Our name | Mission | Vision | Leaders Ministries | Schedule | Directions | Contact Home   Gateway Church gathers for worship Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Location: 6425 Jefferson Rd. (Hwy. 129) in Athens, Georgia. For directions, click here. Ministry of the Word: Recent sermons Our quarterly e-magazine Gateway Today For the Gateway family Pastor Jerry's Weekly E-Mail A GATEWAY SERMON SUMMARY AUDIO God's chosen fast Jerry Varnado, pastor Gateway Church, Athens GA March 11, 2007 Main Scripture text: Matthew 17:14-21. The disciples were confronted by a demon they could not cast out. Jesus said the problem was the littleness of their faith. According to some versions of the text, He then said: "This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." I think He is talking about "this kind" of faith, not "this kind" of demon. In other words, The spiritual power necessary to displace the demonic power comes out only through prayer and fasting. Jesus also elsewhere about prayer and fasting. In the Sermon on the Mount He said, "When you fast…" There was a presumption that people seeking after God would fast. Why? What is the purpose of fasting? In our fallen state, our flesh demands that all of its appetites be satisfied. This is what leads to greed, envy, selfishness, jealousy, selfish ambition, materialism, gluttony, addiction, drunkenness, promiscuity, and sexual perversion. Fasting is a spiritual exercise that helps us discipline our flesh and yield instead to the Holy Spirit. We must be careful, however, to fast from right motives. Through Isaiah, God said He was not pleased with the fasting of His people, because their fasting had simply become a ritual, rather than a means of seeking after God. The people fasted, but allowed injustice and poverty -- things about which God is concerned -- to continue all around them. To fast without an attitude of surrender to God -- evidenced by a willingness to do his will -- is false worship, hypocrisy at the highest level. God will present with us in power if we honor Him as Lord in every dimension of our lives. If we want God's light to shine through us, if we want the glory of the Lord to be our rear guard, we must chose the fast God has chosen. Supporting texts: Matthew 6:16-18 | 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 | Isaiah 58:1-14 A mp3 audio file of this sermon is here (36 min.). (Download to a PC by right clicking on the link and choosing "Save Target As." Mac users: click, hold, and choose "Download Link to Disk." Depending on your connection speed, the file may take several minutes to download.) An audio CD of the sermon summarized above is available free of charge (U.S. requests only). Request a CD by calling or writing the Gateway Church office. Please specify number 070311a: God's Chosen Fast. © 2007 Gerald R. Varnado To the Gateway Church home page How to contact us