The Jesus Way
“The Way of Authenticity”
Matthew 6:16-18 CSB
Key Truth: "To follow Jesus means to live out the values and principles of His Kingdom with our whole lives.”
Main Question: How should authenticity characterize a person who walks in The Jesus Way?
1. Authenticity in our private lives. (vs.16a)
Fasting: Strictly speaking, fasting is the abstaining from food [or a normal function], for a short or long period of time, as an exercise in self-denial and self-discipline for spiritual purposes, especially prayer.
Why do we fast?
a. To strengthen prayer.
b. To seek God’s guidance.
c. To express grief.
d. To seek deliverance or protection.
e. To express repentance and the return to God.
f. To humble oneself before God.
g. To express concern for the work of God.
h. To minster to the needs of others.
i. To overcome temptation and dedicate yourself to God.
j. To express love and worship to God.
- Donald S. Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines of the Christian life, 156-170
2. Authenticity in our public lives. (vs.16b-18)
After the Message:
Read Matthew 6:16-18. Do your private spiritual practices and your public spiritual life match up? Are you pursuing God with a heart that seeks His glory or your fame? What needs to change?
For more information about the spiritual practice of fasting (and others) see… Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster, Spiritual Disciplines of the Christian Life by Donald S. Whitney, and Habits for Our Holiness: How the Spiritual Disciplines Grow Us Up, Draw us Together, and Send Us Out by Philip Nation.
