The Father of Glory

Devotional

Day 1: Faith in Jesus and Love for Saints: Twin Marks of True Belief

True Christianity is measured not by religious performance but by two vital signs: active trust in Christ’s lordship and selfless care for fellow believers. These twin flames burn together or not at all. When faith becomes intellectual assent without love for God’s people, it grows cold. When service becomes duty without dependence on Jesus, it becomes hollow. Both are gifts sustained by the same grace that first ignited them. [00:27]

“For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.”
(Ephesians 1:15-16, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you see the connection between your trust in Christ’s authority and your practical care for others growing stronger or weaker this week?

Day 2: The Order of Prayer: Thanksgiving Before Petition

Prayer begins not with need but with awe. Before presenting requests, Paul gazes at God’s covenant faithfulness. This rhythm guards against treating prayer as a spiritual vending machine. Thanksgiving roots petitions in God’s proven character, transforming shopping lists into confident conversations. The God who has given Christ will withhold no good gift. [01:55]

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
(Philippians 4:6, ESV)

Reflection: What aspect of God’s faithfulness from your past could anchor your most urgent request today?

Day 3: Approaching the God of Our Lord Jesus Christ

We pray not to a distant deity but to the Father who sustained Christ through Gethsemane’s anguish and resurrection’s triumph. Every “Our Father” echoes Jesus’ access. To address God apart from Christ’s mediation is to approach a throne without an advocate. His covenant with the Son becomes our confidence. [09:02]

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”
(John 14:6, ESV)

Reflection: How does remembering Jesus’ ongoing intercession for you reshape feelings of inadequacy in prayer?

Day 4: Pausing to Recollect: The Sacred Prelude to Prayer

Rushed prayers often stumble because we’ve forgotten whom we’re addressing. Paul’s deliberate titles for God (“God of our Lord Jesus Christ,” “Father of glory”) are not flattery but focus. These phrases recalibrate our awareness, turning casual monologues into holy encounters. The pause before praying is as vital as the prayer itself. [14:28]

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
(Psalm 46:10, ESV)

Reflection: What practical step could help you create space to “be still” before launching into requests this week?

Day 5: The Father of Glory: Source and Goal of All Splendor

Glory is not merely God’s radiance but His essence—the sum of His perfections. To pray to the “Father of glory” is to approach the sun: overwhelming, life-giving, transformative. Every answered prayer ultimately serves this purpose—not our comfort, but the unveiling of His majesty. We become mirrors reflecting His light. [30:05]

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.”
(2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV)

Reflection: When have you last sensed prayer changing not your circumstances, but your capacity to perceive God’s beauty?

Sermon Summary

Paul moves from thanksgiving to petition in Ephesians 1, and his order is not accidental. Paul has thanked God for the Ephesians because their faith in the Lord Jesus and their love unto all the saints are the infallible marks of true Christian life. Paul now turns to petition, and the very way he begins his prayer becomes a great lesson in prayer itself.

Prayer is the highest activity of the human soul, because prayer is speech with God. Paul does not rush into it. He does not merely offer “telegraphic petitions,” nor does he lose himself in remote beauty of form and ceremony. Paul combines reverence with confidence, adoration with request, and he puts the two elements in their right order. He pauses. He recollects. He reminds himself of what he is about to do and of the One to whom he is about to speak.

Paul prays to God the Father. The Lord Jesus Christ is the mediator, the great high priest, the One who brings men to God. Christ does not stop the soul at himself, but brings the soul to the Father, for he came to glorify the Father and to give access to him. The phrase “the God of the Lord Jesus Christ” therefore guards prayer from vagueness and from false emphasis. Paul is not praying to an unknown God, nor to “whatever gods may be.” Paul is approaching the covenant God who has revealed himself in Christ.

The Old Testament saints prayed to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the covenant keeping God. Paul prays to the God of the Lord Jesus Christ, because the covenant is now set forth in the Son. God has chosen, planned, redeemed, sealed, and pledged all grace in Christ. The incarnate Son himself prayed to this God, relied upon this God, was sustained by this God, and was raised from the dead by this God. The same God now receives prayer through the blood, life, death, resurrection, and present intercession of Christ.

