Seems like we're importing preachers every week now. Or where are you Florida? Alabama, well, not as good as Florida. But you know,
Roll Tide.
Father, we just again come before you glorifying your name. And we ask that you give us the courage, not just to hear the words that we are and we are given this morning, but that we'll be obedient to the Father, I asked for your blessings, then to be upon john as he delivers these words that you have placed on his heart. We're thankful for his presence here today. And every day that he works among us, thank you, Father, and Jesus Christ's name, amen.
So before my message, am I on I am yes, no, check one, check two, hey. Or am I just low. Maybe I'm just a little low. It's okay. I'm gonna hand this mic to Seth, because we've been praying for Mitchell Nielsen, and I asked Seth to do this week's. So the prayer requests here that Seth is going to be praying for. And if you don't know, Mitchell Nielsen gave these to us through Lauren. Thank you, Lauren. And so today, we're gonna be praying for wisdom and courage for the administration, and others in the leadership positions there. So there you go.
If you guys will pray with me, this. Father, I thank you for all the teachers and administrators at this school. I just, it's just amazing how much patience these people have. And so I just bless them right now that they would have so much patience and kindness towards every child, that they administer. To and with, Lord, I pray for every teacher, to be anointed with wisdom from your Holy Spirit, to have guidance and decisions, especially when the when the kids come to them for help. For life situations for family matters, for all things pertaining to school and homework, that you would give them, just the extra patience that requires to respond with a kind answer. On board that they would they would display the love of Jesus to every kid Lord, that that even when kids walk into class, that they would feel the presence of God, they'd feel loved from their peers, and from the ones that are over them. So Lord, I even pray that supernatural love would begin to manifest in every single classroom in such a way that it changes cold hearts, Hearts of Stone, to being open and receptive to the king of the universe. And when I prayed these kids as they experienced the love from the teachers and administrators, that they would go home and display the same love to their family, the same respect the same kindness. So Lord, I just pray for a wave of love and kindness and peace and prosperity in every way at the school. And especially for the top down leadership, that this would be a theme. And what stands out amongst every other school is that this school and this community loves one another. So let them love one another, let them build each other up. But it'd be the teachers encourage each other. Let them give good gifts of hospitality and encouragement. Let this be a positive school. Any spirits of depression, anxiety, any, any horrible things are taking place in the home, I pray that all those things will be changed, radically transformed by the love that begins to be displayed here. So bless these teachers, bless their finances, bless their income, bless their families, let it be all around in total encompassing blessing for this entire administration at this school, in the name of Jesus, amen.
Let's go. Alright, so Can y'all hear me okay? Or no? Is it still kind of wacky, is weird. It might be just coming out of the monitors. I can talk I can preach to that microphone if I need to. Alright, I'm just gonna start Yes. Hello. You working on it? No. All right. I was pretty soon microphone. I guess. Y'all know I really like to have my arms free. And I feel like I'm in a straight jacket when I have one of these things. It actually doesn't feel that bad. Okay, so a few things if y'all want to go ahead and turn we're going to start and we'll talk about a few things first to Deuteronomy chapter nine. A couple of weeks ago, whenever we I taught last we talked about fasting This month, we've called the church to those who want to participate in fasting to join us. There is a spreadsheet online, it's been emailed a few times, not too many people are signed up yet. So I think my sermon was garbage last time. So I'm gonna try to do better this time, y'all. But if you would sign up, that would be awesome. I had had some feedback from the first message, some people saying, you know, haven't really had that much teaching on fasting, right? It's just something that the church doesn't talk about a lot. Or I haven't fasted that much, or even, I've seen the word fast in the Bible, and I read about these great men and women of God who fast and I just never thought was that for me, like, just God, what do you want me to do this. So today, we're gonna go like, I think I called it a survey. But it's not really a full one survey, we're gonna look at four passages in the Old Testament. Next time, I'll look at passages in the New Testament. So I just wanted to look to go back here. And today, what we're going to do is I'm not going to give all the answers, kind of like when we've done DBS, I want to look at a passage. And I would like us all to, as we're reading through this be thinking about, basically how, what does this mean? Why were they fasting? And how can we actually apply it to our lives? Right? Like, not just thinking it as something far away that Moses did or something? But are there lessons are there actually practical lessons here that we can learn, and we could apply to our lives when it comes to fasting? So with that being said, I'm going to start off in Deuteronomy, chapter nine. This is the mention of the first fast in the entire Bible. If you go to Exodus 34, is where it mentions this the first time, this is Moses reflecting on the Israelites in their rebellion, and he's going to mention the two times