A Biblical Perspective on Eating, Dieting, and Gluttony (pt-2)

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If you have not signed up for the New England Institute for Biblical Studies next class apologetics starts in November.
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It'd be a good time to sign up for that class apologetics. How do we defend the faith? There are two different ways to do it.
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Evidence is the demand a verdict kind of the Geisler Sproul, Josh McDowell approach three godly men.
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It's a good orthodox system but there's another way to do it and it's called presuppositionalism where we presuppose that men are dead in trespasses and sins and are more geared towards Bible than rationale more towards Bible than anything else and so we'll be teaching the differences between those systems and that will be coming up soon for New England Institute of Biblical Studies.
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And then lastly if you don't if you haven't heard of the messages from the preach -a -thon online they're online now and you can just type in bbc .org
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get online and we have the men there who preached and now we have an interesting thing it's just for leadership at the moment but we can get into the internet and find out which sermons were downloaded by number and at the top of the list in the last week out of all the sermons that we have online hundreds of sermons there was one sermon that was downloaded more than any other sermon bar none.
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Quiet here. How to discipline your kids? No I wish. No it was the gluttony series part one last week.
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That was the one that was downloaded the most. So tonight let's look at part two of that. What does the
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Bible say about eating? What does the Bible say about fasting? What does the Bible say about gluttony?
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How should Christians view food? And the Bible does address many these things
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I think it's very practical and as I'll say from the get -go my family has struggled with weight
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I struggle with weight. I will not say things today like if you're overweight you're sinful or because you could be underweight you could be thin and have ideas about the
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God of thinness and the cult of self. You could have medical issues and so we want to find out what does the
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Bible say about this idea of eating foods and diets.
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I found this week October 5th from the Associate Press Miami.
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Here's the story. Alligators have clashed with pythons in the Everglades National Park but when a six -foot gator tangled with a 13 -foot python the result wasn't pretty.
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The snake apparently tried to swallow the gator whole and then exploded. Scientists stumbled upon the gory remains last week and that harkens back to the day when
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I would sit at home on 9131 Tomahawk Boulevard in Omaha Nebraska and my father would say because I left food on my plate he would say son your eyes are too big for your stomach.
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That's exactly what happens. Overeating to the point of explosion. That is amazing.
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What does the Bible say about eating? What does the Bible say about dieting? What does the Bible say about the clean plate club?
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I was part of that club when I was growing up. In the old days people would preach about the seven deadly sins.
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Roman Catholic device but they would boil down the sins to seven sins that basically if you did one of those seven it was easy for you to do a lot of the other ones and one of those sins was gluttony and it was preached often.
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I don't find many sermons these days about gluttony at all or eating or even if a Christian can look at dieting in a certain way.
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I think it's an important topic and I therefore will preach. I preached last Sunday, this Sunday and probably next as well.
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I was reading Dennis Olcom and he said quote eating of course is crucial in biblical narratives. Our first parents plunge the human race into sin by violating a prohibition against eating.
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The Hebrews were given a sense of identity in a meal that signifies a defining moment in their history.
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What meal was that? The second Adam was victorious over temptation involving bread.
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Christians celebrate their life together in Christ around a family meal initiated by Jesus. One that anticipates an eschatological banquet marking the consummation of history.
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Add to these all the stories many of us learned from the time when we were toddlers. Abraham and his three visitors, food,
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Esau and his soup, Joseph and the famine, the prodigal son and his father's banquet, the feeding of the 5 ,000,
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Mary and Martha, the couple on the road to Emmaus and breakfast on the beach with the risen Lord. There's a lot in the
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Bible to be said about food. I thought I was going to preach one week and now seeing all the data it's turned into the second week and probably third and knowing me, yes, maybe even the fourth.
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Number four being the perfect number in the Bible. What does God say about this issue?
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I think people are in love with food, certainly people in the secular world and maybe even some Christians as well.
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There are food tasting fairs, there are magazines, books, restaurants, fine cuisine. I think in America we are obsessed by food and then we are obsessed by dieting as well.
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Now I looked for a definition of dieting, gluttony, and I found this one, eating in excess, an immoderate consumption of food, eating too much, eating more than your body needs.
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We looked at some synonyms last week, gourmandizer, gourmet, the old word for gourmet.
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We looked at the one that I thought was funny but really I think boils it all down to one word, another synonym for the word glutton that starts with an
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H and ends with a G and has an O in the middle, hog. That was actually from the dictionary, a thesaurus rather.
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Thomas Aquinas was quoting on gluttony, he said, gluttony denotes not any desire of eating and drinking but an inordinate desire leaving the order of reason wherein the good of moral virtue consists.
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When people excessively eat food we call that gluttony. Let me just give you a quick review to catch us up.
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My outline really is not from a text, it's not expositional, it's just these are several truths about food, truths from the
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Bible about gluttony, truths about eating. And so the first one was that weight is a huge issue in the
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United States. There are issues with our physical health because we are weighing too much. I even discovered this week
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Prader -Willi's syndrome and what is that? Prader -Willi's syndrome is that when patients literally eat themselves to death if not controlled.
