December 18, 2018 ASBC Bible Study, Fasting: Seek 2019

good evening everybody we follow Jesus Christ resurrected risen randomly eternal demon thank the Lord for another Tuesday the divers where is the opportunity gathered together to be by studying God's Word and preparation administrating to people I'm studying for this year we won't be long break for the next two weeks as you know next Tuesday is Christmas and we will not be having Bible say then and then the following week is actually January 1st and so we will reconvene on January 8th if you'll help spread the word and by then we will be in the midst of our fast and so tonight I want to take this last opportunity and Bible study to talk a little bit about fasting I'm gonna give them to it in just a moment let me begin by welcoming those who may be with us for the first time if you chose the last Bobst of the year to make your first Bible study we're grateful for you if this is your first Tuesday with us we just wave your hand we want to recognize the woman for the first time welcome welcome welcome welcome amen amen please please do not be ashamed or embarrassed to ask questions to pause don't let you know just so we're protocol two things one if you do have questions please go to the microphone we have a lot of members and family who connect online and when we're not in the microphones they cannot hear us and it puts them at a disadvantage and we recognize that Alpha Street is so much bigger than this building and we thank God for those who watch online so I want to honor their presence by using microphones a number to know that everything that I shared tonight is going to be on lime and so you don't have to jot everything down I see people sometimes with their cell phones trying to take pictures of the screen you ain't got to do none of that just go online download the whole Bible study afterwards and you are going to be blessed I want you to share in a reading of the Word of God with for me to lay the foundation for what we're going to get into on tonight turn me in your Bibles to Matthew Matthew chapter 17 Matthew chapter 17 before we begin everybody in Matthew we're gonna drop down to verse 14 in chapter 17 beginning of verse 14 and when they had come to the multitude a man came to him kneeling down to him and saying lord have mercy on my son for he is an epileptic then suffer severely she often falls into the fire and often into the water so I brought him to your disciples but they could not cure him jesus answered and said o faithless and perverse generation how long shall I be with you how long shall I bear with you bring him here to me and Jesus rebuked the demon and it came out of him and the child was cured from that very hour then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said why could we not cast it out so jesus said to them because of your unbelief for surely I say to you if you have faith as a mustard seed and you will say to this mountain move from here to there and it will move and nothing will be impossible for you however this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting a familiar passage of a father who comes who has a son who suffers with epilepsy and of course and that day and time they believe that that was attached to demonic possession and so the father brings the son to the disciples believing that the disciples ought to be able to do what Christ is able to do there's the anticipation that if you follow the Lord then some of what the Lord does you ought to be able to exhibiting your own life right that the followers of Jesus are to be witnesses of the power of Jesus and the disciples fail to be the cast the demon out and Jesus gives an answer what does Jesus first answer why they don't why they can't cast him out they don't have beliefs so there's some faith issue here right and that's where you get the whole mustard seed if you have faith the size of mustard seed and you say to the mountain be you move the mountain will be moved so Jesus tells the disciples number one you've got to have faith I think says but there's another level because some things don't simply move by faith that faith in and of itself is not alone enough to move you and to grow you and allow you to be my witnesses so he says to them what else some things come out by only by what prayer and fasting look at the three things Jesus commends for us who would be as followers top rate with this power in this world faith prayer and fasting and not argue to you that many of us can probably identify these two is strong in our life at least growing in our faith growing in our prayer life but the Lord Himself suggests that there's some things that require faith prayer and fasting just for quickly by wave of hand how many people tonight can say that you've ever gone on an intentional disciplined fast an intentional discipline fast praise the Lord how many of you join with us and just and January this be your first time fasting that's all right be your first time praise the Lord it won't be your last it won't be your last I want to talk to you about seat 2019 which is I'm a vision God gave to me and then with the ministerial staff we were able to shape and inform it a little bit better about a call to prayer and fasting different seasons in my life when I have felt God calling me the more more than just faith and more than just a prayer life and I hope that you sense in moments of your walk with the Lord that there's this urge inside of you to do more that have you ever since God calling you you just didn't know what it was what you knew you're supposed to be doing more that you're supposed to be more dedicated that there was another level God wanted you to be after that God was calling you to a season of intimacy but you just didn't know how to do it but sensing that I laugh with a lot of people who come to me and say that they've been called to preach because most people confuse the call to ministry with God simply calling you to a season of being closer right that simply because the Lord is calling you into a place of solitude and intimacy with him does not mean you're being called to preach does not mean you're being called to lead in ministry you've got to be clear on those two but the Lord has called me to those moments and they're usually in time in two places either one when I'm really struggling to hear and discern the will of God at that crossroad where we struggle to know what God wants from us and then secondly when I realized the Lord's been trying to prepare me for something I didn't know what's coming whether that be a great assignment or a great challenge if we look at Jesus and his fasting his fasting precedes his struggle with the devil in the wilderness it didn't happen during the forty days it happened after and the fasting was meant to prepare him not simply for ministry but also confrontation and sometimes the call to fasts is really in preparation for a great season of struggle you're about to go through if if you had a forecast tonight that it was gonna pour down raining tomorrow what would you do tonight to get ready get your stuff ready to get my raincoat out get my umbrella what would you do if you knew God was telling you in February you're about to go through hell in February your loved ones gonna leave you in February you're gonna get lay it off right in February the doctors gonna tell you cancer what would you do if you knew the struggle was coming well spiritually the Lord says you got it fast that the call to fasting is not simply to get you ready for great work and miracle and you laying your hands on someone and they being raised from the dead but in preparation for whatever God has in store for you and I've sensed for about a year now that the Lord was calling us as a church family to a time of prayer and fasting and what we did not do well last year is structured into our calendar so that when we felt when I felt it and the ministers were