The Work of the Holy Spirit -- 2/27/11

Sunday, February 27, 2011

THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT

Lord willing, next week we are going to begin a new course of study. We are going to begin looking at the life of a man named Job. Our source will be the book by that name, which is located immediately before the Psalms. I invite you to begin reading the book of Job in preparation for our time together.

This morning I would like to do a little follow-up of our Wednesday evening discussion. We looked at what the scripture says about the Holy Spirit. Perhaps our greatest emphasis was along these lines: “It is impossible to live the life Jesus called us to live without the power of the Holy Spirit.” I want to reinforce that emphasis this morning by looking primarily at two passages of scripture.

I. Rivers of Living Water

John 7:37-39…

In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

Who is this Holy Ghost, this Holy Spirit, that is spoken of in these verses? When the HS is mentioned, there will be plenty of opinions. We could get into some interesting discussions concerning the gifts of the Spirit, and it might be very worthwhile discussion, for the Word of God speaks about the gifts of the Spirit. Before we had gone too far, there might be some disagreement concerning the gifts and the works of the Spirit. But this morning, I want us to begin with this little passage, where Jesus talks about the Spirit before the Spirit had descended even upon His own apostles.

Now when I say that Jesus spoke about the Spirit, you may notice that Jesus does not directly mention the Spirit at all on this occasion. Then how can I say that Jesus was talking about the Spirit? If you are reading the King James, you will notice that verse 39 is set off by parentheses. Whatever translation you are reading, note that verse 39 is no longer the words of Jesus, but it is the comment of John, who wrote what we refer to as “The Gospel of John.” John tells us clearly that Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit. “But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive.”

Let me review the context with you for just a moment. Verse 2 identifies the occasion as the Feast of Tabernacles. This was one of the feasts which required attendance by all Jewish men (Dt. 16:16). Because of that fact, Jerusalem (where the one temple was located) was crowded with people from all around. The Feast of Tabernacles was a time of joyous thanksgiving for the just-completed harvest, and it was a commemoration o how God had taken care of His people during the wandering in the wilderness. It was called the Feast of Tabernacles, or the Feast of Booths, because the people of Israel had lived in simple booths while they were traveling through the desert during those 40 years. During the Feast of Tabernacles the people constructed temporary huts from branches and lived in them during the seven days of the feast. This is exactly what the Lord had told them to do.

The Feast of Tabernacles was the best attended of all the feasts. There were more foreigners at this feast, as many Jewish people came from foreign nations to celebrate this special time. More sacrifices were offered at this feast than at any other. It could be argued that this was the greatest of all the feasts. It was the last of the three feasts and marked the climax of the Jewish year.

So we see that this was a great time of celebration and rejoicing, moreso than any of the other feasts. The height of the celebration was when the priest led the people in a great procession from the altar in the temple down to the pool of Siloam. He carried a golden pitcher. When they came to the pool, he would fill that golden pitcher with water. Then the entire procession would begin to make its way back to the altar of the temple. When they reached the altar, the priest was joined by another priest, who held the wine, which was the drink offering for the morning service. Then one priest poured out the wine into a funnel that led to the base of the altar, and the other priest poured the water from the golden pitcher into another funnel, which also led to the base of the altar.

Immediately after the pouring of the water, the great “Hallel” was recited. “Hallel” is the Hebrew word for “praise.” It consisted of Psalms 113-118. They sang and chanted these Psalms, accompanied by a flute or other instrument. The Levites would read a portion, and then all the people would respond. As they lifted their praise to the Lord, they shook branches called “lulabs,” as if to emphasize what they were saying. When they had recited the last verse of Psalm 118, the music suddenly stopped and there was silence. Bear in mind that they did this each day.

Jewish historians tell us that this was a very unusual moment of worship. The whole crowd was caught up in the spirit of worship and praise and wonder. This was the climax. There was nothing greater in all of Jewish life. It was not only the high point of that days’ worship and the Feast of Tabernacles, but also the climax of the entire Jewish religious year, especially on the seventh and last day of the feast. It seems pretty clear that it was at this point that Jesus spoke the words here in John 7:37-38. You could have heard a pin drop, as Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."

At this point in history, the Judaism which came to its climax at the Feast of Tabernacles was overseen primarily by the Pharisees, a religious group which drew near to the Lord with its lips but whose hearts were far from Him. Because of that fact, though the symbolism was rich, there was little spiritual reality. There was a profound emptiness about the Jewish religion at that time.

But that is not the whole story. When Jesus stood to His feet, spiritual reality came forth. Jesus was the fulfillment of what the water of the Feast symbolized. Jesus Himself was the living water, and He claims that whoever keeps on drinking from Him will not only have that living water, but rivers of living water will flow out of that person abundantly. Jesus didn’t promise trickles of water, but rivers of water. It is reminiscent of the time when Moses struck the rock in the desert, and a river burst forth, yielding enough water to feed a couple million people and all their livestock. That’s only a picture; the living water of Jesus is far greater. The water in the desert could only satisfy their physical thirst, but Jesus’ living water will not only satisfy your thirst, but it will flow through you so abundantly that it satisfies the spiritual thirst of those around you.

How can this be? John tells us; Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit. This is not something that any man can attain on his own. This will happen only through the work of the Holy Spirit. While we may disagree on some aspects of the Spirit’s ministry, there can be no disagreement here. When the Holy Spirit enables a person to keep on coming, keep on drinking from, keep on believing on Jesus, that same Spirit will cause rivers of living water to flow out from that person. If we want to talk about the Spirit-filled life, let’s start here. Whatever else you have, it is deficient if it doesn’t include the abundant flow of this living water. Too often we who are professing Christians argue over the nature and ministry of the Holy Spirit, while the people around us stampede toward hell because of a lack of these rivers of living water. Argue about the ministry and gifts of the Spirit if you will, but may the Lord give us rivers of living water, rivers which will satisfy us and those around us.

But what do these rivers of living water look like? To answer that question, we simply look at the life of Jesus. Those rivers of living water flowed through Him day in and day out. Do you remember that sinner lady who came into the house of Simon the Pharisee, where Jesus was eating with Simon and his Pharisee friends? Do you remember how they viewed the woman? Luke reveals Simon’s heart: “This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is who touches him, for she is a sinner” (Luke 7:39). Can you hear the disdain as he turns over in his mind that word “sinner.” Surely no true prophet of God would receive such a filthy sinner. Jesus not only received her, but after she had poured out her devotion through the washing of His feet and drying them with the hairs of her head, He announced that her sins had been forgiven. The living water was flowing that day.

Don’t get the idea that Jesus’ rivers of living water flowed only to the outcasts. While they were more often the recipients than were the religious leaders, we must not forget about that Pharisee who was named Nicodemus. Though his thinking was in a state of confusion, he did come to Jesus. No doubt what Jesus said was not what he wanted to hear, but it was the truth. “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). We don’t know what Nicodemus thought at the time, but we do know that Nicodemus gave up his reputation and all that went with it, when he came forth and helped with the burial of Jesus.

