"Fasting"

Over the past several weeks we have been learning about taking a season or a time to reevaluate or recalibrate and focus our hearts and minds on the Lord. As we approach Easter where we remember all of the wonderful things that Christ has done for us I think it is good for us the remember the sacrifice of Christ. We need to take time to confess our ongoing battle with sin, to seek the Lord in prayer as we talked about last week and to take time too fast as well. When we fast this is not just from food, but to willingly and joyfully let go of the things of this world that have too much of a hold on us. What would that look like for you today? In our busy lives it is good to take time and remember and focus on the Lord and one of the ways we can do this is by fasting.

When it comes too fasting I think many of us have questions and even confusion on this topic. Have you ever wondered what in the world is fasting, and why would someone try and do this? What is the purpose of giving something up for a period of time? Does fasting bring us closer to God? Can fasting help us to defeat sin? Is there a biblical theology of fasting? Does God require us too fast?

Today I want to take some time and clear up any confusion you may have on this and take a look at what God’s word has to say about this very thing.

(I remember the first time I was told about fasting and that we as a youth group should take a day before camp too fast and prepare ourselves before we went. At the time I didn’t know everything about fasting but it was a great thing for me to learn, and really prepare myself before I left for camp. It was also one of the toughest things I have done. Here are a few things that I feel I learned. Fasting helped me to focus my attention on the Lord and not other things as I went about my day. Fasting helped me to be more committed to the Lord. Fasting helped me to make a sacrifice.)

Before we jump into our text today I want to try and answer some of the questions that I began with.

1. Why would someone fast? Why do we need to take time to focus on the Lord? We all live busy lives. We all have plans and schedules that fill up very quickly. We also live with a ton of distractions all around us. Here are just a few.

-Our phones. People wanting to visit or work calls.

-Keeping up with Social Media. Posting or just scrolling to see what is happening with all of our friends.

-Moment by moment contact with the News. What is going on in the world. What is happening with Politics and wars. World News, News in our country, state news, and even local news.

-Constant updates on sports scores. There are now sports alerts that ring on our phone to tell us that our team just scored or won the game.

-As we get older even weather updates because the weather does tend to change every 5 minutes right???

As a pastor I see many things that distract us from what really matters in this life. I feel like at times my heart wonders away from the Lord. We all deal with envy, jealously and other temptations that grab our hearts and if we are not careful we forget who we are and what we have been given. We are God’s. We are His children and He does have a plan for each and everyone of our lives. Fasting helps us to slow down and see who God is and understand that He loves us so much He was willing to give his son for us so that we may have everlasting life.

2. The second question that I want to answer is does fasting bring us closer to God? Fasting is a way to remember God. It is a way for us to confess our sin to the Lord, to rest in Him, and to celebrate the fact that we have been given salvation. Fasting is a way God reaches into our lives and draws us closer to Him. Fasting is a gift from God who knows us better than we know ourselves. God knows what we will face during the day, he knows what we need and don’t need. So, yes fasting does draw us closer to the Lord because it helps us as his children to refocus, recharge, and even repent.

3. Finally, what exactly is fasting? Fasting can be giving up food or something else for a period of time in order to focus on God and our walk with him. Here are just a few example from Scripture.

Psalm 35:13 ESV

But I, when they were sick— I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting; I prayed with head bowed on my chest.

Ezra 8:23 ESV

So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.

Nehemiah 1:3–4 ESV

And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.” As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

When we come to the Lord and focus on him through fasting it doesn’t mean that we are instantly more godly than ever before, but it does help us to be more spiritually disciplined. We also don’t fast in order to gain God’s favor, but to bring our lives into a greater surrender to what God wants for our lives. Fasting is spiritual warfare. Any time we as believers get serious about God you can guarantee that Satan will battle against us.

Ok let’s take a look at Matthew chapter 6.

Matthew 6:16–18 ESV

“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. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

In the Old Testament under the Mosaic laws and rules, fasting was commanded only on the Day of Atonement. (Leviticus 16:29-31. Numbers 29:7.) During the exile Israel had regular fasts of remembrance. In all of these fasts whether they were personal or national the purpose was to foster an attitude of self-humiliation before God, often in connection with the confession of their sins. We see this in several passages like (Nehemiah 9:1-2. Psalm 35:13.) Also we see there were times Israel would fast in order to lay some special petition before the Lord, sometimes out of anguish or desperation. (Ezra 8:21-23. Esther 4:15-17.)

