The Spiritual Discipline of Fasting I. Introduction a. Fasting is one of the most misunderstood and feared spiritual discipline. i. It is the Christian equivalent of a Hare Krishna s shaved head, or someone walking on hot coals in bare feet. Only the weird oddball will attempt it. ii. It s misunderstood and though more people talk about it today than in previous centuries, how many people do you know that regularly practice it? How many sermons have you heard preached on it? iii. And why would we when we live in a gluttonous, denial-less, self indulgent society? 1. Few spiritual disciplines go so radically against our culture like fasting, but Scripture talks more about fasting than it does baptism. iv. With the exception of medical reasons, I think there is no reason that we shouldn t incorporate fasting into our spiritual lives. Even then there are modified fasts we can participate in once we understand the principles and reasons for fasting. II. Fasting Explained a. A good place to start is to define fasting. i. Strictly speaking fasting is a Christian s voluntary abstinence from food for spiritual purposes. 1. I say Christian, because for non-christians, fasting obtains no eternal value because motives and purpose of fasting are to be God-centered. 2. It is voluntary. Fasting is not coerced. 3. It is more than just the ultimate crash diet for the body; it is abstinence from food for spiritual purposes. ii. I believe there is a broader definition of fasting that is often overlooked.
1. This is the idea that fasting is the voluntary denial of a normal function for the sake of intense spiritual activity. 2. Thus fasting does not always have to be about food, but could be involvement with other people, social media, the newspaper, sports, cell phones, etc iii. But since the bible deals specifically with fasting as abstinence from food, I will be dealing with this primary form of fasting in this sermon. b. Different Types of Fasts i. Normal Fast 1. Abstaining from all food, but not from water. 2. Both Matthew 4:2 and Luke 4:2 describe Jesus fast for forty days and nights. It says he did not eat food, but nothing as to water. Since the body cannot function for more than three days without water, we assume that he drank wter. 3. Fasting from food, only drinking water and juice is the most common type of fast for a believer. ii. Partial Fast 1. This is a limitation of the diet but not abstaining from all food. a. Daniel and three other Jewish young men only had vegetables to eat and water to drink (Daniel 1:12). b. John the Baptist at only locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:4). 2. Historically, Christians have observed partial fasts by eating much smaller portions of food than usual for a period of time and/or eating only a few simple foods. iii. Absolute Fast 1. This is the avoidance of all food and liquid, even water. a. We are told that Ezra ate no food and drank no water, because he continued to mourn over the unfaithfulness of the exiles (Ezra 10:6).
b. When Esther requested that the Jews fast and pray on her behalf, Go, gather together all the Jews who are in susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day (Esther 4:16). c. When God struck Paul blind on the road to Damascus in Acts 9:9, Luke tells us, For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. iv. Supernatural Fast 1. This type of fast is abstains from food and water for a length impossible without the direct intervention by God. It occurs only twice in all of Scripture. a. When Moses meet with God on Mount Sinai, he said, I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water (Deuteronomy 9:9). b. In 1 Kings 19:8 says that Elijah did the same fast when traveling to where Moses had also met with God on Mount Horeb, So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled for forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. v. Private Fast 1. This is the one I will be referring most often to and what Jesus was speaking of in Mattew 6:16-18 instructing us to fast in a way not to be noticed by others. vi. Congregational Fast 1. This is the type found in Joel 2:15-16 when Joel realized the seriousness of the attack by the locust. God had not just punished their stomachs with famine, but had destroyed their ability to cover their sin in sacrifice. Blow a trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. Gather the people, consecrate the assembly.
2. The church at Antioch was fasting together waiting on direction from God. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting Acts 13:2. vii. National Fast 1. In 2 Chronicles 20:3, King Jehoshaphat s response to an invasion was to call the nation to a fast. Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the LORD, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. 2. The Jews were called to a national fast in Nehemiah 9:1 and Esther 4:16. 3. The king of Nineveh proclaimed a national fast in response to the preaching of Jonah (Jonah 3:5-8). 4. Extra biblically in the early days of our country Congress proclaimed three national fasts. Presidents John Adams and James Madison each called Americans to fast. a. President Abraham Lincoln did so on three separate occasions during the Civil War. viii. Regular Fast 1. This God commanded under the Old Covenant for every Jew to fast on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29-31). 2. In Babylonian captivity the Jewish leaders instituted four other annual fasts (Zechariah 8:19). 3. Extra biblically John Wesley would not ordain a man to the Methodist ministry who did not regularly fast every Wednesday and Friday. ix. Occasional fasts 1. These occur on special occasions as the need arises. a. This is the kind of fast Jehoshaphat, as well as Esther called for.
