- [Instructor] The four principles of fasting.
The Word of God shows many fundamental principles
in connection with fasting.
Here are four.
Self-denial,
self humbling,
right priorities,
and dependence upon God.
Let us consider them briefly.
Self-denial.
Jesus said in Matthew 16:24,
"If anyone desires to come after me,
"let him deny himself."
Fasting denies your old rebellious ego.
Denial means, in a simple word, saying no.
Your stomach says, I will.
And you say to your stomach,
you do not dictate.
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:27,
"No, I strike a blow to my body
"and make it my slave
"so that after I have preached to others,
"I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."
He said that those who strive for mastery
and athletic contests are temperate,
self-controlled in all things.
How much more should we be
who strive for mastery in spiritual competition?
A professional athlete is careful
about what he eats, how much he sleeps.
He even observes his mental attitudes
because they affect his chances of success.
How much more must we as Christians
be certain that we have brought our bodies
under authority?
Self humbling.
Fasting is self humbling.
2 Chronicles 7:14.
"If my people which are called by my name
"shall humble themselves and pray,
"and seek my face,
"and turn from their wicked ways,
"then I will hear from heaven,
"and will forgive their sin
"and will heal their land."
How do you humble yourself?
David wrote about this in two of his Psalms.
Psalm 35:13,
"But as for me when they were sick,
"my clothing was sackcloth.
"I humbled my soul with fasting
"and my prayer returned into mine own bosom."
Psalm 69:10,
"When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting,
"that was to my reproach."
And each of them he said,
I humbled my soul with fasting.
Some pray, God humble me,
but this is not a biblical prayer.
God says humble yourself.
He can humiliate you
and he might have to,
but the only person who can make you humble
is you yourself.
And one good way to humble your soul
is with fasting.
Right priorities.
Fasting sets the right priorities.
"Seek first the kingdom of God
"and His righteousness."
Matthew 6:33.
Many people seek the kingdom of God
in the second, third or fourth place.
In this case, the promises do not apply.
We must set our priorities right.
Fasting is a way to give the spiritual
the right priority and assert its primacy.
Dependence upon God.
Fasting also shows our dependence on God.
Fasting tells God, God, I have no answer.
I can't do it.
I'm looking to you.
It acknowledges dependence upon God,
and it leads to divine intervention.
Countless illustrations can be supplied
from scripture to prove that, if God's people
fulfill their conditions in this regard,
God intervenes in their name.
When, not if.
In the middle of the sermon on the Mount,
Jesus said, "When you fast," Matthew 6:16.
Jesus did not say if.
That would have left open the possibility
that we might or might not fast.
He said when.
He took it for granted that we would fast.
He used exactly the same language
in this passage about three things
showing charity, verse three,
praying, verse five, and fasting.
In each case, it is when,
not if.
Is it a Christian duty to show charity?
Is it a Christian duty to pray?
Then it must also be a Christian duty to fast.
Some people quote Jesus's words in Mark 2:18
as proof that we do not have to fast.
In this passage, the people had come to him
and asked why the Pharisees fasted,
the disciples of John fasted,
but the disciples of Jesus did not fast.
Jesus answered this way.
"And Jesus said onto them,
"Can the children of the bride chamber fast
"while the bridegroom is with them?
"As long as they have the bridegroom with them,
"they cannot fast,
"but the time will come when the bridegroom
"will be taken from them,
"then they will fast."
Mark 2:19 and 20.
We ask ourselves this question,
is the bride groom now physically with us,
or is he absent and we are waiting for his return?
My answer is that we are waiting for his return.
He was taken from us
and we will fast when we are his disciples.
If we do not fast, we lack a sign of discipleship.
The pattern we follow.
Jesus practiced fasting.
Matthew 4:1 and 2,
"Then was Jesus led up of the spirit
"into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
"And when he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights,
"he hungered after it."
Five prophets and teachers
in the church of Antioch fasted,
and waited upon God publicly and together.
See Acts 13:1 and 2.
God spoke to them and said to send out Barnabas
and Saul also known as Paul.
They fasted and prayed the second time
and sent them out.
Verse three.
Saul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey
met with the converts that they had left behind
and prayed with fasting.
See Acts 14:23.
Every one of those New Testament churches
was brought into being by public prayer and fasting.
Paul was often in fasting.
It was one of the things by which he approved himself
a minister of Christ.
