Living a Fasted Life
Acts 13: 1-12
9/22/24
INTRODUCTION: With fall just beginning, you might be going full swing into decorating your house, having all of the pumpkin spice flavors, visiting the apple orchards, and partaking of scrumptious donuts and cider. It’s the bounteous time of year; afterall, it’s the harvest. It’s time to pull out the cornucopias and fill them to overflowing with all kinds of good food, a symbol of God’s goodness and provision to us. The last thing on anyone’s mind is probably fasting, yet that’s exactly what we’re going to talk about today.
What Pastor? Isn’t fasting something we do the first of every year after all of the holiday overindulgence? We do fast as a denominational focus at the beginning of every year, but fasting should be a normal part of every Christian’s life, not just when Cleveland, TN suggests it. The title of my sermon is Living a Fasted Life as we continue on in our walk through the book of Acts.
MESSAGE:
Read Acts 13: 1-12
Five men who are doing ministry together; Barnabas whose name means son of the prophet and son of encouragement; Simeon whose name means He has heard or God has heard; Lucius whose name means enlightenment, clarity and illumination; Manaen whose name means comforter; and Saul whose name means prayed for.
Verse 2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.
These men knew the benefits and importance of fasting and prayer. Notice when you read about fasting, it is always accompanied by prayer; you can’t have one without the other.
In the fasting we find - Barnabas - prophet and encouragement. The first reason to live a fasted life?
To seek God’s guidance. To find the answers needed for a problem.
Judges 20: 26-27 Then all the children of Israel, that is, all the people, went up and came to]the house of God and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 27 So the children of Israel inquired of the Lord (the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,
In the fasting we find Simeon - God hearing the prayers. The second reason to live a fasted life?
2. To strengthen prayer. To open up the communication lines.
Ezra 8:23 So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer.
Arthur Wallis was an itinerant Bible teacher and author. He is known for his teaching and writing, most notably his book The Radical Christian, but he also wrote a book called God’s Chosen Fast. In this book, he says, “Fasting is calculated to bring a note of urgency and importunity into our praying, and give force to our pleading in the court of heaven.”
It isn’t that God won’t hear your prayers unless you fast, but fasting shows Him how important this is to you. You’ve now gotten His attention.
In the fasting we find Lucius - enlightenment, clarity and illumination. The third reason to live a fasted life?
3. Fasting makes us more receptive to His guidance because we humble ourselves before God.
2 Chronicles 20: 3-4 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4 So Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.
If you are seeking help from God to make a decision on something, to answer a question you have, or are wanting God to expose a situation, then it’s time to declare a fast and ask the Lord to help.
In the fasting we find Manaen - comfort. The fourth reason to live a fasted life?
4 . When we feel grief, fasting helps us cope with the trauma.
1 Samuel 31:12-13 12 all the valiant men arose and traveled all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan; and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. 13 Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
Have you ever noticed how when you’re moved to tears by grief, you lose your urge to eat? Many people must be reminded to eat when they suffer great grief.
Holy Spirit, the Comforter comes and ministers to us.
In the fasting we find Saul - prayers. The fifth reason to live a fasted life?
5. Fasting helps us minister to the needs of others. We focus on their prayers instead of our own fleshly wants.
Isaiah 58: 6-7 “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the [b]heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are [c]cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
Are these names a coincidence? I don’t think so! It’s Fascinating! But let’s look at some more names.
As we dig into this passage, we find that these men knew they were being sent out. Read with me again verses 4 and part of 5.
So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God
They started in Antioch which means stubborn, resistant, holding fast. This is the starting place. When you’re stuck in stubborn sin or sickness or a resistant situation that seems to be holding fast to your life, you’ve got to move on to somewhere. The method of getting there? Prayer and fasting!
The sixth reason to live a fasted life?
6. To overcome temptation and dedicate ourselves to God.
Matthew 4: 1-2 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.
Fasting can help us focus when we are struggling with particular temptations. Satan tempted Jesus and we too will be tempted, but fasting will give you resilience.
They moved on to Seleucia which means beaten by waves, troubled, and tossed. This is the next logical progression. We have a stubborn situation in our lives that needs special attention, and if it hangs on long enough without relief, we find ourselves beaten down, depressed, tossed to and fro in our minds.
The seventh reason to live a fasted life?
7. To express repentance and a return to God. Sin beats us down; we need to repent and get ourselves right with God.
1 Samuel 7:6 So they gathered together at Mizpah, drew water, and poured it out before the Lord. And they fasted that day, and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah.
It shows our seriousness about returning to the path of righteousness.
After Seleucia, they went to Cyprus which means tree of life, everlasting life, redeemed. Once we learn the benefits of prayer and fasting and implement them in our lives, we will find ourselves redeemed from the curse that brought the situation. We will find new life that revives us and energizes us.
The eighth reason to live a fasted life?
8. To be obedient to the ways of God. We are redeemed and children of God; our reward is everlasting life.
Matthew 6:16 “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
Jesus is teaching His disciples basic principles of godly living. When speaking on fasting, He begins with, “When you fast,” not “If you fast.” Jesus' words imply that fasting will be a regular practice in His followers' lives.
Finally, we end up in Salamis which means wholeness and peace.
The ninth reason to live a fasted life?
9. Living a life that regularly incorporates prayer and fasting will inevitably find peace and wholeness.
Luke 2:37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
Anna found contentment in fasting and praying, so much so that she didn’t leave the temple. She stayed in the presence of the Lord.
We can’t leave off this passage without the tenth reason to live a fasted life.
10. Fasting helps us conquer the enemy when he rises against us.
Acts 13: 8-11 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? 11 And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.”
Not only did Paul know the duplicity of the sorcerer, but he knew the extent of his heart and also was able to mete out judgment in the name of the Lord. He went in to this situation fasted up.
Matthew 17: 18-21 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 assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, 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.”
Some devils must be handled with fasting. Our weapons are the word of God, prayer, and fasting!
Closing
Fasting releases God’s supernatural power. It’s a tool we can use when there is opposition to God’s will. Satan would like nothing better than to cause division, discouragement, defeat, depression, and doubt among us. That’s a whole lot of D’s right there! But God uses prayer and fasting as a weapon to deal a significant blow to the enemy.