working on it with me we realized and this is a sad statement for a church we realized we could not find 30 days where we could call this church to prayer and fasting and in not interfere with some food event that we had planned right right the best window we found interfered with the six flag event and we knew if we're gonna be serious about this fast it's not just something you throw on your calendar it's something that moves everything off because what's the point of fasting if you're not moving stuff out the way so we sat down this year and we're more deliberate because we know and believe God is calling us to do this and I'll speak a little bit more about why in a moment but it was important to be able to find that time to block it out it's invite you to be on this journey with me so I was having a conversation with someone the other day and we were joking around and I said to him you know we were joking about about scripture quoting and we had a little contest and I knew more scriptures and he did and I should have to because there's a member if I'd lost - remember it's gonna be a problem Earl and he said well pastor how do you know so many scriptures and this is my joke to him I said well I'm a practicing Christian right that I'm a practicing Christian now we've heard that language with other religions but very rarely does someone self-identify as a practicing Christian we just say we're Christian and what's removed from that is realization that as a Christian there are some things I should be practicing every day if you look at other world religions there are practices that help you identify that they are an inherent to that religious belief so you are not a card-carrying Muslim if you don't pray five times a day and face these alright if you are not serious about Ramadan if you do not take seriously the charge to make a pilgrimage to the holy city even devout Jews those of us who went to Israel saw that there are certain things they practice regularly the Sabbath is one write they write shut everything how many over there understand you said that it's shut down if you're going Israel don't go between Friday night and Saturday night right because it shuts down so I thought I'd ask this question starts off with what are the spiritual disciplines of Christianity right what what are we supposed to practice daily so that's a disciplines I mean what we practice what is it that a Christian is supposed to do that identifies you as a Christian it's not on what you wear right there's no there's no Christian garment what are we supposed to do just shout out some medicine what do we what are we supposed to practice that makes this Christian prayer right you ought to be praying huh faith walking faith okay forgiveness hallelujah to the lamb love read the Bible right gratefulness watch what we eat now who said that says now now there would be a bone of contention because in every other world religion there are dietary restrictions you may practice them but we'd be hard-pressed to identify what is a Christian diet have you ever seen this documentary of PBS called Church food yeah google it it's thing called Church food Church food will kill you black church food will put you in your grave part of the reason I'm excited about this fast cuz I don't want no more fried chicken green beans mashed potatoes and rolls if we have any funeral during the fast it's gonna be a vegan funeral amen we got there will be no fried chicken in this building for at least three weeks amen so we got diet got reading the Bible forgiveness walking in love prayer let me read you a quote about our spiritual disciplines it's from Richard Foster's book the celebration of discipline and he says the things we must train ourselves to do frequently and regularly to grow in our discipleship now there's a challenge right there because in most Christian traditions in most churches we believe that the minute you walk down that aisle and give your life to Jesus there's no more growing right how are you intentional about growing how are you intentional about being a better Christian it doesn't just happen because you claim Christ so my oldest son praise Lord made JV he's starting he skipped freshman ball he's starting on JV that's why I miss a lot of stuff because I'm always at his games I want to support him and he's got natural talent but he also knows I got to work at it right so even though he's gonna holiday break this week and there's no practice he wants to meet with his trainer and that's how I know he wants to be a better ballplayer because he's saying to me I want to train this week dad I got to give him the gym I got to work on it he's intentional about knowing if I don't work on this I'm not gonna get better right get my height I got to work hard at this what do we do to intentionally grow as Christians I mean if you if you really think about it for most of us our prayer life no I'm afraid that for all of us our prayer life could be better right all of us all of us have room to grow in our prayer life Bible reading we got a long way to go with some of that got a long way to go what do we intentionally do every day to get stronger as Christians and what richard foster argues is there's some things you've got to do frequently and regularly in order to grow in your walk and in his work he identified three different categories of disciplines corporate personal and I think the other one was inner so let's start with the corporate ones that he lists some of the corporate things we're supposed to practice according to the Bible that help us grow you may not believe this but confessing sins to one another is one of the things the Bible says helps us grow now you and I both know that's dangerous right there right right that that's dangerous that's dangerous but answer this question for me how do I grow by confessing my sins to - if - and I are in a close enough relationship and I feel comfortable sharing with him where I have sinned how does that help me grow trust accountability accountability and well the trust factor yes but - can now hold me accountable right he's now my prayer partner he's now the one if he's got any Christian compassion we'll call me on Friday what are you doing now we talked about this you know he'll run interference for me and I'm coming to get you you're not supposed to be doing that right that there's an accountability that helps us grow through the confession of sins and in the early church one the disciplines and practices was confessing sin to one another which by the way is how you get the confession of sins to the priest there's an understanding that that airing it publicly in a safe space helps me recover from it and repent from it worship of course is one of our corporate disciplines the right of Hebrews tells us forsake not the assembling of yourselves together as some do you ought to be in worship it is a critical piece of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ you cannot grow sitting at home every Sunday right you've got to be in corporate worship things happen in church that you need to grow in your walk with the Lord things happen listen I don't know church can be a horrible experience in some places and many of us have had a bad taste left in our mouth at some church at some point but there's still something you need Christ did not establish the church for you to think it was optional Jesus builds to church Matthew 16 he says upon this rock I built my church if Christ himself breeds the church into existence it is not optional for the believer got to be in worship we're called to celebrate called to praise Lord to thank God for the things God has done that celebration is part of our discipline and we're called to seek and give guidance to one another a part of what helps us grow is not simply confessing but giving each other wisdom that the one place ought to be able to find find some good advice in is in the body of faith