Week 2: A Hunger for God
Chapters 1-3 (45 pages)
Key Quotes:
Chapter 1
"In this world there is an ache inside every Christian that Jesus is not here as fully and intimately and as powerfully and as gloriously as we want him to be. We hunger for so much more. That is why we fast." (40)
"The new fasting, the Christian fasting, is a hunger for all the fullness of God (Ephesians 4:19), aroused by the aroma of Jesus' love and by the taste if God's goodness in the gospel of Christ (1 Peter 2:2-3)" (43)
"His gifts leave a hunger for him beyond themselves, and fasting from his gifts puts that hunger to the test." (46)
Chapter 2
"What are we slaves to? What are we most hungry for -- food or God? Fasting is God's testing ground-- and healing ground." (57)
"Therefore the fight of faith and the battle to behold the glory of the Lord day by day is fought not only by feeding the soul on truth, but fasting, to put our appetites to the test, and if necessary to death." (61)
Chapter 3
"He loves Thee too little who loves anything together with Thee which he loves not for Thy sake- St. Augustine" (64)
"the motive at stake is not simply whether you want your acts to be known by others, but why you want them to be known - that God be glorified, or that you be admired." (70)
"And so God subtly and slowly can become a secondary Person in the living of our lives. We may think that he is important to us because all these things that we are doing are the kinds of things he wants us to do. But, in fact, he himself is falling out of the picture as the focus of it all." (72)
Engagement Questions:
Chapter 1
1. Why, in today's day and age, has fasting become thought of as a secular discipline?
2. Some argue that Matt 9:14-17 alludes to the time between Good Friday and the resurrection. Their proof text for why fasting is no longer needed in John 16:22-23. What argument can be made to overcome this and how should the text be interpreted?
Chapter 2
1. What similarities are there between Jesus' temptation and the temptations that the Israelites faced in the wilderness?
2. For what purpose was the manna provided by God for the nation of Israel in Deuteronomy 8:3?
Chapter 3
1. In what ways are we not to fast? How are we to fast?
2. Reflecting on your last fast, do you believe that your fast was oriented towards God or towards self?
Summary:
Chapter 1
Although the first half of A Hunger for God deals with the inward, this first chapter sets the premise for why Christian fasting is a discipline that is uniquely Christian. This is especially challenging when we consider the fact that many other religions will fast, some will observe a fast to motivate some sort of political recourse, and others do so for dietary purposes. And while the beforementioned items can be considered as fasts, a Christian fast is unique to Christianity. And Christians should fast. Dr. Piper exposites Matthew 9:14-17 to show how Christian fasting ought to be a discipline that is practiced still by Christians. It did not end when Christ came into the earth and it does not take the same form or function that the Jews had when they fasted. Rather, as old fasting was done to mourn sins and to yearn for deliverance, new fasting is the result of the consummation of a kingdom where the people of God will have tasted of Christ and desire and hunger for all the fullness of God. Additionally, Christian fasting is not practiced because we believe that food is to be despised. We are able to appreciate the goodness of food, while at the same time understanding that the food is not what we truly desire; God is. And ultimately, that is why Christian fasting is…Christian. We do it because we hunger for more of Him and are willing to deny ourselves the pleasures of food to grow in our pleasures in Him.
Chapter 2
With an understanding that fasting is Christian, we begin to examine our own hearts as we prepare to fast. The passage of Scripture that is exposited in this chapter comes from Deuteronomy 8:2-3, quoted by Jesus when tempted by Satan in the wilderness (Matt 4:4). Having been led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Jesus' preparation for ministry starts with a fasting. His triumph over Satan also comes through fasting as he voluntarily identifies with the Israelites but is triumphant and fully able to lead his people into the promised land. Considering the Deuteronomy passage, we see that the people of God were tested in how they received the manna; a means to show them that they were not to depend on the bread, but on God (Deut 8:3). Satan, in his temptation to Jesus, challenges Jesus to transform stones into bread, subtly eisegeting the text to mean that God would provide for His people in their moments of distress, which He regularly did. Jesus quickly responds by showing that though God may provide miracle-bread it is not what we are to seek for satisfaction of our desires, but rather we are simply to trust God, in the midst of distress. As Piper put it, "Don't trust in bread- not even miracle bread- trust in God" (59). This should bring us to pause and reflect on the manner in which we fast, asking of ourselves whether or not we fast for gifts or if we fast because we have a hunger for God.
