Fasting: A Biblical Imperative
Notes
Transcript
Fasting: A Biblical Imperative
Fasting: A Biblical Imperative
What Does Fasting Do?
Luke 5 (also in Matt 9 and Mark 2)
What Does Fasting Do?
Luke 5 (also in Matt 9 and Mark 2)
Then they said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?”
And He said to them, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?
But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.”
Then He spoke a parable to them: “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old.
And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined.
FASTING MAKES US NEW – new garment and new wine.
It even takes away our carnal desire for “the former thing, the old wine”.
Prayer & Fasting and Miraculous Faith
And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying,
“Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.
So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.”
Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.”
And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”
So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
Jesus is stating that this kind of Faith is distributed by prayer and fasting –
He said they couldn’t cast it out because of their unbelief
– so that is why He says they must Pray and Fast
– to increase their faith.
Fasting is part of a Purposeful Prayer Life
Daniel 9
Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.
And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments,
Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord’s sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate.
O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies.
O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”
Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God,
yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering.
And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand.
At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision:
A “Daniel’s Fast” – what it looks like
Daniel 10
In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks.
I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.
· No pleasant food (that which is pleasing to YOU)
· No meat
· No pleasant drink
· Not “comforting ones flesh”
THE RESULT ?
Now on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, that is, the Tigris,
I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz!
His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color, and the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude.
And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision; but a great terror fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves.
AND THE WHY…
Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words.
But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.
Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.”
FASTING IS NOT JUST FOR A ONE TIME RESULT
It is part of a purposeful, consistent prayer life
Luke 2
Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity;
and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
FASTING IS NOT JUST ABOUT US
It works toward the building of the Body of Christ
As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.
Fasting and Prayer can impart Spiritual Power to others
So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
Jesus presumed we would fast
Matthew 6
“Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
But we must really understand – Fasting isn’t just “not eating”. We are to set ourselves to “be different”, our days must be “God focused” – we will give up “our ways” and turn to Him.
Isaiah 58 – “The Fasting chapter” (NKJV)
Isaiah 58:1–5 (NKJV)
“Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins.
Yet they seek Me daily, And delight to know My ways, As a nation that did righteousness, And did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; They take delight in approaching God.
‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’ “In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, And exploit all your laborers.
Indeed you fast for strife and debate, And to strike with the fist of wickedness. You will not fast as you do this day, To make your voice heard on high.
Is it a fast that I have chosen, A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, And to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, And an acceptable day to the Lord?
Is it a fast that I have chosen, A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, And to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, And an acceptable day to the Lord?
· Physical actions in an attempt to “bribe God to do what they want”.
· These things would be appropriate if they were done for the right reasons and in the right attitude.
· Instead, they’re empty actions, followed up by “pleasures in the day of fasting” – ie, no real change, just interruption in eating to attempt to trade with the LORD.
· The next verses show what it BETTER – righteousness, goodness… FASTING THAT IS ABOUT KNOWING GOD, not about our own selfish desires.
“Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
Approaching God earnestly in fasting must be accompanied by a sincere heart to be free of the bonds of wickedness, to cast off the burdens we carry and those we place on others. It is spiritual action coupled by physical action to free the oppressed, lift the yoke which enslaves, provided life and sustenance to the hungry, brings home the orphan, and provides for those in need, even when we give some of our necessary things (in this case clothing).
These verses lay our a wonderful lesson, in order:
LOOK WHAT GOD DOES WHEN WE FAST THE RIGHT WAY, WITH SINCERITY AND MERCY AND LOVE:
· 8Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
· Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
· And your righteousness shall go before you;
· The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
· Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer
· You shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' …
He sets again the things He desires in our fasts:
· "If you take away the yoke from your midst,
· The pointing of the finger,
· and speaking wickedness,
· 10 If you extend your soul to the hungry And
· satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then:
· your light shall dawn in the darkness, And
· your darkness shall be as the noonday.
· 11 The Lord will guide you continually, And
· satisfy your soul in drought, And
· strengthen your bones;
· You shall be like a watered garden, And
· like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
· 12 Those from among you Shall build the old waste places;
· You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And
· you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
13 "If:
· you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,
· From doing your pleasure on My holy day,
· And call the Sabbath a delight,
· The holy day of the LORD honorable,
· And shall honor Him,
· not doing your own ways,
· Nor finding your own pleasure,
· Nor speaking your own words,
14 Then:
· you shall delight yourself in the LORD; And
· I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And
· feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.
…The mouth of the LORD has spoken."
Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ “If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
The Lord will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
“If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the Lord honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words,
Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken.”