Pray More Effectively Than You Ever Have Before | Jonathan Evans | Sermon on Prayer

We are not supposed to be using prayer as a comeup for ourselves. We are not supposed to be using prayer as a step ladder so people can see how spiritual we are. Prayer based on Isaiah 58:5 and 6 is where you humble yourself and bow your head like a reed.

In other words, prayer is where you go down. It's not for your come up. Okay? Many people in churches all over the world in America will use religious activity in order to gain human approval. And while we can't see it, Jesus can smell it. If you don't like people having those type of intentions with you, then Jesus is saying, "Do not use the holy act of prayer as a playground for your pride."

Not only Lord, do we throw up our hands, >> but we also lose our lives >> so that we might find our lives. Not only do we throw up our hands and lose our life so that we may find our life, >> but we go a step further and take up our cross >> to follow Jesus. >> Thank you, Lord.

You are worthy of all the adoration and the praise. You're worthy of our sincerity. >> And we give you the glory. Now Lord, teach us from your word, >> so that we can continue in the faith the way that you have called us to. >> We will be careful to always and forever give you the glory that's due your name. >> Yes, in our mouth, yes, in our hands, but most importantly in our life.

May this body of Christ may be a body of believers >> where it's very evident and obvious that they know Jesus >> and we'll be careful to give you the glory in Jesus name. All God's people said >> amen. You may remain standing. We'll keep you on your feet at OCBF.

We like stand up the whole service. We're going to conclude you being on your feet by reading God's word in Matthew chapter 6 today. It should be up on the screens as well. You can open your Bibles, push your app, and get there. When you're there, say, "Amen."

Amen. >> Matthew chapter 6, we are in the house of prayer. We had a great week in fasting and prayer and consecrating ourselves. Amen. We're going to continue to talk about prayer. Matthew chapter 6 verse 5 and 6. Got two verses for you this morning. And it reads this way.

It says, "When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners, so that they may be seen by men." >> Truly, I say to you that you have your reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your father who is in secret.

And your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. Today I want to talk to you from the title, The Masquerade. >> The Masquerade. You may be seated. Many of us know what it's like to go to a masquerade ball because everyone who comes into a masquerade ball comes in with a >> You know, they walk in like this being and portraying someone they're not.

And this right here, the mask, is actually the goal of the party. Because when you go to a masquerade ball and you have your mask on, you actually get notoriety for how good your mask looks. You actually get more views and more positioning in the party with your mask.

PEOPLE NOT ONLY HAVE THE MASK, but they take on the persona of the mask. They know when to talk. They know when to laugh. They're putting on the whole show. THEY HAVE A GOWN WITH A MASK OR a tuxedo. And in some masquerade balls, you will even get an award by how good your mask is.

In the masquerade, it's all about the mask. Unfortunately, the church has become a masquerade ball where people COME INTO THE CHURCH SHOWING A FACE THAT'S NOT REALLY who they are. And in THE CHURCH, THEY ACTUALLY GET awards for the mask. YOU GET NOTORIETY FOR THAT RELIGIOSITY. You actually get positioning sometimes in the church for what you can portray.

The reality is God doesn't go to masquerade balls. God is located in an inner room where you must take the mask off. So we can continue to wear the mask in church. We can continue to operate in such A WAY THAT MAKES EVERYBODY else think. Meanwhile, WHILE WE'RE GETTING THE PRAISE AND GLORY from man, we are in a position where God is not even at or even in.

Jesus is addressing the masquerade in the sermon on the mount here. HE SAYS, "DON'T BE LIKE A HYPOCRITE." HE'S TALKING ABOUT THOSE who wear the mask, but it's not what you think. >> But in the SERMON ON THE MOUNT, THAT'S WHAT HE'S DOING THE ENTIRE TIME. THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT is a sermon where he's basically creating a delineation between true righteousness and false righteousness.

His disciples came to hear him preach and heal and do the things that he could do. They came from Judea and Jerusalem and they came from Decapus and all over. Many people CAME AND HE WENT UP on the mountain so he could be seen. And he be to preach stuff like this.

