601 SFL - Essential discipleship: Fasting

Spiritual
Disciplines for
the Christian
Life
Donald S. Whitney
Wednesday, 4 September 13

Fasting...for
the purpose
of godliness
Chapter 9, Donald Whitney,
Spiritual Disciplines for the
Christian Life

"Self-indulgence is the enemy of gratitude, &
self-discipline usually its friend & generator.
That is why gluttony is a deadly sin. The early
desert fathers believed that a person's appetites
are linked: full stomachs & jaded palates take the
edge from our hunger & thirst for righteousness.
They spoil the appetite for God."
Cornelius Plantinga Jr

"Fasting is like a silent prayer: simply turning
away from human sustenance, toward the
Sustainer of all, is a quiet & real means of
beseeching Him to take our need seriously. It
signals to God our commitment to Him & our
conviction that human means are totally
inadequate. We are begging Him to send the
presence of Christ."
Douglas Kelly

"Fasting tests where the heart is. & when it
reveals that the heart is with God & not the world,
a mighty blow is struck against Satan. For then
Satan does not have the foothold he would if our
heart were in love with earthly things like
bread...Every time we fast we are saying with
Jesus, "Not by bread alone, but by you, Lord. Not
by bread alone, but by you, Lord.'”
John Piper

How often do you fast?
Why do you fast - is it
important?
Does your church
practice regular fasting?
Who are your role
models in fasting?
When did you last hear a
sermon on fasting?
(it is mentioned 75x in
the Bible compared to
74x for baptism!)

How often do you fast?
Why do you fast - is it
important?
Does your church
practice regular fasting?
Who are your role
models in fasting?

Jesus taught and practiced fasting
- yet, according to Whitney, it is the
most feared and misunderstood of
all spiritual disciplines
- Many fear it will make them “too
fanatical”, that it will make them
suffer and give a negative
experience.
- For some Christians fasting is
almost unthinkable.
- For many they think about it...and
then go no further!

Fasting explained
“A Christian’s voluntary abstinence
from food for spiritual purposes”
Whitney
It is Christian in being God centred,
voluntary and it is for spiritual purposes.
Richard Forster, “the voluntary denial
of a normal function for the sake of
intense spiritual activity”
Here fasting is not only about food but
could include people, media,
telephone, talking, sleep etc.

Fasting explained
"Fasting should really be made to include
abstinence from anything which is
legitimate in and of itself for the sake of
some special spiritual purpose. There are
many bodily functions which are right and
normal and perfectly legitimate, but for
special peculiar reasons in certain
circumstances should be controlled. That is
fasting."
Martyn Lloyd Jones

Strictly speaking the Bible only
refers to fasting as abstaining
from food - Whitney saves his
comments for this area.
A normal fast - all food but not
water - Matt 4:2 talks of Jesus
being hungry but not thirsty, Lk
4:2 that he ate nothing in those
days but again no mention of
water.
Some Christians also drink fruit
juices during this type of fast.

A partial fast - limiting your diet
but still eating some food -
Daniel and his companions in
Dan 1:12 ate only vegetables -
JTB ate locusts and wild honey
Matt 3:4 (maybe because he was
in the desert!)
This could be done by eating
smaller portions or only certain
foods.

An absolute fast - avoiding all food
and liquid (even water) - Ezra 10:6,
Esther 4:16, Acts 9:9
A supernatural fast - Moses on
Mount Sinai ate no bread and drank
no water, Dt 9:9 - Elijah 1 Kings 19:8
- such fasts require God’s
supernatural intervention and
cannot be repeated unless he
speciﬁcally calls and miraculously
provides
An private fast - referred to by Jesus
Matt 6:16-18

Congregational Fasts involve the
Church participating together. Joel
2:15-16; Acts 13:2
A National Fast is a call to the nation
to fast. 2 Chron. 20:3; Neh.9:1; Jonah
3:5-8
There was one Regular Fast under
the Old Covenant, Lev. 16:29-21 - on
the day of atonement - though in
exile the Jewish leaders instituted
four other annual fasts Zech 8:19

