Hey guys, this is Tracy. If at any time you'd
like to connect with HCV, go to hcv .church forward
slash connect. If you feel called to give, go
to hcv .church forward slash give. And if at
any time you feel called to make a change in
your life, text change me to 970 -00. Enjoy the
message. Hey, good morning, everyone. So good
to see everybody here. So glad you're here. Thank
you for journeying out in the just tundra and
the snow. You know, it's like a foot out there.
And, man, you're committed. Love it. Thank you.
If you're joining us from home and it was too
dangerous to come out, God bless you guys. Thank
you for welcoming us. Into your space. Just a
couple things I want to hit on real quick. The
giving letters from the 2025 giving statements,
they've been emailed out to you. Please check
your email. If you haven't gotten them, please
see Tracy at the Welcome Hub directly after this.
She'll arrange for you to get it. Our groups
kick off, launches this week. All of our growth
groups will begin meeting and gathering. There
is food, free food, available for you in the
A -frame. If you'd like to go check out all of
our groups, sample some soup, soup du jour, chili,
all that kind of stuff. Stop by and grab some
food, meet some people, and jump in a group.
Reminder, skate night, you need a ticket. Okay,
so go to the Welcome Hub, get a ticket. For either
the first session, 5 to 6 .30, or the second,
6 .30 to 8. And finally, HTV is once again serving
children in our local community through Micah's
Backpack. There was a need in two local elementary
schools, Lincolnshire and Hickory. We began serving
there a few weeks ago with 10 students. That
has now grown to over 50. So Micah's Backpack
provides food for children. that wouldn't have
food over the weekend, we stuff bags, we put
food in it, we deliver it. If you would like
to help Steve, Steve Wetzel is overseeing it.
He'll be at the Welcome Hub. He is building a
team so that we can weekly pack these bags and
get them to the people that need them. Amen?
All right. I just want to open in prayer because
God kind of led me in a different direction today.
I wasn't planning on sharing the message that
God put in my heart, but... He told me to. So
just being obedient here. And it's going to be
challenging. Just throwing that out there now.
And I want you to receive it and not get too
mad at me and walk out the door. All right? So
we'll let God open our hearts there. So Holy
Spirit, come. God, we're just thankful that we're
freely able to gather in your name. I just pray,
God, that you would rest in this place. We give
this entire gathering to you. Silence distractions,
open our minds, ears, and hearts to receive your
truth. And may we all be changed and transformed
in Jesus' name. Amen. So I want to be real honest
with you this morning. This week as I was praying
for all of you, I was convicted that many of
you have not been fasting to kick off this new
year. And I feel it's my fault. And it's my responsibility
that you're not because during our first gathering
of this series, when I introduced 21 Days of
Prayer and Fasting, I was focused on the morning
gatherings, the 6 a .m., getting people there.
I was focused on the 24 -7 prayer that is happening
this week that you heard Rhett share about. And
it's almost like I skipped over the fasting part.
And God just convicted me and challenged me that
we need to go back, rewind. And refocus on that
important part. God led me specifically to Romans
chapter 7. Where Paul was writing about the battle
that he had going on inside of himself. The war
between flesh and spirit. Paul writes these words
in verses 18 through 19. And I know that nothing
good lives in me. That is in my sinful nature.
I want to do what is right but I can't. I want
to do what is good but I don't. I don't want
to do what is wrong but I do it anyway. I want
to read the Bible, but I don't. I want to pray,
but I'm too distracted. I want to connect with
others. I want to serve. I want to be in a group,
but I keep making excuses. I find myself angry
and frustrated. I want to change. I try to change,
but I can't. I don't want to struggle with lust
and pornography. I ask God to set me free, but
the grip is too strong. So you can hear Paul
struggling. and wrestling with his flesh and
the spirit. That thorn that he talks about that
so many people struggle with, I believe, is you
and me. It's our flesh. It's the sin nature that
none of us can take off until we are delivered
from this body and set free in God's kingdom.
Now, I attended a celebration of life yesterday
for a man that pursued Jesus from the time he
was 16 until the time he passed away just a few
weeks ago at the age of 74. This man had a profound
impact on my life because he was the pastor that
married Jess and I and ultimately led the first
mission trip that I ever was a part of. And on
that missions trip, he actually handed me his
Bible on a Thursday morning and said, hey Chris,
you're sharing today. Please understand, I had
only begun a relationship with Jesus about eight
months earlier. I looked back at him and said,
I haven't read that book yet. It's on my list
of things to do. I promise. But I haven't did
it. And he said, God will give you what to share.
