Why Fast?

The title of the sermon is, Why Fast? Much has been written and said about fasting through the centuries. There are numerous examples of people fasting in the Bible. The longest fast recorded in Scripture are that of Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. Each of these three fastest of fasts lasted 40 days. So first of all, let's note Moses and his fast of 40 days in Exodus 34.

In Exodus 34 and verse 28. The background of this fast was that Moses had gone up to receive the Ten Commandments and the statues and the judgments, and on the way down, he heard the dancing and the music and all of that, and Aaron and the people had made a golden calf and were thus returning to idolatry. And God was going to start all over, it seems, with Moses as he had done in the past, had offered that opportunity. But Moses, once again, intercedes for the people. So in Exodus 24 and verse 38, we'll read the Scripture here, and when I think about this, I just wonder how on earth was this possible? In Exodus chapter 34 and verse 28. And he was there with the Lord 40 days and 40 nights. He didn't either eat bread nor drink water, and he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant the Ten Commandments.

And when Moses came and he came to pass, and Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the Mount that Moses knew not that the skin of his face shone like he talked with him while he talked with him. That is, because the presence of God was so bright that Moses' face shined as it did. So Moses fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. He interceded for the nation of Israel on numerous occasions. Moses was a type of Christ. He besought God that God would grant repentance and forgiveness to the nation of Israel. And each time that Moses interceded, he did answer Moses' prayer and his request, and the nation continued on its march toward the Promised Land.

Another fast of 40 days is recorded in 1 Kings chapter 19 and verse 1. If we'll turn there to 1 Kings chapter 19 and verse 1. The example of Elijah. And the setting for this is then after Elijah had the confrontation with the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel, and the priests of Baal were destroyed, that Jezebel heard about it and issued a decree to kill Elijah. So in 1 Kings 19, and Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done. So Ahab is Jezebel's husband, and Ahab is the king of Israel, the northern tribes. And with all how he had slain all the prophets with a sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also if I make not your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.

And when he saw that, he arose and went for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah and left his servant there. But he emcevelates a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree, and he requested for himself that he might die, and says, It is enough now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am not better than my father's. So at this point in Elijah's life, thinking that he had done everything that God had wanted him to do, how he had been so faithful through the many years, and he held the office of prophet in the land, that he would just die. And he was ready, as it were, to give up.

And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and behold, there was a cake baked on the coals and a cruise of water at his head, and he did eat and drink and laid him down again. And then the angel of the Lord came again the second time and touched him, and said, Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you. So of course, what the angel was going to do was bring Elijah a message from God concerning what another mission that he wanted Elijah to go on. And he arose and did eat and drink and went in that strength of that food for 40 days and 40 nights unto Horeb, the Mount of God. Now, Horeb is another name for Sinai, where God had given the Ten Commandments. And he came there unto a cave and lodged there, and behold, the word of the Eternal came unto him, and he said unto him, What are you doing here, Elijah? And he said, I've been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts, for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, slain your prophets with the sword, and I even only am left, and they seek my life to take it away.

And he said, Go forth and stand upon the mount before the Lord, and behold, the Lord passed by in a great strong wind, rent the mountains, and break in pieces, and rocks before the Lord. But the Lord was not in the wind, and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake, and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire, and after the fire, a still small voice. And so God then gave the rest of this chapter. You can read the rest of this chapter. He gave Elijah his final mission, as it were, before he was taken up. And that was to go anoint two kings. Now how a prophet of God would be able to anoint two kings, I'm not sure about that, but that's what it says, that Elijah went and anointed two kings, and he also anointed Elisha to stand in his place as the prophet. And so Elijah got up and did what God had commanded him.

Now we see another prophecy in the Old Testament of the prophet Daniel. If you would now turn to Daniel chapter 9. Daniel was very beloved by God. He was a man of great faith, and we know the story of Daniel and the lion's den and his faithfulness, also interpreting the dreams of the king in chapters 2 and 7. And so Daniel was eventually sort of shoved aside by the higher ups there in Babylon.