HE WOULD SAY IN MATTHEW 5:21 AND 22, "You say when you commit murder, it's a sin. I say if you even hate your brother in your heart, >> it's the same to me." I know you like to focus on outside stuff. I go a step further. >> You say in Matthew 5:27-28, "If you commit adultery, THAT IS A SIN."

AND YOU'RE RIGHT ABOUT IT. I SAY, THOUGH, if you even look at her with lust in your heart, >> Amen. Amen. It's the exact same to me. HE'S TALKING ABOUT NOT JUST THIS EXTERNAL RIGHTEOUSNESS. He's talking about real show enough righteousness. >> In Matthew chapter 6 verse 2, he says, "When you GIVE TO THE POOR, DON'T BLOW A TRUMPET about it.

Don't post on YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM HOW MANY PEOPLE YOU GIVE TO >> BECAUSE YOUR LIKES AND YOUR views will be your reward in full, but the kingdom is not applauding. >> He says in Matthew 6:16, WE TALKED ABOUT IT LAST WEEK. WHEN YOU FAST, DON'T PUT ON A MASK.

DON'T LOOK all gloomy because you know you're hungry because you want somebody to talk to you about your fast so you can gloat about how much food you're not eating for the Lord because he's saying, "Oh, you just got your reward in full. YOU HAVE JUST JOINED THE MASQUERADE and I am not in there." >> And here HE'S TALKING ABOUT THE MASQUERADE as it relates to prayer.

He says, "When you pray," in verse five, if you look at it on the screen HERE, HE TELLS YOU, "WHEN YOU PRAY," THAT'S HIS FIRST LINE BEFORE the comma. And you need to understand when he's talking to his disciples, HE USES THIS LANGUAGE, THIS POWERFUL LANGUAGE, WHEN YOU PRAY.

HE DID NOT SAY TO HIS DISCIPLES, "If you pray," he said when you pray. Which means that Jesus has an assumptive variable that he puts in the text that if you're a Christian, you pray. HOW CAN GOD BE THE PINNACLE POINT RELATIONSHIP IN YOUR LIFE AND YOU LACK communication with that relationship?

It really means that we should be communicating with God MORE THAN ANY OTHER PERSON. THAT OUR COMMUNICATION WITH GOD should be often that we talk to him. That's why Colossians 4:2 says, "Devote yourselves to prayer." Luke 18:1 says, "Pray all the time and do not lose heart in your circumstances."

The Bible often says in First Thessalonians 5:17, it lets US KNOW TO PRAY without >> Yeah. That means pray all the time. Pray when you're coming in, pray when you're going. That means you ought to be PRAYING WHILE YOU'RE DRIVING WITH YOUR EYES OPEN. By the way, >> it means you PRAY BEFORE YOU GO INTO THE INTERVIEW.

YOU PRAY BEFORE you have a certain conversation. You pray when YOU'RE WALKING INTO YOUR JOB. YOU PRAY WHEN YOU GET UP IN THE MORNING. You pray and say, "Thank you, Lord," when you GO INTO BED. YOU PRAY. YOU'RE ALWAYS including God into all the NUANCES OF YOUR LIFE BECAUSE HE IS THE PINNACLE POINT OF YOUR RELATIONSHIP.

YOU PRAY WHEN YOU'RE HURTING. YOU PRAY WHEN YOU'RE HAPPY. YOU PRAY WHEN YOU'RE GLAD. YOU PRAY WHEN YOU'RE SAD. YOU ALWAYS BRING HIM IN because he is a part in constructing the entire path. >> So he starts and he says when you pray, don't join the masquerade. Don't be a hypocrite.

A hypocrite is defined as someone who has a certain belief system or standard that they proclaim and say they believe but then their life is contrary to that belief system or standard. >> Or this is the one I want you to see. A hypocrite is also defined as >> someone who promotes a certain belief system, lifestyle, or standard outwardly.