that himself fasting in this passage. So I'm going to start in verse seven, this is the longest passes we're going to look at today. The most of them are pretty short. This isn't super long, but I guess it's try to stay focused. And ask yourself as we're, as we're looking at this, ask yourself, How can I actually take what Moses did and apply it? or How can the community of believers apply it to themselves when it comes to fasting? All right, I'm starting verse seven. This is when they're stepping over, they're about to go over the cross the Jordan and enter into the promised land. Moses reminds me says, Remember, and do not forget how you provoke the Lord your God in the wilderness. You've been rebelling against the Lord, from the day you left the land of Egypt, until you reach this place. So he's reminding them that hey, since you guys were escaped out of Egypt, since God saved you out of Egypt, you guys have been in rebellion, Israel has been rebellion. You provoked the Lord at Horeb, as he was angry enough with you to destroy you. That's a pretty strong language, isn't it? Like he was very, very upset. When I went up the mountain to receive the stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant the Lord made with you, I stayed on the mountain, 40 days and 40 nights. I did not eat food, or drink water. So this is the mention of the first fast in the Bible. He it was when Moses went up and received the commandments of the Lord.
On the day of the assembly, the Lord gave me the two stone tablets inscribed by the Lord's finger, the exact words were on them with the Lord spoke to you from the fire on the mountain. The Lord gave me two stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant, at the end of 40 days and 40 nights. The Lord said to me, get up, go down immediately from here, for your people whom you brought out of Egypt have acted corruptly. So as he's on the mountain receiving these commandments, fasting, 40 days and 40 nights, God says, Alright, it's time to go. Because the people are acting crazy. They have quickly turned from the way that I commanded them. They have made a cast image for themselves. The Lord also said to me, I have seen this people and indeed they are a stiff neck, people leave me alone. This is what God is saying, leave me alone, I will destroy them. And we'll blot out their name under heaven. Then I will make you into a nation stronger and more numerous than they so he's saying go down the mountain. This is where the Israelites made the golden calf right? They given up their gold, Aaron had cast this golden calf. Moses was up, and they said that he delayed, it was only 40 days and 40 nights. It wasn't super long. It didn't take them long before they're worshipping an idol. Isn't that's an interesting, isn't it? When are you just a little bit more. So I went back down the mountain why it was blazing with fire in two of the tablets of the covenant were in my hand. And I saw how you had sinned against the Lord your God. You made a calf image for yourself. You had quickly turned from the way the Lord had commanded for you. So I took hold of the two tablets and threw them from my Hands shattering them before your eyes. I fell down like the first time in the presence of the Lord, for 40 days and 40 nights. I did not eat food or drink water because of the sin you committed, doing what was evil in the Lord sight and anger in him. So Moses fasted 80 days and at nights, he may have eaten food in between these two times of 40, for sure, but in a very short period of time, this can only be done miraculously, supernaturally. If you don't drink water for 40 days, you will die unless God gives you some kind of a supernatural thing. But he did this for Moses during this during the time of receiving these commandments. And the covenant of God the law. He said, that is did I read? 18 Yeah, 19 I was afraid of the fierce anger the Lord had directed against you because he was about to destroy you. But again, God, listen to me. On that occasion, the Lord was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him. But I prayed for Aaron. At that time also, I took the sinful calf you had made and burned it, I crushed it thoroughly, grinding it to powders finders dust and threw its dust into the stream. And that came down from the mountain. That's a lot, isn't it? That is that's a heavy passage, where Moses they're being reminded people of Israel of the sin that they committed whenever Moses went up to get the covenant, don't just reflect on that part. I want us to think through just straight up these two times of fasting and ask ourselves kind of what was the why behind? Why was why was Moses fasting? How can we apply that to our lives, I want to have Meg pull up workflowy so that we can write some of these things on here. I'm not fishing for a specific answer, I'm actually just want to generate a discussion about this. So you don't have to rush Usually, it takes us a minute to prime the pump here at stones river sometimes, but anyone have any thoughts about like what we just read with Moses, like how we could actually take what we read, can think about us and our personal fasting, why we might fast or whatnot. Just raise your hand and I'll give you the microphone. And if you don't want the microphone, then you can
just talk real loud. Fasting would be a good thing when we're looking for a word from the Lord when when we're needing His revelation
in context, God and instruct instructed Moses and I believe the Israelites, you know, follow the commands that I give you. And so fasting would be quite appropriate going into the presence of God to focus on his word not what we think we want to hear from God but the focus on his work it takes all attention and puts it there stir been
fasting would be very appropriate as we are lamenting the problem of sin in our lives and in the world. Awesome, Seth.
We're going now. I like this when everyone participates
say that suffering creates dependency. And it you know, especially in fasting, it shifts our dependency upon something else. You know, food can't provide it. Something else needs to God can.
Awesome anyone else. Going once going twice, is almost three times but check out that handout.
Passing is a way of taking our attention away from the things of the world so that we can concentrate and think about the will have God created our father.
That's really good. Whenever they fasted here This is I mean, if you ask the Jewish people today, what's the foundation of Judaism? I mean, some like a talk about Abraham and stuff, but it's the law. It's that this is this moment. This is a huge moment for the Jewish people when they receive the law. When Moses received it on Sinai, and this is, in this moment of this big shift for the people of Israel, what is Moses doing as the leader like it's, it's amazing to watch this man of God, who's been called out from the burning bush, He humbled Himself. Moses was a humble man Moses didn't I've got it right and I'm gonna he humbled himself before God went before God listened exactly what we're talking about here. Waiting for the first Johnson for this this revelation, like what what is God's calling in Davido? All these like, that's kind of the gist of what we've been talking about. What is God calling us to? And even It's been said that even lamenting as john brought up earlier, the, the situation, the challenges, we have this in our lives, I mean, like, there is awful brokenness around us. And I like how john has said, that was a big part. Like oftentimes, we sometimes are maybe afraid to lament the sin or afraid to like, like we're supposed to put on a brave face. But there's a whole book called limitations. Where it's lamenting over Jerusalem, and over the people of God, and in over sin, and over these things that are taking place. And that's what you see Moses that second time going up, and he's lamenting, he's saying, God, what it's interesting is Moses didn't sin. Like, I mean, of course, Moses sinned. But in this situation, Moses didn't sin. Moses isn't broken about his own sin, though we can be and we should be. But in this situation, he's broken over the people of God. So think about that, even in our lives. Do we experience a brokenness for our city? Do we experience brokenness for the church? Ben, we are talking about different things that we that in the church in America and just different struggles. And if we do, it's okay for us to lament and too fast, to humble ourselves before God say God, we need to, we need to change. There's things that need to change here. And I say the things that needs to change. And God's church here in America or whatever, wherever we're talking about taking day, to fast taking a meal to fast and to cry out and to ask for direction God, not just, I'm upset, but where do you want us to go? I want to fast to hear your voice. I want to fast because you're our my substance, sustenance, God, as Seth was saying, like, I want to yield to you. Really good. Let's look at the next passage, which will be Esther. Esther chapter four. And while y'all are turning, they're just a reminder of what's happening. Uh, Haman convinces King hashey rs to basically commit genocide against the Jewish people not basically to commit genocide against the Jewish people. Literally says, I'll read it, verse 13, if chapter three literally says letters were sent by couriers to each of the Royal provinces, telling the officials to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jewish people, young and old, women and children and plunder their possessions on a single day. It's even hard to connect with that passage is it? I mean, like to mentally emotionally connect with a passage that says because you are, you know, from this people group, your children, your family, you're all gonna die. When you have the, it just blows my mind. I can't even I really can't connect with it to try to but it's very difficult. But imagine if that were to happen if they were to say everyone in America that has English or German or whatever routes we're gonna have. Everyone has a right to go kill you and your family. What did the people of God do during this time of their? This is the people of God that God has raised up from Abraham, like they're on the verge of being annihilated? What do they do? What do they do? So there's two two passages we're going to look at, in this short in this chapter four. That mentioned fasting. So chapter four, verse one says, When Mordecai learned all that had occurred, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes. So we went there, he was lamenting, he went in the middle of the city and cried loudly and bitterly. Well, that's not a man of God, you should say you have more faith.
