WHY DON T THEY FAST?
SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW 9:14-17 CONCEPT: JESUS CONFIRMED THAT HIS DISCIPLES WOULD FAST
WE HAVE BEEN EXAMINING THE CHRISTIAN DISCIPLINE OF FASTING. WE BEGAN OUR JOURNEY WITH JOEL BLOWING THE TRUMPET AND PROCLAIMING A FAST AND CALLING A SOLEMN MEETING FOR JUDAH WHO WAS ABOUT TO BE DESTROYED. HE CALLED A FAST AND A SACRED GATHERING IN HOPE THAT GOD WOULD SHOW THEM MERCY. ON THE SECOND SUNDAY WE EXAMINED JONAH, AFTER TRYING TO RUN AWAY FROM HIS CALLING AND BEING SWALLOWED BY A FISH, GOES TO NINEVAH TO PROPHESY JUDGEMENT AND DESTRUCTION UPON THEM. WHO ONCE HEARD THE DECREE OF DESTRUCTION CALLED THEMSELVES INTO A FAST. THE PEOPLE CALLED A FAST. LAST WEEK AS WE EXAMINED THE REALITY OF LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. WE TALKED
ABOUT THE KIND OF FAST THAT GOD SOUGHT, BEING ONE WHERE WE BECAME FREED UP TO FREE OTHERS UP.
GOD
SEEKS US TO GET SPIRITUALLY STRONGER SO THAT WE CAN HELP OTHERS BECOME STRONGER. WE FAST TO BE FREE, SO OTHERS CAN BE FREE AT LAST.
WE HAVE CONCLUDED THAT FASTING IS A SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE. WE KNOW THAT SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES ARE ACTIONS THAT WE CAN PERFORM THAT ALLOWS US TO MAKE SPACE FOR GOD IN OUR LIVES. FASTING IS A SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE. A PRACTICE AND METHOD THAT HAS BEEN USED FOR CENTURIES. ALL OF THE PROPHETS FASTED. FASTING WAS A COMMON AND EVEN EXPECTED SIGN OF RELIGIOUS COMMITMENT AND FAITH. ALL SERIOUS PERSONS OF RELIGIOUS FAITH WERE KNOWN TO FAST AND EXPECTED TO PRACTICE FASTING ON A REGULAR, IF NOT WEEKLY BASIS.
FOR MANY CENTURIES, THE CATHOLICS WOULD ONLY EAT FISH ON FRIDAYS AND WOULD FAST FROM OTHER FORMS OF
MEAT. MOSES FASTED 40 DAYS AS HE RECEIVED THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. ELIJAH DID SO AS WELL, AS HE RAN FROM JEZEBEL. WHEN JESUS BEGAN HIS MINISTRY, THE BIBLE SAYS THAT HE FASTED. IN MATTHEW 3. JESUS BEGINS HIS MINISTRY BY BEING BAPTIZED BY JOHN THE BAPTIST.
AFTER BEING BAPTISED, HE IS LED BY THE SPIRIT INTO THE WILDERNESS. IT INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT HE IS LED BY THE SPIRIT. SO OFTEN WE WHEN MAKE A DECISION TO DO SOMETHING FOR THE LORD, WE FIND OURSELVES BEING TEMPTED BY THE DEVIL FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. IT S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THIS AND REMEMBER, THAT WHENEVER WE MAKE A DECISION TO DO ANYTHING FOR THE LORD, THERE WILL BE A TIME OF TESTING AT THE VERY START.
JESUS BEGINS HIS MINISTRY AND AT THE VERY BEGINNING HE IS CHALLENGED BY THE DEVIL. TO PREPARE FOR HIS TEMPTATION AND TO PREPARE FOR HIS NEW MINISTRY, HE FASTS.
IT S WORTH NOTING THAT JESUS, WHO IS THE VERY SON OF GOD, AND THE MANIFESTATION OF GOD IN THE EARTH, IF HE FASTED, IT SAYS SOMETHING TO US WHO ARE STILL GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS AND WORKING TOWARDS BECOMING STRONG AND MATURE CHRISTIANS, IF JESUS FOUND THE NEED TO FAST AND REALIZED THE POWER AND PURPOSE OF FASTING, THEN WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE AS CHRISTIANS UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR US TO FAST.