b. This is the type that Jesus spoke of in Luke 5:34-35, when Jesus was asked why his disciples didn t fast and he said there will come a day when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. x. The most common fasts among Christians today would fall under normal, private, and occasional fasts. III. Fasting is Expected a. We will spend the rest of the evening with Jesus instructions on fasting in Matthew 6:16-18. b. If you notice what it says about fasting in verse 16, the very first part? i. And when you fast. Not if you fast, but when you fast. 1. There is an assumption on Jesus part like praying, giving that as his followers fasting is a normal part of our lives. ii. Some would say well this is surely not for us today, but we still use this same passage when teaching about giving and praying. 1. This is the passage that the Lord s Prayer comes from. a. This instruction is for us today. c. Jesus says don t put on a gloomy face like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly I say they have received their reward. i. There is a video I wanted to show you about fasting where this guy overtly lets it be known to everyone that he is fasting. Someone at work offers him a donut and he says NO! I can t have that, I am fasting! 1. Another person offers him some candy in the afternoon and he moans, I though it was understood by the sign on my door that I am fasting! 2. He drags himself around with a grimace on his face and hands on his belly like he s in agony.
3. Once he gets home he sits in front of his fridge watching the clock waiting for the clock to strike 12 so he can finally eat. ii. Jesus says that this is how the Pharisees would fast, in the full view of everyone. So people would see that they are truly holy men. 1. Their reward is adulation received by men who see their efforts and think Wow how holy! iii. Jesus says when we fast we anoint our heads and wash our faces. Our fasting shouldn t be seen by others, but by God in secret. And God will reward us for our efforts. 1. First, Jesus says bathe, fasters of his day would tear apart their clothes, wear sack clothe, and not bathe. We will look later at the purposes of fasting, but for now understand that Jesus says don t make a production of your fasting, don t let others know, but keep it for the one for whom it is for. 2. Fasting is about God, so keep it that way. d. What is interesting is that Jesus gives no command on how often we or how long we should fast. i. Like the other Spiritual disciplines, fasting is not to be a legalistic routine. It s a privilege and opportunity to seek God s grace that is open to us as often as we desire. e. How long should we fast? It up to you and the leading of the Holy Spirit i. Scriptural examples of fasts last 1. One-day or part of a day (Judges 20:26; 1 Samuel 7:6; 2 Samuel 1:12, 3:35; Nehemiah 9:1; Jeremiah 36:6) 2. One-night fast (Daniel 6:18-24) 3. Three-day fasts (Esther 4:16, Acts 9:9) 4. Seven-day fasts (1 Samuel 31:13, 2 Samuel 12:16-23 5. Fourteen-day fast (Acts 27:33-34) 6. Twenty-one day fasts (Daniel 10:3-13) 7. Forty-day fasts (Deuteronomy 9:9, 1 Kings 19:8, Matthew 4:2)
IV. 8. Unspecified lengths (Matthew 9:14; Luke 2:37; Acts 13:2, 14:2-3) Purposes of Fasting a. There must be a spiritual purpose to our biblical fasting otherwise its just about weight loss. i. Without a spiritual purpose we ll be like the man who heard a pastor preach about how fasting is for every Christian, and since he was a Christian he thought he d give it a shot. 1. He couldn t go to the breakfast table with his family because all he could think about was how hungry he was. His coffee break at work was so hard, and so was lunch. The afternoon was worse because all he could think about was how hungry he was and listened to his stomach growl. 2. His wife honoring his wishes only prepared food for her and their children, but the aroma was enough to drive him crazy. He just kept thinking, wait until midnight. a. Once the clock struck twelve he dug into some food. b. His thought was I don t think that day of fasting helped him one bit. 3. He was right. It had no purpose, and so the fast turned into a miserable self centered experience. b. We will now talk about the nine purposes of fasting found in Scripture. When you fast you should do it for one of these purposes. Note that not one of these is about garnering favor with God. We made righteous through Jesus work on the cross. Without that settled first fasting has no eternal purpose for us. i. To Strengthen Prayer 1. John Calvin, whose name is not a dirty word and talk about so much in the Christian life said of fasting and prayer, Whenever men are to pray to God concerning any great
matter, it would be expedient to appoint fasting along with prayer. 2. There is just something about fasting that sharpens intercessory prayer, and gives passion to supplications. It s the simplifying from distractions that focuses our prayer. 3. In the book of Ezra, King Cyrus of Persia decided to release Israel from captivity and send them home. Ezra declared a fast for the people to seek God s protection for their 900 mile journey back with no military. a. Ezra 8:23, So we fasted and petitioned our God about this and he answered our prayer. 4. Fasting is not some kind of spiritual hunger strike to convince God to do something against His will. Fasting while praying isn t about God s hearing, but about our seriousness toward prayer. a. We see this in Joel too, where the people had been idolaters, and Joel called the people to fast and pray confessing to God about their unheartfelt worship. 5. You ll notice that all of these biblical purposes for fasting relate to prayer. Fasting is the best things we can introduce to our prayer life. ii. To Seek God s Guidance 1. In Judges chapter 20, a great crime was carried out by some in the tribe of Benjamin so the 11 other tribes sought to punish the Bejaminites by going to war against them. Israel outnumbered them 15 to 1. Not only did they lose the battle, but they lost 22,000 men. a. The next day they prayed to God, but again lost a battle and thousands of men.
