Is There Spiritual Merit to Fasting?

 The Questions Series

Fasting, according to the Bible, means to stop eating food for a specific time and purpose. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that not many of us practice fasting. We know that the Bible mentions fasting in relation to prayer, and we know that it’s a good practice in general. Then why don’t we do it?

            The simple reality is that we just never get around to putting our forks down. We live in a society where food is so plentiful that we don’t need to fast. And the harder truth to admit is that we don’t want to fast. Everywhere we go food is put before us. Whenever Christians gather for fellowship, there must be coffee and something to eat. It’s what we do. You would think that the Greek word for fellowship was “coffee.” (it’s koinonia, which if you stretch it, it sounds like caffeine).

            When Jesus preached his sermon on the mount, he addressed three fundamental aspects of religion. In Matthew 6 we read about giving, praying, and fasting. These three practices are common to all major religions of the world, including Christianity. Regarding fasting, people all over the world practice it. Except in North America. I’m not sure if it’s too liturgical or legalistic. Or have we forgotten its purpose? 

            For our “Questions” series, the question was asked, “Is there spiritual merit in fasting, or is its value only in the discipline involved?” Jesus teaches us about fasting, and the Bible has important things to say about it. Fasting is an important spiritual discipline in the Christian life that deserves our attention in study and in practice.

 

Jesus’ Teaching About Fasting

 

Fasting is going without food for a time and for a spiritual purpose. It could be something other than food that you go without. The principle of fasting is outrageously counter-cultural in our society, like abstaining from sex before marriage. We are more accustomed to indulging our desires. Abstaining from food is not a normal practice; it is out of the ordinary; and it is a key element in spiritual disciplines. 

            Jesus gives the impression in Matthew 6:16 that fasting was a normal part of worship. He said, “When you fast…”and assumed that his listeners were already in the habit of fasting. He didn’t say “if you fast,” but “when you fast.” No command that we know of was ever given that God’s people should fast, except in Leviticus 23:26-32, and that was for a very specific occasion.  Moses called it an “affliction” signifying that this a purposely uncomfortable experience. 

            What is the purpose of fasting for the Christian? "We fast in this life because we believe in the life to come." (“A Guide to Christian Fasting | Desiring God”) We believe that we are not supposed to “have it all” in this present life, but that we are looking forward to something more in the age to come. We fast from what we can see and taste to discipline our minds and bodies to yearn and hunger for God. 

            Fasting is for this life. When Jesus was asked why his disciples did not fast, he responded that one does not fast while the bridegroom is with you (Matt. 9:15). Fasting is akin to grieving. When Jesus left the disciples, then they would fast. In the same way, we fast or grieve that we are not yet with the Lord Jesus in the coming kingdom.   

            Fasting also reminds our bodies that we are in charge. When the stomach grumbles, we are eager to appease its roars. It thinks it is the lord of our desires. To deprive the body of food for a time subjects the stomach to our lordship, and thus to the Lordship of Christ. Jesus is our king, not our appetites. 

            If fasting is like grieving, then it should not be a production. Jesus told his disciples, “…do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others,” (6:16b). It seems that some people were using fasting as a “holiness” barometer. While they were fasting, these folks would appear in public with pained expressions and looking rough. Perhaps someone would ask them what was wrong. Then they could answer, “I’m fasting.” To which they person would respond, “Wow, you sure are spiritual. You must really love God.” 

            Jesus responds to this attitude saying, “That’s it. That’s your reward for fasting. Everybody look how holy Eugene is.” The implication is that fasting is an intensely personal and private activity between you and God. No one should know that you are fasting. “But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you,” (17-18). Comb your hair, brush your teeth, appear normal. One time at a pastor’s meeting, my colleague arrived late and refused food and coffee. Anyone would assume that as he was having breakfast, he suddenly remembered that he had a meeting. But as he sat next to me, I could smell that he was fasting. I discovered I was right. To his credit, he was not advertising his devotion to God.

            Fasting is a form of grieving what is and longing for what will be. John Piper said that Jesus was testing the hearts of his listeners to see if God was truly their treasure. Is he our treasure? Do we long for God more than the treasures of this life? Jesus calls us to a radical reorientation to God, to have an utterly authentic, personal relationship with God. If God is not real to us, fasting will be a miserable experience, a pointless self-denial, unless we are focused on God, who he is, what he thinks, and what he will do.

 

A True Fast 

 

Like any spiritual discipline (praying, giving), fasting can lose its meaning and go off the rails. When Jesus taught about fasting, he would have had Isaiah 58 in mind. In that text we find God’s heart for what a fast should be.

            What we find in Isaiah 58 are very religious people. But they are not satisfied with their religiosity. In their minds, they are very devout; they fast regularly and pray ceaselessly. Their religious observances seem to be failing them because God is not responding in the way that they would like. They cry out in protest to God, “Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?” And God responds, “Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure and oppress all your workers.” (3).

