Sermon Book: Matthew

This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Sermon on the Mount” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, June 25, 1989.

About this sermon

Fasting has a long history, and errors have attached themselves to it again and again. The relative absence of fasting in the modern Reformed church may be a good thing, and a proper view of fasting explains why. Matthew 6 assumes more about fasting’s place in redemptive history than casual practice reckons with.

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Sermon transcript

This morning, we return to Matthew 6, and we will be reading that section that hangs together because of its treatment of the so-called three pillars of piety. That’s chapter 6, verses 1 through 18. We will begin our messages on the last of the pillars this morning, with respect to fasting itself, verses sixteen through eighteen. But beginning with verse one now.

Take heed that ye do not your alms before men to be seen of them, otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, Do not sound the trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men.

Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But when you do us alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth. that thine alms may be in secret, and thy father, which seeth in secret himself, shall reward thee openly. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions as the heathen do, for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. be not ye therefore like unto them for your father knoweth what things he hath need of before ye ask him after this manner therefore pray ye our father which art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Moreover, when ye fast, be not as the hypocrites of a sad countenance, for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face, that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy father, which is in secret. And by Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

Oh God, give us confidence, that confidence that comes from your word, that is built up through your word. Even now, Lord, convince us afresh of the truth concerning yourself, and may we be opened up to ourselves that we might know ourselves as you understand us and father with your word grant mercy then so that we having understood ourselves as you understand us but also realize that you have provided for us and may this be the testimony of your church throughout the world and even of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church that the church may be faithful to the word that you have given, and may there be servants raised up by you for the faithful proclamation of that word to the ends of the earth. We pray it in Jesus name, Amen.

Now the first thing they teach you at seminary in Your class on hermeneutics, rather, is never, never apologize. Never apologize at the beginning of a message. Well, I am going to apologize this morning to you, not because of where we find ourselves. We are, believe it or not, back in Matthew 6. We took our little detour. And now we have returned to the fact that we were considering before we took that little side trip, but I am apologizing to you this morning, because it might be that what I had to say to you this morning.

It’s not a sermon properly defined. Usually in a sermon, you have a text laid in front of you. text is opened up for you so that you understand your life in relationship to that text. Better yet, you understand your life in that text, you being a part of it.

This morning, I’m not going to approach the subject of fasting along that line. Instead, I’m going to present to you something of the situation in which we find ourselves presently with respect to the practice of fasting. Now, I’m not simply breaking the pattern this morning with respect to this approach.

What I’m going to do is foolishly carry it on this evening. Now, I know how that goes when I tell people that the message will be continued this evening. I’m always looking for great crowds to come out and see how the whole thing finishes up. Invariably, I’m disappointed.

But this morning, what I would like to do is consider for you specifically how this practice of fasting has fared and is faring amongst Presbyterian and Reformed churches, and this evening My intention is to review for you the practice of fasting as it was developed and as it has developed in the Roman Catholic Church, and what is distinctively peculiar of that practice and how it differs from the approach of the Presbyterian and Reformed churches. Now, I hope that this won’t be too much in the lecture style, but I’ll to draw you into it as we move along, and that there will be a sermonic appeal at the conclusion of the message this morning and again this evening. When’s the last time you fasted? When’s the last time you heard of a Presbyterian and Reformed church fasting?

I mean, really going at it seriously. A bona fide, genuine fast. I was raised in the United Presbyterian Church in North America, eventually was brought into the Presbyterian Church USA, but I cannot remember during the time of my youth an occurrence, an occasion of fasting within the church of which I was a part. I have been a part of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church now since 1970.

Now, I have heard of fasts spoken of rhetorically in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. We talk of prayer and fasting. The two words seem to go together, but I can’t remember an all-out effort on the part of the Church as a whole, even on the part of the congregation, even on the part of an individual, an all-out effort at fasting. Fasting is doing a quick thing. And it was a time, you know, in which fasting was very much a part of the life, the experience of the people of God. With respect to our modern situation, present day, Someone has said, fasting is a diet with a spiritual bonus.

