We're going to be in Matthew 6 today and then we're going to be
obviously all over the place. I have to do a correction from
last week that I had to I was actually watching the study to
see if if Carl managed to delete my my foot in my mouth.
He didn't, but that's OK. At one point I said that the
that Jesus didn't accept the woman caught in adultery.
That was wrong. Jesus completely accepted the
woman caught in adultery. He didn't accept her sin.
So I just wanted to clarify that that I misspoke last week.
I do that on occasion, but I wanted to correct that if
because I had the way I said it made it sound wrong because
Jesus expects it accepts us as we are he he then he then cleans
us of all unrighteousness, right?
But anyway, so my corny title this week, focus factor.
And as with all my titles there, there is some truth in it, but
it is it is trying to be as corny as it can be.
So we're going to start in Matthew 6, starting in verse
one. Take heed that you do not do
your charitable deeds before men to be seen by them.
Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
Therefore, when you do charitable deeds, do not sound a
trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues
and in the streets, that they may have glory from man.
Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
But when you do not do a charitable deed, do not let your
left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your
charitable deed may be be in secret.
And your Father, who sees in secret, will himself reward you
openly. And when you pray, you shall not
be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray, standing in the
synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be
seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they
have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into
your room, and when you have shut the door, pray to your
Father who is in secret. Put in a secret place.
And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly.
And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen
do, for they think they will be heard for their many words.
Therefore do not be like them, For your Father knows the things
you need before you ask Him. It is a matter.
Therefore pray. Our Father in heaven, hallowed
be your name, your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it
is in heaven. Give us this day Our Daily
Bread, and forgive us our debts. As we forget our debtor, forgive
our debtors, and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us
from evil, sorry from the evil one.
For yours is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory
forever. For if you forgive men their
trespasses, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours.
But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will
your Father forgive you or give you forgive yours.
Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the men to be fat, Be
like the hypocrites with a sad countenance, for they disfigure
their faces, that they may appear to be men to be fasting.
Sorry, appear to men to be fasting.
Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
But you, when you fast, anoint your head with anoint your head,
wash your face so that you do not appear to men to be fasting.
But your father who is in a secret place, and your father
who sees in secret, will reward you openly.
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth
and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where
neither moth nor rust destroy, and where thieves do not break
in and steal. For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also. So I was real quick, got to jump
into my study. Dear Lord, Lord, I don't want to
be here outside of you. Or that you would just speak
through me, Lord, that you would speak to me, or that you'd fill
me with your spirit, or that you'd be with everybody here.
That you'd be walking up and down the aisles, that you'd be
ministering to people. You'd be speaking to hearts or,
or that you would guide and direct this, direct me and pray
all this in Jesus name, Amen. So I was thinking about
different ways to go into this and I was thinking about riding
a bike. When you're teaching your kids
to ride a bike, do you feel like a legalist?
You're into legalism when you're teaching a kid about it, ride a
bike or how to swim? Or is there just a way that you
swim in a way that you ride your bike and you're going to teach
them how to do that, right? And when they fall, do you get
mad at them because they didn't listen or do you understand that
it is a hard thing to do? But then as I, as I went through
it, I thought, actually, this is, there's a, there's a better,
better way to look at this because this is Jesus in the
Sermon on the Mount really, really telling us how, how life
is supposed to work. If you were in an airplane, a
small Cessna and the pilot had a heart attack and died and you
got him out of the way. He was an autopilot, right?
Got him out of the way and you got on the radio to call the
call and say that you have a problem.
There's no pilot in the plane and nobody answered.
And then your your spouse found a book and it said how to fly a
plane. Would you tell your spouse,
don't read me that that's just somebody else's opinion, or
would you listen diligently and focus on what is being read
right, because your life depends on it, right.
And that is that's that's these these sections when Jesus says,
you know, when you look through that all those are things we
should do. You know, when you do this, not
if you do this and the I'm sure we've all heard the acronym that
is for the Bible. That's basic instructions before
leaving Earth, right? And that's, you know, cover to
cover, end to end. That's what it is.
