August 16, 2026
Empty Tires
- Matt Nickoson
Sermon Notes
Matthew 9:14 NIV
Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”
Matthew 9:15 NIV
Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.”
The time to fast is now!
What is fasting?
Fasting is giving up something I need (food) for something I need even more (God).
2 Chronicles 20:3 NIV
Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.
2 Chronicles 20:4 NIV
The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.
2 Chronicles 20:6b NIV
“Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.”
2 Chronicles 20:12 NIV
“Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
2 Chronicles 20:13 NIV
All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord.
What happens when I fast?
Fasting tunes the ears of the Lord toward my pain in ways I cannot fully explain, but I know that it’s true.
2 Chronicles 20:15 NIV
He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.”
2 Chronicles 20:17 NIV
“You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.”
When should I fast and for how long?
Leviticus 23:32 NIV
“It (The great Day of Atonement) is a day of sabbath rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your sabbath.”
“Sabbath-keeping often makes a unique impression on nonparticipants. In ancient cultures, in which people generally ate two meals a day (morning and evening), the Sabbath offered a diversion. On Jewish Sabbaths, meals played a heightened role, including three meals of fish, kugel, and pudding. Sometimes a fourth meal, called the melaveh malkah, would conclude a Sabbath. For a people used to two meals a day, four meals screams “celebration!” The scent of these Sabbath meals caught the attention of Roman emperor Hadrian, who asked Rabbi Joshua ben Hannah, “Why is it that Sabbath foods have such a fragrant scent?” Joshua answered, “We put in a certain spice called Sabbath.” The emperor reportedly responded, “Please give me some of that spice.” Rabbi Joshua said, “It can only be tasted by those who keep the Sabbath.” Sabbath is never linked to fasting in either Jewish or Christian traditions. A fast suggests a demure, sad environment. But joy rules the Sabbath. Sabbath, in the words of one commentator, is “to be a day of consecrated happiness, not of religious gloom.” – AJ Swoboda, Subversife Sabbath
What if I don’t fast?
There is a power that is absent from my life without this ongoing connection.
Mark 9:28 NIV
After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
Mark 9:29 NIV
He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”
Does that mean fasting is a way to get God to do what I want or need?
NO! Fasting is about the depth of our relationship with God and not about our manipulation of Him.
Matthew 6:16 NIV
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.”
Matthew 6:17-18 NIV
“But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others 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.”
Series Challenges:
1 – Set aside 1 time a week to fast for the next 40 days (1 day, or 1 meal).
2 – Stop 1 + Start 1
- Stop 1 habit that is controlling you for 40 days (no video games, no social media, no alcohol, no tobacco, no snacks after 9:00 pm, no doom scrolling, no cussing, etc).
- Start 1 habit that you want to begin. Commit the same amount of time (up to 1 hour!) as the habit you are stopping.
3 – Plan 3 social events over the next 40 days that fill you up.
“Your life will be measured by the strength of your relationships more than the number of your years, and the accumulation of your things.” – Alan Ahlgrim
When you are fasting, make sure it’s about connecting to God and unleashing what He wants to do in the world.
Isaiah 58:2 NIV
“For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them.”
Isaiah 58:3 NIV
“‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’”
Isaiah 58:3b-4 NIV
“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.”
Fasting doesn’t override lazy obedience. Rather, fasting creates a deeper power and connection to God and FOR others.
The fast creates a circle — your hunger becomes their meal; their meal becomes your intercession.
Isaiah 58:6-7 NIV
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?”
Isaiah 58:8 NIV
“Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.”
Isaiah 58:9a NIV
“Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.”
God is offering a great If/Then promise.
If you will spend your life on the needs of this world, then I will provide for you!
Isaiah 58:11 NIV
“The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”