We’re in Lent
Last week we said that the season of Lent presented us with an opportunity of tightening up on our spiritual disciplines. We began by considering what’s involved in getting a good grip on God’s Word.
This week I wish to continue in a similar vein and look at what Jesus considered to be “Normal Christian Spirituality”. Let’s look at the words of Jesus in our text for today…
Matt 6:1-18
"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 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. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. "This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.' For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Bold emphasis mine.)
Jesus lived in a day where, through the influence of the Pharisees, religious ritualism and religious pride were rife. With his repeated references to “your Father”, Jesus underlines the priority of relationship with Father over religious ritual. (In fact 6X in this portion of Scripture we find the words ‘your Father’ once he says ‘your Heavenly Father’. When He teaches us how to pray He says we should begin by saying ‘Our Father…’) To call God Father speaks of intimacy and relationship. (If you’re a child of God you should put on your Facebook page ‘in a relationship’).
Jesus outlines three clear expectations He has of Christians. He says: “when you give”, “when you pray”, “when you fast”, not, “if you give, pray, fast...” To give, to pray and to fast are vital part of what I would like to call ‘Normal Christian Spirituality’.
These three Symbols encapsulate what Jesus said:
Let’s look at these three expectations…
Jesus Expects Us to Give to the Needy (Mat 6:1- 4)
There is an expectation that there will be ‘acts of righteousness’. Jesus’ brother, James says “faith without works is dead” (Jas 2:17). We are expected to be sensitive to the needs of others and to take action. We are to give to the needy. True compassion will lead to action. You won’t just say, ‘ag shame!’ and move on with your life, you will do something.
There are two ways of doing these “acts of righteousness”: publicly or privately, and they have vastly different outcomes and rewards…
Jesus applies the same thought to the other two areas of spirituality – prayer and fasting too! We don’t do either of them for show or for the approval of men!
Let’s get to Jesus’ second expectation…
Jesus Expects Us to Pray (Mat 6:5-15)
Prayer is simply “talking with God”. It is so vital to our relationship with God that it’s like breathing. Let me ask you, “What motivates you to pray? Is it guilt or a sense of religious duty? Is it to be seen, or is it simply because you want to talk to your Father?” With God, not only what you do, but why you do it is important!
Scripture urges us to pray without ceasing, but there is also a need to have quality time alone with God. V6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen…
Jesus prayed all the time, but also withdrew for quality time with His Father:
Luk 5:16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
Do you have an appointment with Father, a daily time and place? If you don’t, it’s probably not going to happen! When I was a boy I used to wake up to the sound of my brother Howard practising the piano. My folks insisted that if they were going to pay for lessons he had to have a scheduled time to practice. Likewise, with prayer, we need a time to practise prayer. Some people are not “morning people”, but to me it makes sense to do it early before the day starts happening. David prayed in the morning…
Psa 5:3 In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.
If you pray in the morning, you can do so viewing the day ahead. When you pray at your bedside before you go to sleep, you do so reviewing the day gone by. I’d suggest doing both: Both the viewing and reviewing. Preface your day in prayer and Postscript your day with Prayer and Thanksgiving.
In this passage Jesus gives us some practical tips on prayer:
It’s not the eloquence or the abundance of your words that counts, it’s your honesty and your focus.
You don’t have to nag Father about your need, He already knows. Just tell Him you’re trusting Him.
“The Lord’s Prayer” is not something we are supposed to recite as a ritual, but rather we should employ it as a roadmap to prayer. It seems to unfold in the following order: Praise > Petition > Pardon > Protection > Praise
The biggest roadblock to answered prayer is unforgiveness. You won’t receive mercy if you don’t extend mercy. I exhort you to open the spout where the mercy comes out!
Let’s get to a third discipline of normal spirituality; that of fasting...
Jesus Expects Us to Fast (Mat 6:16-18)
In the modern world the idea of fasting seems unrealistic and outdated. We think we’ll die if we don’t have three meals a day. Being able to eat as much as we like is almost a right that we demand.
Jesus’ disciples were accused of not fasting:
Mat 9:14-15 Then John's disciples came and asked him, "How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?" Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast…
When we are fasting we’re not supposed to look all disheveled like this...
We are not supposed to draw attention to the fact that we are fasting, but to do it in secret.
What’s the purpose of fasting?
To come to a place of deeper surrender and consecration to the Lord.
To set aside time for prayer and contemplation. We can also fast such things as social media and TV in order to carve out more time for prayer.
To reset priorities. To bring the flesh into subjection to the spirit. We are spirit, soul and body in that order of priority.
We can fast to show true remorse and repentance.
To seek God’s guidance, God’s favour (for instance at the start of a new ministry), God’s protection (Israel fasted nationally on occasion to seek God’s protection from invading armies), God’s answer to a problem.
Prayer and Fasting is a powerful combination. When you bring in fasting too, you ‘up the ante’, it’s as if you ‘bring in the big guns’ to show how serious you are.
So as you think about these three areas of spirituality, these three expectations Jesus had of his followers, let me ask you…
How Are You Doing?
Are you a normal Christian in terms of your spiritual disciplines?
Are you giving?
Are you praying?
Do you on occasion fast?
If not yet, will you consider embracing them as a part of normal Christian spirituality?
These are not my expectations they are those of Jesus... It’s all in the red letters in your Bible.
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