Fasting (2024)

SERMON OUTLINE:

Question #1: What is fasting?

Question #2: Should Christian’s fast?

Question #3: What will fasting do for me?

Question #4: How should I fast

SERMON BODY:

Question: What do these people have in common?

• Moses the lawgiver,

• King David,

• Elijah the prophet,

• Queen Esther,

• The Jewish leader Ezra.

• The Jewish leader Nehemiah.

• The prophet Ezekiel.

• The prophet Joel.

• The prophet Daniel,

• John the Baptist’s disciples

• Anna the prophetess,

• The Apostle Paul,

• The Apostle Barnabus.

• The Roman Soldier Cornelius.

• Prophets & teachers in Antioch

• All of these people in the Bible have one thing in common.

• They all practiced a spiritual discipline that the Bible calls fasting.

• Fasting was an important part of their lives.

Ill:

• You may never have heard of this device,

• It is called, ‘woomera.’

• It was invented one night by an Aborigine,

• Who was sitting around a campfire,

• When he realised something. If he moved his arm in an arc,

• The tips of his fingers will have travelled a greater distance than his elbow.

• Yet they will have done it in the same amount of time.

• Scientifically, we would say, if velocity equals distance divided by time,

• Then the tips of his fingers must have moved more quicker than his elbow.

• The Aboriginal man took it a step further,

• He realised that if he could somehow extend the length of his arm,

• He would be able to throw his spear much more quickly and for a greater distance.

• And that was how he invented the ‘woomera.’

• A device to extend the length of the arm for the purpose of throwing spears.

TRANSITION: Now stay with me here; this has a point.

• The relationship between prayer and fasting.

• Is like the relationship between the ‘woomera’ and the spear.

• By itself, the spear is a very effective weapon,

• But when you combine it with the ‘woomera’, it becomes even more lethal.

• Likewise, the relationship between prayer and fasting.

• Is like the relationship between the ‘woomera’ and the spear.

• By itself, prayer is an effective weapon,

• But when you combine it with the ‘fasting’, it becomes even more powerful.

Question #1: What is fasting?

Answer #1:

• Fasting is the voluntary abstinence from food for spiritual purposes.

• Simply put, you skip a meal or two,

• And use time to pray & meditate.

Note: It is important to note that in the Bible fasts have a spiritual purpose.

• Fasting is not just missing lunch because you are too busy.

• Fasting is not just missing lunch because you want to lose weight,

• Fasting is a purposeful planned activity:

• We fast for the direct purpose of using that time for prayer & study.

(a).

• A fast can last anywhere from one meal to several days without food.

• We are given principles regarding fasting in the Bible,

• We are not given detailed instructions.

(b).

• There are different types of fasts mentioned in the Bible.

• The most typical is to go without any food,

• Some people will fast from both food and water.

• Although obviously you can only do this for a short time.

(c).

• There are partial fasts, where you will give up certain types of food for a period of time.

• Many people do this during lent.

• When they will give up sweets, or meat, or something else for the 40-day period.

(d).

• While the Bible primarily concentrates on fasting from food,

• People today will apply the principle of fasting to,

• Time away from watching the T.V. and other forms of media,

• Time away from computers or video games etc.

• Couples can fast from sexual intimacy.

• (1 Corinthians chapter 7 verse 5).

• The apostle Paul tells couples not to deprive one another sexually,

• Except for brief periods devoted to prayer and fasting.

• In summary:

• You can fast from anything that is habitual in your life.

• It is good to fast from the things that are habitual in your life,

• Because it reminds you that you are not a slave to these things,

• But that you can get by without them.

Question #2: Should Christian’s fast?

• Should Christian’s fast?

• Or is this a Jewish, an Old Testament discipline?

Answer #2:

• The short answer is yes.

• And the long answer is Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees!

• Scan through the Bible and everyone of any importance practiced fasting.

• e.g. Moses, David, Elijah, Esther, Daniel, Anna, Paul, even Jesus,

• Just to name a few!