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Introduction
Recap:
We have seen the reward of giving and prayer when driven by our love for God.
Tonight, we will see the impact of fasting on the believer when done in the proper way.
Read
What does the Bible teach about fasting?
Reflecting on Matthew 6:16-18 and other passages, Richard Foster comments in Celebration of Discipline:
“It is sobering to realize that the very first statement Jesus made about fasting dealt with the question of motive.
To use good things to our own ends is always the sign of false religion...Fasting must forever center on God.
It must be God-initiated and God-ordained...Fasting reminds us that we are sustained by ‘every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’ (Matt.
4:4)...Therefore, in experiences of fasting, we are not so much abstaining from food as we are feasting on the word of God.
Fasting is feasting!”
Fasting, like praying and giving, is a legitimate spiritual discipline to be practiced in private between a Christian and the Lord.
How often we practice it is not prescribed, because that too is between the believer and Christ.
When we desire to seek God’s face more than we want dinner, that will be the proper time to fast.
1.
The Jeopardy of Fasting.
We shouldn’t fast if it is for show.
Matthew 6:16
16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others.
Truly, I say to you; they have received their reward.[1]
The spiritual leaders of the day would go around and make themselves look miserable while fasting.
“Pharisees typically fasted on Mondays and Thursdays, refraining from food but not from drink.”
This means that everyone knew that twice a week, they were going to look miserable.
Illustration:
Be dramatic with facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice.
Say stuff that would be normal conversational things.
Sure, people might go up and say to that person.
Man, you are really spiritual.
I don’t have the discipline to be like you.
Great job keep it up!
The praise of people was poured over them.
Yet, Jesus calls them hypocrites.
Play actors.
The reason they are fasting isn’t the reason given for fasting.
Our reward is in full if we do it for men.
Should we even fast though?
2. Fasting Is Expected
“When you fast” is used in both verse 16 and verse 17.
We also see Jesus state in
There is a clear expectation that we would be a people who fast regularly.
The early church in Acts practiced fasting and it was for the purpose of seeking God’s will in choosing church leaders.
and
Yet, if you expand out fasting it has many different purposes that lead to spiritual rewards.
3. The Reward of Fasting.
(Matthew 6:17-18)
Understanding The Biblical Fasting Purpose
“Fasting is the laying aside of food for a period of time when the believer is seeking to know God in a deeper experience.
It is to be done as an act before God in the privacy of one’s own pursuit of God (Exod.
34:28; 1 Sam.
7:6; 1 Kings 19:8; Matt.
6:17).
“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.[2]”
a. Pursuit to know God deeper.
“Fasting is to be done with the object of seeking to know God in a deeper experience.”
and
b.
Pursuit of a time of confession.
c.
Pursuit of a greater prayer experience.
and
d.
Pursuit of knowing God’s will.
“The early church often fasted in seeking God’s will for leadership in the local church (Acts 13:2).
When the early church wanted to know the mind of God, there was a time of prayer and fasting.”
e. Pursuit of worshipping God.
Luke and Acts depict fasting as a part of worship.
and
4. How to fast?
Kinds of Fasting in the Bible
a. Traditional Fasting
“Refraining from eating food.
The Bible describes three main forms of fasting.”
i) Normal Fast
“The normal fast involves the total abstinence of food.
Luke 4:2 reveals that Jesus “ate nothing”; afterwards “He was hungry.”
Jesus abstained from food but not from water.”
ii) Absolute Fast
“In Acts 9:9 we read of an absolute fast where for three days Paul “did not eat or drink” (HCSB).
The abstinence from both food and water seems to have lasted no more than three days (Ezra 10:6; Esther 4:16).”
iii) Partial Fast
“The partial fast in Dan.
10:3 emphasizes the restriction of diet rather than complete abstinence.
The context implies that there were physical benefits resulting from this partial fast.
However, this verse indicates that there was a revelation given to Daniel as a result of this time of fasting.[4]
b.
Non-Traditional Fasting
Non-Traditional fasting doesn’t relate to food.
It is not typical.
It can consist of things like:
Social Media
Texting
Gaming (PC, Console, Phone)
Television and Movies
Videos on Youtube, TikTok, etc.
Certain kinds of Music
Taking a break from certain activities like playing frisbee, golf, basketball, playing an instrument.
As a whole, I recommend choosing to do various kinds of food fasts because they are rooted in the types of fasting in the Bible.
However, the non-traditional fasts definitely can be impactful and helpful to the believer wanting to dedicate more time and focus on the Lord.
Conclusion/ Invitation
“God judges the greatness of his servants by searching their hearts, examining their inner attitudes, and seeing deeds done in secret.”
What about fasting for us today?
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