The Faith Walk

Narrator (Male): Today, with Pastor Jonathan Evans.

Jonathan Evans: How are we going to get the Father to share with us, but we're stingy with everybody else? Many of us are praying over a bridge that we ourselves keep burning down. Mark 11:25 says, "When you pray, forgive others so that Christ can also forgive you." Because we pray for the once, and we want the Amazon packages of heaven to be delivered right at our door. And our Father is saying it's not coming because you burned down the bridge that it comes on: forgiveness.

Narrator (Male): You are listening to The Faith Walk with Jonathan Evans. In a moment, Jonathan will continue today's message. But first, to thank you for your support of this ministry, Jonathan has a couple of special gifts for you.

The first is the audio series that you're currently hearing called House of Prayer: Building a Real, Consistent, and Intimate Prayer Life through Honest, Private Communication with God. The second part of this gift is a devotional called Kingdom Family, written by Jonathan and Toni Evans. It covers real-life topics for parents and kids to explore together throughout the year.

I'll tell you more about these later in today's program. Or, you can call right now at 1-800-800-3222 or visit tonyevans.org to learn more. Now, here's Jonathan with part two of his message, Power in Every Petition.

Jonathan Evans: You're here to do God's will. He drafted you. You're His player. You have on His uniform. You can't just go out there and run your own plays. Whoever does that in the NFC or AFC, they're going to lose. The play call comes in from the offensive coordinator to the huddle, and the quarterback calls it. And you know what they all do? They run it. They don't just randomly go out there and do their own thing. And if they do it, they're going to play hard, sweat hard, hit hard, go through all of that, get hurt, and then they're still going to lose.

Is our life going to be that way where we're trying to manipulate stone into bread and we play hard, sweat hard, live in this world that's ruled by the devil, go through all these problems, and then we've lost by way of experiencing the abundant life? Jesus prayed this way. Jesus prayed this way for the disciples in the high priestly prayer in John 17:17. He said, "Lord, sanctify them in the truth of the Word." Because they were about to go into the Book of Acts—go ye therefore, make disciples. And we know they got beat up, stabbed, put in prison. They needed the bread because they were about to go into chaos by doing God's will.

We go out here and we break huddle. You go out into chaos and you're still called to do His will and be righteous. And you're going to do that hungry? We're going to do that starving? The enemy is not starving. He feeds his people. And we need to be fed. The Lord prayed this way and He's saying if you want to know how to pray, do this. Daily dependence on God for your nourishment preemptively, not reactively.

Jonathan, that's nice, but I still don't hear anything about my payday. Now my Bible says that if you knock, the door will be open. If you ask, believing you will receive. He can do exceedingly abundantly. Amen. So I'm still waiting for this prayer to get to the part where I get paid. Well, I'm still waiting for Jesus to get to that part, too. Moving on.

And then He says after you get the daily bread, forgive us of our debts as we forgive our debtors. So how are you so into getting paid when you're in debt? You're in debt and you want to get paid? That's gangster. Now you know if somebody owes you $500 and they come up to you and say, "Let me hold $800," you're going to start talking in syllables. I know you didn't come up in here. Nobody's putting up with that. You're in debt. You're trying to get paid?

He says, "Give us this day our daily bread and, Lord, forgive me." That prayer gives you a daily opportunity to get right with God. Now stick with me here. You may be saying, "Why would I need to continuously ask for forgiveness when I'm already saved?" The Bible says remember my sins no more. Why am I daily asking for forgiveness when I've already been given the forgiveness? Well, there is a difference between judicial forgiveness and relational forgiveness.

Judicial forgiveness is justification. That is a law court term. That means in the courtroom of heaven, you have been justified by faith and the judge has given you a ruling that says not guilty. Even though you're guilty and even though we've run up the tab, He says you are not guilty ultimately in the courtroom of heaven. And so that has been satisfied. That's why Romans 8:1 says there is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. It's done.

