How long do I fast for?
Well, you fast long enough to feel it. That's how long you fast for. To be mindful, you're a Locked in for a set period of time. You have to commit to not eating.
So if you say, I'm not, I usually I'm up at, if you say, I'm up at five in the morning, I'm not going to eat until after. Noon time.
Well, that's going to give you some you know, you can fast like that quite regularly and it would be beneficial too. Or you can do sundown, or you do the whole day. This is Cross Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher, Rick Gaston. Ricky is the pastor of Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through a topical series.
Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about Cross Reference Radio. Specifically, how you can get a free copy of this teaching.
Now, here's Pastor Rick with the conclusion of his study called Proverbs and Fasting. Paul wrote about some unbelievers. He said, they profess to be wise. They became fools concerning religion. They think they have the answers.
And they bow down to beetles and snakes and rats and other stupid animals, created beings. That's not wise. Again, Proverbs 14:12: There is a way that seems right to man, but its end leads to death. Again, a verse not limited to the gospel, it applies to other ways of thinking. A misguided zeal can masquerade as evangelism.
or maturity or bravery Something other than what it is. We close this question with this verse from Revelation. Jesus said this seven times to each church. The good and the bad. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
And the churches are the people. Because without the people, there's no church. You learn that very early, right? You teach your children. This is the church.
This is the steeple. Open the doors. Where are the people? And the kids should say there's no people there, there's not church. All right, now, question number three.
Fasting, how, when, duration, command Well, I'll take this verse as our kingpinned to hold the trailer to the tractor, Acts chapter 13, verse 3. This is about Paul and Barnabas, when they were sent out on their first missionary journey, And that's where they established the churches in Galatia. Then having fasted and prayed, they laid hands on them and sent them away. No further details given. about that exercise.
Yeah. Fasting. Let's define it. Abstaining In the service of God. Of course, abstaining from something you want.
Like, you know, today I'm going to abstain from hitting myself in the head with a hammer. That's not fasting. Wilmington's book of Bible List says that there are twenty actual fast. Recorded in the Bible.
Now, fasting is brought up much more than that in indirect ways, but actual events, like that one in Acts chapter 13, he says it 20 times. That merits our attention.
Well because what if he said it was two? Maybe, you know. But what if he said it was 500? Anyway, denying oneself a craving With the specific goal of drawing closer to God and drawing further away from your own carnality. That is what fasting is supposed to do.
And I have to add very quickly: it's not the only way to do that. Fasting is for some, it's not for everybody.
Some people have health issues. They can never.
Well, there there are ways that everybody can fast, and I'll hopefully hit on Some of them. Anyway, Just to get away from the flesh. Yeah. It's the new meaning to a sacrificial meal. You have a sacrificial meal, you sacrifice an animal.
Or you have a sacrificial meal where you sacrifice eating the meal. She said, I'm not going to eat. She sacrificed that meal. Anyway, I thought it was pretty clever, and I was expecting, actually, I was expecting a standing ovation. for that.
Fasting helps suppress the flesh. Because the flesh does nothing but war against the spirit without interruption. Never. There's a spirit. Find rest from the flesh.
So to fat, then you may overcome the flesh And it's suppressed. And so you're not picking it up, but it's there and it's pushing against the hull of the ship, trying to get in, just like a submarine. You know, the ocean is constantly. pressing on the hull. of that vessel.
So to fast is to appeal to God. For Christ's likeness. There are other ways to express This sincere Desire, endeavor of the Christian. Do some fast but never serve? Let's get them out of the way because there are those, they're high-minded, they're who I fast, you know, three times a week.
Isaiah fifty eight eight verse six Is this not the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bonds of the wicked. to undo the heavy burdens To let the oppressor go free. That you break every yoke. He's saying, you know, God is saying, you know what I want?
I want you to do something with your faith. And don't just stop eating. And think that, ooh, you know, an empty stomach, I don't need a full heart. It doesn't work with God. You can abstain.
From A lawful delight if you want to fast. It could be sex. If you're married, If you're not married, you be abstinent. is for you. Treats.
Snag. Maybe you say, you know what?
Now, not for dieting. You can't say, I'm going to fast so I can lose weight. That's not a fast. It's just you confession that you're fat. That's all that is.
If you Don't try to weave them together. A fast is specific. And it's painful. Maybe maybe you look forward every Morning to bacon and eggs. And you say, you know what, I got to eat.