Psalms chapter 1 verses one through 6 is is really and it's
the Psalms chapter 1. So it really is a good
description of what the Psalms are, and what the Word of God
is. Right And it is.
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of
the scornful, but he delights in the law of the Lord, and in his
law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted
by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its
season, whose leaves also shall not wither, and whether he,
whatever he does, shall prosper the ungodly, or not so, but are
like chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor
sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of
the ungodly shall perish. So blessed is the man who
delights in the law of the Lord, right?
Blessed is the, You know, we talked about it two weeks ago
about or last week about being in his word, right?
He'll be planted like a tree by the river.
He will be fruitful and healthy, right?
He will prosper when he when he reads it and listens to what it
says. And then we when we talked about
that, we get to pray and how we should be praying as a joy, not
as a have to, right? It's something we get to do.
We look at God, God's desire for us to know him more and more
every day, right? And we do that by reading,
studying, and just dwelling in the word he has given us.
Now this week we're we're going to do one that Americans hate
with with and I say hate, probably pretty strongly
dislike, dislike and and and the reason and how they get away
with not doing it. How I get away with not doing it
how the how the church as a whole get away with not doing it
is we call it legalism and Jesus didn't call it legalism, right.
As Americans, we are not good at delayed gratification and
fasting is something that like announces that we are, we are
that we were talking about it last week.
As Americans, something that we are not good at is being hungry.
And some of that is just availability of food, right?
If I'm hungry, I am moments from food, right?
I mean, in this room, I'm always moments from food because
there's plenty of it in the back.
But you know, if I, if I'm walking out front, there's a
convenience store down the street there, there is food
everywhere, right? We, we have an abundance of
food, but fasting isn't, I mean, it is specific.
Jesus here is specifically going to be talking about food, but it
really has to do with giving up my comforts and and relying on
the Lord and and we as Americans and I am the it's I am the I'm
guilty of this by a tremendous amount are not good at saying no
to our self, IE our flesh, right?
We're just we're just not good at it.
I going going through my divorce.
There was a time where it was just me and my dog in my trailer
and I was driving home every day and I went by a convenience
store. And if you know me, you know, I
like ice cream. And so it's really silly, right,
But it it messed up my I'll get into what it was, but it it
messed up my wok because it it I didn't have anything I said no
about right. I, I wasn't drinking alcohol,
but I was eating ice cream and I was eating a lot of ice cream,
like an absurd amount of ice cream, like it was nothing for
me to swing by the store and buy a buy whatever the the full size
carton ice cream and get home, make dinner and then get the
carton ice cream out. Well, there's no reason to get a
bowl because I'm the only one eating out of it and I'd have to
wash the bowl. So you start eating it.
Well, then I'm sitting down and I'm watching TV and I'm eating
it. Well, it's way easier to just
keep eating it than it is to get up and put it back in the
freezer. But then I drive home tomorrow
night and I buy a carton ice cream.
Now, I might be making you, some of you angry because I didn't
gain any weight in this process. Not because I am, not because
I'm not a glutton, but because I have a metabolism that God knew
I'd be 800 lbs without. But my point is so that, believe
it or not, that give in to my flesh affected my my Bible
reading, my prayer, because I didn't say anything that was
hard. I didn't do it.
I just got to do whatever I wanted to do and saying no to my
flesh, not in a not in a I'm trying to get comfort right, and
that's what I was trying to do. We'll go back real quick and
read 6 through 16 or 16 through 18 in Matthew.
Moreover then, moreover, when you fast, do not be like the
hypocrites with a sad continents for they disfigure their faces
that they may appear to men to be fastingly fasting.
Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward, but you when
you fast, anoint your head with oil, wash your face so that you
do not appear to be fasting, but to your father who is in a
secret place and your father who is in he's in secret will reward
you openly. So like I said, Jesus didn't say
if you fast. He said when you fast, right and
but at the same time, this is not so if I fast, then I get
right. It is it is not a it isn't even
telling your body. I used to say it's telling your
body to sit down and shut up. And there's a lot of physical in
that, but it is really understanding who's in charge
and that my so you guys all know because we live in the 21st
century. So we get to know about
chemicals in the brain and all the things.
And so we know about dopamine and that reels and ice cream and
TV shows and, and think they give us little dopamine hits
throughout the day, right? And they give us comfort.
They also when it's kind of like kind of like complex carbs
versus white sugar, there is a, there is an up and down to that,
right? If you're, if it's a, a cheap,
cheap dopamine hit, then it's going to you're going to go up
and then you're going to feel like garbage, IE eat a carton of
ice cream before you go to bed. You feel great.
But it says that the Father who will see in secret and will
reward US openly. And what is he seeing in secret?
And, and more importantly, what is that reward he's talking
about? It's we fast, we pray, we give
for reward, but what kind of reward are we looking for,
right? And this is where the Christian
walk and the worldly walk really take a split, right?
The Old Testament prosperity was prosperity, just like we would
talk about in I mean, Joshua was told he was going to be
prosperous because they were going to conquer Canaan.
Abraham was a very rich man. There was there was money as a
Christian as we as we as Jesus came in and fulfilled that many
things that are prosperous are spiritual in nature.
They and when I say spiritual in nature, not ghosty, but they
are, they are in you. There is a reason that the book
of the Martyrs is such an inspirational book.
And that's because men and women faced horrible death with
something that the world could not understand.
And they faced, they faced it with a joy and a peace and, and
even a kindness for their abusers, Right.
So Galatians 5 verses 16 through 18 says, I say then walk in the
spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh for the
flesh. Lust against the spirit and the
spirit against the flesh and these are contrary to one
another so that you do not do the things that you wish.
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the
law. So being led by the spirit right
is being guided and directed, but it's that we get to, we
don't have to. But I, I was, I was talking
before service and my uncle goes here if you don't know.
And, but when I go out to his house and over the years, I've
helped do different things at his house.
He's taught me stuff, right. I've went hunting with him.
I've, I've fucked bales with him, I've hung sheetrock with
him. I've, I've hung wood doing his
house and none of that stuff. None of it did.
I think when I was doing it that he loved me more because I was
doing it right? It it was, I was doing it
because I loved hanging out with him.
I loved being able to do things with him and spend time with him
doing it right. And that's being led by the
Spirit, right? Spending that time with him, not
because you have to, but because you get to.
And what does fasting have to do with that?
Right? Every once in a while this mic
and me do not get along. So what must we do?
And, and and like I said, it is a must.
It's a get to. But like flying an airplane, you
fly it the way it's supposed to be flown, right?
And and you get to fly it that way, right?
I mean, if, if my, my, if Faye's over there sitting in the
pastor's seat and she's reading me the book.
And she says, well, that says, it says to come in for a
landing, you got to put down the flaps.
I ain't putting down the flaps. Hush your mouth.
Right. Well, but it said, I don't care
what it says. That sounds legalistic.
I'm going to do it the way I mean, I I haven't seen that on
TV. So I you know, I remember, I've
watched some shows, I don't remember them open it doing the
flap. So I'm not going to do that
right. Well, flaps are kind of
important. They're going to, I don't know,
don't don't think I can fly a plane because I can't, but I
understand that they're they create better lift at a lower
speed. And then and so we had that
argument and she finally talks me into it and I get the flaps
down. Then she tells me something
crazy like I got to I got to open the landing gear up.
I don't need landing gear. Sounds really legalistic, like I
need wheels. Seems ridiculous.
But you understand that the reason that you do the flat, the
reason you followed the airplane book is because 100 years ago
they didn't have a book. They were learning how to fly,
and the Wright Brothers and everybody since then has built
this machine that is amazing. You ever get in a 747 and it's
fully loaded with people and stuff and do the math on how
much weight is in the air and then try to try to tell yourself
that you understand why it's flying, right?
No, it's flying because that's it.
It wins. Its aerodynamics beats the law
of gravity, right? Because that's how it's supposed
to be done. And that's as we go through
this. That's my point.
