Praying with Paul: The Bigger Picture
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Intro:
1 Corinthians 1:3
Tonight, we will continue [Praying with Paul] and the title of my message is [The Bigger Picture].
Whenever I work on any type of project, I find that it is best to begin by looking at the bigger picture. For instance, a few weeks ago, Bekah mentioned to me on a Sunday afternoon, I wish we had a fire pit outside, I’d love to roast marsh mellows tonight.
I told I would think about it and went outside. I picked a place, decided how it would look, what I needed to do, and I got to work. But I had to keep in mind the Bigger Picture.
I hoed up the ground
Gathered some rocks
Got a fire going
To keep me going, I had to keep the bigger picture in mind. I needed to think of the fun we would have roasting marsh mellows sitting outside looking at the most beautiful view.
If I didn’t keep the bigger picture in mind, I probably would not have finished the project. I started to get hot, I couldn’t find “just the right rocks” and it really was one of the last things I wanted to do on a Sunday afternoon— but thinking of my wife and son, who both love the outdoors, kept me focused on the bigger picture!
When I read the first prayer of Paul in 1 Corinthians, I thought about the bigger picture. He had a lot to handle with the Corinthians.
They were a struggling church, but not in the way we might think. They had large crowds and plenty of finances. But they struggled morally, spiritually, and relationally.
Here is SOME of what Paul had to handle in this letter to the church in Corinth:
Their challenges to spiritual authority
Their blatant sin
Their lax attitude toward sin
Their desire to sue each other
Their acceptance of fornication
Their confusion about marriage and divorce
Their acceptance of idolatry
Their misuse of the gifts of the Spirit
Their misuse of communion
Their misinterpretation of the coming of Christ
That is a lot to cover in one letter. So to start, Paul begins by looking at the bigger picture. He emphasizes God’s grace, gifts, and guarding power.
Why would he start there?
The bigger picture establishes our focus. Paul put God first as his foundation for handling all problems.
When we get consumed with the problems and possibilities of life, it is important to look at the bigger picture.
I want to look at three big pictures items found in 1 Corinthians 1, [God Gives Grace], [God Bestows Gifts], and [God Consistently Guards].
Let’s begin
1. God Gives Grace
1. God Gives Grace
1 Corinthians 1:4-5
Paul began by giving God thanks. As I have mentioned many time, when we start to pray, we will find we are more effective whenever we start by thanking and and praising God.
Praise focuses us on the bigger picture. For Paul, he had many serious issues to discuss with the Corinthian church, but he started by thanking the Lord for His grace.
Why would he emphasize God’s grace?
When we think grace, imagine something we do not deserve. Grace is God’s favor that we did not earn, it is unmerited.
Before he began addressing their serious issues, he reminded the reader, and likely himself, that God’s grace is sufficient.
None of us deserve God’s grace. His unmerited favor is endless. He keeps and preserves us. Therefore, Paul pointed to the bigger picture—
God gives grace to those who realize their need for Him.
What does the grace of God accomplish in our lives?
When we have His grace, He enriches us in everything. One author wrote, “no one is impoverished by becoming a Christian.” New Spirit-Filled Life commentary
We can all think of a time where we lacked something. The moments where we might have wondered how we could make it through.
But because of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are spiritually enriched because God continues to pour out His unmerited favor.
His grace has led us safe thus far, and His grace will lead us home.
Praying about of God’s grace will refocus us on the bigger picture.
2. God Bestows Gifts
2. God Bestows Gifts
1 Corinthians 1:6-7
The Church in Corinth was truly a changed church. They had their share of problem, as I already noted, but they were so much farther than where they started.
It reminds me of the saying, one step forward, two steps backward. Pastor Davis told me once, if we will keep making steps, eventually we will be farther than where we started.
The Corinthians had a genuine testimony and it was confirmed in them. How did God choose to confirm His work and word through the Corinthians?
They operated in the gifts of the Spirit.
1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:
Let’s briefly review the gifts:
Revelation Gifts
Word of wisdom
Word of knowledge
Discerning of spirits
Power gifts
Gift of faith
Gifts of healing
Working of Miracles
Inspiration gifts
Tongues
Interpretation of Tongues
Prophecy
The Corinthians were open to the work of the Spirit, therefore God distributed His gifts upon them.
This tells me two things:
First, Paul’s first encounter with the Corinthians was supernatural. He came walking in the power of God. Their reference to the gifts and their desire to abandon their pagan lifestyle shows us that they experienced the supernatural.
Second, they lacked understanding about the gifts. Paul did bring correction. But that was better than them being totally shut down the the gifts operating.
They waited on God for revelation of who He is and what He wanted from them.
The gifts of the Spirit remind us that God is bigger than anything we face.
Within the gifts are answers to every situation. Instead of getting burdened down with the problems, we can call on God to distribute His gifts!
Big picture items— God gives grace, God bestows Gifts...
3. God Consistently Guards
3. God Consistently Guards
1 Corinthians 1:8-9
After Paul reminded them of His grace that He gave and continues to give and the outpouring of the Spirit, accompanied with the gifts, Paul looks to the end.
He emphasized the END. Why would Paul look toward the end.
Emphasizing the Lord’s coming always helps us focus on the bigger picture.
When I remember that Jesus is coming, the problems I face right now seem to grow smaller and smaller.
So accompanying the outpouring of God’s grace and gifts, is God’s willingness and ability to guard us and protect us until the Lord returns.
Paul was not alone in focusing on the importance of Jesus’s return and His ability to guard us. Jude also believes:
24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
25 To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.
That is extremely encouraging to me— He will order and guard me steps. He will keep me from stumbling.
When the enemy comes to attack, we have this HOPE that God will guard us and help us get to our final destination.
But on the way, we are called into fellowship with His Son. God guards us as we stay in close relationship with Jesus. When we:
pray every day
read our Bible every day
willing to fast every day
live for Him every day
He will become a shield and protection.
I heard a song once that said, “Jesus be a fence all around me every day, Jesus guide my footsteps as I travel along life’s way, I know He will, He’ll fight my battles if I stay still, Lord be a fence all around me every day.”
We need Jesus to guard us!
Close:
How do we refocus on the bigger picture?
We remember:
God Gives Grace
God Bestows Gifts
God Consistently Guides
By focusing on the bigger picture, we can overcome the burdens and distractions of life.
I like the way the Psalmist helps me return to the bigger picture:
A Song of Ascents.
1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help?
2 My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul.
8 The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore.
Let’s look to Him and thank Him. Let’s believe for an outpouring of His:
Grace
Gifts
Power to guard