But what about the other Pharisees? What about Pilate and Herod? What about the rich young ruler? What about them? They missed the reality of spiritual life, because they rejected the living waters that flowed from Jesus. Just because they hardened their hearts and refused to believe, don’t think for a moment that the abundant waters of spiritual life did not flow from Jesus. Their rejection was their loss. If only they had come to Jesus and drunk from Him, they would have found life and life more abundantly.

Does anyone around you need the life of Jesus? Be careful at this point. We’re not talking about how many people carry their Bibles and go to church on Sunday; we’re talking about the life of Jesus. We’re talking about the living waters that transform men’s and women’s lives. Jesus is not an addition that you tack on to your regular life. Nor is He an insurance policy to help people avoid hell. Jesus is life itself. His life leads people to spend their time hungering for spiritual reality rather than watching TV and pursuing hobbies. His people hunger and thirst for righteousness and value His Word more than the riches of this world. They heed His command to lay up treasures in heaven rather than treasures upon this earth. With great sadness I must remind us that not everyone who says “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of His Father who is in heaven. To many (not a few, but many) who call Him “Lord,” He will say in the last day, “I never knew you; depart from me, you who work iniquity” (Matt. 7:21-23).

There is a likeness between the religion of Jesus’ day and that of our day. As in Jesus’ day, so there is much religion in our day. There is no shortage of religious activity. Religion’s promises range from health and wealth to inner peace and contentment. All too often the promise boils down to this: “If you will just busy yourself in church, everything will be okay in the end.” It’s a lie. The many to whom Jesus will say, “I never knew you” will come from the church crowd. The so-called Christianity of our day has only the power to change the outward appearance, but the Lord Jesus can and will transform life from the inside out. To religious America, Jesus says, “If anyone is thirsty, let him keep on coming to me, and keep on drinking from me. He who keeps on believing on me, out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.” To you, to me, Jesus says, “Come, drink from me, and rivers of living water will flow.”

So how does a person get these rivers of living water? Notice that there is no mechanical formula involved. Jesus didn’t say, “If anyone desires to have living water flowing out of him, just say this prayer,” or “Do these five things.” Nor does He promise that these rivers of living water can be generated in five minutes or five hours or five days or five weeks. The requirement is simple and straightforward -- keep on coming, keep on drinking, keep on believing. We want to say, “But for how long do I have to do that?” Until Jesus comes. “But when will the rivers of living water begin to flow?” If it isn’t your desire to keep on coming to Jesus and drinking from Him the rest of your life, don’t expect the living water.

Do you see? Our goal is not the rivers of living water; our goal is Jesus and more Jesus. The rivers of living water are a by-product of a self-denying longing for Jesus that can be satisfied by nothing but more of Jesus. And as we keep on drinking from Him, we will not be thinking, “I wonder if the living waters are flowing?” Rather, we will be consumed with the source of the living waters, Jesus Himself. Nevertheless, we have this promise, which assures us that as we keep on coming, keep on drinking, and keep on believing Jesus, the rivers will flow.

II. Asking for the Spirit

Now please turn back to Luke 11, where we come to the work of the Spirit from a different angle. Let’s read Luke 11:1-13…

And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. 2. And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3. Give us day by day our daily bread. 4. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. 5. And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; 6. For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? 7. And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. 8. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. 9. And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 11. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? 12. Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13. If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, Jesus gave them more than the model prayer. He went right on to tell this little story about the man who went to his friend at midnight (verses 5-8) and then those words we know so well about asking and receiving (verses 9-10). In verses 11-12, Jesus reminds of the simple fact that parents are more than willing to give their children what they need. The punch line comes in verse 13, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”

I have to be honest with you. Verse 13 can cause us some problems. How can we ask for the Holy Spirit, when we have the Holy Spirit? The scripture makes it very clear that everyone who belongs to Christ has the Holy Spirit (see Rom. 8:9). So what do we make of Jesus talking about asking for the Holy Spirit? Does He mean to say that the non-Christian needs to ask for the Holy Spirit? We find no scripture which would indicate that. I have to confess that for a long time, because I didn’t know what to do with this verse, I pretty well just ignored it. But we can’t afford to ignore the words of our Lord.

While the scripture teaches us that every true believer has the Holy Spirit, it also teaches us that every believer is commanded to be filled with the Spirit. “Be not drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18). Every believer is designed to walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16). Surely when Jesus speaks about giving the Spirit, He must be talking about a richer walk in the Spirit, about a filling with the Spirit.

Perhaps it will help us, if we look back at the context. First of all, remember that this entire passage begins with prayer, with the disciples asking Jesus to teach them to pray. Then go back to the man who went to his friend at midnight to ask him for three loaves of bread. Why would he do such a thing? Notice that it was because he had nothing to feed the one who was coming to visit. He wasn’t asking for himself; he was asking for this visitor. It is in that context, that we then hear Jesus say, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” We tend to apply that very widely, and that may be okay, but the specific context suggests that Jesus is talking about asking for a supply for those around us. Though the illustration involves physical bread, surely He who is the bread of life is more interested in the spiritual food that is so desperately needed by the people around us. Then Jesus reminds us that a father will not respond to a son who asks for a fish by giving him a snake. Finally, He says, “If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?”

Do you see it? While there are many things about which we can pray and even should pray, what is more vital than praying that the Lord work in and through us by His Spirit? It is only as the Spirit works in us that we will have anything of value to give to those around us. How the longing of our hearts needs to be for the Spirit of God to work in and through us. We may not always be specifically saying, “Lord, give us the Spirit,” or “Give us more of the Spirit,” or “Fill us with your Spirit,” but that must be the longing of our hearts. If I pray, “O Father, let me abide in your Son,” I am essentially asking Him to work in me by His Spirit. Don’t get so hung up on the specifics that you overlook this deep longing of the heart. Remember that we have absolutely nothing to give other than the life of Jesus, and the life of Jesus is simply those rivers of living water He spoke about in John 7.

III. Encouragement from the Life of Jesus

Now please let me give us some encouragement. I would like to walk through the experience of Jesus in the early chapters of Luke. Jesus was born by the power of the Spirit. Let’s read it in Luke 1:35, "And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." John the Baptist said that Jesus would baptize with the Spirit. Luke 3:16, "John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." Now let’s read about when Jesus Himself was baptized. Luke 3:22, "And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased." And what happened right after Jesus was baptized? That’s right, He was tempted by the devil. Let’s read about who it was that led Him into the desert to be tempted. Luke 4:1, "And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness." Did you notice that He was full of the Holy Spirit? Right after the temptation experience, we read in Luke 4:14, "And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about." Later in this same chapter we read about Jesus going to the synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth. When He had opportunity to read a scripture in the synagogue service, what did He read? Luke 4:16-19…

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. 17. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

Are you getting the picture? Jesus was led and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Though He was the Son of God, really God in the flesh, He did nothing apart from the Holy Spirit. He was born by the power of the Spirit; He baptized with the Holy Spirit. When Jesus Himself was baptized, the Spirit descended upon Him. Yes, He was full of the Holy Spirit and was led by that same Spirit to be tempted in the desert. When He returned from the desert, it was in the power of the Spirit. And having the entire Old Testament from which to read, He chose the words from Isaiah 61, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” His entire life and ministry were tied up with the Holy Spirit.