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We have anorexia, we have bulimia, we have a whole host of eating disorders and spiritually it's an issue as well.
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Eating too much food, if the Bible says that gluttony is a sin, we have to be careful from Proverbs chapter 23,
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Proverbs 28, Deuteronomy 21 with the Mosaic Law even for the Israelites and we have to be careful that we are not obsessed with being thin.
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Somehow here's the model. In the old days when you go to the museum and you see ladies, you'll see beauty in the eyes of the artist by seeing ladies that are what?
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In our particular culture, to use her words, plump. And that was a sign that they had plenty and it was more beautiful.
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And then along comes a girl in the 1960s by the name of Twiggy and now we have
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Kate Moss in our century where thin somehow is ideal and everything is built towards that.
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We want to be careful spiritually that we're not so vain that we get caught up in the God of thinness.
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Number two, there are code words for sins that we want to be careful of.
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That is to say if the Bible calls overeating gluttony a sin, what should we call it?
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I think we should call it sin. How about this one? This is Peter DeVries said this in a book called
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Comfort Me with Apples. I didn't write the book. Quote, gluttony is an emotional escape, a sign something is eating us.
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So we want to make sure if we are gluttonous that we say this is actually gluttony.
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And remember last week we had eating contest and they'll cheer people that eat over their need.
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Proverbs 28 .13, he who conceals his transgressions will not prosper but he who confesses and forsakes them will find what?
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Compassion. Like anything else if we say it's not a sin then there's no hope for us. But if we say
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God that is sin then God grants compassion and mercy to those who struggle with any sin and said we these days everything's a disease, everything's a syndrome, therefore we're not to blame.
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And on and on it goes. Christianity Today article by Stanton Jones years ago said quote, over promotion of professional services in psychology has undermined the confidence of clergy and laypersons in their capacity to minister effectively in the name of Christ.
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I've got a question for you. If you have problems with bulimia, anorexia, gluttony or you've got a food problem would you even think to call up the pastor of your church?
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Now this particular church you might not because you know I have the anti -gift of counseling. So you wouldn't call me but do you...
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One time I was criticized because they said well I we don't we would never go to Pastor Mike for counseling.
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I said well why? Well because you're just going to tell us what the Bible says. Well every place else in the world is going to tell you something else.
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I'm not going to give you a Bible verse and say call me in the morning but I'm going to say here's who you are in Christ and here's what you have.
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You have power over sin now and you have power to say yes and here's what the cross means in your life and here's what the
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Bible says about your problem and here's what the Bible says about the solution. If people have anorexia and bulimia today we ought not to send them down to the local shrink for one of the 400 different theories that they have.
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If it is a spiritual problem that's what we'll get at next week. Is anorexia, is bulimia related to a spiritual problem or is it just a disease, an emotional problem?
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The Bible has the answers. We have been granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness and not just the pastor but what about you?
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What if you get a phone call in the middle of the night? I've just eaten my fill and I've had to go purge it all out in the bathroom.
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I need help. Are you competent to counsel? If you're a Christian could you help that person? Or do you need to say 1 -800 -CALL -A -SHRINK?
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Romans chapter 15 verse 14 says, and concerning you my brethren, Paul inspired by God, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish or put sense into one another.
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Next major point, number three in review. Christians should look at dieting or eating differently than unbelievers.
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When it comes to eating should we look at things differently than unbelievers? I think probably we should and I think it's even shown by the way you go to a restaurant and I hope you bow your head and pray at a restaurant and the others they just eat.
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We realize that food is a gift from God, that God has provided that for us.
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Mark chapter 7 verse 18, contrary to most religions, need I say almost everyone except Christianity, food is not the problem when it comes to eating.
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There's nothing in food that somehow is unclean and there's nothing in food that can make us unclean.
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Remember Jesus in Mark 7? Jesus declared all foods what? Clean. And the issue was he declared all hearts unclean.
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It's our heart and so there's nothing wrong with any kind of food. If you want to eat dog, that's not gonna make you unspiritual.
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You might not have many friends in your neighborhood but there's nothing wrong with eating dog and you eat that dog cooked or full of teriyaki or anything else.
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What you eat, if you eat sea urchin or dog, it's not going to make you sinful or you will not have sinned.
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First Timothy chapter 4, we learned last week that there are people even today who forbid marriage and abstain and advocate abstaining from foods which
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God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God in the context here, marriage and food is good and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude for it is sanctified by the means of the
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Word of God and prayer. Food is not bad, it's what our hearts do is bad.
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I could go on and on about this but when the pastor runs out of things to say he says beloved there's many things
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I could still talk about but we need for time's sake to go to the next point. Fourth major point, uniquely
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Christian diet programs are largely ludicrous. Most the time if I hear something
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Christian I think it's pretty weird and pretty whacked out. Here's a verse for those that overeat and a particular
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Christian diet book said this is the verse that you should pray so God protects you from eating.
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Psalm 141, set a watch O Lord before my mouth, keep the door of my lips.
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Now does that have anything to do with food and eating? No, how about God help me not to overeat?
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It gets worse. In 1997 a radio program Minneth Meier Clinic, Christian psychologist as if those two words could go together that's another sermon, a lady called in and she said she had bulimia and she's been binging and purging for 18 years and she wanted a good
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Bible verse to help her stop binging and purging and so the psychologist said do you eat with your left hand or do you eat with your right hand?
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He told her after she said she was right -handed to memorize Isaiah 41 13 and this is not a joke.
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For I the Lord your God upholds your right hand who says to you do not fear
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I will help you. He said in this verse God promises to hold back your hand whenever you wanted to eat.
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Now what is going on with that? That is just as whacked out as you could possibly get.
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Phyllis Tickle in a Bread of Life cookbook for body and soul said this Jane, a striking twenty -something graduate student went to a church and heard a sermon on discipleship.
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Listening to Jesus tell Peter to feed his sheep I thought how well am I going to feed any of my sheep if I don't feed myself?
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She recalls he said feed his sheep after all he didn't say die at them. I personally if I want work done in my house
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I do not go to the Christian yellow pages because that fish sign that's on that thing just basically means here's a a way to sucker
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Christians in to get bad product at a bad price for the name of Christ. I never use
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Christian yellow pages maybe you've got something something listed there and afterwards I'll be busy talking to visitors if you advertise there.
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But Christian if I have a heart surgery I want the best heart surgeon and I don't care if he's a
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Baha 'ist. Is there such thing as a
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Baha 'ist? What do you call them Ajay? Followers of Baha 'i faith?
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You don't know? Okay he's a Sikh. I don't know. Let's turn to Leviticus chapter 11 for a moment.
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I want to see in Leviticus and show you a little bit about this whole topic we touched upon last week where people want to push us back to the
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Mosaic law to eat what Moses commanded the Israelites to eat and they do it I think to their hermeneutical shame somehow putting
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Christians underneath the Mosaic law. I want you to see specifically in Leviticus how it is set up for the
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Jews and then we're going to Acts chapter 10 and see this whole sheet business about food so we can understand that food according to even 1st
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Timothy chapter 4 it's not bad to eat certain kinds of food. It's not bad to eat meat. It's not bad to eat pork.
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It's not bad to eat anything. If you want to be a vegetarian that's up to you but that has nothing to do with your spiritual walk
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Leviticus chapter 11 is a whole chapter on food laws for Israel from Moses having nothing to do with the church
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Leviticus chapter 11 verse 44 I find it interesting at the end of this chapter look what he says for I am the
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Lord your God consecrate yourselves therefore and be holy for I am holy eat the right kinds of food not for your health not because you're going to live longer not because you're going to get trigonosis if you don't not for any of those reasons
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God is such a different God than every other God you name every other God and God is just unique.
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He's set apart. He's different. He's holy and so God is that way and he wants his people to be that way and so he says and you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm on the earth for I am the
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Lord who brought you here's the context who did God bring up from Egypt I brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your
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God and since I've done something great there's the indicative the statement of fact therefore I require you the imperative thus you shall be holy for I am holy this is the law regarding the animal and the bird and every living thing that moves in the waters and everything that swarms on the earth why verse 47 to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean and between the edible creature and the creature which is not to be eaten this whole idea of what did
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Jesus eat and jamming the Mosaic law down Christians throats literally is theologically and hermeneutically wrong and I'll even prove it further let's go to Acts chapter 10 please and we'll see that somehow saying well
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Jesus followed all the Jewish dietary laws and didn't eat shellfish and didn't eat pork therefore neither should we forget 1st
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Timothy 4 that we talked about last week forget Mark chapter 7 that we talked about last week does not understand the difference between the church and Israel's relationship in Ephesians chapter 2 where those laws the
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Mosaic laws are done and fulfilled in Christ and it doesn't deal with Acts chapter 10 I love Acts chapter 10 because it's one of those moments for Peter that turns his life upside down and there's more to just a food issue of clean and unclean what's the other thing that Peter is being taught here by God there's a difference between there's no difference between unclean food and clean food and there's no difference between Jew and Gentile right so there's this double edge sword meeting here but there was a certain man at Caesarea named
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Cornelius a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort and so centurions what's the first four letters of that word cent and so a cent is a what?
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it's a hundred that's right so there was a man he was a devout man and one who feared God with all his household and gave many alms to the
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Jewish people and prayed to God continually by the way when you read in the Old Testament especially excuse me when you read in Acts in this transitionary period you have
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God fearing people who were they? Christians? No they weren't
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Christians they were people who didn't not worship all the other gods but they believed that there was one
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God and not all these other gods so they were pagans of old and they've turned their back on paganism and they believe there's this one
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God but they're not fearing God does not make them a Christian these are monotheistic unbelievers are if you want to try to parse this a little bit they could be believers in the
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Old Covenant sense but we don't have to go there but one who feared God with all his household and gave many alms to the
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Jewish people and prayed to God continually verse 3 about the ninth hour of the day what time was that?