You're doing it anyway. Dare I say, from that
day on, now my pursuit has been Jesus and the
kingdom of God. From that day forward. This life
that I'm now living is focused on God's kingdom,
my family, Jess and the kids, this community
of faith that God has led me to birth and lead.
But most importantly, the most important thing
in my life is to see God's kingdom forcefully
advance through his people, which are you. You're
a part of those people. You're a part of the
church. And I believe God wants to forcefully
advance his kingdom through you. It's not about
the lights. It's not about fame. It's not about
this stage or this platform. It's not about money.
It's not even about recognition. It's about becoming
more and more like Jesus every single day. Becoming
1 % better as each day passes. And what I have
found personally is the more I grow closer to
Jesus, the more I hate the issues that I struggle
with in this flesh. Think about it. There was
a time when this issue with the flesh was not
a problem. When the first human beings were perfect
and walked with intimacy with God. There was
no struggles with the flesh. Until they thought
they were smarter than God, were deceived by
the enemy, and plunged the whole world, you and
me, into sin. And because of that decision, all
of us have to keep wrestling with this thing
called the flesh. See, all those issues we struggle
with in life flows from the sinful nature in
our heart. The guilt, the shame, the insecurities,
the jealousy, the pride, the arrogance, the judgment,
the criticism. The negativity, the doubt, marital
struggles, relationship issues, fights, wars,
sickness, disease. All those things that we hate,
that we struggle with in this life flow from
the sinful nature in our hearts. And please understand
the best treatment for all those issues that
we struggle with on a daily basis is the presence
of God. I'm all about counselors. I'm all about
prayer. I'm all about laying on of hands. I'm
all about medication when needed. But the best
treatment for all those issues within our heart
is the presence of God. The best treatment for
the issues of the human heart is God himself.
And how do I know that? Well, in the garden,
mankind walked in perfection with God. No sin.
But now the sin is in our world. Our flesh keeps
this barrier between us and God. It's almost
like a wall. It's almost like a cap above our
heads. And there's people that struggle for days,
weeks, months, even years to draw close to God,
to feel his presence, to walk in his power and
his authority. They desire to want to be with
him, but they can't. They fall short. And they
constantly are bagging their heads against that
barrier. But friends, there's one ancient practice
that weakens the flesh and causes the spirit
to grow strong. And through this practice, we
connect with God in such a way that the flesh
is silenced and God can be heard so clearly.
It's the ancient discipline of fasting and prayer.
And so we have to understand that fasting is
denying the body what it wants most. Food. Food
and pleasure. Fasting is telling the flesh, you
have no power over me. And when we take authority
over the flesh and we deny it what it wants most,
we can draw closer to God. We tell the flesh
for a period of time, no food for you. We tell
the flesh for a period of time, you are not stronger
than my spirit. My spirit will win. We invite
the Holy Spirit to come alive inside of our lives,
inside of our hearts. As we fast, we draw closer
to God, and we become more sensitive to his desires
for our life. And many of you are thinking, well,
Chris, how do I know this is true? Well, the
Bible is full of people that fasted and prayed
corporately to seek God's face, which leads us
to our first thought. See, through fasting, God
meets knees. In Ezra chapter 8, there was a priest
named Ezra around 500 BC. He was a scribe. He
was a leader in the Jewish community. The people
of God were currently living in exile. And Ezra
is about to lead more than a thousand Jews out
of exile back to Jerusalem. But the route that
they had to take to get home was a route that
was treacherous, full of dangers and thieves
that would murder, rob, kill, and steal. Anyone
who was traveling along that path. When knowing
this decision, Ezra calls the people to a corporate
fast. Notice Ezra 8, 21 -23. And there by Ava
Canal, I gave orders to all of us to fast and
humble ourselves before God. We prayed that he
would give us a safe journey and protect us,
our children, and our goods as we travel. For
I was ashamed to ask the king for the soldiers
and horsemen to accompany us and protect us from
the enemies along the way. After all, we had
told the king, our God's hand of protection is
on all who worship him, but his fierce anger
rages against those who abandon him. So again,
notice, we fasted and earnestly prayed that our
God would take care of us, and he heard our prayer.
So we see Ezra was begging for God to intervene.
Why? Because Ezra was bragging about God. He
couldn't go to the king. He couldn't ask him
for help. He couldn't ask him to get involved
with soldiers and protection. So what did they
do? They fasted. And not only did they fast,
not only did he fast, everyone fasted. It was
a corporate prayer and fast. And as they did
it, God intervened, and he stepped in and made
a way. God met a need through corporate fasting
and prayer. And see, church, God meets our needs
when we put him first and prioritize our relationship
with him. Jesus said this in Matthew 6. Seek
the kingdom of God above all else, live righteously,
and notice, He will give us everything we need.
Prioritize Jesus. Put him first in your life.
Seek him with your whole heart, and he will meet
all our needs, which leads us to our next example
of corporate fasting. See, through fasting, the
Holy Spirit speaks and gives direction. Jesus
was crucified. Jesus is resurrected, returns
to heaven. It's the first century A .D. The church
is born on the day of Pentecost in the city of
Jerusalem. As you read through the book of Acts,
you know the church grows rapidly by the thousands.
And then suddenly, immediately, they start experiencing
persecution. The first martyr is killed. His
name was Stephen. Then James is killed. And the
rest of the church scatters to all these different
cities. A new church is birthed in Antioch. And
the followers of Jesus are seeking guidance on
what to do next, where to go. And we read this
in Acts 13, 1 -3. Among the prophets and teachers
of the church of Antioch of Syria were Barnabas.
Simeon called the black man, Lucius, Cyrene,
Manan, the childhood companion of King Herod,
of Antipas, and Saul. One day, as these men were
worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit
said, appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special
work for which I've called them. So after more
fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands
on them and sent them on their way. So notice,
in Antioch, the church was called for a corporate
fast. And while they were fasting, the Holy Spirit
spoke. And see, when we fast, church, our spirits
are strong. Our flesh is weak. Fasting sets us
up to hear God's voice more clearly. Proverbs
chapter 3 tells us, trust in the Lord with all
your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do, and he will show
you which path to take. So we just read about
one group of people in a corporate fast and God
provided a need. We see another group of people
in a corporate fast and God what? Speaks to them.
So we see during fasting that God provides needs
and there are people gathered here today and
watching online and you have a need. In fact,
some of you have many needs. Maybe you're struggling
mentally or emotionally or financially. I want
to challenge you. God can meet those needs during
a fast. There's some of you gathered here today
and you're confused. You need guidance. You need
direction. You're desiring, God, speak to me.
Should I be in this relationship? Should I get
married? Should I rent this apartment or buy
this home? Should I move to another city for
that job? Well, we just learned that during fasting,
the Holy Spirit speaks. And some of you need
guidance before moving forward with a decision
that will radically change your life. And friends,
this is the reason we do 21 days of prayer and
fasting to kick off a new year. In this community
of faith, we desire to hear from God regarding
the direction for our lives because walking through
the same old routines, the same old struggles,
with the same old habits year after year after
year, I don't know about you, but it gets old.
And it beats us down. And we're no good for God's
kingdom. Jesus speaks these words of truth to
us in John 16, 13, when the spirit of truth He's
going to guide you into all truth. He will not
speak of his own will, but he will tell you what
he has heard. He will tell you about the future.
Now there's other of you gathered here today
and you're currently struggling spiritually.
Maybe you haven't heard from God for a while.
Maybe you haven't sensed his presence. Maybe
you haven't been praying. You haven't been reading
your Bible. And you find yourself constantly
struggling to overcome habits and addictions.
You have no confidence in your relationship with
Jesus. Maybe for some, you've never fasted before.
And it's that group of people you're questioning,
why would I fast? It's not even possible for
God to move in my life, but I want to change
that opinion because it leads us to our third
thought. God challenges everyone to turn to him
and fast. It doesn't matter if you're in a relationship
with God, not in a relationship with God, distant.
The people of God that I'm about to read, to
you, they've been living in disobedience. And
their disobedience led to God sending a plague
of locusts on their land that ravished their
economy. The people had no money. They couldn't
pay their bills. Food was scarce. And God is
trying to get their attention. And I want to
highlight for some of you, you may be struggling
because God is trying to get your attention.