Who could possibly know better than Jesus how much we need the Holy Spirit to work in and through us? If He, the Son of God, was led and empowered by the Spirit, how much more essential is it that we be led and empowered by that same Holy Spirit? No wonder Jesus said, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” (Luke 11:13). Brothers and sisters, let us keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking, trusting that our Father can fill us with His Spirit and pour His rivers of living water through our lives!

Conclusion

If you or I do not experience these rivers of living water generated by the Holy Spirit, why not? Let me suggest a few possible reasons. It is possible that you don’t have the Spirit in you. In other words, you have never been born of the Spirit, never been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Not everyone who calls Jesus “Lord” has truly been saved. The scripture says, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith…” (II Cor. 13:5). Test yourself to see if you are really a child of God. But how? By the Word. In the language of I John, do you believe and love the truth? Do you love your brothers and sisters in Christ, not in word, but in deed and truth? Do you obey God’s commandments? 1 John 2:6, "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked." If there is not a strong desire in you to be a channel of His living water, then you have every reason to question whether you have His life within you.

If you examine yourself and believe that you are truly a child of God, then notice the words of James 4:2, "Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not." Do we not have the leading of the Spirit and the power of the Spirit in our lives because we don’t ask for that? Are we so busy asking for what we think are our needs that we have little left to keep on asking that God might give us life for those around us? Are we asking? Are we seeking? Are we longing for Jesus?

Continue now in James 4:3, "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." How many times have we asked for the right things but for the wrong reason? “Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit, so that I can be filled with joy and peace.” Does the Holy Spirit give joy and peace? Yes, but it is a by-product. We long for the work of the Spirit so that we can give glory to God and be a blessing to others, not so we can feel good. “Lord, fill my with your Spirit so that I can do mighty miracles.” Better to cry out, “Father, give me grace to take up my cross, so that others can see that the excellency of the power is from you and not from me” (see Matt. 16:24 and II Cor. 4:7).

The problem may be a misunderstanding of what it means to be a Christian in this world. It is very common for people to substitute the “nice guy complex” for truly following Jesus. We are told that we need to feel good about ourselves and help others feel good about themselves. That is not the gospel of Jesus Christ. A Christian is a person who is like Christ and is becoming more like Christ. To be a Christian is to follow Jesus, and Jesus did not come to help people feel good about themselves, to be nice to people, to help people feel comfortable. Yes, He hung around sinners and loved them, but it was out of love that He told them they must repent and believe the gospel. Jesus clearly said, “If anyone will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Matt. 16:24). That is a life that requires the continual working of the Spirit from the inside out. If our concept of the Christian life is a life that can be lived without the power of the Spirit, then we have totally misunderstood what it means to follow Jesus.

Some of you are in the process of making a choice. You can settle for a life of trying to get better and do what the Bible says. That will seem to make you a better person. It will set you in good standing with most everyone around you. It will help you feel better about yourself. But make no mistake about it, in the end it will land you in hell. Or, you can give up on yourself completely and abandon yourself to the Christ who left the glory of heaven to hang on a cross for you and experience the wrath of God in your place. Not only will you find real life, but you will increasingly become a channel of life for those around you. Please, my friends, don’t settle for anything less than the real life of Jesus. He is calling you this morning to repent and believe, to forsake yourself and throw yourself on Him.

Brothers and sisters, if that doesn’t describe your life, then fall on your face before God and cry out to Him. This is the life He designed for us, a life filled with the Holy Spirit. If we have tasted this life, let’s plead for more.

Relating Fasting to the Cross -- 2/20/2011

Sunday, February 20, 2011

RELATING FASTING TO THE CROSS OF JESUS

The last two weeks we have looked intently at two specific passages -- Matt. 9:14-17 and then Isaiah 58. This week we are going to back away and pull some of the passages together that we have been examining the last few weeks. I want to put before us a very definite theme concerning this subject of fasting.

I. Did Jesus Fast?

Let me ask you a question. Did Jesus fast? Yes, we looked at it a few weeks ago. Jesus went into the desert and fasted for 40 days. Now another question. Other than the 40 days of fasting right after His baptism and just before the temptations, did Jesus fast? Do we have any record of such fasting in the New Testament? At first glance, I would say no. However, recently I was reminded of a particular passage which sheds light on the subject. I am referring to Jesus’ contact with the Samaritan woman in John 4. You will recall that Jesus and His apostles broke with the common Jewish practice when they cut through Samaria on their way from Judea to Galilee. It was about noon when they approached a town called Sychar. Jesus sat down by the well outside of town, while His disciples went into town to get something to eat. It was there that He met the woman who came out to draw water. Jesus asked her for a drink and then engaged her in conversation, ultimately telling her openly that He was the Messiah. Let’s pick it up in verse 25. Read John 4:25-34…

The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. 26. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. 27. And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her? 28. The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, 29. Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? 30. Then they went out of the city, and came unto him. 31. In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. 32. But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. 33. Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? 34. Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

So did Jesus fast on that occasion? You might say, “No, He just didn’t eat anything.” Is that not what fasting is -- going without food? Did He fast the rest of the day? I don’t know, because we are not told. I wouldn’t be surprised to find that Jesus didn’t eat anything the rest of the day. Why? So that He could keep His record intact? He may have fasted because He was busy dealing with the all the people from Sychar which the woman brought back to see Him.

So why did Jesus fast on this occasion? Jesus Himself gives us the answer. They said to Him, “Master, eat.” Jesus replied, “I have meat to eat that you know not of.” Very literally, “I myself have meat to eat which you yourselves do not know.” Jesus fasted because His need was for the spiritual meal, which only His Father could supply. It wasn’t that He was too busy to eat. The “in the mean while” of verse 31 seems to indicate that they urged Jesus to eat between the time the woman left and the time when the people returned from Sychar. Jesus wasn’t interested in the physical food, because He was feasting on what His Father had to offer. We don’t know the details. Perhaps He was rejoicing that this woman believed and went to bring others to Him. Or perhaps He was intently praying for this woman, as she was about to confront people who had little respect for her. Whatever the specifics, the spiritual food took precedence over what the disciples could offer Him.

Notice that His fasting was closely related to the reality of life. His fasting had everything to do with His conversation with that woman. Jesus said His meat was to do the will of the One who sent Him and to finish His work.” And for what purpose did the Father send Him? Later when He had dealt with Zacchaeus, He would say, “The Son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). That’s exactly what He was doing here; He was seeking the lost. Ultimately, in order to save the lost, He would hang on the cross in order to pay the penalty for sins. In talking with this woman, Jesus was doing what the Father sent Him to do. That work would not be finished until He said from the cross, “It is finished.”

So we know that on at least two occasions Jesus fasted. At first glance, those two fasts seem very different. The first lasted for 40 days, while the second may have been for just one meal. The first seemed more planned and for a definite purpose of preparation, while the second seemed more spontaneous. When Jesus fasted for 40 days, it was just Him and His Father. He had no human being with Him. But in John 4, His apostles were traveling with Him.

But while these fasts appear to be very different, they were similar in that they were related to one great purpose. They were centered on the cross and God’s plan of redemption. We saw that in the 40-day fast. You can look at it again in Matthew 4, if you want to. Remember that it was the Spirit of God that led Jesus out into the desert to be tempted by the devil (verse 1). After 40 days of intense fellowship with His Father and not eating, the temptations came. We saw how the temptations of Satan were designed to tempt Jesus to abandon submission to His Father and bypass the cross. If Satan could short circuit the crucifixion, then he could hinder God’s redemptive plan. Surely this time of fasting in the Father’s presence prepared Jesus for Satan’s deceptive temptations.

The shorter fast of John 4 has the same focus. Jesus had just shared with a sinful woman that He was indeed the Messiah who had come to give living water. After that woman invited the people of the town to come out and meet Jesus, notice the summary statement in John 4:42, "And [they] said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world." It was while the woman was back in town sharing the good news of the Savior that Jesus had declined to eat, saying, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” We cannot separate the fasting of Jesus from the cross and His purpose of redemption.

II. Cross-Centered Fasting

Now go on over to Matthew 9. You will remember us looking very intently at verses 14-17. When they asked Jesus why His disciples didn’t fast, He replied, “Can the children of the bridechamber mourn while the bridegroom is with them?” The obvious answer is, “Of course, not. You can’t expect the friends of the bridegroom to fast while the groom is with them at the wedding feast.” By implication, neither can you expect my disciples to fast as long as I am with them. But Jesus continued, “But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then they will fast.” Then He went on to talk about how it would be ridiculous to use a piece of new material to patch an old garment or to pour new wine into old bottles. Jesus was saying that although His disciples will fast when He is taken away from them, it will be a new kind of fasting, different from what the disciples of John and the Pharisees practiced. This new fasting will take into consideration the Bridegroom, the Redeemer, Jesus Himself. It will be a fasting that grows out of the joy of knowing Him. Yet it will be a fasting of sorrow, because of the fact that He is not present. Yes, it will be a homesick kind of fasting, where the follower of Jesus intensely longs to see his Lord face to face. Notice that fasting is still linked very closely to God’s redemption and our Precious Redeemer.

You will remember that we asked the question, “So did Jesus’ disciples fast after He was taken back to heaven?” Come again to Acts 13, where that question is clearly answered. Let’s read Acts 13:1-4…

Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. 4. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.

So we see that these five leaders in the church at Antioch ministered to the Lord and fasted. This ministering to the Lord speaks of that joy of knowing the bridegroom. Yet, at the same time, they seemed to be seeking the direction of the Lord. At least they were open to His direction, because they heard the Holy Spirit tell them that He had a special work for Barnabas and Saul (Paul). Then we see that before sending them out, they fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them. We are not told who is designated by the “they” of verse 3. While it may have been those five leaders, it may indicate that the whole body of Christ at Antioch prayed and fasted on behalf of Barnabas and Saul. This action certainly didn’t happen without the knowledge of the church.

And what was it that Paul and Barnabas were sent out to do? They took the gospel to lands where the gospel had not been known. They proclaimed to both Jews and Gentiles that God sent His Son Jesus to die for them on the cross. Do you see it? Their fasting was related directly to the message of the cross, to God’s redemptive plan. And when Paul and Barnabas returned through the cities where they had begun churches, strengthening and encouraging the disciples in those churches, they ordained elders in each church. Accompanying the choosing of those leaders, they fasted and prayed. These leaders would be guiding the church to go into the world and preach the gospel to all peoples. To that end they fasted and prayed. Don’t miss how the new fasting that Jesus brought is tied ever so closely to the death and resurrection of our Lord.

Last week we looked at Isaiah 58. I believe it would be safe to say that this passage focuses on fasting more than any other in the entire Bible. At first, we might conclude that Isaiah 58 has little to do with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, because it was written 700 years before He came to earth. What we do have to admit is that God clearly teaches us through this passage that fasting which pleases Him must be related to the spiritual and physical oppression around us. The people of Isaiah’s day were fasting, but their hypocritical fasting was not pleasing to the Lord because it had no effect on the way they lived. Like the fasting of the Pharisees hundreds of years later, it was arbitrary, mechanical, and full of death. Through his prophet, God said, "Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? 7. Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and 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?" (Is. 58:6-7).

Do we understand that though this is an Old Testament passage, we cannot divorce it from Jesus. Who was it that came and dealt with both spiritual and physical oppression? No one did it like Jesus. Again, listen to those words He quoted from Isaiah. Last week we read it from Isaiah 61, this week let’s read it from Luke 4:16-21…

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. 17. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

And once again, here what Peter said about Jesus in Acts 10:37-38, “That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; 38. How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” Jesus went about doing good, healing all who were oppressed by the devil. Jesus did miracles; He healed the sick; He cast out demons. Praise God! But what was the one thing He did that would ultimately heal those who were oppressed by the devil? He died on the cross, becoming the propitiation for our sins, and He rose from the grave. If He hadn’t done that, everything else would have meant nothing. Yes, He healed people and even raised the dead, but those people He healed died and those He raised died again. It was His death and resurrection that brought everlasting life to all who believe.

So even Isaiah 58 is linked to Jesus’ death on the cross. When Jesus died, it was a giving of Himself freely to those who were oppressed and beaten down. Remember His invitation: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). How does He give rest? It only happens when a person casts Himself on Jesus, trusting what He did at the cross. When we fast according to Isaiah 58, it has no value apart from Jesus’ death and resurrection. We have no power to deliver people from spiritual oppression, except to share the gospel of redemption, pointing them to the Jesus who died and rose. And while people may be able to do some humanitarian deeds on behalf of others, true caring for the hungry and poor over the long haul grows out of our relationship with the risen Christ.

That brings us back to where we started five weeks ago. You may recall that I began by warning us of the dangers of fasting. The first mention of fasting by our Lord Jesus consisted of a strong warning. Let’s read it in Matt. 6:16-18…

Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18. 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.

This is one example of fasting that does not please the Lord. Isaiah 58 is another. Ultimately, if fasting is not connected to the death and resurrection of Jesus, it has missed the mark. That is what Jesus was saying in Matthew 9, when He said that His disciples would fast after the bridegroom was taken away from them. True biblical fasting is rooted in our relationship with Christ and expresses both our sorrow because He is not present with us and our joy in tasting His goodness.

II. Specific Questions about Fasting

With that biblical background, let’s confront our questions: Should I be fasting? If so, how often should I fast? And for how long should I fast? Is it appropriate to fast according to a definite schedule? Is there any place for corporate fasting? In others words, should the leaders of a church call the members of that church to fast? I want to acknowledge immediately that I don’t have all the answers to those questions. I am not the final authority. However, I would be less than honest, if I did not try to deal with those vital questions that any serious Bible student must ask.

