WEBVTT 00:00:07.759 --> 00:00:10.080 Matthew 6 is where we'll be this morning back 00:00:10.080 --> 00:00:15.320 added in the Sermon on the Mount. Two weeks ago 00:00:15.320 --> 00:00:20.539 if you were here we were looking at Jesus's words 00:00:20.539 --> 00:00:24.519 regarding how we should pray. This morning we 00:00:24.519 --> 00:00:27.660 will be looking at what Jesus has to say about 00:00:27.660 --> 00:00:31.739 fasting. Prayer and fasting always seem to go 00:00:31.739 --> 00:00:34.979 hand in hand with one another. When we talk about 00:00:34.979 --> 00:00:39.079 fasting we usually talk about prayer and so before 00:00:39.079 --> 00:00:41.719 we dive into our text this morning I would like 00:00:41.719 --> 00:00:44.820 to briefly review what Jesus had to say about 00:00:44.820 --> 00:00:47.159 prayer a couple weeks ago before we took our 00:00:47.159 --> 00:00:50.060 Easter break and then I'm going to give you a 00:00:50.060 --> 00:00:53.530 challenge. And so two weeks ago, we looked at 00:00:53.530 --> 00:00:57.189 the Lord's Prayer. And if you remember, we saw 00:00:57.189 --> 00:01:01.049 that before we make our requests to God, before 00:01:01.049 --> 00:01:03.369 we go to Him with our laundry list of things 00:01:03.369 --> 00:01:07.209 that we want Him to respond to, we need to start 00:01:07.209 --> 00:01:12.230 by giving Him glory first. We want His name to 00:01:12.230 --> 00:01:16.150 be honored. We want His kingdom to come. We want 00:01:16.150 --> 00:01:19.230 His will to be done here on this earth. When 00:01:19.230 --> 00:01:22.769 we start with those things, it really helps protect 00:01:22.769 --> 00:01:26.950 us from selfish prayers. It really helps us be, 00:01:27.030 --> 00:01:29.390 you know, prevent us from being self -seeking. 00:01:29.650 --> 00:01:33.230 It gets our hearts and our minds right when we 00:01:33.230 --> 00:01:36.150 understand who we are in a relationship with. 00:01:36.489 --> 00:01:40.590 We are communicating with a holy God who is at 00:01:40.590 --> 00:01:45.209 the same time our Father. We're able to communicate 00:01:45.209 --> 00:01:48.930 with our Father because He's approachable. He's 00:01:48.930 --> 00:01:52.670 not some sort of political, powerful figure who 00:01:52.670 --> 00:01:55.150 has armed guards around Him all the time, right? 00:01:55.150 --> 00:01:57.250 Where you have to schedule an appointment to 00:01:57.250 --> 00:02:01.120 meet with Him. He's our Father. We have a relationship 00:02:01.120 --> 00:02:04.640 with Him. Then once we give Him honor and glory, 00:02:04.819 --> 00:02:09.800 we honor who God is, we can move on to our requests 00:02:09.800 --> 00:02:13.340 and our requests for our good. And so we ask 00:02:13.340 --> 00:02:16.460 Him for our daily provision, for our daily bread 00:02:16.460 --> 00:02:19.759 that He would be reminded that everything we 00:02:19.759 --> 00:02:22.460 have each and every day comes from Him. We ask 00:02:22.460 --> 00:02:26.400 Him to forgive our sins. and all the ways we've 00:02:26.400 --> 00:02:28.919 dishonored him. And then we ask him to protect 00:02:28.919 --> 00:02:32.740 us from temptation. Now all of our prayers should 00:02:32.740 --> 00:02:35.840 be built on that model. Not only that, but we 00:02:35.840 --> 00:02:39.740 also need to always keep our eyes focused on 00:02:39.740 --> 00:02:43.800 Jesus. Not just when we are making the request. 00:02:44.090 --> 00:02:47.610 but but even after he grants the request if you 00:02:47.610 --> 00:02:50.490 remember Peter had his eyes on Jesus when when 00:02:50.490 --> 00:02:53.150 Jesus was walking on the water towards him Peter 00:02:53.150 --> 00:02:56.229 had his eyes focused on him and he has his eyes 00:02:56.229 --> 00:02:59.569 focused on Jesus when he makes the request but 00:02:59.569 --> 00:03:01.889 as soon as things get uncomfortable as soon as 00:03:01.889 --> 00:03:04.449 he takes his eyes and starts looking at his environment 00:03:04.449 --> 00:03:08.710 as he's walking on the water he begins to sink 00:03:08.710 --> 00:03:13.620 Jesus is who our focus should be on before and 00:03:13.620 --> 00:03:16.500 during His granting of our requests. As the writer 00:03:16.500 --> 00:03:18.939 of Hebrews says, we are to fix our eyes on Jesus, 00:03:19.259 --> 00:03:23.620 the author and perfecter of our faith. Now that 00:03:23.620 --> 00:03:27.919 seems to be where we go wrong, isn't it? We forget 00:03:27.919 --> 00:03:33.319 to focus our eyes on Jesus. We have them focused 00:03:33.319 --> 00:03:39.319 on what we want. We have them focused on our 00:03:39.319 --> 00:03:43.280 preferences. They're focused on what will make 00:03:43.280 --> 00:03:47.520 us comfortable. And what happens so many times 00:03:47.520 --> 00:03:51.979 is we tend to confuse the Lord's will for our 00:03:51.979 --> 00:03:55.000 will. And so we say things like, well, this is 00:03:55.000 --> 00:03:59.659 how it's always been done. As if God is limited 00:03:59.659 --> 00:04:03.419 in how he can move or how he can speak. And we 00:04:03.419 --> 00:04:06.960 begin to think that our will is God's will. And 00:04:06.960 --> 00:04:09.280 when that happens, we tend to get into some trouble. 00:04:09.719 --> 00:04:14.259 So let's talk about fasting. this morning. And 00:04:14.259 --> 00:04:16.959 here's what I want you to consider as we look 00:04:16.959 --> 00:04:19.500 at this text because when we're done, I'm going 00:04:19.500 --> 00:04:23.980 to ask you to make a commitment. And here's what 00:04:23.980 --> 00:04:26.040 I'm going to ask you to commit to just so you 00:04:26.040 --> 00:04:29.100 can start thinking about it. I want you to think 00:04:29.100 --> 00:04:32.600 about committing one day a week, one day a week 00:04:32.600 --> 00:04:38.160 for the rest of the year to fasting. It's 35 00:04:38.160 --> 00:04:42.079 weeks left in this year. Can you fast for 35 00:04:42.079 --> 00:04:45.860 days? Throughout the rest of this year. I want 00:04:45.860 --> 00:04:48.019 you to think about what day that's going to be. 00:04:49.040 --> 00:04:51.699 I want you to think about your schedule because 00:04:51.699 --> 00:04:54.240 it's going to go better for you if you are consistent. 