November 20, 2016 Notes Not Edited
Gratitude Is a Big Deal
Luke 15:11-32
SIS – Ingratitude will blind you to
the great things God is doing in you and around you and you will miss God’s
blessings.Gratitude Is a Big Deal
Luke 15:11-32
There’s no doubt about, “life can be extremely hard at times.” It is easy to look at the seemingly easy life of people all around us and become downtrodden because of our own situation. In the midst of horrible, personal suffering Job cried out:
Why do the wicked continue to live, growing
old and becoming powerful? (Job 21:7)
Ingratitude is a great sin that really has its basis in pride. Ingratitude is actually the outgrowth of rebellion against God. If we truly believe that God is good and that He is sovereign over all creation, then we have to accept that even the bad things in our lives are part of God’s good plan. I know that is counter to our intuition, but so much of what the Bible teaches does run counter to what human reason—unaided by faith—would conclude.
Romans 8:28 tries to point us to a reconciliation between a bad situation in life and the unfolding of God’s good plan for our life. 28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. So, in faith, we can say with confidence: “I am thankful regardless of my present circumstances.
One of the most enjoyable books one must read as one navigates the halls of academia is “Gulliver’s Travels.” I'm convinced that Gratitude is a Big Deal. As many of you know, Lemuel Gulliver recorded that in the Land of Lilliput, ingratitude was punishable by death! Ingratitude was certainly a “big deal” to the undersized Lilliputians.
There is always something to be thankful for. I believe that with all my heart, but I must admit, sometimes my mind needs some convincing. There is no doubt that life can be extremely hard at times--maybe even most of the time for some people. Spouting off a few verses on thanksgiving, or minimizing someone's pain with a quip like: well, it could have been worse, doesn't really help.
I think it is fair, and even within
the bounds of devout living, to recognize that sometimes it is harder to be
thankful than at other times. Sometimes, even the most devout lovers of God
recognize that the "heathen" seems to be fairing much better than
those genuinely trying to serve God.
Habakkuk, the prophet, had an
intense discussion regarding just such a situation in his times. "How
long, Lord must I call on you for help and You do not listen? . . . Why do You
tolerate wrongdoing?" (Hab. 1:1,3).
\
Life is certainly not always kind
and fair, no matter whether you are living for God or for the Devil. The rain
falls on the just and unjust equally. Without a life driven by an
"attitude of gratitude," one can easily fall into despair, and even
outright sin.
We can allow ingratitude to slip
into our lives and rob us of the opportunity to celebrate what God is doing all
around us--and even through us if we are not diligent and devoted. