"What's The Deal With Fasting?"

INTRO

The thought of fasting often leaves us asking two questions.

1) How in the world could I go without food or drink for even an hour?

2) What’s the deal with fasting?

I really wanted to know what most people thought of fasting (you know the type of people who probably don’t read their Bible but often look to others for a rant or advice) and where else do you go to get an honest opinion like that… well besides facebook?

Urban Dictionary online.

Do you know what the urban dictionary says about fasting?

So this is their definition...

“Fasting is a planned activity in some religious circles, where no eating and drinking for a given number of days or weeks, while abstaining from gossip, smoking, or sex, makes believers feel or look holy.”

You know what part of that sentence stood out to me the most?

The part where they said “…makes believers feel or look holy.”

See, the majority of unbelievers who know little of true Biblical fasting have seen it as a way that people can show off their holier than thou personas.

They or we might even tend to link fasting with Monks or hermits who live in caves or huts, but not with “normal everyday people”.

What I will say is that fasting should make no sense to someone who is not a Christian and following Christ.

The definition of a fast or fasting according to the Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible is this...

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible Fast, Fasting

Eating sparingly or abstaining from food altogether, either from necessity or desire

I would add that a true Biblical fast would not only abstain from food or drink but that it would be replaced with prayer and reliance upon God’s Word for sustenance or satisfaction.

Before we get into today’s Scripture Matthew 6:16-18 I would like to look at fasting in the Bible in the Old Testament and in the New Testament.

Under the law of Moses the children of Israel were commanded to fast once a year, and this was bound to the nation and people forever, within that covenant.

This specific law was given to Moses and can be found in Leviticus 16:1-34.

For time sake we won’t read the entire Scripture but we should know...

There was a specific way in which God used priests to help atone for the Israelites’ sin through a strict sacrificial process of offerings.

There was a process for which the priest would dress and then enter the Most Holy Place.

There was a process for which the offering would be made.

There was also a process for afterwards when the priest would clean up.

And this process known as the Day of Atonement would happen once a year, on the tenth day of the seventh month.

Today, in the Jewish religion, the Jews observe the Day of Atonement through a 25 hour fast known as Yom Kippur.

For them this is considered the holiest day of the year.

Hebrews 8-9 explains how Jesus became the high priest of the new covenant, therefore replacing the old covenant and laws.

Hebrews 8-9 can be summed up like this...

The first covenant with national Israel was dedicated and sealed with the blood of an animal because it pertained to physical blessings.

The new covenant and testament contains eternal blessings; therefore, it was dedicated and sealed with the sacrificial blood of Christ whose origin was heavenly and eternal.

Christ has fulfilled all of the symbolism and ritual pertaining to covering our sins through his sacrificial blood and is now our intercessory high priest before the Father.

All of the sacrifices and rituals performed in observance of the Day of Atonement, including the mandatory fast, were performed for only one purpose.

That purpose was to place national Israel back into harmony with the Creator God, so that the Creator's presence would continue to reside in the temple.

In ancient Israel God's presence resided in the tabernacle and later in the temple in Jerusalem.

But, where does God's presence reside today?

The apostle Paul's writings leave no doubt as to where the presence of God resides on earth today:

1 Corinthians 3:16–17 NIV

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.

Because of Christ’s work on the cross, to save us from our sins, we are no longer under the old law or observances or rituals like the fast on the Day of Atonement.

To sum up- the Day of Atonement was the only fast that was commanded by God.

But aside from the Day of Atonement fasting was a part of the lives of God’s people in the Old Testament...

FASTING IN THE OLD TESTAMENT: (Just a few examples)

Confession of Sin

Ninevites- READ Jonah 3:5

Moses fasted for 40 days and 40 nights- READ Deuteronomy 9:18

Grief

Israelites fasted after many losses in battle- READ Judges 20:26

Israelites fasted after the death of Saul- READ 1 Samuel 31:13

FASTING IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

Concentration

Commissioning of Missionaries- READ Acts 13:2,3

Appointing elders- READ Acts 14:23

Lengths of Fasts (DON’T READ SCRIPTURES)

Sunrise to sunset (Judges 20:26, 1 Samuel 14:24, 2 Samuel 1:12, 3:35)

Seven Days (1 Samuel 31:13)

Three Weeks (Daniel 10:3)

Forty Days (Exodus 34:2, 28, Deut. 9:9, 18, 1 Kings 19:8)

Fifth and Seventh Month (Zechariah 7:3-5)

Fourth, Fifth, Seventh and Tenth Month (Zechariah 8:19)

Twice a Week (Luke 18:12) – The boast of a Pharisee –

FOUR KEYS TO FASTING

1) Fast in Secret(Matthew 6:16-18) READ

Or at least not to draw attention to yourself.

Jesus’ words in this Scripture specifically tell us that when we fast as Christians, we shouldn’t do it for anyone else’s attention.

Remember a couple weeks ago when we went through Matthew 6:1-4 regarding giving?

Jesus told His disciples to give in secret as if either one of your hands didn’t know what the other one was doing.

We should have that same attitude with fasting.

It was known throughout the whole area that when the Day of Atonement fast came you could find Pharisees on the street corners showing off their stuff.