Because see, when God speaks or touches our money
or our livelihood, he gets our attention. For
all of you who feel like I'm not good enough,
I've made too many mistakes, I sin, I'm not close
enough to God for him to speak to me so I can
hear him. While these people were living in disobedience,
listen to God's heart, Joel chapter two, verses
12 to 13. That is why the Lord says, turn to
me now while there's time. Give me your hearts,
come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. So
notice, God is calling some of you today. I know
you're far away. I know you haven't been praying.
I know you haven't been reading your Bible. I
know you've been living in sin and disobedience.
You're disconnected from me. But in that disobedience,
God is saying, return to me. Let's continue.
Don't tear your clothing in your grief, but tear
your hearts instead. Pause there a second. Some
of you are thinking, I like my shirt. Why do
I want to rip it? Well, in this culture, when
the people, were frustrated and upset, there
was an outward sign of them ripping their clothes
and throwing ashes on their heads. But God is
saying, I don't want no outward signs of reverence.
I don't care about your church attendance. That's
not good enough. I don't care about you checking
a box that you read a verse this morning. I want
you to search your heart. I want you to look
inward. And notice, let's continue. Return to
the Lord your God for he is merciful and compassionate.
Slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
He is eager to relent and not punish. And I want
you to see, church, that God is inviting us home.
In our insecurities, come home. In our sin, return
home. In our breakingness, return home. In our
negativity and doubt, come home. And you say,
why? Because God is gracious and merciful. He
welcomes us home. That's why Jesus told us this
story in Luke 15. So he returned home to his
father. This story of the prodigal son. You remember
he ran away. He spent all his father's hard earnings.
Found himself caught up in sin. And while he
was still a long way off, his father saw him
coming. And this is God for some of you. Filled
with love and compassion, he ran to his son,
embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to
him, Father, I've sinned against both heaven
and you. I'm no longer worthy to be called your
servant. But his father said to his servants,
Quick, bring the finest robe in the house. Put
it on him and get a ring for his finger and sandals
for his feet. See, I want to invite you and encourage
you. There's no excuse for any of us not to fast
and pray. We're all invited by God to be changed.
And for those of you who say, I haven't been
in a relationship with Jesus long enough to fast.
I don't understand it. That's for the spiritual
elite. I was just baptized two weeks ago. Answer
for yourself this question. Did Jesus call his
followers to fast and pray? That leads us to
our fourth thought. See, Jesus calls his followers
to fast. The answer is yes. In his most famous
sermon, the Sermon on the Mount. We read this
in Matthew chapter 6, verses 5 through 6. And
when you pray, and notice what Jesus said there.
When you pray. Don't be like hypocrites who love
to pray publicly on the street corners and in
the synagogues where everyone can see them. I
tell you the truth, that is all the reward they'll
ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself,
shut the door behind you and pray to your father
in private. Then your father who sees everything
will reward you. So notice, twice Jesus speaks
to us, to me and you. He challenges us and he
says, when you pray. See, Jesus expects us to
pray. It doesn't say, if you pray, maybe you'll
get to praying. The text says, when you pray.
See, fasting and prayer is not for the spiritual
elite. This is for anyone who calls himself or
herself a follower of Jesus. He calls us to pray.
He calls us to pray in a private place. And it's
amazing. This jumped off the pages for me this
week. Notice that when we pray, we will receive
a reward. Who likes to receive a reward? Like,
I want a reward. But the interesting thing, notice,
Jesus never tells us what the reward will be.
I was like, God, what's that all about? It's
like the Holy Spirit whispered to me so we don't
limit our minds in what God is going to do through
us and in us. Because if we knew what the reward
was, then we'll just give a little bit. I'll
get the reward. But when we don't know what it
was, we want to go all in to get the greatest
reward. Because see, I believe the greatest reward
we receive from prayer is intimacy and closeness
with Jesus. Because I don't know about you, but
for me, in times of prayer, I've experienced
peace and rest that can only be experienced through
him. In times of prayer, I've experienced direction,
joy, happiness, tears, gratefulness. But it's
a choice. Church, it's a choice to pause, to
silence distractions and pray. But notice, he
doesn't just call us to pray. Jesus takes it
a step further, Matthew 6, 16 through 18. And
when you fast, don't make it obvious as the hypocrites
do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled
so people admire them for their fasting. I tell
you the truth, that is the only reward they will
ever get. But when you fast, there it is again,
comb your hair, wash your face. In other words,
look presentable, church. Comb your hair. Put
some deodorant on. Present yourself as a person
that loves God. And don't let anyone know you're
fasting. Don't walk around complaining, yeah,
pastor's got me fasting this week. Jeez. Did
you realize that if you're complaining about
a fast, all that is is a hunger strike? Like
if you're going to complain about a fast, don't
even do it. Because hunger strikes aren't going
to do anything for you. Just make you hungry.
