Feasting With the King (Matthew 9:14-17) 2/20/22 AM

·38 min·3 clips

Why does God reject the fasting of his people in Isaiah 58, calling it a day of quarreling and oppression?

The sermon begins with readings from Isaiah 58 and Matthew 9:14-17, setting up the topic of fasting. The pastor, Reverend Daniel Svendsen, introduces the passage where John the Baptist's disciples and the Pharisees question why Jesus's disciples do not fast. He provides historical context, citing Alexis de Tocqueville's observation about American voluntary community sacrifice and linking its decline to church decay. The pastor notes that the Christian Reformed Church had a monthly denomination-wide fast in the early 20th century, a practice now rare. He explains the Pharisees fasted twice a week for human glory, while John the Baptist fasted to embody repentance for coming judgment. Both groups are offended by Jesus, but for different reasons: the Pharisees see a challenge to their power, and John's followers see a lack of repentance. Jesus responds with three illustrations: a wedding feast, a piece of unshrunk cloth, and new wine in old wineskins. The wedding feast symbolizes the joy of salvation in Christ. The cloth and wineskins illustrate the new covenant's fulfillment of the old, with new forms and practices. The pastor emphasizes that Jesus is always with his people, so Christians should live joyfully, feasting on Christ's glory. He discusses appropriate fasting for the church's health and growth, as seen in Acts 13, but stresses it must be done freely, joyfully, and prayerfully, not as a commanded ceremony. The sermon concludes by urging listeners to keep the feast of faith in all circumstances, knowing Christ is present.

As heard by us

A sermon on fasting, repentance, and faith in Jesus' presence.

Fasting is treated here as a searching test of the heart before God. Beginning with Isaiah 58, the sermon frames the practice as worship that exposes what religious life is really serving, then sets the Pharisees beside John the Baptist's disciples as two groups unsettled by…

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For a sermon on fasting, press play when Isaiah's searching heart meets the offense Jesus and his followers stir up around religious life.

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