Prayer and Fasting Minus All the Pizzazz, Part 2

What are a rare tradition of fasting from their meals. The Pharisees of Jesus day craved attention back they loved having an audience to show off their legalistic distance today on Insight for living. Chuck Swindoll shows us how Jesus counteracted the religious zealots of his day practical lesson on how to pray for generations. The Lord's prayer has served as a model for Christian believers around the world today study in Matthew chapter 6 was originally presented on Mother's Day. 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 these ladies in the lives of their children. We pray that that counsel that has been lived out in spoken and in every way model will live on in the lives of those who will 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 learned 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 and 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 help shape hours 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, pray everyone's a man for living to study the book of Matthew with Chuck Swindoll. Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures. Studies by going to Insight world.org/studies and now the message from Chuck titled prayer and fasting, minus all the pizzazz. So when you pray would begin with the name. Please observe it.

Our father we address prayers to the father through Christ and the power of the spirit of God. Now look at the realm who is in heaven. He 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 how big your name how load 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 come sooner rather than later. There's an application.

Also in this I said let's look at an inner dual way. The other is that he reign in my life what I said wherever there's a kingdom there's a ruler and wherever there is a there there is a rumor there. 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. Same is true for you what I give up my will and I embrace his will he and he is enthroned in that decision I'm modeling the kingdom life is the way it's been put alike way that sound 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 nine and 10 by remembering his name is realm his rule and his will. When you get to the next verse and down to the end of the prayer. Let me have you notice for statements at your pen ready. 11 give us 12 forgive us 13 lead us.

13 the middle of verse deliver us your notice that in all the quoting of the Lord's prayer, which really is our prayer to be followed as the Lord gave first of all, we are petitioning him that he will give up all four words. By the way imply dependence.

Only he can provide what we need.

Only he can forgive. Only he can give in errant direction to my life, only he can rescue me or deliver me, so give us it's a request for daily sustenance doesn't say. Give us this day our daily cake or couple applies or a full meal and every time we sit down his daily bread, basic sustenance. You can live on that daily bread noticed the faithfulness of God is in the daily he does it daily.

Not always an abundance but sometime he lays a piece before us. It's it's a magnificent moment when that occurs when I may have told you Vincent and I were in seminary we we ask all the men from another country when we were there was only one of the country. Now there are over 40 countries a dollar 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 life. Children in Korea and they would come for four years and never go home till he finished quite a commitment and we decided on Thanksgiving to invite them to come over and we invite all think there were 17 of and they all came white shirts, black tie, they just they just so gracious and they walked in. We are going with another couple and we had done two folding tables full of food you are you doing Thanksgiving Soviet two turkeys. We had all the trimmings both table. We had vegetables we had salads and then we ultimately had to certain I'll never forget they walked up and and nice. They just more than one of them set up. Never in my life seen so much from you could feed a family for six months. If you could preserve the food you could feed them for six months on this from and I was moved over that I said to one of the gentlemen I elder the oldest of the group. I said would you lead us in prayer in your tongue, lead us in Korea limitation.

If you want somebody pray as the Korean amino film formed over the gravy and he went on, even from Alaska to Zürich. I mean it was but it was a magnificent prayer. I did understand a word and as he's praying done me. I think God understand what he saying Dodo's every language, every dialect everyone not yet formed into words. Every grunt everywhere so every movement of the heart. Every decision of the mind. He is the God of the we extol him as our how load heavenly father and we, needing bread that you sometimes put on 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 located further forgive us as we have forgiven others. They tied together.

Don't miss that we would know nothing of inner cleansing. If it weren't for our heavenly father.

You can't clean yourself.

That was a complaint the Pharisees had when they had when Jesus told him that he was able to forgive sin all only God can forgive sins they had this case against him think he is 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 in us with such grace that it breaks our pride in 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 said for years. We all have the same thing in common. We all have people who have hurt us. They really hurt us.

We have a choice. We can drag them all the way through our lives like like a little boat to the lake with the anchor still out Dragon on the snags at the bottom of the lake. Or we can pull in the anchor. Forgive everyone that's Curtis and then know the joy of full forgiveness. If you're a grudge holder. Today's a great day to get rid of the garage just given up given to the Lord to say to the Lord.

I III don't deserve your forgiveness and I realize you forgive me regularly how could I possibly hold this against her or him out there who are him may be on Bad they been you have one task. Forgive the alternative will hunt you and you will be according to Matthew 18 turned over to the torturers and you will be tortured in your soul to the release. The debt forgive the forgive us as we have forgiven those who are debtors. And lead us not into temptation about what kind of prayers that I thought God was holding infinitely holy. He is open. Why would he ever lead us into temptation. Look closely you said it all your life would 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 as 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 all to be deceived and fall into temptation. Do not allow us to be overwhelmed by temptation at 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 know why because he hates everything we love 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 the 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. Great writing this, who was once an angel now cast out looks within Fiona us who have this favored police because of the death and resurrection of Christ in our relationship with him deliver us, Lord, rescue us when the enemy would pull us down down down, he knows he is fighting against time Lord deliver us, rescue us put a great prayer you're ever in a dark place and who isn't. If you ever visit a dark country and most of us do you forever around people whose lives are marked by the sinister, the darkness of evil.

