Fasting
Pastor Bill Nichols - March 21, 2010Introduction
Have any of you ever done a spiritual fast? What I mean by that is have you ever fasted for religious purposes? Not much is mentioned in the church today concerning fasting. There are a few denominations that practice fasting, but even those don't generally require their people to participate. The Catholic Church practices fasting during the season of lent, usually by asking their members to give something up during that 40 day season. It could be food or it could be something else.
In Jesus Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6:16-18 (NIV) Jesus gives us a few short instructions concerning fasting:
"When you fast do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth; they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men 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.
This morning I want to share with you a few reasons found in the Scriptures for fasting, and Jesus particular instructions concerning how to fast as a kingdom person.
I. Jewish Purposes for Fasting
Wikipedia is often a good source of information on topics like this. I like it because the information you find there is usually pretty concise. They list three reasons that the Jews fast today.
- One purpose in fasting is the achievement of atonement for sins and omissions in divine service. Fasting is not considered the primary means of acquiring atonement; rather, sincere regret for and rectification of wrongdoing is key. (Keep in mind, this is Jewish, not Christian theology.) A good illustration concerning this is found in Deuteronomy 9:7-21. Here Moses recounts how he went 40 days without food and water on behalf of the Israelites when God wanted to destroy them. God relented and sent Moses back down the mountain with the Ten Commandments. Moses found the people worshiping the golden calf, threw down the stone tablets and broke them, and fell prostrate before God and once again interceded on behalf of the people with prayer and fasting for another 40 days and nights. The Lord listened to Moses' prayers and again relented from destroying them.
- The second purpose in fasting is commemorative mourning. Wikipedia states: Indeed, most communal fast days that are set permanently in the Jewish calendar fulfill this purpose. These fasts include: Tisha B'Av, Seventeenth of Tammuz, Tenth of Tevet (all of the three dedicated to mourning the loss of the destroyed Temple in Jerusalem), and Fast of Gedaliah. The purpose of a fast of mourning is the demonstration that those fasting are impacted by and distraught over earlier loss. This serves to heighten appreciation of that which was lost.
- The third purpose in fasting is commemorative gratitude. Wikipedia again states: Since food and drink are corporeal needs, abstinence from them serves to provide a unique opportunity for focus on the spiritual. This dedication is considered appropriate gratitude to God for providing salvation. Additionally, by refraining from such basic physical indulgence, one can more greatly appreciate the dependence of humanity on God, leading to appreciation of God's beneficence in sustaining His creations. Indeed, Jewish philosophy considers this appreciation one of the fundamental reasons for which God endowed mankind with such basic physical needs as food and drink. This is seen from the text of the blessing customarily recited after consuming snacks or drinks:
You are the Source of all blessing, O'Eternal One, our God, King of the universe, Creator of many souls, who gave [those souls] needs for all that which You created, to give life through them to every living soul. Blessed is the Eternal Life-giver.
Now there are a lot of other examples in the Old Testament and New Testament of fasting besides these three mentioned by Wikipedia, but these are the primary purposes of fasting in Judaism today.
II. Methods of Fasting
The next thing I want to share with you has to do with the actual practice of fasting. Again I want to point us back to the Jewish practice for that is where our roots for fasting come from.
There are two days a year that the Jews practice a full 24 hour fast, from sunset to sunset. During that time they do not eat or drink.
There are four days a year that they practice a sunrise to sunset fast, and they do not eat or drink during that period. They can however eat before and after that period.
Today people practice fasting in a variety of ways. Some go without food or drink during whatever time period they decide to fast. Others go without food, but do drink fluids. Some simply skip one meal during the day, breakfast, lunch or dinner. And as I said before, some just give up certain things during their fast. It might be meat, it might be strong drink, it might be sweets, whatever they give up, they do it for some spiritual reason, to try and draw nearer to God or seek His guidance. One thing I found interesting in my research concerning fasting is that fasting was never related to asking God for material things. I imagine that many people today, not understanding the purpose of fasting attempt to get God to give them material things. This is in part because of today's wealth prosperity theology.
III. Jesus Teaching on Fasting
What we are concerned with this morning however is what Jesus had to say about fasting, particularly in Matthew 6. Let me share with you a few thoughts on Jesus words in this passage.