00:04:54.439 --> 00:04:57.040 It's going to go better for you if you have a 00:04:57.040 --> 00:05:00.660 plan. So you think about that while we look at 00:05:00.660 --> 00:05:03.060 our text this morning. All right. I'm going to 00:05:03.060 --> 00:05:04.920 invite Kaia up here this morning to read our 00:05:04.920 --> 00:05:07.579 text and then we're going to dive in where she's 00:05:07.579 --> 00:05:09.970 going to start in verse 16. If you're willing 00:05:09.970 --> 00:05:11.990 and able, we'd love for you to stand as we honor 00:05:11.990 --> 00:05:37.439 the Lord's word together. Father, who sees you 00:05:37.439 --> 00:05:39.779 in secret will reward you. Amen. Let's pray. 00:05:40.360 --> 00:05:42.100 Father, thank you for Kiah. Thank you for just 00:05:42.100 --> 00:05:43.579 what you're doing in her life and how you're 00:05:43.579 --> 00:05:45.339 growing her and speaking to her. I pray, Father, 00:05:45.339 --> 00:05:47.759 that you continue to lead her and guide her in 00:05:47.759 --> 00:05:50.519 all that she does. I pray for this text and I 00:05:50.519 --> 00:05:52.500 pray for our hearts as we read this text. This 00:05:52.500 --> 00:05:55.959 is a challenging text and it's a spiritual discipline 00:05:55.959 --> 00:05:58.439 that so many of us lack. And so, God, I pray 00:05:58.439 --> 00:06:01.060 that you'll soften our hearts towards it. I pray, 00:06:01.079 --> 00:06:03.240 God, that we'll see your will in it. We ask all 00:06:03.240 --> 00:06:05.670 these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Good job, 00:06:05.790 --> 00:06:13.889 Kai. Now, as we'll soon discover, if you don't 00:06:13.889 --> 00:06:17.889 already know, the practice of fasting is very 00:06:17.889 --> 00:06:22.279 biblical. We know that Jesus engaged in that 00:06:22.279 --> 00:06:24.220 practice while he was in the wilderness for 40 00:06:24.220 --> 00:06:28.560 days. But like so many biblical practices, by 00:06:28.560 --> 00:06:32.879 the time Jesus came around, the practice of fasting 00:06:32.879 --> 00:06:37.360 had been perverted greatly by the Jewish religious 00:06:37.360 --> 00:06:39.720 leaders. And so what Jesus is saying right out 00:06:39.720 --> 00:06:43.180 of the gate in this text is that motives matter. 00:06:43.519 --> 00:06:46.259 Your motivations when it comes to fasting matter. 00:06:46.519 --> 00:06:49.060 According to the Talmud, which is the religious 00:06:49.060 --> 00:06:51.639 law, if you will, these religious leaders, they 00:06:51.639 --> 00:06:55.360 tended to fast twice a week. They fasted on Mondays 00:06:55.360 --> 00:06:58.899 and they fasted on Thursdays. Now, they claimed 00:06:58.899 --> 00:07:02.319 to have picked those particular days because 00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:05.139 Moses went up to the mountain to receive the 00:07:05.139 --> 00:07:08.519 law on the fifth day, which was Thursday, and 00:07:08.519 --> 00:07:11.879 he came down from the mountain with the law on 00:07:11.879 --> 00:07:14.040 the second day of the week, which was Monday. 00:07:14.329 --> 00:07:17.410 So they decided, we're going to fast on Mondays 00:07:17.410 --> 00:07:20.930 and Thursdays. Now, in Jerusalem during this 00:07:20.930 --> 00:07:23.850 time that Jesus is talking about this, those 00:07:23.850 --> 00:07:27.329 two days, Monday and Thursdays, happen to be 00:07:27.329 --> 00:07:30.990 the market days. On those days, the people from 00:07:30.990 --> 00:07:35.000 the surrounding areas Would come to the markets 00:07:35.000 --> 00:07:37.860 there in Jerusalem. So those particular days 00:07:37.860 --> 00:07:41.279 when the city was filled with the most people 00:07:41.279 --> 00:07:44.500 During the week. It was the opportune time for 00:07:44.500 --> 00:07:47.990 the religious leaders to show how holy they were 00:07:47.990 --> 00:07:51.550 to display their piety and so these religious 00:07:51.550 --> 00:07:54.009 leaders they would walk through the streets they'd 00:07:54.009 --> 00:07:56.029 walk through the market and they'd have their 00:07:56.029 --> 00:07:58.290 hair all disheveled some of y 'all know what 00:07:58.290 --> 00:08:00.589 that's like right they they would they would 00:08:00.589 --> 00:08:03.730 wear raggedy clothes they'd dump ashes all over 00:08:03.730 --> 00:08:06.149 their face so that they would look pale and they 00:08:06.149 --> 00:08:09.689 would parade around the city on market day to 00:08:09.689 --> 00:08:12.910 show everybody that was there just how spiritual 00:08:12.910 --> 00:08:19.350 they were That was the whole point. But just 00:08:19.350 --> 00:08:22.689 as we saw with prayer, and as we'll see here 00:08:22.689 --> 00:08:25.569 in just a second with fasting, in a couple of 00:08:25.569 --> 00:08:29.430 weeks when we look at giving to the poor, Jesus 00:08:29.430 --> 00:08:34.169 abhorred this hypocritical outward behavior that 00:08:34.169 --> 00:08:37.309 was inconsistent with the hearts of these religious 00:08:37.309 --> 00:08:40.299 leaders. He doesn't care as much about the action 00:08:40.299 --> 00:08:42.799 as he cares about the heart. Once again, Jesus 00:08:42.799 --> 00:08:45.379 is going to get to the heart of the matter and 00:08:45.379 --> 00:08:48.960 not just religious ceremony. So let's stop real 00:08:48.960 --> 00:08:52.379 quick and let's understand what fasting is. Let's 00:08:52.379 --> 00:08:55.000 define it. Fasting is defined with the Greek 00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:59.659 word nasteo. Now, nasteo means not to eat. It 00:08:59.659 --> 00:09:03.289 means a total abstinence from food. That's what 00:09:03.289 --> 00:09:06.350 fasting is. What I've found as you study these 00:09:06.350 --> 00:09:09.169 things is you find a lot of well -intentioned 00:09:09.169 --> 00:09:12.110 commentators, a lot of well -intentioned pastors 00:09:12.110 --> 00:09:16.070 who have taken and expanded this definition well 00:09:16.070 --> 00:09:19.590 beyond its basic meaning. For instance, here's 00:09:19.590 --> 00:09:21.830 a great sounding definition of fasting that I 00:09:21.830 --> 00:09:25.190 found this week. He said, fasting means to lay 00:09:25.190 --> 00:09:28.769 aside any pleasurable and or vital activity for 00:09:28.769 --> 00:09:32.399 a period of time order to intensely pursue God 00:09:32.399 --> 00:09:35.779 and know his mind with the intent of obeying 00:09:35.779 --> 00:09:39.519 his revealed will." So that is how this particular 00:09:39.519 --> 00:09:42.440 commentator defined fasting. While there is certainly 00:09:42.440 --> 00:09:45.700 nothing wrong with doing what he suggested, it 00:09:45.700 --> 00:09:48.519 goes well beyond the biblical idea of fasting. 