Christmas – 2022 - 1

Christmas – 2022 - 1

Subject: The Connecting of Christmas with Fasting and Prayer

By Rick Welborne

Luke 2:36-40 (NIV) 

36 There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 

37 and then was a widow until she was eighty four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 

38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. 

39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 

40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. 

–As I prayed and sought the Lord about what to share...I was very aware that it is Christmas time but I was also keenly aware that we will be challenging you to fast with us Jan.1. 21 days.

–I felt that God wanted me to tie Christmas and fasting together but I was at a loss of how to do that again. If we can give our first fruits to the Lord…the first of our prayer, time, passion, the finances.  Blessings!

 

–Fasting and prayer are the push that will swing open the door (actually the double doors) that we are praying for. The dreams we are believing God for! New Campus! La Vida!

–Also I felt He spoke to me and said that our previous fasting, prayers, and persevering have accumulated before Him and He was about to reveal His great love and presence to us…About to reveal Himself!

–Ok, Pastor Rick, what does all this have to do with Anna and her declaration about Jesus?

Luke 2:37-38 (NIV) 

37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 

38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. 

–In these two verses I see three things that will help as we wait…we fast, we pray, and we worship!

1. To be ready for Jesus to come Anna had a dedication to God’s House. 

Luke 2:37 (NIV) 37…She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 

--Church was not optional for her but she had a passion for God’s house.

Psalms 69:9 (NLT)  9 Passion for your house has consumed me… 

--Let me encourage you in this coming new year to make God and His House a dedicated and faithful priority. Make a decision that nothing will keep you out of God’s house.

--Anna was expecting the Messiah to be revealed and she knew the temple would be the greatest place for having an encounter with Him. The same for us!

--I am calling for a solemn assembly during our week of prayer...Make it a major priority for you to be here...we all say we want Him to come...let us come seeking and with great expectation!

Hebrews 10:23-25 (NKJV)
²³  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
²⁴  And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
²⁵  not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

--With everything being shaken that can be shaken...get to God’s house...His refuge for us! What could be more important than spending time with God?

--If you are going thru a tough time, if you have a prodigal, if you need a break through...get to church.

2. To be ready for Jesus to come Anna made a choice to worship God night and day. 

Luke 2:37 (NIV) 37…She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 

--Just an observation: those who make the choice to worship God night and day, thru the bad and good, thru blessed times and rough times...those individuals have peace with God and experience His presence!

--It just stands to reason that if we have a love for God and His House and we worship Him continuously that everything will be alright! Let me remind us!

Psalms 34:1, 17-19 (NKJV) 1 I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles. 

18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit. 

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all. 

--Don’t miss it...Anna saw Jesus because she was a worshiper. Who wants to come to Life Church and cast your eyes on the King of kings and the Lord of Lords!

--Anna cried out and the Lord heard her…she saw the deliverance that she had prayed for all those years. She prayed for Messiah to come!

--The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart. If you have physical, spiritual, emotional, financial needs come and worship Him…He is ready and willing to proclaim liberty and recovery for you.

3. To be ready for Jesus to come Anna spent time in God’s house, she worshiped, and she fasted and prayed.

Luke 2:37 (NIV) 37…She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 

--Your pastor and church leadership are admonishing you to join with us in fasting and praying beginning January 1. Could it be that 2023 will be your year! Our year!

2 Chronicles 20:1-4 &12 (NKJV)
¹  It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat.
²  Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, "A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar" (which is En Gedi).
³  And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
⁴  So Judah gathered together to ask help from the LORD; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.
¹²  O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You." 

--We are asking you to do a true biblical fast...fast food...you can fast TV, FB, watching sports, watching the news, or other stuff but fast food in some way. Crucify your flesh!

--We know some of you have to be careful and some of you may have to check with your doctors but all of us can fast something for 21 days. You can do a Daniel fast…fruits and vegetables. 

--A lot of us will be ok because we have stored up like a bear going into hibernation. 

--We are asking for 100% participation...we are asking for you to especially join with us starting Monday January 1 for the 21 days of fasting and January 8 for our Annual week of Prayer.

--We are asking everyone who can to come out every night that week and join us in seeking after God for a sovereign move of His Spirit! For dreams to become reality!

--We believe that as we are unified in this fasting and praying that God will reveal Jesus to us in a greater way. Isn’t that the purpose…Jesus to be revealed?

 

--Notice how the mission of Messiah (Jesus) coming and biblical fasting are so intertwined. Listen to what Jesus declared after He had spent time fasting and praying. 

Luke 4:17-19 (NKJV)
¹⁷  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
¹⁸  "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
¹⁹  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD." 

Isaiah 58:6-9 (NIV)
⁶  "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?
⁷  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 him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
⁸  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.
⁹  Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. "

--It is imperative that we are faithful to God’s house, that we worship Him, and that we fast and pray! 

--Those who fast with sincerity will have their light (witness) break forth, their healing coming quickly, prayers answered, guidance given, needs met.