And I need you to know that if it's satisfied in the courtroom, there is no double jeopardy. We believe in eternal security for those who have been saved. Romans 8 lets you know there is no height, nor depth, nor breadth, nor length, or anything that can separate you from the love of God. Ephesians 1:13 says you have been sealed by the spirit of truth. The Bible is clear that once you're in Christ, you are not condemned. And so we believe that once saved, you are always saved.

Now, if you're able to live any old kind of way, the Spirit of God is not chastening you because God chastens those whom He loves, and you don't feel anything and you're just out there living your life coming to church and saying you're saved, you need to wonder whether you were ever saved to begin with. Because when you have received the Spirit, the Spirit has fruits. And if there are no fruits and you haven't got no conscience, you're saying you're saved. The judge still thinks you're guilty.

But once you're on the ark, judgment is not coming for you. You'll be able to float on top of it. It's the revelation of our salvation in Christ. But while we have that salvation in the courtroom of heaven, relational forgiveness is different. He does not say, "Our judge who art in heaven." He says, "Our Father who art in heaven," which means you're already a kid. But even in our marriages, forgiveness actually creates fellowship in a marriage that's actually there legally. So you can have something legally and not possess the fellowship of it.

Even with children, we need fellowship. You have to apologize. It's important to stay in fellowship because in this world we're clean, but our feet get dirty. Let me help you understand. In John 13:5-11, you have Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. Jesus is washing the feet of the disciples and Peter spoke up and said, "Jesus, you're Jesus. You're not washing my feet. Why would I ask Jesus to wash my feet? We're not doing that." Jesus said, "But if I don't wash your feet, you have no part with me."

Peter said, "Well, if that's the case, wash my whole body." He said, "Wash my hands, wash my head. Get me right. I'm not trying to miss out on that." And then Jesus responded and said, "Those who have bathed need only to wash their feet." This was not just a picture of Jesus' humility. This was also a picture of Jesus washing those who are already clean. In other words, He would wash their feet because the feet were the fellowship, even though they had already been made clean.

In our house, we just moved into a different house and when we came in, we noticed that whoever cleaned the house when we came in there, they mopped it, but they mopped it with soap and didn't get the residue of the soap up. And soap gets sticky and attracts dirt. So our kids would be running around the house. They'd be running around the house and me and Kanika noticed their feet are dirty. They're dirty. They take a shower, start running around the house, their feet are dirty.

Well, in our bedroom, you know how kids are playing tag, they want to come in the room and jump on the bed. Our bedroom has off-white sheets on it. And so they would come in and I would know they'd been running around getting their feet dirty. And as soon as they come in, thinking they're about to jump on my bed, I'm like, "Wait, stop. Do not jump on my bed. Your feet are dirty." So you can run around out there. You're still my kids, but you can't get in my bed. Your feet being dirty doesn't take away that you're my child, it just takes away how close my child can get to the Father.

I need you to understand what He's saying is when you pray, you're asking for your feet to get washed. Not so that you can be a child, you're asking for your feet to get washed so you can go all the way to the bed and relate to your Father. So when you pray, you're given this opportunity to get your daily bread to do His will and to say, "Forgive me of my debt, Lord. Wash my feet so that I can have fellowship with you." 1 John 1:6 teaches us this. Do we not want fellowship with our God? Do we not want to get all the way and not have any pauses just because our feet are dirty? Because I don't know if you know it or not, He is holy, righteous. And He tells us, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors."

When you pray, you have the opportunity not just to get your feet washed, but wash the feet of others. We're all running around getting our feet dirty in the culture. We need them washed on a daily basis. And there are people who have done things to you like you did things to Jesus, and they need them washed just like you needed yours washed. And how are we going to get the Father to share with us, but we're stingy with everybody else? Many of us are praying over a bridge that we ourselves keep burning down.

Narrator (Male): More of The Faith Walk with Pastor Jonathan Evans in a moment.

Have you ever had a consistent, authentic prayer life? Building a real, consistent, and intimate prayer life through honest, private communication with God can change your life. Today, when you give a gift to support the ministry of the Urban Alternative, Jonathan wants to give you two life-altering resources.

