​Daniel 10:2-12, Matthew 4:1-11
Sunday, February 14, 2021

​Hello Church! It might sound weird to talk about fasting on a valentine's Sunday. But I assume even during this day people are filled with love and fast from other things to focus on their journey of love😊.

But what is fasting? If you have been in the church for a while, you have probably heard your friend, or your preacher talk about "fasting." I would assume someone might have preached about this during the Lenten season in the past.
However, have you ever asked why we fast? Have you ever tried it? This might be a boring sermon today as I will be going through Biblical passages, but I promise, I will not force you into fasting by preaching a longer sermon.

First and foremost, the Biblical purpose of fasting is to worship God as we humble ourselves before him and intentionally leave behind things that take away our attention. According to Myles Monroe, "Fasting is taking your normal life to another level that it has never been before."

Fasting is a means by which a Christian person draws near to God through mediation and prayer while focusing on Him alone. In prayer we ask God to take us to his own realm and bring him close to our hearts. It is a way that we bring ourselves, body, mind and soul to a fight, a wrestling and struggle.

All major world religions dedicate themselves to fasting during a time of the year or days of the week.

• Hinduism—they meditate for days to get united with the unseen world (soul and body).
• Buddhism—the fast to shakeup for spiritual awakening "makes my internal fire balance go over the top" Rev. Heng Sure
• Islam— "O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you that you may become righteous."—Surat al-Baqarah 2:183.  Christians and Jews had been prescribed to hold fasting, according to this Surat (text). Therefore, Muslims are required to fast during "Ramadan," their holy season, as Christians and Jews do.

But--the purpose of fasting in Islam is "to develop the quality of righteousness (taqwa), inwardly and outwardly, but abstaining from sinful deeds and training ourselves to control our thoughts and desires… fasting acts as a shield which protects us from sin and ultimately from the punishment of Allah in the Hereafter."

That is the difference from Christian fasting. Christians do not fast and pray for a body/soul's awakening, neither to unite soul and body nor use it as a shield for punishment from God. Christians fast and pray to partner with God in his mission to the world. It is a time we come close to God and give time solely to God and worship him as such.

Scriptures both of Old and New Testaments testify about individual and corporate fasting. People come before God in prayers and abstinence from food and other forms of distractions. We see Moses Fasting for forty days. He was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread, nor drank water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments (Exodus 34:28). David humbled himself with fasting before God (Psalm 109:24, 2 Samuel 12:16).

In the New Testament, Jesus was led into wilderness and fasted from food and water for forty days (Matthew 4:1-11). As they imitated Jesus, the Early Church practiced fasting and prayers and this has been handed down to us through the centuries.

Even if the 21st century believers ignore or are reluctant to fast, Christians are implicitly called to fasting and prayer as part of their spiritual journey. Remember that prayer and fasting go together; prayer is a command for Christians, not doing it, is disobeying God.  

How do we fast? There are different ways to do fasting and the lengths of fasting varies. First, we learned about strict fasting where a worshiper abstained from solid food and drinks. We learn this kind of fast from Moses and Jesus (Exodus 34; Matthew 4:1-11)—forty days.  Second, there is partial fasting as in the case of our text today, where Daniel abstains from select foods—only eating vegetables (Daniel 10:3) for 21 days. Third, there is a hybrid fast where you can fast for a day, or two, three, seven, fourteen days, on special occasion as in the case of Ezra, Esther and Paul (Ezra 10:6; Esther 4:16; Nehemiah 9:1; Saul Acts 9:9) etc.

In our contemporary setting, the church now considers other types of fasting—nonfood fasting. This would include fasting from--

• Technology fast- abstain from your using phone or other devices for a half a day or a full day (unless you're a doctor) 😊. Put aside and away your phone.

• Social Media Fast- break from social media outlets (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Tik Tok, etc.) refresh your mind and pay attention to God's gifts in your life.
• Entertainment Fast- break from your favorite shows, movies, video games, YouTube, Radio, etc and spend time in prayer and Bible Meditation. Is there any book in the Bible you had wished to read and learn more about it? Take a moment and dedicate your time and read it.  
• News Fast- excuse yourself from your usual news casts for a period.
• Leisure Fast- Sports, exercise, hunting, fishing, etc.

