A Question About Fasting

Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man. For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth. Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you.

Prayer

Teen Talk

Hymn -

Notices

Prayer Meeting - 7:30pm

Friday 7pm - Online

Sunday Morning 11am & 6pm

Tithes & Offerings - £

Main Prayer

Birthdays

Prayer Items

Hymn -

Sermon Search

Reading

Matthew 9:14–17 ESV

Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”

Sermon

Calling of Matthew / Levi

Matthew 9:11–13 ESV

And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Why does your teacher eat with Tax collectors & sinners?

“For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners”

Why do your disciples not fast?

Matthew 9:14 ESV

Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”

Then: at that time

Fast: (nesteuousin) Abstain from certain foods, for religious reasons

Associated with prayer, repentance, and seeking Good’s guidance or favour

Expression of humility and dependence on God

Only command: Day of Atonement (Lev 23:27)

Jesus taught on Fasting (Matt 6:16) - fasting to be in private

Problems with Fasting

Spiritual Pride

Formalism, devoid of its true meaning and purpose - hypocrisy

Legalism, regarding it as a means of earning a better standing before God

Wedding Feast

Matthew 9:15 ESV

And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

Scripture time and again compares the relationship between Jehovah and His People, or between Christ and his church, with the bond of love between bridegroom and bride

Wedding Guest/Attendant

The grooms friends purpose at the wedding is to ensure the success of the festivities

Jesus presents the concept of the guests fasting during the wedding celebrations

How absurd a proprosition

“The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast.”

Jesus fortells of his death on the cross

His ressurrection it would be replaced by Joy

John 16:16–22 ESV

“A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

Jesus is clear in his response how inappropriate it would be for the disciples to be fasting

Jesus conveys a new order that He coming has ushered in

bringing healing to the sick

liberation to the demon-possessed

freedom from care to the care-ridden

cleansing to lepers

food to the hungry

restoration to the handicaped

above all … salvation to those lost in sin

Does not fit into the mold of man-ordained fasting

New cloth for old garment

Matthew 9:16 ESV

No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made.

Simple illustration

Cloth shrinks as it ages, and is washed

If you cut new cloth to match the size of the hole, when it shrinks it will make the tear worse

New wine for old wineskins

Matthew 9:17 ESV

Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”

Another simple illustration

wine-skin was made of goat or sheep leather hide

tanned, hair removed and turned inside out

the wine as it ferments stretches the wine-skin

the wine-skin loses its elasticity, becoming stiff and rigid

if reused would cause the wine-skin to burst

Jesus teaches the salvation which He brings is out of step with the human institution of fastings, which the note of joy was completely excluded

The new wine of rescue and richest for all who are willing to accept these blessings, even tax collectors and sinners

must be poured into the fresh wine-skins of gratitude, freedom and spontaneous service to the glory of God

Hymn -

Closing Prayer

Doxology

Related Media

Related Sermons