The first is a copy of his series House of Prayer, encouraging you to pray persistently, seek God's kingdom first, and allow prayer to transform your heart to align with God's will. The second part of this gift is a devotional called Kingdom Family, written by Jonathan and Toni Evans, that offers simple, engaging lessons that parents and kids can explore together throughout the year.

Both the devotional book Kingdom Family and the four-part audio series House of Prayer are a way of showing appreciation for the continued support of listeners like you who make this program possible. Get all the details online at tonyevans.org. Again, that's tonyevans.org. Or you can call our 24-hour resource request line at 1-800-800-3222 and let one of our team members help you. That's 1-800-800-3222. Find your way out of distractions and into God's purpose for your life.

Now, let's get back to Jonathan with the rest of today's message.

Jonathan Evans: And how are we going to get the Father to share with us, but we're stingy with everybody else? Many of us are praying over a bridge that we ourselves keep burning down. Mark 11:25 says when you pray, forgive others so that Christ can also forgive you. Colossians 3:13 and Ephesians 4:32 teach the same thing: that you forgive others as you yourself were forgiven. Because we pray for the once, and we want the Amazon packages of heaven to be delivered right at our door. And our Father is saying it's not coming because you burned down the bridge that it comes on: forgiveness.

That's a hard thing, isn't it? He says, "But when you pray, you ask for your daily bread and you ask the Lord to wash your feet as you wash the feet of others." We're not supposed to be like the sinners. We're supposed to be like the saints. That requires us to do something different in this world. "Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses or our debts as we forgive our debtors."

Jesus prayed this way. You say, "Well, how could Jesus have prayed this way? He ain't no sinner." Well, 1 Peter 2:24 says He bore our sins on the cross. And Luke 23:34 says He looked out and said, "Forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." He's on the cross, forgiving the people that nailed Him to it. He's not asking you to do in prayer anything that He Himself has not already done at a much higher level.

So if you want to learn how to pray, Jesus says do this. Ask for your daily bread and ask for forgiveness and forgive those who have hurt you. Jonathan, that all sounds nice, but I still ain't hearing nothing about my payday. My Bible says that if you ask, you're going to receive. If you knock, the door will be open. He does exceedingly abundantly beyond all that you can ask or think. And that all sounds nice, but where in the world is my stuff?

I don't know. Next. He chooses to conclude this way and ignore that request. "And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." Let me walk you through this real quick. You ready? "Do not lead us into temptation" is an interpretive problem. Because James 1:13 says God doesn't tempt. So why would I even have to pray for Him to lead me not into temptation when that's not something God does? He doesn't tempt anyway. So why would that even be a part of the prayer?

In Leviticus 22:19-20, it says this: an acceptable sacrifice must be male. It must be totally unblemished. It must be perfect. If it's not perfect, it is not an acceptable sacrifice. That's what Leviticus says in the sacrificial system. Because that was the rule, they would have to take the animal through a maturation process. The maturation process was taking the cow or the goat or the sheep through a time of testing so that it could be proved to be suitable as the sacrifice. Because the sacrifice had to be male and it had to be perfect.

Let's come to the New Testament. Jesus Christ is led into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil. God didn't tempt. The devil did the tempting. But God was taking Him through the maturation process, which is the testing. Because in order for Jesus to be qualified to be the acceptable sacrifice, He has to be perfect. But in order to prove that He's perfect, there is a time of testing or a maturation process that includes temptation so that Hebrews 4:15 can say what it says. We serve a great high priest who can sympathize with our weakness. He's tempted in all things, yet without sin.

Which now makes Him eligible to be the perfect sacrifice. So when God led Him in there, "Lead me not into temptation," when God led Him in there, it wasn't that God was tempting Him. It was that God was testing Him, and in the test was a temptation. The word "temptation" found in Matthew 6:13 is the Greek word "peirasmos." We find that again in James 1:2: "Consider it joy when you face various peirasmos." So "temptation" in 6:13 is not what we think it is. We think in terms of just evil. It's actually a neutral word that has to do with a time of testing that has temptation in it.

