WEBVTT 00:00:03.786 --> 00:00:11.467 God's doing some really great things, and over these next 21 days, I just hope you have the same expectancy that's in my heart. 00:00:11.467 --> 00:00:23.265 God's going to do greater things, and a lot of the things that he does are dependent on what we do, because he's looking and waiting for us to respond to what he's already shown us and taught us in his word. 00:00:23.265 --> 00:00:30.743 Today, we want to talk about fasting, and fasting goes along with prayer, and I don't want you to. 00:00:30.743 --> 00:00:33.371 I can kind of hear those inward groans. 00:00:33.371 --> 00:00:46.768 It's like, oh, this is hard and it is, but it's kind of this idea that we're giving away something of ourself to pursue God himself, and so this is a really, really important thing. 00:00:46.768 --> 00:00:50.631 I want us to pray and ask God to help us in these next 21 days. 00:00:50.631 --> 00:00:51.825 Would you pray with me for that? 00:00:51.825 --> 00:00:56.030 So, father, we're thankful today that we are here with you and you're here with us. 00:00:56.030 --> 00:01:17.992 Lord, we know that you've called us to this purpose and, lord, the things that you've got in store for us over these next few days as we pray and as we fast, not only for our personal lives, but so many other things all the way, including to that of other nations, lord, we ask you to do a work in us, lord, don't leave us the same as we pursue the things you called us to do. 00:01:17.992 --> 00:01:30.126 Lord, just honor what our response to your word is and just reward us, lord, as we're going to see today, and Lord, we ask for that in the mighty name of Jesus, amen. 00:01:31.609 --> 00:01:32.822 Well, let me ask you a question. 00:01:32.822 --> 00:01:38.808 Have you ever finished a meal and felt physically full but you weren't satisfied? 00:01:38.808 --> 00:01:47.742 How often we sit and we have that meal and we get done and we go I want something else, and we don't really always know what that is. 00:01:47.742 --> 00:01:55.790 We're just not satisfied, and you know that can be true in the physical realm, but that also can be true in your spiritual life as well. 00:01:55.790 --> 00:02:11.787 And what God does in us is he calls us to have a hunger for something that we don't often see, but we have a struggle sometimes with food, and sometimes we call it emotional or psychological eating, don't we? 00:02:11.787 --> 00:02:21.313 There's a reason that drives us to those things, and really eating can really be thought of in some ways as kind of an anesthesia of sadness. 00:02:21.313 --> 00:02:34.743 We don't know what that sadness sometimes is, and in the same way, god has caused us to have an emptiness in our soul that makes us long to know what he wants to show us, and that's more of himself. 00:02:34.743 --> 00:02:39.901 He wants to have a relationship with each one of us, and you know. 00:02:39.901 --> 00:02:57.651 Question for you this morning do you know that God has made us hungry for Him, he's made you hungry for Him, and Jesus said it like this blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied, and that's a promise from Him. 00:02:58.352 --> 00:03:01.962 And I was reading a book this past week, john Piper. 00:03:01.962 --> 00:03:07.408 His book called A Hunger for God, and if you let me recommend that book to you. 00:03:07.408 --> 00:03:21.354 You can find it online and it's actually a free download, a Hunger for God by John Piper, and he writes this there is an appetite for God and it can be awakened. 00:03:21.354 --> 00:03:30.105 I invite you to turn from the dulling effects of food and the dangers of idolatry and to say, with some simple fast, this much oh God, I want you. 00:03:31.549 --> 00:03:43.233 Our appetites dictate the direction of our lives, whether it be the cravings of our stomachs, the passionate desire for possessions or power, or the longings of our sports. 00:03:43.233 --> 00:03:44.955 For God, our spirits for God. 00:03:44.955 --> 00:03:58.913 But for the Christian, the hunger for anything besides God can be an arch enemy, while our hunger for God and Him alone is the only thing that will bring victory. 00:03:58.913 --> 00:04:05.932 You know, and I think this time for us is a really special time. 00:04:05.932 --> 00:04:11.973 So I don't want us to ignore what God has for us this season, especially as we talk about fasting. 00:04:11.973 --> 00:04:27.463 And in the brief time we have today, I just want us to understand that biblical fasting really what it is, and I want us to talk about how this biblical practice can really help us advance the kingdom, not only in our lives, but in the lives of this nation, community, this world. 00:04:28.105 --> 00:04:32.473 So let's start with just a simple question what is biblical fasting? 00:04:32.473 --> 00:04:34.161 We hear people fast. 00:04:34.161 --> 00:04:37.290 Fasting is common to all religions and in a lot of places. 00:04:37.290 --> 00:04:43.410 But let me just give you this simple definition going without food for spiritual purposes. 00:04:43.410 --> 00:04:53.069 Going without food for spiritual purposes and I would just say that's not really quite enough because we need to hone that a little bit. 00:04:53.069 --> 00:04:58.831 And the best definition that I have seen in my life is a little bit more complete. 00:04:58.831 --> 00:04:59.514 Let me read it to you. 00:05:00.201 --> 00:05:01.627 This is by David Mathis. 