When You Fast

Q: What does the Bible say about fasting?

The Bible teaches that fasting involves self-denial and is primarily focused on one's relationship with God rather than outward appearances. Fasting in the Bible is presented as a practice of self-denial to engage more deeply with God. In Matthew 6:16-18, Jesus instructs believers to fast without making a show of it, emphasizing that the focus should be on God and not on public perception. True fasting, as expressed in Isaiah 58, is about addressing sin, helping others, and living out one's faith through actions rather than mere rituals. God calls His people to a fasting that impacts not just their personal devotion but also their treatment of others, indicating that genuine fasting involves works of charity and selflessness.

Q: How do we know that fasting is important for Christians?

Fasting is essential for Christians as it represents the act of self-denial and deepens one's dependence on God. Fasting is important for Christians because it serves as an expression of self-denial and dependence on God. In Matthew 6:16-18, Jesus asserts that believers will fast, implying its natural place in the Christian life. Fasting is not merely about abstaining from food; rather, it's about redirecting one's focus to God and aligning one’s heart with His purposes. Isaiah 58 reinforces this by demonstrating that true fasting should lead to works of justice and kindness rather than self-congratulatory attitudes. Thus, fasting becomes a conduit for spiritual growth and the manifestation of God’s love to others.

Q: Why is self-denial important in fasting?

Self-denial is crucial in fasting because it reflects a believer's total reliance on God's grace and the recognition of personal unworthiness. Self-denial is central to the concept of fasting as it embodies the recognition of one's need for God's grace and the acknowledgment of personal limitations. In fasting, believers express that they rely not on their own strength or righteousness but on Christ's finished work. This principle is illustrated in Leviticus 16, where the Israelites were called to afflict their souls, highlighting an attitude of humility and dependence on God's mercy. Authentic fasting, as portrayed in Isaiah 58, emphasizes aiding others and addressing social injustices, signifying that self-denial is not merely a personal endeavor but also a corporate responsibility within the Christian community.

Q: How does the Bible instruct us to fast correctly?

The Bible instructs us to fast with sincerity, focusing on God rather than seeking to impress others. The proper way to fast according to Scripture is with a sincere heart that seeks God rather than for the sake of appearances. Jesus taught in Matthew 6:16-18 that believers should not make their fasting a public spectacle; instead, they should aim to enhance their private relationship with God. Isaiah 58 further clarifies that true fasting involves actions that reflect God’s heart—like helping the needy and pursuing justice. Therefore, fasting should lead to changes in how we treat others and engage in our relationships, ensuring that our focus remains on seeking God’s glory rather than our own.

I love the verse, David read verse four of chapter 14, but his father and his mother knew not that it was of the Lord. What Samson was doing was wrong and there was no excuse for it. But the Lord is completely sovereign over all the actions of men fulfilling his purpose. His father and his mother knew not that it was of the Lord, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines. For at that time, the Philistines had dominion over Israel. And that's true with regard to everything. Everything that's taking place is the Lord doing his will. I'm so grateful for that. Will you turn back to Matthew chapter six?

I've entitled this message, When You Fast. The Lord says, moreover, when you fast. He doesn't say if you fast. He says, when you fast. Be not as the hypocrites of a sad countenance, for they disfigure their faces that they may appear unto men to fast. They want you to know about it. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, not if, but when, anoint thine head, and wash thy face, that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy father, which is in secret. And thy father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly." When you fast.

Every believer practices fasting. Now I bet there's somebody in here thinking, I've never fasted in my life. If you're a believer, you practice fasting. Somebody says, what's involved in fasting? How long do I go without eating? Sun up, sun down, 24 hours, 40 days. Can we have water? What is involved in fasting? You know, both the Lord and Elijah fasted 40 days. Think of that, 40 days.

And people are kind of taken up with fasting a lot today. People are fasting for health practices, and I'm sure that there are healthy benefits in it. And the means of losing weight is someone thinking, have I ever fasted? Well, if you're a believer, you have, because what fasting represents is self-denial. That is the teaching of fasting. Every believer has denied himself taken up his cross and followed the Lord Jesus Christ, every believer without exception practices fasting. If you look to Christ, you're denying your own righteousness and looking to his only. That is the practice of fasting, self-denial.

Now, somebody says, are you denying the importance of physical fasting? No, I'm not. I think of when that man came up to the Lord and said, I asked your disciples to cast out the demons and they couldn't do it. And he cast him out and they later came to him and said, why couldn't we cast him out? And he said, this kind cometh not forth but by prayer and by fasting. Are you denying the importance of physical fasting?

