Fasting, the Biblical View (Part 1)
Fasting: Its Biblical Practice and Spiritual Benefits • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 1:19:55
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Introduction
Introduction
Fasting has become the least practiced discipline among Christians of today. Why?
Too many amusements.
Not enough reason to do so.
Many Christians are uninformed and misinformed about it.
In this series, I will share with you enough Biblical knowledge about fasting and how they benefit the Christian life.
Main Points
Main Points
Bible Background on Fasting
Bible Background on Fasting
Fasting was commanded only once in the Law. It is connected with the Day of Atonement.
Fasting was commanded only once in the Law. It is connected with the Day of Atonement.
Leviticus 16.29-31
“This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you.
For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.
It is a sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever.
Leviticus 23.26-33
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
“Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.
And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God.
For any person who is not afflicted in soul on that same day shall be cut off from his people.
And any person who does any work on that same day, that person I will destroy from among his people.
You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath.”
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
Two Hebrew words are used in the OT.
anah - to afflict
tsom - fast
both words are used in Isaiah 58.3, 5
But the Jews have developed a number of fast.
Zechariah 8.18-19
Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts:
‘The fast of the fourth month,
The fast of the fifth,
The fast of the seventh,
And the fast of the tenth,
Shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts
For the house of Judah.
Therefore love truth and peace.’
Fasting was widely practiced by Israel for various reasons
Fasting was widely practiced by Israel for various reasons
Repentance and confession
1 Samuel 7.6
So they gathered together at Mizpah, drew water, and poured it out before the Lord. And they fasted that day, and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah.
Nehemiah 9.1-2
Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads.
Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.
Jonah 3.4-9
Mourning
1 Samuel 31.12
all the valiant men arose and traveled all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan; and they came to Jabesh and burned them there.
2 Samuel 1.12
And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son, for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.
Nehemiah 1.4
So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
Petition
Judges 20.20
And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel put themselves in battle array to fight against them at Gibeah.
2 Chronicles 20.1-3
It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat.
Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar” (which is En Gedi).
And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
Ezra 8.21-23
Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions.
For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, “The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.”
So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer.
Esther 4.3
And in every province where the king’s command and decree arrived, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
Esther 4.16
“Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!”
Joel 1.13-15
Fasting in the New Testament
Fasting in the New Testament
Jesus practiced fasting
Luke 4.1-2
Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.
Matthew 4.2
Jesus taught fasting
Matthew 6.16-18
“Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
Mark 9.28-29
And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”
So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”
the apostles taught and practiced fasting
Acts 13.2-3
As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.
1 Corinthians 7.5
Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
What is Fasting
What is Fasting
What fasting is not...
What fasting is not...
Fasting is not the same as dieting.
Dieting is when you want to lose weight or keep your weight and size in check.
Fasting is not a penitence in the R.C.C. way.
Penitence is when you hurt yourself in hope that God will forgive your sins.
Fasting is not a requirement. It is a choice.
The Fasting Edge Chapter 1: You Need to Regain the Edge
Whenever a believer chooses to begin a spiritual fast for one day or for several days, he or she makes a choice to break out of the routine in order to draw closer to God.
Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough Introduction
Fasting is not a legalistic discipline, but should be adapted to each worshiper’s individual purpose. Ultimately, you yourself must determine the length of your fast, what if anything you should eat or drink and other aspects related to your particular fast.
Fasting is not a replacement for doing God’s will.
To fulfill the will of God is our topmost priority.
Fasting is not an end in itself.
It is a means by which we can worship the Lord, get closer to Him, and submit ourselves in humility to Him.
Fasting is not a means to manipulate God.
Even if we wanted to we could not manipulate God. We fast and pray for results, but the results are in God’s hands.
But...
Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough Chapter 1: The Fasts God Chooses
One of the greatest spiritual benefits of fasting is becoming more attentive to God—becoming more aware of our own inadequacies and His adequacy, our own contingencies and His self-sufficiency—and listening to what He wants us to be and do.
Fasting is not easy.
The Beginner’s Guide to Fasting What Is Fasting?
Like climbing a mountain, fasting is spiritually as well as physically challenging. It can be difficult, draining and dangerous. So embark on this adventure with full understanding of what you are doing and full knowledge that the path ahead may be tough. But the rewards will be worth it.
Fasting Chapter 1: Fasting for Your Breakthrough
Fasting is not merely going without food for a period of time. That is dieting—maybe even starving—but fasting it is not. Nor is fasting something done only by fanatics. I really want to drive that point home. Fasting is not to be done only by religious monks alone in a cave somewhere. The practice of fasting is not limited to ministers or to special occasions.
What fasting is...
What fasting is...
Fasting is refraining from food for a spiritual purpose.
Fasting Chapter 1: Fasting for Your Breakthrough
When you eliminate food from your diet for a number of days, your spirit becomes uncluttered by the things of this world and amazingly sensitive to the things of God. As David stated, “Deep calls unto deep” (Ps. 42:7).
Psalm 42.1-7
As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, “Where is your God?”
When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise, With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.
Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance.
O my God, my soul is cast down within me; Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, And from the heights of Hermon, From the Hill Mizar.
Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over me.
Fasting is worshipping God on a deeper level.
When we fast we let go of temporal things and needs in order to give ourselves to worship and devotion with God.
Luke 4.1-2
Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.
Daniel 9.1-3
In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans—
in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.
Fasting is listening to God more attentively.
When we fast in our prayers, we forget and set aside the call of this world in order to be ready to listen to God when He speaks.
Acts 13.1-3
Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.
Fasting is a companion to prayer.
Sometimes, prayer is not enough. It must be coupled with fasting.
Matthew 17 20-21
So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
To be continued...
To be continued...
In Part 2:
Biblical Principles for Fasting
Types of fasting