Chapter 3
This chapter might sting a little for some. I should also note that while it does mention several ways in which we are not to fast and how we are to fast, this is not a book that is trying to teach us the best technique or method for fasting. It is going much deeper than that in providing us a biblical description of fasting, as opposed to being prescriptive in how we do it. The main text comes from the Sermon on the Mount, specifically Matthew 6:16-18, in showing us what is the ultimate aim in our fasting; God. Jesus states that we are not to fast like the hypocrites, which is very interesting since those who he was describing were actually fasting. Truly, a hypocrite is a person who claims to be one thing but does the complete opposite, so at first glance it is odd for Jesus to call a person who is fasting a hypocrite. But it reveals a greater principle in that fasting is not simply an outward act, but one that is motivated from the heart. We fast, having a heart that is after God. We do not fast to be adored or commended by man, but to receive the approval and reward from God; the primary reward being God's name to be honored in our lives, his kingdom to be consummated, and his will to be done on earth. This does not mean that if someone were to discover that we were fasting that we have somehow done it wrong and should be more secretive the next time, instead it is all about the heart we maintain when we fast.
Grace and Peace,
Alex Galvez
To never miss an article, click on the "Subscribe" button at the top of the blog page (https://aogalvez.blogspot.com/)
****************************************************
These articles usually follow the current Bible Reading plan for Overflow Ministries. If you would like to join the reading plan, simply download the plan here: Overflow Reading Plan
You may follow Overflow Ministries @ https://faithlife.com/overflowtx/activity
or on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/OverflowChurchTX/
"The new fasting, the Christian fasting, is a hunger for all the fullness of God (Ephesians 4:19), aroused by the aroma of Jesus' love and by the taste if God's goodness in the gospel of Christ (1 Peter 2:2-3)" (43)
"His gifts leave a hunger for him beyond themselves, and fasting from his gifts puts that hunger to the test." (46)
Chapter 2
"What are we slaves to? What are we most hungry for -- food or God? Fasting is God's testing ground-- and healing ground." (57)
"Therefore the fight of faith and the battle to behold the glory of the Lord day by day is fought not only by feeding the soul on truth, but fasting, to put our appetites to the test, and if necessary to death." (61)
Chapter 3
"He loves Thee too little who loves anything together with Thee which he loves not for Thy sake- St. Augustine" (64)
"the motive at stake is not simply whether you want your acts to be known by others, but why you want them to be known - that God be glorified, or that you be admired." (70)
"And so God subtly and slowly can become a secondary Person in the living of our lives. We may think that he is important to us because all these things that we are doing are the kinds of things he wants us to do. But, in fact, he himself is falling out of the picture as the focus of it all." (72)
Engagement Questions:
Chapter 1
1. Why, in today's day and age, has fasting become thought of as a secular discipline?
2. Some argue that Matt 9:14-17 alludes to the time between Good Friday and the resurrection. Their proof text for why fasting is no longer needed in John 16:22-23. What argument can be made to overcome this and how should the text be interpreted?
Chapter 2
1. What similarities are there between Jesus' temptation and the temptations that the Israelites faced in the wilderness?
