FASTING - Spiritual Discipline #3
1/29/12 Matthew 6:16-18
STORIES OF FASTING
* Kennedy's birthday party
* My own. - Gus's Calzone.
Fasting is an act of humility
- as we rely on GOD'S STRENGTH!
"The list of biblical people who fasted reads like a "Who's Who" of Scripture: Moses the lawgiver, David the king, Elijah the prophet, Esther the queen, Daniel the seer, Anna the prophetess, Paul the apostle, Jesus Christ the incarnate Son...
Many of the great Christians throughout church history fasted and witnessed to its value; among them were Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, David Brainerd, Charles Finney, and Pastor Hsi of China" (Celebration of Discipline pg 48)
v Throughout Scripture fasting refers to abstaining from food for spiritual purposes.
v Scriptural fasting is DISTINCT FROM:
§ HUNGER STRIKE
¨ the purpose of which is to gain political power or attract attention
¨ Ghandi
§ HEALTH DIETING
¨ which stresses abstinence for physical purposes (not spiritual)
¨ In our secular "modern" society fasting is usually motivated either by vanity or by the desire for power.
v Jesus teaches about fasting in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 6)
§ His teaching on fasting is directly in the context of his teaching on giving and praying
¨ It is as if there is an almost unconscious assumption that giving, praying, and fasting are all part of Christian devotion.
v Perhaps Jesus’ greatest lesson is HIS EXAMPLE.
§ At the start of his ministry
- Jesus goes out to the desert and fasts. (Matt 4:1-2)
- He spends 40 days praying and fasting.
§ In Jesus' remarks in the Sermon on the mount.
¨ The question is not IF you fast - but WHEN!
¨ Is it a commandment?
¨ NO. It's an assumption – you already do
v BIBLICAL FASTING ALWAYS…
· Centers on Spiritual Purposes
v Fasting, when coupled with prayer, serves as a powerful vehicle to draw closer to God.
§ It is a God-designed discipline to enable us to enter into a focused time of seeking:
- The Father and His wisdom, intervention and direction.
Question
v When we Fast - is it all or nothing?
§ "Daniel Fast" (a 21 day fast)
(10:3) "I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all."
v Father DiNardo - of Pittsburgh:
· "When we fast and abstain we take attention away from ourselves. It isn't meant for weight loss. The tradition is based in the idea of denying oneself to focus on something greater."
Have you heard it said Fridays are Fish-days?
- For the Catholics – it has been customary to eat only fish on Fridays.
"Before the Second Vatican Council (1960's), the regulations were much more stringent than they are today. As older Catholics will remember, every Friday of the year was a day of abstinence for all, and every day during Lent was a day of fasting.
In easing the regulations, the church wasn’t trying to make the precept more convenient, but was placing the responsibility of spirituality on individuals. Every day of our lives should be a day of focusing more on God and other people and less on ourselves. Sticking to the minimum when it comes to fast and abstinence misses an opportunity for spiritual growth." (#)
Why do we fast?
And particularly WHY 40 days during LENT?
v As Christians, in everything we do, we should have as our model Jesus Christ.
§ Scripture tells us "Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil and he fasted forty days and forty nights" (Matthew 4:1-2)
§ The season of Lent is a commemoration of Our Lord’s fast, which He undertook before entering into His public ministry.
§ It was a time of preparation for the tremendous mission that lay before Him.
§ To do this, He denied Himself food and water during those forty days and nights, relying instead only on God (with whom He was One) to sustain Him.
v Matthew 4:4 "The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."
Ø The first clear mention and observance of the forty days does not come to us until the fourth century in the decrees of the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. (*)
Friday has never ceased to be a day of penance and self-denial, and abstaining from meat on that day is given first place, because it was on a Friday that our Lord died for our sins.
Particularly for Catholics – Every Friday is a day to prepare for Sunday – the day that, for us who believe, is Easter every week of the year. And Sunday is never a day of fasting (not even during Lent). It is the glorious Day of the Lord (*)
Fasting is an act of humility
- as we rely on GOD'S STRENGTH!
We give up our own rights & needs
James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
§ proud, self righteous, exalting themselves.
v Fasting is an:
§ Expectation – not if, but when
§ Act of humility - as we rely on GOD'S STRENGTH!
As you go – consider how (& when) you can incorporate the Spiritual Discipline of Fasting into your walk with God.
Go and Love!
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