00:09:49.240 --> 00:09:51.860 There may be a lot of benefit, to going without 00:09:51.860 --> 00:09:55.019 TV for a period of time, without going without 00:09:55.019 --> 00:09:57.480 social media or the internet for a period of 00:09:57.480 --> 00:10:01.700 time in order to focus on God. But when I do 00:10:01.700 --> 00:10:06.179 that, I'm not fasting. I'm also not fasting if 00:10:06.179 --> 00:10:09.059 I give up some particular food on a certain day 00:10:09.059 --> 00:10:12.779 of the week, since that's not fasting, since 00:10:12.779 --> 00:10:17.720 fasting is the abstinence of food. But biblical 00:10:17.720 --> 00:10:19.820 fasting, which I hope is what we're all after 00:10:19.820 --> 00:10:24.220 here, does go beyond just abstaining from food. 00:10:25.120 --> 00:10:28.019 Now it doesn't mean you just skipped lunch because 00:10:28.019 --> 00:10:30.960 you're too busy to eat. Fasting in the Bible 00:10:30.960 --> 00:10:35.100 is never merely just a physical act. It is always 00:10:35.100 --> 00:10:38.519 connected with some spiritual purpose. So we 00:10:38.519 --> 00:10:42.440 could further define biblical fasting like this. 00:10:42.940 --> 00:10:46.519 Biblical fasting is abstaining from food for 00:10:46.519 --> 00:10:49.720 spiritual purposes. That's what we're after. 00:10:49.960 --> 00:10:52.559 abstaining from food for spiritual purposes. 00:10:53.279 --> 00:10:57.940 The Bible encourages, but never commands fasting. 00:10:59.600 --> 00:11:03.120 Just like we saw with prayer, Jesus expects his 00:11:03.120 --> 00:11:06.139 followers to pray, he expected his disciples 00:11:06.139 --> 00:11:10.259 to pray, and he expects his followers to fast. 00:11:10.559 --> 00:11:14.100 Twice in this passage he says, when you fast. 00:11:14.429 --> 00:11:17.490 there's that expectation built into it. He's 00:11:17.490 --> 00:11:20.649 expecting you as a follower of Jesus to be fasting. 00:11:20.950 --> 00:11:23.870 Later in his ministry, Jesus confirmed that he 00:11:23.870 --> 00:11:27.090 expected his followers that they would fast when 00:11:27.090 --> 00:11:29.950 he completed his earthly ministry. He says in 00:11:29.950 --> 00:11:32.629 Matthew chapter 9, he says, then the disciples 00:11:32.629 --> 00:11:36.090 of John came to him saying, why do we and the 00:11:36.090 --> 00:11:38.929 Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast? 00:11:39.259 --> 00:11:41.600 And Jesus said to them, Can the wedding guests 00:11:41.600 --> 00:11:44.460 mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? 00:11:44.960 --> 00:11:47.320 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken 00:11:47.320 --> 00:11:51.299 away from them, and then they will fast. And 00:11:51.299 --> 00:11:53.240 so people fast for spiritual reasons. What Jesus 00:11:53.240 --> 00:11:57.080 was saying is, if my disciples want to know God's 00:11:57.080 --> 00:11:59.159 will for their life, they just have to come ask 00:11:59.159 --> 00:12:02.019 me. Because I'm here, I'm God, right? I'm in 00:12:02.019 --> 00:12:05.299 the flesh. If they want to know what direction 00:12:05.299 --> 00:12:07.200 to go, all they have to do is literally come 00:12:07.200 --> 00:12:11.159 ask me. Now when I'm gone, that's when they need 00:12:11.159 --> 00:12:14.940 to fast. However, the fact that we as Christ 00:12:14.940 --> 00:12:17.879 followers are not commanded to fast does not 00:12:17.879 --> 00:12:21.019 lessen in any way its value. We have numerous 00:12:21.019 --> 00:12:23.980 examples in the scripture that demonstrate the 00:12:23.980 --> 00:12:26.759 importance of fasting in the lives of everyone 00:12:26.759 --> 00:12:30.559 from Moses to Jesus. These biblical examples 00:12:30.559 --> 00:12:34.120 of fasting vary greatly. in their duration, how 00:12:34.120 --> 00:12:36.980 many people are involved, the situations that 00:12:36.980 --> 00:12:39.720 gave rise and the reasons for their fasting. 00:12:40.019 --> 00:12:42.440 However, if you look at all the examples of fasting 00:12:42.440 --> 00:12:44.700 throughout the Bible, you'll see some common 00:12:44.700 --> 00:12:47.659 features in all of these biblical fasts, and 00:12:47.659 --> 00:12:50.320 so we need to understand those. There's different 00:12:50.320 --> 00:12:53.879 reasons to fast, but the primary reason that 00:12:53.879 --> 00:12:56.240 we should be fasting, the primary reason that 00:12:56.240 --> 00:12:58.919 we should be abstaining from food for a particular 00:12:58.919 --> 00:13:02.820 period of time is to seek after God. We need 00:13:02.820 --> 00:13:05.600 to see God that that is what the religious leaders 00:13:05.600 --> 00:13:08.460 had either forgotten or just flat -out ignored 00:13:08.460 --> 00:13:12.059 rather than engaging in a fast for the purpose 00:13:12.059 --> 00:13:15.059 of seeking God and Figuring out the direction 00:13:15.059 --> 00:13:17.659 of their life. They were merely concerned about 00:13:17.659 --> 00:13:20.220 how righteous they looked about how holy they 00:13:20.220 --> 00:13:22.899 looked about how religious they looked to others 00:13:22.899 --> 00:13:27.720 around them But every legitimate fast that is 00:13:27.720 --> 00:13:30.639 recorded in the Bible was ultimately for the 00:13:30.639 --> 00:13:34.899 purpose of seeking God. The circumstances surrounding 00:13:34.899 --> 00:13:37.919 each fast are different. The period of times 00:13:37.919 --> 00:13:40.879 are different, but every legitimate biblical 00:13:40.879 --> 00:13:45.360 fast was to seek God, to seek his direction, 00:13:45.940 --> 00:13:48.320 to ask for his guidance, to ask for his will, 00:13:48.559 --> 00:13:53.360 to ask for his protection. Seeking God, God's 00:13:53.360 --> 00:13:57.000 will, is the primary reason we should be fasting. 00:13:58.549 --> 00:14:02.509 If we're not seeking God's will first and foremost, 00:14:03.330 --> 00:14:05.269 then all we're doing is going through religious 00:14:05.269 --> 00:14:08.590 motions. All we're doing is saying, hey, look 00:14:08.590 --> 00:14:13.190 at me, I've fasted. We also fast in order to 00:14:13.190 --> 00:14:17.529 humble ourselves. When we fast, we humble ourselves 00:14:17.529 --> 00:14:21.690 before God by admitting that we do not even deserve 00:14:21.690 --> 00:14:24.970 the daily bread that comes from the hand of God. 00:14:26.290 --> 00:14:30.009 We acknowledge our complete and total dependence 00:14:30.009 --> 00:14:34.750 upon Him for everything that we have. So we're 00:14:34.750 --> 00:14:36.789 seeking God's will for our life. We're humbling 00:14:36.789 --> 00:14:40.889 ourselves before Him. By showing God everything 00:14:40.889 --> 00:14:44.570 I have, I'm dependent on you. Everything. I didn't 00:14:44.570 --> 00:14:47.470 earn it. I didn't work for it. Everything in 00:14:47.470 --> 00:14:49.809 my life is because you've allowed it to happen. 