But Daniel continued to be faithful. He continued to seek God. And now we come to chapter 9 in Daniel's life. In the first year of Darius, the son of Mahashir So it's the 70 years prophecy of Jeremiah, which in the interpretation that Daniel is given here in Daniel 9 becomes the 70 weeks prophecy. Whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet that he would accomplish 70 years in the desolations of Jerusalem. And I set my face unto the Lord God to seek by prayer and supplication with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. And I prayed unto the Eternal, my God, made my confession and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him and to them that keep his covenant, his commandments. And he goes on there confessing the sins and asking for repentance. And eventually someone came, a spirit being came to Daniel. We notice now in verse 17, in all of these cases that I'm reading from here today, it would be good for you to read the entire chapter to get the entire context.

But we see here that Daniel is fasting to understand this prophecy in verse 17. Now therefore, O our God, hear my prayer of your servant in his supplication and cause your face to shine upon your sanctuary that is desolate. Oh my God, incline your ear and hear. Of course, the sanctuary had been sacked and burned, was desolate, and Nebuchadnezzar had done that.

Oh my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and behold our desolations in the city, which is called by your name, for we do not present our supplication before you for our righteousness, but for your great mercies. So an appeal to God's mercies. Lord, hear, O Lord, forgive, O Lord, hearken and dear defer not for your own sake. Of course, when he says for your own sake, similar to what Moses did in his intercession, appealing to God in the sense of his own sake, in that God had made special and precious promises.

Oh my God, for your city and your people are called by your name, and what I was speaking and praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God, for the holy mountain of my God. Yes, what I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, one of the archangels. Of course, Lucifer was one of the archangels who rebelled, and you have Gabriel and Michael, and both Gabriel and Michael are in the book of Daniel, whom I have seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched about the time of the evening oblation.

And so this angel talks to Daniel and says that he would give him the meaning of the prophecy. And so you can read the prophecy of the 70 weeks that are determined, 69 weeks before Messiah appears. Now in Daniel 10, we have something somewhat similar. In Daniel 9, it doesn't say how long Daniel was fasting, but in Daniel 10, it does. So we begin in verse 1 in the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia. A thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar, that was his Babylonian name, and the thing was true. But the time appointed was long, and he understood the thing and had understanding of the vision.

In those days, I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh or wine in my mouth, neither did I know it myself, at all till three whole weeks were fulfilled. So 21 days. Now verse 4 is interesting in that it gives us the time frame in which Daniel did this fasting, and in the 24th day of the first month, so three days after he had ended the fast, as I was by the side of the Great River, which is Hedeckl, and notice it was the 24th day of the first month. So that means that Daniel was fasting during Passover and through the days of unleavened bread, and three days after the completion of unleavened bread, on the 24th day, then he began to receive an answer for his fasting and for his prayer.

In verse 10, and beheld a hand, touched me and set me upon my knees upon the paws of my hands. And he said to me, O Daniel, man of greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto you, and stand upright. For unto you am I now sinned, and when he had spoken the word unto me, I stood trembling. And so the prophecy of Daniel 11 and 12 is a result of what happens here. And once again, you need to read the entire chapter.

And the spirit being that appeared to Daniel told him then, you look at verse 13, but the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me 21 days. But lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, and I remained there with the kings of Persia. But now I've come to let you know what will happen in the latter days. So, once again, it centered on prophecy and the revelation of prophecy.

And the outcome, we look at verse 20, then said, He, know you therefore, I come unto you, and now will I return and fight with the prince of Persia. And when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grisha shall come. And the prince of Grisha was Alexander the Great. And after Alexander's death, the kingdom was divided into four divisions, that is Alexander's kingdom.

But I will show you, which is noted in the scripture of truth, and there is none that holds with me in these things, but, Michael, your prince. Also, I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I stood to confirm and strengthen him. And now I will show you the truth. And so Daniel has revealed to him this longest continuous prophecy in the whole Bible, Daniel chapter 11, and also revealed to him end time things in Daniel chapter 12. David, after he got the word that he was the person that Nathan was talking about when Nathan came to him, I would less turn now to Samuel.

I think this is 1 Samuel chapter 12. Not sure. I don't have it marked here. We'll see if it's 1 or 2 Samuel. In 1 Samuel and chapter 12, anybody out there already? 2 Samuel chapter 12.