right now many of us know what it's like to trust folk outside the church more than you do inside but ultimately one of our disciplines corporately is to give each other wise counsel he lists some outward disciplines that I found really challenging the first one is that we ought to practice a simple life if you think about it we are good at complicating our lives we're good at adding things to the calendar of finding ourselves stressed out a stressed out Saint is not a good witness of Jesus right so someone who's always on edge blood pressure high always tense few short that does not exemplify the grace and the mercy of God this will be operating in our lives a stressed-out Saint is not a good witness that the Bible literally calls us to live simple lives and so if you look at it if you look at the lifestyle of like monks and nuns especially in the early stages of Christian Christian history you'll find that they were all about living a very austere and simple life right not complicated by things but living a daily life in peace one of our outward distance is also solitude when you read through scripture look at how many times Jesus intentionally got away from the crowd intentionally said I need to be alone with God and I'm trying to reach a place of my own personal and pastoral life world once a year I take time off to being a spiritual solitude retreat with the Lord no kids no church no school just sitting away with God quiet and I finally found it's amazing the Catholics do this really well so when I was looking for Christian retreat centers the ones that really catered to me where the Catholic ones and so this year when I take my sabbatical I'm starting off with a week at a Catholic it's a Catholic retreat center that is far away there's no television the diet is about as bland as it can be and you don't talk to nobody all day long you just sit outside and they give you a scripture and you read that one Scripture all day long if I'm gonna do at least four verses of the Bible when I get back real well so you name simplicity solitude and then you won't believe this one of the disciplines that helps us draw closer to the Lord is submission to Authority especially in the body of Christ now I'm not saying this to try to make docile members who just do whatever the pastor says it's not it at all but a disruptive Christian is not a good witness of Christ a disruptive church member someone who's always stirring up stuff someone who's always engaged in argumentation someone who's always conflictual someone who's always controversial that we learn to practice submission to Authority so we learn how to submit to Jesus Christ right submission is part of it I knew who's gonna be quiet there so I'll move to the next slide some of our inner disciplines we very talk about some of these devotion and meditation on the word the exercise that we just went through that our staff ministers led us through the Lecter Davina is a way of meditating on the Word of God spending time and devotion with the Lord study of the Word of God is different than meditation those who've been in our Bible study long enough you know the difference between studying and meditating is you're writing something down you've got tools in front of you pen paper concordance theological dictionaries you're digging in the Word of God as opposed to just reading it you're following the trail of reference scriptures you're doing a Bible study on walking by faith and you're noting all the places in the Bible where it mentions walking by faith it's a study of the word of God not just to read and then of course you spoke about prayer and now fasting of all the disciplines that we practice in our inner life I'll suggest to you that fasting is probably the most neglected that many people who fast tend to fast incorrectly and it's not to say that that there's no power there but it doesn't achieve what it could what's the most popular season for fasting Lent right which begins how many days before Easter now 46 thank you Deacon bender your intention it's not 40 days before it's 46 days before because the Sundays don't count they're regard begins on Ash Wednesday and have you ever like I heard people say they're fasting and it's almost ridiculous what they've given up so how does giving up chocolate make you a better Christian all right Andy but you know I you know ton of people give up sweets over Lent and they feel that that that what do we gain from that how how is that making me stronger right lit one of the reasons I avoid a corporate fasts during Lent is his lint is getting so commercialized almost like Christmas to a certain degree right that we've lost the sense of what it's all about let me read you a quote from John Edwards one of the famous preachers of Great Awakening he said so little is said about fasting yet it seems to me to the duty that all professing Christians should practice and frequently practice there are so many occasions of both the spiritual and temporal nature that do properly require it one of my favorite quotes another is by John Wesley the founder of Methodism Jawa says the man in forgive the masculine language the person who never fasts is no more in the way to heaven than the person who never praised the John Wesley believed fasting was as necessary as prayer and Jesus put it up there with us fasting is one of the most the least understood and therefore the least her most incorrectly practiced disciplines in Christianity so before we seek off to go into a faster in January I want to spend tonight talk to you about what fasting is where it comes from some biblical examples and then talk specifically about what seek 2019 is so you can know where your prayerful about committing yourself for January 6 through January 26 let's start at the beginning some of you already know too fast really mean sustain from food and therefore the term breakfast or break fast is to break the abstaining from food that you had during the night right that's where the term breakfast comes from you are breaking your fast that you fasted from dinner until you wake up in the morning you abstain from food you didn't eat in the middle of night in your sleep and so you break the fast fasting is critical in just about every other world religion in Hinduism it is a critical component of their discipline in Baha'i they fast for a month once a year Buddhism there practice fasting during the extreme times of meditation those are familiar with anything of Islam know that Ramadan in the beginning of the year is a devoted month of fasting for devout Muslims and in the Jewish faith there are at least three seasons when they are called to fast typically all of these are dietary that it has something to do with the restriction on food for some and Buddhism during their extreme meditations it's no food at all for an extended period for Ramadan is from sunup to sundown that you do not eat so most of these fasts are limited to food and I'm gonna argue with you tonight suggest teach that that's just but one way that you can withdraw from the world and draw closer to the Lord there are some other ways as well in the Bible you're gonna find some specific times and references and seasons of fasting when Jonah finally goes back to Nineveh will goes to Nineveh and preaches in preparation for repentance the Ninevites go into a call of fasting for the entire land you'll find that Darius fast when Daniels brought out of the lion's den and the entire nation is called to follow God Acts chapter 10 is important when Peter acknowledges that God's good news of Jesus Christ is available to Gentile as well as Jews we find that Cornelius who is a Gentile has been fasting prior to receiving that word the Benjamites you see them fasting judges as we're fast as rate you get those in Daniel you'll find Israel being called to a place of fasting in first time 231 first time you seven Isaiah 58 and Esther there's a reference to fasting