September 7, 2003
Morning Service
Text: Ezra 8:21-23; 6:3
Subject: Prayer and Fasting
Title: Let the House Be Built
I love to read stories about how children perceive God. Most of the time, they are so innocent. Jesus said concerning children, “”whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means inherit it.” I want to read you some letters written to pastors by children so you can get a glimpse of things through the eyes of children.
Dear Pastor, I would like to go to heaven someday because I know my brother won’t be there.
Dear Pastor, I know God loves everybody but He never met my sister.
Dear Pastor, I liked your sermon on Sunday. Especially when it was finished.
Dear Pastor, How does God know the good people from the bad people? Do you tell Him or does He read about it in the newspapers?
About Prayer
Dear Pastor, Please pray for all the airline pilots. I am flying to California tomorrow.
Dear Pastor, Please say a prayer for our Little League team. We need God’s help or a new pitcher. Thank you
From cleanjokes.com
I thought those were quite cute and innocent. They show a lack of understanding on the part of kids. It may be that the innocence seen here is the kind of innocence that invokes the power of God in the lives of His people. It seems that the more we know and understand about the word of God, the less likely we become to accept it for what it is – the word of God! Today we look at Ezra and see how he understood the concepts of prayer and fasting. He was leading the second wave of captives back to Jerusalem with children and possessions. They would be an easy target for highway robbers. But Ezra knew what it would take to arrive safely. He turned to the Lord and placed all his trust in Him. As we try to ascertain what the word is saying to us today let’s first look at what King Cyrus says in 6:3, “Let the temple be rebuilt…”
I. Proclaiming a Fast.
A. What is the purpose of a fast? Ezra gives us a good answer to that. He says it is, “that we might humble ourselves before our God and seek from Him the right way…” The NIV translates “the right way” as “a safe journey”. It literally means a straight path free from obstructions. In other words, they are fasting in order to seek God’s face to know His will for their journey. Isaiah 58 informs us that fasting is not just about giving up food. It is about attitude. Verse 3, ‘Why have we fasted’, they say, ‘and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls and You take no notice?’ You see, Israel had wrong motives for fasting. It was all about them and not about the Lord. We’ve fasted – why didn’t You do something? Verse 6 the Lord says, “Is this not the fast that I have chosen; to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?” Why couldn’t the disciples cast the demon out of the boy when his father brought him to them (Mark 9:14-29)? Jesus said, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.” Fasting is not about self-will but God’s will. Now when we fast how do we know God’s will?
B. We pray, “Thy will be done one earth…” If you stop and think about it, which makes more sense – to seek God’s will for your life and follow it – or to go your own way and continually ask God to bail you out of your mess? Ezra 7:8 tells us that is what Ezra did. “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord…”. If we follow God’s word and the guidance of His Holy Spirit, we can avoid difficulty. We can seek from Him a right way or a safe journey. Jesus prayed, “Lead us not into temptation…” God will not lead you temptation but shows you the clear way to avoid it. We do not always walk according to the word. Jesus knew that and that is why He continued, “but deliver us from evil.” If we do miss God’s will for our lives we can pray that He would deliver us from it.
C. Pray for God’s protection. As the captives were returning to Jerusalem with their families and belongings, they would have been subject to raids from Bedouin robbers along the way. Their fast was for God’s protection as they continued in His will by going the right way. Who among you have either experienced for yourselves or have heard stories of travelers who were kept from harm by an intervening act of God. Paul was so in tune to the prompting of the Spirit that he knew which direction to go. Did Paul ever make mistakes? Did he ever go down the wrong path? He tried to, but when he felt the check in his spirit not to go, he didn’t. Ezra was believing that the same God who called him to lead the captives back to Jerusalem would show him the right way to go to keep them safe. As believers in Jesus Christ we have ever right to trust in God’s protection – not as much for our safety as for His glory. What did Ezra do to glorify God?
II. Confessing God’s Grace.
A. Boasting in the Lord. One of the things we do as Christians is to tell people about our God. It is easy to do because He is the One True God. He is our protector, our healer, and our provider. Now Ezra had placed himself in a peculiar position. Since the king was the one who initiated the return to Jerusalem, Ezra could have requested an escort for protection. But because he had already bragged to the king about how big his God was and how His hand was on those who sought him, he felt embarrassed. So rather than make God out to be a weak God who needed help from an army, Ezra decided to take the risk. This generation that was returning to Jerusalem was a generation that had heard about a miracle working God. They knew all about how God had delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt. They would have known about the wonder working ministries of Elijah and Elisha and how the power of God worked through them. Yet, because of the sin of Israel and the captivity they had never experienced God’s power personally. Ezra’s boasting would have been a hopeful boasting, but not something he was sure of.