No one will notice that you are fasting except
your father who knows what you do in private.
And your father who sees everything, who knows
our hearts, what's he going to do? Here it is
again. Will reward you. See, Jesus says, hey
church, don't make it about you. Make it about
God. And notice, there's the promise again. He's
going to... Reward us. Again, the reward isn't
known. So that our minds will not limit what
God wants to do in your life. See, when we're
fasting and we're pursuing God, he desires for
his people to become more like him. So we learn
that during fasting, God provided or met needs
for the people. During corporate fast, God, through
the Holy Spirit, spoke to the people. We learn
that God invites everyone. To fast and pray.
Even those that don't believe. I had a lady as
she was leaving this morning. She shared with
me, before I gave my life to Jesus, I fasted
three days. And then God made himself known to
me. And I had an encounter with God that radically
changed my life. So there's really no excuse
for any of us not to fast and pray. And notice,
Jesus said, when we pray, when we fast. We can't
get ahead of God, church. I mean, there's so
many of us. It's the new year, right? And you're
making up goals, and you're desiring to pursue
things, and you have vision boards for your life,
and you have all this stuff you want to accomplish.
Did you ask God about that? Because, see, God's
got a plan for all of our lives this year. And
here's my challenge to all of you this week.
This is the final week, the last seven days of
our 21 days of fasting and prayer. And even if
you have not been fasting for the first 14 days,
I'm challenging you, start tomorrow. Start tomorrow.
Let's go after God with all of our hearts this
last week. Let's make a choice to not feed our
flesh, to not give it to pleasure this week.
And I want to challenge you. Choose something
to fast that brings you pleasure. If you're trying
to figure out, well, Chris, what do I fast? For
some of you, it's coffee. Get rid of it. Maybe
it's soda, sugar and desserts. Maybe alcohol.
Maybe breakfast or lunch or dinner. You may be
a gangster and just fast all week. Everything.
Just go liquid. Get some water, some juice in
you. Some bone broth. All week. I said, Chris,
why would I do that? To slow down and hear from
God. To slow down and hear from God. To want
a reward from God. To want Jesus to speak to
you, to give you opportunities. And you're like,
well, Chris, okay, I'm hearing the challenge.
Why should I do it? Well, five reasons that we
should all pursue this last seven days in a fast.
surrendering our body to God this week. And the
first is this, it silences the flesh. So for
those of you that are struggling in these battles
with the flesh, fasting is for you. Romans 8,
5, those who are dominated by the sinful nature,
think about sinful things, but those who are
controlled by the Spirit, think about things
that please the Spirit. See, God desires to free
us from our habits, from our sin, from our struggles,
and tear us down and pull us away from God. The
apathy, the laziness, the self -interest, the
stress, the negativity, the doubt, the addictions,
nicotine, weed, prescriptions. Right? God desires
that our spirit comes alive. And we choose to
allow the Holy Spirit to lead our lives. And
that happens when we put him first. Galatians
5 .16. So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your
lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful
nature craves. You silence the self, right? You
silence the flesh. And you focus on God and prioritize
your spirit, which leads us to our next result.
It deepens your relationship with Jesus. We're
reminded in Jeremiah 29, if you look for me wholeheartedly,
church, you're going to find him. See, when we
engage in prayer and fasting, it's a fundamental
invitation for God to enter our lives more fully,
to overwhelm us with his love. The invitation
that God offers to us is intimacy. And it allows
for us to go closer to Jesus. And by depriving
ourselves of physical food, you know what we
do? We create space for spiritual nourishment
and growth. We set aside distractions and we
focus on prayer. We invite God into our hearts.
We pave the way for personal transformation that
all of us want and desire. See, this process
not only strengthens our relationship with him,
but it also cultivates a greater awareness of
God in our lives everywhere we go. John 14, 15,
if you love me, church, obey my commandments.