and Exodus so all those listed what is most important of course you know is that we know Jesus fasts in Matthew 4 in preparation for his confrontation with the devil and the wilderness and for his ministry and then in mark 9 it's a parallel to what we in Matthew 17 where Jesus says some things only come to us through prayer and fasting so should not surprise you that there are multiple references to fasting in Scripture so we know that it was a practice not only of the Jews but even of the early Christians that they carried that over into their walk with the Lord and therefore it is still part of our discipline today to fast so what are the biblical purposes of fasting why why do we fast when do we fast how do we fasts let's start with the purposes what the very first purpose is is it good it's the power to learn to subdue our flesh turns me in the book of Romans let's go to Romans 7 read it past the scripture that you've probably heard before Romans 7 when I begin in verse number 15 Romans 7 verse 15 you got me all right little parts for what I am doing I do not understand and what I will to do or what I want to do that I don't practice but what I hate that's what I do if then I do what I don't want to do I agree with the law that the law is good but it's no longer I who do it but sin that dwells in me verse 18 watch this for I know that in me that is in my flesh nothing good dwells for I know that in me that is in my flesh nothing good dwells somebody say Amen for I've got the will to do but how to do what is good I don't know the good that I will do I do not do but the evil that I don't want to do that's what our practice how many people here have been here how many of you put your initial right next verse 19 right okay no if that's your Bible going to put your signature right there all of us have had that moment of here it is here it is Lord if you get me out of this Lord if you just look beyond my fault and see my need Lord if you can find it to be merciful to me on this I promise I will never ever ever ever do this again a few months later now Lord I know I said I would never do this again and what happens I'm shy refreshing this becomes eventually you reach the point we are not seeking God's forgiveness any longer because what the devil tells you is you know and God knows you ain't quittin so there's no point in praying about it anymore and then rather than trying to change you learn to start to cope with something he says I know what that's like verse 20 now if I do what I will to do it is no longer I who do it but the sin that dwells in me I find that a law that evil is present with me the one who wants to do good why is evil always present with us the flesh cuz in my flesh no good thing dwells Paul acknowledges that the reason I always do what I don't want to do is because wherever I go there I am right and wherever I am my flesh is there and in my flesh there's no good thing your flesh loves sin and what Paul recognizes within every believer is that there's a battle going on between your flesh and the Spirit of God that dwells in you they battle every single day there's not one of us living who everyday doesn't have a fleshly urge to do something that's contrary to what the Spirit is trying to get you to do and the Holy Spirit fights with your flesh every day now there may be in some battles you've worn some things you've walked away from some things you've been delivered from and if I no human the way I know human and there gonna be some things you wrestle with every day right and just because you wrestle with something every day a temptation of desire does not mean that you're not saved does not mean that God doesn't want you to have victory it means you're human and every day your flesh wants to do something that's different than your spirit these two are always fighting with each other you know the best example is have you ever seen the cartoon with a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other right that that's exactly what our lives are all right temptation and spirit and what Paul argues is that this battle happens in your mind and your mind has to make a decision on which one you gonna follow you never just fall into sin right that's why the dangers a dangerous some said have you have you ever seen in your own life the more you think about it the more you find a way to make it happen there's some things I just don't need to think on too long right because more I think about it the more I'm gonna warn it and the more I'm gonna want it the more I'm engrafted because now the flesh for the battlefield is the mind between the flesh and the spirit who wins which one wins did you just say depends on the day Deacon better you know which one wins we return is stronger in any given moment right so you're right getting better on some days my flesh is weak and my spirit is strong and then there's some moments when the flesh is weak and so is the spirit and I yield if you look at any pattern of sin in your life anything you've really struggled with in life you should be able to identify what triggers your flesh if you really thought about it you should know the road that leads to it so I know what leads to me drinking too much I know it leads to me doing what I shouldn't be doing I know it leads to me custom somebody on I know my triggers and the question is am i strong enough to stop along the way because the spirit doesn't want us to sin someone said it right whichever one you feed the most so here's why flesh why fasting is gonna be powerful if I learn not to feed my flesh I can weaken it if I learn not to yield to every desire I can win this battle that the power of fasting is this that I'm literally saying no to my flesh let me show you why it's important as a discipline my dad once told me discipline simply means this being able to tell yourself no now we're good at telling other people no but we're not always strong and telling ourselves Howard you don't need that Howard that's not good for you and because we never practice telling ourselves no in moments of temptation we don't know how all we know how to do is go after what we want whereas the true disciplined life the one that we see in Jesus Christ is one who is able to tell himself no so part of the reason we fast is I've got to learn to tell myself there's some things you can't have including food which is one of our strongest fleshly desires right it is an improvement so I'm given intimate story my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer at 50 and he didn't die to his 80 it came and went came and went and when he passed the doctor said you needed to go get checked because there's a strong history of prostate cancer in your family right so it was very difficult for me at 30 to hear a doctor tell me you're going to have prostate cancer right it you all your uncle's all your grandfather's your father you're a black man it's almost inevitable and then she says something I will never forget she said but most men can fight it if they would learn to change their diet and she and I said really she said and that's the thing takes most black men out they can't change their diet think about changing your diet is one of the most difficult things in the world to do because we're getting in patterns I know what I like so I just have a really really really bad habit I'm a salty snack ER all right I'm a I'm a salty snack ER you - oh I thought she's judging me I was my day we should talk about some yes Lord I've got to go okay I'm gonna stay here and call yours out huh yeah yeah I was real bad real bad habbit of salt and snacking at night right and you know doctors like this you got to stop all the soldiers how you decrease your sodium and let me tell you the hardest thing in the world to do was to lay in bed and not eat chips it was hard been doing it all my life I ain't totally there to learn I'm yeah I'm workin on y'all pray for me changing diet now