00:05:01.627 --> 00:05:12.750 He says Fasting is an exceptional measure designed to channel and express our desire for God and our holy discontent in a fallen world. 00:05:12.750 --> 00:05:23.269 It is for those not satisfied with the status quo, for those who want more of God's grace, for those who feel truly desperate for God. 00:05:23.269 --> 00:05:26.069 This morning, I just ask you are you hungry? 00:05:26.069 --> 00:05:28.463 Do you know what you're hungry for? 00:05:28.463 --> 00:05:31.762 And if you know what you're hungry for, which is the God that you can know? 00:05:31.762 --> 00:05:32.783 Are you hungry for Him? 00:05:32.783 --> 00:05:46.394 You know the thing that I'm realizing now more than ever and I shared on this message a couple of years ago, same subject I'm just realizing how really deeply significant this spiritual practice is. 00:05:46.394 --> 00:05:47.415 I didn't really. 00:05:47.415 --> 00:05:53.089 I learned a lot this week as I was preparing for this message. 00:05:53.089 --> 00:05:57.829 This is something that's highly significant, maybe more significant than you've ever considered. 00:05:57.829 --> 00:05:59.432 It was and is for me. 00:06:00.721 --> 00:06:05.353 I would go so far as to call it a secret weapon of transformation. 00:06:05.353 --> 00:06:07.726 Secret weapon of transformation. 00:06:07.726 --> 00:06:20.189 And here's why Because throughout history, every spiritual movement, from the early church on through modern revivals, it, has been fueled by prayer and fasting. 00:06:20.189 --> 00:06:21.752 Think about that. 00:06:21.752 --> 00:06:33.964 Every movement has been fueled by prayer and fasting, and that's not just a, that's not a coincidence, it's a divine principle in how God really brings about and Patty said it this morning breakthrough. 00:06:33.964 --> 00:06:35.911 Are you looking for a breakthrough? 00:06:35.911 --> 00:06:52.932 It might be a breakthrough in a struggle that you have, or relationship you have, or just some something you're dealing with right now that you can't seem to get past, and if we can just come to see the value of this practice, it holds and it began to practice it more than just this 21 days. 00:06:52.932 --> 00:06:56.795 This is just an emphasis, but it should be a lifestyle for us. 00:07:00.939 --> 00:07:04.310 I think we can begin to experience power, favor and breakthroughs in our desire and our walk with Christ. 00:07:04.310 --> 00:07:18.165 And when we combine it with prayer, biblical fasting, it opens doors that are closed, it demolishes strongholds that we struggle with and it helps us defeat the enemy, helps us accelerate the kingdom of God. 00:07:18.165 --> 00:07:21.002 So here's the thing, here's what I want you to get this morning. 00:07:21.002 --> 00:07:25.100 When we pray with fasting, we partner with God to bring the kingdom into our midst. 00:07:25.100 --> 00:07:26.533 When we pray with fasting, we partner with God to bring the kingdom into our midst. 00:07:26.533 --> 00:07:31.702 When we pray with fasting, we partner with God to bring the kingdom into our midst. 00:07:31.702 --> 00:07:44.925 So let me just tell you four ways that this can happen for us, and each of these kind of hopefully will kind of get us and allow us to get into the flow of God's grace, because we're getting in a position for Him to do things in our lives. 00:07:44.925 --> 00:07:50.235 As we look at this Number one, four ways, fasting brings the kingdom. 00:07:50.300 --> 00:07:55.192 Number one the purpose of fasting is to propagate a kingdom encounter. 00:07:55.192 --> 00:08:07.026 The purpose of fasting is to propagate a kingdom encounter and for my thinking this week, my mind is drawn to the story that most of us have heard out of John, chapter 4. 00:08:07.026 --> 00:08:15.451 And it's the example of Jesus' encounter, or rather the woman's encounter with Jesus at the well, the woman at the well in John 4. 00:08:15.451 --> 00:08:20.723 And many of us, as I say, know the story and what has happened in this encounter. 00:08:20.723 --> 00:08:22.588 And in verse 3 of chapter 4. 00:08:22.588 --> 00:08:34.086 It tells us that Jesus and his disciples were traveling through Samaria and they stop at this well, there, in the town of Sychar, and it says they were thirsty. 00:08:34.086 --> 00:08:45.245 Jesus wanted a drink and so did his disciples, the woman it was at midday and the only person there was a woman, and women didn't go out at midday to gather water. 00:08:45.245 --> 00:08:51.152 She was there because she had a reputation in the town and she didn't want anyone else around while she was gathering water. 00:08:51.240 --> 00:09:03.628 But the disciples and Jesus show up and in verse seven and eight, this marvelous encounter is in which Jesus sees this woman and this woman's true spiritual condition. 00:09:03.628 --> 00:09:07.173 It's revealed to her by Jesus in verses 7 and 8. 00:09:07.173 --> 00:09:07.754 Listen to this. 00:09:07.754 --> 00:09:13.493 It says A woman from Samaria came to draw water and Jesus said to her Give me a drink. 00:09:13.493 --> 00:09:20.470 And then it says in parentheses in verse 8, for his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 00:09:20.470 --> 00:09:23.846 Underline that this was not an accident. 