Turning the corner we now come to the New Testament and during the days of Jesus we still see people fasting. Here in Matthew chapter 6 Jesus now continues with the third example of a what Jewish people would consider as piety. The first two examples would be giving which we see in verses 1-4 and then prayer which we looked at last week starting in verse 5 and ending in verse 14. This is known as “The Lord’s Prayer.” We know from Matthew chapter 4 verses 2-11 that Jesus himself fasted for 40 days. The religious leaders of the time (Pharisees) would typically fast on Mondays and Thursdays. The reason I am telling you this was because we clearly see that fasting was a part of life for Jewish people and others as well.

The point of fasting here is that those who fast must not go out and advertise the fact that they are doing this by showing outward visible signs like suffering faces and looking gloomy and depressed. Jesus tells us that this is actually hypocritical. Here in verse 16 the hypocrites were purposely drawing attention to themselves. They wanted the attention and acceptance from others and that is all they got. If this is the type of fasting you are doing is will only gain you the accolades from other people rather than from God. If we are to go out and fast then we should groom ourselves as we would normally do and appear joyful and content. We shouldn’t notify others or post about it on social media. Hey look at me, today I am beginning my fast. No!!! It is not about looking good to others, or to even earn better favor with God. Fasting is about deeply surrendering to God and His love.

Jesus here is not banning fasting because he wants us to see the importance of it; however from what we see in Matthew chapter 9 His disciples were not fasting at the time because Jesus the bridegroom is with them and this was a joyful time for his disciples. But, the time was coming when they would fast after His departure and return to Heaven. Here in verse 17 Jesus talks about washing and anointing with oil. These were all normal steps of hygiene. This is how we should try and look as we are setting apart something of our lives for God.

Finally in verse 18 we see again that we are not to draw attention to ourselves whether by being too somber or too joyful. God sees our hearts and wants us too truly seek Him with all our heart, soul, and mind.

Here are just a few things to help us understand how to fast:

When Fasting, devote time daily for prayer! One of the main purposes of fasting is to be able to have time with God through prayer. When I stop to think about my daily routine I am reminded just how much I need to get alone with God. I need His wisdom and help in many things as I go about my day. So, the more focused time we have with God the more sweeter our relationship with Him will grow.

Don’t make a show of it. Fast in a Private way. You don’t have to announce to anyone or let others know that you are doing this. Pride in fasting robs us of the spiritual benefit that it brings. So the main thing is to Seek God and not the approval of others.

As you begin too fast, spend a lot of time in God’s Word. Fasting can give you time to meditate on God’s word. In our busy lives, most of us spend too much time with Netflix or on Social Media and very little time in God’s Word and meditating on it. Biblical meditation is not like these Eastern meditations that we have all heard about. In Eastern meditation you empty your mind. In Christian meditation we are filling our hearts and minds with God’s word chewing on it and digesting it over and over again so much so that it changes the way we live our lives.

Take time to just be quiet before the Lord. Since fasting is about giving up something in our lives or a particular thing, our fast shouldn’t be filled with lots of activities. Fasting is a time where we need to wait on the Lord, and as we wait remember that it is not about what we may get at the end, but what we become as we wait on the Lord.

Confess those things that God is revealing to you. When we take time to meet with God through prayer, reading His word, and being quiet before God, the Lord will reveal things about our heart. Fasting is a way to fight spiritual blindness that affects us all. We should be ready to confess areas of sin, weakness, and failure that God has revealed to us as we have fasted.

Make new commitments. If confession is turning from the old ways and habits, then commitment is turning our hearts and life to God’s new and better ways. At the end of your fast, think about where God is calling you to new commitments of faith and discipleship. Maybe God wants you to serve or go and do something for Him.

Finally, be thankful. Take time to thank the Lord for how fasting shows us that we have a kind, loving, and patient God who desires for you and I to be in communion with him.

Closing: During this time as we journey to the Cross and prepare to remember what Christ accomplished for us. His perfect and sinless life, his death and resurrection take time too fast. Take time to remember and reflect on the goodness of God. Take time to listen and rest in the grace of your Savior. You will be glad that you did.