Pharisess fasted twice a
week Lk 18:12
- John Wesley would not
ordain a Methodist unless
he fasted every Wed &
Friday
Occasional Fasts which
occur on special occasions
as the need arises - shown
in Esther and
Jehoshaphat’s cases, also
possibly Mt. 9:15

“Why else is this a valuable weapon in our warfare?
What are we saying to the World, ﬂesh & Devil when we
fast (this is the key)? We are saying, screaming out at the
top of our lungs - ’ want God, I want Christ more
than I want to please myself!'
"The birthplace of Christian fasting is homesickness for
God... Christian fasting, at its root, is the hunger of a
homesickness for God...

“Christian fasting is not only the spontaneous effect of a
superior satisfaction in God; it is also a chosen weapon
against every force in the world that would take that
satisfaction away...when I say that the root of Christian
fasting is the hunger of homesickness for God, I mean
that we will do anything & go without anything is, by
any means, we might protect ourselves from the
deadening effects of innocent delights & preserve the
sweet longings of our homesickness for God."
John Piper

Fasting is expected
Jesus, Matt 6:16-17
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites
do, for they disﬁgure their faces to show others they are
fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward
in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and
wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others
that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is
unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in
secret, will reward you.

Fasting is expected
This is just after Jesus spoke about when you give,
pray etc.
- the commands about how to fast
- and the promise
- fasting is expected! Matt 6:16, 2ff
- the ﬁrst Christians also fasted Acts 9:9, 13:2, 14:23
- there is no command from Jesus about how often,
how long etc. we should fast; it is not legalistic - it
is your privilege and opportunity to seek God’s
grace

Jesus, again(!), Matt 9:14-15
Then John’s disciples came and
asked him, “How is it that we and
the Pharisees fast often, but your
disciples do not fast?” Jesus
answered, “How can the guests of
the bridegroom mourn while he is
with them? The time will come
when the bridegroom will be taken
from them; then they will fast.

Fasting is to be done for a purpose
Without spiritual intention fasting
is just like fasting for weight loss -
a diet!
It is not meant to be a man
centred experience
- not one purpose of fasting is to
earn God’s favour, it does not
impress him, or gain his favour
- it has no beneﬁt before you come
to God through faith and
repentance.

To strengthen prayer
John Calvin, “whenever men are to
pray to God concerning any great
matter, it would be expedient to
appoint fasting along with prayer.”
Fasting sharpens our prayer and makes
us more passionate, it creates greater
urgency within us.
Ezra 8:23 - he fasted along with the
group of returning exiles asking for safe
journey.

Neh 1:4, Dan 9:3, Joel 2:12,
Acts 13:3
Fasting has a great effect on
prayer - it is one of the greatest
weapons we can bring to our
prayer life

Arthur Wallis remarks, “Fasting is
calculated to bring a note of urgency
and importunity into our praying,
and to give force to our pleading in
the court of heaven. The man who
prays with fasting is giving heaven
notice that he is truly earnest. Not
only so, but he is expressing his
earnestness in a divinely-appointed
way. He is using a means that God
has chosen to make His voice to be
heard on high”.

Arthur Wallis, “In giving us the
privilege of fasting as well as
praying, God has added a powerful
weapon into our spiritual armory. In
her pride and folly the church has
largely looked on it as obsolete. She
has thrown it down in some dark
corner to rust, and there it has lain
forgotten for many centuries. An
hour of impending crisis for the
church and the world demands its
recovery.”