00:09:23.960 --> 00:09:26.847 Jesus let them to go get gold in town to get food. 00:09:26.847 --> 00:09:29.644 He's setting something up, as we'll see later on. 00:09:29.644 --> 00:09:36.581 He let them go and he has this private conversation with this woman while the disciples are in town getting food. 00:09:36.581 --> 00:09:47.490 In that conversation that he has, it moves from the topic of obtaining physical water to obtaining spiritual water for her thirsty soul. 00:09:47.490 --> 00:09:54.888 And in the course of this conversation, jesus he sort of reads this woman's private thoughts and she's kind of wondering how does he know all this? 00:09:54.888 --> 00:10:11.730 And he reads the thoughts by the Spirit and he tells her she talks about her husband and Jesus said well, actually you've had five husbands and the one that you're, the husband you're living with now, is not your own. 00:10:11.730 --> 00:10:13.265 She's working on number six. 00:10:14.780 --> 00:10:27.442 And in the course of conversation, jesus is revealing to her that what she has sought to fill her empty soul can be found, can be filled by this living water that Jesus offers her, and he does that the same with us. 00:10:27.442 --> 00:10:37.528 What we give ourselves to sometimes makes us all the more empty when the answer for us is to find our answer in a person whose name is Jesus. 00:10:37.528 --> 00:10:43.926 So she's attempted to fill her emptiness with failed relationships. 00:10:43.926 --> 00:10:52.461 Ultimately, she realizes that the answer to all her problems, after they get to this end of the conversation, is standing right in front of her. 00:10:52.461 --> 00:10:56.051 And Jesus said I who speak to you, am he. 00:10:56.051 --> 00:11:12.720 Well, that's just the first part of the story, because meantime, this woman with shameful reputation, she, realizes that the one that she needs to find her answers in is Jesus. 00:11:12.720 --> 00:11:20.032 She leaves her water pot down there and immediately she carries her personal testimony into town. 00:11:20.032 --> 00:11:23.065 And what is it? 00:11:23.065 --> 00:11:26.105 Verse 25, verse 26,. 00:11:26.105 --> 00:11:27.229 It goes on. 00:11:27.229 --> 00:11:32.648 And she said come see a man verse 29, who told me all that I ever did. 00:11:32.648 --> 00:11:38.344 And she's gone into town with that testimony and everybody's going. 00:11:38.344 --> 00:11:44.114 We have to come hear this, we want to know all the details. 00:11:44.114 --> 00:11:51.149 So they follow her back out of town and back to the well, and just about that time the disciples come back in and they go. 00:11:51.149 --> 00:11:52.471 What in the world is going on? 00:11:52.471 --> 00:11:55.548 And so, for our purposes. 00:11:55.589 --> 00:11:57.515 Today, I want us to look at this second part. 00:11:57.515 --> 00:12:11.831 It's kind of a backstory to what Jesus has set up from the beginning and, because it's relevant to our topic here, it's about this woman's encounter and the city's encounter with Jesus, and it's the catalyst for the encounter. 00:12:11.831 --> 00:12:15.309 We read it in the follow-up to these verses, in 31 through 38. 00:12:15.309 --> 00:12:25.734 It says there when then, just then, his disciples came back, they marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said what do you seek or why are you talking with her? 00:12:25.734 --> 00:12:31.552 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town, said to the people come see a man who told me all that I ever did. 00:12:31.552 --> 00:12:33.567 Can this be the Christ? 00:12:33.567 --> 00:12:36.227 They went out of the town and were coming to him. 00:12:37.000 --> 00:12:44.648 Meanwhile and it's here I want to focus the disciples, who have now returned with a pile of groceries, were urging him. 00:12:44.648 --> 00:12:46.690 Who have now returned with a pile of groceries were urging him Rabbi, eat something. 00:12:46.690 --> 00:12:52.816 And he said to them I have food to eat that you do not know about. 00:12:52.816 --> 00:12:57.571 And so they're wondering does Jesus have a peanut butter and fish sandwich tucked in his robe somewhere? 00:12:57.571 --> 00:13:00.086 Who brought him food? 00:13:00.086 --> 00:13:05.110 We've got all this food, and why did he even send us into town if it's not needed? 00:13:05.110 --> 00:13:07.167 So what just happened here? 00:13:07.167 --> 00:13:12.289 And, as I said, jesus is setting this up. 00:13:12.289 --> 00:13:17.292 What has happened is Jesus has set this up as a lesson for the disciples. 00:13:17.292 --> 00:13:20.190 They've totally misunderstood what this was about. 00:13:20.190 --> 00:13:22.408 This is not about physical food. 00:13:22.408 --> 00:13:25.607 He says I have food you know nothing about. 00:13:25.720 --> 00:13:31.552 Jesus is inviting these disciples to seek a deeper understanding of who he is and his mission. 00:13:31.552 --> 00:13:36.312 He's drawing them in, causing them to ask what is he talking about? 00:13:36.312 --> 00:13:44.634 And in the process he's revealed where their minds were and the level of their spiritual awareness. 00:13:44.634 --> 00:13:55.486 And sometimes I think of that when we think about these disciplines of the Christian life and think they don't really matter that much, and I can kind of just lay those aside. 00:13:55.486 --> 00:14:03.808 Jesus is teaching them and I want you to see watch as Jesus realigns their focus to spiritual matters rather than physical needs. 00:14:03.849 --> 00:14:05.251 He says in verse 34,. 