You need to pray this rescue because 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. A good dinner.

What he does he puts a postscript on it. Maybe you didn't realize he goes back and touches on one thing that you may have wanted to overlook the get the next two verses quickly now. If you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you every mention.

Forgive us our debts as we forgive those who are indebted to us and he goes back is is I you forgive others. Your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not warning you do not forgive others their father will not forgive your transgressions.

There's something about 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 I was in California developed a wonderful relationship with Earl Palmer when Earl was the Pastor First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley right there in the and in the near vicinity of the Golden gate Bridge and Earl Palmer uses the Golden gate Bridge is an illustration of this difference. I want you to hear it when Rita's words.

I've often thought of the Golden gate Bridge in San Francisco is our city's bonus structure and that it's great South peer rests directly upon the fault zone of the San Andreas Fault that Bridget is in her is an amazing structure both flexibility and strength 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 way but that is not all by design. Every part of the bridge. It's concrete roadway at steel railings its cross beams is in inevitably related from one welded joint to the other up through the vast table system to great towers to create land anchor. 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 it 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 phone how to straighten that out. So what about but I'm not nearly as bright as Earl and Zoe. It's his deplane. That's an Earl Palmer story is a great whenever, if ever, and I hope you will someday cross that great bridge as I many times in your outmoded. You hear the wind whistling through those cables out of that swaying bridge. Remember foundation flexibility you and are able to forgive 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 probably rarely an interesting we don't talk about fasting much. It's when you pass up a meal to take care of that which is a greater priority than the meal you don't have to fix a meal, prepare the meal sit down to eat a meal you can stay focused on what it is that's of concern to you, but we fast several reasons helps to concentrate into our attention on issues. It's good for our health and enables us to rearrange and fix our priorities in the right place encourages us to examine our lives and motives.

It assists us in finding the Lord's will never really sought the Lord's will in a serious error in 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 and strengthens us in our own self-control helps us deal with and recover from grief. Most people in fat who grieve have lost their appetite brings us to the basics of life and simplifies now in the days of Jesus. People who fast put white makeup on their face and they messed up their hair and they were tattered clothes and they walk around with what I call the tired look like we preachers sometime will carrying the burdens of life. So the look holy Jesus said stop that. I want none of that to go on when you fast, you do not only to impress other people. So what use what you do, do verse 17 when you fast. I know in your head, fix up your hair wash your face and don't stop there is kimono down wash all over. There's nothing godly about body odor. Nothing great about bad breath, clean yourself up so that your fasting won't even be noticed by someone 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 doing only your family will know you can simply say to them. I'm in a pass up some meals right now and I just have some things in my heart to go to work through me give you couple tips and were through scouts honor make a 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 in my life and 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. Make your best prayers never be heard by anyone else. They are 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. Regarding all 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 fast to do it for your glory never to be seen or known by others in the name of Christ.

We pray everyone said is refreshing to strip away the spiritual arrogance that's fueled by legalism and instead submit ourselves to the simple life Jesus intended your listening to Insight for living Chuck Swindoll titled today's message prayer and fasting, minus all the pizzazz and to learn more about this ministry or these messages, please visit us online@insightworld.org. It was Christians, we tend to complicate what it means to follow Jesus that sometimes we tend to perform just as the Pharisees did. Jesus wasn't impressed and he doesn't want us to fall into the same trap. If you tired of performance-based religion that does little more than make you feel exhausted and defeated is in the time you let God liberate you from a man-made legalistic lifestyle check is written a book on the subject is called simple faith in this classic good features 14 full-length chapters. Chuck focuses entirely on Jesus sermon on the Mount, including the passage in Matthew chapter 6 that we addressed today to purchase a copy of Chuck's book simple faith. Go to Insight.org/store or give us a phone call if you're listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8888. These daily programs are made possible because people like you give generous gifts and for 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 W MBI he's been discipling me through the radio broadcast ever since. One day by day. Chuck's Bible teaching is broadcast from Frisco, Texas in the program and circles the globe and this is the outcome of your financial partnership with insight. Thank you for your generous financial support to give a gift today, your listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888 or go online to Insight.9 dates by tomorrow. Chuck Swindoll presents a message called the lower of the lesser loyalty join us again Tuesday to hear Insight for living. The preceding message, prayer and fasting, minus all the pizzazz was copyrighted in 2015 and 2021 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2021 by Charles Larson dogging all rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited