And God will show you its value. I'm convinced of that. I don't think I have to sell it anymore beyond that. Now, just some cautions here. Because as I said, our bodies are not incidental. Some of you are in times of life where, look, fasting not a good idea for you. If you're dealing with, say, diabetes or some other medical condition that's affected by diet, perhaps you're on regular doses of medicine, or you're on a special diet from your doctor, look, okay, again, body's not incidental to the whole thing. So there's no reason to be foolish. My advice would be speak to your doctor. Your doctor might be able to advise you on how to do fasting in a smart way. Even very healthy people, if you run frequently or work out daily, be smart about it. Fasting and heavy exercise might help your vision of God, but if you get up too fast, you're going to have a vision of stars as well. Again, I'm no doctor, this is just sort of a pastoral reminder that if you burn calories, you need calories, so yeah, be smart about it. Or if you're dealing with cancer, I mean, maybe you're barely able to take in enough calories to maintain weight as it is. Perhaps the whole process of the medicine is killing your appetite. And so, hey, fasting is... I mean, you're pretty much there already. But it wouldn't really be healthy. I mean, again, the whole point here is health, physical and spiritual, I think. And so, fasting is not spiritual health at the expense of physical health, because physical health doesn't matter. That's not fasting. That's the point that I'm trying to make clear. Or if you struggle, like I said earlier, with depression or an eating disorder, I plead with you not to use this sermon as an excuse to carry on patterns of destruction. That is not fasting. So most of you know what you can and can't be doing in these areas. Some can just fast the old-fashioned way, some should perhaps consider maybe something like a liquid fast, where you can still drink things like a protein shake, and others might consider, yes, something like a Netflix or a social media fast, if it's not something you can do at this point. So the closing, a kind of closing question I want to give, to go back to our text in Matthew, But 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." Two things on that. First of all, I want to caution us against interpreting verse 17 as a sort of, wear a mask and be happy about it. That is not the Christian message. Really, part of that comes along because unfortunately some commentators have said that this aspect of anointing your head and washing your face would have just made you sparkle. Yeah, I would also say for many people it would have been a daily thing. I mean, washing your face and annoying your head. What he's saying is blend in. Not be especially false about what you're feeling and thinking, but blend in. Carry on with your life while you're carrying on discipline before God. And then finally, Jesus is saying, is commanding us to make sure that this is done before our Father in Heaven. So that, of course, raises the question, who can you tell? Jesus is saying here that it's wrong to invite people, as it were, to observe your fasting. It's wrong to intentionally alter your appearance so that other people recognize you're engaging in the discipline. So, does that mean you can't tell anybody? Well, I can say from experience that if that's going to be your rule, you're going to eventually have to start lying to someone. Eating is such, I mean, not just an everyday thing, but it's a very social thing. And so if you're not eating, usually somebody's going to notice. And if you've got a family you share the dinner table with on a regular basis, then yeah, they need to know. As a safeguard against pride, you avoid telling people where you can. And you tell people when you have to. And you don't get hung up about it. If somebody asks you at point blank, why aren't you eating You can say, I'm fasting. That's okay. That's not a violation of Jesus' teaching here. In fact, in a culture where food is so plentiful and cheap, where fasting has become an ancient memory, and gluttony is an identity to rejoice in, fasting is one of the weirdest, holiest, most counter-cultural things you could ever dream of doing. It is a powerful testimony because it's a direct strike on the most deadly kind of idol. That's the one we don't know exists. And so this discipline becomes a way of saying to God, this is how much I want more of God. And it becomes a way of reassuring our own hearts that we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. This is our confession that becomes more and more real to us as we engage in disciplines like these. And so I'm commending it to you, offering it as saying something to consider, something to consider with care, even just something as simple as skipping a meal and using it for a time to pray. Especially during this time when things in our nation are weighing on our hearts. That we would respond to our fear with prayer. That we would respond to our uneasiness and our restlessness with prayer. That we would bring these things to the God who is both completely sovereign and completely loving. And so He is willing, He is willing, and He is able. Let's go to Him. Let's pray. Father, sometimes the things that we read about in Your Word strike us as odd or unfamiliar. I ask that You would reintroduce us to aspects of the Christian life, aspects of discipleship under Jesus that maybe we're unfamiliar with. whether it's fasting or something else, grant that we would be a people who are willing to look strange to the world, that we might know You more and more. In Jesus' name, Amen.