00:14:05.251 --> 00:14:11.491 Jesus said to them my food is to do the will of him, who sent me to accomplish his work. 00:14:11.491 --> 00:14:16.270 And here it is that Jesus' words take a sort of an odd turn. 00:14:16.270 --> 00:14:23.288 Have you ever been reading a Bible passage where you read it and then it comes the next, very next thing. 00:14:23.288 --> 00:14:26.668 It says something that totally doesn't seem to connect. 00:14:26.668 --> 00:14:30.408 Well, this is where John is trying to show us something. 00:14:30.408 --> 00:14:40.481 Notice what he tells the disciples, because he ties this object lesson of the woman to the principle he wants them to understand. 00:14:42.025 --> 00:14:46.589 Verse 35, do you not say there are yet four months, then comes the harvest. 00:14:46.589 --> 00:14:48.721 So what's he saying? 00:14:48.721 --> 00:15:02.380 He said well, you know, if you're going to get a harvest, you have to do the work first Cultivating the soil and watering the soil and providing all that it needs to bring a harvest. 00:15:02.380 --> 00:15:09.568 Whatever you're doing, you can't harvest without planting a seed and you can't harvest without doing the work. 00:15:09.568 --> 00:15:16.530 Corn just doesn't pop out of the ground without anything happening. 00:15:16.530 --> 00:15:17.472 You've got to do the work. 00:15:17.472 --> 00:15:20.508 So he says look, I tell you verse. 00:15:20.508 --> 00:15:26.532 Next verse, I tell you lift up your eyes and see that the fields are white for harvest. 00:15:27.759 --> 00:15:32.572 And Jesus is basically going on to point out to them that he has done the work. 00:15:32.572 --> 00:15:36.745 He's gone without food and he's prayed. 00:15:36.745 --> 00:15:46.831 And while not directly related to fasting you don't see that term we know that he's gone without food in order to do something that God has done through this woman. 00:15:46.831 --> 00:16:01.187 The whole town has come out for it and he's pointed out the results of the fasting, and that's why I say in this point the purpose of fasting is to propagate a kingdom encounter. 00:16:01.187 --> 00:16:08.365 When you look up the word propagate, it simply means this in the dictionary to cause an organism to multiply. 00:16:09.628 --> 00:16:13.981 And I believe in our day, and for this church especially, god wants to bring us to a different level. 00:16:13.981 --> 00:16:22.797 He wants to multiply things that he started and he wants to do great and mighty things if we'll just learn the principles that he wants us to learn. 00:16:22.797 --> 00:16:26.647 To harvest the spiritual food, we have to sow the spiritual seed. 00:16:26.647 --> 00:16:30.138 That's the point, and that means different things. 00:16:30.138 --> 00:16:37.875 One of those is what we're talking about today, but even before we do that, we prepare the soil, and this is the hard work. 00:16:37.875 --> 00:16:42.158 This is the thing what we call prayer and fasting. 00:16:42.158 --> 00:16:43.422 That it does. 00:16:43.422 --> 00:16:49.722 Most of us, when we hear about a prayer meeting, don't come because we don't want to do the hard work. 00:16:49.722 --> 00:16:56.895 But this is foundational to see the harvest, do you get the principle? 00:16:56.895 --> 00:16:59.096 If we miss this, folks, we've missed it. 00:17:00.850 --> 00:17:02.052 Prayer and fasting. 00:17:02.052 --> 00:17:10.049 Prayer and fasting are the foundational work to see the kingdom come, and Jesus is telling us how this happened. 00:17:10.049 --> 00:17:13.921 When we trade our physical hunger for spiritual hunger. 00:17:13.921 --> 00:17:17.099 We are, then, ready to experience a kingdom encounter. 00:17:17.099 --> 00:17:26.349 As an aside, think about this, since the disciples had gone away to buy food. 00:17:26.349 --> 00:17:30.419 How do we have the details of this conversation with this woman? 00:17:30.419 --> 00:17:34.713 Thought about that and I would suggest to you. 00:17:34.713 --> 00:17:36.820 It's because of the testimony of this woman. 00:17:36.820 --> 00:17:40.718 This has totally transformed her life. 00:17:40.718 --> 00:17:48.382 Could you think that all of this might be because Jesus prayed and fasted? 00:17:48.382 --> 00:17:53.009 Fasting propagates a kingdom encounter. 00:17:53.130 --> 00:18:00.061 Second thing I want you to see how the kingdom, how fasting brings the kingdom, is that the promise of fasting is a kingdom reward. 00:18:00.061 --> 00:18:02.073 It's a kingdom reward. 00:18:02.073 --> 00:18:06.182 We look for that in Matthew 6, in verses 16 and 17. 00:18:06.182 --> 00:18:08.413 He says there, jesus talking again. 00:18:08.413 --> 00:18:16.914 He says when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. 00:18:16.914 --> 00:18:21.824 Truly, I say to you they have received their reward. 00:18:21.824 --> 00:18:30.534 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father, who is in secret. 00:18:30.534 --> 00:18:34.462 And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. 00:18:34.462 --> 00:18:39.500 And I understand we're doing this fast as a corporate thing, but you know what? 00:18:39.500 --> 00:18:44.439 No one is not eating for you or not eating, not not eating for you. 00:18:44.439 --> 00:18:45.801 You have to choose that yourself. 00:18:45.801 --> 00:18:46.202 Right? 00:18:46.202 --> 00:18:47.612 It's a double negative. 00:18:47.612 --> 00:18:49.355 But no one's doing that for you. 00:18:49.355 --> 00:18:50.577 You do that in private. 00:18:50.577 --> 00:18:53.503 So you can still get the reward. 00:18:53.503 --> 00:18:58.756 This personal reward, jesus offers it to everyone who fasts. 