Last week the members of Victory Church entered into a "congregational fast" to seek the Lord and ask for God's favor on our ministry, our families, and our individual lives. The response from our congregation has been overwhelming! People are really getting excited about fasting and seeking the Lord. Below is an outline of the message I shared on Sunday, January 6, 2008.
ASKING FOR GOD'S FAVOR
In 2 Samuel 7:18-29 we find King David "sitting before the Lord." The verse that really spoke to my heart was 2 Samuel 7:29, "Now please bless your servants house so that it will continue before You forever."
Did you hear what David asked for? He asked for God to bless his household, not just for the day he was living, but forever! In other words, King David was asking for “God's favor" to rest on his life, his family, and his linage--now get this--FOREVER!
One of the principles of the Kingdom of God is that God favors a just man! Proverbs 12:2 (HCSB) The good obtain favor from the Lord, but He condemns a man who schemes.
It drives me to ask,"Have we asked for God's favor on our lives, our families, our careers, our finances, our church, your pastor? And, have we asked for it to continue forever?"
There are many examples in the Word of God about men who had found God's favor:
Noah: Genesis 6:8 (NIV) But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
Moses: Exodus 33:13-14 (NIV) Moses said, "If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know and continue to find favor with you." The Lord said, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
Gideon: Judges 6:17 (NIV) Gideon replied, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me."
Samuel: I Samuel 2:26 (NIV) The boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and men.
David: Acts 7:46 (NIV) David enjoyed God's favor.
Therefore, for the righteous man and woman, favor with God is assured.
The Lord has really pressed upon my spirit to declare for Victory Church: “The year of asking for God’s favor!”
How are we going to do that? How are we going to ask for God’s favor?
Joel 2:12-16 (HCSB) Even now— [this is] the Lord’s declaration— turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the Lord your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in faithful love, and He relents from sending disaster. Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave a blessing behind Him, [so you can] offer grain and wine to the Lord your God. Blow the horn in Zion! Announce a sacred fast; proclaim an assembly. Gather the people; sanctify the congregation; assemble the aged; gather the children, even those nursing at the breast.
Vs 12: turn to Me – means repent
Vs 13: tear your hearts, not just your clothes – it was Jewish culture to tear one’s clothing as a sign of repentance, but the Lord was saying forget the rituals! Tear your hearts! He was saying their needs to be an change on the inside!
How are we going to tear our hearts? Through prayer and fasting!
Mark 2:18-20 (HCSB) Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. People came and asked Him (Jesus), “Why do John’s disciples and the Pharisees’ disciples fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot fast while the groom is with them, can they? As long as they have the groom with them, they cannot fast. But the time will come when the groom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.
This morning I want to talk to you about the subject of fasting. I believe there is great power in the principles of prayer with fasting. But so many people either 1) ignore fasting (“it’s not for me”), or 2) misunderstand what fasting is all about.
In order to see something of the power of prayer and fasting, we need to turn to another passage of Scripture:
Matthew 17:1-21 (HCSB) After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. He was transformed in front of them, and His face shone like the sun. Even His clothes became as white as the light. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it’s good for us to be here! If You want, I will make three tabernacles here: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said: This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him. Listen to Him! When the disciples heard it, they fell facedown and were terrified. Then Jesus came up, touched them, and said, “Get up; don’t be afraid.” When they looked up they saw no one except Him—Jesus alone. As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Don’t tell anyone about the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” So the disciples questioned Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” “Elijah is coming and will restore everything,” He replied. “But I tell you: Elijah has already come, and they didn’t recognize him. On the contrary, they did whatever they pleased to him. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them about John the Baptist. When they reached the crowd, a man approached and knelt down before Him. “Lord,” he said, “have mercy on my son, because he has seizures and suffers severely. He often falls into the fire and often into the water. I brought him to Your disciples, but they couldn’t heal him.” Jesus replied, “You unbelieving and rebellious generation! How long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.” Then Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and from that moment the boy was healed. Then the disciples approached Jesus privately and said, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” “Because of your little faith,” He told them. “For I assure you: If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not come out except by prayer and fasting.”
Jesus returns from His transfiguration, having been aside in the mountains with Peter, James and John. Upon His return down, they are met by the other disciples and the crowd of people who were following Jesus to see the miracles He might perform. And the first thing that we see is waiting for Jesus is:
1. AN UNMET NEED (VS. 16)
Matthew 17:16 (HCSB) I brought him to Your disciples, but they couldn’t heal him.
There was a need that Jesus’ disciples could not meet - it was beyond their resources (human or spiritual).
• Previous to this, Jesus had already given His disciples the authority to heal the sick and cast out demons in His Name. And they went about preaching Jesus’ message of the Kingdom of God, and they healed and delivered just as Jesus said that they would.
• BUT NOW they have struck a need that is obviously too great for them. This young man, so violently afflicted with a devil that tormented him - and the disciples, no matter what they attempted, had been unable to deal with it. There was an UNMET NEED.