To seek God’s guidance
Judges 20 - the 11 tribes prepare for war against
Benjamin - twice the large group lost to Benjamin, only
when they fasted did they win.
Acts 14:23 - Paul and Barnabas installed elders only
after fasting
“Fasting does not ensure we will receive clear guidance from
God. Rightly practiced...it does make us more open to the one
who loves to guide us”

To express grief
Three of the ﬁrst four refs to
fasting in the Bible express this:
Jdg 20:26
1 Sam 31:13 - mourning Saul’s
death
2 Sam 1:11-12 - David mourning
for Saul
There are many records of people
fasting because of sin in their life -
note this is not for forgiveness or
to pay the price 1 Pet 3:18, 1 Jn 1:9

This is about voluntary heartfelt
confession and feeling guilt for
what has happened - it is not
beating yourself up but grieving
over your sin
Also for the sins of others -
Jonathan over the sin of Saul in
trying to kill David - 1 Sam 20:34
You might choose to fast and pray
for a person who has backslidden,
or for the lack of spiritual passion
in your church etc.

To seek deliverance or protection
Jehoshaphat when he heard
an army was coming against
him - 2 Chron 20:3-4
Ezra asking for the Lord’s
protection - 8:21-23
Esther 4:16 - appeal to God
against the possibility of the
kings wrath

To express repentance and a return to God
This is similar to expressing grief for
sin - however here fasting is not only
about repentance but a commitment
to obedience and a new direction in
God.
1 Sam 7:6, Joel 2:12
Jonah 3:5-8 sows the response of the
Ninevites - and God gave a great
spiritual awakening.
Fasting can be in vain if done
without repentance, especially if we
are hardened in our hearts to God’s
voice about sin.

To express repentance and a return to God
This is similar to expressing grief for
sin - however here fasting is not only
about repentance but a commitment
to obedience and a new direction in
God.
1 Sam 7:6, Joel 2:12
Jonah 3:5-8 sows the response of the
Ninevites - and God gave a great
spiritual awakening.

In vain will ye fast, and pretend to be
humbled for our sins, and make
confession of them if our love of sin be
not turned into hatred; our liking of it
into loathing; and our cleaving to it, into
a longing to be rid of it; with full purpose
to resist the motions of it in our heart,
and the outbreakings thereof in our life;
and if we turn not unto God as our
rightful Lord and Master, and return to
our duty again.
Thomas Boston

To humble oneself before God
A physical expression of our
humility before God - just like
bowing or prostrating yourself.
King Ahab, one of the worst kings
in Jewish history, showed this and it
caused God to act - 1 Kings 21:27-29
King David did it too - Psalm 35:13
Fasting is expressing your humility
here cf Pahrisee Lk 18:12

To Express Concern for the Work of God
Just as a parent might pray and
fast out of concern for the work
of God in the life of their child, so
Christians may pray and fast
because they feel a burden for the
work of God in a broader scope.
This was the purpose of
Nehemiah’s fast, Nehemiah
1:3-4, because the city of
Jerusalem had no wall around it
to protect its exiles.

To Express Concern for the Work of God
Just as a parent might pray and
fast out of concern for the work
of God in the life of their child, so
Christians may pray and fast
because they feel a burden for the
work of God in a broader scope.
This was the purpose of
Nehemiah’s fast, Nehemiah
1:3-4, because the city of
Jerusalem had no wall around it
to protect its exiles.
Daniel 9:3 expresses the same
type of concern in prayer and
fasting.
Today you might pray for
Christians facing persecution, for
workers etc.

To Minister to the Needs of Others
Isaiah 58 is the most extensive
passage in Scripture dealing
exclusively with fasting. v. 6-7,
emphasize fasting for the purpose
of meeting the needs of others - in
earlier verses (3-4) they complained
to God that their prayers combined
with fasting had not been heard
(their lives were in hypocritical
contrast to their fasting). God will
not bless the discipline of fasting
when we reject His Word regarding
relationships with others.