First, who says he went only as far as the heat the king's gate, since the law prohibited anyone wearing sackcloth from entering the king's gate, verse three, there was great mourning among the Jewish people. In every province where the king's command and eat it came, they fasted, wept and lamented and many lay in sackcloth and ashes. That's the first part. Then if we go over to verse 15 what happens is Mordecai basically encouraging he's encouraging Esther to go stand before the king and Esther's having thoughts like, Hey, I could die for this. She needs the encouragement. Right? Oftentimes we, you know, we see the brave acts of people like Esther and think, man, that she's just so brave. She is brave. But bravery is overcoming fear. She was scared. She needed someone to encourage her to do this. And she makes a determination. Yes, I'm gonna go before the king. That's where she says, If I perish, I perish. But it says in verse 15, she had something for the Jewish people to do. All right. It says Esther sent this reply to Mordecai, go and assemble all the Jews who can be found in Susa? And do what? in fast for me, the Jewish people are on the verge of annihilation. What does she want them to do fast for me, don't eat or drink for three days, day or night, night or day, excuse me, I and my female servants will also faster the same way. So Esther is not just saying you do it, we do it as a people of God. After that, I will go to the king, even if it's against the law, if I perish, I perish. So with those two things in mind, what do we have, that we can apply or think through about fasting and apply to our lives. I like that picture right there. Sometimes I found a real good one, like
growing up in a religious mindset of giving something up ferlin, which is not a negative, not intended to be that way. But the emphasis was simply on giving something up. Here, it's, and what I see in Scripture, it's purpose driven. God has a plan, God has His will for us. And he wants us to connect with him, to hear his will, and to do His will.
In the second, when she calls for the people to fast, there's a solidarity. And you know, we we see children being abused or sold as sex slaves or things like that, and we feel helpless. But we could, we could devote a fast out of solidarity for those who are doing without as an act of faith that God can intervene and God can break through where we don't have power. Places of injustice. extremely good all day. Exercise.
I was just gonna say where we saw Moses. And Deuteronomy was a that fasting was a relief, and a retreat from anger. This is more of a silent form of protest to the events happening.
Um, is it okay if I share something that's going on? Oh, okay. So I teach and my next door neighbor teacher is she has made the decision to go teach at a different school at the end of the month. And so I'm very sad that she's leaving, but very happy for her because it's a good move. But what I was worried about is that we would not be able to get a new teacher into our school, because there's a teacher shortage. So since we're fasting and praying, I texted all the teachers in her team and said, I'm I'm going to fast breakfast on Wednesdays and pray specifically about this, if you guys want to join me, and they are all like, yeah, will join me and I thought they were just gonna like pray on Wednesday mornings, but they fasted too. So we've all been fasting and praying about it together. And that's been really nice just to be together in that and then we had four people apply, which was a big deal. They really wanted one of them, and then that person took another job, but at least we have three people to consider. We're hoping maybe somebody else will come along, but that's just been really nice to know that we're all doing this together. And that we can talk about it and share together in it.
That's really good. That's one of the strong one of the strong pieces of this is that they facet as community I'm with both Dave and I'm talking about
going back to the first point and just to add on to it it is purpose driven but there's also an expected result and there's a hoped for result to come from whatever fast is being enacted and I think you see that with what she did
Yeah, I was gonna kind of say something on the terms of that like since the Jews are like the promise people of God I think in this passage specifically Not only is fasting I'm making them be dependent on God but I think in this case as well it's increasing their faith and reminding themselves of the promises of what God has said about these people
really good anything else here yeah it's such a it's such a interesting passage beginning with that limit again right with with with the Jewish people lamenting the situation they're in even that kind of idea of protest you know, like this is not right we should this should not be taking place john, as john mentioned, there's places like that all over our city all over our country challenges in here the people of God stand up and they say no, we're not not not only are we going to say this isn't right. But we're going to put all of our trust in God and faith assess and we have some faith in God that he's going to write this and as part of that they came together as a community you know, oftentimes we see fasting as an individual thing and it can be Moses fasted he was an individual right? But oftentimes through scriptures it's a community coming together saying this isn't we're going to fast and we're going to seek God for this in fasting is it's an exercise of trusting God this is a huge trust God like it's I'm not you're not trying to fix a situation in this situation you're just relying you're completely rely on God it's not a lazy thing it's not a thing where you say we're just going to fast all the time we will never do it's receiving from God during fasting and doing what God calls you. Esther had to do something here but in the midst of that the people of God joined with her didn't know what do we do but we can pray and we can fast and we can see God right on. Let's go to Daniel nine we have two more passages. See what
my phone somewhere I don't know. I guess I'll find my phone after services over to my back pocket.