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starts at 6 a .m. so you add up to 9 3 p .m. he clearly saw a vision an angel of God who had just come to him and said to him
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Cornelius just as plain as could be it was distinct is what the word is plain clearly saw it and fixing his gaze upon him and being much alarmed he said what is it
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Lord? and he said to him your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God and now dispatch some men to Joppa and send for a man named
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Simon who is also called Peter he's staying at a Tanner's house named Simon whose house is by the sea
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I've walked right down most likely in that area where they were and when the angel who was speaking to him had departed he summoned two of his servants and a devout soldier of those who were in constant attendance with him and after he had explained everything to them he sent them to Joppa the next day as they were on their way and approaching the city
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Peter went up to the house top about the sixth hour to pray he was becoming hungry and desiring to eat but while they were making preparations he fell into a trance and he beheld the sky opened up and a certain object like a great sheet coming down lower by four corners to the ground there were in it all kinds of four -footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air clean and unclean in that sheet okay and a voice said to him arise
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Peter kill and eat and Peter said say what? see can't you see that in Greek right there?
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what? kill and eat yeah I'm hungry and all that but how can
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I there are mosaic laws there's Leviticus chapter 11 there's Deuteronomy chapter 14 he's hungry he's drowsy he's in this trance and this large sheet comes down with all kinds of animals clean and unclean and I wrote down in my notes this doctrine is hard to swallow it's
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Sunday night I have to keep you awake but Peter said by no means Lord for I have never eaten anything unholy or unclean you've got to be kidding
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I've tried to keep the mosaic law he's repulsed probably makes you want to throw up kind of thing you're going to have to eat that it was a scandal kill and eat there's a mixture of things some clean some unclean and again a voice came to him a second time what
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God has cleansed no longer consider unholy not talking about just dietary restrictions but you can read in context and work through the whole issue of Acts there's not only dietary issues that are becoming molded into one but also
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Jew and Gentile Jews clean and Gentiles unclean as it were and this happened three times and immediately the object was taken up into the sky the object was taken up is literally in Greek the object that sheet called the object and while Peter was greatly perplexed in mind is to what the vision which he had seen might be behold the men who had been sent by Cornelius having asked directions from Simon's house appeared at the gate and then you know the rest the story he invited them and gave them lodging down in verse 23 in the next day arose and went with them verse 28 you yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a
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Jew to associate with a foreigner are to visit him see the tie in with the Jew and Gentile and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy are unclean without rehashing 50 minutes of the sermon from last week remember no matter what we are not under some mosaic law to say we have to eat this kind of food we can't eat that food if your conscience won't let you because you come out of Judaistic background or some other kind of background that's fine but it's not a matter of what you eat or don't eat for the
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Christian when we diet or don't diet so much so let's go to the next point
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I think point number five maybe six food is given to be enjoyed food should be seen this is new information as a gift from God did you know food is a gift from God well people abuse it you say is it still a gift how about this alcohol this will be a whole new sermon to spin off to alcohol is a gift from God and it is a sign of God blessing people and do people abuse alcohol beverages yes sex in marriage is blessed by God and do people make wrong out of sex absolutely but it's still what you have its food is not bad just because it's abused sex is not bad just because it's abused and sleep is not bad just because it's abused and neither is alcohol and if you'll turn to the book of Ecclesiastes let me show you this redounding theme that food is good food is a gift can you imagine how many taste buds you have on your tongue at one particular moment and how the taste buds and your tongue sense of smell sense of taste can identify smells and and eat things
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I was researching this week to smell a rose the brain analyzes over 300 odor molecules and the average person can discriminate between 4 ,000 and 10 ,000 different odor molecules and you just taste food and you think that tastes so good have you ever tasted something so good you just kind of rolled it around your mouth for a while you kind of did that you played the cow and you just kind of that cut it was over and over I mean let's not go too far but you know what
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I mean point being if something tasted so good you think wow and I always think this too we had a great pie this afternoon over at Dallas's house and I was tasting that and I thought what must have people thought back 2 ,000 years ago if they could have tasted that pie you know the sweetest thing they had was what honey and you know raisins or something the sensory structures that God has given us are for what reason so we might enjoy our food and then praise
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God take a look at Ecclesiastes it's absolutely great Ecclesiastes 2 .24 there is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good this also
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I have seen that it is from the hand of Satan horrible food it's a gift from God God thank you look at verse 25 for who can eat and who can have enjoyment without him outside of God can you say all this food is so good and all this this drink we have is so wonderful I could twist it around the other way with God there should be eating and drinking and enjoyment
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God thank you for what you've given me to eat and to drink and to enjoy look down at verse 12 of chapter 3 and I want to show you the theme in Ecclesiastes about eating and drinking and it's the gift of God how many people have ever seen this movie
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I hate to get off the sidetrack but it makes a point Soylent Green quite a few
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I won't tell you what Soylent Green was but Soylent Green you think I'm gonna tell you now but I'm not Soylent Green is what people had to eat back in those days and it was kinda brown it had one flavor the closest
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I can imagine it to be would when I was growing up we had Tang because of the moon deal I remember in 1969 and Neil Armstrong school and Tang and then we had some other kinda little bars what were those bars called
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I think they're called space bars space food anybody remember come on Doug for sure you've gotta know we had a little space food you'd have to it was kinda hermetically sealed you'd open it up and it was just this dingy brown kinda like mud and you'd eat it and you'd think you were really cool that you were an astronaut kinda thing and drinkin'