They would cover their faces with ash, where sack clothe and old clothes to look dirty.

They would have their hair unkept and basically make themselves look miserable because they had been fasting so hard.

Well Jesus is basically saying “Girl, wash your face!” or “Dude, shave your stubbles!”

He is telling His disciples to go clean up so that they don’t look like they are fasting.

Don’t do what everyone else is doing because that is all for the wrong reason!

Like He teaches on giving, he says those who pretend to fast with wrong motives will receive man’s praise as a reward, but will receive no reward from their Father in heaven.

Those who give or fast in secret, with right motives will receive their reward from their Father in heaven.

No one enjoys watching a hypocrite make themselves look like a fool… it’s sad. Am I right?

Neither does God.

2) Fast in Anticipation (Matthew 9:14-17) READ

In this passage Jesus explains something in a pretty simple way and then throws in a really confusing analogy about wineskins.

Well it seems confusing to us. Right?

Actually this is what He is saying.

(READ PAGE 335 IN WILLIAM BARCLAY’S COMMENTARY)

Jesus follows up with saying I know that new ideas are hard to understand but the fact is when I’m here with you don’t need to fast.

It’s important to realize that Jesus’ questioners were John the baptist’s disciples.

They were believer’s of Jesus because of John’s preaching about him, but didn’t quite understand Jesus for who He really was yet.

What Jesus was saying was a new concept because they were familiar more with the law, and the fasting for the Day of Atonement.

So as we think about fasting, in our own lives, it’s not a ritual… it’s simply about thanking Jesus and looking at our future with Him.

It’s about getting our focus off of things and onto the Lord.

Anticipating that He will fulfill all our needs.

3) Fast in Need (Acts 13:1-3 & Matthew 4:1-11) READ

Acts 13… The leaders of the early church were fasting, in order to show God their own need and desire with their bodies, for His guidance in missionary breakthroughs.

God responded with something that transformed the world, the affirmation of the partnership of Paul and Barnabas.

Their partnership expanded the gospel into the Western Roman Empire and nothing has been the same since that breakthrough!

Matthew 4… Jesus went into the wilderness to be with God before His ministry started.

If you think for a minute that in your fast you are free from the enemies temptations, think again.

Jesus relied on God’s Word, prayer and the Lord’s strength to overcome any and all temptations Satan threw at Him.

Fasting is such an amazing opportunity to see our great need for God, apart from the things we think we put in place as a false sense of security.

When we fast we have no choice but to rely on God for sustenance and our deepest needs.

4) Fast as Worship (Luke 2:25-38) READ

First mention of fasting in the NT

READ ARTICLE “WHO WAS ANNA THE PROPHETESS IN THE BIBLE?”

Almost always prayer and fasting are mentioned together when fasting is mentioned.

Both of them are forms of worship that we can offer to the Lord.

Anna devoted her life to worshipping God through prayer and fasting, she saw it a her main focus in life.

Though most of us aren’t going to give up everything and set up a bed in the church, even though I feel I live her most of the time, we can still offer the first of ourselves and last of ourselves to the Lord.

Fasting is a great way we can worship the Lord by giving up certain things we might consider more important than the Lord.

We might say well I wouldn’t say that in my life, but let me ask you a question...

Are there things that you often think of or do more than you focus on the lord?

Then think about a fast to refocus your life and priorities!

It’s interesting to note about fasting that both feasting and fasting are good according to Scripture.

Feasting has always been associated with festivals and celebrations, many of which Jesus himself took part in.

However, there is a parallel between fasting and the Lord’s Supper.

Sam Storms, a pastor and author, in his commentary on Matthew 6:16-18, says...

“…the Lord’s Supper looks backward in time, whereas fasting is a feasting that looks forward in time. The breaking of bread and drinking the cup is done in “remembrance” of our Lord’s historic, and therefore past, act of sacrifice. Thus by eating and drinking we celebrate the finality and sufficiency of that atoning death and that glorious resurrection. We should never fast from the supper of the Lord, even when we are fasting from other ordinary “suppers”.

Basically the Lord’s supper is us remembering what Christ did for us to take on our sin, and cover us with His blood, leading to the forgiveness of sin, and making way for a right relationship with God.

When we fast we are fasting in order to reveal the things that control us and realigning our focus on the Lord in anticipation of our future with Him.

I believe we can not fast without first thinking of these two Scriptures:

Philippians 3:20 NIV

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

John 3:30 NIV

He must become greater; I must become less.”

FAST FACTS

-There was fasting after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Which means we can still fast, although not required.

-Fasting can be done in a group. Jesus tells us to not fast for the attention of others but if the group has the same humility and seeking God together, it is not forbidden. (As in the case in Acts 13.)

-Fasting is a pursuit to know, hear and experience God (Often includes worship, reading His Word and of course prayer)

-Fasting doesn’t necessarily have to be just giving up food or water. Anything given up temporarily in order to focus on God can be considered a fast.

-We are not “less of a Christian” if we don’t fast, BUT if we allow ourselves to become a slave to other things over Him, maybe it’s time for a fast to recalibrate our lives and priorities?

TRUE FASTING- ISAIAH 58