00:18:58.756 --> 00:19:01.902 Along with the other things prayer and giving he comes in threes. 00:19:01.902 --> 00:19:02.804 This is the third one. 00:19:02.804 --> 00:19:05.096 And so do you see it? 00:19:05.210 --> 00:19:12.683 Jesus has promised a reward specifically for this practice of prayer and fasting. 00:19:12.683 --> 00:19:15.134 Say, what's the reward? 00:19:15.134 --> 00:19:16.940 I don't know. 00:19:16.940 --> 00:19:18.236 I don't think it's something physical. 00:19:18.236 --> 00:19:22.038 Some versions say he will reward you openly. 00:19:22.038 --> 00:19:25.778 Does that intrigue you, like it intrigues me. 00:19:25.778 --> 00:19:35.509 Does it hold out the promise for something you've longed for and are not satisfied yet by that? 00:19:35.509 --> 00:19:42.990 God might just fill you and give you something that would totally transform your life or the life of your family or your kids. 00:19:42.990 --> 00:19:49.359 I mean, this is fantastic what this promise offers. 00:19:52.384 --> 00:20:07.730 You know the Bible says in 2 Peter he has granted to us his precious and very great promises so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 00:20:07.730 --> 00:20:14.500 You know, in total I found out, one accounting says that there are 8,800 prayer promises in the Bible. 00:20:14.500 --> 00:20:18.759 8,800 promises in the Bible. 00:20:18.759 --> 00:20:21.576 How many do we know? 00:20:21.576 --> 00:20:27.340 And this passage in 2 Peter says a couple of things about this. 00:20:27.340 --> 00:20:35.958 All of them are great, some versions say magnificent, and they're precious. 00:20:35.958 --> 00:20:38.218 They hold inestimable value. 00:20:39.611 --> 00:20:54.919 We can't comprehend the value of the promises when they're attached to prayer and with the result that what this is the most significant thing by claiming them in faith, it says we participate, we share in the divine nature. 00:20:54.919 --> 00:20:57.936 That doesn't mean we become a god. 00:20:57.936 --> 00:20:59.460 It doesn't mean that. 00:20:59.460 --> 00:21:00.142 What does it mean? 00:21:00.142 --> 00:21:08.761 What happens is that we get to experience a spiritual transformation where our character begins to look like the God who made us. 00:21:08.761 --> 00:21:20.000 We reflect the character of God as we grab hold of those promises in prayer and begin to pray those things, because we're praying according and in line with His character. 00:21:21.352 --> 00:21:23.083 And we wonder why our prayers don't get answered. 00:21:23.083 --> 00:21:33.071 Well, you have to pray in line with His will, and so Jesus said this for us 2 Corinthians 1.20,. 00:21:33.071 --> 00:21:43.819 For all the promises of God find their yes in Him and that is why, through Him, we utter our amen to God for His glory. 00:21:43.819 --> 00:21:52.790 You can say amen, can't you, if your prayers are aligned with the Almighty God, because you know God's heart is with that prayer. 00:21:52.790 --> 00:21:57.173 I'm just telling you some things that will help us as we pray and go forward here. 00:21:58.035 --> 00:22:05.132 But attaching our fasting and prayer with the promises of God brings the kingdom, jesus said. 00:22:05.132 --> 00:22:08.040 He said when he was taught. 00:22:08.040 --> 00:22:10.019 The disciples said how do we pray? 00:22:10.019 --> 00:22:14.412 And he said one of the first things he says that you're that my, you know. 00:22:14.412 --> 00:22:16.134 Pray, god's kingdom will come. 00:22:16.134 --> 00:22:20.243 How often do you pray for God's kingdom to come? 00:22:20.243 --> 00:22:26.343 Well, you attach it to a promise and guess what it advances and accelerates that prayer? 00:22:26.343 --> 00:22:28.953 Well, there's a third way. 00:22:28.953 --> 00:22:30.500 Fasting brings the kingdom. 00:22:30.500 --> 00:22:32.276 And is this? 00:22:32.276 --> 00:22:36.053 The power of fasting overcomes opposition to the kingdom. 00:22:38.960 --> 00:22:47.057 We find this in scripture Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for 40 days. 00:22:47.057 --> 00:22:55.159 Here's one example being tempted by the devil and he ate nothing during those days and when they were ended, he was hungry. 00:22:55.159 --> 00:22:58.203 Well, I guess so Ever gone for three days and you're hungry. 00:22:58.203 --> 00:23:05.480 And I'll tell you when you start your fast, you may not be hungry, but by the third day your stomach starts to go. 00:23:05.480 --> 00:23:12.853 I'm here, pay attention to me, and so we push down the self for something greater. 00:23:12.853 --> 00:23:14.114 And so we push down the self for something greater. 00:23:14.114 --> 00:23:18.478 We see this also in Luke, chapter 4, where Jesus. 00:23:18.478 --> 00:23:21.340 We talked about this in this scripture. 00:23:21.340 --> 00:23:37.357 This was for Jesus when he went into the wilderness, a way for him to overcome temptation, as the enemy is bringing him thoughts about things he could do as a son of God. 00:23:37.357 --> 00:23:38.141 And it says he uses the word of God. 00:23:38.141 --> 00:23:39.005 But we think of that as the power only. 00:23:39.005 --> 00:23:43.115 But it was also the fact Jesus had spent 40, he's spending 40 days. 00:23:43.115 --> 00:23:54.259 This also gave him power over the enemy, as God led him in the wilderness to do what he needed to do, to strengthen him, to resolve and fulfill and finish his mission. 