In 2 Samuel chapter 12, we see that David is confronted by Nathan the prophet after Samuel had committed his heinous act with Bathsheba. And as a result of what he did with Bathsheba, she was pregnant and was ready to deliver a child, and the child was delivered. And the child didn't seem to the question of whether or not the child would live, stood before them. And so we look at 2 Samuel chapter 12 and verse 16.

David therefore besought God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night upon the earth. And the elders of his house arose and went to him to raise him up from the earth, but he would not. Neither did he eat bread with him. And it came to pass on the seventh day that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice. How will he then vex himself if we tell him that the child is dead? And when David saw that they were whispering, he perceived that the child was dead. And David then arose from the earth, washed himself, anointed himself, changed to peril, and he did eat bread. In verse 20. So we see here of David fasting seven days. And once again, this one is repentance from sin and forgiveness, that David was beseeching God, also beseeching God, that the child that he had fathered with Bathsheba would not die. Jesus fasted 40 days and 49 nights. And so let's turn there and note that in Matthew chapter 4. This fast and this after came about after Jesus was baptized, after he was baptized in the River Jordan by John the Baptist, and as he was came up out of the water an angel, well, in the form of a dove, a spirit in the form of dove, lighted on the head of Jesus and said, a voice from heaven said, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. And so chapter 4, after this event of Jesus's baptism, verse 1, then Jesus was led up into by the spirit in the wilderness to be tried and tested of the devil. And when he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights, he was afterward hungry. And then the devil, the tempter came to him and said, if you be the Son of God. See, that was the claim that was made when after he was baptized. Behold, the Son of God, in whom I am well pleased. Then command these stones to be made bread.

But he answered and said, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. And so with each one of the temptations here, this first one was lust of the flesh. The next one could be called the lust of the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, where he took him up onto the temple and said, if you be the Son of God, jump off because it is written that the angel will bear you up.

But then Jesus answered once again in verse 7, it is written, again you shall not tempt the Lord your God.

Then the devil with his greatest prize of all, because he is the God of this world, and he has the kingdom of this world to offer. Apparently, here in verse 8, the devil took him up to an exceeding high mountain, showed him the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, and said unto him, all these things I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me. Then Jesus said unto him, Get you hence, Satan, for it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve. So after Jesus had passed 40 days and 40 nights, he repelled Satan by the word of God each time.

And then when you repel Satan, especially by the word of God, then the devil flees from you, which we'll read in just a moment from James chapter 4, but let's read verse 11.

Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered unto him. Now let's go to James chapter 4, and to some degree what James writes here parallels what we've just read there in Matthew chapter 4, with Jesus being tempted and tried and tested by the devil, that each time he repelled Satan, resisted Satan by the word of God. So James chapter 4. In James chapter 4, maybe I'll get there eventually.

In James chapter 4, in verse 7, notice this, similar to what Jesus did, submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God. So one of the main things that we say about fasting is we fast to draw nigh to God. It seems that our head is clearer, our thinking is clearer when we're fasting. Draw nigh to God, he will draw near to you. Clinge your hands, you sinners, purify your hearts, you double-minded. Similar to what we read about Moses interceding for the people of Daniel, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, intercessory prayer, confessing sin and repenting. Clinge your hands, you sinners, purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be afflicted. And the word afflicted is oftentimes used synonymously with fasting in the Bible. Be afflicted and mourn and weep and let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to heaviness. You know, there's a scripture in Proverbs chapter 7 that says it's better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of feasting, because through mourning the heart is made better. Humble yourselves. And one of the main things that God recognizes with regard to fasting, it is a sign of humility, a sign of humbling oneself before God. Humble yourselves in the sight of God and He will lift you up. You see, Satan does not understand fasting.

When we fast in the right way for the right reason, we deny everything that Satan has to offer.

Satan can only offer the temporal things of this world. He can only offer that which appeals to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. He cannot offer eternal life.

Everything that he has to offer is limited to the here and now. Now, we see inside into this in Job chapter 1 where Job is confronted with a trial, and it was brought on by Satan appearing before the throne of God. It's interesting to note that Satan still has this access to appear before the throne of God in the time of Job. So in Job chapter 1 and verse 6. Job chapter 1 and verse 6.