No, I'm not. But it's not a command of the scripture. Now on the day of atonement, Leviticus chapter 16, that we were called upon, or the children of Israel were called upon to afflict themselves and fast that day, but it is not a command in scriptures. I'm sure it's a good, beneficial thing to do on many levels, and there are just too many examples in the scriptures of people physically fasting for us to dismiss it, but remember what it means. It means self-denial. Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself. That's fasting. That's fasting. Take up his cross daily and follow me. Now, notice the Lord says in verse 16 of our text, moreover, when you fast.

Don't do it like the hypocrites do. I think it's interesting in this passage of Scripture, he talks about the three different, I guess, for lack of a better word, branches of religion. He talks about works of charity, giving alms. He says, don't do it like the hypocrites do, they sound a trumpet before them so everybody will know, look what I'm giving. And then works of devotion, prayer. He says, the hypocrites love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the streets where men can see them. What a devotional life he has.

He said, verily I say unto you, they have their reward. And when you fast, don't disfigure your faces like the hypocrites do that they may appear to men to fast. That guy must be fasting, look at him. You know, if I ever fast, and you find out about it, that was my intention. I wanted you to find out about it. Now, verily I say unto you, they have their reward, and miserable reward it is. But thou and thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face, that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy father, which is in secret. And thy father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

Now would you turn with me to Isaiah chapter 58? And we're going to spend the rest of our time in Isaiah chapter 58. And I want to read this passage to you before I comment on it. This is about fasting. Isaiah chapter 58. Cry aloud. Spare not. Lift up thy voice like a trumpet. and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins, yet they seek me daily.

These people that Isaiah has called upon to show them their transgression and their sins, yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinances of their God, they ask of me the ordinance of justice, they take delight in approaching God, Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? And wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge?

Well, here's his answer. Behold, in the day of your fast, you find pleasure. You look at this as a feather in your cap. Look how devoted I am. I'm fasting. You find pleasure in this. You think I'm very spiritual. Not everybody's doing this. I am. I'm somebody. I'm something. Behold, in the day of your fast you find pleasure and exact all your labors. Behold, you fast for strife and debate and to smite with the fist of wickedness.

You shall not fast as you do this day to make your voice to be heard on high. Is it such a fast that I've chosen? A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will thou call this a fast, an acceptable day to the Lord? Is not this the fast that I have chosen? Now here's true fasting. If you want to know what fasting is, the Lord tells us. Here is the fast that I have chosen.

It's to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, that you might break every yoke. Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him, and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily, and thy righteousness shall go before thee, and the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward, and go behind you. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer. Thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, the pointing of the finger, and speaking vanity, and if thou draw up thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul, Then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday, and the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones, and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places, and thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations, and thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in.

Now God says that is the fast that I have chosen. And I realize that people have used this passage of scripture for social action. This is what we need to do for the less fortunate. Well, I wouldn't disagree with that, but that's not really what this passage is talking about. This passage is talking about fasting. This is the fast God has chosen. And there is self-denial in everything he says. Now let's look at this passage of scripture together carefully.

Cry aloud. Spare not Lift up thy voice like a trumpet and show my people their transgression and the house of Jacob their sins. Now, I've heard preachers use this verse to knock everybody out about their sinful lives and so on. If that's the way you're gonna use it, turn it on yourself, I'd like to say. Just turn it on yourself. You need it worse than they do.

But it does mean something, because these people he's speaking to, look how he describes them. These same people that he says, cry aloud and spare them not, here's how they saw themselves. Yet they seek me daily, and to delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God, they ask of me the ordinance of justice. They take delight in approaching to God. They have a very high opinion of themselves. Here's their complaint.

Wherefore have we fasted, say they? And you don't see it. Wherefore have we afflicted our soul? And thou takest no knowledge. My soul, we're fasting. Maybe some of them have been fasting five or six days, some of them 40 days. Look what we're doing and you're not taking any notice of it. They were upset about this. This is not right. You're not taking notice of what we're doing.

Verse three, behold, in the day of your fast, you find pleasure. You're finding pleasure in your fasting. Look how dedicated I am. Look how devoted I am. Not many people will actually deny themselves food or water or whatever it is. I mean, he says you're finding pleasure in this. afflicting your souls before me, you're humbling yourself before me, you're congratulating yourself on your spirituality. You find pleasure in this.

And not only do you do this, all the while you mistreat others, and you don't pay your labors a fair wage. And God sees that. That's what He's saying when He says, Behold, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, and you exact all your labors. You don't even pay your labors a fair wage. And then you talk about fasting. Behold, you fast for strife. and debate and to smite with the fist of wickedness. You shall not fast as you do this day. And here's what you're doing. You're trying to make your voice to be heard on high. Oh, I'm fasting. I'm denying myself. Surely God will hear this. Is this such a fast that I've chosen?

