Grateful for God’s Love

Intro

Thanksgiving. Gratitude certainly does not depend on external circumstances, but rather comes from the awareness that we are loved by God, our heavenly Father.

750 Engaging Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers and Writers 725: Thanksgiving

In a sermon at Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles, Gary Wilburn said:

In 1636, amid the darkness of the Thirty Years’ War, a German pastor, Martin Rinkart, is said to have buried five thousand of his parishioners in one year, an average of fifteen a day. His parish was ravaged by war, death, and economic disaster.

In the heart of that darkness, with the cries of fear outside his window, he sat down and wrote this table grace for his children:

Now thank we all our God

With heart and hands and voices;

Who wondrous things hath done,

In whom his world rejoices.

Who, from our mother’s arms,

Hath led us on our way

With countless gifts of love

And still is ours today.

Here was a man who knew thanksgiving comes from love of God, not from outward circumstances.

The Parable of the Prodigal Son. Robert Smith called this story "the queen of parables"; Dickens Charles said that “this is the greatest short story ever written"; Lockyer Herbert, minister and scholar of the Scriptures, declared that this parable "was able to conquer many sinners, more than any other passage in the Bible".

We therefore have everything we need this morning to see our hearts beat again with gratitude towards the love of God.

Thanksgiving is a good thing: thanksliving is better.

Unknown

I give it as my testimony that there is a marvellous therapy in thanksgiving.

John Blanchard

The theme of the parable. The parable in question is so full of teachings that it is difficult to choose which precious gem to use.

In the meantime, let's try to summarize this parable. We have a wealthy father, who had 2 children. One day the youngest son decided to leave his father’s home and start a new life away from everyone.

Unlike the other 2 parables, the lost sheep and the lost coin, in this parable the problem, the crisis, is determined, is desired by the youngest son.

This drama is generated by the ingratitude of the younger son, who is only focused on himself:

Luke 15:12 NIV

The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

Unfortunately, problems and crises explode in families because, at a certain point, our ego becomes superior to everything and everyone.

Selfishness always leads to ingratitude. For that young man, everything his father had was not enough. The problem is not with the house, the car, the clothes, etc... but with my ego, and when the ego takes first place in my heart, the house will no longer be enough and ingratitude will destroy everything!

Outline Sermons. Meanwhile, 2 tragedies happen to this young man: he runs out of money and famine arrives.

In the deepest pain and loneliness, something happens, he wakes up from that sleep of rebellion, he gets up again thanks to a thought, a thought that leads him to remember his father.

Through this thought, we will consider 3 reasons for which the young man, and all of us with him, must be grateful. We will talk about the love of the father, and of this love we will consider:

The abundance of His love;

The extent of His love;

The quality of His love.

N.1 - The abundance of His Love

Luke 15:17 NIV

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!

Plenty of bread. Bread is an essential food for the table, today as many centuries ago. When we hear the expression “there is no bread on the table" means that there is an economic crisis in that house.

But the son remembers that in his father's house there is bread, lots of bread (Luke 15:17). This is an unequivocal fact.

God Himself, through the prophet Jeremiah, asks Israel a rhetorical question:

Jeremiah 2:31 NIV

“You of this generation, consider the word of the Lord: “Have I been a desert to Israel or a land of great darkness? Why do my people say, ‘We are free to roam; we will come to you no more’?

The only desert is offered by this world, but God has never made anyone lack anything!

Adam and Eve. When God created man and woman He did not place them in a wilderness, but in a garden (Genesis 2:15).

Satan VS Job. Even the enemy declares that in God there is bread in abundance:

Job 1:9–10 NIV

“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.

Abundance: this is what we can find in God!

Bread is a Person. This bread for us cannot and must not only represent the material things that God provides for each of us: home, food, work, clothes, etc...

The bread represents first and foremost a person: Jesus Christ: John 6:51

John 6:51 NIV

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

He is that heavenly bread that feeds our soul. He is a bread that does not run out, but is capable of feeding all those who come to Him hungry.

Jesus gave himself to us totally, completely, abundantly and for this we want to be grateful.

N.2 - The Extent of His Love

Luke 15:17 NIV

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!

Bread for everyone! The prodigal son points out that this abundance of bread was accessible to all.

His father provided not only for his children, but also for his servants. In other words, the father also provided for those who did not have the same rights as his children, who did not have the same honors as his children, who did not have the same noble blood as his children.

Who are these servants? In these servants I see all those who, despite having no right to be in the father's house and enjoy bread, through the kindness of God have received everything in Christ Jesus.

I am referring to all those who define themselves as great sinners. Those who were not born into a Christian family, those who have always spent their lives in the sin of this world, but in the end they met the Lord!

Perhaps, there is someone today who feels unworthy and believes that his condition is even worse than the prodigal son.

Maybe you don't even feel like a son because of your sin... well, in this parable we read that both children and servants can have bread in abundance.

God's grace and love extend beyond every wall sin has created in your life. The bread of life is available to everyone, even the least, the strangers, the marginalized.

Jesus and Syrian Phoenicia woman. Lets remeber the story of a greek woman who asked helped to Jesus:

Mark 7:26–30 NIV

The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.” She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

We have another reason to be grateful to God: his love has extended beyond every limit and barrier, reaching even the least of sinners.

N.3 - The Quality of His Love

Luke 15:22 NIV

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.

We can note the precious quality of the Father's love for at least two reasons:

3A. The Father’s Love works. Despite the son's sincere desperation (Luke 15:18), his condition was still the same.

Only when the father enters the scene, lovingly, running towards his son, do we see how the situation changes for the prodigal son (Luke 15:20).

All our sincere desperation, all the real pain due to the sin committed is not enough to change your condition, but God's love can do it, because His love works, a love that solves the problem, that heals the wound, that restores relationships, a love that transforms the most desperate circumstances.

3B. The Father’s Love is tangible. The father not only shed tears, but dressed his son, gave him a ring, gave him shoes and honored him with a great celebration.

God's love is of high quality because it clothes you, giving you dignity and introducing you to true joy and restoration.

This is a quality love because it is a tangible love.

Conclusion

3 reasons to be grateful. For this young man all the dramas started because of his selfishness.

After having accumulated failures and pain, this young man understood how much he had lost by moving away from his father.

Ultimately, that young man understood 3 fundamental truths to be grateful for:

The abundance of his father's love;

The extent of his father's love;

The quality of his father's love.