To make sure we're good on time we are it's only 1108 I was looking for my deodorant this morning and looking at all these drawers and everything and my son Jonah says it's right there right in front of you on the counter that on the house. And larysa laughed because that is a common apparently he was right there. So Daniel, chapter nine. Whoops, go back here. I almost said let me scroll back. So much. Just flipping the page. We went through the whole book of Daniel. Um, so I'm gonna go ahead and this will kind of give us context as we begin to read the people of Israel are in Babylonian captivity. It's what's going on. In verse one, it says, In the first year of derrius, the son of the Hashi RS and mead by birth, who was made keen over the Kaldi and Kingdom. In the first year of his reign, I Daniel understood from the books, according to the word of the Lord to the prophet Jeremiah, that the number of years for the desolation of Jerusalem would be 70. So basically, he's in captivity. And he's trying to figure out like trying to understand by reading Jeremiah, who we have, we can read Jeremiah Isn't that cool? Reading and he says, Oh, I think I perceive that this is 70 years and there towards the end of that 70 years in captivity, so what does he do? In verse three, it says, so I turned my attention to the Lord God, to seek Him by prayers, and petitions with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. I'm not going to read his whole prayer, I'll just give you a little bit of it. It says, and I prayed to the Lord my God and confess all Lord the great and asked on spiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned, done wrongly acted wickedly, rebelled and returned in turn away from your commands and ordinances. We have not listened to your servants, the prophets who spoken your name to our kings, leaders, fathers, and all the people of their land. There's a bunch of that in his prayer, a lot of God you are faithful, and we're not a lot of that. And then I'm going to go to verse 20. Just to show what happens and he continues in this prayer, he's in sackcloth ashes. He's fasting before God. He's trying to seek understanding of what this means about the 70 Yours. It says in verse 20, while I was speaking, praying, confessing my sin, and the sin of the people of Israel, in presenting my petition before the Lord God concerning the holy mountain of my God, while I was praying Gabriel, the man I had seen in the first vision reached me in that crazy Gabriel comes to him in my extreme weariness So Daniel wasn't like, Hey, I'm super strong man, I'm good to go. This fast and him pray had him he was weary from the, from what was taking place, in his extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering. He gave me this explanation, Daniel, I have come now to give you understanding, at the beginning of your petition, an answer went out, and I have come to give it for you are treasured by God. So consider the message and understand the vision. And he goes on to say 70 weeks or decreed about your people, he gives him an understanding. This is what Daniel was praying for at the beginning of this thing. So with that said, do we have some things to share about fasting in what Daniel does is he goes into fasting and prayer to seek God for understanding of his word, and the times that they live in. Take your time I'm not going to rush through this
very fact that says, so I turn to
David said, so I turned to the Lord So Daniel was seeking God as you mentioned earlier like he was recognizing his and he can't understand this without God and so as part of fasting was him turning to God saying God I have the only way for him to get understanding was from the Lord he recognized so we sought God for that I love that Jared there was an act of repentance something they have actions that they can pursue god i'm gonna i'm re I'm saying these against the people who didn't hear him can hear it and because it records it on the podcast okay someone listens but it was also a call to repentance is what Jared was saying here for that for him self and the people of God turn in which repentance is turning away from the way they have been living their life and as he chose to go into repentance part of that was fasting before the Lord without you raise your hand and Dave said was it was intercessory like crying out for the people of God and what was taking place yeah. Anything else? There
I just like
he says as soon as you begin to pray
so I think in the midst of us a week like we need to the president because he needed to get