- When you fast. The very first thing we see is that Jesus assumes kingdom people will fast. He assumed they would give to the needy, he assumed they would pray, and here he assumes that they will fast. These words alone should cause us to take a second look at the discipline of fasting in our lives. You will also notice that fasting is mentioned immediately after His teaching concerning prayer, which is often associated with the discipline of fasting.
- Do not be a hypocrite. Once again Jesus denounces the practice of the religious leaders of that day. Their fasting was not sincere. They fasted in order to be seen and praised by men. They disfigured their face. Evidently they went around with a somber look on their face, they didn't was or comb their hair. Today people put ashes on their face so everyone will know they are actively celebrating lent, fasting and praying. Jesus said because they did this to be seen by man, that they received their reward in full.
- Fast in secret. When you are fasting, it should not be obvious to those around you that you are fasting. Don't tell others that you are fasting. If your purpose in fasting is to draw closer to God, to seek His guidance, or some other reason, it should be between you and God, not you and the world around you.
- When you fast in secret, God will reward you. Like I said last week concerning prayer, the reward may simply be that which you are seeking in your fast. It may be some earthly reward or it may be a heavenly reward. But the key to receiving a reward from God lies in it being between you and Him.
Conclusion
I would like to conclude this morning with a true story. This happened about 28 - 29 years ago while I was in Bible College in San Diego. I had finished either my first or second year of college, and was considering transferring to another school. Becky knew someone at that school who thought they could get her a job there. To make a long story short, I decided to fast and pray about making a change to this institution. Along with fasting and prayer, I used the concept of Gideon's fleece. (Judges 6:36-40) I asked God to do three things specifically that would show me that he wanted me to make the move. First, Becky would get the job and the salary would be a specific amount which was considerably more than she was making at the time. Second, that all of costs at the new school would be paid in full. And third, that God would supply the answer by the end of the third day of my fasting. If we received an answer after that, even if it met all my requests, then the answer would be a no answer.
With those three requests laid out, I fasted and prayed for three days. I did drink fluids, but I ate no food during those three days. I went about my normal daily activities, but prayed much through the day and in the evening.
At the end of three days we had heard nothing concerning the job or tuition and so we concluded that the answer from God was to stay put.
Now some of you might say, that wasn't really an answer from God. And maybe you would have been right. But God didn't want to leave any doubt in our minds and so you know what He did?
We soon found out that Becky was going to receive a raise in her salary. Guess how much? It brought her salary to the exact amount we had requested from God to give her at her new job.
We also found out that I was going to receive grants that would cover all of my school expenses and then some.
I believe that God rewarded my fasting and prayers. Not in the way we had asked Him to or expected Him to, but according to His own wonderful plan.
As of today, Becky and I have been at Gateway for 17 months. I believe that we have seen significant movement in the church toward growth, maturity, and making many of the improvements that we needed to do to move the church forward. But we have a long way to go still.
Where do we go from here? What do we need to do to continue to move forward? I think we need to heed the advice of one of my college professors. Work like it all depends on us, and pray like it all depends on God.
So I am asking you this morning: Will you join me in spending one day a week in fasting and prayer for Gateway? You can choose the day. You can change the day each week based on your schedule and activities. You can fast the whole day or just one meal. You can give up food and drink or just food. You can do it how you want to. But what I do want you to do is to fast and pray for something specific. Lay out your fleece before God. Here are some suggestions.
Pray that God will bring someone into your life to befriend, and that you can begin sharing with them about Jesus, and the ministries at Gateway.
Pray that the people in the community surrounding Gateway will begin to take notice of the things that are happening at the church and decide to check it out.
Pray specifically that some of the members who have quit coming in the past will give Gateway a second chance to be their church.
Pray specifically for someone you work with, someone you live by, someone you do business with, or someone in your extended family to become a part of Gateway.
And finally, do not tell anyone who or what you are praying and fasting about, until God answers your prayers. Then, send me a note and tell me what God has done through your fasting and prayers.
Remember what Jesus says about fasting: When you fast. . . put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men. . . but only to your Father. . . and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.