From Lent to Pentecost: Continuing Disciplines of Faith

May 24, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Heart Closets Needing Spring Cleaning

The heart holds forgotten corners like a mansion with locked rooms. Just as we avoid cluttered closets, we often resist letting God inventory our hidden struggles. Spiritual growth requires handing over every key – even to dusty attics storing old resentments or basements hoarding secret pride. True freedom comes when light reaches every boarded-up space. [44:01]

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
(Psalm 139:23-24, ESV)

Reflection: Which "locked closet" in your heart have you avoided reopening this year? What practical step could help you surrender its key to Christ today?

Day 2: Fasting From Fillers, Not Just Food

Fasting exposes how we stuff voids with earthly substitutes – scrolling when lonely, snacking when anxious, or shopping when empty. Like students replacing social media with streaming, we often swap one distraction for another. True fasting asks: Will we let hunger pains point us to the only One who satisfies? [55:09]

Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats.
(Romans 14:20, ESV)

Reflection: What harmless habit might actually be filling space meant for communion with God? How could you create "empty moments" to listen for Him this week?

Day 3: Easter Monday’s Unwrapped Chocolate

Resurrections fade fast when Monday brings old routines. Like dieters binging after Lent, we risk treating spiritual disciplines as seasonal projects rather than lifelong transformations. The test isn’t Easter morning’s celebration, but ordinary Tuesdays when no one sees our choices. [59:13]

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
(Matthew 6:19-21, ESV)

Reflection: What Lenten practice from this year still shapes your daily walk? What "treasure" have you accidentally reverted to storing on earth?

Day 4: The Vacuum Only Grace Fills

Pascal’s “infinite abyss” echoes in every late-night scroll through empty reels. We keep trying to cram created things into a Creator-shaped hole. Like students rediscovering candlelight during tech fasts, we find deeper joy when earthly attachments lose their grip. [55:49]

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
(Ecclesiastes 3:11, ESV)

Reflection: When did you last feel eternity’s ache in your soul? What earthly filler have you been using to numb that holy hunger?

Day 5: Lent’s Alarm Clock Still Ringing

Spiritual disciplines aren’t January gym memberships – they’re lifelong posture checks. Like Christmas lights stored for next year, we can’t box up prayer until next Ash Wednesday. The Pentecost Spirit invites continual awakening, not seasonal rituals. [01:02:29]

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, ESV)

Reflection: Which spiritual practice have you treated as a “Lent-only” discipline? How could you adapt it to sustain your summer faith?

Sermon Summary

Matthew 6 sets the tone by sending fasting underground and by redirecting treasure. The text hides the practice from public eyes and aims the heart toward the Father, promising a reward that thieves and rust cannot touch. Then the warning lands: where treasure sits, heart follows. Lent stands up inside that word as a season to sort through everything, not as a one-off but as a rhythm that continues. The human problem is desensitization. First tastes thrill, then routines dull them. So Lent becomes a check-in, a chance to notice again what was already there and to ask if familiar practices have turned stale or stayed alive.

The inventory image carries the weight. Possessions can be counted, boxed, dropped off at Affordable Treasures. But the deeper inventory is the heart. Psalm 119 is prayed, Search me, O God, and know my heart. The heart is pictured as a sprawling house full of forgotten rooms and locked closets. Lent asks for all the keys, not a hallway pass. And the church’s shared life supplies both encouragement and accountability as that inventory gets honest.

Fasting steps in as a tool, and the line is clear: fasting is not always about the fast. Romans 14 refuses to let food laws or lifestyle choices become litmus tests. Different people stumble in different places, and anything hard to release is some kind of addiction. The goal is not performative sacrifice but removing barriers to communion with God. The assignments of life reveal attachments. Take away a feed and the soul reaches for a substitute. But only God satisfies. Pascal’s “infinite abyss” names the vacuum every lesser pleasure tries and fails to fill. So fasting becomes replacement, not just removal. It sounds like God’s question: Do you trust me to meet your needs?