00:14:50.159 --> 00:14:52.960 We humble ourselves. After the Babylonian exile 00:14:52.960 --> 00:14:56.679 was over, King Artaxerxes of Persia, he made 00:14:56.679 --> 00:14:59.139 a decree and he allowed Ezra and his people to 00:14:59.139 --> 00:15:03.259 return to Jerusalem. But Ezra, noting the danger 00:15:03.259 --> 00:15:06.539 that they faced in the journey, without the Persian 00:15:06.539 --> 00:15:11.850 army to protect them, proclaimed a fast. He said, 00:15:11.970 --> 00:15:14.950 then I proclaimed a fast there at the river Ahava 00:15:14.950 --> 00:15:17.629 that we might humble ourselves before our God 00:15:17.629 --> 00:15:21.250 to seek from Him a safe journey for ourselves, 00:15:21.590 --> 00:15:25.649 our children, and all of our goods. So as the 00:15:25.649 --> 00:15:28.470 people fasted, they humbled themselves before 00:15:28.470 --> 00:15:32.230 God and acknowledged their dependence on Him 00:15:32.230 --> 00:15:35.929 for their safe journey. Now, as I mentioned earlier, 00:15:36.190 --> 00:15:39.250 technically fasting is only abstinence from food. 00:15:39.519 --> 00:15:41.700 Technically, that's the definition, abstinence 00:15:41.700 --> 00:15:44.519 from food for spiritual purpose. But we can certainly 00:15:44.519 --> 00:15:47.759 take the principle and apply it to other areas 00:15:47.759 --> 00:15:51.700 of our lives. Whenever there is anything in my 00:15:51.700 --> 00:15:54.519 life, anything in my life that has become more 00:15:54.519 --> 00:15:58.220 important than God, if there's something in my 00:15:58.220 --> 00:16:01.950 life that I am relying on more than God, then 00:16:01.950 --> 00:16:06.250 perhaps it's time to abstain from using or engaging 00:16:06.250 --> 00:16:09.970 with that object or activity for a period of 00:16:09.970 --> 00:16:12.889 time in order for me to humble myself before 00:16:12.889 --> 00:16:17.190 God and acknowledge my reliance upon him. It's 00:16:17.190 --> 00:16:19.490 never a bad thing to humble yourself before the 00:16:19.490 --> 00:16:22.230 Lord. And when we do that, it would certainly 00:16:22.230 --> 00:16:24.950 be appropriate to accompany that with fasting 00:16:24.950 --> 00:16:28.779 as well. Next, we fast when we need to repent. 00:16:32.179 --> 00:16:36.440 Whenever God reveals sin in our lives and it 00:16:36.440 --> 00:16:40.259 leads us to repent, fasting is an appropriate 00:16:40.259 --> 00:16:44.840 accompaniment to our repentance. We read in Jonah 00:16:44.840 --> 00:16:47.960 chapter 3 that the people of Nineveh recognized 00:16:47.960 --> 00:16:51.679 the value of fasting. When Jonah preached of 00:16:51.679 --> 00:16:57.110 God's judgment, upon that city. When he preached 00:16:57.110 --> 00:17:00.870 that God was going to destroy their city, they 00:17:00.870 --> 00:17:04.470 repented and they fasted. We also find that the 00:17:04.470 --> 00:17:08.069 call to repent by many of the Old Testament prophets, 00:17:08.589 --> 00:17:11.470 but they accompanied it with a call to fast first. 00:17:11.970 --> 00:17:16.769 Fast and repent. When we fast in conjunction 00:17:16.769 --> 00:17:19.910 with our repentance, we acknowledge the seriousness 00:17:19.910 --> 00:17:24.700 of our sin and the great worth that God's mercy 00:17:24.700 --> 00:17:28.180 and grace has on our lives as he forgives us 00:17:28.180 --> 00:17:30.640 and enables us to change our lives and turn from 00:17:30.640 --> 00:17:34.519 our sin. I'm convinced that we would all be much 00:17:34.519 --> 00:17:38.819 more successful in overcoming those areas of 00:17:38.819 --> 00:17:41.339 sin in our lives. And you know exactly what I'm 00:17:41.339 --> 00:17:45.079 talking about. We have much more success in overcoming 00:17:45.079 --> 00:17:48.559 particular sins in our lives if we would choose 00:17:48.559 --> 00:17:53.789 to fast in combination with our repentance. We 00:17:53.789 --> 00:17:58.329 also fast when we're in mourning. When Saul and 00:17:58.329 --> 00:18:00.849 Jonathan were killed in battle, David and the 00:18:00.849 --> 00:18:04.490 people of Israel fasted. In 2 Samuel chapter 00:18:04.490 --> 00:18:06.589 1 it says, then David took hold of his clothes 00:18:06.589 --> 00:18:09.589 and tore them. And so did all the men who were 00:18:09.589 --> 00:18:13.529 with him, and they mourned and wept and fasted 00:18:13.529 --> 00:18:16.630 until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son, 00:18:17.150 --> 00:18:19.130 and for the people of the Lord and for the house 00:18:19.130 --> 00:18:21.069 of Israel because they had fallen by the sword. 00:18:23.389 --> 00:18:26.910 Fasting during times of mourning demonstrates 00:18:26.910 --> 00:18:31.009 our dependence on God. During difficult times 00:18:31.009 --> 00:18:34.210 like the loss of a loved one, during difficult 00:18:34.210 --> 00:18:36.170 times when our life's just a mess and there's 00:18:36.170 --> 00:18:41.750 storms all around us, it's appropriate to fast 00:18:41.750 --> 00:18:44.509 because it shows that we are completely dependent 00:18:44.509 --> 00:18:47.630 on Him. And it also is appropriate when we mourn 00:18:47.630 --> 00:18:52.559 over our sin. Our sin, when we truly stop and 00:18:52.559 --> 00:18:56.039 consider what our sin is and how it's so egregious 00:18:56.039 --> 00:18:58.759 against a holy God, we should mourn over that. 00:18:58.940 --> 00:19:01.980 It helps keep our eyes focused on the hope that 00:19:01.980 --> 00:19:04.180 we have in Jesus. It keeps our eyes focused on 00:19:04.180 --> 00:19:06.220 the grace that he has bestowed upon us. Once 00:19:06.220 --> 00:19:10.539 again, it helps us keep our eyes focused on Jesus. 