So should the believer fast? I’m not sure that “should” is the right word to use. We cannot find a biblical command to fast. While fasting is commanded on the Day of Atonement, we don’t observe that once a year celebration, because Jesus is our atonement and He offered Himself once for all on the cross. Jesus did not command His disciples to fast. So can we conclude that fasting is a thing of the Old Testament and does not apply to us? Certainly not. While Jesus didn’t command anyone to fast, He said clearly that His disciples would fast. Are you a disciple of Jesus? If so, you will fast. That is pretty simple, isn’t it? But why? Again, because our precious Lord has been taken away from us. Though we love Him and have His Spirit with us, our fellowship with Him is clouded by the distractions of the world, by the power of the enemy, and by our own sin. 1 John 3:2, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." As we long for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ (Tit. 2:13), we will fast.

Okay, Jesus says that His disciples will fast, but how often should I fast? Should I fast on a regular schedule, like once a week or once a month? Brothers and sisters, I address those questions with fear and trembling. Weigh carefully what I say, but then go before the Lord and ask Him to settle this in your minds and hearts. The reason I give you this caution is because the Bible does not directly answer this question. Jesus says clearly that His disciples will fast, but He did not add a word about how often and how long? You might say, “But Jesus condemned the way the Pharisees fasted, and they fasted twice a week. Doesn’t that mean that Jesus condemned fasting on a regular schedule?” Jesus also blasted the Pharisees for praying in public. Does that mean that He condemned all public prayer? No. Jesus was dealing with the motives of their hearts. The problem was not that they fasted two days every week, but that they did it to gain the approval of other people. Now if anyone fasts on certain days in order to impress others, that is as wrong now as it was then.

I would encourage us to ask these kinds of questions: Does my regularly-scheduled fasting grow out of my relationship with the Lord? Is it an expression of my joy in Him and my homesickness to be with Him? Is this kind of fasting related closely to my longing to relieve the spiritual and physical oppression of those around me? When I fast on a prescribed day, am I truly loving and seeking the Lord, or am I just going without food? If you are convinced that fasting every Wednesday or some other day fits into those purposes and you sense the Lord is leading you to do it, then go for it. On the other hand, we need to be aware that this kind of regularly prescribed fasting can easily become a ritual that doesn’t please the Lord. I am sure that some of my fasting in the past has been of that nature. Regardless of what you conclude about such regular fasting, never forget that Jesus tells us clearly that His disciples will fast.

When you fast, for how long should you fast? This is another question that the scripture does not directly answer. As we have seen, Jesus fasted for 40 days on one occasion and for just a meal or two on another. Did Jesus purpose to fast 40 days when He went into the desert? I rather doubt it. My opinion is that Jesus was fasting, as led by the Spirit, and it was on the 40^th day that the devil came and tempted Him. Let’s trust the Lord to lead us concerning how long we should fast. It may be that some of us are so well-nourished that we will have to go without food for more than a day before it has much effect on us. The kind of lifestyle we lead can also be a factor. I don’t do the kind of physical labor that Trey Griffin does. It may be more difficult for Trey to skip a couple of meals than for me not to eat for two or three days. There is no set rules for these things. We must let the Lord guide us, as we relate our fasting to His purpose of redemption in our lives and the lives of others.

If you came looking for a fasting program, you will have to look elsewhere. We don’t find a program for fasting laid down in the New Testament. Nevertheless, as we seek the Lord and are directed by His Spirit, we will fast. That is the clear teaching of scripture. Beyond that, we must be very careful about laying down rules and regulations, lest we become as misguided as the Pharisees.

Now let’s deal with that last question: Is there a place for corporate fasting? In other words, is fasting strictly a personal thing, or would it be appropriate for a group of Christians to fast? Could there be a time for a whole church to join together in fasting? Without doubt, we see this practice in the Old Testament. When a powerful enemy threatened Judah and Jehoshaphat her king, “Jehoshphat feared and set himself to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah” (II Chron. 20:3). When Ezra and a group of Israelites were getting ready to travel to Jerusalem, Ezra proclaimed a fast and they sought the Lord to protect them on the way (see Ezra 8:21-23). In the days of Nehemiah, “…The children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them” (Neh. 9:1). A few weeks ago we read how Joel called God’s people to a time of fasting (Joel 1:14, 2:12-15). There can be no question that God was pleased when His people came together to fast and pray. However, that was in the Old Testament, and Jesus called for a new kind of fasting. Is Jesus’ kind of fasting consistent with this corporate fasting of the Old Testament?

Of course, the passage we immediately think about is Matthew 6:16-18, which we read earlier. When Jesus says anoint your head and wash your face so that you will not appear to men to fast, is He saying that we must make sure that no one else knows we are fasting? No. He is dealing with the motive of the heart. If you are married, it will be very difficult for you to fast and your spouse not know it. Jesus is warning us not to fast for the purpose of impressing people around us. We are fasting before God, not before men.

But that still doesn’t answer the question about corporate fasting. Is it proper to call God’s people to a time of fasting? I don’t believe this is a difficult question to answer. In Acts 13, we saw that five leaders in the church were fasting together. The fasting at the sending out of Paul and Barnabas may have included the whole church, though we can’t be sure. This fasting definitely went beyond the individual, and it was New Testament fasting. But what about the warning of Jesus in Matthew 6? Let me ask you a simple question: Would it be proper for the elders of this church to call the entire church to a time of prayer? Would anyone have a problem with that? We’ve done it on a number of occasions. Now I remind you that just as Jesus warned about fasting in order to impress others, He said the same thing about prayer. Let’s read it in Matt. 6:5-6, "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." Do you see that Jesus’ warnings concerning prayer and fasting follow the same basic theme? If it isn’t wrong to call the church to corporate prayer, then why would we think it wrong to call the church to corporate fasting? “Well, we know that the Lord wants all His people to pray, but not necessarily to fast.” That’s not true. Jesus said that His disciples would fast after He was taken away from them. What could be more normal than for the members of the church to unite their hearts together in a time of prayer and fasting, as they seek the Lord?

Brothers and sisters, I can foresee us calling the church to a time of prayer and fasting. I am asking you to consider that now, before it happens. Unless there is some pressing physical problem that would prevent you from fasting, you need to be ready to join your brothers and sisters in seeking the Lord in this way.

Conclusion

I am well aware that there are plenty of questions we have not answered. There is no attempt to avoid questions and issues, but I believe we have tackled enough to give us a foundation concerning biblical fasting. If you have specific individual questions, we can certainly look into them.

Please allow me to close by reading a brief quote from John Piper’s book A Hunger for God (pages 89-90)…

One of the great effects of fasting is that it assists what it expresses. I mean that fasting is mainly an expression of the soul’s hunger for God. It is not a contrived means to make us love God. We love him and long for him. And then fasting rises up as a way of saying earnestly with our whole body what our hearts feel: I hunger for you, O God. Fasting expresses, rather than creates, hunger for God.

Nevertheless, it is also true that the very nature of fasting makes it an assistant to this hunger for God. The reason is that hunger for God is spiritual, not physical. And we are less sensitive to spiritual appetites when we are in the bondage to physical ones. This means that fasting is a way of awakening us to latent spiritual appetites by pushing the domination of physical forces from the center of our lives… Therefore fasting assists the very experience of hunger for God that it also expresses.

