P90X for the Soul
Fasting
Isaiah 58:1-12; Matthew 6:16-18
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Good morning.
We are continuing our series, P90X for your Soul, this morning. I am going to show the video promo for the physical exercise series, since some of you missed it last week while others figured out that there was someone else’s face superimposed over my body.
P90X promo video
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Recap last week – Bible Study
Last week we began this series talking about the importance of being in and studying God’s word and we started signups for our Connection Groups where you can be studying different books of the Bible or topics to see what the Bible says about them.
Connection group signups
We had a great beginning to the signups and you can still sign up today after service. I hope you have been praying about which group to join.
One on One
Also as a reminder , for those who may desire to be built into at a more personal level, we have some opportunities for you to be taught some of the fundamentals of the faith in a one on one or couples format with another person or couple meeting with you to teach and study with you some of the fundamentals of the faith. If you think that would be good for you, and it would if you are new to the faith or have never been discipled, then you can sign up on the sheet that says one-on-one Discipleship.
Sermon intro
Today, we are going to talk about another discipline that will help us be in a place for God to grow us.
You remember last week we said that we cannot grow ourselves, but there are things we can do to put ourselves in a place where the Lord can grow us better.
This is how we sow to please the Spirit, instead of sowing to please the sinful nature (Galatians 6:8) and how we train ourselves to be godly (1 Timothy 4:7-8)
Well, this week we are going to talk about one of the least practiced disciplines in all of Christianity, at least according to my observation (and life!), and that is fasting.
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Now fasting is one of those topics we find in Scripture that is not really expounded upon in one section of Scripture. It is talked about in several places and we will be looking at several scriptures this morning to learn about this discipline and if and why we should practice it.
As we read throughout Scripture, we see that fasting is more assumed in a person’s life rather than commanded.
We see in Matthew 6:16-18
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When Jesus was speaking to his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount and talked about fasting He said
16 "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Now he was teaching the people about some practicalities of fasting, but noticed in 2 places he says, “when you fast...”
Our Lord assumed this would be something that His followers would be practicing at points in their life.
In another verse of Scripture, Matthew 9:15
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Jesus is asked about his disciples not fasting by John the Baptist’s disciples, and He says "How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.”
When the bridegroom, Jesus, was taken from them, then his disciples would fast.
We are in the church age now, when Christ has been taken away, but we can look forward to his coming again. But during this time that He is away, it seems assumed that his followers would fast at times.
So, Fasting is something that, while it is not commanded, seems assumed in Scripture.
But what exactly is fasting?
What is fasting?
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I think for many of us, when we think of fast, we think of going without food.
And at its most basic definition, that is what it is.
The act of willingly abstaining from food or certain foods or activities for a period of time.
But fasting from a Christian, Biblical perspective is so much more than just that act of abstaining from something like food. There are spiritual elements at work when we fast from a Christian perspective.
As I was preparing for this message, I found a couple of definitions that were helpful in defining fasting from a Christian perspective.
One was,
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“Denying myself something natural in order to lay hold of something supernatural.”
As quoted by Kirk Romberg, The Discipline of Fasting,
http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/the-discipline-of-fasting-kirk-romberg-sermon-on-disciplines-general-140580.asp
That is denying ourselves something natural, like food, and focusing instead on the supernatural work of the Lord through prayer and focus on Him, to see something powerful accomplished for His glory as well as our good.
Esther
An example of this might be found in the book of Esther.
When King Xerxes allowed Haman to give orders in the King’s name for all the Jews to be attacked and killed on a certain day, Esther asked all the Jews to fast for 3 days, (Esther 4:16) because it was only through the supernatural power of God that God’s people could be rescued. And it was to God’s glory that He did rescue them.
They fasted and prayed, giving up something natural to lay hold of the supernatural work of God because it would only be through a work of God that anything would happen.
A second definition defines fasting like this:
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“a humbling before God in response to a Kingdom level concern as a primary means of inviting the power of God to meet that concern.”
As quoted by Kirk Romberg, The Discipline of Fasting,
http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/the-discipline-of-fasting-kirk-romberg-sermon-on-disciplines-general-140580.asp
We are humbly denying ourselves some need or desire of the flesh to better focus on a spiritual need or desire in ourselves or in the Kingdom of God.
Nehemiah
A good biblical example of this definition is Nehemiah.
Nehemiah heard that the wall was in shambles in Jerusalem even as he was hundreds of miles away and he saw the disgrace that it was to God’s people and ultimately God.
He humbled himself by fasting and he prayed (Nehemiah 1:4) and the Lord worked in Nehemiah to burden him to meet that concern.
But it started with Nehemiah humbling himself through fasting.
True Biblical fasting always involves a humbling of oneself.
If it is not done in a spirit of humility for God’s glory, it is not biblical fasting.
We see David describe fasting as an act of humility in the psalms
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Psalm 35:13 - Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting.
Daniel, when he received a vision and did not understand its relevance, he prayed and fasted from certain foods and wine for 3 weeks and then an angel of the Lord came to him and said in Daniel 10:12
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"Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.” (Daniel 10:12)
Daniel fasted and it was a humbling before the Lord.
Fasting is not something that we do to exalt ourselves.
There are those who did that, but Jesus had no kind words for them.
Tax Collector and Pharisee
When He gave a parable about a tax collector and a Pharisee who went up to the temple in Luke 18:9-14, the tax collector humbled himself in repentance of his sin and would not even lift his head, but the Pharisee listed his “accomplishments” of giving a tenth of what he received and fasting twice a week (v. 12). He was not humbling himself in his fasting, he was exalting himself. Jesus said the tax collector went away justified.