I have, maybe you're a construction worker, you got to eat.
Well, I'm not going to have the bacon. Ha! Yeah. That's hardcore. It's redirecting legitimate desires to God.
Paul said, This: Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time. That's abstinence. that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer. And come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. But Paul is saying You're carnal.
We all are. We have this carnal.
Well, we're not all carnal. We can suppress carnality. and live above that, but we still have these carnal tendencies and something can trigger it, and we get in the flesh, and that's why we bring up driving so much in our age because that is probably the most common one. And I don't know of anybody You're either being irritated on the road or you're irritating somebody. There seems to be no middle ground.
It's like you don't drive by look at that's a good driver right there. It it's just like he you know what? If he just pulled out of my way, I wouldn't have to do this. Anyway. You know what?
We have a cat. The cat never fasts, not once. That cat has no prayer requests. Everything is perfect. It's just handed as comfortable.
And it's just irritating. I'm sorry. Why does she get to have that?
Now, before you go boasting about fasting and all that, well, just remember. Many pagans Fast. for their gods.
So, how to fast.
So, we've established what is fast is abstaining from something that is desirable, but it's a little bit more involved. We'll come to that too. To not Well, I'll come to that. I don't get ahead of myself. How do I fast?
is is the part of this question.
Well, again, that postponement of self-satisfaction, something that you look forward to. I'm not going to do that for the Lord. Because it involves time, you gotta feel it. And that's where the blessings are. When you're fasting and you want to do it, but you say, nope, I'm not.
I've committed this to the Lord. That is a blessing. As I mentioned, health reasons may influence how you do this because we tend to think: well, okay, I'm fasting, I don't eat for 40 days.
Well, I'll do your service for you. Because you will be dead.
So, the fast doesn't have to be that radical. Look, if you just say, I'm not going to eat until sundown, you're going to experience the faith. I mean, if you start setting these standards so high you can't keep them, they won't get anything out of you. Then you'll walk around guilty. I know I should fast.
I keep telling myself. It's hard enough if you take off, take these little steps, believe me. Anyway. 1 Chronicles chapter 21. This is David after he sinned and numbered the people, which means he got in the flesh and he didn't need God.
He wanted to see how big his armies were. That's the implication. And God was very upset with David for sort of pushing him on the side. God on the side, and David saying, You know, I'm king enough now. And of course God exercised judgment.
And David where he buys the f thrashing floor floor of Aruna or Onan is Two names in the scripture, not uncommon. Anyway, Onan says, I'll give you the land, king. And David's response, then David said to Ornan, and you would just can imagine the passion in David, the look on his face, the heartbreak in me, just he was a dynamic character. And a musician.
So you know he had some wacky stuff going on there. Chris Peter, I know, but. You know. Be the exception. Anyway.
Uh just as Passionate individual, David says to Ornan, No, but I will surely buy it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing. Sacrifice. Sacrifice means it costs you something. You've given up something. For something great, you've given up something you like.
for something you love.
So how to fast? When to fast.
Well, you have freedom here. Consult the Lord. You don't even have to fast. I know we'll come to what Jesus said in a minute. But I need to make this clear.
Fasting is not a pry bar. It is not a tool to break and enter into the kingdom of God to get your will done. If I fast hard enough, he'll give it to me. You might as well ask him for love potion number nine. I mean, it's just it's not what fasting is about.
It's not my will be done. But it is about discovering the will of God by silencing my. carnal impulses. They're my natural things, things that get in the way. I want my will to match God's will.
I want to want what God wants. Otherwise I may enter into covetedness, where I begin to want what's not for me to have.
So, using fasting to impress God is not a good idea. You don't say, I'm going to offer God my prized bull.
Well, God's going to be rich now. Not So When fasting, one is clearly more mindful of the Spirit. clearly more mindful of the flesh, clearly more mindful of What is involved?
Now again, there's other ways to draw close to God. Fasting is not the only way. But for some people, it's an easy fit. It was easy for Paul. For sure, 'cause he fasted a lot.
According to the records, but we don't read about Peter fasting too much. Peter says, No, I like fish a lot. Anyway. They named a fish after Peter in Israel.
So How long do I fast for?
Well, you fast long enough to feel it. That's how long you fast for. To be mindful, you're a locked in for a set period of time. You have to commit to not eating.
So if you say, I'm not, I usually up at, if you say, I'm up at five in the morning, I'm not going to eat until after. Noontime.