You can fast from nonfood item at any time or during this season of lent. However, I would not recommend fasting from food and liquids for those with health conditions (diabetes) and those with eating disorders. This is because our fasting does not aim to punish our bodies, nor to act unwisely rather, we are submitting to God’s glory in obedience.
 
If you wish to fast and you've not fasted before, be aware that you'll have headaches and feel dizzy in the early stages. Sam Storms says, "This is Part of the body's cleansing process and will pass with time. Be sure that you break the fast gradually with fresh fruit and vegetables. Do not overeat after the fast."
 
Why Fasting?  "Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the chamber of Jehohanan son of Eliashib, where he spent the night. He did not eat bread or drink water, for he was mourning over the faithlessness of the exiles" (Ezra 10:6). There are countless reasons why we approach God in fasting and prayer.

We commit to fasting to help break the chain of anything that has taken hold of us and our desires. “Fasting is a wonderful discipline and a habit that God has given to his people. There are many different spiritual purposes we see in Scripture: repentance, humility, devotion in worship, and seeking the Spirit’s guidance." Stephen Um

In fasting and prayer, we submit ourselves to God in humility and ask him to change our hearts and restore our confidence. When we take the joy of food and best drinks from our body, we do that in order to devote ourselves to his authority and focus our attention to him. We pray for forgiveness, for intervention and renewal.

In fasting, we pray for strength, for God to indwell us, and build and restore our faith again. We ask God to whisper the tender voice of forgiveness in our hearts as we sincerely confess to him and act otherwise. When you are praying and fasting, open your heart and let the word of God reveal your weakness in your mediation (1 King 19:9). Then you will realize that it's better to reconcile than to bear the regret of old grudges we kept for years.  

In fasting we repent, turn away from those things which suck us in and draw us away from God (Ezra 10:6). We humble ourselves; we recognize our need for God to meet us and change us (Esther4:16). We devote ourselves to worship (Matthew 6:16). We are seeking God’s guidance, intervention and leading through the times and the time yet still ahead of us (Ezra 8:21-23; Judges 20:26-28).  In fasting we bring force in the court of heavenly realm, as Jesus said, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting." (Mark 9:29 NKJV)

Therefore, be sincere in your fasting because the Lord your God is not interested in your superficial religious rites like the Israelite worshipers. "Is not this the fast that I choose: to loosen the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed, go free, and to break every yoke? Isaiah 58:6. Do not show off because your exercise of fasting is not the indication of your piety (Matthew 6:16-18).

Fasting does not change God, yet we are called to exercise it and ask for God's will.  However, "Fasting changes you and myself— us.  we fast in order that all things that cling to our spirit, soul, and body can be stripped away and only Jesus remain (Scott Barber). That is the reward of fasting.
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Therefore, let us draw near to God but not to the cell phones 😊. Take time during this season and worship God with fasting, meditation and prayer. Because fasting and prayer is feeding on God's word and having deep desire for God. Remember that God knows your heart more than you do.  And the Lord God is faithful to enrich your faith and speak to your heart tenderly.  Amen 

Friends, today Paul brings his letter to conclusion after he extensively talked about the plan of God when he adopted believers through Christ Jesus. Also, he talked about unity of the church and the reciprocal relationship between a husband and wife, children to parents and slaves to masters as something exemplified by Jesus. Paul's exposition was for Ephesians and every Christian to grasp how wide, how high, and how deep is the love of God toward them. Paul prayed that Ephesians gained such wisdom so that they were filled with the fullness of God and in return they could come to the knowledge that surpasses all understanding of this world (Ephesians 3:18-19).