Put him first. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide
and lead your life. You know week after week
here, we say, come Holy Spirit. And for many
of you, this is the only place you hear it. No,
we need to be praying that prayer everywhere
we go. As we get into our car before we go to
work, come Holy Spirit. As we get out of our
car, heading into work, come Holy Spirit. As
we get into a disagreement with our co -worker
or our classmate, we say, come Holy Spirit, not
out loud, but in our minds. Because you might
get slapped. But that's how we live. Which leads
us to our third truth. Church, you're going to
hear from God. If you prioritize fasting and
prayer this week and silence that flesh, God
will speak to you. John 10, 27, my sheep listen
to my voice. I know them and they follow me.
See, fasting creates a space where we can hear
God's voice more clearly. In the busyness of
life, right, the noise of our schedules, the
thoughts, the distractions, it drowns out God's
still small voice. You say, God, is that you?
Well, fasting quiets the external, right? Shuts
it down and invites the eternal to wake up. Our
hearts come alive and we receive his guidance,
encouragement, and direction. Remember Revelation
3 .20, look, I stand at the door and knock. Jesus
is standing at the door of our hearts. Remember
this letter was written to the church. It isn't
for outsiders. So if you got that shirt that
says stand at the door and knock, I'm knocking.
That's for you, not them. I will come in and
we will share a meal together as friends. See,
God desires a personal relationship with you
and me. One where communication flows freely.
And he speaks to us as we read the Bible. Friends,
we have got to spend time reading the Bible.
I want to challenge you. Get up 20 minutes early.
Get in a devotional and listen to God speak to
you through the Bible. That's the primary way.
And if we're not giving him time, he won't reveal
truth to you. And you won't know the commandments
to follow. You have to create quiet moments.
You have to set aside time every day to be silent
before God. To be still and listen. Remember,
we're bombarded with what to do, where to go,
what to listen to, what to wear, how we should
look. Inject your face. Do this. Do that. Friends,
you've got to silence that junk. You got to get
quiet before God. Remember what Jesus said. Get
in your room. Shut the door. Listen to me. And
then when you listen to him, when you're praying,
ask God some questions. Yes, share in your concerns.
But share with him your questions, your decisions.
God, why is this happening? What are you doing?
I want to know where to go, what to do. Like
be real and raw with him. He wants to hear from
you. I mean, the last time I checked, Revelation
3 .20 says, come in and I'll have a meal with
you. When you have a meal with someone, it's
give or take. It's not just Jesus downloading
into you. No, you're speaking to him. And then
when you hear from God, write it down. Man, that's
important. Make a note in your phone, God's speaking
to me, and start recording what he's saying.
Because as you journal, that's how change happens.
And then again, you stay sensitive to the Spirit.
Holy Spirit, come. Holy Spirit, come. Fill me
up. Make my heart on fire. Now, for those of
you that may be wanting more of the Holy Spirit,
starting in February on Sunday nights, I'm going
to be leading a Holy Spirit class. In the evenings,
we're going to do it. During senior high youth,
we're going to start and meet in here. Rick and
I are going to lead. a class on the Holy Spirit,
who he is, what he does, what he doesn't do,
how he speaks to us. We're going to be laying
on hands praying for people. We're going to believe
God's going to move. February 1st, 5 o 'clock,
right here. And yes, it's during the dinner hour.
Don't eat. I did it on purpose. You can eat after
we learn about the Holy Spirit, which moves us
to our fourth result. We receive freedom and
healing. Now it's interesting, in the New Testament
when we read the word fast, in the Greek it literally
means no eat. Now in the Old Testament, in the
Hebrew, the word translated for fasting literally
means shut your mouth. I like that one better.
So true biblical fasting involves the voluntary
refusal to eat food for a specific period of
time. in order to more intensely pray and seek
God. You say, Chris, why would I do that? I love
this quote by Bill Bright, founder of Campus
Crusade for Christ. He said this, I believe the
power of fasting as it relates to prayer is this
spiritual atomic bomb that our Lord has given
us to destroy the strongholds of evil and usher
in a great revival and spiritual harvest around
the world. I love that word, atomic bomb. And
just like Rhett was sharing with spiritual and
generational curses and strong, blow them up.
