Prayer and Fasting Minus All the Pizzazz, Part 2

Whether it was public prayer or the tradition of fasting from their meals, the Pharisees of Jesus' day craved attention.

In fact, they loved having an audience to show off their legalistic practices. Today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll shows us how Jesus counteracted the religious zealots of his day with a practical lesson on how to pray. For generations, the Lord's Prayer has served as a model for Christian believers around the world. Today's study in Matthew chapter 6 was originally presented on Mother's Day, as Chuck led the congregation in prayer. Together, our Father, we thank you for these ladies who represent the mother of the home, the voice known first by a child, and the heartbeat heard first before the child is even born. Thank you, Father, for your faithfulness in using these ladies in the lives of their children. And we pray that that council that has been lived out and spoken and in every way modeled will live on in the lives of those who will outlive them. Bless them especially for their sacrificial decisions, for their willingness to give themselves so devotedly and consistently to the needs of their husbands and children.

We learn so much from these ladies. And thank you for giving them to the family, not only their own family, but your family and all that they contribute in all of our lives. Thank you for what they have taught us regarding love, compassion, understanding, forgiveness, grace, reassurance, and a reason to go on endurance hard, diligent work, and give all of us a renewed gratitude for the one whose life helped shape ours. As they have given their lives for their family, we give our gifts for you, and we give them gratefully and joyfully. In the name of Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us, we pray we give. Everyone said, amen.

You're listening to Insight for Living. To study the book of Matthew with Chuck Swindoll, be sure to download his Searching the Scriptures studies by going to insightworld.org slash studies. And now the message from Chuck titled, Prayer and Fasting Minus All the Pizzazz. So when you pray, we begin with the name.

Please observe it. Our Father. We address prayers to the Father through Christ in the power of the Spirit of God. Now, look at the realm who is in heaven.

It speaks of his transcendence so that he is not in any way linked to, tied to time or year or season or date. He is forever with us. Hallowed be your name. The word hallowed means holy, get this, set apart, consecrated, separate from, implied separate from sin. The Lord our God is forever holy. Your kingdom come. It is a burning desire that that kingdom comes sooner rather than later.

There's an application also in this. I said, let's look at it in a dual way. The other is that he reign in my life.

Remember what I said? Wherever there's a kingdom, there's a ruler, and wherever there is a ruler, there is the obedience, the following of the lead of the ruler, the will of the ruler. That's why he says, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. When the will of God is being done in my life, it is a living personification of the kingdom of Christ at work in me.

The same is true for you. When I give up my will and I embrace his will, he is enthroned in that decision. I'm modeling the kingdom life is the way it's been put.

I like the way that sounds. I like that his kingdom is at work through me and in me, and so he prays, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. What a great, great thought. Now, God is our Father, and we worship him, verses 9 and 10, by remembering his name, his realm, his rule, and his will. When we get to the next verse and down to the end of the prayer, let me have you notice four statements.

Got your pen ready? Eleven, give us. Twelve, forgive us. Thirteen, lead us. Thirteen, the middle of the verse, deliver us.

You ever notice that in all the quoting of the Lord's Prayer, which really is our prayer to be followed as the Lord gave it? First of all, we are petitioning him that he will give us. All four words, by the way, imply dependence. Only he can provide what we need. Only he can forgive. Only he can give inerrant direction to my life. Only he can rescue me or deliver me.

So give us. It's a request for daily sustenance. It doesn't say give us this day our daily cake or a couple of pies or a full meal that every time we sit down, it's daily bread. Basic sustenance.

You can live on that. Daily bread. Notice the faithfulness of God is in the daily. He does it daily. Not always in abundance, but sometimes he lays a feast before us.

It's a magnificent moment when that occurs. I may have told you, when Cynthia and I were in seminary, we asked all the men from another country. When we were there, it was only one other country.

Now there are over 40 countries at Dallas Seminary represented. But back then, it was only Korea. And the Korean fellows would come. Back then, it was an all-male student body. So the Korean fellows would come, and they would leave family, wife, children in Korea, and they would come for four years and never go home until they finished.

Quite a commitment. And we decided on Thanksgiving to invite them to come over. And we invited them. I think there were 17 of them. And they all came.

White shirts, black tie. They just were so gracious, and they walked in. We had gone in with another couple, and we had done two folding tables full of food. You know how you do on Thanksgiving. So we had two turkeys.

We had all the trimmings on both tables. We had vegetables, and we had salads, and then we ultimately had dessert. And I'll never forget, they walked up, and they just... More than one of them said, I've never in my life seen so much food. You could feed a family for six months.

If you could preserve the food, you could feed them for six months on this food. And I was moved over that. I said to one of the gentlemen, the elder, the oldest of the group, I said, would you lead us in prayer in your tongue? Lead us in Korean. Let me tell you something.

If you want somebody to pray, ask a Korean. I mean, a film formed over the gravy. He went on. He went from Alaska to Zurich. I mean, it was... But it was a magnificent prayer.