It is as we follow, as we're led by the Spirit and we follow what
He teaches us, we get rewards. And those rewards are in
Galatians 522 through 24. And it's but the fruit of the
spirit is Lovejoy, peace, long-suffering, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law, guys.
If if you are full of love and joy and peace and long-suffering
and kindness and goodness and faithfulness and gentleness and
self-control, I'm telling you, you're blessed.
If you if you are living on the streets in Uganda, if you are in
Anchorage, AK and you have Lovejoy, peace, long-suffering,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control and have and and are are living in a shelter,
you're blessed and you know you're blessed right?
Stuff is not blessing relationship with the Lord is
blessing. Now does that mean that he
doesn't give us stuff? No, he takes care of his
children. He does, he does amazing things,
but he does amazing things as we as we're led and follow him.
So fasting is giving up my desire and my passions to focus
on God and his desire for my life and trusting him in that.
Not for not a forcing of God to do, but a surrender to God as
that he has power over my flesh right there.
There are there are two in me and that that is the spirit in
the flesh, right. And when I'm eating cartoons of
ice cream every night or every week, that is definitely the
flesh is winning that conversation.
And it sounds silly because there's nothing, there's nothing
ridiculous about nothing sinful about eating ice cream.
I would say, you know, four or five cartoons a week.
There's probably something simple about that, but I'm not
judging anybody other than myself.
So in in Matthew and Mark, Jesus fast for 40 days and was hungry
and many think he was in a weakened state.
Like, like I'm going to get as weak as I can before I go to
this battle. But that is a that is that is us
looking at that story from a position of our flesh being in
charge. I believe the Spirit drove him
into the wilderness like a Rocky movie, right?
To prepare for the fight is that Jesus being 100% man and 100%
God, had laid aside his his God power and was relying on his
manpower to do all the things. Well, his manpower had had both
natures. Because if he didn't, then it's
cheating, right? And God didn't cheat, He was
just perfect. So verse 4 through Matthew 4,
verses 1 and 2, then Jesus was led by the Spirit
into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
And when he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights afterwards he was
hungry and the enemy never stood a chance, right?
Because for 40 days and 40 nights, what was Jesus doing?
He was, I'm sure he was praying, talking to the Lord and he was
fasting which which detached his physical self from this world.
So when we pray and fast, it gives us spiritual power through
focus of who is in charge, right.
And when the when the battle came, Jesus said things like
well, turn this turn these rocks into bread.
Well, everybody takes that. But what did Jesus knew the
answer to that question because for 40 days what was sustaining
him the word of God and he said so man doesn't live by bread
alone, but by every word that follow that flows out of the
mouth of God. And I might have mangled that
because I don't ever written down.
But and then Jesus goes on or goes in Mark 928 and 29 it says
and when he had come into the house, his disciples asked him
privately, why could we not cast it out?
So we said to them, this kind or this kind can come out by
nothing but prayer and fasting. And if you don't know the story,
man with a demon possessed son had come to Jesus as disciples
and they couldn't cast out the demon.
And the man came to Jesus when he showed up and said, can you
do it? You know, I, I don't my, my
son's been like this and. I don't know if this this
conversation Jesus is having with disciples is talking about
this kind only come this kind that he's talking about it.
It could be the demon or it could be this kind of faith only
comes out by nothing but prayer and fasting.
And when we look at prayer and fasting, prayer is US reaching
out to God and fasting is US letting go of the world, right?
And it's not, there is not a, a force.
And that's the hypocrites and the, the Pharisees, They, they
went down that road that I'm working for you and I'm doing
these things. And because of that, I'm a holy
person. And that just isn't the God we
serve. You know if I ever walked up to
my uncle and said you owe me. That is, that is.
That is a wrong heart, right? Well, that's when you get the
idea that fasting has to do with I'm doing this so God will
answer me. You're you're missing the
reason. Can you imagine this?
Is the Jesus here is showing his disciples because Jesus was a
busy man, right? He was always moving, He was
always going to the next place. But Jesus was was prayed up,
right? He was prayed up.
He was fasted up. He was.
Can you imagine? Can you imagine when the Father
came to him and said, can you help?