Choose to fast. It doesn't matter what it is
you're struggling with. If you say to yourself,
Chris, I just can't help myself. I just can't
help myself. It doesn't matter if it's sexual
addictions or temptation, overeating, drinking
drugs, overspending, shopaholic, depression,
suicidal tendencies. I believe that if we bring
them all before God in fasting and prayer, he
can set you free. How do I know that? Listen
to Jesus' mission in Luke 14, 18 through 19 and
21. The spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has
anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He
has sent me to proclaim the captives will be
released, the blind will see, the oppressed will
be set free, and the time of the Lord's favor
has come. Then he began to speak to them, the
scripture you've just heard, remember he's quoting
an Old Testament prophecy, has been fulfilled
this very day. So think about this. The same
spirit that anointed Jesus to share those words
and read those verse, The same spirit that rose
Jesus from the grave now lives in you and me.
What? Yeah, the same spirit that Jesus said upon
him is now living in us. So for those of you
who are struggling, right, look, there's good
news. Receive it. He has sent me to proclaim
captives will be released. You'll be free. The
blind will see, the oppressed will be set free,
the time of the Lord's favor has come. You know,
if you're struggling with a physical condition
and desire healing, get up here and receive prayer
today. Right? It's a desire. It's a belief. Because
last time I checked, when we fast and pray, Jesus
said there's going to be what? Church? A reward.
Which leads us to our final truth about fasting.
When we fast, then we actually practice kingdom
principles. In Isaiah 58, verses 6 through 7,
notice how these verses begin. No, this is the
kind of fasting I want. So God was correcting
the people during this season, right? The Jewish
people, they were fake fasting. Ripping their
clothes, throwing ash on their head. Crying out
to God, but their hearts were wrong. Sin, disobedience.
And God says, no, this is the kind of fasting
I want. Free those who are wrongly imprisoned.
Lighten the burden of those who work for you.
Let the oppressed go free. Remove the chains
that bind people. Share your food with the hungry.
Give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to
those who need them. And do not hide from relatives
who need help. These were the words from God.
To his people when they were just living in religious
routines. Going through the motions. Hearts full
of sin and disobedience. Right? When we fast,
it's not about showing up to church and checking
a box. No, it's about fasting and serving the
poor. Right? It's not about being religious.
It's about pursuing God with our whole hearts.
God says, church, this isn't what I've called
you to. I haven't called you to a bunch of religious
duties. I've called you to change the world.
That's what you are called to do. You are called
to forcefully advance God's kingdom into a Western
culture that is quickly forgetting about God
even exists. But you have a living God, a spirit
inside of you that you can hand to people, but
you've got to be connected to him, and we're
connected to him when we fast and pray. We have
to be concerned about the needs of the people
around us, both in the church and outside of
the church. Friends, everywhere we go, we find
broken people in the tri -state area. In our
schools, in our workplaces, in our families,
our friends. Everywhere you go, there's broken
people. And when we fast, see, God opens our
eyes to see those needs, to meet those needs.
I don't think it was happens or just chance that
suddenly we received this phone call this week
and said, they didn't call me, but they called
Steve and said, hey, can Hub City take on 42
more kids? And it wasn't even a let me pray about
it, it was a yes. And it was a yes because we've
been praying 24 -7 for the entire week. That
we know when needs need met, we meet them. Because
that's what this church is called to do. We're
called to change the world. You are called to
change the world. Have you ever seen yourself
as a world changer? And see, I believe that's
the problem with our current culture. See, our
current culture, especially you young people,
if you're under 30, you have a purpose, man.
You have meaning. You have significance. Stop
playing the games. Get your head out of the TV
and come serve in God's kingdom. And for you
older people, yes, your body hurts. Mine does
every day. You wake up and you say, man, why
does that hurt again? Let me tell you something.
It's only going to get worse. There's only going
to be more and more and more pieces that hurt.
So let's just focus on what God wants to do through
us and in us, and that's changing the world around
us. I want to read with you as I close that same
verse, Isaiah 58, 6 through 7, from the message
paraphrase. Eugene Peterson writes it this way.
And I want you to reflect on and receive this
truth in our fast. This is the kind of fasting
I'm after. Break the chains of injustice. Get
rid of exploitation in the workplace. Free the
oppressed. Cancel debts. What I'm interested
in seeing you doing is sharing your food with
the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your
homes, putting clothes on the shivering, ill
-clad, being available to your own families.
You hear that, dads? Make time. Do this and the
lights will turn on. Your lives will turn around
at once. That's called living in abundance that
Jesus promised. Your righteousness will pave
your way. The God of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer. Remember
that reward? You'll call out for help and I'll
say, here I am. If you get rid of unfair practices,
quit blaming victims, quit gossiping about other
people's sins. If you are generous with the hungry
and start giving yourselves to the down and out,
your lives will begin to glow in the darkness.