Watch. But their internal motives are contrary to what they're demonstrating outwardly >> those are the harder ones to spot out >> because you can't see what's going on inside. Those are the ones that Jesus is talking about that they have on the mass, but they have a different motivation. >> It's like the person who was your coworker who acted like your docsel minty as you were feeding them the information about their job and the organization, but inside they were sitting quietly taking in all that information because they knew they needed to get it from you so that they could take your position.

It's like THAT PERSON WHO SETS THEMSSELF up as the person you're supposed TO VENT TO ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP, >> but they have a different motive, and that is so that they could learn how to be the solution for when y'all break up. It's that family member who is known as the peacemaker in your family and they are always finding themselves between some drama in the family to heal it and give wisdom.

But little do you know they're behind the scenes sewing the discord so that they can maintain that position in the family. and you have no idea because the motivation opposes what's being demonstrated. He's saying that is the hypocrites. Those are the people that come to me with these different motivations than what they're really demonstrating on the outside.

You need to know this because this is who he is calling out in this passage. We are not supposed to be using prayer as a comeup for ourselves. We are not supposed to be using prayer as a step ladder so people can see how spiritual we are. >> Prayer based on Isaiah 58:5 and 6 is where you humble yourself and bow your head like a reed.

In other words, prayer is where you go down. It's not for your come up. >> Okay? Many people in churches all over the world in America will use religious activity in order to gain human approval. >> And while we can't see it, Jesus can smell it. IF YOU DON'T LIKE PEOPLE having those type of intentions with you, then Jesus is saying, "Do not use the holy act of prayer as a playground for your pride."

Um, I have teenagers. Y'all are raising them or you've been one or you will raise one. They have a thing they do when their friends come over or they on the phone. All of a sudden they act a little different. >> Their friends come over or they on the phone with somebody.

I'll tell them something and to tell them to do something and they start moving slow. All of a sudden when their friends are over all of the sudden now they got new privileges. When they friends come over, they got selective hearing. They change because now there's a performance happening for an audience where they're TRYING TO MAKE GET COOL POINTS WITH THEIR FRIENDS by making their parents a subordinate.

And Jesus is saying, "I know who the people are that recognize THE AUDIENCE THAT'S AROUND them and tries to use prayer TO GET COOL POINTS WITH AN AUDIENCE BY DISRESPECTING THE FATHER." >> You may think you sound influential, >> but God sees the theater. >> God knows the difference between a conversation and a concert. >> Why is this important?

Because his concern is the mask. His concern is not your spiritual speech or how you come to him in TERMS OF WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY. OH, NO. You you don't get it. You're looking at me >> and you may hear me pray or Priscilla pray or the elders pray and you think, well, I got to go to them so that they can pray for me because their prayers certainly reach heaven.

And you don't even know that >> this invitation means that you have the freedom to pray. >> IT'S NOT ABOUT WHAT YOU SAY AND HOW SPIRITUAL YOU SOUND. >> That may or may NOT BE A MASQUERADE. YOU DON'T KNOW >> BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW THE MOTIVATION OF THE PERSON WHO'S PRAYING. >> If your motivation IS RIGHT, YOU CAN JUST SAY, "GOD, HELP ME." >> I know people WHO HAVE SAID, "GOD, HELP ME."

And they GET THE BIGGEST TESTIMONY OF THE YEAR AND THEY DIDN'T EVEN know how to really articulate it. >> Because they came into the throne ROOM WITH NO MASK ON. >> I KNOW PEOPLE WHO HAVE SAID, "GOD, SAVE ME." AND YOU MEAN TO TELL ME ALL ETERNITY in an instant makes itself resident in their heart on three words?

It didn't take 10 minutes. >> I know sinners >> who are unsaved >> that are seeking >> AND SAID, "GOD, if you're real, show me." and they have this miraculous EXPERIENCE OF GOD >> THAT WE COULD ONLY HOPE TO experience one day THAT DRAWS THEM INTO THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST.

