Strengthening Fasting | Ps Rob Buckingham
January 28, 2022

Biblical fasting is not just about going without food? It’s actually much better than that as you’ll see in this message.

When I came back to Jesus as a 21-year-old, I brought my practice of fasting with me. It became an important part of my early spiritual formation. But, as I said earlier, it’s not just about going without food. Let’s find out what the Bible teaches…

Text: Isaiah 58:1-11

“Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.
2 For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.
3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?’
“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.
4 Your fasting ends in quarrelling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?

6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.

False Fasting (1-5)

False fasting fails to furnish the Father’s favour!

The hallmarks of false fasting are:

  1. Religious hypocrisy
  2. Religious ritual with no lasting life change
  3. Religious sacrifice as an end in itself – it’s all about me!

In stark contrast to this the Bible teaches about true fasting – the kind of fasting He has chosen…

True Fasting (6-7)

True fasting is all about sacrifice that leads to acts of mercy. It is about God’s people going without something (fasting) in order to provide for others who have so much less.

True fasting is this: “I’ll go without something so someone else doesn’t have to.”

The purposes of true fasting are:

  1. To loose the chains of injustice
  2. To untie the chords of the yoke
  3. To set the oppressed free
  4. To break every yoke

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30)

  1. To share your food with the hungry
  2. To provide the poor wanderer with shelter
  3. To clothe the naked
  4. Not to turn away from your own flesh and blood
    I.e. as you care for others make sure you don’t neglect your own family including the family of believers the Holy Spirit has connected you with. Galatians 6:10, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

All the way through this list that describes the qualities of true fasting we see that true fasting is this: “I’ll go without something so someone else doesn’t have to.” True fasting is about sharing your food with the hungry, providing shelter to the homeless, and clothing the naked…

I believe it’s likely that Jesus had Isaiah 58 in mind when he told his parable of the sheep and the goats…

Matthew 25:37-40, “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?” The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (See Matthew 25:31-46)

We also see Jesus’ Mission Statement reflected in these verses:
Luke 4:18-19, “The Spirit of the Lord…has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”

At Bayside Church, we seek to constantly live in a way that reflects true fasting… https://baysidecommunitycare.com.au
Matt’s Place (over 15,000 hot meals in 2021)
Food hampers (over 500 in 2021)
Angel Tree gifts (78 in 2021)

The Results of True Fasting (8-11)

  1. Cheerfulness (8, 10)
    “Then your light will break forth like the dawn”

“Then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.”

  1. Health
    “And your healing will quickly appear”
    Heb. “A long bandage” infers a restoration of past misfortunes.

  2. Favour
    “Then your righteousness will go before you”
    I.e. your goodness will be evident to others (Matthew 5:16)

  3. Protection
    “And the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.”

  4. Answered Prayer
    “Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.”

  5. Guidance
    “The LORD will guide you always”
    I.e. like a shepherd caring for their sheep

  6. Provision
    “He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land.”

  7. Strength
    God “will strengthen your frame.”

  8. Abundance
    “You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”

Wow! There’re some wonderful promises there that I’d encourage you to read and meditate on in the week ahead.

The overriding truth of Isaiah 58 is a challenge to live a life that is bigger than just you. Where God says, “You take care of what’s on my heart and I’ll take care of what’s on yours.”

If you choose to strengthen fasting during your New Year Restart, what will you give up and how will that help others?

Discussion Questions

  1. Share your experiences of fasting with one another?

  2. Reflect on what false fasting looks like (Isaiah 58:1-5). Have you ever fasted as a hunger strike trying to get God to answer your prayers? What was the result.

  3. Read Isaiah 58:6-7 and discuss the purposes of a true fast, the fast that God has chosen.

  4. Discuss this definition: True fasting = “I’ll go without something so someone else doesn’t have to.”

  5. Read Matthew 25:31-46 and Luke 4:18-19. How does Jesus’ teaching reflect the true intent of fasting?

  6. Revisit the nine results of true fasting (Isaiah 58:8-11). What stands out to you? Have you experienced any of these by fasting the right way? Share your experiences to encourage one another.

  7. Discuss: “You take care of what’s on my heart and I’ll take care of what’s on yours” ~ GOD.

  8. Read and discuss the following verses in light of the teaching on true fasting: Philippians 2:4, Matthew 6:33, Psalm 37:4

  9. Check out the Bayside Community Care website https://baysidecommunitycare.com.au. Discuss as a group one way that together you could support this wonderful work.