00:19:11.140 --> 00:19:15.900 Finally, we fast with earnest prayer. Almost 00:19:15.900 --> 00:19:19.259 every example of fasting in the scripture accompanied 00:19:19.259 --> 00:19:23.819 by earnest prayer. Here's a few examples. In 00:19:23.819 --> 00:19:27.079 2nd Samuel chapter 12 when the child born to 00:19:27.079 --> 00:19:32.759 David and Bathsheba was sick, the scripture says 00:19:32.759 --> 00:19:35.380 that David prayed for the child and accompanied 00:19:35.380 --> 00:19:39.259 his prayer with fasting. We read in Esther chapter 00:19:39.259 --> 00:19:43.460 4 that when Queen Esther prepared to go in, petition 00:19:43.460 --> 00:19:47.720 the King on behalf of her people she prayed and 00:19:47.720 --> 00:19:50.559 fasted and also called on her fellow Jews to 00:19:50.559 --> 00:19:54.920 do the same. Jesus fasted for 40 days while he 00:19:54.920 --> 00:19:58.119 engaged in prayer in order to prepare himself 00:19:58.119 --> 00:20:01.359 for his earthly ministry. And then you have Paul 00:20:01.359 --> 00:20:04.180 after you met Jesus on the road to Damascus we 00:20:04.180 --> 00:20:08.619 find that Paul fasted while he prayed. When we 00:20:08.619 --> 00:20:12.920 genuinely That's the key word. When we genuinely 00:20:12.920 --> 00:20:16.720 seek God in prayer, fasting can help sharpen 00:20:16.720 --> 00:20:20.839 our focus on God. But a word of caution has to 00:20:20.839 --> 00:20:24.500 be said here. Fasting is not some kind of hunger 00:20:24.500 --> 00:20:28.099 strike that will compel God to do your bidding. 00:20:29.599 --> 00:20:31.579 If you are sitting there thinking, well, I'm 00:20:31.579 --> 00:20:34.660 just going to fast and I'll fast for whatever 00:20:34.660 --> 00:20:36.779 number of days so that God will give me what 00:20:36.779 --> 00:20:41.319 I want, that's not how this thing works. We don't 00:20:41.319 --> 00:20:43.539 fast so that God will do what we want. We fast 00:20:43.539 --> 00:20:46.170 so we understand God's will for our life. In 00:20:46.170 --> 00:20:50.470 Isaiah 58, I'd highly encourage you to read that 00:20:50.470 --> 00:20:52.529 chapter because in the Bible, it's probably the 00:20:52.529 --> 00:20:55.490 most complete teaching regarding fasting in the 00:20:55.490 --> 00:20:58.430 entire Bible. And in that chapter, we are challenged 00:20:58.430 --> 00:21:02.210 by the words of God to make sure that our motivations 00:21:02.210 --> 00:21:04.490 and make sure our hearts are in the right place 00:21:04.490 --> 00:21:06.970 when we fast. If you're fasting because you want 00:21:06.970 --> 00:21:09.589 to seek God's will, your motives are right. If 00:21:09.589 --> 00:21:12.269 you're fasting for any other reason, then your 00:21:12.269 --> 00:21:14.960 motives are wrong. All right? And so although 00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:17.839 we were focused on the practice of fasting this 00:21:17.839 --> 00:21:20.359 morning, there's an even broader matter that 00:21:20.359 --> 00:21:22.720 we must consider, that each and every one of 00:21:22.720 --> 00:21:25.019 us needs to ask ourselves. While it's certainly 00:21:25.019 --> 00:21:29.160 true that fasting has become a neglected spiritual 00:21:29.160 --> 00:21:32.099 discipline that could help all of us achieve 00:21:32.099 --> 00:21:35.680 a deeper relationship, a deeper intimacy with 00:21:35.680 --> 00:21:41.079 God, the real issue here is where is our hunger 00:21:41.079 --> 00:21:45.039 directed? That's what we need to consider. Are 00:21:45.039 --> 00:21:48.680 we like the religious leaders who hungered for 00:21:48.680 --> 00:21:52.799 the admiration of man? They wanted to be viewed 00:21:52.799 --> 00:21:55.359 as holy. They wanted to be viewed as righteous. 00:21:57.440 --> 00:21:59.880 Or do we hunger as true citizens of the kingdom 00:21:59.880 --> 00:22:02.900 of heaven whose hunger was described by Jesus 00:22:02.900 --> 00:22:04.920 at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount in 00:22:04.920 --> 00:22:07.599 Matthew chapter five or six, where he says, blessed 00:22:07.599 --> 00:22:10.859 are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. 00:22:11.529 --> 00:22:16.029 for they will be satisfied. So throughout the 00:22:16.029 --> 00:22:21.069 Bible we see people engaging in fasting for several 00:22:21.069 --> 00:22:27.950 reasons. Now I love when science catches up with 00:22:27.950 --> 00:22:30.670 what the Bible has been teaching since its creation. 00:22:31.789 --> 00:22:33.809 We know according to Genesis chapter 1 that we 00:22:33.809 --> 00:22:37.680 are created in God's image. We know according 00:22:37.680 --> 00:22:39.480 to Paul's words in first Corinthians chapter 00:22:39.480 --> 00:22:44.099 6 that our body is the temple of the Lord So 00:22:44.099 --> 00:22:47.319 he's no longer only he no longer only dwells 00:22:47.319 --> 00:22:49.799 in a temple in the Middle East But according 00:22:49.799 --> 00:22:52.579 to the scripture once we surrender our lives 00:22:52.579 --> 00:22:55.440 to him once we profess him as Savior the Holy 00:22:55.440 --> 00:22:58.460 Spirit of God Dwells in us if you want to know 00:22:58.460 --> 00:23:01.799 what God is like What what he looks like you 00:23:01.799 --> 00:23:03.460 look at the people around you because we are 00:23:03.460 --> 00:23:07.640 made in his image And his Holy Spirit dwells 00:23:07.640 --> 00:23:10.819 in us. There's this hell train going on right 00:23:10.819 --> 00:23:13.519 now that isn't that is encouraging. Maybe you've 00:23:13.519 --> 00:23:14.839 heard about it. Maybe you've been a part of it. 00:23:14.839 --> 00:23:17.619 Maybe you've done it. That's encouraging people 00:23:17.619 --> 00:23:21.099 to fast. I was in the bookstore a couple of weeks 00:23:21.099 --> 00:23:23.500 ago with my daughter and there is this whole 00:23:23.500 --> 00:23:27.859 section on fasting. Now it wasn't biblical fasting 00:23:27.859 --> 00:23:32.759 but it was fasting because science now sees the 00:23:32.759 --> 00:23:35.789 health benefits of fasting. Did you know it helps 00:23:35.789 --> 00:23:41.910 you lose weight? I mean who knew that not eating 00:23:41.910 --> 00:23:47.829 would cause you to lose weight? But it's interesting 00:23:47.829 --> 00:23:51.309 how science is now saying that by fasting it 00:23:51.309 --> 00:23:55.130 has all sorts of other benefits. Here's a few 00:23:55.130 --> 00:23:58.130 facts that they've come up with. After 16 hours 00:23:58.130 --> 00:24:01.910 in a fast your food storage is depleted and you 00:24:01.910 --> 00:24:05.690 begin to burn fat. You heard of the keto diet? 00:24:06.250 --> 00:24:09.470 That's what it's saying. Your body enters ketosis. 