imagine what happens if I learn to crave those fleshly desires of what I want to eat how strong I've become however weak in the flesh so the very first reason we fast is to learn to subdue the flesh but where most people make a mistake is that it's not simply some doing the flesh it's also learning at the same time to strengthen the spirit right because simply weakening this doesn't make this stronger so I'm trying to weaken this so I'm trying to take this down so I can take this up so let me tell you why fasting during Lent sometimes this doesn't work because all you're doing is giving something up but you're not replacing it with something that makes your spirit stronger so the whole purpose of fasting is that when when I've identified what I'm giving up whenever I have that urge for that or I would be doing that rather than doing what I've given up or yielding to the urge I'm trying to find a way to strengthen my spirit to give me the strength to continue to say no so if chocolate is you're thinking you give up chocolate for Lent that's only half of fasting the second half means now whenever I see chocolate want chocolate or buy chocolate I'm replacing that we're feeding myself with the Word of God with meditating with going down in prayer because that's what strengthening my spirit through the other disciplines so it's not just about giving up something in the flesh it's also about doing the things in lieu of that that helped my spirit get stronger that draw me closer to the Lord that put me on my knees that throw me in my Bible that make me practice what allows me to grow stronger in my walk and most of all don't they just cut this out and in what they choose to cut out is not even a real sacrifice that's why most fastens with food because food is the biggest sacrifice you can make and one of the hardest to control give you a quote from aw Tozer if religion requires us sometimes to fast and deny our natural appetites it is to lessen that struggle and war that is in our nature it is to render our bodies fitter instruments of purity and more obedient to the good emotions of divine grace it is to dry up the springs of our passions that war against the soul to cool the flame of our blood and render the mind more capable of divine meditations so that although these abstinence --is give some pain to the body yet they so less than the power of bodily appetites and passions and so increase our tastes of spiritual joys amen that I can only enjoy the spiritual things when I stop feasting on the fleshly things have you ever been really really hungry and did your daughter just raise your hand yes joy have you ever been really really hungry but couldn't you didn't have access to a good meal so you grabbed a snack you grabbed like a candy bar and two things happen one it momentarily killed your hunger so that when you get to real food you don't want it but secondly especially if it's a high carb it gives you that real sugar rush real quick you know that feeling when you're really hungry and you grab like a bag of chips and then ten minutes later you're like man I should eat knows right this is exactly what toes are saying that there's something better for you a spiritual meal but we're so conditioned to having quick snacks that feed the flesh as opposed to learning to wait and deal with the hunger until I can get what truly makes me stronger so we're gonna fast to subdue the flesh to strengthen the spirit one of the very third reasons biblically the people fast is to discern the will of God can I tell you one of the most difficult things in the world to do is and you already know this and I'm suspect to people who don't struggle with this on the hardest thing of the world is to know what God's saying here I mean think about it we long for we long for affirmation of God's will so much so I would just wish wouldn't be nice if you just woke up and every day there was a letter that God put on the foot of your bed this what I want you to do today God Charlotte or Atlanta neither one in New York thank you Jesus that's all I need to know right we struggled in all the will of God it's not that simple and we become dependent upon external sources have you ever really really are do I remember the story of Gideon anybody ever get in that the the soldiers the battle yeah the fleece right Gideon is so desperate to know God's will he says all right Lord sir I'm gonna do I don't put a fleece out so I put a rug out right and what I want you to do this the sign I want let let everything around the rug be wet and the rug not be wet and then I'm gonna know what you're calling me to do right God does that knit Gideon sorry all right let's flip it around let's do this Lord let the rug be wet and everything else around it be drive have you ever had to give you a moment we're using till I die Lord this wood I need this rod needs to do I need you to let him be wearing a blue suit today and you know let her you know or you become desperate looking for sighs I almost died laughter listening to Marcy this weekend talking about a car get in front of you with Georgia license plate and you missed the sign you're just so desperate that anything was assigned right oh it's cold outside the Lord's telling me I need to move down south you know just anything at all cuz knowing the will of God is difficult right it is is this what I want or is this what God wants for me what's the biggest obstacle to discernment desire cuz you can want something so badly you convince yourself as God's will will be bit that that's a that's a grown-up a man there someone yeah I wanted it went after it and then prayed about it fasting here's I would write this down if prayer is talking to God fasting is listening for the answer if prayer is talking to God fasting is listening for the answer John 10 says this repeatedly my sheep know my voice and sometimes I've read that and felt out of sync like Lord I don't know your voice I mean if some moments when I'm sure I know God saying and another's where I just don't know and what makes it difficult if you remember first Kings 19 what you read we get home Elisha is listening for the Lord goes outside the earth shakes the Bible says but God wasn't in the earthquake there's a fire a God wasn't in the fire a whirlwind God wasn't in the whirlwind and then the Bible says and God spoke through a still small voice how many you all raised old school you think arrow school or old school parents old school teachers let me tell you something old school teachers I distinctly remember they're not gonna yell over you they go yell over the class give you that look and I'm waiting till you all calm down to listen room could be rambunctious I'm not gonna yell you all gonna quiet down to listen God does not yell over the other voices in your life we're bombarded with noise and God talks like this now what do you have to do to hear God talk turn the volume down on other things right Cooper you can't hear Cooper take your head for I hate it when the boys have them beats on and I'm talking to him and he's not listening and then he looks up what'd you say what'd you say take your headphones off and listen to me when we fast we're taking off the noise of other things so we can hear the still small voice of God hear me brother hear me sister God never wants his mystery to be a will to be a mystery guys not playing some game with you see if you can figure me out no I'm just not gonna yell I'm gonna make you shut off other things so you can hear me I want you to know whether he's the one for you I want you to know whether you're supposed to stay on that job I want you to know what city you're supposed to move to I want you to know when to go back to school but I'm not gonna yell I'm not gonna raise my voice you've got have to turn other stuff down and that's what we do in fasting so we can discern the will of God and real quick the fourth reason you see in the Bible is a call to