00:23:55.180 --> 00:23:57.864 We see another example in Matthew 17, 21. 00:23:57.864 --> 00:24:06.701 It's after the disciples had tried in that occasion to cast out an evil spirit out of this young boy. 00:24:06.701 --> 00:24:09.712 You can read about it in Matthew 17. 00:24:09.712 --> 00:24:13.182 And they try and they are not successful. 00:24:13.182 --> 00:24:20.020 They fail and when Jesus is there, they decide they're going to consult him, which is what we usually do. 00:24:20.020 --> 00:24:27.784 It's like, after all else fails, talk to Jesus about it, right, that's usually how it works, isn't it? 00:24:27.784 --> 00:24:36.124 See, jesus is waiting for us to do everything in our power until we realize that we can do nothing without him. 00:24:36.124 --> 00:24:43.638 That's what prayer is A confession that we can do nothing without him. 00:24:43.638 --> 00:24:48.660 And so the disciples, they come to Jesus privately. 00:24:48.660 --> 00:24:52.152 They don't want anybody else to know that they have failed. 00:24:52.152 --> 00:24:55.374 That's kind of like us too, isn't it? 00:24:55.374 --> 00:24:58.717 Let's talk about this, our failure, lord. 00:24:58.717 --> 00:25:02.098 And they said why could we not cast it out? 00:25:02.098 --> 00:25:05.401 And he said to them because of your little faith. 00:25:05.401 --> 00:25:15.268 And in verse 21, which is in some of the versions, it says this this kind can only come out with prayer and fasting. 00:25:22.930 --> 00:25:23.751 I think here in Matthew 17,. 00:25:23.751 --> 00:25:35.573 Jesus, when he says that he kind of gets them for their lack of faith and really it's because the faith is expressed through prayer, dependence on God, and because they had failed to depend on God, he kind of gets them for their lack of faith. 00:25:35.573 --> 00:25:37.457 That's where that is and that's where that comes from. 00:25:37.457 --> 00:26:00.960 So you know, in a practical sense, there are some issues, some kinds of issues addictions, rejections, even demonic powers that can't be overcome without prayer, fasting and the faith that Jesus is calling for here. 00:26:02.590 --> 00:26:08.222 And I think there are many people here in this room that struggle with what the Bible calls strongholds. 00:26:08.222 --> 00:26:20.259 It's the place that the enemy occupies to mess with our mind, to bring thought patterns or arrogant attitudes about what's real and what's not real. 00:26:20.259 --> 00:26:28.599 And it's through this idea of prayer and fasting that we break those things that the enemy has come up against us with. 00:26:28.599 --> 00:26:33.213 And many are living with that because they're just okay, this is, we've gotten comfortable in it. 00:26:33.213 --> 00:26:38.182 So how desperate are you to see spiritual breakthrough? 00:26:38.182 --> 00:26:38.982 That's the question. 00:26:40.005 --> 00:26:56.016 So, these stubborn areas and let me just give you some example habits that you struggle with, feelings of shame, anxiety, depression, addiction when do you think those things come from? 00:26:56.016 --> 00:27:03.403 Jesus has given us a path out of this through something most of us want to just say oh, that's not important. 00:27:03.403 --> 00:27:07.176 What about this? 00:27:07.176 --> 00:27:11.496 What about people that you know that you'd love to see saved but aren't yet? 00:27:11.496 --> 00:27:21.380 Maybe your prodigal kids or grandkids or friends or people at work, who are blind to the gospel, and yet they just don't see it. 00:27:21.380 --> 00:27:25.460 They don't understand it, even if you shared it with them. 00:27:25.460 --> 00:27:26.776 They just don't comprehend it. 00:27:26.776 --> 00:27:32.256 See, the Bible says Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they can't come to the truth. 00:27:34.592 --> 00:27:56.280 So all too often I just think about this, this old story where God comes to visit his friend and he comes up onto the porch and the man is sitting in his rocking chair and his hound dog is laying up there on the porch and the guy sits down in the rocking chair next to him and all the whole time through their whole conversation, this hound dog is moaning and moaning and moaning. 00:27:56.280 --> 00:27:57.493 He said what's wrong with him? 00:27:57.493 --> 00:27:59.078 He says is he sick? 00:27:59.078 --> 00:28:01.577 He said no, he's laying on a nail. 00:28:01.577 --> 00:28:03.432 He just won't get. 00:28:03.432 --> 00:28:05.278 He's too lazy to get off the nail. 00:28:05.278 --> 00:28:23.539 And I use that as an analogy to say we sometimes will remain in the pain and sometimes we're just too lazy to do what Jesus says to do, when he can bring us freedom like we've never known. 00:28:27.612 --> 00:28:31.863 So we've seen that this fasting stuff is important. 00:28:31.863 --> 00:28:39.279 It's a significant weapon given to help us to overcome the activity of the enemy in our lives and in our churches. 00:28:39.279 --> 00:28:42.702 Let's look now at the last way, the fourth way. 00:28:42.702 --> 00:28:48.182 Fasting brings a kingdom and that is the practice of fasting expands the kingdom to others. 00:28:48.182 --> 00:28:53.935 And one of the things about when I read the book of Acts, I marvel. 00:28:53.935 --> 00:28:58.269 When I look at what the early church was able to do and what they experienced. 00:28:58.269 --> 00:29:00.659 It's fascinating and amazing. 00:29:00.659 --> 00:29:13.596 What if the static, anemic condition of our churches was due in part to our unwillingness to express our utter dependence on God through prayer and fasting. 