            Fasting in scripture is normally associated with prayer. Many feel that fasting helps to focus our prayers. The problem with the people in Isaiah 58 is that they treated fasting as a spiritual hunger strike. They were trying to manipulate God into doing what they wanted him to do. They felt that they had done enough pious works to earn a response. Isaiah saw that they were treating God like the pagans who had to wake up the gods and perform for them to earn gifts. 

            To make matters worse, while these people were fasting and praying, their piety (spirituality) did not match their behavior towards their employees (3-4). How can you pray for mercy, but show none to those around you? How can you raise hands to God, but act wickedly to others? Fasting and prayer must be consistent with the life you live. 

            A true fast, the Lord reveals, is not just the denial of food to the stomach. A true fast is the denial of self for the sake of others. The goals of a fast are the creation of a just society, the meeting of individual needs, and caring for society. The Lord said, "Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?" (Is. 58:6-7). These values spill over from a genuine fast.

            Does this not remind you of something in the NT? Something Jesus said? In Matthew 25, Jesus talks about how the Son of Man will come in his glory at the Last Day and will separate the sheep and the goats. He will say to the sheep (to those on his right), "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me," (25:34-36). The righteous, the sheep, will say, "When did we do that?" as if in shock that they had served the king in such a manner. And the King will reply, "Whatever you did to the least of these my brothers, you did to me." There is a tremendous parallel between Isaiah 58 and Matthew 25 that they are certainly tied together. The self-denial of the true fast and the servant-attitude of the righteous in these two texts speak of a proper inclination towards God and others. 

            Fasting does not create faith, for faith grows in us as we hear, read, and dwell upon God’s Word; it is a work of the Holy Spirit to bring faith to God’s people. However, fasting can potentially encourage faith by reminding us that we need God more than we need food. 

            Jesus talked about rewards for fasting in his sermon, but he did not elaborate on what those rewards were. Isaiah gives us a fuller picture of what fasting benefits us in verses 8-9. The blessings of a true fast are:

1) A new perspective on life (“your light shall break forth”)

2) Personal, spiritual healing (“your healing shall spring up”)

3) The security of God’s presence (righteousness and glory)

4) A free-flowing relationship with the LORD (“Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer…”)

 

Fasting is not easy. We are quite accustomed to three meals a day plus snacks. To go without food, even one day, is a challenge for us foodies. 

            Perhaps you have been challenged by this teaching and would like to consider incorporating a fast with your prayers. What do you do? How do you get into fasting? Here are a few suggestions:

1) Start small – Jesus fasted for 40 days; I don’t recommend trying to compete with the Lord. Start with one meal – skip one meal a week for several weeks. Then try two meals, working your way up to a day of no meals. Make it a juice fast and be sure to include water to keep you hydrated.

2) Make a plan – If you enter a fast and do not plan how you will respond to hunger, you will merely end up thinking about food all day. Whenever your stomach reminds you of food, use that as a reminder to pray. Think of the suffering of Jesus and consider your own discomfort in light of his. Use what would otherwise be a mealtime for concentrated prayer.

3) Consider how it will affect others – Fasting is not an excuse to be grumpy or inconsiderate. As Isaiah revealed, the Jews thought it was okay to treat others like garbage because they felt bad while fasting. If you have a regular mealtime with family or friends, it’s okay to let them know why you are missing a scheduled meal. There’s no need to sit at the table and watch others eat while you fast. 

4) Try different kinds of fasting – We have talked about personal, private fasting, but there are times when corporate, congregational fasting is in order. Jesus fasted before choosing the twelve apostles; a church may call a fast before electing a pastor or committee leaders. When a church faces a crisis, fasting and prayer are an appropriate response as we seek to repent of some offense or try to find a way forward. 

5) Fast from something other than food – If you have a health condition like diabetes, fasting from food is not possible. Fast from something else. Sharon and I fasted from TV during the fifty days of Lent a few Easters ago. That was hard. Martin Lloyd-Jones said, “Fasting should really be made to include abstinence from anything which is legitimate in and of itself for the sake of some special spiritual purpose.” Give up social media or playing on your cell phone to bend your heart towards Jesus. 

6) Don’t focus on your stomach – When your stomach says, “feed me,” don’t let your mind dwell on the fact that you haven’t eaten. You can power through and make it to the end of your fast and say “I did it” but not gain anything from it except a hatred of fasting. Our fasting is meant to turn our hearts toward Jesus and his kingdom. It seeks to take the pangs of hunger and turn them into an eternal anthem as we wrestle with sin, pray for others, or long for more of Jesus. 

            Is there spiritual merit to fasting? When our hearts are turned to Jesus…absolutely!

 

                                                            AMEN

 

** The six suggestions are adapted from David Mathis, executive director of desiringGod.org

https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/fasting-for-beginners

Are Trials Punishment for Sin?

The Question Series 

 When we are suffering, our natural tendency is to think we did something wrong. You may be experiencing something physically painful or debilitating; you may have had a setback in business; or it may be that your relationships are in turmoil. If the source of your trouble is not immediately obvious, you may slip into the default, “I must have sinned.” This mindset leads into the next phase that wonders why God allowed this trial to happen to you. From there, we begin to question God’s goodness in allowing this trial.