2 Corinthians 6:4 and 5.
"But in all things approving ourselves
"as the ministers of God in much patience,
"in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,
"in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults,
"in labors, in watchings, in fastings."
2 Corinthians 11:27,
"In weariness and painfulness,
"in watchings often,
"in hunger and thirst,
"in fastings often,
"in cold and nakedness."
God has shown us the power of fasting
when we want to see answers to our prayers,
not least our prayers for His church
in these last days.
His grace and faithfulness provoke a response
from our free will to turn to Him and seek Him.
Let us come with renewed earnestness and zeal,
trust and faith to see His goals fulfilled.
Dear Heavenly Father,
in the mighty name of our Lord, Jesus Christ,
we ask you to awaken within us
the fullness of your Holy Spirit,
assist us in developing in our relationship
with the Holy Spirit
and living in His power and using His gifts.
Jesus gave us a promise.
You told us, "But the comforter,
"which is the Holy Ghost,
"whom the Father will send in my name,
"he shall teach you all things
"and bring all things to your remembrance
"whatsoever I have said onto you."
John 14:26.
Help me learn that I don't comprehend everything,
and that this is okay
as the Holy Spirit knows it all.
Supply us with the Holy Spirit
and His understanding
of everything that is happening in our life.
Jesus said, "The one, who receives the seed
"that falls on good soil,
"hears the word and understands it.
"He produces an abundant crop."
Matthew 13:23.
"But he that received the seed
"into the good ground
"is he that heareth the word
"and understandeth it,
"which also beareth fruit
"and bringeth forth,
"some an hundredfold, some 60, some 30."
Holy Spirit, be the caretaker of my life.
Sustain the seeds of heaven
that you have already planted inside me
and make it flourish
so that your love, your ways,
and your kingdom will continuously develop
inside me and bear much good fruit for others.
Help me to learn that with you
nothing is impossible,
and that you work everything
according to what is good and right and timely,
even if it doesn't seem so to me.
Oh, Holy Spirit, Jesus said,
"Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness
"and everything else you need
"will be given to you as well."
Matthew 6:33.
Aid me to let go of all my earthly affections.
First, help me to see what I am attached to
that is not of you.
And then hold my hand as I walk away
from the elements of the world.
Grant me the confidence and intensity
to let go so that I have no other gods
before me.
I need only you.
Oh, Holy Spirit,
you are the comforter.
Support me to let go of the losses in my life.
Renew my heart
and help me to face my sinfulness
and to feel genuine sorrow for the sin,
both intentional and unintentional,
that I have inflicted on others
and in so doing have delivered on Jesus.
Support me as I mourn for my need for forgiveness
and give me your spirit of joy.
Oh, Holy Spirit,
Jesus Christ freely chose to endure and die for me.
I have pains in my life.
Trials, difficulties,
hurts, bruises, sufferings,
and I ache to flee from them.
Strengthen me to follow in Jesus's tracks
so that I can walk my road to Calvary
without dreading evil, and guide me
into my new life of triumph and rebirth.
Oh, Holy Spirit,
Jesus said that he would not leave us orphans,
but would send you to us.
John 14:18.
I will not leave you comfortless.
I will come to you.
How often I have lamented because it looked
like you were not with me in my troubles
and difficulties.
Help me to see your presence
in all circumstances.
Help me to turn to you
and find you for you never leave me
nor leave me.
You care even more about me
and my problems than I do.
You are sculpturing a plan for my benefit
to make good come from everything that occurs to me.
Help me to find your presence
in every moment of my life.
Oh, Holy Spirit.
By the cross of Jesus, we are restored.
By His resurrection, we live in the new life
of total, unconditional love.
Help me to share that healing love
with all those that surround me.
Jesus proclaimed,
"Go into all the world
"and preach the good news to all creation."
Help me to declare with power
the good news of Jesus Christ.
Oh, Holy Spirit.
You seek the salvation of all human beings.
And for that purpose,
you want all of them
to get the knowledge of your truth,
present to all of them
your mighty light and your love of good will,
that they may give glory to God
and unity of faith, hope, and love.
Send workers into the harvest,
who are truly inspired by you,
who are the soul of the missionary church.
Amen.
Oh, King of Glory.
Send us the promise of the Father,
the spirit of truth.
May the counselor, who proceeds from you,
enlighten us and infuse all truth in us
as you have promised.
Amen.