“No one comes to the Father, except through Jesus” Author and Writer, Ronald Nelson

BIBLE MEDITATION: 

 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6;

ENCOURAGING WORD: 

The Bible encourages believers to pray for and with one each other (intercession), emphasizing that the prayers of righteous people are powerful (James 5:16). While Jesus is the sole mediator to God, Christians are commanded to pray on behalf of others, such as friends, leaders, and the sick, as a form of love and community, rather than as a replacement for Jesus. Prayers to the Father can only be received by God through Jesus. Any other source of trying to reach God will not be heard or answered by God. Sorry for those of you that try to reach God the Father through Mary.

The primary Bible verse instructing believers to pray to God the Father is Matthew 6:9, where Jesus teaches the Lord's Prayer: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name". Jesus emphasizes personal, direct prayer to the Father in private, stating, "Pray to your Father who is in secret"

Key Verses on Praying to the Father:

Matthew 6:9-13; The Lord's Prayer, which starts "Our Father in heaven...".” In this manner, therefore, pray:

(Verse 9) Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name; This passage contains Matthew's version of what is known worldwide as the Lord's Prayer. Jesus has recently been telling His listeners how not to pray. They shouldn't pray in order to impress other people or mindlessly fill the air with words in hopes of impressing God.

Matthew 6:5–8;“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. “Therefore do not be like them, For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.”

Two prayers that fall into this category are the “Lord’s Prayer” and “The Rosary” (Vain Repetitious prayers) Don’t pray the “Lord’s Prayer” unless you mean it.

What Jesus has just said in Matthew 6:7 makes it very clear He did not mean these words to become a mantra, a chant, or the only words anyone ever prays to God. Many people have found reciting the Lord's Prayer to be meaningful both individually and together in churches, which is fine when understood correctly. Christ primarily means this sample prayer as an example of how to talk to God in a meaningful and effective way. He begins by demonstrating that believers should address God as "Our Father in heaven." Jesus came, in part, to make it possible for mankind to be in relationship with God the Father through Faith. To resist a relationship with God the Father, even in prayer, is to resist Jesus' will for His followers. This reference to God as "Father" also separates Christian prayer from many other faiths: to begin a prayer with the equivalent of "Our Father in heaven" is unthinkable for non-Christians.The second phrase in Christ's model prayer expresses praise for something true about God: that His name is "Hallowed," which can also be translated as "Your name is holy." Names are highly significant in Scriptures, and the "Name of God" brings with it unlimited power and purity. Proclaiming to God that His name is Holy is to acknowledge His absolute greatness.

(Verse 10) Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven; Jesus is teaching His followers how to pray to the Father by modeling a prayer for them in Matthew 6:9–13. This has become known the world over as the Lord's Prayer. Even many unbelievers are familiar with this prayer and find it comforting or meaningful to recite in times of crisis. Jesus primarily meant these words as a blueprint, not just words of comfort. This passage is not a magic spell, or a mandatory chant: it's something on which Christians can model their own prayers Matthew 6:5–8. Christ now models the importance of submission to God's will, and speaking to Him in a way which acknowledges it. Praying for what God wants to happen is to accept that His plan is right and good for everyone. Jesus implies that this includes all possible times and places. He is praying for the coming of God's kingdom and the fulfillment of His will, in all places and all times. To pray this in sincerity is to ask God for the very thing Jesus was going to accomplish: bringing the kingdom of heaven to earth at some point in the future.

Yet many who pray this prayer don’t believe in the 1000 year millennial reign of Jesus Christ on earth. Once again, don’t pray it if you don’t believe it.

(Verse 11) “Give us this day our daily bread;” Only after submitting His prayer to the will of God does Jesus introduce the first request. Most commentators, including myself in history have suggested that the "bread" mentioned here is supposed to mean the spiritual food of the Word of God. Remember, Jesus is the bread of life! Jesus did not instruct His followers to pray for a one-time permanent solution for their daily needs. This is a command to be in the scriptures of the Bible every day. If we get our daily bread from the Word of God, then we can expect God to fulfill our daily needs as well. This goes hand in hand. When reading the Bible, the third person of the trinity (The Holy Spirit) gives you your daily bread. Give us this day our daily bread; Whether we choose to acknowledge it or not, we are reliant on God for all things at all times. Every good gift we receive comes from God and not from ourselves. James 1:17; “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” The prayer for our daily bread is the humble expression that we understand that to be true.