So when He says, "Lead me not into temptation," what you're saying is, "Lord, help me that when I go through a time of testing, that when I go through my trials, that I'm not tempted to go back to my old life, that I'm not tempted to return to what I used to do, that I'm not tempted to not live right, that I'm not tempted to not do what I'm called to do. Help me, Lord, to live right. Help me to be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord."

Because in this life, God can and will lead you into trials, lead you into a time of testing so that you can gain perseverance. And in the trial, the time of testing, or the maturation process, you will get tempted. In our marriages, we get tempted to be unfaithful. In our finances, we get tempted to be unfaithful. We get tempted in this world as we're being tested and you're saying, "Lord, help me not to be tempted to where I turn my back on you. But if I am tempted, give me a way of escape." In other words, this part of the prayer is saying, "Lord, help me to live right."

Okay, y'all listen to me. Come into your Father's bedroom with a childlike faith. Give Him glory for who He is. Say, "I will do your will. Show me what you want me to do. Resource me, Lord, so that I can do what you're calling me to do and forgive me so I can have fellowship with you. Lord, help me to live right because why? Thine is the kingdom." I don't know if you noticed something about this prayer. It ain't about you. It's about the kingdom. Lord, I run into my Father's bedroom. I give you glory for who you are. I say I want to do your will. Resource me so I can do it. Forgive me so we can have fellowship and help me to live right because it's all about your kingdom.

It's all by your power and it is forever, always for your glory. And that is forever and ever. Amen. I'm not sure if you know what "forever" means. Forever means forever. It means forever ever. Forever, yeah. It's about His kingdom. Jesus is teaching you to pray the kingdom. Jesus is teaching you to pray His will, not your will. Jesus trying to get your life right. He got His life right. But Jonathan, you still ain't said nothing. That sounds good, yeah, praise the Lord. But you still ain't said nothing about my payday. Because my Bible says knock and the door will be open. If you ask and believe, you will receive. He can do exceedingly abundantly all that my Bible says. So where is my payday?

It's not in there. But let me tell you why it's not in there. He's trying to focus you on the kingdom. Because my Bible says, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and then these things will be added unto you." Stop thinking about the things and focus on the King. Do I have a witness up in here? Somebody ought to give Him praise and glory because Jesus is teaching you how to pray. It's about His kingdom. It ain't about you. He'll take care of you. You focus on the King. And when we pray like that, we're putting in seeds. Lord, bring the rain because we're ready for the harvest. Somebody ought to give Him praise one more time. Thank you, Lord, for teaching us how to pray.

It's no longer something we just respect. Now we know what time it is. And you don't have to say it like that, but your heart should be like that, that it's directed towards His kingdom and He has all the things. Yes, He can do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that you can ask or think if we get our heart right and focus on the kingdom. It's been exciting to learn how to pray because this is, if you didn't know it or not, the house of prayer. And we want to pray the kingdom because we want the kingdom to take care of us and take care of what He's called us to do.

Narrator (Male): That was Pastor Jonathan Evans. Before you go today, I want to remind you that we have a couple of special gifts for you: a devotional book called Kingdom Family and a four-part audio series House of Prayer.

The devotional Kingdom Family, written by Jonathan and Toni Evans, is a practical, easy-to-use guide designed to help your family grow spiritually together through short daily devotionals that fit naturally into busy routines like dinnertime or bedtime. We are also including Jonathan Evans' House of Prayer audio series, helping you build a real, consistent, and intimate prayer life through honest private communication with God rather than outward performance.

Both the devotional called Kingdom Family and his audio series House of Prayer are a gift to you to thank you for your donation to help support the ministry of the Urban Alternative. It's our way of showing appreciation for the continued support of listeners like you who make this program possible. Call 1-800-800-3222 anytime or get all the details online at tonyevans.org. Again, that's tonyevans.org. Or, you can call our 24-hour resource request line at 1-800-800-3222 and let one of our team members help you. That's 1-800-800-3222.

Thank you for listening to The Faith Walk with Jonathan Evans. The Faith Walk is produced as a part of the Urban Alternative, a ministry of Dr. Tony Evans.