00:29:13.596 --> 00:29:17.213 Do you wonder why the church is the way it is? 00:29:17.213 --> 00:29:21.382 Have we left out something that is so essential? 00:29:21.382 --> 00:29:32.608 Because we're busy, we look good on the outside, but there's stuff going on inside that just needs to be fixed. 00:29:35.256 --> 00:29:42.555 So in Matthew 13, 31 and 32, jesus is teaching on the secrets of the kingdom. 00:29:42.555 --> 00:29:44.176 31 and 32, jesus is teaching on the secrets of the kingdom. 00:29:44.176 --> 00:29:50.625 He said the kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 00:29:50.625 --> 00:29:53.288 It is the smallest of all seeds. 00:29:53.288 --> 00:30:05.217 If you've ever seen a mustard seed, it's tiny, it's tiny, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches. 00:30:05.217 --> 00:30:07.141 What is Jesus talking about here? 00:30:07.141 --> 00:30:26.087 The point is that what starts out small and maybe insignificant to us will grow and multiply and expand when we partner with God, and I think God is just sitting back waiting for us to see if we will respond to what he's already told us. 00:30:26.087 --> 00:30:32.406 So we sow the kingdom through little things. 00:30:32.406 --> 00:30:38.769 We have a saying in our day from small acorns mighty oaks grow. 00:30:38.769 --> 00:30:44.249 That's kind of the same idea Great oaks form from little acorns right. 00:30:44.249 --> 00:30:45.695 Same is true in the kingdom. 00:30:45.695 --> 00:30:51.088 Something insignificant and small God can take, and he can make it explode. 00:30:51.088 --> 00:31:03.445 This is what happened in the early church, and so let me give you an example of how this affects the church in our day and how it is affecting the church in our day when we talk about prayer and fasting. 00:31:04.267 --> 00:31:15.946 Bobby Harrington he has a study done on disciple-making movements in churches, where God is moving and growing the gospel over there in ways that can't be imagined. 00:31:15.946 --> 00:31:17.174 And here we're kind of going. 00:31:17.174 --> 00:31:20.184 Why don't we experience that? 00:31:20.184 --> 00:31:20.980 You ever wondered that? 00:31:20.980 --> 00:31:23.048 Why don't we experience that? 00:31:23.048 --> 00:31:25.759 You ever wondered that? 00:31:25.778 --> 00:31:26.359 He says this. 00:31:26.359 --> 00:31:31.929 He says the reason disciple-making movements flourish around the world isn't simply cultural. 00:31:31.929 --> 00:31:36.217 It's spiritual hunger. 00:31:36.217 --> 00:31:41.883 These movements are powered by men and women who spend hours daily in the presence of Jesus. 00:31:41.883 --> 00:31:45.406 They fast two to three days every week. 00:31:45.406 --> 00:31:48.570 Their prayers are bold and desperate. 00:31:48.570 --> 00:31:57.315 God, make my city hunger for you like I hunger for food. 00:31:57.315 --> 00:32:03.154 Make my neighbors thirst for you like I thirst for water. 00:32:03.154 --> 00:32:10.058 He says this intensity and devotion stand in stark contrast to what we often see in the west. 00:32:10.058 --> 00:32:13.325 While we value prayer, we rarely embrace fasting at this same level. 00:32:14.747 --> 00:32:23.826 But he says and he ends with this but here's the truth if we want to see god move in our churches, families and cities, we need to reclaim this radical practice. 00:32:23.826 --> 00:32:28.561 So is that kind of getting your motor running for this? 00:32:28.561 --> 00:32:32.798 I'm wanting to motivate us to kind of consider this more than we ever have. 00:32:32.798 --> 00:32:43.006 I know I have, and so I say we need to come to the place where we see fasting and prayer as a lifestyle and not merely a limited emphasis. 00:32:43.006 --> 00:32:46.679 This is a start, but it's not really the ultimate goal. 00:32:46.679 --> 00:32:48.403 The ultimate goal is a lifestyle. 00:32:49.144 --> 00:32:50.468 Do you know that in the early church? 00:32:50.468 --> 00:32:53.622 The early church fasted two days a week. 00:32:53.622 --> 00:33:05.349 They fasted on Wednesdays and Fridays, and that habit was so important to what the church did, and so we look at this as a catalyst for kingdom movement. 00:33:05.349 --> 00:33:08.338 Jesus said this. 00:33:08.338 --> 00:33:15.739 He says for the kingdom, or Paul did, for the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk, but of power. 00:33:15.739 --> 00:33:18.483 Where does the power come from? 00:33:18.483 --> 00:33:28.154 It comes from you and I being on our knees, from. 00:33:28.154 --> 00:33:29.057 It comes from you and I being on our knees. 00:33:29.057 --> 00:33:29.458 Don't forget this. 00:33:29.458 --> 00:33:31.061 I've been praying for this for two years, for us to come to this time and see. 00:33:31.061 --> 00:33:34.455 I think God wants to elevate this church to a new place. 00:33:34.455 --> 00:33:38.786 Think of that word elevate and what he wants to do in your own life. 00:33:38.786 --> 00:33:41.960 Let me quickly we have time for a couple other things. 00:33:41.960 --> 00:33:47.078 Okay, so, practical considerations Examine your motives, why you do this. 00:33:48.102 --> 00:33:49.203 This is not a diet. 00:33:49.203 --> 00:33:52.479 It's not about losing weight, although that could be a side benefit. 00:33:52.479 --> 00:33:57.935 It's about connecting with God and doing it for the right reasons. 