(Verse 12) “And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.” This statement is meant as both a request and a declaration. It asks God to forgive the one praying, and states that the one praying has forgiven those who wronged them. Jesus is instructing believers to pray for forgiveness. 1 John 1:9–10; “ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”

He is also declaring the necessity of extending forgiveness to others. Both are critical needs for every person: to be forgiven of sin by God and to follow God's example by forgiving others. We also read this command from Jesus in;

Matthew 6:14-15; “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

I believe this verse is clearly stating that if you do not forgive someone who has wronged you, God the Father will not forgive you, which means, you will die in your sins, and the price of sin is death. We cannot enter into heaven with any sins still accounted to us, so forgiving others is a huge indication that you have been born again and understand the Word of God. If you are not born again, it doesn’t matter if you forgive someone of their sins or not. You need to be born again to be forgiven of your sins by God, and then you need to forgive others to prove your allegiance to Gods Word. If you can’t forgive someone that has sinned against you, then there is a very good chance that your conversion to Christianity was in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:2; states: "By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.”

Otherwise, you have believed in vain". This verse emphasizes holding fast to the message of Christ’s resurrection to avoid an empty or ineffective faith, often highlighting the necessity of enduring belief. This verse above should scare the heck out of those that think they are saved by good works. If you believe that you can be saved by good works, then your hopes of salvation is most likely in vain.

(Verse 13) “And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

This can refer to being enticed towards sin, or to being tested in a trial. In either case, the phrase is better understood as "lead us away from temptation or testing." 

James 1:13; “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.”

Here James makes clear that blaming God for tempting us to reject Him, by allowing trials into our lives, is not a valid response. God never orchestrates the events of our lives with an intent to lure us away from Himself. He always roots for us to move closer. That's who He is. The purpose of trials is not to drive us away from God, but to draw us closer to Him. This verse makes it clear that God never entices anyone to sin.Christians are never guaranteed an easier life than nonbelievers. Quite the opposite: being a friend to God means being an enemy to the fallen world.

John 16:1–4; “These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me (Jesus). But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. “And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I (Jesus) was with you.” (The Disciples)

When Jesus says “you may remember that I told you of them. “And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I (Jesus) was with you.” The disciples will not know what Jesus is talking about until He sends the Holy Spirit to reveal the message above to them. Jesus and the Holy Spirit cannot appear at the same time because they are one, so Jesus has to be resurrected to heaven before He can send the Holy Spirit to reveal to them all truth. In the same way, we cannot understand the truth of the scriptures without the Holy Spirit revealing them to us, therefore, the reason that we must be born again into the Holy Spirit. It all fits together when you study the whole counsel of God.

So, trials will come to those that are born again. It is promised by Jesus! This is one of those promises that we don’t like, however, it is a necessary component of our spiritual growth.

John 15:18–20; “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”

The trials that we go through will test our faith. But the temptation to be unfaithful to God during hardship is not from Him. He is, by definition, good. He can't be tempted by evil; He tempts no person with evil. God obviously has the power, though, to lead His people away from tempting circumstances, including temptation to sin that might come from enduring hard circumstances. We should ask God to do that for us, knowing that even when we're tempted, He always provides us a means to avoid sin.

1 Corinthians 10:13; “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” 

1 Corinthians 10:13 assures believers that temptation is common to everyone, but God is faithful and will not allow temptation to exceed a believers ability to endure it. He provides a "way of escape" with every temptation, ensuring strength to bear it and overcome sin. 

Eventually, temptations will come. God may choose to allow hard circumstances. In that case, Jesus adds a balance to this request, "but deliver us from evil." This phrase could mean, "deliver us from the temptations of the evil one." Matthew has described Jesus' temptations from the evil one, the devil, in the wilderness.

Matthew 4:1–11; “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He (Jesus) had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter (Satan) came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He (Jesus) answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ” Then the devil took Him up into the Holy City, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, ‘and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” “Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him,  “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.”

Jesus resisted each temptation by quoting Scripture and finally sent the devil away. He now instructs His followers to ask God the Father for deliverance from the temptations of the evil one, as well.

