Kingdom Come Part 3: New Covenant Fasting and Prayer
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Mark 2:18-22 NIV
18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting.Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?”
19 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. 20 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.
21 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. 22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”
New Covenant Fasting
Mark 2:18-22, Luke 4:1-2,14
1) Fasting is a tool that cultivates a hunger for God and a homesickness for his presence.
Jesus proclaiming “I am the bridegroom.” This is a bold proclamation, as in the OT The bridegroom of Israel is God.
Jesus is saying: “I am God. I am Immanuel. I am here. But there will be a time when I won’t be here and you will fast then.
Jesus never commands us to fast. He just predicts it will happen. Fasting is voluntary. The Holy Spirt an lead us to fast.
Definition of fasting: Voluntary abstinence of food and/or drink for a designated period of time for the purpose of seeking God more intently concerning specific matters.
You should have a reason for your fast. It is good to write down your reason for fasting so that it is clear.
2) Religious fasting is like wineskins without wine. There is a form of godliness but it lacks the power.
2 Timothy 3:5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
God designed our bodies to be able to fast. The average person can go 40 days without food. Scientifically, there are physical benefits to fasting. But those who simply fast for physical health, miss the greater purpose of fasting.
Or even worse, we can have spiritual pride like the Pharisees and miss all the power of humbly fasting.
New wineskin fasting also has the new wine of the Holy Spirit’s presence.
3) Spirit-led fasting often results in a Spirit-empowered life.
Luke 4:1-2 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted[a] by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
Luke 4:14 14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.
Jesus lived about 30 years and as far as we know did not do any miracles. He gets baptized and then the first thing God does is lead him to the rocky desert wilderness to fast.
Ask the Holy Spirit: what do you lead me to do?
