The Faith Walk

Jonathan Evans: Prayer is like a lifeboat in a storm. It covers the Christian when they face challenges. Prayer is like a pillow top mattress to the weary. It's a place for Christians to find rest and peace. Prayer is like a shield in battle. It's what we use to defend ourselves against life's challenges. We've got to understand like this disciple understood, I've got to subscribe to this channel because I've got to figure out how to do what Jesus is doing. Because I don't know if you really realize it, without prayer as a Christian the soul withers.

Guest (Male): You're 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, let's get started with Jonathan's message.

Jonathan Evans: As we're talking about the house of prayer, I don't know about you and I don't know if you know it or not, but we need prayer. We need to commune with God with everything that's going on in our world and everything that's going on in our society, everything that's going on in the church, everything that's going on in our lives. I hope you're not ignoring your own communing time with God. We need prayer. This is not just a religious exercise; this is when you get to go before the throne.

You know the Lord's Prayer because people respect it. You hear the Lord's Prayer at different venues and different events. You'll hear the Lord's Prayer at banquets. When I was playing football, we would say the Lord's Prayer before we took the field. But the reality is that the Lord's Prayer is just like the national anthem before a football game. Everybody respects it, but it has little to do with what's about to happen on the field. We've got the Lord's Prayer; we respect it, but we just don't reflect it. We have the prayer, we know it, but we just don't go it.

In Luke chapter 11, before I come back to Matthew 6, there's a disciple who sees Jesus praying. Luke 11:1. He sees Jesus praying and after Jesus finishes his prayer, the disciple says, "Jesus, teach us how to pray." The disciple sees Jesus praying and he says, "Jesus, teach me how to pray." You've got to understand that all throughout the Gospels and all throughout the book of Luke, before Luke 11, Jesus was found praying consistently and constantly.

In Luke chapter 3, verse 21, you find him praying at his baptism. In Luke chapter 5, verse 16, you find him praying and slipping away often, it says, in the wilderness. In Luke chapter 6, verse 12, you'll find him praying in the mountains all night before he chooses his disciples, his twelve disciples called apostles. In Luke chapter 9, verse 18, you will find him praying right after the feeding of the five thousand. In Luke chapter 9, verse 28, you're going to find him praying at the transfiguration with Peter, James, and John when they saw him transfigured.

And then in Luke chapter 11, he's praying again and this disciple gets smart. The disciple says, "I always see Jesus praying and I see the power and provision in his life. Jesus, I'm going to need you to teach me how to do that." Because if Jesus, the Son of God, is constantly and consistently going before the throne, it might behoove us as followers of Jesus Christ to recognize that it's in our best interest to constantly and consistently go before his throne so that we can receive the power and provision in our lives, just like Jesus Christ operated with the power and had the provision of God through and in his life.

So the disciple got smart. I figured we'd get a little bit smarter just like the disciple and say, "Jesus, teach me how to pray. Let me go ahead and subscribe to your channel." I'm going to need you to send me that link because I need to know how to. Many of you will subscribe to all these YouTubers, but you won't subscribe to the miracle worker. Jesus has already put out a link that you need to subscribe to, ring the bell, do the thumbs up, get the notifications, so we can go ahead and get this how-to on how to pray.

Prayer is important and this disciple realized what we need to understand as Christians. Prayer is like communication in the marriage; it is the main artery through which the success of your relationship will flow. Prayer is like oxygen to the human; it keeps the vitals of faith consistently functioning. Prayer is like a lifeboat in a storm; it covers the Christian when they face challenges. Prayer is like a pillow top mattress to the weary; it's a place for Christians to find rest and peace. Prayer is like a shield in battle; it's what we use to defend ourselves against life's challenges.

We've got to understand like this disciple understood. Because I don't know if you really realize it, without prayer as a Christian, the soul withers. Without communication, you have the marriage and the wedding bells, but you don't experience the vows. You don't get the full experience of the Christian life until the Christian dedicates themselves to communing and communicating with God. And so this disciple says, "I keep seeing this and Jesus is Jesus, so I'm going to go to him and see if he'll give me the how-to on this." He went to Jesus.

Now if I want to learn how to play basketball, I'm going to Michael Jordan. Notice I didn't say LeBron James. That's not what the sermon's about; I'm just saying. If I need to learn how to shoot, I'm going to Steph. If I want to run fast, I'm going to Usain Bolt. If I want to preach, I do this all the time, I'm going to Tony Evans. I want to go to whoever the best is to figure out the how-to so that I can get the same results. You all be on YouTube trying to get abs, trying to get all types of stuff. But this subscription is much greater for your life continually.