            Are trials punishment for sin? This is a very good question because we all suffer, and we all find our faith challenged in times of pain. We make assumptions about pain and suffering that border on the superstitious, on presumptions about God and his dealings with us, but what does the Bible say about trials?

 

A Great Misunderstanding about Suffering

 

This question is at the heart of the book of Job. While Job is in agony over the loss of his ten children and all his wealth, three of his friends come and sit silently with him for seven days. This is the best thing they could have done for Job. Then they opened their mouths. That was the worst thing. As Calvin said, they had one song and they sang it to death. That song was retribution. The friends’ assumption was that Job’s suffering was God’s punishment for sins.

            The problem with this assumption is that Job is actually innocent. God himself testifies of Job, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” (1:8). Yet the three friends harass Job for nearly 40 chapters to get him to repent because he has obviously done wrong. Eliphaz fires the first shot: “Stop and think! Do the innocent die? When have the upright been destroyed?” (4:7). Job fights back and stands by his innocence throughout the book until God speaks. God rebukes Eliphaz and the two friends for saying that people only suffer when they have done something wrong (42:7). 

            Several centuries later, we find that humanity still misunderstood the nature of suffering. In John 9, the disciples encounter a man born blind, and they asked Jesus, “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (2). Jesus replied, “Neither.” (3). The faulty logic of the disciples’ suggested that there was a correlation between sin and suffering. He’s blind – he must have sinned. Jesus says NO, it wasn’t his fault; it wasn’t his parents’ fault – but this was an opportunity for the works of God to be revealed. 

            The question arising from this situation begs to be heard: Did God cause this man to be born blind so Jesus could heal him, or did God allow the man to be born blind? Depending on your view of God’s sovereignty and goodness, you may be fine with either answer. I, myself, have a hard time believing that God would cause a baby to be born with disabilities. (More on this later).

            The great misunderstanding persists in our generation. We continue to think that suffering and trials are abnormal and are a punishment for sin. Job and Jesus give us God’s perspective: just because you suffer doesn’t mean you did anything wrong. That’s not how life works. In fact, Peter wrote, “…do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you,” (1 Peter 4:12). Trials are part of this life. And through Jesus, we see that suffering is normalized. Jesus did not sin, yet he suffered the most of any of us.

 

Causes for Suffering and Trials

 

Getting to the core of the question and its answer, “Are trials punishment for sin?” we need to look at four general causes for the suffering we experience in life. Where does it come from? Can we appreciate the justice of these cause-effect scenarios? 

1) We suffer in this life because we live in a fallen world. In Genesis 3 we read of Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God’s command not to eat the fruit. They did. They sinned. They fell. We call this a “fall” because they fell from God’s standard of holiness. The word “fallen” is used in the Bible to describe someone or something spiritually or morally degraded (Israel, angels, people). 

            To live in a fallen world means we struggle with sin on a daily basis. We experience heartache and pain. We witness natural disasters and loss. People treat each other unjustly, inhumanly, and with deceit. None of this was God’s plan for humanity. When God addressed Adam, he said, “…cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life,” (3:17b). All of creation was affected by the first sin which introduced suffering into the world. Are trials punishment for sin? No, but we should not be surprised that we experience trials in a fallen world. A person who never suffers is unusual.

            I stood in the cemetery with a friend as we buried his 18-year-old brother. He died in a single-vehicle accident as the passenger. Trying to find meaning in the tragedy, I asked my friend why God took his brother. He replied that God did not take his brother, nor was there a reason for this loss. He simply said, “Stuff happens.” That’s not the word he used. 

2) We suffer in this life because of our bad decisions. There are consequences to acting foolish. Paul used an agricultural metaphor to drive this point home. He said, “Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life,” (Gal. 6:7-8). 

            I heard Haddon Robinson speak at my seminary one time. He shared how as a pastor he went to visit a man dying of lung cancer in the hospital. The dying man cried and asked his pastor, “Why is God doing this to me?” Robinson wanted to remind the man how he had smoked several packs of cigarettes a day since he was twelve and that he was now paying the price. But he refrained. Trials like this are self-inflicted. And yet I would maintain that this is not punishment for sin. Consequences – yes; punishment – no. 

3) We suffer in this life as a form of God’s discipline. There are several results from this discipline, but one reason. The writer of Hebrews tells us, “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives,” (12:6). (He goes on to explain in v. 7-11). 

            The writer of Hebrews compares this discipline to the correction we received from our parents. As toddlers, when we ran into the street unthinkingly, they scolded us. As children, they grounded us. As teenagers, they took the car keys away. They did not delight in this but needed to take these actions to make some truth clear to us. It was hoped that we would see that certain actions and behaviors were inappropriate. They wanted us to “grow up” into good people. Most importantly, they did not do this to other people’s children, they discipline only you. Why? Because you were their responsibility. 