00:24:10.690 --> 00:24:12.869 Within 24 hours of a fast your body begins to 00:24:12.869 --> 00:24:15.789 clear out damaged cells which helps increase 00:24:15.789 --> 00:24:20.609 your cancer immunity. Within 72 hours of a fast 00:24:20.609 --> 00:24:23.950 your immune system is completely refreshed and 00:24:23.950 --> 00:24:28.569 your body becomes more healthy internally. The 00:24:28.569 --> 00:24:32.559 Bible tells us In 1st Corinthians chapter 6 to 00:24:32.559 --> 00:24:36.140 glorify God with our bodies. What science is 00:24:36.140 --> 00:24:39.400 telling us is that by fasting you can basically 00:24:39.400 --> 00:24:42.700 heal your body. The difference is a Christian 00:24:42.700 --> 00:24:46.140 should fast because we want our souls healed. 00:24:47.440 --> 00:24:51.140 But fasting has these other benefits as well. 00:24:51.900 --> 00:24:54.619 When Sina and I were going through premarital 00:24:54.619 --> 00:25:00.579 counseling many years ago, our pastor Told us 00:25:00.579 --> 00:25:03.299 to never have a serious argument or a serious 00:25:03.299 --> 00:25:07.680 discussion when one or two things are true so 00:25:07.680 --> 00:25:10.119 he said don't have a serious discussion if you're 00:25:10.119 --> 00:25:13.799 tired and Don't have a serious discussion if 00:25:13.799 --> 00:25:17.700 you're hungry Now I understood the tired thing 00:25:17.700 --> 00:25:21.180 like that makes sense to me Like I'll forget 00:25:21.180 --> 00:25:23.160 what you're talking about or I'll be grumpy or 00:25:23.160 --> 00:25:25.240 whatever like I understand like let's not make 00:25:25.240 --> 00:25:27.319 major Decisions when we're both tired that made 00:25:27.319 --> 00:25:29.160 sense to me the hunger thing didn't it didn't 00:25:29.160 --> 00:25:33.400 make sense to me But then I got married and I 00:25:33.400 --> 00:25:37.519 realized why he told us that I understood it 00:25:37.519 --> 00:25:42.259 when we are hungry our Flesh is telling us that 00:25:42.259 --> 00:25:46.039 it is the priority over everything else our flesh 00:25:46.039 --> 00:25:49.029 is saying I'm the priority. I'm number one in 00:25:49.029 --> 00:25:52.309 this moment. That's why we use terms like, oh, 00:25:52.390 --> 00:25:56.869 he's hangry. Or, oh, she's hangry. Because anger 00:25:56.869 --> 00:26:03.130 and hunger seem to always go together. So what 00:26:03.130 --> 00:26:05.329 was happening was I would be hungry for whatever 00:26:05.329 --> 00:26:07.589 reason. Maybe I skipped lunch. Or I would be 00:26:07.589 --> 00:26:09.890 hungry for whatever reason. Sina would have an 00:26:09.890 --> 00:26:12.299 issue. She would have something she wanted to 00:26:12.299 --> 00:26:15.079 discuss maybe had nothing to do with me at all 00:26:15.079 --> 00:26:17.700 But she wanted to discuss it and I couldn't care 00:26:17.700 --> 00:26:20.839 less about what she had to say because my hunger 00:26:20.839 --> 00:26:24.779 revealed how selfish I could be They revealed 00:26:24.779 --> 00:26:27.460 no Sina. I got to take care of me before I can 00:26:27.460 --> 00:26:31.380 help you hunger Exposes our weaknesses because 00:26:31.380 --> 00:26:36.299 the flesh is crying out for attention a social 00:26:36.299 --> 00:26:43.890 media fast a TV fast music fast, not eating meat 00:26:43.890 --> 00:26:49.150 on a Friday fast, those are weak fasts because 00:26:49.150 --> 00:26:53.730 you're still feeding what the flesh wants. Biblical 00:26:53.730 --> 00:26:58.150 fasting is the abstinence from food for a period 00:26:58.150 --> 00:27:02.309 of time for the sake of dedicating your heart 00:27:02.309 --> 00:27:05.490 to growing closer to God. That's a biblical fast. 00:27:05.730 --> 00:27:08.549 It is not a hunger strike. It is not to lose 00:27:08.549 --> 00:27:11.170 weight. It's not because you got too busy at 00:27:11.170 --> 00:27:14.029 work and you forgot to eat. It is choosing that 00:27:14.029 --> 00:27:18.569 I am going to deny my flesh for the purpose of 00:27:18.569 --> 00:27:22.250 seeking God through prayer. That's what fasting 00:27:22.250 --> 00:27:25.329 is and that's what we need to be better at. Fasting 00:27:25.329 --> 00:27:29.289 is a denial of the thing the flesh wants the 00:27:29.289 --> 00:27:34.359 most. The enemy knows how to tempt us. He knows 00:27:34.359 --> 00:27:38.440 how to get our attention. Jesus fasted for 40 00:27:38.440 --> 00:27:41.640 days. What was the first thing the enemy tempted 00:27:41.640 --> 00:27:48.980 him with? Food. If you want to grow closer to 00:27:48.980 --> 00:27:52.480 God, now I'm not saying everybody in this room 00:27:52.480 --> 00:27:54.700 does, but if you want to grow closer to God, 00:27:54.880 --> 00:27:58.640 you need to learn how to deny your flesh. Blessed 00:27:58.640 --> 00:28:01.180 are those that hunger and thirst for righteousness. 00:28:02.380 --> 00:28:06.079 If you want to grow closer to God, you need to 00:28:06.079 --> 00:28:09.660 learn how to control your flesh and deny yourself 00:28:09.660 --> 00:28:13.200 of food. You need to learn how to deny yourself 00:28:13.200 --> 00:28:16.839 of pleasure and you seek after God for a period 00:28:16.839 --> 00:28:22.059 of time. So maybe that means no food and no social 00:28:22.059 --> 00:28:33.299 media. No food, no TV. No food, no sex. No food. 00:28:33.539 --> 00:28:36.920 Fill in the blank. Whatever that is. You are 00:28:36.920 --> 00:28:41.119 telling your flesh, I have authority over you. 00:28:41.859 --> 00:28:47.759 I have authority over you because of Jesus. And 00:28:47.759 --> 00:28:51.900 I will deny what you want most to weaken you. 00:28:52.460 --> 00:28:55.859 So that I can be who I really am I am a spirit 00:28:55.859 --> 00:28:59.839 inside of a fleshly body and I'm gonna deny you 00:28:59.839 --> 00:29:02.299 and I'm gonna show my authority over you so I 00:29:02.299 --> 00:29:07.059 can grow in intimacy with Christ when you fast 00:29:07.059 --> 00:29:11.759 you hear God more clearly Peter Cicero, he's 00:29:11.759 --> 00:29:13.759 a he's an author. It's written several books 00:29:13.759 --> 00:29:16.359 I would recommend him to you if you're looking 00:29:16.359 --> 00:29:18.700 for something new to read just write write it 00:29:18.700 --> 00:29:20.700 right down He's a couple he has a couple books 00:29:20.700 --> 00:29:24.079 that I've read the emotionally healthy leader, 00:29:25.259 --> 00:29:29.480 and emotionally healthy spirituality. And in 00:29:29.480 --> 00:29:32.140 one of those books, I could not find which one 00:29:32.140 --> 00:29:34.500 it was in, but in one of those books he talks 00:29:34.500 --> 00:29:38.099 about fasting. And in there he says that if you 00:29:38.099 --> 00:29:43.720 have any sort of addiction, it could be alcohol, 00:29:45.079 --> 00:29:51.099 it could be pornography, it could be control. 