Earlier we read Matthew 6:16-18 where Jesus said those who fasted for the purpose that men would see them and think how holy they were, that they were hypocrites.
That is not fasting from a Christian perspective.
It may have the physical attributes of a fast in terms of denying yourself food, but it is useless and is not the type of fasting the Lord has in mind for us.
A true fast, from a Christian perspective is done in humility, recognizing that we are weak and we need God’s power to work in our lives and that we are fully dependant on God.
So that is what a fast is, a humbling of oneself before God.
Why should I fast?
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It will help you learn to rely more on the Lord and prepare you to be used in powerful ways for Him.
It helps us learn that we are not just physical beings sustained in physical ways, but that ultimately we are spiritual beings who need to be nourished spiritually or we will truly die.
How does fasting prepare me to be used by God?
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First,
Fasting helps reveal things that control us.
Sometimes we don’t fully realize how dependant and in fact enslaved we become to the wants and desires of the flesh.
As Christians, we have been given the gift of freedom to enjoy God’s creation.
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Paul tells Timothy that “God…richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”
(1 Timothy 6:17)
But Paul also says in
1 Corinthians 6:12 - "Everything is permissible for me"-but not everything is beneficial.
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"Everything is permissible for me"-but I will not be mastered by anything.
There are things in this life that control us and we don’t even know it. Fasting helps reveal those things so that we can overcome them and repent of them.
Richard Foster in his classic book, Celebration of Discipline says
More than any other single Discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us. This is a wonderful benefit to the true disciple who longs to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. We cover up what is inside us with food and other good things, but in fasting these things surface. If pride controls us, it will be revealed almost immediately. David said, "I humbled my soul with fasting" (Ps. 69:10). Anger, bitterness, jealousy, strife, fear—if they are within us, they will surface during fasting. (p. 55)
So fasting helps reveal things that control us so we can repent and be healed through the power of Christ.
1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (from New International Version)
We need to confess what is revealed and repent and be healed.
It not only reveals things that control us, but
Secondly,
Fasting helps Remind us that God sustains us
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He sustains us in 2 ways.
…through His Word
When Jesus was about to begin his public ministry, we was led into the desert where he fasted for 40 days. At the end of the 40 days, it says he was hungry and Satan came to Him and said in Matthew 4:3-4,
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"If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."
4 Jesus answered, "It is written: ’Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’"
What Jesus means is that it is the Lord and his promises that supply our every need. When we voluntarily abstain from what is necessary, we recognize that it is through God and His promises to us that we are ultimately sustained.
In Matthew 6, Jesus tells his disciples not to worry about food and clothes.
Matt 6:25-26
Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Jesus affirms that the Father knows what we need and He will provide.
His word tells us so. So We have the assurance that God will sustain us through his word.
But it is not only through knowing and living His word
Fasting also reminds us that we are sustained
…through His Work
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Through knowing it and doing it.
Look what Jesus said to the Disciples when they returned to find him talking to the Samaritan women by the well in John 4.
John 4:32, 34
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"I have food to eat that you know nothing about."
34 "My food...is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”
His food is to do God’s work, to accomplish His will, preaching the gospel and being the sacrifice for our sin, and when He is doing that he is sustained and strengthened spiritually.
There are so many people walking around with spiritual anorexia.
Even as we gorge ourselves on natural food, we are starving spiritually.
I believe one of the reasons we are such and overweight society is because we are trying to feed this spiritual hunger with natural food.
We need to feast on Jesus, on studying and knowing his word so we can rely on it, and on knowing and doing his work.
We are too often worried about our next meal rather than accomplishing God’s will.
Jesus said in
Matthew 6:31-33
31 So do not worry, saying, ’What shall we eat?’ or ’What shall we drink?’ or ’What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
When we go about doing the work of the father, seeking his kingdom and his righteousness by doing what he wants us to, he will provide what we need physically and he will sustain us spiritually as well so that we can truly live.
Conclusion
So what do we do?
My first suggestion would be not to go out and fast unless there is something in front of you right now personally that is requiring God’s powerful work in you or through you and will bring glory to Him
OR
there is some kingdom level concern that the Lord has burdened you or affects all his people.
Whenever we see fasting done in the Old Testament it seems to me to be done for one of these 2 reasons.
But when you do have one of these things in front of you, then my suggestion would be to fast, to lay aside something natural to lay hold of something supernatural.
Or to
To Humble yourself before God with fasting in response to a kingdom level concern inviting his power to meet that concern.
And if you have never done a fast, I would begin with a 24 hour period, say dinner to dinner before moving on to anything longer.
And as God reminds you of his sustaining power and perhaps reveals some sins that have control of you, repent of those and respond by giving glory to God in your actions.
Remember that fasting is not just about the mechanics of going without something natural. It is spiritual in nature. Ultimately it is about changing us to the glory of the Lord and seeking his Kingdom and Righteousness.
I want to close in reading to you Isaiah 58.
The people of Israel often reverted to going through religious motions, just like we do.
I will tell you that going through religious motions accomplishes nothing.
Unless we come before God with humble hearts seeking to follow his word and his will, we should not expect God’s work in us or through us.
Isaiah 58:1-11, 14
"Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins. 2 For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. 3’Why have we fasted,’ they say, ’and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’
"Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. 4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. 5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?
6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter--when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? 8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. 9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, 10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. 11 The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. ... 14 then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." The mouth of the LORD has spoken.
Let’s pray.