In conclusion, Paul instructs the believers to, finally, sink into God's armor.  He needed Ephesians to be clothed by God's might as they continued living their life. He understands that when believers live in the presence of God, they will have strength and be able to make a stand against "μεθοδείας" the deceit of the devil that falsely accuses them. The Greek 'methedias' refers to a process where someone employs methods, craftiness, and schemes to deceive, or falsely accuse the other. This means, Christians must stand watchful and beware of the deceitful methods of the devil.
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Paul used basic objects and customs familiar to Ephesians. Elsewhere, he highlighted the idea of Christian struggle using theatrical practice where giants wrestled with animals or competed.  He pictures a Christian running a race as in the Olympic race. The Greco-Roman world was known for dangerous sports. During Paul's time, the sports men were highly celebrated and revered. Their sweat would be collected in small bottles and sold to the fans. Paul also brings the custom of a Roman Soldier. Everyone was familiar with the Roman soldiers as they could be seen everywhere. When Paul wrote Ephesians and Colossians, he was chained in the Roman prison. So many people believed that Paul might have been looking at a Roman guard with his full armor when he described the spiritual armor for Christians.  

It was Paul's routine to interpret objects and add spiritual meaning to them. He had walked in their streets and observed their various objects. In Corinth, Paul saw an altar to an unknown god among the gods of Athens and declared that their unknown god is Christ, whom he was preaching (Acts 17:22-23).
Now Paul urged believers to sink-in and clothe themselves with the armor of God. He knew that wrestlers, guards, soldiers, and sports men, needed to equip themselves with the materials best for action and protection. The armor is used to protect, defend, and attack the challenger. The scripture encourages Christians to put on the armor and be clothed with it at all time because we a
re WRESTLING with unseen forces. We are fighting against the competing forces of heavens and of this world.
Christian believers struggle against the forces of wickedness and the ideas that dare to darken our hearts. We wrestle to [ Πάλη]—sway away deception of Satan that uses our weakness to create idols of our own. Israelites were tempted to create their own god, even if they were led by Yahweh in the desert. Satan doesn't sleep on tempting the people of God.

As Billy Graham said, "Our idols are not statues of gold and marble; our idols come from the things we love the most." For our struggle is not with objects that have physical appearances. Neither with humans, nor with animals, rather with spiritual forces.  We can defeat evil by faith and by the strength that God is giving us but not on our own (Zechariah 4:6).

"The cosmic purpose of God involves the believer with the spiritual hierarchy of the unseen world organized under the power of Satan" (George E. Harper). Therefore, arming Christians for spiritual war is the best means to stay fit. The scheme and wiles of the devil as NRSV translates, are the strategies designed by the devil to try to destroy the Christian faith. They are the tactics to fool and trap a Christian believer.
Originally, Paul was referring to Greek and Roman mythological gods and their theories of unseen power and creations of heavens. There were multiple classifications of demon and cosmic gods in that Roman world. Due to these beliefs, first century Christians were squeezed from every side between the Greek and Romans gods, philosophers, and Judaism. 

Paul was aware of many methods Satan utilizes to hinder the work of the gospel and Christian growth. He once said to the Thessalonians how he wanted to visit them, but Satan has blocked his way (1 Thessalonians 2:18). He understands that Satan can break down the most intimate relationships even by employing an idea that seems to be for spiritual purposes (1 Corinthians 7:5). He believes that the devil could even take the form of an angel and lead believers away from the truth of God (2 Corinthians 11:3,14)."

Stand firm, therefore, so that you can foil all the secrets and the whole enterprise of the devil from succeeding among yourselves. Stand firm against the cunning manner of the system of this world. Be strong in the faith and understand secrets and plans behind the acts of many around you. In this world, there are many gods, as Paul says, and we are wrestling against them as we live our lives as Christians. If any Christian does not believe in the force of darkness, we can assume that person is wired with the deceit because scripture has proven the existence of forces of this world.
You can ask why someone would plot the killing of his fellow human. Or what is behind placing a bomb that would slay many innocent people? Why do people choose to commit suicide? Why would friends lure their best buddies to alcohol and substance abuse?  There are substances in the form of "bath salts," some called "K-2," and "spice." Why are such systems and businesses in place? They are forms of deceptions and aim to destroy human lives. Friends know that the power of darkness has been put in place in different forms and methods to numb minds, to destroy and lead people from leading a normal life or from faith.

