Week 4: A Hunger for God
Chapters 6- Conclusion (~48 pages)
Key Quotes:
Chapter 6
"The burden of Isaiah 58 prevades the ministry of Jesus -- and more and more it should prevade out ministry as well…If your fasting leaves you self-indulgent in other areas, harsh toward your employees, irritable and contentious, then your fasting is not acceptable to God….Hypocrisy is a terrible blight on the worship of God." (121;123)
"Most of our life is a gorging of one artificially inflamed appetite after another. Any alteration of this pattern for the sake of ministry is a "fast"--and one that would please God more than a hundred skipped lunches with a view to more pizza at supper." (127)
Chapter 7
"Most of our life is a gorging of one artificially inflamed appetite after another. Any alteration of this pattern for the sake of ministry is a "fast"--and one that would please God more than a hundred skipped lunches with a view to more pizza at supper." (127)
Chapter 7
"There is a hunger for God that goes beyond the desire for private experience. It longs for the public display of his glory in the world. It longs for the great dishonors against our God to be set right." (142)
"God rules the hearts of kings and emperors…This is the great foundation for fasting and prayer for worldview concerns--God can convert people and God can shape their thinking even if they are not converted." (152)
Conclusion
"God rules the hearts of kings and emperors…This is the great foundation for fasting and prayer for worldview concerns--God can convert people and God can shape their thinking even if they are not converted." (152)
Conclusion
“God responds to prayer because when we look away from ourselves to Christ as our only hope, that gives the Father an occasion to magnify the glory of his grace in the all-providing work of his Son. Fasting… is fundamentally an offering of emptiness to God in hope.” (161)
“God rewards fasting because fasting expresses the cry of the heart that nothing on earth can satisfy our souls besides God. God must reward this cry because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him” (162).
Engagement Questions:
Chapter 6
“God rewards fasting because fasting expresses the cry of the heart that nothing on earth can satisfy our souls besides God. God must reward this cry because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him” (162).
Engagement Questions:
Chapter 6
1. In what five ways did the people have the appearance of legitimate fasting?
2. What seven prescriptions and promises does God provide for His people when they fast?
Chapter 7
2. What seven prescriptions and promises does God provide for His people when they fast?
Chapter 7
1. In what ways have we thought less of God's sovereignty and what can be done to set that right?
2. Have you ever considered fasting for worldview changes as opposed to the "bits" that make up a false worldview?
Conclusion
2. Have you ever considered fasting for worldview changes as opposed to the "bits" that make up a false worldview?
Conclusion
1. Why does God reward fasting?
Summary:
Chapter 6
More often, we think of fasts as a spiritual discipline to remove high places in our own lives in order to set our eyes and hearts on God. In this chapter, Dr. Piper calls for a different sort of fast; fasting for the sake of the poor. Using the 58th chapter in the book of Isaiah, he reminds us that God is not pleased in fasts if we continue to act harshly to others or disregard the poor who are "fasting" due to circumstance and not choice. While it is true that we should not fast in order to receive the praise from others, it is likewise true that it is an improper fast when we disregard and mistreat others. He describes this as cloaking our sins with a veneer of religious fervor (121). This is not at all what God desires. Instead, when we fast, we should also seek to alleviate the pain and hunger and affliction of our neighbors. This is the sort of fast which is described in Isaiah, it is others focused and not self-focused. And when we properly fast, there are several promises that God provides to us. Promises of satisfaction in our souls and restoration. When we serve others during our fast, we fulfill what Christ spoke of in Matthew 5:16, that God would be glorified in our good deeds as we hunger for Him.
Chapter 7
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/
Summary:
Chapter 6
More often, we think of fasts as a spiritual discipline to remove high places in our own lives in order to set our eyes and hearts on God. In this chapter, Dr. Piper calls for a different sort of fast; fasting for the sake of the poor. Using the 58th chapter in the book of Isaiah, he reminds us that God is not pleased in fasts if we continue to act harshly to others or disregard the poor who are "fasting" due to circumstance and not choice. While it is true that we should not fast in order to receive the praise from others, it is likewise true that it is an improper fast when we disregard and mistreat others. He describes this as cloaking our sins with a veneer of religious fervor (121). This is not at all what God desires. Instead, when we fast, we should also seek to alleviate the pain and hunger and affliction of our neighbors. This is the sort of fast which is described in Isaiah, it is others focused and not self-focused. And when we properly fast, there are several promises that God provides to us. Promises of satisfaction in our souls and restoration. When we serve others during our fast, we fulfill what Christ spoke of in Matthew 5:16, that God would be glorified in our good deeds as we hunger for Him.
Chapter 7
In the final chapter concerned with the outward war waged by fasting, we consider how fasting relates to worldviews. And while this chapter is not limited to just abortion, it focuses on this manifestation of a corrupted worldview. As we have seen in the preceding chapters, we fast because we hunger and desire more of God in our life, and yet we do not just pray and fast for private experiences. Truly, we are groaning for a public display of His glory in this world and for the wrongs to be set right; for deliverance, not only of self, but for others. And while this chapter focuses on abortion, Christians do not fast simply for abortion to end, but that entire worldviews will collapse and that people would come to Him. Examining the book of Ezra, we see how God is sovereign over the mind and hearts of all mankind and that He is the true ruler of everything. So, we pray and fast in earnest for change in this world, for His glory, because we understand we cannot do anything, but God can. We are not simply clamoring for our nation to align with Christian values but for God’s name to be hallowed and for His glory to be manifested in His world.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The final chapter addressing a singular question, why does God reward our fasting? If you think about it, He really does not have to reward us with anything since we deserve and have earned nothing from God. We cannot demand God to reward our “efforts” in fasting because that would bring Him dishonor and us harm. It dishonors Him because we no longer are fasting for His glory, but instead stealing it from Him. We even put ourselves in the place of God by claiming that we are the initiators of our fasts, when really all things are “from Him, through Him, and to Him” (Rom 11:35-36). It would bring us great harm because if we expect rewards for our deeds, then we should likewise expect immediate judgment for our sins. So, we discover that God rewards our fasting because He is committed to blessing those who hope in Him and not in themselves. When we fast, we come in a posture of helplessness, knowing that our help comes from the Lord alone, and He rewards us because our fasting brings Him glory and His rewards also bring Him glory. I like the way that Dr. Piper closes out the chapter book and so I would leave you with these final words: “God rewards fasting because fasting expresses the cry of the heart that nothing on earth can satisfy our souls besides God. God must reward this cry because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him” (162).
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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