Paul then adds the majestic phrase, “the Father of glory.” Glory is God himself in the sum of all his excellencies, perfections, and attributes. God is the source and fount of all glory, and everything he does manifests that glory. Yet the Father of glory is also the glorious Father who gives, reveals, and imparts glory. He gave glory to the Son, and because Christ is the head of his body, that glory is being brought to his people. Prayer therefore should begin with reverence and godly fear, but also with full assurance. The opening words of Paul’s petition teach the soul to stop, pause, wait, and remember that prayer enters the presence of the Father of glory.

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Key Takeaways

1. Prayer begins with recollection Paul does not begin by speaking at once. Prayer becomes real when the soul first stops and considers what it is doing, and to whom it is drawing near. Haste in holy things often reveals not freedom, but forgetfulness. [14:46]
2. Petition must follow adoration Paul’s prayer has thanksgiving before request, and worship before asking. The order matters because petition without adoration easily becomes a list of demands rather than communion with God. True confidence grows best where reverence has already bowed the soul. [01:55]
3. Christ brings access to the Father The Lord Jesus Christ is not presented as a barrier to the Father, but as the mediator who brings men to him. His work gives boldness to enter, not because God has become less glorious, but because access has been opened by blood and intercession. Prayer stands on Christ’s finished work and moves toward the Father’s presence. [10:44]
4. God is known in covenant Paul does not pray to a vague deity or an unnamed power. “The God of the Lord Jesus Christ” means the God who has pledged himself in the Son and bound salvation to his own faithfulness. Prayer gains steadiness when it remembers that God has already spoken, promised, and acted in Christ. [22:49]
5. The Father gives his glory “The Father of glory” means more than a God who possesses glory. The glorious Father manifests glory, reveals glory, and imparts glory through the Son to those joined to him. Prayer should therefore come expecting not merely relief, but some fresh sight of God’s own excellency.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:16] - Thanksgiving Before Petition
[03:12] - Prayer As The Highest Activity
[06:16] - Watching Paul Pray
[08:47] - Prayer Directed To The Father
[12:49] - The Way Paul Approaches God
[14:18] - The Necessary Pause Before Prayer
[15:33] - Two Extremes In Worship
[19:09] - The God Of The Lord Jesus Christ
[22:33] - The Covenant Now In Christ
[29:47] - The Father Of Glory
[36:10] - The Glorious Father Who Gives
[40:12] - Prayer Expecting Glory

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Ephesians 1:15-17
“For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,” [00:08]

John 17:1-5
“When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, 'Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.'” [35:01]

Hebrews 4:14-16
“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” [10:44]

Observation questions

In Ephesians 1:15-17, what two qualities in the Ephesian believers move Paul to give thanks for them?
Before Paul asks for anything in prayer, how does he begin, and what names does he use for God in verse 17? [19:14]
According to Hebrews 4:14-16, what does Jesus do for his people that gives them confidence to draw near to God? [10:44]
In John 17:1-5, what repeated theme appears in Jesus’ prayer, and how is the Father connected to that glory? [37:28]

Interpretation questions

Paul gives thanks before making requests. Why does that order matter, and how might prayer go wrong when adoration and thanksgiving are missing? [01:55]
Paul prays to “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ.” How does that language make prayer more definite and personal than praying to a vague idea of God? [20:00]
If Christ is the mediator who brings his people to the Father, how does that shape the way believers should think about boldness and reverence in prayer? [35:40]
Paul calls God “the Father of glory.” How does that title help explain both God’s majesty and his willingness to share blessing, light, and life with his people? [36:52]

Application questions

Prayer often becomes hurried and distracted. What usually causes that in personal prayer, and what would it look like this week to stop, pause, and recollect before speaking to God? [18:48]
Some prayers become all form and distance, while others become rushed lists of requests. Which danger feels more natural personally, and why? What might a healthier balance of reverence and confidence look like? [17:16]
Access to the Father has been opened through the Lord Jesus Christ. When guilt, doubt, or spiritual coldness makes prayer difficult, what truths about Christ’s priesthood most help the soul draw near again? [27:46]
God is known in covenant, not as an unknown power. When prayer feels uncertain, how might it help to remember specific promises of God fulfilled in Christ rather than relying on vague religious feeling? [28:32]
The Father of glory is not only glorious in himself, but also one who reveals and imparts glory. When entering prayer, is the main expectation merely relief from trouble, or a clearer sight of God himself? How would that difference reshape prayer? [40:19]
Faith in the Lord Jesus and love toward all the saints are marks of true Christian life. Which of those two marks feels especially in need of strengthening right now, and what concrete step could be taken in response? [02:22]
Believers may come with reverence and godly fear, but also with confidence and assurance. Which side is harder to maintain in prayer: holy reverence or childlike assurance? What may be throwing that balance off? [41:17]