Now, there was a day when the sons of God, so this shows you that sons of God can be used to denote angels. In this case, sons of God came before the throne, apparently reporting to God, they came to present themselves before the eternal, and Satan came also among them.

And the eternal said unto Satan, Where do you come from? Then Satan answered the Lord and said, From going to and fro the earth, and walking up and down in it. You remember that Scripture in Peter that says Satan is a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom he may devour.

In the eternal said unto Satan, Have you considered my servant Job? There is none like him in the earth, a perfect man, upright man, one that fears God and eschews evil. Then Satan answered the Lord and said, Doth Job fear God for nothing? So Satan thinks that you serve God to get something. Have not you made a hedge about him and about his house, and about all that he has on every side?

You have blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth your hand now and touch all that he has. He will curse you to his face. And the eternal said unto Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your power, only upon himself put not forth your hand.

So Satan went forth from the presence of the eternal. And so first of all, Job has all of his wealth and his family except his wife taken away from him, then comes back before God and says, Oh well, you protected his flesh. And so God says, you can afflict him, but just don't take his life. And so through that affliction, Job remained faithful to a large degree, but he eventually began to say that God was testing him unfairly. And Job had to learn the lesson to justify God and judge man. But the principal thing we want here is to understand that Satan believes that he doesn't have spiritual understanding. He believes that you serve God just for what you can get from it. Everything limited to the here and now. Fastening for the right reason, as we've noted also in James, is a sign of humility before God. So at this time, we want to go to 1 Kings 19.

Remember that we talked about Ahab, how that Ahab was Jezebel's wife. He was an evil king. And we see that the story leading up to this is quite interesting, so you should read all of chapter 19, where Ahab wanted Naboth's vineyard and couldn't get it. And Jezebel cooked up a scheme whereby she was able to get the vineyard and it wound up of the people killing Naboth. And so the vineyard became Ahab's, and God was so fed up with this after that happened that he sent Elijah to Ahab to read him. I guess you would call it the riot act. I've had it. And so in 1 Kings 21, in verse 20, and Ahab said to Elijah, How have you found me, O mine enemy? And he said, I have found you because you have sowed yourself to work evil in the sight of the Lord. Behold, I will bring evil upon you and will take away your possessions and will cut off from Ahab him that against the wall and him that is shut up and left in Israel and will make your house like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebad, and like the house of Basha, the son of Ahai, for the provocation we're with, you have provoked me to anger and made Israel to sin.

And of Jezebel, it says, the dog shall lick her blood in the wall of Israel. Verse 27, it came to pass when Ahab heard these words that he rent his clothes and put sackcloth upon his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went softly. And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, See you how Ahab humbles himself before me, because he humbles himself before me, I will not bring this evil in his days, but in his son's days will I bring this evil upon his house.

We see another example. Here in this example, we see that he humbled himself, and the result of humbling himself, God then favored him, but then it was passed on to the next generation. The sins of Ahab still were punished even later. And now, we should ask the question, who can call a fast? So let's go to 2 Chronicles chapter 20 and verse 1. 2 Chronicles 20 and verse 1. And here we see that the king Jehoshaphat called a fast. 1 Corinthians chapter 20 verse 1. It came to pass after this, that the children of Moab and the children of Ammon and with them other besides Ammonites came against Jehoshaphat to battle. Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There comes a great multitude against you from beyond the sea on this side of Syria, and beyond. Behold, they be in Hazazan, Tamor, which is in Gedi. Jehoshaphat feared and set himself to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together to ask help of the Lord even out of the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord. And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem in the house of the Lord before the new court. And then he delivered his message and his call. You can read the rest of that chapter in which God then delivered as a result of him calling the fast and the people turning to seek God. So here we see a king proclaimed a fast. And Joel, one of the minor prophets, let's go there.

Hosea Joel, Amos, so let's go to Joel and chapter 2 of Joel.

Joel writes about the day of the Lord in Joel chapter 2 and verse 1.

Blow you the trumpet in Zion and sound an alarm in my holy mountain.

Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble for the day of the Lord comes for it is nigh at hand. A day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and of thickness, as the morning spread upon the mountains, a great people and a strong, there has never been ever the light. Neither shall be any more even to the years of many generations.