Your shattered lives will be bathed in sunlight.
I will always show you where to go. I will give
you a full life in the emptiest of places. Firm
muscles, strong bones. You'll be like a well
-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never
runs dry. You'll use the old rubble of past lives
to build anew. Rebuild the foundations from out
of your past. You'll be known as those who can
fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and
renovate, make the community livable again. I
want that for the tri -state area. You know,
people can call this place a crap hole. It's
no good. It's not worth anything. People never
change. There's drugs everywhere. This is my
home. This is my home. And I love this place.
And I love the people in it. And here's your
mission, church. Will you stand with me? I'm
going to close with a simple challenge. I'm going
to get you out of here. I want to challenge all
of us in this room, all of you that can hear
my voice. I need you to fast this week. I want
you to commit seven days to fasting and prayer
like you've never done before. I want you to
figure out what God's telling you to give up.
And I want you to give it up. And I want you
to say no to that. And I want you to silence
that flesh. And I want you to draw closer to
Jesus like you've never done before. Talk to
him. Cry out to him. Believe that God will use
you, that will transform you. Step out in faith.
Pray for people. Lay hands on people. Believe
that God's going to move and use you. And if
you're fasting and you're praying, I believe
you're going to receive a reward. For others
of you that are struggling, you're distant, you're
far from God, you're struggling with habits and
addictions, I believe God's going to set you
free this week. I believe healing will be released
in your life this week. I had no intention of
sharing these words this morning, but God put
it on my heart this week that I need to challenge
you to do it. That it's going to be life -changing
for many of you. You have no idea what you're
doing? Okay, this is what you do. Figure out
what God's telling you to give up. something
that brings you pleasure, some type of food.
I'm not talking about social media or NFL games
or NBA games. I'm talking about food. Cut it
out and replace it with God. Prayer, reading
the Bible, and serving other people. And when
you do that, you'll receive a reward that will
vastly outnumber anything that you could do in
your own strength. And I believe many of you
already know what you need to give up. You already
know. Now make that choice to step out and go
after God for a week. And I believe we'll gather
back here next Sunday on fire for God like we've
never seen before. And I already know what I'm
going to share next Sunday. It's just like this
download is happening. And I believe a lot of
that download is happening because of what's
going on in the walls, 24 -7 prayer, like people
are pursuing God like we've never pursued before.
I was at that celebration of life yesterday and
everybody's like, man, I hear good things there.
I hear good things there. I hear good things
there. I'm like, yeah, God's on the move. And
it's not anything we're doing. We're just following
along. It's not me. I certainly am not the eloquent
speaker. I'm just a person that's being used
by God. John Wimber used to say, I'm a fat man
in God's pocket. I can't use that quote because
I'm not a fat man. I'm just a man that's broken,
that struggles with his flesh, but is pursuing
Jesus and wants to see the world change. Amen?
Let's go do it together. So before we go, I want
to pray a simple prayer. I believe people are
here that need to get back in right relationship
with God. Maybe you're distant, far from God,
never have been in relationship with Him. We're
all going to pray together this simple prayer,
believing that you're going to come home to God's
kingdom. Amen? Let's pray. Jesus, I'm broken.
I'm full of doubt, shame, regret. Sin. Change
me. Forgive me. I believe you're God's son. I
believe you died for me. I believe you're alive
today. Make me new. Set me free. Fill me with
your spirit, God. In Jesus' name, amen. All right,
I'm going to that. No one leave. I got to share
words of knowledge, and I'm going to that door
to say goodbye to everyone. Prayer team is here
on my left and right. These were the words of
knowledge shared with me this week. If you're
struggling with sciatica pain, come receive your
healing. You have pain in your left hip, come
receive your healing. You have right knee pain,
it's causing problems when you walk, come receive
your healing. You have severe headaches and migraines,
come receive your healing. You have healing loss
in either ear, come receive your healing. You
have outside pain. of the heel of your foot that
moves to the front of your foot. That's my right
foot. So if that's you, come forward and receive
your healing. And for those of you that missed
out on coming forward last week and receiving
the blessing of experiencing God's presence,
if you want more of the Holy Spirit, come forward
and allow the prayer team to pray for you. Amen?
God bless you guys. This series closes next Sunday.
Can't wait to see you and connect with you.