Alignment: Good Enough Ministries

Introduction

We are beginning a new series this week, Alignment. I would like to introduce this series for us. I am excited that I get to be with you today and bring this message. We are expecting the arrival of our little girl this week. Whenever she comes I will be taking a paternity leave. I will take two weeks off from weekly responsibilities and 4 weeks off total from preaching. I am excited to have Chris, Burt, and Stacey Sweet preach and speak into this series for Vine community.

This series is an important one for us as we talk about alignment. How do we align together and align with God for what He wants to do. That is why today we will talk about prayer and fasting to begin. So that is the context for our text today. Let’s begin there and I will say more about the series as we begin.

Isaiah 58:1–14 NIV

“Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the descendants of Jacob their sins. 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. ‘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. 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. Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? “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? 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 them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? 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. 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, 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. 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. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

(NIV)

Isaiah 58:1–14 NIV

“Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the descendants of Jacob their sins. 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. ‘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. 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. Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? “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? 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 them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? 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. 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, 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. 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. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Isaiah 58

True Fasting

58 “Shout it aloud, do not hold back.

Raise your voice like a trumpet.

Declare to my people their rebellion

and to the descendants 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 people to humble themselves?

Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed

and for lying in 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 them,

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.

12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins

and will raise up the age-old foundations;

you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,

Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

13 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath

and from doing as you please on my holy day,

if you call the Sabbath a delight

and the Lord’s holy day honorable,

and if you honor it by not going your own way

and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

14 then you will find your joy in the Lord,

and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land

and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Isaiah 58:1–14 NIV

“Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the descendants of Jacob their sins. 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. ‘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. 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. Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? “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? 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 them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? 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. 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, 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. 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. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Isaiah 58:

Pray.

In prayer our pastoral team were led to this series in a beautiful way. We are experiencing something special at KUMC and we were trying to find the pulse. Where God led us was to this series. We found that in the seasons where we were aligned, as a staff, as a church, with God were the healthiest seasons. Right? Particularly we found that when worship, discipleship, and mission are aligned at our church then things are healthy. This series will look at these aspects of our church but to also importantly look at how they should not be separated from each other.

Today I though I would begin with a state of the union so to speak:

Worship:

We have seen steady growth in worship attendance across the campus for years now. Our average now is over 1200 people per sunday across Sanctuary, Vine, Loft, Refugio. The addition of Ryan and Matt Robinson, the director of all things traditional worship has been such a blessing. It took time to hire those two guys and it was because God was pressing us to make the right hire.

Let me talk about Vine worship in specific:

from 50 to 400 a week. 1 service to 2

Over 50 volunteers involved in the weekly service

HT

Worship

Tech

Prayer

Streaming: hundreds of views a week

Mission:

Our impact in places around the world continue forward. Anywhere from supporting missionaries… for example Clint took some students to Czech Republic to support missionaries there.... to on going work in Haiti. Water in Haiti. Tanzania, Costa Rica, and many other partnerships.

Oasis

Human Trafficking

Go box training

Discipleship:

Sunday school

Women’s BS:

YMBS: 70 participating.

Table is booming

Harvest young adult bible study

12 More to life home groups

When these come together and move together…that is when real change takes place. Here is what I mean....it is the small group participants that are showing up to be on the worship prayer team.....it is the person that has had their life changed on a mission trip that is now helping to lead a sunday school.... It is when a church holds these together as part of our identity that I believe God is glad to pour into.

Worship of God, following Jesus in Discipleship, and finding his work in the world and joining Him.

But instead of patting ourselves on the back....what if we double down?

Isaiah text can be broken apart into three sections I think, but two movements for us today. First God through the prophet comes down hard on their fasting...

the first 5 verses are about their hypocrisy. They are fasting for the wrong reasons. They fast for God’s action, to get what they want....and yet there is no fruit of the fast in their life.

Isaiah 58:3–4 NIV

‘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. 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.

Isaiah 58:

They were treating God like a genie in the bottle. Trying really hard to do what they thought they were supposed to do but it was just to try and get something.

Well what does this have to do with us....I do not fast!

Well, how often do you pray just because you want to spend time with God....or is it just when you want something? How often do you go to church to feel like you did what you were supposed to do and then be a jerk to the waiter at lunch....

or at home.

God is saying stop with the religion stuff....this is not transactional. The first time Jesus talks about fasting it is about motive.

The second movement is about aligning with God. God says I am a chain breaker, I am setting people free, I am the God for the hungry....when you fast it should be revealing this work in you and through you.

The call to fasting and prayer for us today and during this series is towards this work of pressing into God.

You give your family a day (I hope). You give yourself a day. You give football a day....what if you give God a day.

Spiritual fasting entails setting aside activities as well as reducing the intake of food and replacing these activities with the exercise of prayer and preoccupation with spiritual concerns. The NT word which is translated “fasting” literally means one who has not eaten, one who is empty.1

1 Bass, C. B. (1988). Fast, Fasting. In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 1, p. 780). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

Empty yourself to fill with him.

Look if you have a dieting restriction, diabetic, or sick or something then adjust but we live in a time where we consume all kinds of things. our phone, tv, social media, news and politics, shopping, and it distracts us from God. This is a calling to fast and pray so that you might press into him.

Handout will be provided with some teaching and instruction.

Fasting within itself does not change anything. But it is a avenue to find intimacy with God

“A farmer is helpless to grow grain; all he can do is provide the right conditions for the growing of grain. He cultivates the ground, he plants the seed, he waters the plants, and then the natural forces of the earth take over and up comes the grain...This is the way it is with the Spiritual Disciplines - they are a way of sowing to the Spirit... By themselves the Spiritual Disciplines can do nothing; they can only get us to the place where something can be done.” 

― Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth

Challenge

Let me close with a challenge from our text:

Isaiah 58:11–12 NIV

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. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

When I was a student minister....Good enough ministries

What if we didnt settle for good enough. Everything we shared today. Financial growth. all of it. what if we did not settle. What if we repented of the places where we have built ourselves and not in faith. What if we doubled down?

In a sun scorched land you will be a well watered garden. Life and life to others. Like a spring whose waters never fail.

You will rebuild ancient ruins and will raise up old foundations. Let’s be repairers and restorers...

Challenge to you in this series. Fast, pray, come together. and in worship if ever, do not come to consume the preaching....come to hear God. Let’s align ourselves as a church to God.