THIS MEANS that Jesus has given you the FREEDOM IF YOU'RE DONE WITH THE MASQUERADE. YOU CAN PRAY WHOEVER YOU are >> at all times and he hears you. >> Oh man, this is freedom for you. >> You don't have to be like me. You don't have to pray like me.

You got to be like you. >> And you go into the throne room and you say, "God, help me. Thank you. I don't know what to do. Spirit, I don't even know what to pray. God, I'm just going to sit in your presence. Answer those prayers that I don't even know what to say."

And God can do that, too. His problem is the mask. HIS PROBLEM IS NOT YOUR spiritual speech. He's given you freedom to the church, everyone online, for you to come before the throne and pray. >> Go say, speak, talk before the Lord. Don't get in front of a group and the group watch make you start feeling nervous. >> They are not the audience.

They are there, but that's not who you're talking to. >> When we get nervous, other than public speaking, I know you may, some of us may not like public speaking, but sometimes when we're nervous, it's because we think we're having to prove something to the people around us when we start praying. >> If they judge you, that's their problem. >> That's their fault cuz they don't understand.

This is not a show. This is person being honest coming before the Lord because they need to talk to God. >> Um >> I'm going to um tell you from the man's perspective. >> Ladies, you ready? >> Everybody like, "Oh Lord, look at Altha." This is from the man's perspective.

Now, my wife tells me, "Be careful when you generalize." So, I'll say a lot of us, maybe you'll identify with this. Men don't naturally like most of us being a part of y'all photos. Let me let me just say, okay, okay. Oh, you can see it when you ask him to come into the picture and he go No, smile for real, babe.

And y'all KIND OF KNOW WE'RE NOT REALLY trying to be in there. That's not really our space. Now, we'll do it for you when you ask us. We'll do it. But that's not really our thing. We struggle, you know, Kenneka, every time we leave a restaurant, got to get in front of the sign, you know, take a picture, you know.

Come on here, babe. She knows she she'll apologize to you. Sorry, babe, but come here anyway. I'm not, you know, I'll do it for her, but I'm not really just trying to be in in picture land. If I'm going the right direction, men say, "Amen." Look at your wife talking about. >> I didn't know that because sometimes, you know, I know what happens when we do a family picture.

Some we got pictures. um we'll take the picture and then Kenneka want to look at it and when she look at it as she's walking to the phone I'll be like a la because she'll see one strand out to the right and retake the look at you AND THAT EVERYBODY GOT TO GET RESET up so we just ain't you know naturally we just ain't trying to be in there but now if you're dating Let me tell you how.

And some women may not know this, but let me tell you how you can push him away if you want to. If you don't want to, then you don't want to do this. Cuz men, you know, sometimes we don't talk. But on the inside, we like, "Yeah." And we start making decisions.

If you take a picture, just know he kind of already don't naturally want to be there, okay? But every time you take a picture, if he recognizes you post it, I look at it, the lady's like, "What? Wait, what?" If he starts figuring out, I'm just saying I'm not saying it don't go both ways.

I'm just a man giving my perspective, the man's perspective. If he notices that every picture is posted, >> then he's going to start thinking this, I now know I am just a tool for another platform she wants to relate to. >> Once I start feeling like I'm a tool and I'm not primary, I'm out. >> Now I'm just being utilized for a different group.

God is saying, "Don't pray with me and then post me. I am not a tool for a different group. Don't use me for your come up, your likes, and your views and for people to say that was a good one." >> He's not interested in that. >> He's interested in something else.

He says, "When you pray, do not put on a charade or be a part of a masquerade. We don't need that." The people who say, "YES, IT'S ABOUT THIS RELATIONSHIP, but really it's posting for this relationship. Wherever you are, >> this then, ladies and gentlemen, would be the height of sin." >> Okay? because it's the people who look like it.

But really, what they have learned how to do is dress up the old nature in righteous garments. Why is that the height of sin? It is not the prostitute that you see. >> It is not the person you turn your nose up to because they stuff all out here. alcoholic, a thief, or whatever the case is.