A very interesting verse is tucked away in the message above. I’m sure very few people, including priests and pastors fail to understand it. “and (Satan) showed Him (Jesus) all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he (Satan) said to Him (Jesus), “All these things I (Satan) will give You (Jesus) if You will fall down and worship me.”

Satan is speaking of the world kingdoms that God had given over to Him ever since the garden of Eden. How can Satan give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if He did not own them. Once again, common sense can play a huge roll in understanding the Bible. Once Man chose to serve Satan after they sinned, God gave the world and the people over to sin. Satan is the God of this world. Sure, God can do whatever He wants, however, He will not intervein in man’s affairs unless He is petitioned to do so, through prayers of certain individuals. God will watch over and protect those that have given their lives to Jesus Christ and have become born again. Those that are outside of Gods will (which are many) are at the mercy of Satan, thus, the main reason why the world is in such a chaotic state. Evil is abounding at an unpresented rate. It’s going to get worse and worse until Jesus returns and sets the world straight again. There will be a couple shorts stints of a false peace between now and then, but it will not last long, so don’t be deceived when it seems peaceful. It won’t last. Jesus warned us about this in the following verses. 1 Thessalonians 5:3; “For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.” So, when you hear the world say, peace and safety, you can be certain that it will not last very long and the end is near.

Here are a couple more verses that have to do with prayer.

Matthew 6:6 “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”

Societies that stress honor versus shame put a high priority on appearing acceptable to your family members, neighbors, and church community. Jesus turns this upside down and warns that if the opinion of other people is the only motive, God will not reward such actions. Instead, Jesus commands His followers to give to the needy as secretly as possible to avoid even the possibility of mixed motives. So, if you are asked to pray amongst a group of people, make sure that your prayer is to God and pray as if only God hears you. Don’t act like you’re some self-righteous person. I have to admit; I am guilty of this at times. Sometimes I am asked to pray; but I’m not always in the right frame of mind to do so, but I do it anyways because I don’t want to deny them what they feel they need. I do the best that I can under those circumstances.

Matthew 6:1–4; “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.”

For the same reasons, Jesus has said that when we pray to the Father it be done in secret, behind closed doors. The Father will still hear and reward you, and He is the only audience that matters.

When Jesus gave the Lord’s prayer to the disciples, He did not mean for it to become a vain repetitious prayer as most churches do. He gave it to them as a sample prayer, not to be uttered aimlessly into the air. If everybody that prayed the Lord’s Prayer knew what they were praying, it would be a wonderful world. The Lords prayer has become a chant of words that very few people have any clue what they are praying. So, when you read the message above, ask yourself, am I obeying any of the things that I am praying for. If you’re honest, you have to say no! One example that is probably the most unkept part of the Lord’s prayer is; “And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.” If we are honest, we all have something that we are holding against someone else that we have no intention of forgiving. So, according to the prayer that we pray, none of us is forgiven of our prayers. And what is the result of sin, eternal death. If you die in your sins, you will be cast into the Lake of Burning Fire for all eternity. Not a message that I like to share, but truth is truth.This command should not be read as forbidding any kind of public prayer in church or anywhere else, it just needs to be spoken to God as if nobody else is listening. It is good for Christian behavior to shine like a light in the world, and we can do that through prayer. 

Matthew 5:16; “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” The good works that Jesus is referring to are those that are done after you have become born again. What Jesus condemns here is for those praying in public, including church services and other events, to be aware of their motives. If they cannot pray publicly without feeling as if they are "performing" for other listeners, it is better to pray silently or in a private setting, instead.

John 16:23; Jesus teaches us to ask the Father directly in His name: “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.” After Jesus is raised from the dead,

Mark 8:31; “And He (Jesus) began to teach them (The Disciples) that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.” 

Once Jesus ascended into heaven, many of their questions would be answered. At that time, the issues which frustrate the disciples will be clear. As a result, they will "ask nothing of" Jesus. What Christ says in the next verses makes it clear this statement is not about prayer requests or material needs.

John 16:24; “Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” It's an additional promise that what seems blurry or obscure, for now, will soon be gloriously obvious.

John 15:26–27; “But when the Helper (The Holy Spirit) comes, whom I (Jesus) shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning. Jesus also echoes the promise He gave earlier in this discourse: that requests offered in prayer, "in [His] name," would be granted by God.