Jesus looked at him and said, well, I got to go away for three
days and praying fast about it. I'll be right back.
Can you, Can you imagine that being the conversation?
So this is a. Practice, right?
This isn't a one time or when things are hard.
It's it's a practice. It's something that should be
part of the the rhythm of our our walk should be, you know, I
mean, and nobody would argue with me about the rhythm of our
life, having prayer in it that we should have a daily time with
the Lord, that there should be daily time that we're reading
our Bible, that we should be worshipping the Lord.
But then they'll they'll say, well, but fasting.
What do you I can't believe you'd want me to fast.
That sounds legalistic and or we need to schedule it or I'm only
going to fast if something big's happening.
Well, Daniel is is like Jesus in this and if you go to Daniel 6.
Verse 10. And it's the story of Daniel and
the Lion's den. If you guys know the story,
Daniel was basically was doing a really good job standing in
right places. So all the corrupt, all the
corrupt out there didn't like him.
You know, his other governors and satraps.
They didn't like him. So they wanted to get rid of
him. So they couldn't find anything
against him. So they said, well, the only
thing we could find is if we find something against his God
that he that he that he's doing that we can get the king to
outlaw. So they went to the king and
they said you should, you should outlaw anybody from praying to
anybody except you for 30 days. And the king being being a guy
who is easily, he wants everybody to worship him anyway.
So he was manipulated into doing it.
And so he signed it, signed the law.
And in Daniel, Daniel 610, it says now when Daniel knew that
the writing was signed, he went home in his upper room with with
his windows open towards Jerusalem.
He knelt down on his knees three times that day and prayed and
gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.
So my point there is Daniel that day didn't decide to be
rebellious, said, well, you're going to make a law and I'm
going to break it. This is just what Daniel did it.
Just didn't change the course of his life.
And he was they. And and they got him.
Got him busted obviously, because everybody knew that was
the course of his life. You know that is and Daniel is
definitely if you read the book of Daniel, he is definitely
known for different types of fasting.
But his fasting was was a lot like what I'm calling for here
is a detachment from the Babylonian culture of excess
right and just Babylonians didn't worry about food.
They had plenty in the New Testament in Acts, Paul fasts in
verse chapter 14, says in verse 21 and 22.
And when they had preached the gospel to the city and made many
disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch,
strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to
continue in the faith and saying we must through many tribute.
We we must through many tribulations enter the Kingdom
of God. So when they had anointed elders
in every church and prayed with fasting, they commended them to
the Lord in whom they had believed.
So the fun thing with that is Paul definitely believed there
was a reason to fast. And Paul, if you've if you've
read Paul's writings, he spends an exhaustive amount of time
talking about that. We are saved by grace and not
words. So fasting is not a work.
It does take work. But it's not a work you're
getting paid for, right? You know Acts 13 back a chapter.
Verses 2 and 3. And this is as they're sending
Saul and Barnabas out, they say, as they ministered to the Lord
and fasted, the Holy Spirit said now separate to meet Barnabas
and Saul for the work to which I have called them.
Then having fasted and prayed, they laid hands on them and they
sent them away. So Saul, who became Paul was
prayed for and fasted for at the beginning of his ministry and
throughout his life. So that's just me proving there
is fasting in the New Testament. But why does God care about our
food intake? And what does that have to do
with my relationship with the Lord?
Here's here's one that this is this is somewhere where the
world can get to fasting sometimes.
Daniel 6 And this is the king after he passed Daniel and the
lion's den. Chapter 6.
Verse 16. Through 19 So the king gave the
command, and brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions.
But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, Your God, whom you serve
continually will deliver you. Then a stone was brought and
laid on the mouth of of the den, and the king sealed it with his
own signet ring and with the signet of his Lords, that the
purpose concerning Daniel might not be changed.
Now the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting, and
no musicians were brought before him.
Also his sleep went from him. So this is officially the most
powerful man in the world at this time.
And that night, the king. Knew something he had nothing.
Nothing that would comfort his worry the king, and the king
wasn't fasting to God. He his fasting.
