Is Fasting A Legitimate Way To Hear From God?

Written by Ed Allen
Sunday, 19 February 2006 07:36

Hearing From God

Sermon Outline

Today we're exploring fasting and what Jesus had to say in Matthew 9:14-17.

Matthew 9:14-17

Jesus Questioned About Fasting

 ¹⁴Then John's disciples came and asked him, "How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"

 ¹⁵Jesus 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.

 ¹⁶"No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. ¹⁷Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."

Why in the world would anyone fast?

It helps to "leave" the pleasures and habits of the world.

So, is fasting a legitimate way to hear from God?

Yes, Jesus assumed that his disciples would fast and he practices it himself.

The claim Jesus makes: He is the bridegroom! The "Bridegroom" is a reference in the Old Testament that God makes to Himself.

• Isaiah 62:5
• Hosea 2:19-20
• Ezekial 16:8

Fasting helps us to "cleave" to God and find our full satisfaction in Him!