Sermon Nuggets Mon June 27 Fasting
Verses: Matt 6:16-18
16 "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.
17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,
18 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.
FACTS AND FALLACIES ON FASTS
It is difficult when a bachelor speaks on marriage; It is hard to accept when childless couples give wisdom on raising children; It seems inconsistent when a young man talks about aging, or a fat person speaking on fasting.
My subject is fasting. I speak on the subject because I need to. I need to because it is in the Bible, and I need to because I need to. Perhaps most believers are ignorant of the subject, because so little is really said or preached on it. There are lots of Scriptures that address the subject. Now there is a call again for Christians to fast and pray like I have not heard before. For that I am encouraged.
One of the reasons I like to go through books and passages is that I might address the parts of the Bible I like as well as the parts that I want to skip; the parts that are easy to understand as well as the parts that are more difficult to understand. The Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit and is authoritative for faith and practice. This is profitable for us for teaching, our reproof, for our correction for our training in righteousness. I hope this will be profitable for you as you seek to have God bring home truths to you. So let’s ask some questions on the topic of fasting.
1) Who Should fast?
There is no question that fasting, meaning not eating of food for a particular length of time, was cultural. There were many nations and people of societies that fasted to earn favor for their gods and pagan deities. There were commands also in the Old Testament to the people to have regular fasts. They were required to have one national fast, called the Day of Atonement and this was for all Jews, were not sick or pregnant. In those cases the people would give a special offering for the needy in place of the nation fast. Beside that one time during the year the Israelites would have 2 other times that most would fast and not eat. That was also the New Years and special times when there was national calls for penitence, contrition of heart, or humiliation before the Lord. Judges 20:26 “Then the Israelites all the people, went up to Bethel and there they sat weeping before the Lord,
They fasted that day until evening and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord,”
In the Scriptures we have many incidents recorded of private fasts for times of sorrow. people who have lost loved ones, or if there was a loss to a war, or grief and people personally cried out to God in their pain and sorrow. There are illustrations of people praying by fasting desirous of wisdom, seeking the face of God and pleading for direction as they lead an army, a nation, or even personal family issues.
But some Christians will say that is for the Old Testament people living under the law, not for us who live under the dispensation of grace. Well, what does the Word say?
In our passage Jesus is speaking to the Kingdom people- we who have been changed by the power of the Holy Spirit and made to be his sons and daughters. “When you fast.” It is implied that we will.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Tues June 28 Who Should Fast
Verses- Matt 9:14-17 Then John's disciples came and asked him, "How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"
15 Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.
16 "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse.
17 Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."
(NIV)
Who Should Fast?
I began commenting yesterday a bit on the culture at that time and how Jews would practice fasting and have days and times it was expected to fast. We are aware of how the Muslims practice each year a fast during their month of Ramadan. The dates actually change so that within 34 years a faithful Muslim will have fasted every day of the year.
Because of the traditional practices of fasts Jews today have developed addition times when they fast. There is a fast for the firstborn for newborn males commemorating the fact they were saved from the plague of the firstborn in Egypt. They commemorate the breaking down of the wall of Jerusalem by Nebuchanezzar in their 4th . They remember the tragedies of the people including the Fast of Esther as it was talked about in that book. They recall by fasting the fall of Jerusalem and the tearing down of the temple by the Romans. It is tradition to fast on the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, the most holy day of the Jewish year. This is a time to confess sins on behalf the people as well as individually.
It is also part of the teachings of Muslims and Jews that it excludes the very young, very old, sick and other times when society understands there should be exceptions.
So in practicing traditions it was pointed out that Jesus and his followers didn’t observe some of the cultural fasts at his time. “How is it that we and Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast? Jesus answered. How can the guest of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them and then they will fast.”
Does that mean the disciples didn’t fast while Jesus was with them, but did after he left? Some will say that means the time from the crucifixion until the resurrection. The implication was sorrow caused the disciples to fast, but after Christ arose, there was feasting and there is always feasting since the presence of Christ is with us always through the Holy Spirit.
Some will say fasting is no longer expected by Christians since we perpetually celebrate his resurrection and life with us in the presences of the Holy Spirit.
It seems to me if that is the proper interpretation then the apostles were wrong when throughout Acts it’s recorded they fasted and prayed. Acts 13:2-3 “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.”
In other words the Old Testaments saints fasted, Israel fasted, Jesus fasted, the apostles fasted, and the early church, long after Jesus ascended into heaven. Almost 20 New Testament references are cited.
When Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount he condemned hypocrisy. It is hypocritical to give money to the poor when you are giving to boast your own reputation. It is hypocritical to pray when you pray for the recognition of man. It is hypocritical to fast when you do so to make it a show to impress other folks. But when you give alms, when you pray and when you fast, which people of the Kingdom will do, then do it private unto the Lord, not unto men. It doesn’t say if you give and if you pray and if you fast, but when you do. So if it does include us, then we need to know more about it.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Weds June 29 What is a Fast?
What is a Fast?
The dictionary tells us a fast is to keep from eating all or certain foods, as in observing a holy day, or to eat very little or nothing. According to the commentaries , the cultures of Jesus day practiced different kinds of fasts. There was the plain food fast of eating vegetable or beans and not other meats or delicacies as practiced by Daniel. There was normal fast meaning no food but only water. Most commonly one day from sundown to sundown, but it also was common not to eat during day light hours. There was an extreme fast, as recorded for Moses who for 40 days was up on Mt. Siani and he did not eat food or drink. In the custom of Israel an extreme fast usually lasted only one day.