            We see these principles at work in Hebrews 12. God disciplines you because he loves you. He wants you to “grow up” in faith and life, so that we can share his holiness. God wants us to live a God-oriented life so that we can experience life as it was meant to be lived. Sometimes it is painful to be disciplined. We hate to be wrong. We don’t enjoy being humbled by our suffering. But God is good, and it is not punishment for sin.

4) We suffer in this life because we love Jesus. I don’t know how many of us have experienced this kind of suffering. Jesus often told his followers that the world hated him, so we should not be surprised if they hate the ones who follow Jesus. Paul told Timothy, “…all who desire to live a godly life in Christ will be persecuted,” (2 Ti 3:12). 

Examining Ourselves

 

Are you going through a difficult time in your life? Remember, Peter wrote that we should not be surprised that we suffer in this life. Now that we know some of the general causes of suffering, we can ask ourselves three questions based on 1 Peter 4:15-18.

1) Is this trial due to some sin in my life? To clarify, this question does not mean to imply that trials and suffering are in any way God's punishment of sin. As mentioned above, we may be suffering the consequences of poor choices. This is the trial we face: trying to make sense of suffering in light of poor choices. Poor choices may also be directly connected to sin. However, if you cannot identify the sin, do not stress yourself about it. If it is not immediately obvious, you can ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the sin to you if there is one. We can also ask the Holy Spirit to give you the comfort of God’s love if you are feeling unnecessary guilt. Peter warned, “…let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler,” (15). In other words, make sure you are not suffering because of a readily identifiable sin. If you know you have sinned, confess it, and make every effort to turn away from it. 

2) How can I glorify God in my trial? If there is no sin in your life and you are suffering through some difficulty, take the opportunity to shine the attitude of Jesus. Peter challenged, “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name,” (16). No one gets cancer because they are a Christian, but how do we handle illness and loss as believers? I have gone into hospital rooms to encourage a patient with presence and prayers and have left those rooms encouraged myself. Can you smile in the storm? Can you trust in Jesus even though your pain is chronic? In Christ, I believe we can.

3) What is this trial in the perspective of eternity? In verses 17-18, Peter pulls out an OT concept and applies it to the church. When God did a work of purifying his people in the OT, he began with the temple and moved outward. Sin in the church must be addressed so that we are not found to be in judgment with the world. It is better to repent of sin now than on the last day when Christ returns.

            But in terms of our personal suffering, what are our discomforts in the light of eternity? Paul told the Corinthians, “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,” (2 Cor. 4:16-17). I know it’s easy to say and harder to live. But we know that our present sufferings are for but a time. 

            Finally, you may have noticed that I repeatedly stated that suffering and trials are not punishment for sin. Why? I contend that you will not be punished for your sins if you are in Christ. Why? Didn’t Christ die for our sins? What greater punishment is there for sin than the death of the sinless Son of God? Paul underlines with emphasis this truth when he wrote, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus..." (Rom. 8:1). If we do not believe in Christ as Lord, one day we will suffer the ultimate punishment for our sins. But if we confess Christ as Lord, believe in him for the forgiveness of sins through his death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead, there is no condemnation. And if there is no condemnation, there is no punishment for our sins. Christ bore the punishment that was meant for us.

            No, trials are not punishment for sin.

 

                                                            AMEN

The Prodigal Father

    We have all heard many sermons on this classic parable. The Parable of the Prodigal Son is one of the most well-known parables in Jesus’ repertoire. Jesus’ original intent in telling this story was to teach the self-righteous Pharisees to show mercy to sinners who repent. 

            What I would like to do this morning is to take this parable and focus primarily on the father. In conjunction with Father’s Day, I want to both honor and encourage fathers to be like the father in the parable.  

            I am honestly impressed by the young fathers I see these days. Many of them dote on their toddlers, are involved in feeding and caring for them, and take an active role in parenting. I wish I had your example when I was a young father.  

            However, it’s when the toddlers grow up that they begin to challenge that love and care. After you have done everything to provide a loving, nurturing, faith-based home that teaches the life of Jesus, some children will stray from that teaching. Maybe not in dramatic ways; maybe in poor decision-making; maybe by rejecting our faith. These are the moments that challenge our love for our children. 

            Fathers and mothers, how are we to respond toward children who rebel? We know the human tendency is to shut them out. Our world believes in swift justice and allowing individuals to suffer the consequences of their actions. [On our holidays a few years ago, Sharon and I saw a young mother threaten to kill her ten-year-old son in the parking lot of a restaurant for ruining her birthday supper. He seemed to suffer from ADHD.] But is this how God loves us? 

            We see a different reaction in this parable. What does the parable teach us about the Father-heart of God? And how do we show love and grace to our children in any circumstance?  

            Look for this heart in Luke 15:11-24 as we unpack it.

A Loving Father does not Nurse the Pain

 

            The man in the parable had two sons. The younger one has had enough of the household rules and being bossed by his father and brother. He wants to be free. So he says to his father, “Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.” 

            Jesus’ listeners would already be in shock at this point. A son does not ask for his inheritance when the father is still alive. The premise of this story in the Middle East is one of honor and shame. What the son does is shameful. It is also painful for the father in many ways.

