INTRODUCTION
Good Friday, this Friday will be a day of prayer and fasting. We are asking everyone who can do so to fast from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (Longer if you choose or briefer if you choose.)
We are asking you to gather for worship and the Lord’s Supper at 9:00 a.m. and for worship and prayer at 7:00 p.m. (Both times if you have the morning off).
What is this all about?
Most of us understand praying, but what about fasting?
What is fasting? Why fast? What’s the point? How can I fast? Why pray and fast? Should we fast?
Some basic questions about fasting.
Should we fast today?
Jesus Christians would fast:
Matthew 9:14–15 (NASB95)
Then the disciples of John came to Him, asking, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”
And Jesus said to them, “The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
Christians fast (as we’ll see).
What is fasting?
Most basic: giving up or for a time.
Other forms of fasting:
What good is fasting?
It puts the priority on the rather than the physical.
It demonstrates .
It demonstrates .
It frees up to give to God.
Guidelines for fasting.
Choose the of fast.
food or drink.
No food and drink.
food and or drink.
Something else.
Choose the of the fast.
Specific
Specific part of the
Specific for the week
Specific of days
your life so you can fast
Adjust your .
Adjust your .
Coordinate with who may be affected.
Prepare for .
Adjust your for extra fellowship with God and prayer.
The purpose of fasting
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When and why do God’s people fast?
1. They are
Joel 2:12–13 – for
1 Samuel 7:6 – for
Jonah 3:5-10 – for
2. They are
1 Samuel 1:7 – over
2 Samuel 1:11–12 – over the of someone
1 Chronicles 10:11–12 – over the of someone
Ezra 10:6 – for the of God’s people
Daniel 10:2–3 – ??
Nehemiah 1:4 – for the of God’s people
3. They are
Psalm 35:13–14 – for others
Daniel 9:3 –
Ezra 8:23 – God’s
Esther 4:16 – God’s
Acts 13:2 – God’s
2 Samuel 12:16 – healing for
4. They are themselves or others
Matthew 4:1–2 – apart for God’s service
Acts 13:2–3 – for God’s service
Acts 14:23 – for God’s service
5. They are
Luke 2:37 – fasting to enable greater service
2 Corinthians 11:27 (NASB95) – fasting because of serving
6. They are their body
1 Corinthians 9:26–27 – teaching their body to submit to their
7. They are
Ezra 8:21 – themselves
Psalm 35:13 – himself
8. They are themselves
They are interrupting the to hear from God, and focus on what .
The reasons might be one or a combination of the above.
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They may need to reset their:
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Fasting and prayer are
They challenge our .
They challenge .
They challenge the of our commitment to God.
They challenge our sense of .
The fact they are a challenge keeps many people from practicing them.
Why should we pray and fast ?
Look at your :
Look at your :
Look at the :
Look at :
It doesn’t take long to see that there is much to be sorry for, much to make us sorrowful, much that we need to seek after, many ways we still need to set ourselves apart, much subduing of the body to the spirit that isn’t completed, plenty of subduing of self that is needed, and probably a good bit of personal resetting that we need to do.
Prayer and fasting together can help put us on the right track, and this Friday is a great time to start.