00:33:57.935 --> 00:34:03.307 Don't do it because of anybody else but you but you and then have a plan. 00:34:03.307 --> 00:34:10.143 You've got some handouts you're going to talk about and this is on the website but things like the type of fast that you're going to do. 00:34:10.235 --> 00:34:11.460 Consider what you can do. 00:34:11.460 --> 00:34:19.554 Some people can do food and you need to consult your doctor if you can't, or you had questions, but there's different types of fast. 00:34:19.554 --> 00:34:21.657 You can fast one meal a day. 00:34:21.657 --> 00:34:27.884 You can fast and do something where you pick a certain food that you're not going to eat. 00:34:27.884 --> 00:34:30.407 I heard somebody saying they're fasting sugar. 00:34:30.407 --> 00:34:31.188 That's a great one. 00:34:31.188 --> 00:34:33.911 Somebody is fasting coffee. 00:34:33.911 --> 00:34:40.134 Why would you want to do that, right, mark? 00:34:40.134 --> 00:34:44.398 Right, I don't know? 00:34:44.398 --> 00:34:50.737 Anyway, whatever has grabbed you and sort of holds you and you feel like controls you. 00:34:50.737 --> 00:34:52.701 Can you give that up? 00:34:52.701 --> 00:34:55.445 Or is yourself calling the shots. 00:34:56.427 --> 00:34:58.278 This is what we find out in a fast. 00:34:58.278 --> 00:35:03.572 So if you've never fasted before, just start small, don't go. 00:35:03.572 --> 00:35:05.056 I'm going to go out and do a 40-day fast. 00:35:05.056 --> 00:35:11.277 No, start small and let God teach you what he wants to teach you and then schedule it. 00:35:11.277 --> 00:35:16.077 We've got handouts you're going to talk about, but the idea behind a schedule is just to be intentional. 00:35:16.077 --> 00:35:19.621 You have to be intentional about this or it'll never happen. 00:35:19.621 --> 00:35:21.643 And then focus. 00:35:21.643 --> 00:35:43.610 Thinking about this is like what burdens me the most, and I put a circle up here of some things Mark talked about this past week Practical considerations from personal renewal about your families, about church, about community, about this nation, the USA, and about the nations. 00:35:43.610 --> 00:35:50.148 Those are all great focuses and things that we can pray and fast over. 00:35:52.396 --> 00:35:56.425 Here's another one Bind your prayer to God's promises. 00:35:56.425 --> 00:36:02.315 It's like prayer on steroids Promises. 00:36:02.315 --> 00:36:03.480 What are the promises, god? 00:36:03.480 --> 00:36:04.061 Do you know any? 00:36:04.061 --> 00:36:13.224 Attach your prayer and your fasting to one of those promises that really gets you going, things that are a burden to you. 00:36:13.224 --> 00:36:17.545 God has great things that will help us there. 00:36:17.994 --> 00:36:21.679 And then here's the thing, because at some point you're going to say, oh, this is really hard. 00:36:21.679 --> 00:36:24.681 I think I'm going to give up and quit. 00:36:24.681 --> 00:36:30.065 Do what you can do, but don't just give up because you say you can't. 00:36:30.065 --> 00:36:35.644 You can do this and most people, believe it or not, can do it with food. 00:36:35.644 --> 00:36:37.920 I mean, there are other ways to fast. 00:36:37.920 --> 00:36:42.420 As I said, you can give up a hobby, you can give up your TV or social media. 00:36:42.420 --> 00:36:44.947 You can do other things that are fasting. 00:36:44.947 --> 00:36:49.025 But I would encourage you, if you can do food, do that. 00:36:49.025 --> 00:36:52.483 And then, last, keep the focus. 00:36:52.483 --> 00:36:58.487 As I say, this is not a diet, this is a way to advance the kingdom on our knees. 00:36:58.487 --> 00:37:02.242 So those are some practical things. 00:37:02.335 --> 00:37:03.559 Let me just finish up with this. 00:37:03.559 --> 00:37:06.556 I think this is really important. 00:37:06.556 --> 00:37:08.963 This is not about legalism, folks. 00:37:08.963 --> 00:37:16.443 We're not trying to coerce or manipulate God or trying to twist his arm to get him to do something. 00:37:16.443 --> 00:37:20.217 We're not trying to check off a spiritual box. 00:37:20.217 --> 00:37:30.507 What we're trying to do is create an environment for all of us that we can allow the Holy Spirit to work in ways he maybe never has. 00:37:30.507 --> 00:37:32.842 So don't think of this as a formula. 00:37:32.842 --> 00:37:35.880 This is about our heart. 00:37:35.880 --> 00:37:37.585 It's about our heart. 00:37:37.585 --> 00:37:42.380 Well, I'll just share this. 00:37:42.380 --> 00:37:46.021 It's just something that made me think, you know, this past week. 00:37:46.061 --> 00:38:04.943 We work a commercial cleaning business and one of the places we went to this past week was in Chattanooga and we drove all the way to Chattanooga to clean this office space, got down there and went to the gate and we've been able to get in before several, many times and got there and for some reason we couldn't get in. 00:38:04.943 --> 00:38:14.606 Somebody had changed the code on the lock and we'd driven all the way there but we couldn't get in. 00:38:14.606 --> 00:38:17.621 Somebody had changed the code. 00:38:17.621 --> 00:38:20.882 See, if you don't have the code, you can't get in. 00:38:20.882 --> 00:38:22.896 We ultimately did. 00:38:22.896 --> 00:38:23.496 We called somebody't have the code. 00:38:23.496 --> 00:38:23.675 You can't get in. 00:38:23.675 --> 00:38:24.025 We ultimately did. 00:38:24.025 --> 00:38:25.307 We called somebody who knew the code. 00:38:27.695 --> 00:38:43.327