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Tang all the time just think God could say like my dog I just got this new dog about 10 days ago and I'm trying to get the dog on just a loving dog food instead of eating human food all the time and every day that dog's food has kind of a few similarities it's the same taste it's the same brand it's the same color it looks like Soylent Green and she just sits there and gobbles that whole thing up God could just say this is food you see that brown thing on that tree over there that's what you get knock yourself out you get my point look at this gift of God this is why we pray before we eat for lots of reasons this is one of them
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Ecclesiastes 3 .12 I know that there's nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one's lifetime moreover that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor it is the gift of God thank you
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God for those nachos they taste great
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Ecclesiastes 5 .18 you can see a common theme here Ecclesiastes is not a pessimistic book at all when you see it rightly here's what
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I have seen to be good and fitting to eat and drink and enjoy oneself in all one's labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which
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God has given him this is his reward why is it so good you're struggling all week and you come home and have a nice meal with your family and you just kind of put your feet up on the chair and just go thank you just the nice little things in life furthermore as for every man to whom
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God has given riches and wealth he's also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor this is the drudgery of God and all the people shout amen no it's the gift of God why because life's hard so it's nice to have something nice to eat don't believe me verse 24 he will not often consider the years of his life because God keeps him occupied with the gladness of his heart cheers chapter 8 just when you thought it was over Ecclesiastes 8 .15
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so I commended pleasure for there's nothing good for man under the sun except to eat and a drink and be merry if eat and drink and be merry without God as your life it is pessimistic but eat drink and be merry with God we can have great optimism and joy and this will stand by him
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Ecclesiastes 8 .15 in his toils throughout the days of his life which God has given him under the sun and then lastly if you look at Ecclesiastes 9 .7
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the final refrain that eating and drinking and work and a wife is a gift of God it just should help us to enjoy all this go then eat your bread in happiness
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Ecclesiastes 9 .7 and drink your wine with a cheerful heart for God has already approved your works let your clothes be white all the time and let not oil be lacking on your head enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which he's given you under the sun life is short life is hard one day after another comes and God has given you a wife
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God has given you children God has given you food and there's a text which he has given you under the sun this is your reward in life yes we wait for an eternal reward but on the earth we're just saying hey
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God you've given me that and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun God is not a cosmic killjoy
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James 1 .17 says every good thing bestowed in every perfect gift is from above including food and I would challenge you sometime to just do a little study on taste buds and to see how intricately
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God has designed your tongue and your nose and how they're linked together to taste food to say
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God thank you for that the Jews used to play pray before and after they ate this is one of their prayers blessed thou art
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Jehovah our God king of the world who causes to come forth bread from the earth well we have one last thing to cover and that is what
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I spoke of this morning what about fasting next week we'll have to get into dieting we'll have to get into all the other issues self -control we'll have to get into exercise
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I'll talk about next week and is that good for Christians but now let's talk about fasting what about fasting we just take kinda show of hands how many people first of all know what fasting is okay what is fasting anyone abstaining from food okay how many people think
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Christians should fast today okay how many people think that if Christians don't fast today that they're sinful
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God says to do it you don't do it it's sinful so it's kind of an optional thing
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I guess you're supposed to but if you don't it's okay how many people think if you don't fast you should be church disciplined out if you won't repent nobody gotta keep the walls up high around here fasting literally in the
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Greek it means not to eat and of course sometimes it was partial sometimes it was total and fasting soon after the
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New Testament times started kind of growing like a snowball lots of things added for instance
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Matthew chapter 17 but this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting not in any of the oldest manuscripts
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Mark chapter 9 and he said this cannot come out by anything but prayer and fasting again not in any of the best manuscripts and the church began to establish mandated fasting periods the
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Jews used to fast two days a week Mondays and Thursdays or Wednesdays and Fridays and the church started doing it right away as well my question is is
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Luther right or wrong when he said we do not therefore object to fasting itself but to the fact that it is represented as a necessary duty and that specific days have been fixed for its performance even in Luther's day in the mid 1500s there were people who said you have to fast or else and you'll know from my convictions really quickly that there is nothing in the
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New Testament that says a Christian has to fast is it okay to fast if you want sure but you're not sinning if you don't because there's no command to fast and I want to prove that to you tonight let's go to Matthew chapter 6 because this is the first place where people go to try to prove fasting again if you want to fast fine by the way if you have probably getting ahead of myself but let's just turn to Matthew chapter 6 if you meet somebody who's going through a huge trial and their kids are in the hospital or they have a death in the family here's what you don't really need to do run up to them and say you haven't eaten all day you must eat because there are times in your life when there's a huge trial and you will see tonight that I believe almost every time we see a fasting in the
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New Testament it's going to be because of a trial or testing there will be times where you're just not gonna be thinking about food same thing in first Corinthians chapter 7 when a husband and wife need to be together on a regular basis physically if able and once in a while because of some huge test that's just not on their mind because other things have taken over some huge trial but here's where people try to prove fasting in the
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New Testament and they don't consider to whom it was written and why Matthew chapter 6 verse 16
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Jesus said what when you fast there you have it when you fast