 Paul said, "Stand therefore."  This means we are not called on to attack, rather Christians are called to stay alert and pay attention, to foil every deceit and scheme of the devil when it hits hard—" in the days of crisis."  We do not know when it hits, when he deploys the attack, but we are reminded to be watchful yet sink in God's armor.
We remain watchful and as KJV translates, "having your loins girt about with truth." The first thing that braces and gives a warrior a good grip of weapons is the belt. A belt is part of the armor that holds together everything. Spiritually, it is knowing the truth of God.  Jesus said, knowing the truth will set free a believing Christian (John 8:32). Truth is hard, but when believers come to the full knowledge of God, they will disregard self-doubt and be honest in their Christian living. This will foil the deceit of the devil that falsifies everything about God and Christ.
"Cover your chest with the breastplate of Righteousness." Your upper body is the center of your living. It's where your heart, your lung, your liver and your kidneys are stationed. This encourages a believer to use the large portion of the armor and cover the most vulnerable place of your body with righteousness of Jesus Christ. Stay protected while continuing in the journey of sanctification through the power of the Holy Spirit.

We cannot be righteous in our own doing, "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away” (Isaiah 64:6). But "Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life and honor"(Proverbs 21:2); "For the righteous will never be moved; they will be remembered forever" (Psalm 112:6). Jesus encourages his followers to "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given " (Matthew 6:33). Christ Jesus is our source of "righteousness, sanctification and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30).
Righteousness is Tsedeq in Hebrew and means the right thing of God; the holiness that God has bestowed on his followers through the blood of Christ.  It’s the conformity toward the demands of believers. This calls on us to open ourselves to God as we are made right with the Lord. To be right with God is to submit to God's whole authority.
Put on Shoes for the Gospel of peace and be ready to proclaim the gospel of love and peace toward harmony. We are called to imitate Christ in his calling. "The possession of the good news of the gospel involves the obligation to share it. That which is divinely given must be humanly passed on. Jesus Christ needs us to be the hands and feet and lips which will bring his gospel to those who have never heard it." William Barclay. Isaiah saw this a longtime ago and said, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation" (Isaiah 52:7).
 
Remember to shield yourself with faith to "quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one." Shield yourselves from the dividing languages, media schemes, and false theories as we try to bring back our unity and our dignity. Hold tight to your shield to dispel invisible deceits of the devil that come from all directions.

Take the helmet of salvation to protect our heads from flying objects.  Be knowledgeable about your redemption. You are rescued from destruction to a new life with God. Nothing can be added to secure our salvation, but only Christ’s salvific work which we receive by faith alone. We need caution to protect from doubts and sinning as we are reminded of the salvation of God. Keep your mind free from evil thoughts and set your mind on the cross (Colossians 3:1)
Last but not the least, hold on to the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  Now you have the weapon, and your armor is complete.  Jesus defeated the devil and halted the cunning persuasion of the devil by quoting the Bible saying, "it is written" (Matthew 4).  This does not mean that you must read scripture from cover to cover or know the Bible entirely. However, scripture is instructing us to be knowledgeable of the best tool to fight against the false schemes of the devil during your time of crisis.  “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4

No wonder the book of Ephesians is the most theological among other epistles of Paul. The knowledge of God and the necessity of the outfit is described in a fashionable way. How can we resist this Brand name. World-renowned designers cannot design this armor in its detailed manner. We are all required to obtain it because lacking armor, a Christian person is naked, walking barefoot, no belt, bare-headed and empty chested and helpless when attacked.
Scripture urges us to always pray in the Spirit in every form of prayer and supplication.  It is as if Paul is saying to you and myself today, that you must polish your armor with all kinds of prayers in all seasons. Pray when you persevere, when you are discouraged and when things and everyone around you seems gone away. Above all, remember everyone in your prayers because your intercession helps strengthen your brothers and sisters in their struggle.
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Let us draw near to Jesus, the source of our lives, because without him we are lost and powerless (John 6:56-69). Amen!