And so the day of the Lord was pronounced. I remember a fast that was called on New Year's Day by Mr. Armstrong back in January of 1983. We were living there just off of Orange Grove Boulevard and the Rose Parade was set up there and the carrying on all night. And here you were fasting and all the carrings on outside. But he sent a letter out and quoted from Joel chapter 2 and from the succeeding verses. And this is very apropos for us today.

God would rather that we repent and turn to him with fasting and with mourning and weeping rather than him to have to punish us.

The world seems cannot learn that lesson. Israel never learned that lesson.

Can we learn that lesson? Now we pick it up in verse 12, Joel 2, 12.

Therefore also now says the Lord, turn you even to me with all your heart with fasting and with weeping and with mourning and rend your heart and not your garments and turn unto the Lord your God for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness and repents him of the evil. The word repents has to do with perhaps he will change his mind instead of bringing the evil. Verse 14, who knows if he will return and change his mind and leave a blessing behind him, even a food offering and a drink offering unto the eternal your God. Blow the trumpet in Zion, and Zion is symbolic of the church as in Hebrews chapter 12 where it says you have come to Mount Zion to the city of the living God of the general assembly and church of the firstborn. You've come to Mount Zion not to Sinai. Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly.

Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders.

Gather the children and those that suck the breast. Let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber and the bride out of her closet. And let the priests and ministers of the Lord weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare your people, O Lord, and give not your heritage your approach, that the heathen should rule over them. Wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? So once again, it appeals to God who he is and what he is. Don't let this happen.

Turn this around, and also a call to repentance to the people. The benefit and blessing that could ensue after fasting was even known among the Gentiles. In fact, Assyria was known to be a very fierce and cruel nation, and yet Jonah was called to go prophesy to Nineveh. And you know the story of Jonah, how he reluctantly eventually went to Nineveh. So we go to Jonah, Jose Joel Amos, Omidiah Jonah. Just forward a few pages, and we're at Jonah chapter 3. In Jonah chapter 3, in verse 1, Then Jonah and the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the the preachings that I bid you. And Jonah arose and went into Nineveh according to the word of the Lord.

Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days journey.

They say that Nineveh had a wall around it, sixty miles to navigate, to circumnavigate it, somewhat like an oval or circle, sixty miles, and that it was like a two-lane highway. Three days journey, and Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, put on sackcloth from the greatest of them, even to the least of them. For the word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he rose from his throne, laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast her nor flock, taste anything, let them not feed nor drink water. And they cried mightily to God, For mercy, and God heard their prayer.

Of course, Jonah wasn't too happy about that. In chapter 4, it displeased Jonah, because he was, and he was exceeding, angry. Amazing that you see here that even the Gentile nations understood somewhat about fasting and calling upon God, and in turning to God, that God does hear and answer prayer. Of course, the reason given for Jonah's anger was that he knew the prophecies that the Assyrians would eventually destroy Israel, so he didn't want him to repent, because if they repented, they would destroy eventually Israel. We know that the angels in heaven rejoice when one sinner turns from their sins and repents, and so should we, and so should Jonah. God forgives and forgets. Note that God forgives and forgets. You know, in humans, they oftentimes say, well, I can forgive you, but I won't forget it, and we'll see that from Scripture a little later. However, as we have noted in our Scripture the day, that people can fast for the wrong reason. In Isaiah 58, it says that fast should be to loose the bands of wickedness and let the captives go free. Of course, in the ultimate sense, this can only be accomplished through Jesus Christ. Well, now let's turn to John 8 and verse 31. So you fast to loose the bands of wickedness, to let the captives go free. And of course, that can be applied in the individual sense and in the collective sense, and for the whole world, it comes through Jesus Christ.

In John 8 and verse 31.

Then said Jesus unto those Jews which believed on him, If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. You want to loose the bands of wickedness, you want to set the captives free, then you turn to God in Christ with fasting, with weeping, with repentance, with a humble heart.

You shall know the truth, the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham's seed. We were never in bondage to any man. How say you? You shall be made free.

Jesus answered them, Barely I say unto you, Whosoever commits sin is a servant of sin, and the servant abides not in the house forever, but the son abides ever.

If the son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. So that's how the bands of wickedness and the captives can be set free in the ultimate sense.