corporate fasting so we can be in unity have solidarity with one another there's something about going to a fast together that binds us and strengthens us anybody that's ever worked out noses nothing wrong with working out by yourself but sure is a whole lot easier we got a little folk with you all right somebody motivates you push you let me tell you it fasting is not I want to make sure I hit our time right fasting one is not necessary for salvation fasting is not gonna make you saved right it will help you grow in your salvation but it's not going to make you saved fasting is not a way of manipulating the will of God so that God does what you want to have done if he ain't the one for you fasting ain't gonna make him the one for you Amen you fast all year long if that's not God's will that's not God's will and fasting is not a spiritual badge of honor do you know people who wear spirituality like almost like a metal so you know what degree or what rank they have in the kingdom they can talk in tongues they can pray for five hours they go to every scripture Jesus is clear when he gives instructions on fasting in Matthew 6 when you fast people shouldn't even really know it this is not something we brag and boast about this about an inward journey to the Lord not about you know you bragging the bus flies so one of the things I'm going to share with you in the fast is that you're trying to appear and act as normal as possible you don't fast and get all spiritually weird so how do you get do it fast as pleasing to Lord let's move into it what you have to sense a call or need to fast either personally or corporately so many of you raise your hands how many of you raise your hands have been on a fast went on it's simply because you felt you needed to if you ever did it something because you did what we've not done in the 10 years I've been here is a corporate fast where you're fasting because you believe your spiritual leaders have called you to it and therefore trusting in that you're going to go in this fast and it's my prayer that as I share with you the corporate call you will also sense a personal one that you'll say I'm not simply doing this because pastor asked I'm doing this because the Holy Spirit is placed on my heart I mean hopefully you here tonight as part of that desire to know personally whether this is what God has called you to do we want to determine the specific goal and desired outcome of the fast you don't simply fast to say you did it there's some goal I want to I want to discern God's will about whether I should accept the call to be pastor of Alpha Street back in 2007 when he came and I didn't fast I just followed my flesh no but what if what would have happened if Dean Garrett call said you know you're the one and I said you know what give me 30 days too fast and discern whether this God's will right that that's that's the kind of answer you want right that's what you want from you spiritually I need to go along with God for thirty days not just well what was the salary yeah how much I'll pay it you do want to choose the type of fast and duration we're going to talk about those in just a moment what types of fast and how long just so you know there's no biblical commandment for how long are short you can fast for one day and it be powerful you pass for three days seven the most common number of course is 14 but there's no designation so the fact that we're going from 6 to 26 there's new there's no numerical significance okay it's it fits in our calendar it's what we sense is the right season to do we're starting right after the first of the year so we could start on the Sun and start that Sunday and then we went to end in time for the coyote here anniversary celebration praise the Lord you know that's not a good way to break into fast amen be it Smithsonian would would to me and some good food so so that's why we chose six to 26 don't make it deep don't search for no biblical number right it was convenient and expedient so that's why I put it in there so the duration and the type let's talk about the types of fast real quick how many you've ever heard the Daniel fast how many of ever tried to Daniel fast okay you need to read The Book of Daniel good at home first couple of chapters remember when Daniel and the three Hebrew boys are sending the Exile in order to fatten them up and prepare them nebuchadnezzar wanted them to eat the babylonian foods and daniel decided that that was sacrilegious to his walk with the lord and he goes on a fast he says let me eat my let me eat mine and at the end of the training period see if I'm as strong as those who eat the meat diet Daniel fast is for all practical purposes there many different way there many ways to look at it for some they think that it's just a vegetarian one right that there are no meats involved some would push in and say the Daniel Fast is a vegan fast if you know there's between vegetarianism and veganism you know that has to do with poultry you know anything that has a parent long story so he's not even eggs no dairy and then there's then there's some who push the Daniel Fast and say that it is a raw food diet right that even the vegetables you eat are all raw amazing when my oldest son started training with this trainer he put him on a raw food diet for six weeks he said you know you're the reason you're not jumping high and strong enough because you're eating the wrong stuff we gotta get you out of five guys and get you on - yeah yeah and literally and it worked like him like it worked worked juices dunking that with no problem because his legs are stronger because he's not putting the wrong stuff in his body I mean if you all have ever been around athletes you know they're very strict about their diets the one thing about Tom Brady right he's very very strict in his diets so we're gonna talk about the possibility of a Daniel Fast for some of us this the adoption I'm taking and trying to do the vegan and no processed and no white no white stuff so no flowers and no sugars no rice anything that's white that there's nothing racial about that I'm just it's funny because my my doctor actually said that to me when I went vegan about a year ago she said you just got to give up white I said well we mean give up why she said food boy I said okay thank you I'm sure yeah you know I got some members I really love in Christianity there's something I don't really like this term but since we're making racial jokes there's something in crochet called the black fast and it was the most rigorous and it was a fast where you don't eat one meal a day he could only eat it when the Sun went down and that meal could have no no meat involved so no meats and that was called a black fast interesting when you get to home own should take a look at Isaiah 58 where God expresses extreme displeasure with Israel for fasting from food but still not acting for justice for the poor and the Lord says what kind of fast do you think that do you think I'm pleased with the fact that you're not eating chicken but you're not doing anything to change the lives of the poor that some component of the fasting has to be oriented towards the care of those in our world and I'm gonna talk to you about that in a minute and then of course you know that there are other types of fast fast from television that's one of the ways of turning that volume down right if you're like me sometimes I come in the house I just put the TV on for background noise right oh you know what I've gotten into as a bad habit the Lord has a way of waking me up consistently at 4:30 every morning and I know it's to pray and the only way I can sometimes go back to sleep is p'tee view on in the background and putting the TV on keeps me from praying and wrestling in my spirit so I can go back to sleep and I realized that's not what God wants I'm supposed to be wrestling with something so as we praying over something but I put on a Sports Center