            First, there is the pain of personal rejection. With the son asking for his inheritance he is basically saying to his father, “I wish you were dead.” 

            The son also rejects his heritage. Inheritance is usually family land passed down from generation to generation; it’s supposed to stay in the family. When the son sells the land for cash he cuts ties with this ancestral home and heritage of faith. But not only does he cause his father pain, the community that makes up the estate also feel this pain. For the network of families that are part of this community feels the dishonor of the son’s actions.

            The father’s pain is further felt in the rejection of his values. We see this in the reckless manner in which the son spends his money. He cares nothing for the hard work that went into his fortune. 

            The father feels the pain of humiliation because the event does not happen in secret. When the son sells the property, everyone knows about it. While the son is partying, the father has to bear the passive aggressive comments of the community who question his parenting skills. If only he had been more strict. He should have sent the son packing without any money or goods and told him to never return.

            The father in this parable, however, acts contrary to the norm. The father is personally rejected; the father’s heritage and values are scorned; the father is humiliated. But this father does not nurse these hurts. He does not say, “I have no son,” or “To ‘H’ with this boy.” A normal father may guard his heart and out of defensiveness reciprocate rejection, but this father yearns for his straying child with a longing heart.

            It is easy for us to take our experiences with our fathers and think God is like that too. Many people don’t even like to call God “Father” because of bad experiences with their own dads. God is a good Father though, the best example of fatherhood. And he is not like those bad examples. Against all logic, he even blesses the rebel. So too does the father in the parable; he blesses his son even though he has every right to nurse his pain and reject the son.

 

A Loving Father is a Merciful Father

 

After a time of reckless living, the son is broke and starving. He devises a plan of action. He will go home to his father and say “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants,” (18-19). 

            Please note that this is NOT repentance. In his hunger he realizes that the shame he has brought on his father is immense. Maybe, he thinks, I can pay my debt by working as a servant; he is trying to EARN his redemption. He thinks, even if he has to be a slave, at least he will eat. 

            Now note the father’s reaction:

            First, his father “saw him.” We get the sense that the father was on the balcony or rooftop of his house every day looking down the road to see if his son is coming. The father knows two things are certain: his son will fail, and he will eventually come home. 

            It is critical that he sees his son before the community does because they will not be merciful. There is a ceremony of cutting off called the kezazah in ancient Israel. When a boy shames his family the community holds a kezazah. If the boy returns without the money he took from his father, the community might kill him. So the father watches the road.

            Second, when the father saw him he “felt compassion.” Not wrath or malice, but mercy and tenderness. He sees his boy in rags, his bloodied feet, and dirty appearance and feels nothing but deep compassion for his son. The father didn’t harden his heart; he could have done so to protect himself. He could have said, “I could care less,” but instead said, “I couldn’t care more.” The father does not even take a whiff of the “piggy” smell and say, “Go clean yourself up before coming to me.” 

            No, the third thing we note is that the father “ran.” The father takes his long robes in his hand and runs down the crowded street to welcome his pig-herder son. As he does so, he humiliates himself – gentlemen of a certain age and station do not run – he assumes the role of a servant and runs. The father runs knowing that in doing so he will deflect the attention of the community away from his son. He bares his legs, also inappropriate, and draws their focus.

            Finally, the father “embraced him and kissed him.” The son hasn’t said anything yet. He doesn’t even know if the boy is repentant. The father is simply overjoyed to see his son. Can you imagine doing that? Just delighting in your children even when they are not repentant? This father gushes over his son, kisses his dirty neck (give your skin a lick and then add pig poop and travel dirt), and wraps him in his arms. 

            Can you say “overwhelmed by grace”? The son is shocked by this outpouring of love. 

 

A Loving Father is a Prodigal Father

 

Do you know what the term “prodigal” means? I once assumed it meant “lost” or “rebellious.” To be prodigal means to spend money or resources freely, recklessly, extravagantly, or even wastefully. It can mean “to give lavishly.” 

            Not only is the son prodigal, we see that the father is prodigal in relation to his son. Note that the father does not demonstrate costly love in response to his son’s confession. Rather, his offer of grace is a prelude to the son’s remarks. 

But the boy is overcome and he does not recite his whole speech. He only squeaks out the first part, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, I am no longer worthy to be called your son,” (21). The father does not cut him off; the son realizes that his father has gone beyond expectation and that he really is unworthy to be called his son. Now he repents of his plan to save himself and lets the father find him (rescue him).

This prodigal father goes on to display extravagant love to his son in two ways: One, he restores the wayward son by clothing him in the best robe. This visible symbol expresses the father’s restoration of his son to the community. The son wears his dad’s colors and everyone can see his status as son. He is also given a ring, the authority of the father, almost like a credit card or key to certain circles. And he gives his son shoes for his feet. From top to bottom the son is restored to sonship in a costly display of extravagant love.