Obviously trying to make an appeal to a modern clientele. You’ve been thinking of taking off a few pounds? Well, why not get some spiritual benefit out of it? To boot! But isn’t this typical of our approach to spirituality in our time? The interest really isn’t the spiritual blessing or even the spiritual exercise. The interest is in the value of that exercise for me in a very, very physical way. Fasting, then, has been approached by some in our time because of self-interest, because of self-service. Fasting is having a very rough time of it by any definition in our current circumstance. And maybe it should. And maybe it should. Now that’s the essential thesis there. You are jotting down notes this morning. That’s the essential thesis.

Fasting, the practice of fasting has been in severe decline It’s near the point of evaporating from the life and party of the church, but that may not be all that. Let’s look then at fasting as it was practiced by Presbyterian and reformed churches. Are you aware of the fact that fasting was a widely practiced enterprise, both in the English-speaking Presbyterian and Reformed churches and in those Reformed churches on the continent in Europe? Physicians, with respect to fasting, were in fact written into reformed creeds, into the creedal statements. Did you know that fasting is mentioned in the Westminster Confession of Faith? Described there as solemn fasts. Chapter 21. paragraph five.

The propriety of fast is there presented to the faithful, but not only that, fasting was laid upon those people as an obligation, as a duty, as a responsibility. something that was appropriate to observe under proper conditions, when the conditions demanded. Now, this approach to fasting maintained a certain and deliberate sense of liberty. And that liberty was expressed with respect to the conditions that then would be judged appropriate for the fast. In other words, there were no regular set times or seasons for fasts amongst the Presbyterians and the Reformed. At the same time, fasting was appropriate and it was expected, even commanded, given the proper conditions. As to the occasion for fasts, the solemn fasts spoken of by the Confession, these occasions were expanded upon by the assemblies, the Westminster assemblies, directly for the public worship of God. were mandated at times of, quote, great and notable judgment, unquote, in the church and in the nation, or when, quote, some special blessing is to be sought and obtained, unquote.

As to the manner of fasting somewhat different than what we would find in the Roman Catholic tradition. The manner in which these appropriate and commanded fasts were, was to be observed pursued a focus upon total abstinence, not only from food, but Again, in keeping with what we find in the Directory for the Public Worship of God, a total abstinence not only upon food, but from all worldly endeavors, including thoughts concerning our worldly employments and recreations, and also an abstinence from bodily delights. Now, there are certain strains that one can hear in this explication of the manner in which fasts were to be pursued. We need not strain too hard to hear a Puritan note sounding forth from this position.

We should not be put off by that, for after all, we are the descendants of the Puritans, but it is interesting to note that the fast, as it is described here, has an overlay of the Sabbath observance placed upon it. In other words, the things that we would have expected with regard to the Sabbath are here brought into connection with the fasts that were to be observed.

Now, that’s what we find in the English speaking world among the Presbyterian and reformed churches. What about across the channel across the English channel? What about in the continent of Europe and the reformed churches that we find there? They express themselves similarly. They were committed to the practice of the fast as well. Early on. In the Continental Reformation, amongst Reformed Christians, those who hail from the roots in Geneva and from Calvin, we find expressions like that in the Second Helvetic Confession, the work of Heinrich Bullinger, 1561. He concludes in that confession that fasts are demanded, prescribed, expected. They are useful for times of affliction for the Church.

They are useful for times in which we find ourselves individually spiritually dead. By way of the fasts, so says this confession, the flesh is denied the fuel for its appetites. As you would starve a fire by denying its fuel, so the appetites of the flesh are starved by denying it those things that would provoke it. And thus provided for the faithful through the fast is a time in which they might be more willingly and easily submissive to the spirit.

Now, arising from both of these streams, the continental stream and the stream that we find flowing forth from England, was the conviction that fasting was to be resorted to at times of public and private crisis, at times of mourning. contrition, great needs, supplication. Later on, as the practice of fasting developed within the Reformed churches, it was not uncommon to find fasting attached to things like ordinations and installations. When you were ordaining and installing Oftentimes you would find that the church would call for a fast to be observed in connection with the prayers that were to be offered for those who were going to be receiving ordination or installation. Also, it was not uncommon to find a call for the fast in relationship with the celebration of the Lord’s Supper.

