 Fasting is so misunderstood and misused that if we ever get it right, you would see your spiritual life really take off. Most people use fasting or think of fasting as something or as a tool to get something from God. And therein lies the problem. That's where they misunderstand the whole process and they'll become frustrated because they're not getting what they're fasting for. So before we go into it, let's go ahead and look at what Jesus had to say about them fasting or about this brought up about Jesus' disciples. In Luke 533, he says that the leaders or the Jews, they came to them and asked him the disciples of John often fast and offer prayer. The disciples of the Pharisees also do the same, but yours eating drinks. So the question is, how come everyone else is fasting but your disciples, they're not fasting? Well, Jesus makes the point and they, I don't know if they get it. Certainly a lot of us don't get it. Look what he says. He says to them, you cannot make the attendance of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days. And so the point is there's no need to fast because I'm literally right here with them. And so there's the point. There's the purpose of fasting. Fasting is to bring you closer to God. If Jesus is right there, well, then there's no need to fast. He's literally right there. You guys are fasting though, for the wrong reason. You guys are fasting to get things to be seen, to make yourself look like you're special, to make you feel like you're special. No, the point of fasting is because you're not special and you're trying to bring about a closeness with God. But he says once he leaves, then they'll fast. So we need to figure out what exactly does fasting do? Remember in the day of the Atonement, God tells the people that they have to humble their soul. They have to flick their souls. They can't work. And he also tells them that they have to fast. Well, in Psalm 35, 13, this is Ronald Reagan says, but as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth. I humbled my soul with fasting. What does fasting do? Fasting is a physical means to bring about a spiritual need. Think about it this way. When you work, and let's say you've got a deadline to get to, and because you don't have a lot of time and you need to get this done, what do you do? You might skip lunch. You will deny the physical in order to gain something. Well, in this case, we're denying something physical, the food to gain something spiritual. We are denying ourselves this. Obviously, certainly we'll feel it, but we're doing it for a greater reason. Our focus is letting go of the flesh to focus on and to gain the spiritual. That is to gain Christ, to gain greater presence. And all throughout the scripture, especially the Old Testament, we see this being brought as a matter of fact, we're gonna look and see in Isaiah how they were doing it the wrong way and they were admonished and rebuked by it. In Psalm, I'm sorry, in Isaiah 58, 3, he says, why have we fasted and you do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and you do not notice? So notice the fasting part is bringing about the humbling, which necessarily means if you're going to fast, humble yourselves, you don't tell others, which is why he says, do not fast and tell others. Because now what are you doing? Now you're kind of letting people know that I do fast. Think about the person who came to Jesus and says, well, I fast twice a week. Well, your heart is wrong. And Jesus brings that point out to them. So let's go back to this. We have humbled ourselves and you do not notice because you haven't humbled yourself, truth be told. Behold, on the day of your fast, you find your desire and drive hard all your workers. Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high. Is it a fast like this, which I choose a day for man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one's head like a reed and for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this fast even an acceptable day to the Lord? Is this not the fast which I choose to loosen the bonds of the wickedness, to undo the band of the yoke and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke? That's his point. So the purpose of the fast is that you humble yourself, that there be some freedom not to get things. Now these people are fasting to get things and they're causing their other workers to work harder to make it for the fact that they're not there and so forth. Aren't you supposed to be fasting, as he says, to make your voice heard on high? Well, how do you do so? This proximity is shrunken. You get closer to him in a humble fashion if you're fasting in that way, but you're not fasting that way. You're fasting to get things. You're fasting to be heard. You're fasting to get things. You're fasting because of you, not because of him. And there's the problem. So when Joel, he tells him in Joel 212, he says, yet even now declares the Lord, return to me with all your heart and with fasting, weeping and mourning. Look at what he says. And with fasting, weeping and mourning. In other words, there's this humility. There's this solemn feeling of what's happening here because you realize what kind of person you are, how fallen you are, and that you want to be in the presence of a loving God. And so you afflict yourself, you humble your soul by fasting. Now does God understand that sometimes when we fast, that there's things that we need, there are times in the Bible where there's something happening and they fast, but the fasting is not to bring about an end to this, is to bring about a closeness with God and then let him in turn fix whatever the issue is. And if he decides not to fix it, that matter, you're closer with him. And so in truth, we're not fasting to get something, we're fasting to get him. One thing that's pretty interesting to note also in the New Testament, there is no specific command to fast. Should you fast? Sure. So I don't want you to misunderstand what I'm saying that you should not fast because the New Testament doesn't give a specific command. What it is is that it is expected that you would fast. And why would you do that? Well, because when you fast, you're going to hear him better. Look at Acts 13 too. He says, while they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, set apart for me, Barnabas and Saul for the work which I have called them. And so in your fasting, you can hear better. You can hear from him. There's a closeness that's brought about because of your fasting with God. Am I saying that you're gonna start hearing from heaven audibly? That's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying though is that you, because you have afflicted your soul, guess what your soul is more attentive to, to him. Why? Because if the food is not as important to you, then so too will the other things physical in this world. They also won't be as important. What becomes the highlight is God. And that is the purpose of fasting. So when you fast, it's not to fast for five minutes or five hours. Let me just give up some water. Let me give up TV. No, let me give up food. So for the sake of growing closer to God, I can get him. And that's why you are expected to fast. It's just a part of our walk with Christ to be closer with him. That is if you indeed desire to be closer with him. Amen.