In other words, we fast because we hunger for the Lord. Yet, at the same time, that fasting increases our hunger for God. Feasting on the Lord leads us to fast. Fasting enables us to feast the more upon Him.

While there is great danger in fasting for the wrong reasons, there is even greater danger in ignoring what Jesus said His disciples would do. Through the years, almost imperceptibly, our religious society has become so dominated by physical appetites that the spiritual longings have been blunted. It has happened so gradually and subtly that most of us are almost totally unaware of it. Fasting is one of the ways we gain a more spiritual perspective.

Fasting that Honors God -- 2/13/11

Sunday, February 13, 2011

FASTING THAT HONORS GOD

Isaiah 58

Are we here to worship God this morning? Certainly that isn’t the only reason we come together. We are also here to fulfill the instructions of Heb 10:24-25, "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." Nevertheless, I think all of us would say that our desire is to worship God, to declare His worth, as we sing, pray, and fellowship together. So, yes, we are here to worship the true and living God.

Now I have a question for us: What is the test of our worship? We say we are here to worship God, but how do we know if what we are doing is true worship? How do we know that we aren’t just kidding ourselves? What is the test of our worship? (Might give a little bit of time for response)… Surely the quality of our worship has to do with the motives of our heart, does it not? But that raises another question: How can we be sure of the motives of our heart? Yes, God knows the heart, but do we always know our own hearts? How do we know that we are not deceiving ourselves into believing that our motives are pure? This is a very important question.

In order to answer that question, I want us to turn to a passage that we looked at briefly three weeks ago. You will find that passage in Isaiah 58. Let’s read it again this morning. Isaiah 58:1-14…

Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. 2. Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God. 3. Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. 4. Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. 5. Is it such a fast that I have 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? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD? 6. Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? 7. Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and 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? 8. Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. 9. Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; 10. And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day: 11. 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. 12. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: 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. 13. If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: 14. Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

I. The Power of Deception

When we think about the quality of our worship, our tendency is to look at the sincerity of our hearts. We might ask questions like, “Are we doing what we are doing to be seen of men? Is our desire to have others think that we are spiritual?” If we can give the right answer to such questions (No), then surely our worship is genuine and pleasing to God. But now let’s weigh that approach against what we find here in Isaiah 58. Notice what the Lord says about their worship…

1. They seek me daily

2. They delight to know my ways

3. They appear to be a righteous nation

4. It appears they have not forsaken the ordinances (judgments -- ESV) of your God

5. They ask me for righteous judgments

6. They delight in approaching God

Then the people themselves bring up the fact that they punctuate all their acts of worship with fasting. If seriousness is a test, if zeal is the test, then surely they pass the test, because they are willing to deny themselves food in their pursuit of God. Who can find fault with this description of worship? What if I were to speak to you about a friend who seeks God every day, delights to know the ways of God, has not forsaken the Word of God, seeks righteous judgments from God, and delights in coming near to God? And my friend is so serious about pursuing God that he is in the habit of fasting. What more could you ask?

The Lord tells His prophet Isaiah, “Lift up your voice like a trumpet and declare to my people their transgressions. Don’t cut them any slack, but point out their sins to them.” Don’t whisper about their sins, but thunder! Remember, “Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (I Sam. 16:7). We know that; the Lord examines the depths of our hearts. But is there anything in this passage that reveals what was the test of their worship? Clearly, their worship did not please God; it was not . Were they doing anything that should have alerted them to the problem? Could they have known that God was not pleased with their acts of worship?

If you would have asked the people, they would have argued that they couldn’t have known there was anything wrong with their worship, because there wasn’t anything wrong with their worship. Listen to their questions to God Himself in verse 3: “Why have we fasted, and you have not seen? Why have we afflicted our soul, and you have not noticed?” They found fault with God, not with their own worship. And the clincher for them was, “We have even fasted.” The implication is, “Surely you can’t find fault with us, because we have humbled ourselves to the point that we have done without food in order to please you. We have been zealous for you, Lord.”

So how do we know they were deceived, that they were not worshipping the Lord in spirit and in truth (see John 4:24)? The Lord’s answer begins at the end of verse 3. Let’s read again verses 3-4, "Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. 4. Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high." The Lord points to their behavior. In spite of their fasting, their daily lives revealed the depth of their sins.

Notice what they were doing? “Behold, in the day of your fast you find pleasure.” The NASV says, “You find your desire.” NIV, “You do as you please.” ESV, “You seek your own pleasure.” Listen to the rather interpretive rendering of the Amplified: “Behold [O Israel], on the day of your fast [when you should be grieving for your sins], you find profit in your business.” Then the words that follow, “and exact all your labors.” That is, “You drive hard all your workers” (NASV). “You exploit all your workers” (NIV). “You oppress all your workers” (ESV). They certainly didn’t give their laborers an opportunity to seek God, because they demanded much from them. One commentator puts it like this: “Behold, on the day of your fasting ye carry on your business, and ye oppress all your laborers” (Keil & Delitsch, Isaiah, p. 315). Though they fasted, it was business as usual for them and those who worked for them. They may have abstained from food, but their fasting did not get in the way of what they wanted to do.

Furthermore, the Lord says, “Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness.” It is a bit difficult to understand exactly what the Lord had in mind, but it certainly isn’t a pretty picture. Most believe that their fasting made them more irritable than normal. Try going without food for a while and you might better understand that. As a result, they were even more harsh with their workers than before. They claimed to be fasting before God, but they were looking for a fight with any man who crossed them.

Is it any wonder that the Lord then says, “Ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high” (4b). “This kind of fasting is not going to give you an audience with God.”Do you see how deceived they were? They had convinced themselves that their fasting and other religious observances would obligate God to hear and answer their prayers. The Lord assures them that their kind of fasting would not be an aid to their prayers. This is very similar to what we read in Isaiah 1:10-15… (ESV)

¹⁰Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom!
Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!
¹¹ "What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD;
I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.

¹²"When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts?
¹³Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me.

New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.
¹⁴Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me;

I am weary of bearing them.
¹⁵When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers,
I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.

Now back to Isaiah 58:5 (ESV), “Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?” There was nothing wrong with a person humbling himself through fasting. Nor was there anything wrong with the sackcloth and ashes. These were outward ceremonies that went along with fasting (and prayer). But God was looking for expressions of inward humility and brokenness, rather than outward rituals. We see this all throughout the Old Testament prophets. The problem wasn’t the bringing of the sacrifices and the fasting; the problem was in the fact that these outward expressions were not true reflections of the heart.

May the Lord give us ears to hear. The performance of outward duties must never become a substitute for love of God and neighbor. There is a constant tendency to replace the inward reality with outward forms. Those outward forms may even be commanded by God. Nevertheless, those forms can become empty and hollow, when the heart isn’t right. That is exactly what we see here in Isaiah 58, as well as in chapter 1. They were fasting, but it was not a fasting that pleased God.