He was fasting and humble understanding the world had
nothing that could comfort him, right?
He, he, even as the King was powerless to comfort himself.
There was there was nothing that he could do except wait, right?
And when we get to that point in our lives that we understand
that our comfort comes from the Lord and that comfort is in, you
know, we would call comfort food.
We it's, it's really that that idea that we are not used to
being in that position of being in a place that I, I can't
satisfy my own, my own desire, my what I want.
I can get it. Something I tell my kids very
often, not as much anymore, they've gotten older.
But I, they used to always ask me what I wanted for Christmas.
And I said, you know, whatever you guys want to give me, you
know, well, dad, give us, give us something you want.
And I said honey, if I want it, I went and bought it.
And if I didn't buy it, you? Can't afford it, I mean.
And that and it wasn't. It was.
Kind of a joke, ha ha. But it was really the truth,
right? If, if I wanted something, you
know, and then we started joking about, you know, they'd ask me
and I'd say, I don't know, I need to know about 250.
Got one of those. I won't buy myself one of those,
but if you would like to buy me one.
And but. That's really do we understand
that God? Has what?
I need period and without him I don't have anything I need.
Ezra 8. 21 through 23. So this is Ezra in real, in a
really similar place as the king in Daniel.
And this is chapter 8 verses 21 and 23 through 23.
And it says, then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ava,
that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him
the right way for us and our little ones and all our
possessions. For I was ashamed to request of
the King and escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against
the enemy on the road, enemies on the road, because he had
spoken, because we had spoken to the king, saying, The hand of
God is upon all those who seek all sorry, all those for good
who seek him, but his power and his wrath are against all those
who forsake him. So we fasted and enter,
entreated for our God, sorry, entreated our God.
For this He answered our prayers.
So Ezra was at his end because he had bragged on his God and
what he bragged on was true. But.
Like I me and Faye coming. Up to coming up here and the
process of that, I was not worried whether God could do any
of it right, that I can walk away from my job, that I could I
could move to Sandpoint, that we could build a house.
I wasn't afraid of any of that. I was afraid of me saying we
were going to do something that God didn't say we were going to
do right. It's am I am I where he wants me
to be doing what he wants me to do.
And this is Ezra's heart here is we.
He called for a he called for a fast for everybody, knowing they
were in God's power, not their own right, that they needed to
move in such a way that God was was directing their steps, that
they were going, you know, in each path that that they were
connected, that they were focused on the Lord's will for
them. They humbled themselves, fasted
and prayed and God answered right.
And and it isn't once again, it isn't that God that you twist
God's arm and then he answers. It really has to do with your
focus. It has to do with.
The heart behind it. It has to do with that God wants
me not my stuff doesn't want my doesn't want my he wants my
honest heart and that focus. Elizabeth Elliott, which we've
already heard of quote today say a fast is not a hunger strike.
Fasting submits to God's commands.
A hunger strike makes God submit to our demands.
So. Anybody have toddlers?
Has one ever decided they were just going to hold their breath
till they turn blue? How you give them what they
want? That's if you're attempting to
fast, to force God to do what you want him to do.
That's what that looks like, right?
And so that is not what we do, right?
The reason that we're fasting and when we, when we do fast,
the reason we fast is it is it it is that humble worship to the
Lord, that Lord, you're in charge of, of this body.
You're in charge of this body. And I trust you with it.
And I want to spend time with you.
My first, my first time ever fasting was something very
simple. I was.
Probably been saved 2 or. Three years and like many
things, somebody I was either reading something like this or
somebody said something and I'm like, oh, I should be doing that
What's that look like? Well, and I eat a lot if you
guys don't eat as much as I used to, but I used to eat a lot.
And so I would, I'd fast lunch and so I ate breakfast and then
I wouldn't eat again until dinner.
And so at work you have 1/2 hour for lunch.
Well, that half hour I spent in the world and I never, and it
was the idea they're not, hey, I'm fasting and I'm spending
time in the Lord in the word. So you need to bless me.
It was, I was hungry and it was reminding me throughout the
morning and at lunchtime and all the way until dinner.