a word. Yeah. So Derek was talking about that versus says that at the beginning of the prayer, the word went out and he was just talking about continuing to press on the Lord he was in extreme weariness so that's a good thing like when we fast there gonna be times where you is weary it doesn't feel good you're hungry. But Derek was talking about pressing through and recognizing there's a spiritual breakthrough that takes place here there's he's praying for understanding and God gives him understanding and it's interesting to kind of see into that spirit realm of the Daniel does that the book of day allows us to see into that like there are things taking place that we don't recognize angels and and all these things that are going on into recognize that the fasting and seeking of God, things are happening while we're doing that. You want this. Oh, okay, cool. That's what he that's what Seth was gonna say. We're on the same page, like we're related or something. I like it when my wife laughs out loud. It doesn't happen a lot. Like it's usually not my best jokes, either. I don't know. I guess their sense of humor. No, no, it was going great. And I just blew it. No, I'm not. I'm done. All right, David. David really knows how to do to tell the good jokes. All right. So yeah, I mean, there's there's a lot that's going on here in this in the passage in this passage of Daniel and it really strikes me that he really desiring to under he's trying to understand the times he lives in, what is the time and what is God's desire for us. And as he seeks that and begins to get an understanding, he doesn't just say, Okay, I'm done. I think I've got an idea. He wants a full understanding as much as possible that he can know what God has. And when he does that, he begins to fast have any of us been reading the Word? I thought about this today, like, so many times when I'm reading the Word and I don't understand something, I immediately go listen to a preacher or go look up a commentary about it. And that's good. Like, we are the people of God, we should like, that's not a bad thing to do. But I was just asked myself, when was the last time I just said, I'm gonna fast today, or I'm gonna fast lunch, God, I'm going to seek understanding in the scriptures from you, and ask and humble myself and say, God, give me understanding. And then just as he did, he didn't just pray for it. He was diving into the scriptures, he was, he was reading that he was trying to gain an understanding. And I really, really thought that that was cool. Alright, so the last passage that we're going to look at, is Isaiah 58. Such a good one. This actually is just a little bit after Isaiah 56, which was if y'all remember when we talked about the house of prayer for all nations, and, and being better than sons and daughters, and all this beautiful, this beautiful passage. There's a warning here to the people of Israel in Isaiah 58. And I think that we can learn a lot when it comes to fasting. So this is the last passage we're going to look at, we're going to start go ahead and start in the first verse. And there are so many more passages about fasting, I tried to get some that hit at different angles. But there are some themes that are woven throughout this for sure, but just different seeking God for understanding seeking God on behalf of people, the people of God seeking God, lamenting, and all these different things. But let's, let's look at the heart of God when it comes to fasting here, cry out loudly, don't hold back, raise your voice like a trumpet, tell my people their transgression in the house of Jacob their sins. So what's the Israel since it says they seek me day after day into light to know my ways, like a nation that does what is right, and does not abandon the justice of their God. They ask me for righteous judgments, they delight in the nearness of God. This is really interesting here. It makes me think about us in our culture, like there was a sense in which they did pursue God, or they did desire justice from at least their oppressors. Like there's a sense where they desire some of God. And this passage really has got me It gets me to check my heart. You know, they go to church, they do these things. But it says in verse three, they have a question to God. They say, why have we fasted? But you have not seen? We have denied ourselves, but you haven't noticed? So these people are fasting, they're denying themselves, but they're not seeing any difference. Nothing's happening. And they're wanting to know. I mean, john mentioned that we can ask God questions we get, they're asking God, hey, why am I fasting? Why am I praying? Why am I seeking you and nothing's happening God.