Two, the father celebrates the return of his son with a feast of the fattened calf. This is a recurring theme in the three parables of chapter 15. When the shepherd finds the lost sheep, he calls his friends and neighbors to rejoice with him (6). When the woman finds her lost coin, she calls together her friends and neighbors to rejoice with her (9). So too with the father, he calls for a feast that involves the whole community to celebrate. 

Then he utters a very interesting summary: “For this, my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost and is found,” (24). The tone of these words speaks to resurrection. The son was dead in his sin and, in reality, could not come back to the father on his own merit. He was dead – and dead people can’t save themselves. The son was lost, just like the sheep was lost and the coin was lost. So the prodigal father did more than clothe his son, he gave him his life back. And the son responded to that love by letting the father love him.

 

That is the kind of father (parent) we want to be to our children. We want to be prodigal fathers, don’t we? We want our children to know that they can always come home again no matter what decisions they make. Yes, there is a place for discipline and corrective behavior (i.e. discipleship), but what we are talking about here is grace.

And who is the father in Jesus’ story? Anyone take a guess? (It’s Jesus – He is the shepherd; He is the woman searching for the coin; He is the father looking for his son. The context proves this in the beginning when the Pharisees say, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” And Jesus explains why with these three stories). Let us love our children, dear fathers, like Jesus loves us.

I want to close with a story of extravagant fatherly love:

The late Joe Bayly was a gentle, godly Christian leader. He once told how one of his sons rebelled back in the days of the hippie movement, back in the 60s or 70s. The son grew his hair long and moved into a communal flophouse. Late one night, Bayly received a call informing him that his son was being held at one of the Chicago police stations. He got out of bed, got dressed and went down to the station, but they had no record of his son being there. He made the rounds to several police stations before he realized that the call had been a prank.

Even though it was about 2 a.m., before he went home Bayly went to the flophouse where his son was living. He went in (the door was always unlocked), stepped over several sleeping bodies strewn on the floor, and found his son asleep on his bed. He gently bent over and kissed his son on the cheek before he went home to bed.

When Bayly told the story, he said that his son was now a pastor. Years later, the young man told his father, “Dad, do you know what turned me around?” Bayly said, “No, son.” His son said, “It was that night you came into my room and kissed me. You thought that I was asleep, but I wasn’t. I thought, ‘If my dad loves me that much, I had better get my life right with God.’”

Even if your children have hurt you through their rebellion, painful as it may be, show them God’s abundant love and mercy. That’s probably the opposite of what your gut tells you. But through your love, your children should be able to see that God “is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness” (Psalm 103:8).

 

Happy Father’s Day

 

 

                                    AMEN

Power in Weakness

Have you ever heard of Charles Atlas? He’s an American legend. If you have ever picked up a comic book, you will know why.

            Atlas was born Angelo Siciliano and emigrated to the United States in 1903 at the age of ten. As a teenager in Brooklyn, Angelo was weak, slight, and small for his age, and the other kids picked on him. You can understand why he wanted to transform himself.

            Apparently, he was inspired by two of his favorite sights in Brooklyn: a statue of Hercules at the Brooklyn Museum, and a lion at the zoo. Angelo was watching the lion stretch his bulging muscles one day. He noted that the lion was muscular without the use of barbells. Instead, the lion pitted his muscles against one another. In other words, Angelo accidentally discovered isometric and isotonic exercises – weight training measures where muscles are held still or tight while tense. An example would be like holding a push-up in the up position as long as possible or standing in a doorway and pushing against the frame.

            Since Angelo didn’t have money to buy a weight set, this was the only way he could build muscle. In a few years of doing these exercises, he had developed a 47-inch chest and a 32-inch waist, and lots of muscles.

            I was a 97-pound weakling myself. And the reason I remember Angelo, or Charles Atlas, is because I used to read comic books with his ads in them. For decades, comic books advertised Charles Atlas’ Dynamic Tension muscle-building system. They started with a comic strip featuring a scrawny kid on a beach date with his girlfriend who gets picked on by a bully who calls him skinny and shrimp and kicks sand in his face. All the 97-pound weaklings wanted to get this course and end the teasing.

            No one likes to feel weak or powerless. When faced with an overwhelming opposition, you feel defenseless, at the mercy of someone else. Weakness is regarded as undesirable in a culture that worships strength, power, and dominance. Weakness may be the result of size, gender, or age. Whatever the reason for it, we don’t want weakness. We despise weakness.

            That’s why Paul’s attitude is extremely surprising in 2 Corinthians. Instead of hiding his failures and weaknesses in the practice of his ministry, he boasts in them. Where most leaders make every effort to mask or hide their weaknesses, Paul reveals the blessing of being weak. 

             "Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on my of my anxiety for all the churches," (2 Corinthians 11:24-30)

            Here we have a resume of Paul’s missionary experiences…and it’s not good. I wondered if this list is exhaustive or only a representation of the afflictions Paul went through. He seems pretty specific about the five times he received 39 lashes. 