00:29:53.390 --> 00:29:58.390 It could be pride, selfishness. If you want to 00:29:58.390 --> 00:30:02.549 have a shot at overcoming those things, you need 00:30:02.549 --> 00:30:06.650 to learn how to fast. Because the issue with 00:30:06.650 --> 00:30:10.390 any addiction, any addiction, is we are once 00:30:10.390 --> 00:30:15.589 again feeding what our flesh wants. We are letting 00:30:15.589 --> 00:30:19.210 it control us, instead of showing that we have 00:30:19.210 --> 00:30:23.450 authority over it. If you want to grow in intimacy 00:30:23.450 --> 00:30:29.150 with God, start fasting. As you fast, it will 00:30:29.150 --> 00:30:32.650 reveal some issues that you have that are not 00:30:32.650 --> 00:30:37.690 honoring to Him. Do you have marriage struggles, 00:30:37.869 --> 00:30:40.210 marriage issues, but you can't quite put your 00:30:40.210 --> 00:30:45.289 finger on it? Start fasting. God will reveal 00:30:45.289 --> 00:30:50.640 where you need to overcome your flesh. Do you 00:30:50.640 --> 00:30:54.779 just have a, do you have a critical spirit? And 00:30:54.779 --> 00:31:00.779 it's difficult for you to see the good. And all 00:31:00.779 --> 00:31:02.720 you're able to focus on is what could be done 00:31:02.720 --> 00:31:07.059 better. Start fasting and seek after those things 00:31:07.059 --> 00:31:08.960 because the Bible tells us to focus on things 00:31:08.960 --> 00:31:13.220 that are good. And the flesh wants you to focus 00:31:13.220 --> 00:31:16.000 on earthly things. Do you have a big decision 00:31:16.000 --> 00:31:21.529 to make? Start fasting because you want to be 00:31:21.529 --> 00:31:24.089 in the Lord's will. You must control your flesh 00:31:24.089 --> 00:31:29.130 and seek after him. Start fasting. Now there's 00:31:29.130 --> 00:31:32.309 many times that I experience what I call sensory 00:31:32.309 --> 00:31:36.170 overload. I'm sensitive in that way. Loud noises 00:31:36.170 --> 00:31:39.410 don't do well for me. There's been many times 00:31:39.410 --> 00:31:40.950 where I've been driving in heavy traffic and 00:31:40.950 --> 00:31:43.109 it's a little intense and so I turn down the 00:31:43.109 --> 00:31:45.029 radio so I can see better. Anybody else do that? 00:31:46.559 --> 00:31:48.619 or the kids will be in the back and I'll just 00:31:48.619 --> 00:31:50.500 have them be quiet just so I can focus on what 00:31:50.500 --> 00:31:56.039 I'm trying to accomplish. To me, that's what 00:31:56.039 --> 00:32:00.380 fasting does. It helps free us from distraction 00:32:00.380 --> 00:32:03.819 so we can focus on the Lord. It's like turning 00:32:03.819 --> 00:32:08.059 the radio down and it puts us in tune with our 00:32:08.059 --> 00:32:12.359 relationship with Him. Every time I've gone through 00:32:12.359 --> 00:32:16.579 a period of fasting, something new has been revealed 00:32:16.579 --> 00:32:22.220 to me. The first time that I realized that I 00:32:22.220 --> 00:32:25.140 had a critical spirit with my kids, I was in 00:32:25.140 --> 00:32:28.619 the middle of a fast. And I was convicted that 00:32:28.619 --> 00:32:32.099 my entire interaction with my kids on that particular 00:32:32.099 --> 00:32:36.759 day was me telling them everything they were 00:32:36.759 --> 00:32:40.039 doing wrong and showing them everything they 00:32:40.039 --> 00:32:46.240 could be doing better. I don't want my kids to 00:32:46.240 --> 00:32:49.400 think that they will never be good enough because 00:32:49.400 --> 00:32:51.299 all they hear from me is how they're failing. 00:32:53.000 --> 00:32:56.420 If I wasn't fasting, I don't know if I would 00:32:56.420 --> 00:32:59.079 have ever heard it. I don't know that I would 00:32:59.079 --> 00:33:01.500 have ever realized it. And only God knows what 00:33:01.500 --> 00:33:03.799 kind of damage that I could have done to them 00:33:03.799 --> 00:33:09.960 and their hearts. Would we all benefit from engaging 00:33:09.960 --> 00:33:14.309 in fasting on a more regular basis? I absolutely 00:33:14.309 --> 00:33:17.009 think we would. I absolutely think we would all 00:33:17.009 --> 00:33:20.089 benefit. But more than anything else, the passage 00:33:20.089 --> 00:33:24.150 this morning is a call for us to evaluate, to 00:33:24.150 --> 00:33:28.089 honestly evaluate what we hunger for in our lives. 00:33:29.549 --> 00:33:34.130 Do we, like the hypocritical religious leaders, 00:33:34.470 --> 00:33:39.170 hunger for human admiration? Or do we honestly 00:33:39.170 --> 00:33:42.680 have a hunger for the things of God? What if 00:33:42.680 --> 00:33:47.119 hungering for God became as important to us as 00:33:47.119 --> 00:33:51.519 hungering over a big, perfectly cooked steak? 00:33:52.480 --> 00:33:57.960 Or a pizza? Or Whitey's ice cream? Whatever that 00:33:57.960 --> 00:34:02.819 is. What if we were to become as upset as missing 00:34:02.819 --> 00:34:06.839 an opportunity to engage with our Heavenly Father 00:34:06.839 --> 00:34:12.469 as we are about missing our next meal? What if 00:34:12.469 --> 00:34:15.570 we can honestly say that our heart speaks like 00:34:15.570 --> 00:34:19.809 the psalmist in Psalm 42 where he says, as a 00:34:19.809 --> 00:34:23.489 deer pants for flowing stream, so my soul pants 00:34:23.489 --> 00:34:27.750 for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for 00:34:27.750 --> 00:34:32.710 the living God. That's what we need to evaluate. 