Spiritual Disciplines: Fasting

Good morning and welcome to another week of Church here at the Bridge. I am so glad that we are able to be here together this morning. This week we will be continuing our look at the Spiritual Disciplines. This morning though we have to talk about something that is culturally one of the most difficult things for Americans. Food.

Food Abundant

The truth of the matter is that many Americans don’t ever experience a lack of food. The access to food in our country is absolutely amazing. If you take a moment and look at just the Bloomington area. We have 5 Kroger, 2 Aldi, 2 Fresh Thyme, Target, Sams club, and Walmart all within a short drive from us right now. That also doesn’t count smaller, local, and international markets that are in the area. There are a lot of options in our town.

Now not everyone in our country has this same access. There are areas of the country that can have no grocery stores at all to provide access to food. Though even that is shrinking with the expansion of online food shopping though that does come with fees.

There was something else about our food situation that stands out to me though. This became very apparent during the pandemic too. The grocery store is filled not just with food but choices. If you walk into a store and you go down any aisle you are going to be met with choices.

Have you ever wondered how to figure out what the most commonly bought items are in a grocery store. There is quite a simple answer for this. When you are looking for a product count how many options there are for that product. Think about bread. Bread is a staple in the American diet. If you go to the bread aisle you will find multiple options for bread. White, wheat, whole wheat, multi grain, low calorie, high fiber, protein, certified organic non gmo gluten free air, and the list goes on and on. Bread has been customized for the consumer because there is such a high demand to meet the needs of anyone who walks into the grocery store. I mean it used to be that the only products that didn’t have multiple versions was the fresh fruits and vegetables. Now though we have figured out a way to distinguish that. Organic or non organic if you please.

The connection this has to the pandemic is a lot of those choices started to become limited. As we saw shortages the shelves were filled with a lot of the same product. This left many people uncertain and lost because their choices were gone.

We face the challenge of plenty many people eat three meals a day and eat multiple snacks in a day and we never think twice about it.

Where is he going with this might be entering some of your minds. For the most seasoned Christian you can see where this path is going. We are talking about Fasting.

Fasting

Fasting as a spiritual discipline is one that I have always found difficult. I enjoy food I won’t deny it but it is also a powerful experience in the Spiritual life. If you aren’t familiar with this term or idea lets define it.

Fasting-is the deliberate, temporary abstention from food for religious reasons

It is important to note that a lot of people often associate Lent with Fasting. This is not the same practice as that. We are talking about a more specific abstinence of food for a day to yes 40 days of food. Not just the limiting of one food, on Fridays for a season.

Yet, just removing food from our lives is not the entirety of what Fasting is. Fasting is a natural adjunct to fervent prayer.

Fasting and Prayer

Fasting and prayer are connected together. In fact Fasting is really a subsection to prayer. Fasting without prayer is just hunger. Lot of people in our world experience hunger but they aren’t fasting. Fasting is designed to in the absence of food draw us to the bread of life. To draw us to God. Look at

Matthew 4:4 NIV

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Jesus quotes this passage from Deuteronomy to rebuke Satan while he was fasting in the wilderness. The loss of food can be painful but for the person who is intentional in it uses it to focus the mind and the heart not on our earthly needs and desires but to channel their thoughts and focus into God. To instead live on the guidance and the word of God.

Disclaimer

It seems like we have to put these in here inevitably when it comes to spiritual disciplines. However, this is a very important one. Fasting is an important spiritual discipline because it in connection with prayer is a powerful tool. However, it is not a command of the Bible in the strictest of sense. Do not ever let anyone tell you that you must fast in order to be a Christian. Fasting is a practice that helps us go deeper but it is not required. The reason i put this disclaimer is not to refute my whole sermon but because there are people who have physical reasons they can’t fast. For some Fasting may be down right dangerous to their health. If you have conditions related to your physical health that may limit your ability to fast i would highly recommend to talk with your doctor about options. If those options don’t work out talk with your pastor. I would love to sit down with someone and find a creative way you can experience fasting that isn’t related to something like food.

Fasting and Prayer

Now back to our regularly scheduled program. Jesus clearly was in favor of Fasting he did it for 40 days.

Matthew 4:2 NIV

2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

Yet, he doesn’t talk about it a lot or even really command it of his followers. Fasting was something that for the Jewish people was a thing of sorrow. It was in mourning of what they had lost. It was also a sign of honor to be vocal about fasting. To grumble and complain about fasting and to make sure everyone knew about the fact that you were fasting. This is where Jesus in typical fashion flips everything on it head when it comes to fasting.

Matthew 6:16–18 NIV

16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Fasting for Jesus became a private matter. It became something that was between you and God. It isn’t something to be proud of to brag about. In fact, I have been torn about this all week because I have been trying to practice the Spiritual Disciplines that we have been learning about. Yet, the challenge is do I talk about this one. I don’t want to be like the Hypocrites and complain to you. Or have by even saying this already shown my hand. I can’t hide it but i have been fasting. I am struggling right now because this isn’t for my glory, I share this because fasting is something I am trying to work into my Spiritual life. Not for anyone else benefit but because i see the value of this practice. I also share this with you because if you need guidance I want to share with you my experiences.

What is important though is while we are fasting we aren’t trying to do it as a symbol or badge of honor but to focus our hearts and minds on God. To draw close to him. To go deeper in our relationship.

Jesus and Fasting

There is one other story that i think is interesting to talk about related to Fasting that I thought was important to share with you how Jesus changed the conversation about a practice or topic.

Luke 5:33–35 NIV

33 They said to him, “John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.” 34 Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? 35 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.”

This passage was a curious one to me because it shifts the view of fasting as a sorrowful event to one of Joy. No longer was the act of fasting connected to one of pain and sorrow as in

2 Samuel 1:12 NIV

12 They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the Lord and for the nation of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

or 1 Chronicles 10:12

1 Chronicles 10:12 NIV

12 all their valiant men went and took the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh. Then they buried their bones under the great tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.

Instead Fasting is now drawn to the image of a wedding. A Joyous occasion.

Luke 5:34 NIV

34 Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is with them?

The Bridegroom was with the Disciples. They didn’t need to fast because they were in the presence of Jesus. They has reason to be thankful and joyful. However, we know that Jesus ascended into heaven and is no longer on this earth with us. Shouldn’t that make us want to fast in a sorrowful manner because the Bridegroom is gone?

No, we have the benefit of the sending of the Spirit of God or the Holy Spirit to be with us till the return of Jesus. God is still present and this gives us reason to be thankful in our times of fasting. Yet, i also think it allows us to be somber in our fasting because we long for the return of the Bridegroom.

Fasting made New

The reality is that Fasting now for us draws us to thankfulness and to longing for the return of Christ. Fasting is about growing in our relationship with the Spirit and building upon the relationship ith God in a new way. To come to him in denial of ourselves to experience his presence in even greater fashion. It always amazes me that something that is seen as a denial of ones desires and needs can be used to help us draw closer to see him more clearly and to grow as individuals. I Hope that as we seek more in this relationship with God that we continue to draw closer to him in new and exciting ways.

Let’s Pray.