A day for a man to afflict his soul. Look how I'm afflicting my So is it to bow down his head as a bulrush to show everyone just how miserable I am and how I'm seeking the Lord? It's an outward show is what it is. Now anytime something is outward, I'm suspicious of it. It's trying to impress people and that's what these people are doing. Is this such a fast that I've chosen a day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?

Will thou call this a fast, an acceptable day to the Lord? The Lord says, I won't accept it. There's no fast. And then he says in verse six, is this not the fast that I have chosen? Now here, my dear friends, is the fast of God's choice. He tells us what it is in his word. And in these next couple of verses, he gives us eight things that comprise true fasting. Here's the first. To loose, to set free the bands of wickedness. To tell a man how he can be loosed set free from his wickedness and that is only by the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

If the Son shall make you free. Now the only way you're going to be loosed or I'm going to be loosed from the bands of my wickedness, the chains of my wickedness that I can't cast off myself is if the Son makes me free. If the Son makes you free. You're free indeed. Lord, make me free. And that is the response of everybody who hears this. Lord, make me free. Among other things, it is finished means this. You're free. You've been loosed, set free by what I have done. Now, here's the fast I've chosen to loose the bands of wickedness. The debt has been paid. The law has been honored. The bands have been loosed by what I have done.

You're denying what you've done, and you're looking only to what He has done. Go on reading. To undo the heavy burdens. The heavy burdens. Is your sin a burden to you? You know, my sin is a burden to me. And yet the Lord says, come unto me All ye that labor and are heavy laden under the burden of your sin, and I will give you rest. And he's able to give you rest.

The rest of Hebrews 4, 9, they that have entered into his rest have ceased from their own works. That's self-denial. You're denying your works. You're seeing them as nothing more than dead works and you look to Christ only. He that's entered his rest has ceased from his own works as God did from his rest. Rest in Jesus Christ. The rest of ceasing from your own works and looking to the finished work of Christ only. Now that's fasting. That's, once again, denying yourself. And this is what God says. This is not my opinion. This is not some man-made definition. This is what God says fasting is. This is the fasting that I have chosen.

And then he says, thirdly, to let the oppressed go free. Oppressed by your sin. Not only burdened, but oppressed by your sin. Oppressed by religion. I love what the Lord said on His first day back at Nazareth. The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor. Only the poor. are the ones who hear the gospel. Who are the poor? Those who have absolutely nothing to recommend them to God. Would that be you? The gospel's for you. He's anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted.

And I love that this is not talking about, as you know, somebody getting their heart broke. And I'm not diminishing that or dismissing that at all. It's a very painful thing if your heart's broken some kind of bad relationship or a relationship that you wanted to work and it didn't. But he's talking about people whose hearts are no good. The heart is deceitful. Above all things, you can't trust your heart. It's desperately wicked, incurably wicked. Well, he came to heal those people. If that describes your heart, deceitful, man, that's mine.

Desperately wicked. incurably wicked, by his stripes you're healed. It doesn't have anything to do with you doing anything. By his stripes you were healed. Not it says by his stripes you will be healed. By his stripes you were healed. That's the way the gospel works. It's an announcement. It's telling you what is, not what will be if But what is by whose stripes you were healed?

To preach deliverance to the captives. You know, no believer believes in free will. They know they're captives. But he comes to preach deliverance, full deliverance to the captives. the recovering of the sight to the blind, to set at liberty and freedom them that are crushed, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And we looked at this in Sunday school class, and I prepared this before then, so I'm not repeating myself, but I am repeating myself. This was in Sunday school class. The year of the Lord, the year of jubilee.

You're a slave. All of a sudden, when that silver trumpet sounded, You were set free. Your debts were canceled. What you lost was restored. And let me say this about restoration. I'm not restored to where Adam was. I'm restored to where I was before time began in union with Christ. That's my original place. And that's where we're restored to. Given nothing but rest. Now this is the fast, God says, I have chosen. Let's go and read.

That you break every yoke. Be not entangled again in the yoke of bondage. I love what Peter said. Why seek ye to put a burden a yoke on the disciples that neither we nor our fathers were able to bear. You try to put them under law, you don't keep the law. Oh, that's so simple. You put somebody under the law, you don't keep the law. You try to put them under a yoke that neither we nor our fathers were able to bear, but we believe that through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved even as they." Oh, break every yoke. the yoke of bondage, the yoke of the law.

Verse 7, is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry? Now, is that talking about literal? Well, I'm sure it's included, but isn't this the preaching of the gospel? To deal bread to the hungry? And that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? Literally, I wouldn't say no, but what this is talking about is the, you come and welcome to the poor, bring them into the house.