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I have a question though what's your question if you're a Bible student and you're in hermeneutics class and hermeneutics for those who are in the class know that it is what it is the science and art of biblical interpretation good when you fast who is the you who's the you when you fast don't look somber as hypocrites do they disfigure their faces and show them in their fasting
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I tell you the truth they've received their reward in full verse 17 but when you fast there he says it again put oil in your head and wash your face by the way how many people do that here when they fast maybe it's just built real cream
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I don't know let's keep thinking so it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting but only to your father who is unseen and your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you if you fast and nobody sees it today as a
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Christian will God reward you for your fast this was given three chapters of a sermon that in the next couple weeks will start from our pulpit ministry here the
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Sermon on the Mount and let's go back to the very beginning of the Sermon on the Mount and find out who is
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Jesus talking to is he talking to New Testament Christians is this pre -cross or post -cross
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Matthew chapter 5 verse 1 when Jesus saw the crowds he went up to the mountain and after he sat down his disciples came to him what did those disciples have been and would the crowd have been
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Jewish people underneath the Mosaic law that had fast terminology in it implied at least in Leviticus chapter 16 and talked about in Joel chapter 2 with fasting weeping and mourning is he talking to the apostles is he talking to the crowd is he talking to the disciples is he talking to the church is it pre -cross or is it post -cross well let's go further let's go to Mark chapter 2 and find out if Jesus wanted his disciples even to fast certainly if the
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Old Testament says here's fasting for you that Jesus would have wanted the people underneath the old economy who wanted to be who were underneath the
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Mosaic law the Jews to fast but what does he say about John's disciples even in this transitionary period and I would like to say
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I don't think there's anything in the New Testament that commands you to fast if you want to that's fine by the way if you want to fast to lose weight is that even close to a biblical fast no because it's for the wrong reason we don't wanna say well we're gonna fast
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I remember when I first got saved I wanted to fast because Matthew 6 said when you fast and I wanted to fast so Kim and I every
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Tuesday we would just fast it was a Tuesday fast we didn't have to tell each other because we just were both doing it we're not gonna eat what fast
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Tuesday that's exactly right so I've been there but I just wanna know what the
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New Testament says and by the way as we're thinking about it who can tell me between Romans and Jude any pastoral epistle any epistle written to the church rules and regulations for fasting can you come up with any how to fast what to do how not to do it how often when to break it partial fast full fast let's see what he said to his disciples and I think this will help us along our theology of fasting and John's disciples
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Mark chapter 2 verse 18 and the Pharisees were fasting and they came and said to him why do
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John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast but your disciples do not fast what was the real issue the disciples weren't fasting or Jesus wasn't fasting
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Jesus wasn't fasting here we have kind of the ascetic John the Baptist disciples and the
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Pharisees fasted Jesus disciples don't fast why we've got two groups
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John's disciples maybe he was in prison at the time they fasted for that reason maybe they were anticipating the great banquet in the messianic age maybe
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John the Baptist was mourning over sin a lot so he fasted often certainly he didn't eat much because Matthew 1118 says for John came neither eating nor drinking that wasn't a big part of his ministry but I think this question of Christ reveals
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Pharisees fasting protocol and so what happens how many times did the Pharisees fast by the way
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I fast twice a week and here we know that they just have this big pomp and circumstance and why does
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Jesus say not to fast he says there's a marriage analogy that shows why it's inappropriate for my people to fast mark 219 and Jesus said to them while the bridegroom is with them the attendants of the bridegroom do not fast do they so long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast why somebody explain that to me out loud anybody well you look at the text again while the bridegroom is with them who's the bridegroom okay who are the tenants of the bridegroom
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I mean you know when you fast is when the bridegroom dead or when the bride runs away
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I've done so far quite a few weddings and I still so far every wedding that I've done both have shown up I'm just waiting for that time where there's just kinda the runaway bride and I think there will be then fasting by some including myself as I stand there figuring out
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I'm in charge of all this what do I do the friends of the groom are with the groom and they're there to carry out the festivities of the big wedding there's a time to fast but think about the
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Old Testament when you have this and even in India now you have this big huge wedding feast that lasts for how many days as long as you can afford it is the answer and here back in those days you have this huge festival this huge party and do you think part of the itinerary and the agenda for the wedding your fast days excuse me
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I'm fasting so -and -so's getting my daughter's getting married no it's gormandizing all over ancient
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Jewish weddings the couple stayed at home for a week an open house for non -stop feasting and festivities to the overworked
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Palestinian this week was like the best of his entire life husband and wife were like royalty for a king you've heard
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King for a day well here was King and Queen for a week everybody's all there and it's time to fast no even rabbi said all personal fasting was exempted for family during the wedding and the guests
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Barclay said all in attendance on the bridegroom are relieved of all religious observances which would lessen their joy morning and fasting do not suit the wedding feast this is a gala and so the veiled analogy between behind Christ's words is
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Jesus is on earth and there's a wedding feast as it were why fast now look he gives another thing he talks about mending look down at verse 21 no one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment otherwise the patch pulls away from it remember my grandmother used to do something that we would never do these days maybe some of you would do but she would get a pair my socks that would have a hole in them and she would do something to those socks that I've never seen anybody else in my entire life do and what would she do to those socks and I don't like this word because it's not a good word to use in church that often but this particular case it's a good word darn those socks she would darn the socks wouldn't she?