Well, that's going to give you some You know, you can fast like that quite regularly, and it would be beneficial too. Or you can do sundown, or you do the whole day. If you're physically Abel to do that. But once you commit you're in You can't say I'm going to fast at sundown and then break it two hours later. That's not good for you.
God's not going to hate you or get on your case for that, but you will get on your own case because you will understand. Jesus said, Let your yes be yes and your no no, for whatever is more than these is from the evil one. Matthew 5:37. And so, if you say, Yes, I'm going to fast for this amount of time. And then you don't Because you you drop out Well If you go to do it again, lower the bar until you build yourself up.
Now, here's another thing: if I'm fasting, and I don't tell anybody when I'm fasting, what I'm fasting from. Um If I'm fasting from food, Say I do it every Tuesday. I don't, but just say I do every Tuesday, I don't eat until sundown. But this Tuesday is a holiday and we have company coming over for a big meal. I'm going to have the meal.
I'm sorry, I'm going to fast and watch you all eat. Because I'm holy. That just ruins it for everybody. And God's not going to say, oh man, now you went backwards. Our God is not petty.
He understands. what commitment is about and what is involved and what is the goal And the goal is discipline.
So, you could fast for hours.
Some things you can fast for years. You can just cut out of your life permanently. The vow of the Nazarite, never to have anything from the vine, for example. Uh solid food It could be food, it could be food and water. It could be coffee.
No, take that one back. There could be a sporting event that you just routinely watch or something and say, I'm not watching it this year. Maybe you enjoy mystery novels. And you say, you know what, I'm not going to read one for a whole month, or whatever it is. Whatever makes you feel the pain of the flesh and draws you closer to Christ, because when you feel that urge and you're saying no, you're saying no because of Christ, and that is the goal.
Is it a command to fast? No New Testament command. commandment at all.
Now, if you look at Matthew 6, 16, and Jesus says, when you fast, those are not grounds to say that He was commanding you to fast. He didn't say if you fast, He said when.
Well, that's language. I mean, if you can talk to a carpenter and he says, Well, when you do this, I'm never gonna do that. I'm gonna hire you to do that. It's not a commandment to become a carpenter.
So it's proper language, Jesus, when you fast, for those who are going to fast. And for those who are not going to fast, well, there's other things.
Now the Lord fasted for forty days. And it doesn't say he didn't have Actually, at the end of the 40 days, he ate food. It doesn't say he didn't, he drank. But he probably just had a food fast. Anyway, his fast was to demonstrate his deity.
to show Yeah. That you know how when you first become a Christian and you read that temptation story, you say, I wonder what would have happened. If he failed, if he sinned, if he followed the temptation.
Well, this is what would have happened. He wouldn't have been the Son of God. That's what would have happened. But the fact that he didn't stumble is no, I'm the one. And I want you to be very clear about this.
The early church fasted during Prayer and decision-making times in Acts 13 and Acts 14. But it sort of went out of the picture. At the church grew more robust, Still no universal command is given. Paul mentions fasting several times. but never commands anybody else to fast.
And if this were such an imperative, there would have been commandment. In fact, In the Old Testament, It's only one day a year they were required to fast, the Day of Atonement. And really, it wasn't, you know, it was from sundown to sundown.
So they would sleep through most of it. And they could eat at sundown once they wo if they woke up in the morning. It was the affliction of the soul. It doesn't come out and say fast. But in their tradition passed down from family to family, but more so.
When affliction of the soul shows up in other scripture, in the Old Testament, Fasting is accompanying it.
So that's. probably the the an accurate Interpretation. that they were to afflict their souls once a year.
Now there were specific fast calls. Called for by the prophets in times of disobedience. Joel chapter 2.
Now, therefore, thus says Yahweh: turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping. And with mourning, So rend your heart, not your garments, return to Yahweh your God.
So that was to get them back on track. They weren't. was not a commandment for the people to do. The Jews, of course, they fasted with mixed results. Esther.
Told Murdekai, go get the people fasting. And he did, and they fasted, and of course, they won. Moses fasted twice for 40 days. God sustained him. That was a whole nother zone.
That was a miracle. And well, I mean if the s if the Moses can lift his rod and pot the seed because of God No surprise there. Elijah. He fasted also for forty days. It was a miracle.
1 Kings 19, so he arose and ate and drank, and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.
So if an angel gives you some food, Evidently you can get these carbs for a month. And you can just make it right through. David. He fasted that the child would not die, and the child died. It is not to get our will done.