The spirit and the bride say come, let him that thirst come. Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. Let him that hears say come, come to the waters. Ho, everyone that thirsts, ye that have no money, come buy and eat wine, milk, and honey without money, without price, free. The only requirement is you don't have anything.

That's who we're calling into the house of God, calling in the poor. When thou seest the naked, you cover him. Oh, the covering of the Lord Jesus Christ. covering my nakedness and making me holy and perfect and righteous and just before God, the fine linen, clean and white, the righteousness which is of the saints, covering his naked eye. You know, when Bartimaeus rose up to come up to Christ, what did he do? He threw away that filthy garment that he was wearing to be clothed with the righteousness and merit of Jesus Christ. And that thou hide, verse seven, the last phrase, that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh.

Now, what's that mean? You don't hide yourself from your own kin, your own relatives? Well, I don't know if that's what it's a reference to. I really don't think it is. Here's what I think this is talking about. Don't cover your eyes to what you are. your own flesh, your own sinful flesh.

You look at it for what it is, because if you don't, you won't do any of these things. Don't hide yourself from your own flesh. That doesn't mean indulge the flesh, but see yourself for what you are in God's sight, apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. Realize that and understand that, and in realizing that and understanding that, you'll have nowhere to look but Christ. That's when you're going to deny yourself because you see yourself no good. You want to get rid of self and look to Christ only. This is self-denial.

Then, after those eight marks of fasting take place, to loose the band of wickedness, to undo heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, to break every yoke, to deal your bread to the hungry, the bread of life, that you bring the poor that are cast out to thy house, rejected by religion.

When thou seest the naked, that thou coverest it, and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh, then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily You know, there's only light here, isn't there? The gospel light. When you deny yourself and look to Christ, when you deny yourself and preach the gospel, when you deny yourself and cover the naked, all these different things that are involved in the gospel, That is when your light's gonna break forth as the morning. You're gonna be proved to be real, and Christ is your light.

And thine hail shall spring forth speedily, and thy righteousness shall go before thee. Christ's righteousness is thy righteousness. It's gonna go before you, and the glory of God's gonna be covering your back, because you understand that salvation is for his glory, and his glory is involved in your salvation. You realize that's why your back is covered, because it's for his glory. Verse nine.

Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer. Thou shalt cry, and he shall say, here am I. If you take away from the midst of the people the yoke, the yoke of law, the yoke of works, the yoke of bondage, if thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, the pointing your finger at people, pointing back at yourself. And the speaking of vanity, the speaking of salvation by works, that which is contrary to the gospel. And if you draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul with the gospel, And not until then, then shall thy light arise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday, and the Lord shall guide thee continually."

Walking in the gospel. The Lord orders my steps in His Word. Yes, I pray for Him to order my steps in His Word, but He does order my steps in His Word. He does guide me nonstop when I'm aware of it, when I'm not aware of it. Isn't that a blessed thing to know? He guides me continually. I love that hymn. He leadeth me, O blessed thought, what words of heavenly comfort wrought. Where I go, whatever I be, still tis His hand that leadeth me.

The Lord shall guide thee continually and satisfy thy soul in drought." You know, when I have nothing else, I'm satisfied to look to Christ alone. I'm satisfied. I'm not looking for anything else. I'm satisfied to be saved by Him when there's nothing else but barrenness. He satisfies the soul in drought. and he makes fat thy bones, and thou shalt be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. Looking to Christ alone, you're a well-watered garden, the waters of his spirit that fail not.

Verse 12, and they that shall be of thee shall build thee old waste places. Thou shalt rise up the foundations of many generations. And thou shalt be called, and this is in preaching the gospel, this is in believing the gospel. Thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in. The Lord is that path, that way to dwell in.

Now the Lord says this is the fast. that I've chosen. Not the fast where you bow your head down like a bulrush and try to let everybody know I'm fasting. But these eight glorious gospel principles that are involved in fasting. May the Lord enable us all to fast the fast that He has chosen.

Let's pray. Lord, we ask by your grace that we might fast in this manner nonstop. Lord, this is all above the strength and energy of our flesh. We realize that, but Lord, we're asking you to do this for us and in us. our life believing that Christ is our life. Let us fast this fast for Christ's sake. In his name we pray. Amen.

When You Fast

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about fasting?

How do we know that fasting is important for Christians?

Why is self-denial important in fasting?

How does the Bible instruct us to fast correctly?

Sermon Transcript

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When You Fast

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about fasting?

How do we know that fasting is important for Christians?

Why is self-denial important in fasting?

How does the Bible instruct us to fast correctly?

Sermon Transcript

About Todd Nibert

Comments

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