b. On the third day they sought God in prayer again, but verse 26 says they fasted that day until evening. c. Verse 28 they asked God, Shall we go up again to battle with Benjamin our brother or not? God made his will plain to them, Go, for tomorrow I will give them into your hands. d. Only after seeking God s will with fasting did he give them victory. 2. Acts 14:23 reports that as Paul and Barnabas planted new churches they would appoint elders. In doing this they prayed and fasted to receive God s guidance about who to appoint. 3. Just as fasting makes us more focused on our prayer life, it also can make us more sensitive to the will of God to guide us. iii. To Express Grief 1. Three of the first four references in the Bible to fasting connect the fast to an expression of grief a. Judges 20:26, which we already looked at saw Israel fasting not only to seek God s will, but also to mourn the death of 40,000 men. b. When King Saul and his sons were killed by Philistines, the men of Jabesh Gilead walked all night to recover their bodies. 1 Samuel 31:13 reports that once they were burried, the men fasted for seven days. c. In 2 Samuel1:12, David and his men fasted when they heard the news about the death of Saul and Jonathan.
2. Fasting out of grief isn t necessarily only involving death. Fasting to express grief is an appropriate response to brokenness for sin. Confession is not simply words we express with our mouth. Christ is dishonored by a frivolous view of confession that does not appreciate how much our sin cost Him. a. We don t believe in self-flagellation (whipping oneself to attain grace or favor), but brokenness over sin should involve grief for the sin committed. So voluntary fasting is an appropriate response in confession. 3. Fasting is also an appropriate expression of grief at sin in other s lives. a. Jonathan fasted over his father, Saul s shameful treatment of David (1 Samuel 20:34). 4. Another way grief can be expressed through fasting is unhappiness with a situation waiting for the return of Jesus. a. In Luke 5:33, Jesus is asked by some at the table why his disciples eat and drink while John s disciples fast and so do the Pharisees disciples. b. Jesus response was that the Pharisees fast out of hypocrisy, John s disciples fast out of a dissatisfaction with the times waiting for the coming Messiah. Jesus disciples eat because the Messiah has come and is with them. No one waits to eat while the bridegroom is with them at a wedding. Jesus said that there is coming a day when the bridegroom would be taken away and then they would return. i. So we can fast expressing our grief of the physical absence of Jesus and devote ourselves to praying for his return.
iv. To Seek Deliverance or Protection 1. One of the most common fasts in biblical times was a fast to seek protection for either enemies or circumstances. a. 2 Chronicles 20:3-4 King Jehoshaphat, scared of an invading army coming against Judah, so he declare a fast for all of Judah. resolved to inquire of the LORD, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him. b. We already saw the similar thing from Ezra 8, where the people sought God to protect them on their long journey. c. We see the same thing in Esther. She planned to enter the court of King Xerxes and ask for his protection of the Jews from execution so she called the people to fast for her protection. i. Esther 4:16 Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish. v. To Express Repentance and the Return to God 1. This is similar to fasting for the purpose of expressing grief over sin, but repentance is about a change of mind resulting in a change of action. a. So fasting is not just about brokenness for sin, but can also be the beginning of a commitment to obedience.
2. In 1 Samuel 7, Samuel calls the people to return to the Lord with all of their hearts. As a sign of their new commitment it says in verse 6 that they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, We have sinned against God. 3. Another great biblical example of fasting as an expression of repentance is found after Jonah delivered the message of repent or die (Jonah 3:5-8). a. The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: By the decree of the king and his nobles; Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. b. This is really an example of fasting expressing grief, repentance and deliverance from God s wrath. vi. To Humble Oneself Before God vii. To Express Concern for the Work of God viii. To Minister to the Needs of Others ix. To Overcome Temptation and Dedicate Yourself to God x. To Express Love and Worship to God