B. Believing enough to take a chance. We are a visually oriented people. We easily believe what we can see. Because of the way the western mind thinks, it is more difficult for us to really trust in what we can’t see. I know that some of us want to really believe that the power of God working through us today, but because you have never personally experienced it, it is difficult. Go back to the story in Mark 9. Jesus told the boy’s father “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes. Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief’!” Now I think we are getting right down to where Ezra was. He knew the Law and loved the Lord, but when it came right down to it, he was a little shaky on the believing part. Lord, help our unbelief! Once Ezra had made the boast – once we tell people about the power of God – there is only one thing left to do.
III. Backing Up the Boast
A. Fasting. Fasting is abstaining from food for spiritual purposes. It is a spiritual discipline. There are various types of fasts. There are individual fasts and group fasts. There are fasts when you give up certain foods for a prescribed period. During the celebration of the Passover, unleavened bread is eaten for 7 days. That is a group fast. The type of fast that Jesus participated in was a fast from all food for forty days. The purpose, as I said earlier, is to humble yourself to seek God’s will. It is God’s will that we spend time fasting. Matthew 6:16-18 says, “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.” Fasting is as much about attitude as it is results. Let’s recap the purpose of fasting -
Humble yourself - sacrifice. Come closer to God, (draw near to God and He will draw near to you). Understand God’s word. Find God’s will and receive direction. Seek healing. Intercede and pray on behalf of others. Notice the Benefits of Fasting in Isaiah 58: – light, health, righteousness, glory will be your rear guard, answered prayer, continual guidance, work that endures, restoration. What happens during fasting? Isaiah 58:6 - Loose the chains of injustice; untie the cords of the yoke; set the oppressed free; break every yoke. Fasting helps us to pray in the will of God.
B. Verse 23, “So we fasted and entreated our God for this…” Do you fully understand the power you have when you pray in the will of God? Mark 11:22-24, “So Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Have faith in God. For assuredly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” John 14:12-14, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” James 4:2-3, “You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” Once you come to know the will of God in a specific area, you can pray without doubt and have full confidence that God will hear your prayer and answer it. Fasting and prayer are an awesome one-two combination. When you fast and pray there is one thing left to do.
C. Persevere. James 5:16-18 speaks to us about perseverance. “The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again and the heaven gave rain and the earth produced its fruit.” What James does not mention here is that Elijah prayed seven times for the rain before it came. Why? He persevered because he knew it was God’s will for the rain to come. Ezra and the people with him fasted and prayed for God’s protection until they received it. “He answered our prayer.”
Conclusion:
Ezra came to understand the awesome power for believers who fast, pray, and persevere. I sand before you today as one who is sure of God’s will for himself and for this church. God wants this church to be a soul winning church and to be a haven for those who desire to experience the fullness of the gospel in the fullness of Pentecost. I call on each of you today to participate with me in periods of fasting as you are able, to humble ourselves before God and seek his specific direction for this church. I do want to add that those of you with health problems of any kind, please be wise about this. How do we go about fasting? Start off small. Skip a meal and then two. Mental attitude is key. God’s will is for me to fast and he will bless me when I fast in accordance to His guidelines
Have a positive attitude of faith. Hebrews 11:6 - “without faith it is impossible to please him and God rewards those who diligently seek Him.” Spend extra time in Bible reading and prayer- at least the time you would normally spend to eat a meal
Guard against spiritual attack “ The real sacrifice in fasting is not going without food; it is the fact that when you really begin to seek God, pray and fast for things that matter, Satan is going to turn extra spiritual forces loose against you.” Avoid religious pretense- the Pharisee attitude- don’t go tell everybody, dress normally etc.
Breaking the Fast
Always begin with a light meal and slowly work your way back to eating your
normal amount This is even more critical - the longer you choose to fas
After the 3rd or 4th day of a fast you will no longer feel hungry but as soon as you break it you will get very hungry- guard yourself against the temptation to eat a heavy meal
As we prepare to take communion together, I want to add one more dimension to the formula – unity. As we enter into unity through the receiving of the elements, I ask you to begin to pray for the revival that God wants this church and town to experience. We are going to make this the priority of prayer here because I know without a doubt that is God’s will for us. Continue to fast and pray as you can and let’s persevere till we can say like Ezra, “and He answered our prayer.”