In Matthew 6, 18, Jesus says that when you fast, do not appear unto men to fast, but unto your father, which is in secret, and your father which sees in secret shall reward you openly. Notice this verse implies that there is a reward for fasting.

We often say, don't fast to get something, and that is true to a certain extent.

But in nearly all of the examples that we have cited, they fasted for a purpose.

How would you summarize the examples we have cited of the various fasts we have noted? By that I mean, what would you say was the main purpose of the fast?

In nearly every case, there was an issue at hand, and thus a reason for the fasts.

So what were they seeking from God?

If you are fasting today or tomorrow, yes, when you fast, whenever it is, the mind is clear and you focus intently on the Word of God.

We can draw closer to God, rededicate ourselves to seeking Him.

But our fast extends to all peoples, that the bands of wickedness may be broken and the captives set free. That can only be accomplished by coming to understand the plan and purpose of God, as summarized by the seven great questions of life. Who is God? What is God? What is His purpose? Who is man? What is man? What is His purpose?

And yes, we want the bands of the coronavirus to be broken and people to be set free physically. But more importantly, spiritually.

The Church of God has been commissioned to do that. In nearly all of the examples of the fasting, we cited they were seeking God's divine favor.

They were seeking His grace. They were seeking His intervention. And the causes range from seeking forgiveness and repentance, to beseeching God to give them the victory over their enemies.

Jude's epistle makes it very clear that some people have turned this about God's grace into a licentiousness. God's love, His grace, His mercy, His compassion, His understanding, and the characteristics of God go on and on, should never be used as an excuse to sin.

So we go now to Jude. In Jude chapter 1, only one chapter, in Jude's epistle in verse 1.

There's never been a time more appropriate for this Scripture.

Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ and brother James, to them that are set apart by God the Father, preserved in Jesus Christ, and called mercy unto you in peace, and loved the multiplied. Behold, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation. I was going to write about how we're all walking, I guess, in the same way. It became needful for me to write unto you and exhort you, that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

For there are certain men crapped in unawares who were before of all ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and that means license to sin, and denying the only Lord God, and the Lord God that, and the Lord our Jesus Christ.

I will therefore put you in remembrance, though you once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt afterward, destroyed them, but believed not. And so we're in a period of time in which the churches of this world emphasize the cheap grace, only believe there's a more intense fervor to emphasize that Jesus did it all, and all you have to do is believe in Jesus. Now we often say you cannot earn salvation, and that is true, but I wonder if we fully understand that the gift of salvation has conditions for receiving the gift, the gift of repentance, faith, and obedience. If there were not conditions to salvation, then God and Christ would be the ministers of sin.

As I have said from time to time, Christ came to save us out of our sins, not in our sins. I want us to go now to Galatians 2 and verse 15. Galatians 2 and verse 15. Galatians 2 and verse 15. We who are Jews by nature, not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing the man is not justified by the works of the law, you could perfectly keep the Ten Commandments even, and it would not pay for sins that are passed. As Romans 3 and verse 23 says, all of sin comes short of the glory of God. But by the faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law. For by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. So to pay for the sins that are passed, it requires the death of the sinner.

It says in Romans 6.23, the wages of sin is death. The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. So he continues here, but if while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, as therefore Christ, the minister of sin, God forbid. See, there are conditions on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was sent. They said, men and brethren, what shall we do? Peter said, repent and believe the gospel.

Be baptized, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

There are the elements of repentance, faith in the sacrifice of Christ, baptism laying out of hands, and turning for your sins. Verse 18, for if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. So there are conditions to receiving the free gift.

And so many of the examples of fasting we noted, the fasting was often connected with repentance and forgiveness.

Fasting is a way to draw closer to God, and God looks on the heart and the motive for why you do what you do. He knows our thoughts, and He is there to help us.

Though we speak of fasting and its benefits, one perhaps could get the impression that God is like some kind of busybody, gossip-bound, who's hoping you will make a mistake so he or she can tell somebody else, oh, ha, do you see what they just did?

But God is not sitting there watching and ready to swat us as we step out of line.

Notice Psalm 130, verse 1.