            In almost all of these instances, Paul was at the mercy of someone or something else. Someone was taking advantage of Paul’s weakness, defenselessness, or lack. Storms sank his ships; dangers were all around him. Yet he pressed on in his ministry and walk with Christ. 

            The secret of his persistence was his ability to accept weakness not as failure but as a reason to rest in Christ. As if external pressures weren’t enough to deal with, God gave Paul a physical issue. 

             "So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong," (2 Cor. 12:7-10).            

            Paul received an important word from Jesus which he passed on to us: The power of Jesus is made perfect in weakness. And Paul deduced that to be weak then was better than being strong. How could this be? 

            We can only understand Paul’s attitude in the light of the cross. The paradox of the gospel that Paul proclaims reveals how power has been made most effective in and through the weakness of the cross. Jesus was crucified in weakness, but in that weakness, God demonstrated his power. I confess that this is not easy to understand – it is very strange. Yet God revealed his power to save humankind through the weakness of his Son dying on a cross.

            In drawing out this paradox, Paul is not saying that weakness is power. Rather, weakness becomes the place or the occasion for Christ to show his power, just as the weakness of the cross was the occasion for God to reveal his power in Jesus. In our moments of weakness, that is when God shows us that the power of Christ can work in us. 

            Contrary to our human tendency to despise our weakness, weakness is actually an opportunity for God to show himself in our lives. We can embrace weakness if it means Christ is glorified in us. 

            Charles Atlas may have been famous for transforming his weak body into a temple of flesh, but our weak, broken bodies are the dwelling place of Christ’s power. 

            “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all mercies and God of all comfort who comforts us in all our afflictions…” (1:3).

 

                                                AMEN            

"What Shall We Do?": Responding to the Gospel

On the day of Pentecost, the audience who witnessed the outpouring of the Holy Spirit were perplexed. When Peter explained what had happened and how Jesus Christ, whom they had crucified, was in fact the Lord and Messiah, they were convicted. Perplexed and convicted. What do you do with that mixture of feelings?

            Among humankind’s greatest needs is the need to have God’s forgiveness. We carry a ton of guilt, even if we don’t always know its source. In the heart of every person is a sense of falling short, not measuring up, failing to be who they are supposed to be for themselves and others. They don’t know it, but the reason for this discomfort is the absence of relationship with God. Typically, individuals would not identify their need as God’s forgiveness, but that confession would heal the torn soul. 

            Telling someone that God forgives them may earn you a quizzical look. Sharing with them that Jesus died for the sins of the world will garner admiration. But revealing that we all put Jesus on the cross with our sins and that God forgives us by means of that cross will get a mixed reaction.          

            For those who “get it,” who understand that Jesus’ death is both our guilt and our salvation, they may wonder what to do with this good news. As with the audience on the day of Pentecost, they ask, “What shall we do?” How do you respond to the gospel?

 

“Cut to the Heart” – Conviction of Sin

 

Before we look at the response to the gospel, I want to unpack this phrase “cut to the heart.” This is the crowd’s response to Peter’s sermon "Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart…”

            If you remember, this is the same crowd that was present for the Passover, possibly the same people who shouted for Jesus’ crucifixion and callously watched him die on the cross. They were here again 50 days later for the feast of Pentecost. Now we read that they were “cut to the heart.” What changed? They saw Jesus heal the sick, preach the good news, and raise Lazarus from the dead. Nothing changed then, so why now?

            To be cut to the heart is to pierce or to stab at the heart. It doesn’t sound good. In the metaphorical sense, the audience was devastated by the news of what they had done. As Jesus said while he hung on the cross, “They don’t know what they are doing.” Was it enough that Peter explained it to them?

            A passage from Ezekiel gives us a clue of what happened "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh," (Ezekiel 36:26). This is something called regeneration. It refers to something being renewed. God initiates this regeneration. Just as Ezekiel said, God takes the heart of stone and renews it, gives it back its sensitivity to spiritual truth. Regeneration precedes faith since we were dead in our sins, and we could not respond to God’s voice. Dead people cannot be cut to the heart. 

            But when Peter preached the good news of Jesus to the crowd something happened. Coupled with our sharing the good news is the work of the Spirit reawakening the human spirit. The crowd hadn’t done anything yet, and still their heart went from stone to flesh. 

            For regeneration and the conviction of sin to happen, we bear witness to Jesus as Lord, and God shines a light on the darkened mind so that people can see Jesus. 

 

“Repent” – Changing Our Minds About Jesus

 

With their hearts awakened to the reality of Jesus’ blood on their hands, the audience asked Peter and the apostles, “What shall we do?” 

            Repentance has been analyzed for centuries. What does it mean to repent? The classic answer is that the person who realizes their sin before God makes a 180 degree turn in life. They were walking away from God; now they turn around and walk towards God seeking his grace and forgiveness. Sinclair Ferguson puts it eloquently, “Repentance is returning to a spirit of creatureliness before the Creator, in recognition of his mercy to penitent believers.” 