The test of our worship is not how loud we sing or how well we pray? It isn’t even enough to examine our hearts, because we are capable of fooling ourselves, even as these people did. Our worship may even include fasting or other forms of self-denial, but the true test of our worship is the life we live. The quality of our worship on Sunday is tested by the life we live on Monday. I had a professor who used to say, “It isn’t how high you jump, but how straight you walk when you come down.”

So if the Lord was not pleased with their fasting, then what kind of fasting did He desire?

II. The Lord’s Chosen Fast

Praise God that He tells us exactly what kind of fasting pleases Him. Let’s read it in verses 6-7…

Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? 7. Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and 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?

We could continue reading, and we will go through some of the rest of this passage, but the rest of the passage is pretty much an elaboration of what we have here in these two verses. In these few words, the Lord clearly tells us what kind of fast He is looking for, the kind of fasting that pleases Him. You cannot miss the fact that He says nothing about refraining from eating. Rather, He speaks about a certain kind of lifestyle.

Notice first of all that the fast which pleases the Lord is not focused on the one who is fasting, but rather upon those around him, particularly the oppressed and the poor. Verse 6 focuses on delivering those who are oppressed. The very first thing mentioned is loosing the bands of wickedness. This world is full of people who bear heavy burdens because powerful people are dealing with them in a wicked manner. Throughout the scriptures, we find that the Lord pours out His love and mercy on those who are oppressed. When we truly seek God, we will by necessity share His heart toward the oppressed. It will be our desire to see them set free.

Notice that last phrase in verse 6, “and that you break every yoke.” While there are rulers of nations that oppress their own people, that is not the greatest enslaving yoke known to man. The greatest yoke is the yoke of sin. We who belong to Christ know well that we were once dead in our trespasses and sins. We were the slaves of the prince of this world, Satan himself. There is no greater yoke. Fasting which does not concern itself with such a burden quickly becomes hypocrisy. Why? Because when we fast to seek the Lord, He will open our eyes to the spiritual bondage of others.

If verse 6 seems a bit fuzzy and lacks specifics, then move to verse 7. What kind of fast does the Lord prescribe? “Is it not to deal your bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor that are cast out (homeless poor -- ESV) into your house. When you see the naked, that you cover him; and that you hide not yourself from your own flesh.” What could be clearer? When someone needs food, give it to him. When someone needs shelter, provide it. When someone lacks clothing, make sure that he gets it. Don’t hide from fellow-human beings by pretending that you don’t see their needs. If you would like a summary of verse 7, you can find it in the words Jesus quoted from Lev. 19:18, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you are hungry, you feed yourself. How do you prove that you love your neighbor as much as yourself? Feed him.

You say, “But what does this have to do with fasting? Surely we can do these things without fasting?” Please allow me to explain. The people to whom the Lord is speaking here in Isaiah 58 were fasting, but they were not concerned about the oppressed and they were not providing the needs of the poor. As a matter of fact, the note at the end of verse 3 about them oppressing their workers indicates that they themselves were among the oppressors. The height of their hypocrisy was that they were totally missing the heart of their God, while they claimed to be seeking Him through fasting. The Lord isn’t saying there is no value in fasting, but rather that true fasting would lead them to rescue the oppressed and provide for the poor. Their lives were steeped in sin, and their fasting did nothing to address that sin. The truth of the matter is that they were using fasting and other religious disciplines as a substitute for true righteousness. We find the same thing in James 1:27, "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." The test of their religion was the way they lived, and they failed the test. Regardless of the wonderful worship experiences they may have claimed, it was all hypocrisy.

So should they have discontinued their fasting? No. They should have related their fasting to reality. How they needed to pray and fast, begging God to break their hard hearts and convict them of their sins. An ancient Rabbi once said, “Not eating is a natural fast, but abstaining from sin is a spiritual fast.” In other words, if fasting isn’t an attack on sin, then it is not the fast that the Lord desires. Fasting that does not result in greater practical righteousness and holiness is not worthy of the name. God-pleasing fasting touches the heart. If it is the fast which God chooses, it will drastically affect the way we view people around us.

Brothers and sisters, it is at this point that we are in great danger of concluding that Isaiah 58 doesn’t have much to do with us at the present time. After all, we don’t oppress people. We don’t withhold what we have from the poor, do we? If we are not careful, we will conclude that we live in a different era and because of our circumstances, Isaiah 58 is not really applicable to us. I want to ask you point blank: Does this passage have direct application to your life? If you think, “No,” I want to suggest that you are blind.

So here is the question: “Do you know any people who are in bondage, anyone who is oppressed?” Let’s cut right to the heart of the matter. Whether or not we know people who are physically oppressed, we know plenty who are spiritually oppressed. They are all around us. The great majority of people around us are without Christ, having no hope, and without God in the world, as Eph. 2:12 states it. They are oppressed by the devil. They are held captive by the god of this world, who has blinded the minds of those who do not believe (II Cor. 4:4). God sent His Son Jesus into this world to destroy the works of the devil (I John 3:8), to loose those whom the devil holds through captive the fear of death (Heb. 2:14-15). When Jesus was in the synagogue at Nazareth, He quoted from Isaiah 61:1-3…

The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2. To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3. To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

We read these words in Acts 10:37-38…

That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; 38. How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

Since we belong to Jesus, we are involved in the work of delivering those who are oppressed by the devil. We pursue that work by prayerfully and truthfully showing people that they can exchange their heavy yoke of bondage to Satan for the yoke of Jesus, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light (see Matt. 11:28-30).

Now move from Is. 58:6 to verse 7 and consider this question: “Are there still people who are hungry and who do not have adequate clothing and shelter?” How do you answer that question? Some of us have a tendency to say, “If there are, I don’t know any.” May the Lord grab us and pull our heads out of the sand. I am reading a quote from John Piper: “Our fast is not merely to deny ourselves but to supply the needs of others. About 40,000 children a day die from hunger and from easily preventable childhood diseases. ‘About a billion of the world’s people live in conditions of absolute poverty without even the most basic resources available--no adequate food, clothing, shelter, or medical care…400 million are severely malnourished--including more than 200 million children’” (­A Hunger for God, John Piper, p. 143; the quote within the quote is from The Cry of the Poor, Larry Libby, pp. 7-8). Can we say, “Too bad they don’t live in New Mexico, so that we could help them”?

This is where fasting comes into play. We don’t need to fast so that we can check off a box of religious duty. We don’t need to fast because we think we might not be spiritual enough, if we don’t. Brothers and sisters, we need to fast in order that the Lord might break our hard hearts. Can we live comfortable lives, while billions are starving both physically and spiritually, and our hearts not break? We might say, “But our hearts do break for those people.” Then Jesus says to us, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” What would I do for myself, if I didn’t have enough food to eat? I would go get me the food I needed. Do I love my neighbor like that?

