Sermon Tone Analysis

Me

I hope you don’t mind my being honest and blunt for a moment… But, I hate fasting… I mean obviously, I didn’t get so beautifully plump by fasting all the time… But, while I enjoy a good meal several times a day, and ample snacks, and lots of ice cream, and so on, I can also see the beauty and spiritual benefit of fasting.

Years ago we were at our synagogue in New York and I was preaching one Shabbat.

I talked about spiritual disciplines that as followers of Messiah need to be regularly implemented in our daily lives and discipleship practices.

I talked about many of the same things you guys regularly hear me talk about here and of which I have great passion and zeal for.

I discussed daily time in the Bible, how can we expect to know the Voice of God if we aren’t actively in the Word of God?

I talked about daily time in prayer and communion with HaShem, not just pouring our hearts out a talking to Him, but also the value of sitting back and shutting up and just giving the Still Small Voice opportunity to speak.

I talked about spend time daily in worship and soaking in His Presence.

And much more.

But the one thing I mentioned that caused an interesting conversation was fasting.

I said that we should more regularly implement fasting in our discipleship.

Now, I am a fervent believer that before I can preach a message to you the Lord must be working on the message in my heart, and that is very much the case with that sermon, especially with regards to fasting.

As I said a moment ago, I hate fasting… Up to that point it was something I only did once a year, and really only because it’s what we do on Yom Kippur, not because it was something I wanted to do or took anything away from.

Over the years I have implemented fasting here and there for a few days at a time or what have you.

But in preparing for that particular sermon it was something the Lord was moving in my heart about.

So, as is the way God often works, I get done preaching, service has ended, and I’m walking to the back of the sanctuary to chat with folks as they’re leaving.

And a gentleman with whom we had a great relationship walks up to me, his name is Lou, and Lou says, “Rabbi, how often do you fast?”

I responded, “Not enough, I can tell you that… That is something the Lord has been working on my heart about.”

Lou said, “Well, rabbi, do you know why we fast?”

I responded, “Yeah, we fast to remove things that might be a distraction so that we can more deeply and more intently focus on God’s Presence and His Voice.”

Lou came back, “Yeah, that’s part of it, for sure.

But, there’s something else too.

When we are fasting about something it shows God it’s really important to us, like we’re putting skin in the game.

You know what I mean?”

And that brief conversation with Lou directly changed my mindset on fasting in general.

And since then I have spent much more time in fasting.

Sometimes it is fasting food, sometimes it is fasting something like watching TV, or Social Media, or something along those lines.

But, I have intentionally mad fasting something a little more regular, and my mindset on fasting changed drastically.

I wasn’t focused on the fact that I hate to fast, but rather on why I was fasting to begin with.

We

Do you know what I mean?

Do you loathe the idea of fasting?

As Yom Kippur slowly crept up on you did you experience a growing disdain for the fact that you were going to have to not eat for a whole day?

How many of you this evening as you were eating your last meal before Yom Kippur did so entirely begrudgingly?

How many have found yourselves thinking is this really necessary?

Why in the world do we have to do this?

This is just so stupid...

God

Yom Kippur is such phenomenal Mo’ed… It is a time set apart by HaShem solely for us to focus on atonement and repentance, on being restored to the Lord.

Tonight as we gather I want to encourage you with regards to the message of Yom Kippur and especially with the power of why we fast on this Appointed Day.

So as I share with you tonight, I want to draw your attention to the words Lou shared with me years ago, and we’re going to focus on this concept this evening as we are entering into the Day of Atonement.

When we are fasting about something it shows God it’s really important to us, like we’re putting skin in the game.

(Repeat)

Let’s dig into the Bible a little together this evening.

Let’s begin with Leviticus 16 which goes into great detail the priestly service of Yom Kippur.

Verse 31 says:

Next we go to Leviticus 23…

Verse 27 and 29 say:

Finally, with regards to Yom Kippur we read the refresher course in Numbers 29…

Verse 7 says:

It is from all three of these passages that we understand part of the Yom Kippur observance is fasting.

However, it’s pretty interesting to look at these a little closer.

You’ll note that in the Leviticus 16:31 and Leviticus 27:27 we see the translated English “to afflict yourself” and in Leviticus 27:29 and Numbers 29:7 the Englisgh translation is “to deny yourself”.

In all four of these verses the Hebrew root word is the word “Anah” which most accurately translates to be humbled or to be afflicted.

And it is from this concept that we understand Yom Kippur as a fast day.

Traditionally in Judaism on Yom Kippur we fast from all food and drink, for what is effective a 25 hour fast.