THE BIBLE SAYS THAT THERE ARE THREE CATEGORIES OF SIN. 1 John 2:16
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1 John 2:15-17 (New Living Translation)
Do Not Love This World 15
Do not love this world nor the things it offers you,
for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
THE LUST OF THE FLESH (CRAVING FOR PHYSICAL PLEASURE, THE LUST OF THE EYES (CRAVING FOR EVERYTHING WE SEE) AND THE PRIDE OF LIFE (OUR ACHIEVEMENTS AND POSSESSIONS). THESE ARE THE THREE WAYS THE DEVIL WILL COME AFTER US TO CAUSE US TO SIN. TO TEMPT US FROM PURSUING OUR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY AND ACCOMPLISHING SPIRITUAL SUCCESS. IT S IMPORTANT
TO NOTE THAT FASTING AFFECTS EACH OF THESE. IT REDUCES THE POWER OF OUR CRAVINGS OVER US AND HUMBLES US SO THAT OUR PRIDE CAN NOT CONTROL OUR APPETITE AND ACTIONS.
NOTE JESUS S CONFRONTATION WITH THE DEVIL. THE DEVIL APPROACHES HIM THREE TIMES AND EACH TIME, DOES SO WITH ONE OF THE THREE SCHEMES.
TURN THE BREAD INTO STONES (PHYSICAL CRAVINGS) IF YOU ARE WHO YOU SAY YOU ARE, JUMP (PRIDE OF LIFE) LOOK AT THIS, IT S YOURS IF YOU WORSHIP ME (CRAVING FOR WHAT YOU SEE).
IT S ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE HOW JESUS DEALT WITH THE DEVIL.
IT IS WRITTEN. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE WORD OF GOD AND BIBLE STUDY.
WE WILL ALL ENCOUNTER THE DEVIL IN OUR LIVES. HE WALKETH ABOUT AS A ROARING LION. TO DEVOUR. IN THIS WORLD WE SHALL HAVE TRIBULATIONS.
WE CAN NOT AVOID NOR ESCAPE CONFRONTATION OR TEMPTATION. BUT WE CAN RESPOND CORRECTLY. KNOW THE VALUE OF INNER STRENGTH. FASTING AND OTHER SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES HELPS TO MAKE US INWARDEDLY STRONG. PREPARE YOURSELF FOR BATTLE. MAKE SPACE FOR GOD.
WHEN THE DEVIL COMES, DON T FIGHT WITH YOUR OWN MIGHT. BE STRONG IN THE LORD AND IN THE POWER OF HIS MIGHT. DO THIS BY ALWAYS SUBMITTING TO GOD FIRST. THE DEVIL WANTS US TO FIGHT HIM WITH OUR OWN MIGHT, STRENGTH. IT S NOT YOU HE S AFRAID OF, IT S GOD. THAT S WHY JAMES SAYS, James 4:7
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
JESUS SUBMITTED TO GOD BY PLACING HIMSELF UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE WORD OF GOD. IT IS WRITTEN.
HE USED THE WORD AS THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT.
THE DISCIPLES SAW JESUS AND MATTHEW AND HIS DISCIPLES EATING AND ASKED WHY DON T YOUR DISCIPLES FAST LIKE US?
THEY WERE ON THEIR HONEYMOON. IS WASN T LEGAL TO EXPECT THEM TO DO SO AS LONG AS THEY WERE WITH THE BRIDE GROOM.
HE SAID THOUGH, THAT WHEN HE WAS TAKEN AWAY FROM THEM, THEY WOULD FAST.
NEW CLOTHE ON AN OLD GARMENT OR NEW WINE IN OLD SKINS. YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL HOW YOU MIX NEW FOLK WITH OLD. YOU CAN T PUT ON NEW FOLK THE SAME STUFF OLDER FOLK CAN HANDLE. A BABY CAN T BE EXPECTED TO HANDLE WHAT AN ADULT CAN.
IS THE HONEYMOON IS OVER