David's fast did not change God's actions. 2 Samuel David said, While the child was alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, Who can tell whether Yahweh will be gracious to me? that the child may live. Daniel fasted to get understanding through the visions he had, because he wanted to get away from the flesh. Ezra fasted for protection, Ezra 8.3.
So he fasted and entered, entreated our God for this, and he answered our prayer. Notice he doesn't say he answered our fast.
Well, they're fast. enriched their prayer, which fasting will do. King Hezekiah. Is not explicitly said to have fasted when Isaiah said, God said to you, Hezekiah, you're going to die. And Isaiah leaves, he gets to the courtyard, God says, go back and tell him he's going to live.
And he has to go back and say, Here's an amendment to that last word. I would have said, Lord, you know, you're making me look bad here. Why don't you just tell me that the first time? You knew this was going to happen. Anyway.
It is said that he prayed earnestly to God with weeping and pleading for healing. And God granted him 15 years.
So Hezekiah focused on prayer and faith and trust in God. Rather than fasting.
So you see, it points to both sides. There's nothing in Scripture that says, no, this is it, fasting is it, that's it. Yeah. Even Gentiles. in the scripture are found fastening because of the influence of the prophets.
Darius Daniel 6, when they put Daniel in the lion's den, The king fasted on his on Daniel's behalf. What if he didn't fast? God wasn't going to let those lions eat Daniel. But it just is an interesting The interesting point is that Daniel's dedication Spawn. Dedication from a pagan king.
The Ninevites fasted when Jonah preached 40 days. I can't wait to see you all die. And they fasted. And what did the king say? Who knows with God?
And in other words, it's worth finding out, and he did. There are many times where no fast was called for and great results. For instance, Joshua He did not fast to bring down the walls of Jericho. Samson did not fast when he slew a thousand men, even though he was a Nazarite, and that's questionable how much he kept of that. Because where did he meet the lion?
In the vineyard. What's he doing in the vineyard? Munching on the grapes. I just know he was. That's going to be one of the first videos I look for in heaven.
Call him over for some popcorn. Hey, come on, let's watch some video. Pop that one in on them. First, I'm going to ask him, you still got that job on? Anyway.
Yeah. It's personal. The fasting is. It's between the individual and the Lord. But I.
Do stick by very strongly if you're going to fast at a set time. Don't break it, but don't. If you're not used to fasting, don't plunge in. I'm going to take a two-day fast. That's just dumb.
Remember the Proverbs. Just be wise. And then of course, we need to get to the warnings. Fasting heightens the spirit, but it can feed the flesh. How does that work?
How does Satan turn our our own weapons on us? Remember the Pharisee standing and praying at the temple, and Jesus said, The Pharisee said, I fast twice a week. I give tithes. Of all I possess. I'm a big giver, I'm a big faster.
God's got to love me.
Well, he's the one that disappointed the Lord. He was self-righteous. And It can impart this false feeling of You know, sanctity, that you're holier than thou, and you look down on her. You don't fast? You don't fast?
No, but I do punch.
So. Yeah. So, it can make the user feel that they can force God's hand. You've got to watch that. Because you can fast for something.
In particular, And not get it, and he's no less your God. Or you can fast routinely to just get a step ahead on the flesh. You don't want it to become habit forming where it just becomes ritual now. Yeah, just do it, and it's lost its impact. If that happens, I would suggest you back away for a while.
And it can make you critical of others. being as superior Faster. Yeah. So A contrite heart goes further than with the Lord than an empty stomach, is the bottom line. Luke chapter eighteen, the same passage, Jesus drew a contrast.
The tax collector, he said, standing afar off, Would not so much as even raise his eyes to heaven. but beat his breast, saying, God be merciful to me, a sinner, and that's the one the Lord received.
So here you have this one in ritual and religion, fasting and giving, and you have this other one who all he's doing is taking by being the tax collector. He's not fasting. But his heart is broken. And that's what God is looking for. And that's what the fasting should produce.
If that's the route you take. But as I mentioned, There are other routes to this devotion. and beating back the flesh. And each individual needs to find out Which one is for them? I do suggest everybody have some form of fast.
in their life Even if it's a small fast, it'd be good for you.
So, the Proverbs they counter ignorance, fasting counters carnality, and together they contribute to elevated service in God. We close with this verse. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. Abstain from every evil. Every form of evil.
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