Fasting To Know God Better

When was the last time you fasted? Maybe you fasted for a blood test, or perhaps before surgery. Perhaps you had a stomach virus and were not able to eat for 12 or 24 hours. But few of us fast to Know God Better

FASTING is not very popular today, even though it was an important spiritual discipline throughout the OT, the NT and Church history. Tony Evans reflects in “The Purpose and Power of Fasting,” as far as I know there was not a single book written on the subject of fasting from 1861 to 1954, a period of nearly one hundred years.”

TODAY I WOULD LIKE to talk about the place of fasting in the life of the Believer.

SPECIFICALLY, I would like to CHALLENGE you to use the month of February to FAST from some measure of electronics.

First, Let’s examine The Biblical Foundation for Fasting

Jesus told us to FAST

Matthew 6:16–18 (ESV) 16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

The Key words here are “WHEN YOU FAST.” Jesus doesn’t say, “if you fast,” or “stop fasting.” Here, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is regulating and correcting prideful abuses of three spiritual disciplines: Giving, Fasting and Praying. None of us would ever overlook praying or giving as important spiritual disciplines, yet many of us overlook fasting.

Jesus further made it clear that he expected that his disciples would fast after he ascended into heaven. He answered the accusation from the religious leaders, explaining why his disciples did not fast. Mark 2:20 (ESV) The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.

Fasting is consistently practiced by saints in the Old and New Testament. These points are observed by Tony Evans in his sermon “The Purpose and Power of Fasting”

Abraham's servant when he was seeking a bride for Isaac

Moses fasted on several occasions, once for 40 days

Hannah as she prayed for a child

David on several occasions

Elijah after his victory over Jezebel

Ezra when he was mourning Israel's faithlessness

Nehemiah when he was preparing the trip back to Israel

Esther when God's people were threatened with extermination

Daniel on numerous occasions

The people of Nineveh, including the cattle, (I don’t think the COWS had a vote!)

Jesus when he began his public ministry, for 40 days. Matthew 4:2 (ESV) — 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

Paul at the point of his conversion

The Christians at Antioch when they sent off Paul and Barnabas on their mission endeavor

Paul and others when they appointed elders in all of the churches

Why Fasting?

Richard Foster explains fasting in this way: “Fasting is the voluntary denial of an otherwise normal function for the sake of intense spiritual activity.”

Fasting reveals the things that are CLOSEST to our HEART

In the OLD TESTAMENT, fasting was in MOURNING over sin. But for the believer, Jesus has REMOVED our SIN!

NT Examples of Fasting

First, Fasting is important when we need the Lord’s guidance.

Acts 13:2. The Church at Antioch prayed for guidance when establishing a plan for spreading the gospel.

Acts 14:23. Paul and Barnabas fasted before Appointing Elders in the new churches.

Second, Fasting is important during times of distress. 2 Corinthians 6:4–5 (ESV) — but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; ... Paul experienced HUNGER for the sake of the Corinthians. Some commentators believe that this hunger is the hunger of fasting. In other words, Paul suffered for the church in Corinth by regularly fasting for their spiritual growth and maturity.

A Third reason to fast is to separate from earthly things. Col 3:1-2 “since then you have been raised with christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

THESE PURPOSES led New Testament believers to the practice of FASTING for 40 days leading up to EASTER

LENT (stems from an Anglo-Saxon word for “spring” and related to the English word “lengthen”) that refers to the penitential period preceding Easter. (Fred A. Grissom, “Holman Illustrated Bible Disctionary”)

EASTER was the GREATEST DAY for early Christians. The early Christians wanted to prepare for this special day in the same manner that MOSES, ELIJAH and JESUS, did when they fasted for 40 days. The church calculated these forty days, not including Sundays, and arrived at ASH WEDNESDAY, the beginning of Lent, as 46 days before Easter