It's actually the person that looks more like the devil. >> 2 Corinthians 11:14 says, "The devil disguises himself as an angel of >> he ain't got no pitchfork." >> This hypocrite ties to the one that was named Lucifer in heaven that presented one way but had another motive.

He knows how to use the word. Matthew 4 will tell you that he tempted Jesus using the Bible. Deuteronomy. >> He said to Eve, "Hath God said?" That tells me that the enemy and the devil himself knows how to use the scripture to look religious. And we want God to answer our prayers >> while having a dark motive but looking like light.

He says when you pray to me they may not know I do. >> They get on the street corners and the synagogues as you see because they are looking for the audience. Translation if your prayer life happens only in church as often as we should be praying, it should be short all the time and by yourself. >> But if you find yourself only doing spiritual things in spiritual places, he's calling you to another level of a prayer life that's true and honest and pure before the Lord, not the street corner where the people gather.

He said, "Because if that's it, then that will be your reward in full. >> You can have that and no true experience of God." He says in verse six, "But you when you pray, but you all of you under the sound of my voice hearing the word of God, you who want an actual real relationship with God.

That is your desire. You don't want to put on a mask. You want to be for real for real with God. But you when you pray, now remember the last time I said when you pray, he didn't say if you pray. >> There's something else I got to say about when you pray because he said it twice.

When you pray means that God, God in the flesh, Jesus Christ, >> is telling you that you have total latitude for whenever you decide to come in to his throne room. >> It means whenever you want to. Yeah, >> y'all don't see how powerful that is. >> We're talking about the God of the universe >> that gives you the latitude to come into the Holies of Holies whenever you want to 24/7 365.

I can't even do that with you. >> I got to get on your calendar. Not mine, yours. I got to get on your calendar. If I call you, say I gotta call you back. come on the other line. Let's talk next week. You'll say, "I'm busy." >> But the God of the universe opens the Holies of Holies 24/7.

And he doesn't tell you, "Call me back." He doesn't tell you, "I'll talk to you later. Get on my calendar." He is always and forever available for his people. SO IF THE GOD OF THE SUPREME universe who created all things opens his door for you to come and pray whenever you want. >> Watch.

And don't come in to his holies of holies so disrespectful as to pray with ADD. >> Okay, hold on. Y'all like, wait a minute. What add? Well, you know ADD as attention deficit disorder. Now, many of us pray with that, too. We can't help it. I'm one of them.

I'll start praying and immediately start thinking about Puff the Magic Dragon. I just can't I start to Young people don't know what the what's Puff the Magic Dragon, Mickey Mouse, what I got to do today. All these distractions, right? Some of us pray and then we wake up.

Prayer is not easy. It's It takes focus. >> But he's not talking about attention deficit disorder. You can get that back on track quick. He's talking about another ADD. It's called audience direction disorder. I give you total access to my throne room anytime you want. Do not come to me thinking about them. >> Come to me for me, >> beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord in your own time with me.

And he tells you how he wants you to come because he will hear you if you pray according to my will. And he's telling you what his will is. DO NOT JOIN the masquerade. He says, "When you pray, go into your inner room. Watch. Close your door." He is not saying that it is a problem with public prayer.

Jesus prayed publicly in front of the multitude before he fed the 5,000 men, not including women and children. Solomon prayed publicly at the temple dedication in 2 Chronicles 6. There's all types of public prayers in the Bible. He's saying when you come to me, whether you're public or private, you need to come to me with a nonpublic prayer heart. >> You need to come to me private.

Whether you're public or private, >> you need to pray to me in your inner room. This is both literal and spiritual. You should have a place where you can go be by yourself and pray. >> Matter of fact, most of the day you probably will spend by yourself. >> You should have opportunities watch where audience direction disorder cannot happen because nobody's around.

You cannot be distracted by what THEY THINK. YOU CANNOT BE DISTRACTED by what THEY FEEL. YOU CANNOT BE DISTRACTED BY THEIR own past and their own history and how they pray and how good they are. Those things cannot creep in because I am literally in my prayer closet.