I didn't understand a word of it. And as he's praying, dumb me, I think, can God understand what he's saying? Dodo. He fills the heavens. He knows every language, every dialect, everyone not yet formed into words, every grunt, every whistle, every movement of the heart, every decision of the mind. He is the God of the heavens. We extol him as our hallowed Heavenly Father. And we come kneading bread and you sometimes put a Thanksgiving feast in front of us. Other days, we hardly have enough to feed our family. Most of us have been there. But he faithfully and daily provides the bread and the deep need we have. Look at it further. Forgive us as we have forgiven others.

They tie together. Don't miss that. We would know nothing of inner cleansing if it weren't for our Heavenly Father. You can't cleanse yourself. That was the complaint the Pharisees had when Jesus told them that he was able to forgive sin. Oh, only God can forgive sins.

And they had this case against him thinking he's just this illegitimate son from Nazareth. How dare you say you can forgive sin? You see, here we acknowledge God forgives us our sins and so does the Son of God. And it's with such grace that it breaks our pride and our arrogance and we can no longer hold a grudge. Those who really know forgiveness are those who have first truly forgiven those who've hurt them.

I've said for years we all have the same thing in common. We all have people who have hurt us. They really hurt us. And we have a choice. We can drag them all the way through our lives like a little boat in a lake with the anchor still out dragging on the snags at the bottom of the lake. Or we can pull in the anchor, forgive everyone that's hurt us, and then know the joy of full forgiveness. If you're a grudge holder, today's a great day to get rid of the grudge. Just give it up. Give it to the Lord. Say to the Lord, I don't deserve your forgiveness and I realize you forgive me regularly.

How could I possibly hold this against her or him? I don't care who her or him may be. I don't care how bad they've been. You have one task. Forgive them. The alternative will haunt you and you will be, according to Matthew 18, turned over to the torturers. And you will be tortured in your soul till you release the debt. Forgive them. Forgive us as we have forgiven those who are our debtors. And lead us not into temptation. Now, what kind of a prayer is that? I thought God was holy, infinitely holy he is. Well then, why would he ever lead us into temptation?

Look closely. You've said it all your life, but probably never ever thought this through. Lead us not into temptation. This is called a permissive imperative.

Stay with me. It's a command that allows permission. Imperative is a command and permissive means that. It means do not permit us to be led into temptation.

Got it? Do not permit us to stumble into wrong, to be deceived and fall into temptation. Do not allow us to be overwhelmed by temptation.

That's the idea. And then finally notice deliver us. This is a petition for rescue.

Look closely. Deliver us from what? From evil. There are some who teach, and it may be true, the evil one. Who would that be? The adversary. The devil himself.

Rescue us from the clutches of the adversary. You know why? Because he hates everything we love. He hates the will of God. He hates the word of God. He hates your joy in Christ.

Because he once had that favored position and fell. In fact, 17th century Puritan Thomas Watson put it in this sentence. Satan envies man's happiness to see a cloud of dust, that's us, so near to God and himself once a glorious angel cast out of heavenly paradise makes him curse mankind with inveterate hatred. This who was once an angel now cast out looks with envy on us who have this favored place because of the death and resurrection of Christ and our relationship with him. Deliver us, Lord. Rescue us when the enemy would pull us down, down, down.

He knows he's fighting against time. Lord, deliver us. Rescue us. What a great prayer. If you're ever in a dark place, and who isn't?

If you ever visit a dark country, and most of us do, if you're ever around people whose lives are marked by the sinister, the darkness of evil, you need to pray this. Rescue me, God. Deliver me from any, any pull, any magnet that would appeal to my lower nature. Keep me free from that. Rescue me. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

How good is that? Do you know what he does? He puts a postscript on it.

Maybe you didn't realize it. He goes back and touches on one thing that you may have wanted to overlook. Look at the next two verses quickly now. If you forgive others for their transgressions, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. Remember he mentioned, forgive us so death is we forgive those who are indebted to us. And he goes back and says, now if you forgive others, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you.

But if you do not, what a warning. If you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your transgressions. There's something of a balance here between foundation and flexibility.

The flexibility is in the grace of God. The foundation is that permanent character of God that holds fast. When I was in California, I developed a wonderful relationship with Earl Palmer, when Earl was the pastor of First Presbyterian Church up in Berkeley, right there in the near vicinity of the Golden Gate Bridge. And Earl Palmer uses the Golden Gate Bridge as an illustration of this difference. I want you to hear it.

I want to read his words. I've often thought of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco as our city's boldest structure in that its great south pier rests directly upon the fault zone of the San Andreas Fault. That bridge is an amazing structure of both flexibility and strength. It is built to sway some 20 feet in the center of its one mile suspension span. The secret to its durability is its flexibility that enables this sway, but that is not all. By design, every part of the bridge, its concrete roadway, its steel railings, its cross beams, is inevitably related from one welded joint to the other up through the vast cable system to two great towers and two great land anchor piers.

Picture this. The towers bear most of the weight, and they are deeply embedded into the rock foundation beneath the sea. In other words, the bridge is totally preoccupied with its foundation. This is its secret flexibility and foundation.

In the Christian life, it is the forgiveness of the gospel that grants us our flexibility, and it is the Lord of the gospel that gives us our foundation. How good an illustration is that? I wish I would have thought of that. But I'm not nearly as bright as Earl, and so it's his to claim. That's an Earl Palmer story.