I love this because this will show us sorry, I don't want to get too preachy, because I want us all, to gather to under to grab to grab hold of this, but fasting is not just about not eating. That's what the beautiful thing about this whole passage. It's not about just saying, Okay, I'm not gonna eat today. What's God's response to this question? It's found in verse four, right? I didn't finish I did finish read at night. I did finish three or I need to No, No, I didn't. You're right. You're right. I finish that. Okay. I'm just gonna, I'm gonna read the beginning of verse three, again, with a question. Why have we fasted, but you have not seen? We have denied ourselves but you haven't noticed God's response? Look, you did as you please, on the day of your fast and oppress all your workers. You fast with contention and strife, to strike viciously with your fist. You cannot fast as you do today, hoping to make your voice heard on high. So they're oppressing people. They're just not walking with God's it in the realities of God's kingdom and what he desired for the people of Israel. It's there's so many things that that encompasses, and then God says, will the fast I choose be like this? A day for a person to deny Himself to bow down his head like a read, to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the Lord? So we denying yourself putting on sackcloth and ashes Is this what is this the end of what God all wants to just encompass all of what God wants? Isn't verse six. Isn't this the fast I choose to break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke, is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your house, to clothe the naked, when you see them, and to not ignore your own flesh and blood, then he has a thing that will take place, if they choose to fast, rightly says, then your light will appear like the dawn. So after you've done these things, Ezreal and your recovery will come quickly. Your righteousness will go before you in the Lord's glory will be your rear guard. At that time, when you call the Lord will answer. When you cry out, he will say here I am. See there's a sense in which we say these things like God, he hears and answers every prayer. He basically saying right here, I don't answer every prayer. If you're not doing these things, if you don't care for the oppressed, the poor, the hungry, then I'm not going to answer you. But if you do, then I'm going to answer you. Yes. Really interesting. Oh, man, where am I at with verse Matt? Who's following along? 8909. At that time, when you call the Lord will answer. When you cry out, he will say here I am if you get rid of the yoke among you, and the finger pointing and malicious speaking. And if you offer yourself to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted one, then your light will shine in darkness. And your night will be like noon day, the Lord will always lead you and satisfy you in a parched land and strengthen your bones, so forth and so on. I could keep going. It's really good stuff. So before I get too preachy, I'll pause and ask what the Lord speaking to y'all like what is what are some things that you're thinking about? I will say before I say this, that this passage, oftentimes we can go from one ditch of just fasting for no reason to another ditch that says, Well, we don't need to not eat, we just need to do these things that it says here. That doesn't make sense because Jesus says when you fast, we talked about that two weeks ago, you know, put oil on your face, but basically he's saying, God is saying, Listen, you can't just fast and my heart is not just too fast to not eat. While you oppress people why you don't take care of it's a combination of the two is all I'm gonna say. So what is what is this revealing was showing us about what God wants and how we can apply that when we fast.
Fasting should not be just about us, or part of it, but it's not necessarily for us. I know sometimes in the tradition that I was raised, and it was you know, there was this side note of, well, the, the bigger thing you give up the more righteous or spiritual you are. And now it's it's not directed towards me.
It's really good. Fasting can be very hypocritical. That's very true.
I think about when Jesus was baptized, the Spirit came upon him. And he was led out into the wilderness where He fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. He didn't just fast food. Jesus God, the Lord, the spirit took him away from civilization period. He fasted everything that could grab a hold of him that could take his attention away from the, the desires of his father. the desires of his father is to help all humanity. So Jesus passage from all of those things that can cause our thinking to go awry. From what he's all about. It's not just food. Bass unrighteousness bass from it.
Awesome. Anyone else? Derek. I love this one. So
God's presence, also making sure that we put on God's nature.
So Derek say when we see God's presence with fasting, we also want to make sure we put out his nature of who he is. It's good. That must have spurred something in his mind.
I was gonna say like, it kind of reminds me of somebody, maybe among our friends comes up to us and says, they can't pay their utility bill this week. And we say, well, I'll pray for you, brother, no informa we have the capacity to help in that way. I think it's the same with fasting. And oftentimes God's promises are contingent upon, if you then I will, part of fasting is fasting, but also following through with action on whatever we're fasting about. So it can be seen through there's a collaborative effort.
Yes, something Bruce, are you wrestling your arm? Hold on, let me give this to you. This show does not blind God to our life. Okay, I'll say our religious show does not blind God to our life. That's really good.
As they it goes on to say, Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen to lose the chains of injustice, and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the opress free to break every yoke? Is that not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter? When you see the naked the clothing and not turn away from your own flesh and blood, then your light will break forth? Like the dawn?