It was reminding me. That I was to be focused on the.
Lord, right, And not, not in a not in a works thing, but in AI
get to spend time with him and I get to spend time with him every
day, whether I'm eating or drinking or whatever.
I'm spending time with him, but my focus is broken.
I I guarantee you when you eat as much as I used to eat and you
cut out meals out of your life, suddenly your focus is very much
on your belly. And then?
You figure out the moment you've you feel your belly grumbling
that. You're supposed to look.
Upward and remember who's in charge and that's that's that
picture Isaiah 58. This is the Pharisees.
This isn't them here, but this is talking to men and women that
acted like this, that that got to thinking that they were doing
something that they deserved respect from the Lord because of
what they were doing in honor of him. 58 starting in verse 3, it
says, why have we fasted? They say, and you have not seen.
Why have we afflicted our souls and you take no notice.
In fact, in the day you fasted, you find pleasure and exploit
all your laborers. Indeed, you fast for strife and
debate, and to strike with the fist of wickedness.
You will not fast, as you do this day, to make your voice
heard on high. It is a fast that I have chosen.
Sorry. Is it a fast that I have chosen?
A day for men to afflict his soul?
Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, and to spread out
sackcloth and ashes? Who you call?
Would you call this a fast, an acceptable day to the Lord?
Question Mark and this is them claiming they have rights and
the Lord going what are you talking about This is not this
is not you fasting fasting is a gift that he gives us and that
the fun thing about fasting guys, if you don't know because
once again we live in the 21st century and we get to know all
the. All the fancy things.
And sciences and all that stuff. If you search fasting, you will
not, you will not pull up a Christian website.
You will pull up dozens upon dozens upon dozens of health
websites because did you know that fasting is, is a healthy
process there, there's a reason to fast, right?
And, and it's not it, it really goes back to the cleanliness
laws and all those different things.
There was a reason that God had these in place.
That was on top of the fact. That we get to focus on.
Him but there it's also something that but.
It's never something I'm. Doing because, because I did it
and now you have to bless me. You know, you have to answer my
prayer, Lord, because I'm fasting.
You have to do this for me because I'm fasting, I'm
sacrificing this and now you have to give me that and.
If that is. Ever our heart, we are missing
the Lord's heart for us, his heart for us is to be able to
spend time with him and, and very often when I, when I do
fast, when people fast, they, you're, you get a clear mind.
You can, you can focus, right, because you're not distracted by
the world, you know, and that might take I mean, and I fast
from all kinds of things and I'm not this is not padding my, I
mean, I fast for, for spiritual reasons and I pass for health
reasons and I, you know, it's, it's a thing, but I also give up
things like social media or my phone or whatever coffee, but I
do that as an, as an opportunity to focus on the Lord, like when
I want a cup of coffee, it. Makes that that.
Is a trigger, right? It's I think about the coffee
and then I remember that I'm not drinking coffee and I need to
pray. It's a it's.
A It's a trigger to help me focus on the Lord and detach
from this world and and not give my flesh that but.
The the reward and. The fruit we get from fasting is
a byproduct of spending time with the Lord.
Not not I'm fasting. So I get it's I'm fasting and
it's helping me to focus on the Lord and in that it gives me
that that ability to rely on him and depend on him more because I
get to I get to spend more time with him and know his character
better. So the question that we.
Should ask ourselves, isn't what should I fast?
The question is what shouldn't I fast right?
Examples of things that that you shouldn't fast, right?
So the body, the human body, cannot live longer.
Than three days without. Water.
There's some here. That have health concerns that
are valid and so you shouldn't, you shouldn't cut off.
Food because it will. Affect you badly with your with
your health concerns. If your job requires a computer
while at work, you probably shouldn't fast all technology
because you work. You got to.
You still have to. You still have to.
Supply for your family. Things that are fast a bowl,
though, are extra things, right? You know you can fast food
outright or you could fast breakfast, you fast lunch, you
could fast dinner. Here's one that Americans,
nobody in this room, including myself, enjoy this one.