We had, in times past, the week-long preparatory service. Do you remember the days in which there was the week-long preparatory service? A tradition that was honored amongst Christian Reformed people, a tradition that was honored amongst United Presbyterian people, a tradition that was honored amongst Reformed Presbyterian people, And I would judge that the reformed Presbyterian people are still trying to do something to maintain something of that tradition, the preparatory service. But in times past, a period of fasting was sometimes attached to that preparatory time, looking unto the celebration of the Lord’s Supper itself.

Now it is good for us to take stock of this practice, to scrutinize it, in light of the original Protestant impulse. In light of the original Protestant impulse. The Presbyterian and Reformed churches were true to that impulse, in that they refused to set specific times at which fasts would be observed, at least initially, at least at the outset. Furthermore, fasting in the Presbyterian and Reformed tradition was invariably united with prayer. So it was always prayer and fast. And fasting was not then separated, segregated, so as to have a life of its own, as if involvement in that practice by itself was to have some sort of spiritual benefit for you. It was prayer and fasting, going together. And finally, with respect to this Protestant impulse, to which the Presbyterian and Reformed churches were true, fasting was in no sense penitential. It was in no sense penitential.

Do you know what that word means, penitential? We talk about penitentiary. It comes from a word that means punishment. And this is sort of a preview of what we will be saying tonight. And the Roman Catholic approach to fasting. You see, amongst the Presbyterian and Reformed people, fasting was not penitential. It was not a means by absolving ourselves. It was not a means by which we could absolve ourselves of guilt. Nor was it a means by which we could gain God’s favor. It was not a penitential activity.

Nevertheless, there is an unfortunate side to all of this, and I have hinted at that already, and maybe you have picked it up, especially in that section where we reviewed the Second Helvetic Confession. There is an unfortunate side to the development of things around concerning fasting amongst Presbyterian and Reformed churches.

And it is right for us to point these things out. Because if we are going to remove specks from other people’s eyes, it is good that we start with the log in our own. or if we’re going to throw stones, we better be aware of exactly where the vulnerable spots are in our own house. I would judge that the Westminster Confession and the way in which it expresses itself is guarded and best phrase amongst the reformed and Presbyterian creed.

But it together with the expressions that come out of the Continental tradition. Can be. In the direction of regular obligatory that. That was the direction they were going. Affirmed originally was that liberty. But increasingly, what you find as the church progresses, that liberty was compromised and the fasts became prescribed. They became fixed periods. attached to certain activities in the life of the church. These things were to be expected in order for that practice to be properly observed. There was a hardening of the position. and all the drawbacks of a prescribed to practice that in. That’s why I mentioned to you when we were reviewing the section from the public directory or the directory for the public worship of God. The fact that you hear in the description of the fast something of an echo of the prescriptions that are laid out for the faithful with regard to the Sabbath.

The fast began to be looked upon as obligatory as the Sabbath itself, and with that equation there came the increase, the multiplication of laws and regulations with regard to the fast as there were with the Sabbath. There was a concentration upon form. There was even an encouragement of satisfaction with form. and a satisfaction with form that equal proper performance. If you observe the form, you properly observe the facts.

There was also the multiplication of discouragement. If you have been discouraged by what you find in the Confession and Catechisms with respect to its expectations about the Sabbath day, hold on to your seat. Let us multiply some laws and regulations with regard to that. Now we’ll really get you discouraged. For who can observe it? Who can keep it? Don’t you find yourself breaking it all the time? It was also the source for the multiplication, the increase of hypocrisy and utter dishonesty.

People who feigned observance because the community expected it, because that was what was demanded of the community, that had given up on the practice long ago. why the very thing that they hope to preserve by their insistence upon liberty was lost. Spontaneity, the responsiveness of the heart to God, that was gone. And what you had was compliance because of expectations. Being there because that was what was expected.

Form, but no substance. But that’s not the most serious difficulty. The most serious difficulty is this. Both the Westminster tradition and the Continental tradition tended in the direction of seeing the fast as a vitally, vitally important ingredient in the process of sanctification. You see the problem. We have trouble. Serious trouble.