Then the test case arrives on the calendar: the Monday after Easter. If Lent restrains, Monday reveals allegiance. Bingeing on what was surrendered only proves the point. Theologians like Calvin and Kuyper offer a needed caution. Seasonal focus can help, but discipleship is not seasonal. The lights do not stay up year round out of laziness, and spiritual habits cannot stay boxed in the attic until next Lent. The call is steady: turn your eyes upon Jesus until the bright things of earth go dim.

Pentecost brings this home. The Spirit is present to open every corner, to prompt confession, to set practical helps in motion, even something as ordinary as prayer timers on a watch. The final question is sharp and simple: Where are you with God?

Key Takeaways

1. Lent is an ongoing heart inventory. Lent trains the soul to pull everything out of the closet and name it before God. The point is not a seasonal clean-up but a continuing openness that asks to be searched and led. Vulnerability is the doorway to real change, and accountability helps keep the doors unlocked. This inventory keeps Monday after Easter from being a relapse. [41:32]
2. Fasting targets idols, not items. Romans 14 refuses to make the menu the issue. The issue is whatever blocks communion with God, whether meat, media, or the praise of being seen as disciplined. Secret fasting exposes substitutes and invites God to fill the “infinite abyss” with himself. Replacement, not mere removal, is the path to freedom. [48:16]
3. Monday after Easter reveals allegiance. The day after the feast tells the truth about desire. If the hand rushes back to what was laid down, the heart has not moved. Lasting change sounds like small, steady choices that aim at life with God, not a sprint through Lent and a slide back into habit. [58:49]
4. Treasure directs and trains desire. Matthew 6 ties the heart to what it stores. An inventory of stuff uncovers an inventory of loves, and generosity becomes a form of re-training. When treasure relocates to heaven, the heart learns to follow. [35:48]
5. The Spirit sustains daily practices. Pentecost means help has arrived for ordinary days. The Spirit presses prayer into the schedule and courage into confession, and uses community to keep the keys on the table. Simple tools can serve a larger hunger for God. [66:50]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[35:28] - Scripture: Fasting and Treasure
[36:26] - Lent and the church calendar
[37:39] - Opening God’s word is sacred
[38:54] - Desensitized hearts and habits
[41:32] - Point One: Sort everything
[44:41] - “Search me, O God”
[47:14] - The heart’s locked rooms
[48:16] - Point Two: Fasting beyond items
[52:34] - Technology fast and attachments
[55:49] - The God-shaped abyss
[58:49] - Point Three: Monday after Easter
[60:39] - Not seasonal discipleship
[63:40] - Turn your eyes upon Jesus
[64:27] - Pentecost prayer and next steps

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Matthew 6:17-21 (ESV)
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. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Psalm 139:23-24 (ESV)
Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

Romans 14:1-4 (ESV)
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

Observation Questions

In Matthew 6:19-21, what connection does Jesus make between earthly treasures and the condition of the heart?
According to the sermon, why is the "Monday after Easter" a significant test of spiritual growth? [58:49]
Psalm 139:23-24 asks God to search the heart. What specific areas of the heart does the psalmist invite God to examine?
How does Romans 14:1-4 caution believers regarding differences in spiritual practices like fasting?

Interpretation Questions

Why might Jesus emphasize secrecy in fasting (Matthew 6:17-18) rather than public displays of devotion?
The sermon compares the heart to a "sprawling house with forgotten rooms." How does Psalm 139:23-24 challenge us to address those "locked closets"?
Romans 14 warns against judging others’ spiritual disciplines. How might this apply to modern debates over fasting from things like social media or food?
The sermon states, "Fasting is not about the item but about idols." How does Matthew 6:20-21 support this idea?