Part of understanding a fast was to recognize the place of food in the Bible. Food was not only for survival but for pleasure that we might enjoy what God has given and some of us have more pleasure than others in eating. There is also the fellowship we enjoy in sharing and giving, and eating with one another. There is the spiritual dimension of food. God can be blessed for providing our needs and our enjoyment. It is a means of worship, thanksgiving and blessing from and to God. Food can have symbolic use as wine and bread at communion.
Biblical fasting was to refrain from eating some or all food for spiritual reasons. Of course there are many types of fasting that do not have specific spiritual reasons. Fasting should not be confused with hunger strikes for political reason, nor to be confused with dieting in order to lose weight. It has spiritual significance.
The morning meal as we begin our day is breakfast. The word means break our fast. After 12 hours of not eating, supposedly sleeping we break our time of fast and by eating it’s called break fast.
But, Jesus witnessed fasting as a spiritual activity as a means of people measuring their spiritual health. Scribes and Pharisees would love to parade their piety among the people and did so with making sure others knew they would deprive themselves food for God’s sake. Many would wear special clothes if it was for mourning, sack-cloth and ashes were known to be part of the culture of Israel, when they would put ashes on their heads. Many Pharisees and other leaders would fast twice a week. They would not eat food during daylight hours, but eat something before the day, or after the sun set.
A personal fast is most effective when instead of eating a meal you use that time to pray and read and think as you set this time for you and God. We will comment more about this tomorrow.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Thurs June 30
What is a Fast? continued
Within our culture many liturgical churches practice the observance of Lent the 40 days prior to Easter that is suppose to be a time when they do without something, as a symbol of a fast, or not eat meat to deny themselves some personal pleasure in preparation of the Holy Season. Generally, we do not practice lent as it historically has no Biblical basis. But if some want to practice personal discipline and use that time to meditate on God and pray there certainly isn’t anything wrong with that if it is sincere and from the heart.
In a previous church there we had a fast designed to identify with the Hungry of the world and give the money normal spent for our food that day to World Relief, plus any extra that God would lay upon our hearts. I was reminded that when I was hungry I could go in a few hours to my refrigerator and stop discomfort, but many 1,000 of people had no place to go to stop their hunger. That fast made me thankful and praiseful for what Blessing God gave me, but it also made me more seriously aware of the poor who need more than our nickels and dimes. They need our prayer and witness to meet physical needs as well as spiritual hunger in their lostness for eternity.
David Smith a British author wrote a book called, Fasting, a Neglected Discipline.
His definition of a Biblical fast is as follows: “Fasting is an age old practice, common in most religions which involved the cessation of eating for an agreed time, but required the drinking of water at least, unless extreme circumstances deemed otherwise. The practice was commanded by God in the O.T. times, in order that men might have an annual reminder of their sinful nature and was assumed, by Jesus, to be a spiritual duty to which believers would sometimes resort. When practiced by Christian there is no ulterior motive, since the glory of God alone is the object in view;
To a Christian, fasting involved the whole man and symbolizes total discipline. Except on special civic, or local church , days of penitence, Christian fasting is of necessity private and secret. To the Christian fasting is not a ritual to be indulged in regularly, but source of intimate delight even though it may involved heart searching and sorrow; for the value of this discipline lies not in its immediate effect, but in the results which flow from its practice, and the gradual effect which it has upon the individual believer.” Pg. 25.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Friday July 1 Other fasts
1 Cor 7:5
5 Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.(NIV)
Other Fasts
Although most fasts are related to refraining from eating and/or drinking. There are other fasts that relate to certain kinds of foods for certain lengths of time. Typically a fast is not the same as a diet. As diet is a desires to change eating patterns for a period of time or for goals to lose weight, or control diabetes, or allergies. A fast is for the purpose of individual or group desire for spiritual discipline.
Since the Bible speaks on all topic so we Paul’s instructions for married couples to refrain from sexual relationships for the purpose of devotion to prayer. This is not in the Old Testament, but rather for church people. The importance is for prayer, or seeking Gods’ will, or spiritual self control.
Let me ask how is your prayer life? How often do you just skip devotions because you do not have time? How often have you skipped a meal because you just do not have the time?
Jesus said, “Matt 4:4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'". More important than food for Jesus was time to spend with God, His Father, and delight in His will and Word. How can we better hear the words of God as oppose to the words from the world. I typically spend a half hour each day watching the news. I listen to the weather and watch what happened in the sports world. I listen to answers from good questions. I can give you an update on politics and Minnesota government shut down. Last night I said my silent farewell to Mike Fairbourne, the weather man, who is retiring after 34 year by watching his tribute. Those items are perhaps the more positive things that comes through the TV screen. There are shows to entertain us, but the spiritual need of our hearts to neglected.
A fast it to break away from normal activity to be in the presence of God, the reading of his word, and meditation. It would be great to call a fast from TV watching, or computer games. A fast might be from shopping or cell phone use. As outside activities take more of our discretionary time we realize we do not have time for prayer or devotions.
I go on retreats to get away form the work and home and routine in order to experience God in a different setting. It becomes important to set priorities, goals, and just be in the presence of God. As we know, we always are, but He does not always have my attention.
Jesus instructed the disciples involved with spiritual conflict with demon possession that it is a battle than needs prayer and fasting.
In reading a book by Dr. Koch on demonology and the work of Satan, he fears most American do not know the first thing of serious prayer. We don’t yearn to be with God and consistently uplift the spiritual warriors before the throne of God. We don’t fast and pray and do not recognize the seriousness of the spiritual battle as they do in other countries. Dr. Koch pointed out the extreme importance of preparing ourselves spiritually by not eating and praying at length to totally be motivated by God’s desires and not our own.
Maybe there is an activity that you might refrain from and use that time to get better acquainted with God and His truth.
Pastor Dale