00:34:33.849 --> 00:34:37.610 Where's our hunger? Is our hunger in our preferences 00:34:37.610 --> 00:34:42.559 or is our hunger in the things of God? So I'm 00:34:42.559 --> 00:34:45.960 going to ask you to commit. I'm going to ask 00:34:45.960 --> 00:34:50.420 you to commit to fasting one day a week for the 00:34:50.420 --> 00:34:52.739 rest of the year. If you want to take it above 00:34:52.739 --> 00:34:54.980 and beyond that, fantastic. But I'm going to 00:34:54.980 --> 00:34:57.739 ask you to fast one day a week for the rest of 00:34:57.739 --> 00:35:02.360 the year. Every week I'm going to ask you to 00:35:02.360 --> 00:35:06.559 commit to abstaining from food for the spiritual 00:35:06.559 --> 00:35:11.730 purpose of seeking God's will. Now, I have no 00:35:11.730 --> 00:35:13.289 expectations that everybody in this room is going 00:35:13.289 --> 00:35:18.150 to do that today. I wish it were true, but if 00:35:18.150 --> 00:35:20.590 you want to know who God is, if you want to know 00:35:20.590 --> 00:35:23.090 the direction He has for your life, we need to 00:35:23.090 --> 00:35:26.210 begin by fasting. So, if you have the church 00:35:26.210 --> 00:35:28.969 app, if you pull up the church app, you can click 00:35:28.969 --> 00:35:32.170 right on the home page and commit to it. Sharon's 00:35:32.170 --> 00:35:35.929 going to put a QR code here on the screen. If 00:35:35.929 --> 00:35:38.889 you scan that QR code, I'm asking you to commit. 00:35:39.440 --> 00:35:41.579 And what will happen here in just a little while, 00:35:41.579 --> 00:35:44.579 you'll get an email. And every Sunday you'll 00:35:44.579 --> 00:35:48.739 get an email as a guide to help you through your 00:35:48.739 --> 00:35:51.619 fast and your prayer. But I'm going to ask you 00:35:51.619 --> 00:35:54.940 to commit to it. But here's what you need to 00:35:54.940 --> 00:35:58.820 do. You need to pick the day. Don't put it on 00:35:58.820 --> 00:36:02.119 your calendar. It's too easy to forget. The enemy 00:36:02.119 --> 00:36:05.179 is too crafty. Put it on your calendar and commit 00:36:05.179 --> 00:36:09.809 to it. I know there's a hundred different excuses 00:36:09.809 --> 00:36:12.010 as to why you're not able to fast. I've heard 00:36:12.010 --> 00:36:14.289 them all. But I'm going to ask you to lay that 00:36:14.289 --> 00:36:17.730 before the Lord. And is he asking you to fast? 00:36:19.030 --> 00:36:22.489 Is your faith in the medicine that you take or 00:36:22.489 --> 00:36:24.789 is your faith in the Lord? I'm not saying stop 00:36:24.789 --> 00:36:28.969 taking your medicine. But the enemy is going 00:36:28.969 --> 00:36:32.050 to use everything he can to keep you from seeking 00:36:32.050 --> 00:36:35.289 after God's will. So I'm going to ask you to 00:36:35.289 --> 00:36:38.639 commit. And when you commit, here's what you're 00:36:38.639 --> 00:36:42.079 doing. You're giving me and everybody else that 00:36:42.079 --> 00:36:44.639 commits permission to hold you accountable to 00:36:44.639 --> 00:36:50.579 that. And so I'm asking all of you that are in 00:36:50.579 --> 00:36:53.980 this room that are watching online to hold me 00:36:53.980 --> 00:36:57.360 accountable to what the Lord is telling me and 00:36:57.360 --> 00:36:59.639 how my fasts are going. I've decided I'm going 00:36:59.639 --> 00:37:01.519 to fast on Monday. That seems to be the best 00:37:01.519 --> 00:37:04.340 day for me. I don't usually have lunch appointments. 00:37:04.380 --> 00:37:06.300 I don't really have anything going on. And so 00:37:06.300 --> 00:37:08.300 I can dedicate that day to just fasting. And 00:37:08.300 --> 00:37:10.280 every time I feel those hunger pains, I'm going 00:37:10.280 --> 00:37:12.460 to seek after the Lord's will. I'm going to pay 00:37:12.460 --> 00:37:14.380 attention to what keeps coming up to the surface. 00:37:14.699 --> 00:37:17.079 Is my anger rising up? Is my selfishness rising 00:37:17.079 --> 00:37:20.360 up? Is my pride rising up? Is my whatever's rising 00:37:20.360 --> 00:37:22.980 up throughout these fasts, I'm going to lay those 00:37:22.980 --> 00:37:26.099 things before the Lord. So each and every one 00:37:26.099 --> 00:37:27.579 of you has permission to hold me accountable 00:37:27.579 --> 00:37:30.750 to that. Ask me on Tuesday, how to go. Ask me 00:37:30.750 --> 00:37:33.150 next Sunday, how to go. What's the Lord telling 00:37:33.150 --> 00:37:36.849 you? And so I'm going to ask you to come in. 00:37:37.389 --> 00:37:39.670 If you want to know God's will for your life, 00:37:41.269 --> 00:37:44.550 He will reveal it as you fast. And so I'm going 00:37:44.550 --> 00:37:46.170 to pray for us. I'm going to ask our worship 00:37:46.170 --> 00:37:49.570 team to come up and lead us in one more song. 00:37:49.590 --> 00:37:51.989 And as they lead us in one more song, maybe you 00:37:51.989 --> 00:37:54.110 just lay these things before the Lord. Maybe 00:37:54.110 --> 00:37:56.110 you lay all your excuses out before the Lord 00:37:56.110 --> 00:37:58.650 like God. This is why I can't fast. I get a headache. 00:38:00.989 --> 00:38:03.250 I don't have I don't have time. I have all these 00:38:03.250 --> 00:38:05.989 meetings a schedule. I can't fit. I can't cancel 00:38:05.989 --> 00:38:08.309 this meeting to lay them all out before the Lord. 00:38:08.389 --> 00:38:10.570 Let's see what he does with them. Every single 00:38:10.570 --> 00:38:12.670 one of us has an excuse as to why we are not 00:38:12.670 --> 00:38:15.630 fasting. Let's let's get them all out laying 00:38:15.630 --> 00:38:18.010 before him and see what he does. Let's pray. 00:38:18.289 --> 00:38:20.329 Father I pray right now that as we respond to 00:38:20.329 --> 00:38:30.809 you. Help us develop the discipline of fasting. 00:38:32.829 --> 00:38:37.030 Help us develop the practice of seeking after 00:38:37.030 --> 00:38:43.869 you and your will. Father, what would you do? 00:38:44.849 --> 00:38:51.010 How would you move if a bunch of us banded together 00:38:51.010 --> 00:38:54.000 and said we want nothing more? than to know your 00:38:54.000 --> 00:38:57.420 will. What would you do in this church? What 00:38:57.420 --> 00:39:01.920 would you do in my life? So Father, I pray that 00:39:01.920 --> 00:39:03.980 as we sing that you just speak to our hearts. 00:39:07.500 --> 00:39:09.139 I pray that you will free us from distraction 00:39:09.139 --> 00:39:11.559 for a few minutes. I pray that you will protect 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:16.320 our minds from the enemy. That in this moment 00:39:16.320 --> 00:39:19.000 we seek after you. In this moment we humble ourselves 00:39:19.000 --> 00:39:22.860 before you. We are completely, utterly dependent 00:39:23.079 --> 00:39:28.679 on you. So Father I pray that your spirit will 00:39:28.679 --> 00:39:32.000 move in this place. Speak to our hearts. It's 00:39:32.000 --> 00:39:33.739 in Jesus name I pray. Amen.