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never really never work because the darning area was stronger than the old raggedy cotton that I would be using for my feet didn't work otherwise a patch pulls away from it the new from the old and the worst tears trying to patch an old garment with the new and here you've got kinda the
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Judaistic system of of fasting and and saying no to things it's just not going to work it's gonna make a bigger hole and then he gives this grapes parable in verse 22 why is fasting inappropriate there's a marriage analogy there's a mending parable and now this grapes parable no one puts new wine into old wine skins otherwise the wine will burst and the wine is lost in the skins as well but one puts new wine into fresh wine skin when was
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PVC developed by the way first century AD? no of course not and so you can have this idea that the old wine skins could not handle the new fermenting wine and they would boost burst and you would lose the wine and the skin it's bad new wine causes gas and the gas will blow through the old and so here the summary is fasting is going to be appropriate it's inappropriate it's not proper and what's the theme here between these three parables new is the word new family in the wedding a new patch and a new wine with a new bag
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Jesus is saying not even my own disciples are fasting because I'm here by the way when
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I'm gone what do you think they're going to do it'll be time for fasting then when is fasting observed then fasting in the
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New Testament about 30 times that I see almost always in a good light is associated with times of trouble and testing let me give you those times and we're just going to have to quick wrap it up because our time is gone people fast in the
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New Testament when there is trouble or testing but it is not by command if you have trouble or testing you've got an issue in your family or issue with one of your kids and you don't feel like eating because you want to pray instead then
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I commend you for that but you're not forced to do it times of sadness and I'll just read these for sake of time
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Matthew 9 John's disciples came to him and said how is it that we in the Pharisees fast but your disciples do not fast
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Jesus said how can the guest of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them then they will what fast times of sorrow when
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David was begging for his son's life in 2nd Samuel chapter 12
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David mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son
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Jonathan and for the army of the Lord and the house of Israel because they had fallen by the sword and David also fasted when his small child died
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David's servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead for they thought while the child is still living we spoke to David he would not listen to us how can we tell him the child is dead he may do something desperate
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David noticed his servants were whispering among themselves and he realized the child was dead is the child dead he asked yes they replied he's dead
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David got up from the ground after he had washed put on lotion changed his clothes he went to the house of the
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Lord and worshiped then he went to his own house and at his request they served him food and he ate why are you acting this way what was
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David's response when the child was alive you fasted and wept and now the child is dead you get up and eat
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David's responded this way while the child was alive I fasted and wept I thought who knows the
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Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live but now that he's dead why should I fast people fast when there's trouble how about when you're scared
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King Hosaphat when threatened by the Moabites and they were going to attack he proclaimed a fast in 2nd
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Chronicles chapter 20 for all Judah Queen Esther for all the Jews in Susa three days she had a fast times of sin being confessed first Kings 21 fast and then lastly one that maybe we should do is
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Acts chapter 13 and then we'll wrap it up when should we ever fast in this particular church if this was it
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I'd probably say this is the one we should do even though in hermeneutics we see no prescription to do this we just see a description that is to say the
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Bible never says thou shalt fast when you do this but they have done it and maybe a good way for us to do it see what does this have to do with dieting and gluttony just as a food topic of fasting so we wanted to bring it up when is this time of fasting profitable maybe for the
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New Testament church Acts 13 verse 1 in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers
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Barnabas Simeon called Niger Lucius of Cyrene Mahanan who has been brought up with Herod the
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Tetrarch and Saul and while they were worshiping the Lord and fasting by the way is this pre -cross or post -cross?
