Fasting 2 - Growing in Holiness

RECAP

Last week we began our discussion on the practice of fasting. Primarily about how it is a practice designed to offer our whole selves, mind, body and spirit, to Jesus. That we are created to dwell with God and that our whole selves are temples of God meant to be dwelled in by the Spirit of God. Fasting is a great way for our bodies to get in touch with the rest of our self to connect and focus our attention and worship toward God.

INTRO

The hard truth about dieting - magic tea, powders, oils, blah blah blah

The hard truth about dieting is that however ever much progress you desire to make is directly connected to how much you want to deny yourself.

Facts About Fasting

Here’s what’s happening in you body after you eat

4hrs after eating - Your body is digesting the food in your stomach.

16hrs after eating - Your body begins to burn it’s fat stores. Ketosis

24hrs. after eating - You body begins to burn away “zombie cells” and other dead and destructive things in your body.

Health Benefits of Fasting

Cleanses you body

Increase your metabolism

Reduce weight

Strengthen immunity

Reduce Heart Rate

Slow aging

Reduce/Reverse Disease

Lower Insulin

Lower inflammation

Blood Pressure

Health for the Body and Soul

While we can’t deny the health benefits of fasting, which has grown in popularity as of late. We as Christians we must not forget that the purpose of fasting is not primarily, or even really secondarily, for the purpose of physical health, but rather, health for the soul. We can, however, draw a lot of parallels between the body and soul. Remember we are a whole person, consisting of body and soul. The hard truth of dieting and bodily health is very similar to the health of the soul (holiness). Whatever results that you want to make in regards to the health of your soul are directly connected to how much you are willing to deny yourself.

Matthew 16:24 ESV

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Just as fasting in the form of dieting is good for the body in a physical sense. Fasting for soul benefits us by purging the the soul of similar “zombie cells” or self- defeating sinful desires that seek to, as Pope Benedict said, “prevent [us] from conformity to the will of God.” or to grow in holiness.

Holiness = Health for the soul.

Fasting is a way to sanctify or set your soul apart to dedicate it for the special purposes of God.

"Fasting gives strength against sin, represses evil desires, repels temptation, humbles pride, cools anger, and fosters all the inclinations of a good will, even unto the practice of every virtue."

- St. Leo the Great

Many of the great early saints believed that if a person wanted to grow in holiness, they must then regularly practice fasting.

Gluttony was the first in the 7 deadly sins. It’s first because they believed a undisciplined handling of our physical bodies had a direct connection to our weak resistance to sinful habits in every area of our life. They believed this to be especially true of sins of sexual nature. They strongly believed that if a believer was to become the whole person (body, mind, and spirit) they would need to exercise spiritual disciple over there physical bodies.

Let’s take this a bit further.

Turn in your Bibles to Romans 7. 15-24

Romans 7:15–24 ESV

15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

In this famous passage, Paul is describing the obvious tension between our desires for a Godly life and the desire for selfish sin. What we want to do we don’t do, and what we don’t want to do, we do. Sound familiar? Welcome. Paul calls this “the body of death”.

Last week Paul said that our bodies were a temple of the Holy Spirit, and here he says that it is a body of death. So which is it? Then answer is both.

Paul teaches that you, even as a Christian, have a spiritual war happening in your person. Part of you is spirit, the part of you that is desires connection and relationship with God, and the other part Paul calls the Flesh. This is the still diseased part of you that still desires a life a part from God.

Flesh > σάρξ > sarx > our sinful nature or self - indulgence.

Flesh doesn’t mean our physical bodies. Again, your physical body is a part of the person that God created you to be. It consists of the need to eat, sleep, play, sexual desire, build a home, order order that home, build security for that home, the desire to have affection and love for and from others. Admittedly all good things, however the Flesh twists and disorders these good things into sinful motivations, and turns them into “god things” where we put them at the top of our priority list above loving and obeying God, loving my neighbor, etc. Again the Flesh disorders our previously good desires into a imbalanced life where our priorities and desires out weigh Gods.

The point is, the body isn’t our enemy. The flesh is the one we are to war against.

Again Jesus says,

Matthew 16:24 ESV

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Paul says to “put to death” the flesh throughout his letters

Galatians 5:24 ESV

24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Colossians 3:5 ESV

5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

When approaching the subject of sin Jesus, Paul, and other NT writers don’t mince words they use the language of fighting, warring, and putting death the flesh. Not to coddle, make excuses, or justify it, but to put it to death.

How do we do this?

Have you ever just tried to stop sinning?

Romans 8:13 ESV

13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

We cant use our desires to defeat our desires. Will power can be effective against a plate of cookies, getting up at 4am to go to work, or taking a cold shower for its health benefits. But to fight lust, greed, your temper, drugs or alcohol, it doesn’t stand a chance. We must depend on the Spirit if we are going to follow Jesus.

Fasting is a practice that Jesus and His followers have used to rely on the power of the Spirit to overcome the pull of the flesh.

Fasting is a way to starve the flesh and feed your spirit.

4 Things That Fasting Does

Trains us against the pleasure principle

Bennet taking medicine

oreos or $10,000

It reveals what’s in our heart

“Fasting reveals the things that control us.” - Richard Foster

As all the negative things bubble to the surface we have the opportunity to give them to God

Re-orders our desires

We not only avoid perverting the good gifts that God has given us, but now we begin to desire the true and Godly intent of those gifts.

Depends upon the power of God to overcome sin.

In all of these things we see our weaknesses as we previously couldn’t, grew dull to their effects, or overcome by their draw. Since now we are more aware of our weaknesses we can now take them to God and He promises to give us His strength.

Fasting opens our whole selves to God, so that the Spirit can do what we cannot do.

The Primary Goal

We can’t forget the primary aim of all the spiritual practices, fasting included. To dwell with God. As we offer our whole selves to Jesus and seek to become more like him by setting our whole selves apart for His purpose and His service, and forgoing the pull and deceptions of this world and our flesh, we become closer and closer to Him

Matthew 5:8 ESV

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Just like any other relationship the more we set ourselves apart for that person the more we see and know them.