That's right. That's right. Anybody else? Whenever we fast our hearts hopefully as a community and as people align with God's kingdom purposes. As we said, many of us said we can't if we just decide, we're going to fast just to fast just to take it and I've done this, can I tell you I've had once a week fasting for a little while, and there's times in my seasons in my life, and I go What am I doing? I'm just kind of doing it because it's probably a good idea. I'm just being real, right? Like, Hey, I should probably fast. But really taking even that time of fasting, to ask myself who are the oppressed people here in our city? There's, there's oppressed people who are the broken people who are the poor. And God has just really been wrecking me lately with what can I do to help like, even reading a book, I was talking to john about when helping hurts if anyone's ever It's really good. But it talks about alleviating poverty. Without just oftentimes, we just give money to something. And we don't recognize that we're actually hurting often more times than we're, then we're helping, I'll give you a real quick story. In the book, it was talking about a group that found like inner city projects at church did, and they had a good idea. And that was to bring Christmas gifts to the kids. And so they went and they would hand out Christmas gifts. And they noticed that they didn't see fathers or men around very much. The reason they didn't see men around very much was because the root of the problem was the men had no self confidence to go get jobs and the ability or people helping them go do it. So whenever the white church came in, to give inner city people, their gifts, it reinforced shame on these men. And it wasn't helping the actual root of the situation, reinforce these kids going well, my dad can't buy this thing for me and the wife going, my husband can't get a good enough job to go and to do this. I share that to say like, as we've been fasting and praying, part of what we're doing is saying God, how can we help this community? How can we join in your kingdom plan? Where is their poverty? Where is their brokenness? What types of poverty, what types of brokenness are there in our city, and us telling us and that's actually doing the hard work? It's tough, is so hard when people are broken man, and we're broken. It's a take two steps forward, a step back, step forward. It's a challenge to see these things because these are mindsets that have been given to people for such a long time, a whole life even. But God as a people, what are some things that we can truly do to to work What's your desire isn't when Jesus goes into the synagogue and he reads in Luke chapter four, right? And he talks about preaching good news to the poor, setting the oppressed free like this is a part of God's kingdom. God's kingdom is not about just getting people to say a sinners prayer is not just about people coming to church. That's like I could see God saying, Yeah, you go to church on Sunday. Yeah, you you know, you listen to Christian radio, but there are people that are being oppressed, there are people out there that are broken, they're people that need folks to show them how to budget to show that like simple practical stuff to show them how to, to get jobs that I know so many people in my mind that they just don't think they can get jobs that actually pay the bills, because they just had these meet these jobs that don't pay well their whole lives. And they cannot get out of that mindset of what you mean, I could actually make 60 $70,000 like, it doesn't even enter their mind. Because it's just like, let's get by day by day by day by day by day. But asking God as a community, that's one thing I'd like for us to do is we fast and pray is to ask God, Lord, where are these places? And how can we help and God what connections? let's just let's pray right now for this. And then we're going to take a couple minutes and listen to God's voice as we've been doing. But But Father, I, just as we're, we're talking amongst each other, and you're here right now. So we just want to continue to talk to you. In Holy Spirit, we ask for your wisdom, your revelation, I asked for your
I guess just even stick to itiveness determination. To see your kingdom here in Murfreesboro. Lord, this isn't, you know, this isn't about building a quote unquote, church. This is about building the kingdom of God and your church. And so we ask specifically this morning, that we wouldn't be that we would heed this warning that you gave to the Israelites. And that we wouldn't be a people who just kind of go above about our way, do a little fast, a little prayer here. But we don't care for those Lord, who are broken in the brokenness in our city, God. And so we ask very practically right now that you would begin to open our eyes that you would begin to give us connections. And help us to do to walk out what you call us to do. We want to be people that sees healing in our city. We want to we want to see holistic healing. People who don't have jobs and are struggling to make ends meet, or to, to start new businesses and bless others, and hire employees so that they can bless others, to have businesses that are ran with Kingdom mindsets that care for others that love others that serve others that put the customer before before themselves. So Lord, I just there's so much there's so much though Do we know that you can bring this and we just want to be a people that say Here we are God, we want to be used that way. So we ask that you would speak to us in Jesus name. So let's just say a couple of minutes here, and we'll listen and then if anyone has anything, we can share that