• Let’s not be too quick to criticize the disciples for their inability here. Haven’t we all been in those places where we have tried with all that we have to find an answer in our lives, or in the life of some other poor friend needing help? We’ve tried everything; we’ve exhausted all our spiritual resources, and still the need is left seemingly unmet.
• The sickness remains; the situation is unchanged; the person is unaffected, unsaved, unchallenged. The need is unmet! What are we to do?
Jesus comes down from the mountain and heals the boy and drives out the demon (vs. 17 & 18). There’s no longer an unmet need, but now they have been left with:
2. AN UNANSWERED QUESTION (VS. 19)
Matthew 17:19 (HCSB) Then the disciples approached Jesus privately and said, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
They’d had answers to prayer before, you see. They’d ministered effectively at times - they’d had SOME successes.
• So what was different this time?
• “Why could WE not cast out this demon?”
• “Oh, Lord, we tried everything we knew how. We prayed just as we’ve heard You pray for people.
• What went wrong? We were so frustrated! Where did we go wrong?”
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been right where those disciples were so many times. “Why Lord?” UNANSWERED QUESTIONS.
The disciples had an unanswered question: “Why could WE not cast him out?”
But to their question, Jesus gives:
3. AN UNEXPECTED REPLY (VS. 20-21)
Matthew 17:20-21 (HCSB) “Because of your little faith,” He told them. “For I assure you: If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not come out except by prayer and fasting.”
There are needs that are especially great - obstacles that have a whole different dimension of difficulty about them.
• SOME things require a specific breakthrough in the heavenlies - they are spiritual problems, spiritually discerned, and they require spiritual power to break them.
• And Jesus says that there is a way to obtain the spiritual power to break through such needs - and here is the substance of my message to you today …
GODLY PRAYER, WITH FASTING, RELEASES BREAKTHROUGH SPIRITUAL POWER.
When Jesus was led up into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by the devil, He entered into a prolonged season of prayer and FASTING - 40 days in all (without bread or water).
And Luke records (4:14) that after that time He returned “IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT”.
Now Jesus was continually anointed of God (since His baptism) - but something was clearly released in a whole new dimension through that period of prayer and fasting. Otherwise Luke wouldn’t have mentioned it the way that he does.
GODLY PRAYER, WITH FASTING, RELEASES BREAKTHROUGH SPIRITUAL POWER.
I BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF PRAYER! I believe it is ordained of God! God does NOTHING except in answer to believing prayer.
I see fasting as vital in prayer because of THREE things:
1. FASTING REMINDS US OF OUR HUMANITY.
It’s always good to be reminded of our humanity when we come to God. To come to God feeling a sense of helplessness IS NOT a handicap but a head start.
It casts us upon God. It makes us dependent, and oh, how most of us hate to feel dependant!
2. FASTING HUMBLES US.
There is self-denial involved. We deny the physical appetites of our body for a time, to humble ourselves before God who has all the answers for our lives.
3. FASTING IS A SIGN OF OUR DESIRE.
We are saying, when we fast, that seeking God is more important to us than the daily routine of finding food for ourselves.
We have a passion for God that supercedes everything else. (NOT trying to twist God’s arm, but a genuine display of the earnestness of our desire.)
So, fasting is VERY significant. But, sadly, it’s overlooked by so many Christians today.
(Ill.) David Yonggi Cho pastor of the largest church in the world (believed to be the largest church in history) - over 700,000 members! He and his staff have such a belief in the power of prayer and fasting that they rarely, if ever, counsel people. If someone comes to them with a great problem or urgent need, their standard answer is, “go to prayer mountain and fast and pray for three days.” If they return with the problem still unmet, they tell them to go and fast and pray for a week. (Then for ten days/then for forty days.) They do not think it possible that a person would ever return to them again with the problem still!
Let me say it again: GODLY PRAYER, WITH FASTING, RELEASES BREAKTHROUGH SPIRITUAL POWER.
Conclusion: Let’s join together in prayer and fasting for Victory Church!
“The year of asking for God’s favor!”
I will be teaching for the next several weeks on prayer and fasting, but for now, I am declaring a church-wide fast !
Joel 2:12-13, 15-16 (HCSB) Even now— [this is] the Lord’s declaration— turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the Lord your God.
Blow the horn in Zion! Announce a sacred fast; proclaim an assembly. Gather the people; sanctify the congregation; assemble the aged; gather the children, even those nursing at the breast.
Will you join me in this fast? Here are the guidelines:
1. Together let’s fast during our Wednesday lunch
2. During that time let’s seek the Lord and pray
3. In our prayer let’s ask for several things from the Lord:
a. God’s favor on our church
b. Members of Victory Church to turn their hearts to God and live a Godly lifestyle
c. Ask for more people to be saved
d. Ask for more families to enter into a relationship with the Lord through the outreach efforts of Victory Church
e. Ask God for leadership and guidance in our relocation process
f. Ask for affordable land to come available
g. Ask for finances to increase as we prepare to build a new church
Jeremiah 33:3 (HCSB) Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and wondrous things you do not know.
Joel 2:15 (HCSB) Blow the horn in Zion! Announce a sacred fast!
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