John 14:13–14; “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” The context for those answers is explicitly given, to ask something "in the name of Jesus" means to invoke His authority and His will. That means any request contrary to His will has no hope of being granted. Submission to God and obedience to His Son are the key elements in this promise, not a blanket promise to give us whatever we want.

Jesus does not say, "I will give you anything you ask for." Nor does He say, "as long as you include the magic words 'in Jesus' name,' I will grant your request." Christ promises He will do anything that is asked "in my name." That implies that the person is asking something consistent with the will and nature of Christ. This, in turn, means such a request is consistent with the will and nature of God.Likewise, Jesus notes the purpose for this promise, which is to glorify God. That also implies that requests which dishonor Him, or defy His will, are not expected to be granted. The following verse adds critical context to the situation: those who love God obey God. John 14:15; “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” It stands to reason that those who love God will seek to ask according to His will, not in defiance of it. If you are a true born again believer, you will know what is Gods will for you. If you’re not born again, your prayers will not be answered nor even heard by God. Also, keep in mind, if you do not end your prayer with “In Jesus Name I Pray” once again, your prayer will not be heard. Among the worst diseases infecting the church are those who preach God as a genie or wish-granting robot, which happen to be most of the mega churches and most of the denominational churches. Christ promises to meet our needs, and to grant requests that are legitimate. "in His name." That does not mean we can redefine what we want as if it was something we need. Nor does it mean Christ vows to do as we tell Him, or as we see fit.

Ephesians 3:14-15; ^“For this reason I (The Apostle Paul) bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,” Paul transitions from a discussion of the "mystery" of God to a time of prayer in; 

Ephesians 3:14; “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,  from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,  that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height, to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

Paul knew that "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow" Philippians 2:10; “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,”

Romans 14:11-12; “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”

Every knee is going to eventually bow to Jesus. The question you need to ask yourself is this; Do you want to bow to Jesus Christ now and be saved, or do you want to bow to Jesus Christ at the white throne judgment where you will be judged and sentenced to a place that you will not enjoy for all eternity. In other words, “Pay me know, or pay me later.” You’re going to bow to Jesus sooner or later, so why not bow to Him now. You know why most people will not bow to Jesus now, its because deep down they really do no believe that Jesus is who He says He is. If you truly believed in your heart that Jesus Christ is who He claims to be, you would, without a doubt, bow to Him now. Stop fooling yourself, God knows what’s in your heart!

Jesus also said in the Great Commission that, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me"

Matthew 28:18; “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” 

Revelation 5:13; “And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”

"Every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them." The apostle's prayer is not new, but rather fits with God's teachings past, present, and future in addressing the Lord in prayer.

First Paul starts his prayer by referring to his sense of humility through "bowing" before God. His prayer is based on what he had previously discussed ("For this reason…"). This includes boldness and confident access to the Lord;

Ephesians 3:12; “ in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.” Second, Paul notes we have "access with confidence." 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. "We have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus" and that confidence has great reward

2 Corinthians 3:4; “And we have such trust through Christ toward God.”

We have a way to the Father through Jesus Christ. Because of Christ's perfection, we can confidently approach God.

Hebrews 4:16; says, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” God's word is the ultimate measuring stick for all of our thoughts, deeds, and intentions. Nothing is hidden or obscure to God, who is our ultimate judge.

Hebrews 10:19; teaches, "We have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus" and that confidence has great reward.” The reference here to "brothers" emphasizes the fact that all of these words are written to saved Christians. Those who are saved have every reason to be confident in approaching God with their prayers since Jesus fully understands what it means to be human.   

Hebrews 10:35; “Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.” Again, Paul notes this confident access comes as a result of our faith. We can do nothing to deserve this access, but receive it as a free gift of grace.. The fundamental message of the book of Hebrews is summarized in verses 35 and 36. Everything else said in this letter is meant to strengthen a Christian's confidence that Jesus Christ is, in fact, the ultimate means of our salvation. 

I’ll end with this;

Context for Praying to the Father:

Through Jesus: While prayer is directed to the Father, believers often do so in the name of Jesus, acknowledging Him as the mediator.

As Children: God is viewed as a loving Father, encouraging believers to approach Him with confidence.

The Trinity: Because the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one, prayers to the Father are consistent with the nature of the Trinity.

Salvation is not a reward for good behavior but a gift of grace. A question for the day!  If you were arrested for being a Christian, would they have enough evidence to convict you?