Application Questions

What is one "locked closet" in your heart that you’ve avoided handing over to God? What practical step could you take this week to surrender it? [47:14]
Identify a habit or possession that feels like an "earthly treasure." How could you intentionally redirect your focus toward eternal treasure instead?
The "Monday after Easter" reveals our true allegiances. What small, daily choice could you make to ensure spiritual disciplines outlast Lent? [58:49]
How might you apply Romans 14:1-4 to a relationship where you’ve been tempted to judge someone’s spiritual practices (e.g., fasting, media use)?
The sermon mentions using tools like prayer timers to sustain daily habits. What simple, tangible aid could help you prioritize communion with God? [01:05:38]
When has a "fast" (from food, media, etc.) exposed a substitute you used to fill your "infinite abyss"? How did that experience deepen your dependence on God? [55:09]
Who in your community could you invite to hold you accountable for keeping "heart inventory" honest and ongoing? [47:57]

Sermon Clips

36s

#FastingForFulfillment

“The goal of fasting, whether it's from food or media or other behaviors, isn't just about suffering, Though there may be periods of longing when we decide to free ourselves of certain things, either for a time or forever. Fasting is about what we replace it with. So when we fast, whether from food or other things, we are reminded of our total dependency. We're reminded that nothing but our relationship with God truly satisfies.”

32s

#TrustGodToFill

“We will never escape the need for food as sustenance on this earth, but we may escape other things through God's strength. So when we fast, we free ourselves from earthly bondage and provide an opportunity for God to fill that infinite void, that abyss in our hearts. Fasting and reflection is about God asking us, Do you trust me to meet your needs?”

31s

#FastToConnect

“Whenever we fast, we learn something about ourselves and how we fill our voids. We learn what things are hard for us to give up. We learn about our treasures, whether they're literal or more abstract. And as the passage mentions, fasting is not about appearing downcast or making it clear to everyone that we are fasting. Fasting is about freeing up our hearts to connect with God.”

20s

#DailyGodCheck

“So ultimately, Lent and the following season is about asking a simple question, where are you with God? Where are you with God? As you get up each day, I encourage you to continue asking that question and patiently listen for God's response.”

43s

#GodOverPleasure

“There are things that we can consume that are fun. You watch videos, it makes us laugh. And yet, earthly things can give us pleasure, but only God can give us satisfaction. That's the difference. So understand that even though I mentioned social media, it's not about that. It's not about chocolate or coffee. And I'll be honest with you, I don't always like to fast, particularly from food. I don't like to skip meals, but that tells me something about what I value.”

35s

#BeyondLentDiscipline

“If we're all honest, sometimes we don't want to fast and pray for similar reasons. It's too much work. So routine and tradition can be valuable, but they all also represent a shortcoming of the Christian calendar and the risk that both Calvin and Kuiper highlighted. Lent can be a season where we refresh and renew our spiritual disciplines, and that's good. But we should seek to continue those disciplines throughout the year.”

37s

#ChangeAfterEaster

“For long term sustainable health, we need to make healthy, incremental lifestyle choices. That applies not just to our physical body, but also to our spiritual life. We're reminded that Lent is not about us, about the calendar we created, it's about Jesus' triumph over sin. The question for us is, how will we respond? Once we hit Monday, once you hit Monday, once I hit Monday after Easter, did we return to whatever we were doing before Ash Wednesday, or were we changed?”

30s

#MondayAfterEasterReality

“So what do people do on the Monday after Easter? Do they gorge themselves on the chocolate bunnies that they received the day before? Do they scroll through hours of social media after fasting for the last six weeks? Do they drink a gallon of coffee by lunchtime? These are rhetorical questions, don't need any responses or anyone to raise hands. Nutritionists tell us that many diets do not work when it comes to something like losing weight.”

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From Lent to Pentecost: Continuing Disciplines of Faith

Devotional

Day 1: Heart Closets Needing Spring Cleaning

Day 2: Fasting From Fillers, Not Just Food

Day 3: Easter Monday’s Unwrapped Chocolate

Day 4: The Vacuum Only Grace Fills

Day 5: Lent’s Alarm Clock Still Ringing

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

From Lent to Pentecost: Continuing Disciplines of Faith

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