            Louis Berkhof, in his Systematic Theology (486), proposed that repentance has three elements. An intellectual one: a change of view regarding guilt; an emotional one: a change of feeling in which a person feels sorrow for sin; and a volitional one: a change of purpose where a person chooses to turn away from sin and seeks God’s pardon. 

            Berkhof was also known to say that repentance and the knowledge of sin precede faith that yields to Christ in trusting love. One repents and then believes. Well, he’s wrong. In scripture we see that faith and repentance are inseparable gifts of the Spirit. The words “repent” and “believe” are used interchangeably in the NT (Mk 1:15; Mt 3:2; Acts 2:38; Jn 3:16). In other words, when Peter tells the audience to “repent,” the response is that the people believe. Repentance is always believing. They cannot be separated. 

            But I propose that something more specific happened on Pentecost. When Peter told the people to “repent,” it was more than turning away from sin and turning to God. I think Peter meant for them to change their mind about Jesus. Where once they thought of Jesus as a Messianic pretender who threatened the status quo with his threats to change the temple and change the law, Jesus was now seen as the true Messiah, his body the temple, and the fulfilment of the law. Now they saw Jesus as the hope of Israel, their Lord and Christ. 

            To repent, then, means that we not only acknowledge our sin, but we also acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God. And if he is Lord, then our whole lives are forever reoriented so that when we bring our work, our relationships, our homes, and our ambitions under his mastery. 

 

 

“Be Baptized” – Declare Your Allegiance to Jesus

 

I am taking apart and analyzing pieces of what is a whole movement. Acts 2:38 is one command so that repentance and baptism go together, as Peter said, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins…” 

            However, if you go over this too quickly, you may perceive that a person is only forgiven their sins if they are baptized. That’s not what is meant. Peter was not saying that they would only be forgiven their sins if they get baptized. We are forgiven only by God’s grace through faith in Christ, not by anything we do. 

            There are several instances in Acts where baptism is not mentioned as a requirement for forgiveness (3:19; 5:31). Peter tells Cornelius and his household, “…everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name,” (10:43). Then the Holy Spirit fell on them and THEN they were baptized with water. Paul told the Philippian jailer“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved…” (16:31). Baptism follows belief but is not required for salvation. 

            What is baptism then? Is it necessary? The idea of an unbaptized believer is foreign to the apostles because it was part of Jesus’ last command (Matt 28:19). It was a natural consequence to believing. But what does it do? Baptism is a very decisive act. It is a pledge of allegiance to Jesus. It is an outward act of the inward reality that you have declared Jesus to be the King of your life. You are telling others that you are a follower of Jesus. It is in itself a testimony of your faith. Baptism is a natural response to believing in Jesus.

            When Philip explained the text on Isaiah 53 to the Ethiopian eunuch, the eunuch believed. And no sooner had the man believed than he saw water and asked to be baptized. 

            In Acts 2:38 then, Peter viewed repentance and baptism as a package, with baptism being the fruit of repentance. Baptism follows belief as a sign of what has taken place in one’s heart. 

 

“Receive the Gift of the Spirit”

 

The final part of the package is the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the people in the audience on the day of Pentecost, these elements came in one event. Believing in Jesus as the Messiah is the key to repentance, baptism, forgiveness and receiving the Holy Spirit. What I am saying is that this all-in-one experience was unique to them. 

            For you and I, in our experience, repenting and believing may have come some time before being baptized. But when you believed, you received the Holy Spirit. Receiving him is not dependent on being baptized. 

            What we know from Peter’s Pentecost sermon is that God promised through the prophet Joel to “…pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy…” (2:17). There are no boundaries concerning who God will pour out his Spirit. Men and women, young and old, everyone who believes will receive the Spirit. Peter further preached, “This Jesus God raised up, and of that we are all witnesses,” (2:32). According to Peter’s logic, this pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost proves that Jesus is exalted with the Father, for it was only after such time that the Spirit would be poured out. 

            To sum up, the Spirit is given to everyone who believes in Jesus; the Spirit testifies to the risen Christ; thus, the Spirit empowers us to be witnesses for Jesus. 

            Paul affirmed this in his letter to the Ephesians where he wrote, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance…” (Eph. 1:13-14)

 

 

How do we respond to the good news that God forgives us in Jesus Christ? 

            The first step is repentance, changing our minds about Jesus. Where once we regarded him as an impressive human being and teacher, or some historical figure of note, we now regard him as Lord, the Lamb of God, the one who takes away sin and sits at God’s right hand. 

            The follow up to this confession and profession is baptism. I believe that we have made getting baptized difficult. We expect public speeches from many who are not public speakers. We want to see them shake with nervousness as if it were proof of their commitment. I told my son when he was baptized to tell it straight: I believe in Jesus because he saved me from sins. A biography is not necessary. Baptism is not preceded by testimony in the Bible, the baptism is the testimony. 

            From baptism forward, the next step is the Spirit-empowered life of discipleship. Living for Jesus in every moment of your life until your final breath. 

            What shall we do? This is our response. If you have repented and believed in Christ, I encourage you to receive the sign of baptism and testify through that action that you belong to him.

AMEN