It's a great one. Whenever, if ever, and I hope you will someday, cross that great bridge, as I have many times, and you're out on it, you hear the wind whistling through those cables out on that swaying bridge. Remember, foundation, flexibility. You and I are able to forgive and flex because our faithful Father stands firm. The foundation of God stands sure, having the seal, writes Paul, the Lord knows those who are his.

Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. Whenever you fast, I don't know if you fast, probably rarely. Isn't it interesting we don't talk about fasting much? It's when you pass up a meal to take care of that which is of greater priority than the meal. You don't have to fix the meal, prepare the meal, sit down to eat a meal.

You can stay focused on what it is that's of concern to you. Why do we fast? For several reasons. It helps us concentrate our attention on issues. It's good for our health. It enables us to rearrange and fix our priorities in the right place. It encourages us to examine our lives and motives. It assists us in finding the Lord's will. I've never really sought the Lord's will in a serious area of my life without fasting for a while, and I don't usually announce that. But I find if I don't spend my time with meals, I can stay focused on what is your will in this matter.

Should I do this or not? And it may mean a major lifestyle change. It assists us when we seek the Lord's will. It strengthens us in our own self-control. It helps us deal with and recover from grief. Most people who grieve have lost their appetite.

It brings us to the basics of life and simplifies. Now, in the days of Jesus, people who fast put white makeup on their faces. And they messed up their hair. And they wore tattered clothes. And they walk around with what I call the tired look. You know, like we preachers sometimes walk.

Carrying the burdens of life. So they'll look holy. Jesus said, stop that. I want none of that to go on when you fast. You're doing that only to impress other people. So what should you do? Verse 17, when you fast, anoint your head, fix up your hair, wash your face, and don't stop there.

Just come right on down. Wash all over. There's nothing godly about body odor.

There's nothing great about bad breath. Clean yourself up so that your fasting won't even be noticed by someone. And as a result, your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. It's a good test on your motive to fast without ever saying anything about it to anyone at the time.

Ever. Just do it. Only your family will know. And you can simply say to them, I'm going to pass up some meals right now. And I just have some things in my heart I've got to work through. Let me give you a couple of tips and we're through.

Scout's honor. Number one, make the heavenly father your main focus, not people around you. Make your heavenly father your main focus, not the people around you.

Put in the margin of your notes, we have an audience of one. Only one really knows our heart. Only one can reward us eternally. So live your life before him. Please him. Honor him. Do his will, not the will of other people. The great day in my life when I realized that a faithful pastor is not here to please the flock. I'm here to shepherd the flock.

And there's a difference. You need to be shepherded, led. You don't need me impressing you with stuff.

And I don't need to concern myself with whether you agree or not agree. That's first. Number two, and finally, make the secret place your primary platform, not some public place. Make the secret place your primary platform, not some public place. May your best prayers never be heard by anyone else. May your most faithful act of devotion be done in secret, anonymously.

So that your heavenly father will reward you secretly. Thank you dear Lord for your good work in our hearts. You are our father. And we love you dearly. We are in awe of you. We worship you.

We love you. Thank you for making room in your grace to include us of all people. Thank you for teaching us so faithfully from this book that never gets old, timeless as it is true. Help us, we pray, when we give, when we pray, and when we fast, to do it for your glory, never to be seen or known by others. In the name of Christ, we pray. And everyone say, Amen.

Visit us online at insightworld.org. You know, as Christians, we tend to complicate what it means to follow Jesus. In fact, sometimes we tend to perform just as the Pharisees did. But Jesus wasn't impressed, and he doesn't want us to fall into the same trap.

If you're tired of performance-based religion that does little more than make you feel exhausted and defeated, isn't it time you let God liberate you from a man-made legalistic lifestyle? Chuck has written a book on this subject. It's called Simple Faith. In this classic that features 14 full-length chapters, Chuck focuses entirely on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, including the passage in Matthew chapter 6 that we address today. To purchase a copy of Chuck's book, Simple Faith, go to insight.org slash store or give us a phone call.

If you're listening in the U.S., dial 1-800-772-8888. These daily programs are made possible because people like you give generous gifts. And through your support, people all over our country and even around the world are engaging in the truth of God's Word, just as you have. It was encouraging to read a recent comment from a listener in Chicago who told us, I was saved at 14 years old listening to Chuck Swindoll on Insight for Living, first heard him preach on WMBI.

He's been discipling me through the radio broadcasts ever since. Well, day by day, Chuck's Bible teaching is broadcast from Frisco, Texas, and the program encircles the globe. And this is the outcome of your financial partnership with Insight for Living. So thank you for your generous financial support. To give a gift today, call us. If you're listening in the United States, dial 1-800-772-8888.

Or go online to insight.org. I'm Dave Spiker. Tomorrow, Chuck Swindoll presents a message called The Lure of a Lesser Loyalty. Join us again Tuesday to hear Insight for Living. The preceding message, Prayer and Fasting Minus All the Pazazz, was copyrighted in 2015 and 2021, and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2021 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights are reserved worldwide. The creation of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.