Sermon Clips

Glory is God. Glory is the summation of all the excellencies and perfections and attributes of the Lord God Almighty himself. That is why you will find him referred to at times in the scriptures as the glory. Ultimately, the characteristic of God is glory. He is that in and of himself. His essence is glorious. It is unutterable absolute perfection. [00:32:19]

Any man who is privileged to preach will, I'm sure, agree with me when I say that preaching is child's play when compared with praying. It's a much easier thing to preach than to pray. Because when one is preaching, one is speaking to men. But when one prays, one is speaking to God. And God is unseen. And therefore, there are inevitable difficulties. [00:03:58]

The moment you say that you take prayer seriously, you begin to find what a tremendous thing it is. Of course, if you just mechanically say your prayers, you're not aware of any difficulties at all. It's so simple. You just repeat the Lord's Prayer and offer up your few petitions and you've prayed, you think. But my dear friend, you haven't started praying. The moment you begin to face what really happens in prayer, well then, I say you find inevitably that it is the profoundest subject that you've ever considered. [00:04:52]

That the Lord Jesus Christ is the mediator. He's not the end. He is the one who brings us to the Father. We go to the Father by him. He is the great high priest. He is our representative. So, that we don't pray to him, but we pray to the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, through the Lord Jesus Christ, relying upon the Lord Jesus Christ. He brings us to God, and all he has done he has done in order to bring us to God, not to himself. [00:10:38]

God has now made a covenant with men in the person of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The covenant of grace, the covenant of redemption now given in this form. It is the same covenant as the old one, but now it's in the person of the Son, a second Adam, the new man. The representative of the human race is now the Lord Jesus Christ, and God has covenanted with him for his people. [00:22:49]

He's not praying to an unknown God. He's not as that poem puts it, thanking whatever gods may be for his unconquerable soul. No, no. He's going into the presence of someone who is known to him. He's going into the presence of a God who has made himself known, a God who has made himself, has revealed himself. And who has enabled us to know him in a particular way. [00:20:00]

What it really means is that he is a covenant God. And a covenant keeping God. When a man in his fear and trembling went to God and said, "Oh, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." What he was really saying was this, "Oh, God, I come as realizing that thou has revealed thyself, that thou has said certain things, that thou has made a covenant with my people, the people to whom I am privileged to belong, and therefore with me." [00:21:32]

Prayer is, after all, the highest activity of the human soul. The greatest thing any one of us ever does is to pray. And therefore, of necessity, it is something that should present us with certain difficulties. [00:03:37]

Everything must be put aside when you're turning to him. Everything, everybody, all things. What are they face to face with him? Stop. Pause. Wait a moment. Recollect. Realize what you're doing. [00:18:48]

And what a difference it makes to prayer when you start like that. You don't go to God now and certainly are with doubts or queries as to whether he's going to receive you and glad to see you and to receive you. You remember that you're really going because he's done something to you that draws you. The covenant, you're in the covenant. [00:23:54]

And I don't hesitate to assert that unless you've ever felt like that or offered that petition, it is certain that you've never prayed in your life. If you've never been aware of difficulties, it is that you've never realized what prayer is. [00:05:58]

We saw how those two things uh constitute therefore a very delicate and real test as to whether we are Christians in truth and in fact or only in word. It is ever the characteristic of the Christian and they are the two signs and marks of the Christian which are quite infallible that he has faith in the Lord Jesus and love toward all the saints. [00:02:30]

If you want to get benefit out of scriptures, ask questions to the scriptures. Talk to the scriptures. Take every phrase and say now why did he say that? Why this? And get at it. He's got a reason. He doesn't throw out words haphazardly. He doesn't just uh say things thoughtlessly. The Apostle knows what he's doing. He's moved by the spirit and filled with the spirit and he prays like this because well, this is how the spirit has taught him to pray. [00:13:10]

Uh if you really want to derive benefit from biblical study, you must watch every word. Don't take anything for granted. Now, how easy it is for us to read a statement like this and just imagine that it's a number of words without much significance. [00:06:53]

I go further and I suggest that all our difficulties in detail of our praying, all of them ultimately arise because we fail to do this thing that the Apostle invariably did. He doesn't get on his knees or stand or whatever it was and begin to speak. [00:14:46]

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