8/18 -- Hungering for God
Matt 6:16-17
The outrageous call of His Heart our Stomachs
Fox news in Nov 2012
The Peanut Butter and Jellousy Burger, Slater's 50/50
If a hamburger and a PB&J were to spend a romantic evening together, their union might produce a sandwich similar to the Peanut Butter and Jellousy Burger from Slater's 50/50 in southern California. Sweet, salty and sinful, this unique hamburger consists of Sterling Silver ground beef, creamy peanut butter, strawberry jelly and thick-cut bacon on a honey wheat bun.
The Luther, Crave Real Burgers
Crave Real Burgers has two locations in Colorado (Castle Rock and Colorado Springs) and both of them serve the infamous Luther burger: a culinary mashup of a hamburger and a glazed donut. What distinguishes Crave's version from the others (yes, there are others) is their addition of bacon, cheddar, egg and onion. It's also sandwiched between two donuts, as opposed to a single donut sliced in half. (Legend has it that Luther burgers were named after R&B singer Luther Vandross, who was said to be a huge fan -- and in some stories, the inventor -- of the sandwich.)
Original db Burger, DB Bistro Moderne
Chef Daniel Boulud owns and operates over a dozen upscale eateries throughout the world, but only at the DB Bistro Moderne locations (in New York City, Miami and Singapore) will you find his Original db Burger. Priced at $32, this hefty sirloin burger is stuffed with foie gras, braised short ribs, preserved black truffle and a mirepoix of root vegetables, then served up on a Parmesan bun alongside an order of pomme frites. Between late December and late March, DB Bistro Moderne also offers a "Royale" version with fresh black truffle and truffle dressing (market price).
Heart Attack on a Plate, Mother's Federal Hill Grille
Americans can (and will) deep-fry anything they get their hands on, and that includes hamburgers. One such burger, fittingly called the Heart Attack on a Plate, can found at Mother's Federal Hill Grille in Baltimore, Maryland. It's first stuffed with cheddar cheese before being dipped in ale batter and dropped in the fryer. The crispy patty is then topped with lettuce, tomato, onion and chipotle mayo.
Raw Steak Tartare, Flip Burger Boutique
The Flip Burger Boutiques in Atlanta and Birmingham serve up hamburgers six ways to Sunday, but most notably, raw. Chef Richard Blais (winner of Bravo's "Top Chef All-Stars") reconstructed a classic steak tartare dish on a burger bun, starting with a hand-chopped tenderloin and topping it with garlic, chili, capers, cornichons, pickled shallots, frisée lettuce, fried egg and smoked mayonnaise.
T.S. We are the Norwalk Alliance Church and we're committed to producing fully committed followers of Christ. Fully committed followers have unearthed some of the secrets of the kingdom. Codebreakers which enable a person to experience greater and greater transformation. For two weeks we discussed prayer, as one of the code breakers. We turn to another this week--a codebreaker that too many of us often never pick up.
The Kingdom of God would change how the people of God live.
One writer looking at society penned this observation:
Jesus has many who love his kingdom in heaven, but few who bear his cross. He has many who desire comfort, but few who desire suffering. He finds many to share his feast, but few his fasting. All desire to rejoice with him, but few are willing to suffer for his sake. Many follow Jesus to the breaking of bread, but few to the drinking of the cup of his passion. Many admire his miracles, but few follow him in the humiliation of the cross.
Thomas à Kempis on Following Jesus 1380 --1471
Matt 6:16-18
16 "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
NIV
I. What Is Fasting?
Fasting is mentioned in both Old and New Testaments.
A. In the Old Testament,
the Hebrew word means to cover the mouth,
So the basic idea is that of going without food.
There are different kinds of fasts.
1. There's the short fast,
for instance the one in Judges 20:26 where the Israelites fasted for one day before the Lord to seek Him and find out why they had been defeated in battle.
2. There's the long fast,
such as the forty day fast Moses did in (Exodus 24:16-18), and Jesus also did Matt 4:2.
3. There's the complete fast
where you eat nothing for the entire period; the forty day fasts that Jesus and Moses did were both complete fasts.
4. And there's the partial fast;
the prophet Daniel undertook a partial fast for three weeks in Daniel 10:2-3.
Dan 10:2-3 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. (3) I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.
As did Shadrach Meshach and Abednego
B. In the New Testament,
the Greek word simply means to abstain from food.
1. Jesus assumed His disciples would fast
Mt 9:14-15
2. Jesus taught How to fast so as to incur God's good pleasure
3. The Disciples learned that there would be times when prayer and fasting would be naturally linked together-
Mt 17:20-21
This truth was so significant, the copiers of the NT added it to this passage.
II. What Does Fasting Do?
A. First, fasting humbles us.
Ps 35:13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting; and my prayer would return to my own heart.
ILLUS - King Ahab was an evil king. When God revealed how He was going to judge Ahab for his sins, it tells us in 1 Kings 21:27 that Ahab fasted. What was God's response? God said, "See how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity in his days. In the days of his son I will bring the calamity on his house." (1 Kings 21:29)
So what happens when we humble ourselves through fasting?
James 4:6-10 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." (7) Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (8) Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (9) Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. (10) Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
Humbling ourselves opens us up to an outpouring of God's grace.
B. Fasting aligns the heart
Matt 6:33-34
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
NIV
We don't fast in order to get something from God; we fast in order to align our hearts with the Father's heart.
C. Fasting disciplines the body
1 Cor 9:27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
Now why would we need to discipline our bodies?
To understand this, we need to understand that we are tripartite beings.
We are spirit, soul and body. (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
Our spirit is the part of us that is in touch with God and the spiritual world.
Our soul is comprised of our mind, our will, and our emotions.
And our body is the part of us that is directly relating to this physical world.
Which part is the most important? The part of us that communicates with God.
But we are often dominated by our physical appetites as well as the appetites of the soul.
Fasting helps to address this issue by bringing our bodies back into subjection because fasting forces the body to make sacrifices.
Even a partial fast such as the Daniel Fast can be challenging for those who are used to an unlimited diet.
But Daniel did it, and he was in his 90s at the time!
D. Fasting accompanies repentance
Joel 2:12 "Now, therefore," says the LORD, "Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning."
When the prophet Jonah preached that God's judgment was about to come upon the city of Nineveh, how did they respond?
Jonah 3:5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them.
Their repentance was accompanied with fasting.
Unforgiveness, anger, lust, gluttony, judgmentalism, apathy, selfishness, criticism, bondages...
How will the people of God break through on these things that we find so difficult to overcome?
Through repentance accompanied by prayer and fasting.
III. Join the for the sake of ME fast.
* 21 days (9/8 Fall Kickoff)
* Adopt some form of fast.
* Skip a meal, limit your diet, eat only once a day.
Accompany it with prayer or reading the word. What should we pray for?
Let me make some suggestions.
* Pray for yourself; you need all the help you can get, just the same as I do.
* Pray for strength, for wisdom, for guidance, for insight, for the love of God to flow through you.
* Pray for your family; pray for them to walk with God, that God would grant them the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. (Ephesians 1:17)
* Let's get serious about praying for our loved ones.
* Pray for your church; it's almost a complete certainty that your church isn't everything it should be.
* Pray for your church's mission of reaching the lost and making disciples.
* Pray that your church will live out the love of God.
* Pray for your city and your nation.
* Pray that your community will be prepared by the Spirit Holy Spirit to hear the gospel message.
* Pray that your lawmakers will make just laws based on grace and truth.
* There's a lot to pray for.
* But let me challenge you to make fasting an ongoing part of your lifestyle.