To Minister to the Needs of Others
Isaiah 58 is the most extensive
passage in Scripture dealing
exclusively with fasting. v. 6-7,
emphasize fasting for the purpose
of meeting the needs of others - in
earlier verses (3-4) they complained
to God that their prayers combined
with fasting had not been heard
(their lives were in hypocritical
contrast to their fasting). God will
not bless the discipline of fasting
when we reject His Word regarding
relationships with others.
Are we feeding the hungry?
Giving shelter to the homeless?
Undoing the bands of
oppression?
Could you fast a meal, a movie,
a book...and give the money to
the poor instead?
What is God calling you to do to
lighten the burden of your
fellow man?

To Overcome Temptation and Dedicate
Yourself to God
Jesus fasted 40 days and nights
prior to His temptation in the
wilderness. “One principle we can
learn from this example is that
fasting is a way of overcoming
temptation and of freshly dedicating
ourselves to the Father.”

To Overcome Temptation and Dedicate
Yourself to God
Jesus fasted 40 days and nights
prior to His temptation in the
wilderness. “One principle we can
learn from this example is that
fasting is a way of overcoming
temptation and of freshly dedicating
ourselves to the Father.”
There are times we struggle with
temptation, or we know we are
going to ﬁnd ourselves in a
tempting situation, when we
need extra spiritual strength to
overcome. Such times of
exceptional temptation means
exceptional measures are
required, namely fasting.

To Express Love and Worship of God
The Bible says that fasting may be
an act of sheer devotion to God.
Luke 2:37 summarizes the life of
Anna the prophetess, who
devoted over 50 years of her life
to prayer and fasting to worship
God.
Fasting can be an expression of
ﬁnding your greatest pleasure and
enjoyment in life from God.
Do you love God more than food?

Christians throughout history have
fasted for this purpose in preparation
for the Lord’s Supper - this shows
repentance and humility before God and
helps in worshipping Him.
You might choose to spend the time
when you fast in Bible reading, prayer
or meditation - in all cases fasting must
have a spiritual purpose, a God centered
purpose, not a self centered one.
Be careful not to become mechanical in
fasting, making it a regular routine, in
fasting you seek God and his grace,
hoping he will bless you.

In Zechariah 7 we see that the
Israelites had annually celebrated
two fasts which had been performed
since the destruction of the temple
and now they were asking God if
they should stop them. God
questions the Israelites over their
fasting - had they been really fasting
to him? Such questions issue a
challenge for us in our fasting.
Remember to be aware that when
our fast is rightly motivated, we can
be sure that God will bless us, but
perhaps not in the way we wanted.

More application
Will you confess and
repent of any fear of
fasting? Some people would
willingly give money rather
than fast - are you afraid of
fasting, (especially if you do
it in your own strength)?

More application
Will you confess and
repent of any fear of
fasting? Some people would
willingly give money rather
than fast - are you afraid of
fasting, (especially if you do
it in your own strength)?
Will you fast as the Holy
Spirit directs you? Jesus
expected his disciples to fast -
you can expect HSp to tell
you to at times!
Will you fast to show
dedication and express
your love to God?

Some quotes on fasting
Bear up the hands that hang down, by faith and
prayer; support the tottering knees. Have you any
days of fasting and prayer? Storm the throne of
grace and persevere therein, and mercy will come
down.
John Wesley

In Shansi I found Chinese Christians who were
accustomed to spend time in fasting and prayer.
They recognized that this fasting, which so many
dislike, which requires faith in God, since it makes
one feel weak and poorly, is really a Divinely
appointed means of grace. Perhaps the greatest
hindrance to our work is our own imagined
strength; and in fasting we learn what poor, weak
creatures we are-dependent on a meal of meat for
the little strength which we are so apt to lean
upon."
Hudson Taylor

If the solemnities of our fasting, though frequent,
long, and severe, do not serve to put an edge upon
devout affections, to quicken prayer, to increase
Godly sorrow, and to alter the temper of our
minds, and the course of our lives, for the better,
they do not at all answer the intention, and God
will not accept them as performed to Him.
Matthew Henry

Christian fasting, at its root, is the hunger of a
homesickness for God.
John Piper

601 SFL - Essential discipleship: Fasting

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