A general teaching on fasting and an expository sermon on Isaiah 58. Part of Spiritual Emphasis Month.

1. This is the Fast
Isaiah 58:1–14

2. Isaiah 58:1–14
1 “Cry loudly, do not hold back; Raise your voice like a
trumpet, And declare to My people their transgression
And to the house of Jacob their sins. 2 “Yet they seek
Me day by day and delight to know My ways, As a
nation that has done righteousness And has not
forsaken the ordinance of their God. They ask Me for
just decisions, They delight in the nearness of God. 3
‘Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we
humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’ Behold,

3. on the day of your fast you find your desire, And drive
hard all your workers. 4 “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.
5 “Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a 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 a fast, even an acceptable day to the
LORD? 6 “Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen
the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the
yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every
yoke? 7 “Is it not to divide your bread with the

4. hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide
yourself from your own flesh? 8 “Then your light will
break out like the dawn, And your recovery will
speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go
before you; The glory of the LORD will be your rear
guard. 9 “Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove
the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger
and speaking wickedness, 10 And if you give yourself to
the hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then
your light will rise in darkness

5. And your gloom will become like midday. 11 “And the
LORD will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire
in scorched places, And give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring
of water whose waters do not fail. 12 “Those from
among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; You will raise
up the age-old foundations; And you will be called the
repairer of the breach, The restorer of the streets in
which to dwell. 13 “If because of the sabbath, you turn
your foot From doing your own pleasure on My holy
day, And call the sabbath a delight, the holy day of the
LORD honorable,

6. And honor it, desisting from your own ways, From
seeking your own pleasure And speaking your own
word, 14 Then you will take delight in the LORD, And I
will make you ride on the heights of the earth; And I
will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, For
the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

7. This is the Fast
Isaiah 58:1–14

8. What is fasting?
Eating sparingly or abstaining from food altogether,
either from necessity or desire. Spiritual fasting entails
setting aside activities as well as reducing the intake of
food and replacing these activities with the exercise of
prayer and preoccupation with spiritual concerns. The
Old Testament word for fasting comes from the root
word “at all.” The New Testament word that is
translated “fasting” literally means one who has not
eaten, one who is empty.

9. I’m hungry!

10. Who fasted?
Old Testament
Moses Ezekiel
Joshua Isaiah
David Good kings
Nehemiah Bad kings
Ezra Common
Daniel Nobel
New Testament
Jesus
Paul
Barnabas
Elders at Antioch
Disciples
Anna the prophetess

11. Is it for us today?
Jesus taught about fasting “When you fast…”
Jesus predicted disciples would fast “When the
bridegroom is taken away they will fast…”
A major teaching of Jesus

12. Types of Fast
Total fast-most common.
Absolute-abstain from all food and water; Queen Ester,
Moses and Jesus
Modified-Daniel and Ezekiel

13. What is it for?
1. To prepare for ministry. Jesus spent forty days and
nights fasting and praying before He began his work on this
earth.
2. To seek God’s wisdom. Paul, Barnabas and the elders
prayed and fasted before they received their call.
3. To show grief. Nehemiah mourned, fasted, and prayed
when he learned Jerusalem’s walls had been broken down.

14. What is it for?
4. To seek deliverance or protection. Ezra declared a
corporate fast and prayed for a safe journey for the Israelites.
5. To repent. After Jonah pronounced judgment against the
city of Nineveh, the king covered himself with sackcloth and
sat in the dust. He then ordered the people to fast and pray.

15. What is it for?
6. To gain victory. After losing in battle for two days, the
Israelites cried out to God for help. Judges 20:26 says all the
people went up to Bethel and “sat weeping before the Lord
and fasted that day until evening.” The next day the Lord
gave them the victory
7. To worship God. Anna in Luke 2 “She never left the
temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.”
Anna was devoted to God, and fasting was one expression of
her love for Him.

16. The heart of
fasting
To deny the flesh
and seek God.

17. A call to
repentance
Isaiah 58:1…Cry loudly, do not
hold back; Raise your voice
like a trumpet, And declare to
My people their transgression
And to the house of Jacob
their sins.

18. Playing Church
Isaiah 58:2…Yet they
seek Me day by day and
delight to know My
ways, As a nation that
has done righteousness
And has not forsaken
the ordinance of their
God. They ask Me for
just decisions, They
delight in the nearness
of God.

19. Playing Church
2 Timothy 3:4–5…lovers of pleasure rather than lovers
of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they
have denied its power;
Form not substance
Players not prayers

20. Why indeed
‘Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we
humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’
Wrong motives
Wrong action

21. New Testament answer
Matthew 6:16…Whenever you fast, do not put on a
gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their
appearance so that they will be noticed by men when
they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their
reward in full.
Attention seeking not God seeking

22. God’s answers
…the day of your fast you
find your desire, And drive
hard all your workers.
…you fast for contention
and strife and to strike with
a wicked fist.

23. God’s call out
Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a 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 a fast, even an acceptable day to the
LORD? Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the
bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke,
And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke?

24. A godly purpose
Share with the needy
Help the homeless
Clothe the poor
Reaching out

25. Still for us?
Matthew 25:41b–43…Depart from Me, accursed ones,
into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the
devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me
nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing
to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in;
naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison,
and you did not visit Me.’

26. Our faith moves us to
action
Then your light will
break out like the
dawn, And your
recovery will
speedily spring forth;
And your
righteousness will go
before you; The
glory of the LORD will
be your rear guard.

27. Our faith bring divine action
Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; You will
cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke
from your midst, The pointing of the finger and
speaking wickedness,

28. Breaks the spiritual funk
Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will
become like midday.

29. Faith + Action = Spiritual Results
And the LORD will continually guide you, And
satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give
strength to your bones; And you will be like a
watered garden, And like a spring of water
whose waters do not fail.

30. Spiritual and Natural
Those from among
you will rebuild the
ancient ruins; You will
raise up the age-old
foundations; And you
will be called the
repairer of the
breach, The restorer
of the streets in
which to dwell.

31. Our take away
Fast on Thursdays during the month of January
Make your church the focus
Ask yourself “What can I do?”
Show compassion

32. This is the Fast
Isaiah 58:1–14