I want you to notice something. In the synoptic Gospels, they will tell the same story from different vantage points: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. So the feeding of the five thousand is the feeding of the five thousand; they're just telling it from their vantage point. If I were to give it a title of the synoptic Gospels, I would just call it vantage point. But here in Luke 11, and we quoted Matthew 6, I would actually suggest to you that even though Jesus answers the disciple in Luke 11 with the Lord's Prayer, it is not a different vantage point of the same event.

This time it's two different events because the events are happening in two different settings. And it's stated enough, differently enough, where scholars and commentators agree this was not one event talked about two separate times; this was actually two separate teachings at two separate times. What does that mean? That means that this particular sermon on prayer was so important that when Jesus taught it, he repeated himself. If my mama tells me something twice, I'm going to pay attention because she's trying to get a message across to me that I need to really gear my ear to.

If Jesus is asked about prayer and teaches about prayer two separate times, and what he did was come with the Lord's Prayer, then it must be something about the Lord's Prayer that we need to tune our ears to. When he gets into this, you've got to understand he says, "Pray then in this way." That's where he starts. He says, "Pray in this way." As the how-to video starts, Jesus says, "Pray then in this way." The assumptive variable in the statement is that you already pray.

It's not if you pray, you should pray; it's "Pray then in this way." It's a how-to on what you already should be doing. The goal of this subscription, the goal of the video, the goal of this how-to, is to make you as a Christian, when you go before the throne, more effective when you get in there. Because we understand James 5:16 says the effective prayers of the righteous accomplish much, which means you can be praying but you can be praying ineffectively. We want to accomplish much. Don't you know when you pray, you don't want it to be a waste of time? You want it to accomplish much in our community, in our world, in our church, and in your life.

He says, "I want to make this more effective for you, so pray then in this way." Now remember, in Luke 11, the disciple asked the question. So when Jesus is answering the question, he's saying, "Pray then in this way, just like I do when I pray." I need you to understand what Jesus is saying. I do this. I pray this way when I slip away in the wilderness. He's not saying you have to pray the Lord's Prayer every time you pray because you don't see that in the rest of the New Testament; people were praying. He's saying pray along these lines. Pray with this in mind. Pray using this type of cadence when you go before God because that's what I do.

And then he says to the disciples, "Pray then in this way," and then he says, "Our Father." Oh my goodness. He looks at the disciples and he says, "When you pray, say Our Father." It's Jesus's Father. He makes his disciples and the believers of God not just my Father. When you come before the Lord, you come before the Lord as he's your Father.

Guest (Male): 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: He makes his disciples and the believers of God not just my Father. When you come before the Lord, you come before the Lord as he's your Father. Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God, is looking at his disciples and he's saying, "You come before the Lord as part of the family, running into your daddy's bedroom." He uses the term "Father." That is sentimental. He's not starting with God and all of that, which is true. He's saying, "No, I want you to come before the Lord and come before the Lord with a childlike faith that you're coming before your daddy."

It's "Our Father," like I can approach his throne. But because of my work, I have shattered the dividing walls. I have removed the veil. I have made it to where you can come all the way into daddy's bedroom and share in it just like I do. And your Father, that sentimental term, your Father cares for you, unbelievably cares for you, that he would send his Son to die on a cross. You come before him like he's an ethereal spirit in never-never land that's never going to operate in your here and now. Jesus is saying, "Oh no, he is your Father, just like he is my Father."

You come before his throne. You are a part of the family. Ephesians 2:19 says you are a part of the household of faith. John 1:12 says many as has received him have become and have the right to be children of God. Acts 17:28 says you are his offspring. If you are his offspring, you don't just come to him like he's far off and he doesn't care. You come before him like a child into the bedroom saying, "Daddy, I need you," and I expect it because you're my Father. This is not a disconnected thing we do as believers. This is where we come before his throne because now him being our Father, that means that you have another level of access than anybody else because you're his kid.

For my kids, I'm pastor, but I'm also father. That's a different level of access. They don't think about me the same way your kids think about me. Your kids see me and they see pastor. My kids see me and they see daddy. They come to me with a whole different spirit and a whole different faith and a whole different expectation because they know I care for them. Jesus is saying, "This is your Father." This is not something far off from you; you're sharing in this with me. Because of my work, I've made you a sibling of this thing.