But are these hurting people our neighbors? When Jesus told people to love their neighbor as themselves, He was asked that same question. He answered with the story we often call “The Good Samaritan.” A bunch of thugs jumped a man, beat him half to death, and took everything he had. A priest came by, saw him, crossed the road and passed by on the other side. A Levite soon came along and did the same thing. The third person to come along was one of those hated Samaritans, but he wasn’t like the priest and the Levite. Instead, filled with compassion, he dressed his wounds, put him on his own donkey, brought him to a lodge, and took care of him through the night. The next morning, he left this wounded man with the owner of the lodge, along with $250, adding, “And when I come back through, I will pay you for the additional costs to take care of this man.” Let’s suppose that came to another $100. This Samaritan interrupted his schedule, gave of himself freely in taking care of this man, and then shelled out $350 from his own wallet, expecting nothing in return. He had compassion on that man, and he proved it by pouring himself out on that man’s behalf. When Jesus finished the story and asked His listener which one of the three was a neighbor, he immediately said, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus said, “Go and do likewise.” So who is your neighbor? The one who has a need. It doesn’t matter where they live. You say, “But I don’t know if the money or food I send will get to them.” Then deliver it personally. Oh, I couldn’t do that. You would do it for someone you love. Love your neighbor yourself.

III. The Results of Choosing the Lord’s Fast

This passage is so rich that we obviously can’t get through all of it this morning, but nothing prevents you from spending more time in it. It isn’t extremely difficult to understand. In the rest of the passage, we see more of the same. Let’s note a few more phrases which speak of the kind of fasting that pleases the Lord… (ESV wording)

… if you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness (9)

… if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted (10)

… if you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day… (13-14)

But now let’s look at what happens, when a person is obedient and lives this kind of life. I may not list all of the results, but let’s look at a few of them. Start in verses 8-9a (ESV), “Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’” Down to verses 10b-12 (ESV), “Then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” Wow!

Notice those words, “Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.” These words are particularly interesting, in light of the context. Remember what they were saying in verse 3, “Why have we fasted and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves and you have taken no notice?” They were complaining because God wasn’t answering their prayers, even prayers aided by fasting. How do you think they were praying? Perhaps it was like this, “Lord, thank you for all your blessings. We pray that you will continue to take care of us and meet our needs. May we glorify you in all things and may you bless us abundantly.” Surely if they prayed for God to be glorified in all things, He would answer. No. Their lifestyle revealed that regardless of what words they used, their prayers were selfish and shortsighted. But now, when they begin to relieve the oppression of the afflicted, feed the hungry, and shelter the needy, the Lord will answer their prayers. Why? Because their prayers take on a different character. Their prayers are no longer focused on themselves, but on their neighbors. Surely they are praying that God will pour them out as a blessing to others. This is what we find Paul doing in II Cor. 4:7-12…

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 8. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9. Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 10. Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 11. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. 12. So then death worketh in us, but life in you.

Can we pray like that? Even if death and suffering comes to me, that’s fine, as long as life comes to those around me.

And then notice those words at the end of verse 11, “And you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” Doesn’t it kind of remind you of John 7:38, where Jesus said, “Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” But don’t miss this -- before he speaks of them being a spring of water, he says that they will be like a watered garden. They themselves will be refreshed like a watered garden. When you go out in the heat of the afternoon and look at the garden plants that have not been watered in a while, what do you find? They are dry and droopy. They have a wilted look. It’s almost as if they are saying, “Won’t you please give me some water.” How they thrive, when you put the water to them. Now they are an oasis in the desert.

Please hear me. To the degree that we live to deliver others from oppression and go about meeting the needs of the afflicted, we will be like a watered garden. We will experience the refreshing that only God can bring. That refreshing does not come from physical rest, from guarding our comfort; it comes from loving God by extending ourselves to our neighbors, wherever they may be found.

Please allow me to read the testimony of a pastor who found this truth to be life-changing…

I recall a testimony from Bill Leslie, the former pastor of LaSalle Street Church in Chicago, who had a long and remarkable ministry in the city, not unlike the one described in Isaiah 58. He came to Minneapolis once and told of a near breakdown that he had had and how a spiritual mentor directed him to this chapter. He said it was verse 11 that saved him from a dead-end street of exhaustion and burnout.

And if you give yourself to the hungry, And satisfy the desire of the afflicted,

Then your light will rise in darkness, And your gloom will become like midday.

And the Lord will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places [like urban Chicago]

And give strength to your bones;

And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. (Is. 58:10-11)

What struck Pastor Leslie so powerfully was the fact that God promises to make us like a watered garden (not just a watering ministry, but a watered ministry). That is, we will receive the water we need for refreshment, and we will become a spring of water that does not fail--for others--for the demanding, exhausting, draining ministry of urban self-giving. This gave him a pattern of divine life that got him through his crises and kept him going for years more. The amazing thing we need to see here is that Isaiah calls this experience of being watered as a garden for others a kind of fasting.

Conclusion

So ultimately the fast the Lord chooses cannot be expressed by simply abstaining from food. Physical fasting from food is only a means to an end. When it becomes an end in itself, it ceases to be pleasing to the Lord. When we look at Isaiah 58, we might conclude something like this: “The fast the Lord chooses has nothing to do with abstaining from food. Rather, it is all about sharing our food and our lives with others in need. As long as I am concerned about othes, I don’t need to fast.”

But now let me tell you about a man I know. He was recently sitting quietly in his home reading a Christian book. The author was talking about being obedient to God and being willing to take risks in order to follow Jesus. It was good reading and packed a powerful message. The man reading was thoroughly enjoying it. Suddenly it occurred to him that the temperature was dropping dangerously low and there were people who might not have enough shelter to get them through the night. After a moment, he dismissed the thought and went back to reading his book.

Think about it. How can this man sit there in the comfort of his home, knowing full well that his neighbor could freeze to death? How is it possible? Doesn’t this man know that he and his neighbor were fashioned by the same Creator? Doesn’t this man know that Jesus left the glory of heaven and came to this messed-up world in order to rescue him from his sin? Has he not read the words from his Bible, “Love your neighbor as yourself?” Doesn’t he fear hearing Jesus say, “Depart from me, you cursed ones, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels… Inasmuch as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not unto me” (Matt. 25:41,45)? How is it possible for that man to sit there and read his book while his neighbor is in such danger?

Chances are, he will be in a worship service this Sunday alongside many others who are living in the same fairytale world, where people will not let the suffering and death around them interrupt their nice worship routines. They will read about Jesus making Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, humbling Himself, and becoming obedient even unto death. But when they hear the call, “Let this same mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus,” they interpret it to mean that they should sing louder and pray with a more sincere heart.

Brothers and sisters, I was that man who sat there in his easy chair. Were it not for the persistence of a merciful and gracious God, I would have continued to sit there and never moved. I fear that I and we are in desperate need of hearing the message of Isaiah 58, that we could be the people who are so addicted to our religious routines that we turn a deaf ear to those who are in bondage.

In order that we not turn a deaf ear to our Lord, we need to seek Him with holy desperation and ask Him to deliver us from the deception that rules the religion around us. We need to pray, “really pray,” as Norman put it Wednesday evening. We need to spend some extended time on our knees or on our faces before God. In that desperate kind of praying, there just might be a place for fasting, for saying to God, “Lord, I so want you to open my eyes to your truth that I am going to set outside the physical in order that I might seek You and You alone.”