2. For what purpose was the manna provided by God for the nation of Israel in Deuteronomy 8:3?
Chapter 3
1. In what ways are we not to fast? How are we to fast?
2. Reflecting on your last fast, do you believe that your fast was oriented towards God or towards self?
Summary:
Chapter 1
Although the first half of A Hunger for God deals with the inward, this first chapter sets the premise for why Christian fasting is a discipline that is uniquely Christian. This is especially challenging when we consider the fact that many other religions will fast, some will observe a fast to motivate some sort of political recourse, and others do so for dietary purposes. And while the beforementioned items can be considered as fasts, a Christian fast is unique to Christianity. And Christians should fast. Dr. Piper exposites Matthew 9:14-17 to show how Christian fasting ought to be a discipline that is practiced still by Christians. It did not end when Christ came into the earth and it does not take the same form or function that the Jews had when they fasted. Rather, as old fasting was done to mourn sins and to yearn for deliverance, new fasting is the result of the consummation of a kingdom where the people of God will have tasted of Christ and desire and hunger for all the fullness of God. Additionally, Christian fasting is not practiced because we believe that food is to be despised. We are able to appreciate the goodness of food, while at the same time understanding that the food is not what we truly desire; God is. And ultimately, that is why Christian fasting is…Christian. We do it because we hunger for more of Him and are willing to deny ourselves the pleasures of food to grow in our pleasures in Him.
Chapter 2
With an understanding that fasting is Christian, we begin to examine our own hearts as we prepare to fast. The passage of Scripture that is exposited in this chapter comes from Deuteronomy 8:2-3, quoted by Jesus when tempted by Satan in the wilderness (Matt 4:4). Having been led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Jesus' preparation for ministry starts with a fasting. His triumph over Satan also comes through fasting as he voluntarily identifies with the Israelites but is triumphant and fully able to lead his people into the promised land. Considering the Deuteronomy passage, we see that the people of God were tested in how they received the manna; a means to show them that they were not to depend on the bread, but on God (Deut 8:3). Satan, in his temptation to Jesus, challenges Jesus to transform stones into bread, subtly eisegeting the text to mean that God would provide for His people in their moments of distress, which He regularly did. Jesus quickly responds by showing that though God may provide miracle-bread it is not what we are to seek for satisfaction of our desires, but rather we are simply to trust God, in the midst of distress. As Piper put it, "Don't trust in bread- not even miracle bread- trust in God" (59). This should bring us to pause and reflect on the manner in which we fast, asking of ourselves whether or not we fast for gifts or if we fast because we have a hunger for God.
Chapter 3
This chapter might sting a little for some. I should also note that while it does mention several ways in which we are not to fast and how we are to fast, this is not a book that is trying to teach us the best technique or method for fasting. It is going much deeper than that in providing us a biblical description of fasting, as opposed to being prescriptive in how we do it. The main text comes from the Sermon on the Mount, specifically Matthew 6:16-18, in showing us what is the ultimate aim in our fasting; God. Jesus states that we are not to fast like the hypocrites, which is very interesting since those who he was describing were actually fasting. Truly, a hypocrite is a person who claims to be one thing but does the complete opposite, so at first glance it is odd for Jesus to call a person who is fasting a hypocrite. But it reveals a greater principle in that fasting is not simply an outward act, but one that is motivated from the heart. We fast, having a heart that is after God. We do not fast to be adored or commended by man, but to receive the approval and reward from God; the primary reward being God's name to be honored in our lives, his kingdom to be consummated, and his will to be done on earth. This does not mean that if someone were to discover that we were fasting that we have somehow done it wrong and should be more secretive the next time, instead it is all about the heart we maintain when we fast.
Grace and Peace,
Alex Galvez
To never miss an article, click on the "Subscribe" button at the top of the blog page (https://aogalvez.blogspot.com/)
****************************************************
These articles usually follow the current Bible Reading plan for Overflow Ministries. If you would like to join the reading plan, simply download the plan here: Overflow Reading Plan
You may follow Overflow Ministries @ https://faithlife.com/overflowtx/activity
or on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/OverflowChurchTX/
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