started go back to sleep the very first time I caught a corporate fast at my first church we were going faster and Lynn and we we going hardcore in the paint you know I was 27 so I'm I'm going hardcore and I said we given up TV we given up TV for all of Lent nobody's watched TV and then then I realized it March came yeah yeah and yeah yeah yeah yeah that was that was a hard one that was March Madness was happening and Duke was playing and I'm like oh god I can't so yeah I broke my fast so but don't tell the Saints that they don't know one definitely a social media and our world think of how much of a priority we put on social media some of us get up and we check our phones immediately in the morning computer email social media again something you can give up well work will be an exception and we'll talk about that there's some things that are not expedient during a fast so medicinally some people can't fast from eating because you have to take medicine that requires food on your stomach so now we're not asking you to do what's not expedient you should not fast and lose your job because you're not replying to emails there will be no poor Saints requestor you losing your job for not reading your emails are applying to your boss and those are different but personal emails you can decide you know I'm gonna get off personal email for a moment and what you do is you notify people in advance telephone or necessary talk you're gonna see that we have a challenge in our fast for a three day period of silence as much as an S as much as possible of nose talking but whatever you give up there should be a sacrifice attached to it it should be something you like or are used to that you engage in so for me over lent giving up chocolate doesn't mean anything because I don't I don't like chocolate now giving up television that's hard some of our goals the reason we're doing this one I want to introduce the practice of an annual corporate fast I don't want us to always fill out our calendar and not put on our calendar what we need to do corporately as a church to grow in our walk with the Lord every year so what we're starting this year will happen every year at Alfred Street a time and it will move throughout the year when I'm asking you to join us in a corporate fast so that we know the discipline of it right number two so we can have unity within our church family three is preparation for what I believe are some amazing things we've got to do in 2019 sitting on church council and in leadership I will tell you that there are some major things coming up in this new year that I believe our church needs to be prepared for we're getting ready to sit before City Council we're contemplating a secondary site we're looking at expanding our affordable housing footprint in the city we're looking at doing another trip overseas we're going to do it some more mission work so with all that I just think it's important that we prepare our minds and bodies to be used of the Lord and that's what this fast is about and then also for your own personal spiritual discipline so let me share with you the options for seat 2019 there are three areas retargeting our physical our social and our financial and you're going to find there different ways for you to connect in each of the three areas even if you only choose one one is our diet there are few options out here one some people can choose to go on to Daniel fast and we'll put a little bit up mark one write a little bit about the Daniel fast what the restrictions are just in case you're not able to translate that by what you see in the Bible but we share with you what that is about no fries no dairy you know no meats and what that looks like for the Daniel Fast this is one I've chosen the Daniel Fast others may choose simply north I'm just not gonna eat between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. that I'll fast 12 hours every day and discipline my flesh now clearly water is allowed during this time water with lemon is allowed seltzer water but not so does anything like that but you can drink water because it's essential to the body we're not asking you to go with no water and we'll put all this on line you'll hear the specifics about it and then for something maybe you can't do any of those so you're just going to eliminate sweets caffeine and it shouldn't be and or it should be and alcoholic beverages I don't think it's too much to ask you not to drink alcohol for 20 days right if you if you can't go 20 days without alcohol I need you to see me after church we've got a ministry that we need to put you in that that's that's not going to be funny because for some people call is a struggle alright I know that caffeine one is gonna get me I've done it before I am a coffee holic in the morning and I know what's about to come caffeine headaches right which shows that I'm addicted to caffeine and one of the reasons I enjoy this type of fast is to prove to myself nothing has that much control over me caffeine doesn't alcohol doesn't sugar doesn't so I'm asking you to think about which one of these you're gonna join if you are for some maybe this is something you can't do so we're asking you to do more physical to join us with 30 minutes a day of physical exercise and for some that may be the best way to start you know I know again this is one I'll be engaged in and hopefully do some of it with the staff and we'll be able to work out together for 30 minutes a day and spend some time in prayer during the final three days of the fast January 24 through 26 there's a physical challenge for those who want that we're only gonna partake in a water fast so this isn't for everyone but you can prayerfully discern whether you want to do this and even if you don't know right now maybe you'll make your decision as you get towards the 24th because you're gonna feel so strong physically after going through the Daniel Fast that you're going to challenge yourself and say you know what I'm only gonna drink water for the next three days we are asking you to consult your physician before you embrace this challenge or any dietary changes to make certain it's safe for you to do so physically but there'll be some of us who check even if you don't check it till again December 23rd you go online and so you know it I am gonna do it I didn't think I could but I'm feeling good I feel strong in the spirit I'm not gonna eat I'm just gonna have water for the last three days that's the physical challenge social we're asking you to eliminate social media I'm staying off Instagram Facebook Twitter snapchat etc etc I'm gonna share with you very quickly in the end if you give me about five more minutes there is a I don't say it's a mean what is it it's a flyer almost it's a that we're gonna you can download when you sign up for the fast that you can then post on your social media pages and then allow people to know you're fasting and encourage them to join in with you so it'll go out all of Alfred Street Baptist Church social media is going black for the fast so to go out once before the fast begins and then there'll be no social media post for the entire duration of the fast from anything Alfred Street related and I'm asking you to do the same let's let's get off because those things occupy so much of our time and eliminating television and movies whether that be cable satellite TV Netflix whatever it would you may decide you're gonna stay off of television now clearly real quick let me go back for the dietary one you could choose all three right so for me the Daniel fast although I am gonna eat from 6 to 6 to 6 I'm gonna Daniel fast I'm gonna eliminate sweets caffeine and cetera but some of you may choose all three you say you know what I'm gonna day you'll fast I'm only gonna eat after 6 p.m. and it's gonna be only the vegan food I think the big challenge I want to make certain that culinary knows we're on the Daniel Fast so they've got to