It's good to be reminded of this from time to time, but once again, His mercy, His grace, His love is not ever to be misconstrued as license to sin, because God looks on the heart, the intent, and what we practice, not that we slip up here or there occasionally. Notice this scripture, Psalm 130. We'll start in verse 1. Out of the depths have I cried unto you, O Lord, Lord, hear my voice, let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If you, Lord, eternal, should mark iniquities, O eternal, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with you that you might be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning. I say, more than they that watch for the morning. Let Israel hope in the eternal, for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous redemption, and he shall redeem Israel from all His iniquities. And upon repentance and faith, He will redeem us. God is our Father, and He's not there saying, Aha! Did you see Him or her do that? So let's read Psalm 103.

Psalm 103. We should never forget Psalm 103, how comforting it is in a time like the time that we are now facing. Psalm 103, and verse 1. I love this verse. I love the song that patterned after this verse. Bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me.

Bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.

Who forgives all your iniquities. Who heals all your diseases. Who redeems your life from destruction. Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies. Who satisfies your mouth with good things. So that your youth is renewed like the eagles. The Lord executes righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed. He made known His ways unto Moses, His acts into the children of Israel. We read about some of that. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide, neither will He keep His anger forever.

He has not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

For as it is written, as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, and that is infinity. Remember we said God forgives and forgets.

So far has He removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pities his children, so the father pities them that fear Him. For He knows our frame. He remembers that we're dust.

And as for man, His days are as grass as a flower of the field. So He flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and the place thereof shall know it no more. Here today, gone tomorrow, in a short fleeting span of time, as it were, and after a year or two or less, no one much even remembers that you ever existed. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him and His righteousness unto children's children. To such as keep His covenant unto those that remember His commandments to do them, the Lord has prepared His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all. Bless the Lord, you His angels, that excel in strength, that do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His Word. Bless you the Lord, all you His hosts, you ministers of His that do His pleasure. Bless the Lord, all His works in all places of His dominion. Bless the Lord, all my soul. That should be our song day and night.

I have found myself singing that hymn. I go to YouTube. There are a couple of versions there that I love of this hymn, where God assures us of His love, His mercy, His kindness, and He knows what we are. But on the other hand, He knows what our potential is. We are His children.

You know, Jesus tells us, come and learn of me. I am me. I am lowly. I am humble.

Come and learn of me. My yoke is easy. My burden is light. We are living in very troubleless times. We are living in a time where evil is called good and good is called evil.

We are living in a time in which people have forgotten God, and we are living in a time in which an invisible enemy has brought the world practically to a halt.

But we know that God is still on His throne, and we know that He will deliver us if we remain faithful.

When I say all of this, I believe that we are receiving a wake-up to the realities of the time in which we live. We're living in the times that Jesus speaks of in Matthew 24, the time of sorrows.

Does that mean, as the Merle Haggard song asks the question, are the good times over for good? Merle bemoans the fact that the country is rolling downhill like a snowball headed for hell, and bemoans the fact that no one is standing by the flag and the Liberty Bell. But then He concludes that the good times ain't over for good if people start standing by the flag and the Liberty Bell.

Well, for us, the good times are not over for good if we start standing for the things of God, crying aloud, sparing and not, lifting up your voice like a trumpet, showing my people her transgressions, Israel her sins. So, brethren, we have been called for a time like this.

You know, in the days of Esther, that famous line, who knows whether or not you've come to the kingdom for such a time as this, was on the heels of... well, a decree was made by the King that all the Jews should be destroyed. Mordecai, Esther's uncle, said, Esther, you're the queen. You need to go before the King and beseech him to spare our lives. And so Esther I guess you would call it in trembling and fear of one kind, agreed to do it. She called a fast, a fast for three days for all the Jews and all her household. She went before the King and received favor, and the decree was reversed. And the evil man Haman, who had issued, who had moved the King to issue the decree, wound up being the victim.

So who knows whether we're called to the kingdom for such a time as this.

Whether the good times are over for you and me will depend on us.

It will depend on who and where we set our minds, hearts, and affections on. Let's turn to Isaiah 26, Isaiah 26 and verse 3.

Once again, I remind you that in every scripture that I've given today, I would urge you to read the whole chapter.

Isaiah 26 verse 3, you will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind has stayed on you because he trusts in you.

Basting is one of the main ways to get your mind stayed on God. So let's keep it there.