The expectation of the believers, we come before the throne because some of us come before the throne and we really don't have big expectations. Now my kids have access and, I'm sorry to say, your kids don't have the same access. I just can't do everybody. So if you send your kids to me and you say, "Hey, go ask, he's nice, go ask Pastor J for some money," your kid is going to come back to you and say, "Pastor J mean." Pastor J say he pray, he don't pay. Because there's a different level of access that my kids have as my children.

Understand, Jesus looked at the religious leaders of the day in John 8:44 and he said, "You are of your father the devil." God may be God over everyone, but he's only Father to some. That is a privilege to everybody in this room. He's not far off. He's not an ethereal spirit. He is your daddy, the one that sent his Son, loved you so much that while you were in your sin, he sent his Son to die for you. And we come into his bedroom like he won't do it? Has he gotten that far off from the saints of Jesus Christ?

And we wonder why he may not be coming through or he may be closing doors. Because you're still acting like he hasn't already done it. When my kids come into my bedroom and they kind of come in there with, "Well, I'll go ahead and ask, but I already know he's going to say no," you know what I say? "No." Because the way you're coming in here is with the spirit that I don't already take care of your whole life. It's offensive to me that you would come in my bedroom and act like I'm not going to provide when that's all I do.

The children of God go before the Lord as if he's not going to provide like he doesn't already do it. So we come into his throne room like this: "Well, I'm going to ask, but I already know he's going to say no." Jesus is looking at his disciples and he's saying, "No, when you pray, I'm not telling you to say these same words, but I'm telling you your heart should be like a child that's coming to their daddy." This daddy is a whole another level. This Father is a whole another level of what he's willing to do for his children who seek him and come to him.

Where is your heart at as it relates to your Father? He tells you this: Your Father, he's not just any regular father. He says he's our Father and he lets you know that he's located in heaven. He said, "Your Father is in heaven. Our Father, who art in heaven." You know what that means about your dad? That means that your dad is totally set apart. Your dad is totally holy, totally gracious, totally merciful, totally immutable. He is omnipotent, he is omnipresent, he is omniscient, he is omnibenevolent, he is loving, he is just, he is all of those things.

And we are timid to go before his throne as if he's not our Father in heaven. The problem is we don't recognize him as our Father in heaven because we've struggled so much with our father on earth. He is not like your earthly daddy. I know for many of you, your dad didn't show up. He said he was going to call, he said he was going to pick you up and he didn't make it. He said he was going to go to your game and he didn't show up. He just conceived you but didn't raise you. He wasn't around for you. You've got a disjointed relationship with your father.

That's why Jesus makes it clear when you go before the throne, you go before your Father who is nothing like your earthly father. He is your Father in heaven. He's nothing like your father, your grandfather, your godfather, your play father; he ain't none of them men. He is your Father and he's located in heaven. So when we go, he's saying it's not about saying these words; it's about your posture when you come into the throne room. Are you kidding me? Because he's your Father and he is in heaven, ladies and gentlemen, that settles the matter.

It settles the matter of your loneliness because this Father said he'll never leave you nor forsake you. It settles the matter of your lacking in resources because this Father, your heavenly Father, owns cattle on a thousand hills. The earth is his and the fullness thereof. It settles the matter when you feel shaken because this Father is unshakable. It settles the matter when you mess up because this Father is faithful to forgive you of all unrighteousness. It settles the matter of your grief because this Father will comfort you. It settles the matter of your sin before you come into the household because this Father will save you.

It's your Father. And it's your Father in heaven, and we're so busy comparing him to our broken relationships on earth. I told you all before, I had a big struggle with school in general. I was struggling. I had colleges looking at me for football, but I was taking my SAT and I could never pass it. So I had about 30 Division I college scholarships go away. They said, "This kid's not going to pass." So I'm distraught. I go into my dad's bedroom and I said, "Dad, I need help. I don't know, I'm not going to make it. I've got a dream, I'm not going to be able to make it. I need you to help me. I need you to do something. I need you to figure something out for me."

Because I knew I wasn't going to make it because I could not pass the test. I just didn't have the focus. I didn't read fast enough because they put that clock on you. The clock made me nervous. I wasn't that type of test taker like that. So I went into my dad's room and I said, "Dad, I need your help. I can't do this." And when I went into my dad's room, there was no second-guessing whether Tony Evans was going to try to figure something out. I had full faith that my dad would help me.

And he got up out of that bed and I tell you for the next several months, he called high and low. He called Duncanville High School, he called the school board, he called the state of Texas, he was calling all of his relationships. And after the end of the day, they called him back and they said, "You've turned in all the documentation." But he went to work and I watched him work. And now that I'm older, I realize how much he put in in that moment in my life.

Guest (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.