participate as well don't be cooking bacon on Sunday so I'm up here preaching smelling baking like the nose no no Sunday breakfast you and we're all in this together right we're doing it so we're not or you can choose both you can get off TV and social media my master you consider at least one all right and maybe finding a prayer partner to pray with every day if you don't have one already it's part of that social challenge during the final three days the challenge for the social is no talking unnecessary conversation ended so the 24 through 26 not only am I only doing water with lemon for me but I'm also choosing not to speak safe having to preach of course on the 24th 25th and 26 no 26 excuse me so if you're joining with us that last three days for the social challenge is no talking now realize if you're gonna do these you got to prepare people around you right you gotta let them know and it's a good tool to witness you know just let you know I'm in a spiritual journey with the Lord for the next three days I'm cutting back from extraneous conversation I'm the knight you can respect that if you can do that on your job great if you just can do it with family and friends that's fine but they're different levels for you to join in we're asking that the financial one is to change frivolous spending literally for this fast we're asking you not to purchase anything other than food and essentials like gas but we're not buying what our regular routine is so I'm giving up my coffee and I know that every morning I spend $1 15 cent on a 16 ounce coffee so I'm putting away that dollar 15 as an offering I'm gonna give back to the Lord because what we're asking you to do is to hold back financially from what you would spend and as you make that offering we're going to use that offering to sow into the lives of the poor in our community so that Lord is not displeased with us silly because we didn't eat such and such but we also sold into so every dollar you give this can be a special offering at the end of the fast every dime that's raised in that offering we're going to identify a cause that we're giving it to were asking the Lord to give us the sermon over during the fast and we're gonna make a difference in the lives of those who are poor among us alright so if you're used to Starbucks you're giving up that five dollars a day that you spend on Starbucks right and at the end of the fast you should have 20 days of five-dollar offerings that you're going to be given to the Lord right yeah everybody with me so there should be $100 offering you rescued eliminate spending and not buying it on essentials so this is not the time to go get the dress you've been waiting on so I'm telling you now if you're going to the kaalia event get your outfit before January 6 alright because January 6 to 26 and make sure you size down a little bit cuz you're gonna lose weight on the Daniel Fast right this this has a dual victory dual victory in Jesus name I'm gonna be spiritually strong and I'm gonna be snatched up for that I used that term correctly don't be snatched all right all right so we're asking not not to go on spending sprees like this we're staying out the mall we're staying on a target you know only essentials and the money that we're saving we're giving back so the financial challenge on this one is the end of three days so the first one is no food we're doing water only the second one is no talking the third one for the financial is we're praying and asking God to put on our heart what our sacrificial offerings should be there's no amount I was going to tell you God do I have the ability to give knowing that every dime that's raised is not going in anyone's pocket it's going in someone's stomach who's hungry right it's going over someone's roof who's homeless right then we're going to give all we can to be blessing to others and will publicize well let you know how much that was and where that went we're still discerning what we're gonna do about it we're gonna do with it so those are the three options you'll find a lot more information online registration not really registration but covenant partnership begins this Saturday we actually go online and click you'll fill in some information then you'll click which options you're partnering with us in we just want to track so we can tell you hey you know 1300 people are on the Daniel Fast with you you're not alone with this you know someone else has decided to only drink water over next three days so we can have our numbers and track how that grows every year but I am asking you to be prayerful and to join in with us in our time of prayer and fasting now did they have the the flyer up for me to show it is there it is so when you when you covering it and partnership with us you'll be able to download this that you can then post on your social media we're asking you to post it on January 5th at noon we wanted to flood out altogether so not you know randomly here and there but if everyone posts it at the same time it's gonna get a lot more attention and the world will know we're going black off social media and we're asking you to join in with us and it's not simply limited to the members of our street our online community our online family your family and friends in Texas are free and welcome to join in with us just direct them to the website all the informations there they can register as a covenant partner and we believe the God's gonna do some amazing things in this church as we learned the discipline of prayer and fasting amen real quick show of hands and then I'm praying how many people right now just in prayer for discernment think you're probably gonna join us in one way or another gonna join us one another it's gonna be great let me pray I know we're about 10 minutes over thank you for being patient I'm gonna pray then if you would I've got to run out to one prayer request one praise report prayer requests want to pray for the family where the bill Emery went home to be with the Lord today so if you would just remember him bill was yeah when I'm most dedicated volunteers just to sit right back there every Sunday praise support and thank you all for your prayers my mom's home so I'm grateful for that and she's ringing the bell again I need to fast come on let's stand and close in prayer and then we leave and the grace of God or as I move into this new year my desire is to be a stronger Christian to not stumble over the same things I did last year to not find myself failing in the same predicaments and issues but being stronger and I know that that requires fasting I've got a weakened this flesh and strengthened my spirit God I'm asking you to speak to every sister every brother whose heart is open to your call to grow and share it them where and how you're leading them to fast we ask your blessings upon seek 20:19 for what we believe will be the more than thousand people who connect with us to grow in their walk with you then at the end of it we would be stronger in our witness more compassionate in our love sound in our doctrine and fit and prepared for the awesome things that are coming our way individually and as a church thank you Lord that I don't have to do it alone there's an hand that I hold and I squeeze and let you know I'm glad we do this thing together you matter to me and I'm glad we're a family of faith now God keep us as we make our way safely home we remember the legacy and the love of Billy Emery thank you for blessing us with him and now blessing him with you comfort his family and let us never forget his model of sacrifice thank you God give us rest tonight don't want to wake up tyre tomorrow may the joy of the Lord be our strength in Jesus name we pray amen

Channel: Alfred Street Baptist Church

Views: 14,491

Rating: 4.8878503 out of 5

Keywords: ASBC, 2018, Seek2019, Fasting, #fasting, #seek2019, Bible Study

Id: Am7yZ-UdSAE

Length: 73min 53sec (4433 seconds)

Published: Thu Dec 27 2018