I have closed all OF THOSE THINGS OUT. YOU CAN GO INTO YOUR PRAYER closet and have your sticky notes and write down things and pray over THOSE THINGS AND JUST HAVE YOUR OWN personal time with God. >> That is quite literal. They had inner chambers that they would use for prayer. >> But it is also spiritual because what if I'm in public and I'm praying?

He still says, "Go into your inner room >> and close the door." >> Okay? >> Go into your inner room, whether you're public or private. This is how you pray. >> You pray from the inner room. And he says, "Go in there and close the door because your father lives in there." >> He says, "Your father, pray to your father who is in secret."

Your father sees what is done in secret. You say, "But Lord, but I can't always be in secret. We pray in the church. We pray in the community. We pray in my kingdom community. We pray. We We pray all the time. What do you mean?" No, I just need your prayer to be from your heart.

I'm looking into the inner room. You can say all types of stuff out loud. If it ain't right in there, we ain't going nowhere. >> And when you go into your inner room, when you're praying publicly, he says, "Go ahead and shut the door. Their thoughts don't matter. >> Those distractions don't matter.

What they think don't matter. How they pray don't matter. WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT THEM DON'T MATTER. HE'S SAYING EVEN if it's public, YOU STILL PRAY IN THE INNER ROOM AND YOU CLOSE THE DOOR. THEY MAY NOT BENEFIT BUT THEY are not a distraction because Jeremiah 17:10 said God knows the heart. 1st Samuel 16:7 says you look at the outer appearance but I >> look at the heart.

Ephesians 3:17 lets you know that you need to pray and that Christ may dwell in your heart. Psalm 516 says that you need to remember that God makes it happen. Wisdom he gives it in the heart. That your desire should be truth from your innermost being. Psalm 139:23, look at the scriptures.

It says, "Search me, oh God, and know my heart." That is the inner room. Again, when you pray, church, just pray. It's okay. You do not have to sound like me or them or them. You can just be in the inner room >> and God is in there with you. >> No matter where you're from, no matter where your background, no matter what you've heard, no matter what you've been taught, the requirement of prayer is this.

Don't you come in here with no mask on >> with an unveiled face. The Bible says you go before the Lord and when you stumble during your prayer, the Holy Spirit does scrabble >> and he knows how to make it right for you. >> It ain't about none of that.

Somebody ought to be set free to just pray >> from the inner room. When people come up for salvation, you will often hear me say, I'm going to say this prayer, and I'm going to lead you in it. You can repeat after me, but it's not the words that save you.

Because if you come down to the front and you say the words, but God who's in the inner room does not see the person really committing to I am a sinner and I need a savior and Jesus you are it. >> No matter how far the walk is, >> or no matter what comes out of their mouth, >> they will leave the church with the same mass they walked up here with.

Because God searches the heart. >> And if you pray with that, God is listening. There was a lady one day, I'll close with this, who was writing. She was writing vigorously. And her son came to the door and said, "Mom, what are you doing?" The mom said, "Well, I'm just writing my prayer."

She didn't even look up. Her eyebrows were furrowed. And he said, "You're writing your prayer?" She said, 'Yes, son. I got to write my prayer. I want to get it right. The son said, "But why would you be writing your prayer and taking so much time? You mouthing it, wording over you, you mulling over it.

What are you doing?" She said, "Well, there's a big event tonight with hundreds of people and I got to make sure I get it just perfect because I have to open up the event." The son looked confused and he said, "I've never seen you do that when you go in your prayer closet.

Why do you work hard for them but not for him? Ladies and gentlemen, a perfect prayer for imperfect people will never be better than an imperfect person going before a perfect God from the heart. Don't ever trade a well done from a holy God for a well said from a fickle crowd.

You don't need the stage in the crowd whether you're public or private. You just need to head back into that inner room >> because the masquerade for Oakliff Bible Fellowship >> is over.