The direction that we hear marked out for us in the confessions, in the traditions, drives us toward the conclusion that fasting is a vital ingredient in the formula for sanctification. Especially in the second Helvetii confession, which we spoke of earlier. This fact is brought to light. For in that confession, the fast stands dangerously close to God’s direct operations through which he makes us more holy. By root of the fast, we are made to be more holy. By root of the fast, we are sanctified. Now if you find yourself drawing back from this, well and good.

For to suggest such a thing as that seems to take us in the direction of establishing a mechanism that actually has power in itself to combat the lusts of the flesh. Through the mechanism, through the fast itself, we have something that is powerful in combating the lusts of the flesh. And in this regard, we cannot help but remember that biblical injunction given us by Paul at the end of Colossians, where he is dealing with those in that church who were practicing abstinence of various things, believing that their practice actually achieved the blessing of God, that their practice of these things actually achieved victory over the lusts of the flesh. Paul says quite clearly, these various practices of abstinence are of no value in overcoming the indulgences of the flesh. It’s the wrong route. It’s wrong headed.

The biblical position on fasting never places it so as to lead us to conclude that it is the means of our holiness, the means of our sanctification. In the Bible, fasting is merely that occasional subsidiary aspect of the infinitely greater enterprise, the enterprise of meeting God. And when you meet God, you don’t have time to think about eating. It’s the furthest thing from your mind. You don’t allow the activity to eclipse the objective, the focus, The objective, the focus is meeting God. But tragically, the activity became an end in itself.

So it is that in the practice of reformed and Presbyterian churches, Fasting often achieved the high status of becoming a means for holiness. But from that point, it was but a short step to a position in which fasting itself is our holiness. and a badge which we wear to prove how holy we are. And that lands us smack dab in the middle of Jesus indictment.

16 through 18. Here was the practice of the hypocrites. Here was the practice of the Pharisees. They fasted twice a week, Mondays and Thursdays. The practice itself had become the badge of holiness. It was a testimony in and of itself of sanctification. They paraded it. It was the means by which they commended themselves to others.

But Jesus here places God at the center. Holiness is found in Him. Whatever practice is to be engaged in cannot be permitted to eclipse his person. Well, if fasting, having at one time been the practice of the Presbyterian and Reformed Churches, has slipped away now from us. Many might judge that that is a very, very bad thing, but it might also be a very, very good thing and provide us an opportunity to reassess the past, to go at it afresh, to think of it again and better this time. so that it is actually an expression of our liberty in Christ, so that it is actually an expression of a love for God. A love in which God is obviously first and foremost in our devotion to Him, clear and plain. And as it is with fasting, so it is with all other enterprises.

I often times ask you, are you glad to be here today? Or is it just a dream? Is it a form that you believe has inherent power and value to you? Is church attendance your sanctification? Is it your holiness? The reason why we’re here, and the reason why we are compelled is because of our love for Him, our God. And we have come for His sake. And the service of worship is unsullied.

Your holiness, your righteousness is found in Him. not in the practice, not in the exercise, not in the activity, but in Him. And that holiness that is found in Him then flows forth from Him to inform you in all of the things that you do presently. You are worshipping, you are praying, you are almsgiving, and even you are fasting. Well, let it be a lesson to you. And an encouragement. For God has presented himself to you in Christ as your holiness and as your sanctification. So that all of your activities are well grounded in and flow forth from him. A fountain of grace and glory.

Our Father, may we not be afraid to scrutinize our own tradition. May we be honest with ourselves. And where we have failed or where we have misstated things, may we be bold to correct them. And Father, we pray also that the wonder of the glory that is revealed in Christ would be all the more plain to us that we would see that we are in him, that one who has become our holiness and our sanctification. And what activities we may well then perform ought to be performed in and through him to the glory and praise of your name. And therefore, Father, forgive us if our heart isn’t right, but strengthen us in order that it might be right that we might be brought into line with your will in keeping with the power that is found in our Savior and the power that is available in Him to perform those things that you…

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