You could fast hot water. Take cold showers.
Right. I mean, trust me when I tell
you, you are focused on the Lord, right?
Because that's cold. I yeah, in Uganda you have to
take a lot of cold showers because they don't have a lot of
hot, hot water. You know, like.
Coffee you could you could fast your cell phone that usually
gets boos and hisses. Think what it would be like to
just leave it at home for a week, right?
And none of these fasts would give you power or wisdom or
reward, right? But as you lose focus.
On selfishness and humble yourself, God will be able to
flow through your life in a powerful way, full of wisdom and
reward. Right when we get, when we.
When you look at the the order that God gives us and that Jesus
talks about in the sermon on the mound and he says when we give,
we are surrendering our material things to God.
And just just saying it all. Belongs to him when we.
Pray we are. Surrendering our needs to God,
we hope and rest in Him. When we fast, we are
surrendering our comfort to God. My joys are found in Him.
And if you the end. Of the end of that whole section
that Jesus is talking about giving and prayer and fasting.
Verse 24 it says no. One can serve 2 masters.
Either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will
he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and Mammoth and.
Do we trust the God we? Serve do we trust him with my
with my own, with my comfort guys, I I am not a giant of
fasting at all. I I didn't truly get into
anything that resembled fasting until 2018.
I did some but nothing substantial and I will.
Tell you that. What if you go at it with the
right heart? If you go at it with the right
heart and the desire to just spend spend time with the Lord,
it is it is a blessing that that is it as good as reading your
word and praying. Fasting gives you a focus on
those two. It's it's an enrichment, but it
isn't something that I'm doing it.
So now God owes me right and we cannot have eyes on the things
of this world and God at the same time.
When we try, we are blinded by the world.
Like I said, couple weeks. Ago God is God is a still small
voice and the world is loud. Fasting is is a way for us to
actively rely on God to meet our needs.
And clear our vision. And see, he is enough.
So, Lord, I just lift up this time as we're going to get into
communion and that you would just be with us and or that we
could as we take this these elements, Lord, that you gave at
the Last Supper and said, take these and remember unto me or
that we would just spend some time with you and just focusing
on what you've done in our lives.
And Lord that you would just speak to us today.
Lord, if there's anything, anything that is.
Between us, Lord, there. Anything that's affecting that
focus on you, Lord, that you would put a finger on it or that
you would that we would repent from it, but Lord that we would
just give it to you. Lord, you throw it as far as E
is from the West and then we would just be able to have that
clear relationship and clear sight on you that pray all this
in Jesus name, Amen. You weren't.
The Word in the beginning one with God, the Lord Most High.
Your hidden. Glory and creation now revealed
in you are Christ. What a beautiful name it is.
What a beautiful name it is, the name of Jesus Christ my King.
What a beautiful name it is, and nothing compared to this.
What a beautiful name it is in the name of Jesus.
You did not. Run heaven without us.
So Jesus, you brought heaven down.
My sin was. Great, your love was greater.
What could separate us now? What a wonderful name it is.
What a wonderful name it is, the name of Jesus Christ my King.
What a wonderful name it is, and nothing compares to this.
What a wonderful name it is, the name of Jesus.
So Lord, I just. Thank you for the bread, Lord, I
thank you for. What you did on the cross?
That. You're willing to lay down your
body. For us, Lord, that you cared
that much about each and every one of us to give yourself.
For us, that's for taking the bread.
And Lord, I just thank you for the the blood Lord, and that you
washed us clean or that you're you are all sufficient or that
we are clean and white as snow in in the presence of you and
the Father, Lord, filled with the spirit, take the blood.
So Lord, I just lift up today and lift up this week coming up.
Lord that you would give us a heart for you, Lord, that you
would give us focus on your desires for our lives, Lord,
that we'd be in our word, that we'd be praying, Lord.
And if called, we'd be willing to fast something for you this
week, Lord, But not as a works thing, not as something to even
talk about, Lord, Just that we would, we'd want to spend time
in your presence. And Lord would be willing to do
whatever it would take to do that.
Father is in Jesus name, Amen.