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post -cross the Holy Spirit said set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which
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I have called them so after they had fasted and prayed they placed their hands on them and sent them off jump down to verse 23 of Acts 14 next chapter
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Paul and Barnabas Acts 14 23 appointed elders for them in each church with prayer and fasting committed them to the
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Lord in whom they had put their trust when the church is is involved in the leadership is involved with choosing leaders and elders and setting ministers apart and ordaining ministers if they said well they were fasting then we think that's a good idea
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I think that would be fine although we had no record of fasting and laying on of hands when
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Matthias the Apostle was appointed we have no fasting when the deacons were chosen by the
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Apostles in Acts chapter 6 but many times there were these kind of fastings when you had ordination of the leadership okay
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I'll just maybe take one quick question any questions about fasting should we fast shouldn't we fast anyone oh that was just it's getting hot in here
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I know I'm sweating like mad any questions on fasting if you see if you know someone in the church who doesn't fast should you rebuke them question well the question is for the tape would it be a good idea to fast to check our appetites
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I think you could probably do that you could still check your appetites by saying I'm gonna just have a smaller portion this time and I'll say no to things
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I know MacArthur says many times I have not mastered this but many times he will say no to dessert on purpose because it's a dessert that he wants and a dessert that he desires and I won't tell you how many desserts
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I had today matter of fact here's the story of my desserts today I didn't eat a whole lot of lasagna and salad but there's this pie that Kim makes that I just love and I love it for a few different reasons
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I don't worship John MacArthur but as John has taught me so much and I've even said to John personally
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I've said John you you're like a dad to me my father died when I was not a Christian and everything
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I've got close to being a dad you're it and so I've I got
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Patricia MacArthur's recipe for John's favorite pie just to tell you how whacked out
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I am now you all know and so it's this kind of lemon cream masterpiece and I couldn't believe
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I had two pieces today and I was going to talk about gluttony so here my story
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MacArthur often says no to a piece of pie to show that he's still boss as it were or can rule his own emotions and palate and desire to eat that pie
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I on the other hand am not MacArthur nor the son of MacArthur so I can't do that and so you have to put up with me because John's 3 ,000 miles away
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I figured if I was going to splurge it might as well be with the MacArthur pie but anyway next week what we'll do is this and that's a great question
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I'm laughing about it but it's a good question what we're going to answer next week is this question to what degree is self -control which is the food of the spirit and outgrowth of the food of the spirit essential into eating the proper amount of food and is it in fact a spiritual question there are many issues if you want to eat more you better not eat a lot of processed foods because those will make you more fat right in general you eat a lot of processed food it will go on there if you want to eat you need to exercise you know and all these other things and so we'll answer that question what about self -control when it comes to eating and that's really what you're asking so I just didn't have dinner tonight and that's why
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I could have two pieces alright any other question about fasting yes
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Gladman well here's what
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I would say fasting in connection with prayer it's great because if you fast when you get hunger pains and you can train yourself to say when
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I get hunger pains I'm going to pray is that a great idea? is it a good idea? sure but it doesn't have anything to do with and my opinion with trying to say this is giving me a hunger for God and therefore
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I'm being more biblical if you pray more I think that's good and so whatever way you want to pray more that's fine
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I have a hard time fasting all day long because my blood sugar gets all messed up and it's very difficult for me and plus I'm pretty ornery too so I don't know if that is more good than bad but it's very difficult if the
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Bible said fast I would when they say fast and you're coming in for a sigmoidoscope or something then what are you going to do?
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you fast but I don't say wow I'm becoming more holy because I'm fasting before I drink all this chalk iodine
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I just don't do that so I think fasting will give you the pangs of hunger and if you relate those two now it's time to pray and God there are more important things than bread and I have to live on those things as well that that's fine but it's not a matter of it's more a matter of Christian liberty versus somehow breaking breaking
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God's commands for the New Testament church and even you might say well we don't have the bride we don't have the groom well we don't have the groom but we have another of the same kind and his name is the
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Holy Spirit and so we don't have to go around thinking you know Jesus is not coming back we don't have any kind of guarantee we're in all dire straits so go enjoy some popcorn tonight go enjoy some salad enjoy some big root beer float when that touches your mouth you can just say
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Lord you're a great God go enjoy Indian food for like the fourth time today is that how many times you've eaten
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Indian food? alright well let's not sing because I went over what we will do is we'll talk about self -control and I really want to talk about dieting next week what is the
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Christians view of dieting maybe you were thinking that was going to be tonight but I wanted to cover fasting because it was part of food we'll just pray and then we'll be dismissed
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Lord we thank you for our time tonight and Lord we want to make sure we eat to your glory and that means not too much
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Lord we want to take care of our bodies that you've given us and that means all kinds of things and Lord there are some
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I'm sure even among us who have a hard time eating because their system doesn't prevent them from processing the food well and all these other things
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Lord so guard our hearts and minds from somehow looking at other people and somehow thinking that they're less spiritual or more spiritual based on their weight guard us from these in Jesus name,