But on top of food and drink, traditionally you would also afflict yourself by avoiding the typical creature comforts of life, such as no excessive bathing, no skin care products or makeup, no comfortable footwear and often avoiding leather products, some won’t even sit on comfortable couches so as to be humbled.

But, the sum of it is that all of Judaism agrees that on Yom Kippur we are to fast as a means of afflicted, humbling, or denying ourselves.

And it is the one time a year where even most Secular Jews will stop and take the Hoy Day to heart and fast and pray.

Throughout Yom Kippur we are focused on introspection, repentance, renewing our walk with the Lord, and prayer.

It is a solemn occasion.

The tone in the synagogue clearly has a different feel.

There isn’t as much celebration and cheeriness, we are much more focused on deep worship than rejoicing.

Even in most Messianic synagogues, if worship music is used in the service, it has a much deeper worship focus and you don’t see the typical upbeat praise songs.

So this evening we begin Yom Kippur.

This evening we begin our fasting and denying ourselves.

This evening, as we observe the closing of the Yomim Noraim, we focus on the restoration and renewal of our relationship with the Lord.

So, as we fast tonight and tomorrow I want to encourage us all to reevaluate our focus on why we’re fasting and what exactly is going on this Appointed Day.

When we are fasting about something it shows God it’s really important to us, like we’re putting skin in the game.

If we are going to fast for Yom Kippur, or any other time, we better be (especially as followers of Yeshua), we better be doing it the right way with the right heart.

Yom Kippur is a solemn day, but it is a solemn day not specifically because the Torah says it should be.

It is a solemn day because atonement is even needed.

Why is atonement needed?

Well, as Paul says in Romans 3, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

We have been created in the image and likeness of HaShem and we have chosen to sin and separate ourselves from His Presence.

It is for this reason we need atonement, it is for this reason that we approach the Mercy Seat of HaShem on Yom Kippur to repent of our many sins and to seek restoration and renewal.

In fact, with regards to fasting this is what Yeshua says,

And here’s the beauty of it all, we aren’t observing Yom Kippur today with the sprinkling blood of goats in the Holy of Holies.

Instead, as Messianic believers we recognize the great price at which our atonement came in the offering of Yeshua’s life for our sins and the sprinkling of His Blood on the Mercy Seat in the Heavenly Tabernacle not built by human hands once and for all.

As we fast and observe Yom Kippur today as believers we aren’t just seeking atonement and forgiveness of sins, we should also be taking to heart the great cost at which our final atonement has been made.

And we should mourn the fact that, even as believers, in the Olam Hazeh we still fall short of the glory and sin day in and day out… But we can rejoice in the fact that we know not only that our atonement has been made and when we repent our sins are forgiven.

This is not carte blanche to sin as wish as long as we remember to ask for forgiveness every once in a while, and at least by the end of Yom Kippur.

This is not carte blanch to do whatever we want…

When we repent we should be striving to return to the recreation we have found in Messiah Yeshua in the image and likeness we were first created.

When we fast on Yom Kippur, and any other time, we should not be making a big show out of it… We should not be dragging our heads… We should not be whining and whimpering because we’re hungry… We should not be complaining and grumbling… This is not what fasting is about.

When we are fasting about something it shows God it’s really important to us, like we’re putting skin in the game.

In what way does whining, griping and complaining show God that our repentance is important to us?

What kind of message does it send to the rest of the world about the Word of God and our relationship with God when we are doing the things God has commanded of us with a negative attitude?

And what does it say of us when we do so?

Again, Yeshua says...

And lastly, as we fast this Yom Kippur may it be not just in repentance of sin, but may it be in the realization of what God has called us through Messiah to be and to do.

We live in dark times… The world around us has lost all hope… And we have been called through Messiah to bring Light and Hope to the world.

We have been given a very special assignment to walk out, and I believe, as we fast today, that Isaiah 58 brings this all into light much, much clearer.

We fast on Yom Kippur not to wallow in our sorry and gloom.

We fast on Yom Kippur not to focus on our sins and wrong doings.

We fast on Yom Kippur because our repentance and restoration is important to us.

We fast on Yom Kippur in solidarity with the rest of our Jewish world longing for the days when their eyes will be opened to the fact that our atonement has in fact been eternally provided in Messiah Yeshua.

We fact on Yom Kippur because we recognize we are but sinners and have been offered amazing grace and forgiven of our sins.

And we fast on Yom Kippur yearning to live out the very cry of Isaiah 58…

Is this not the desire of our heart?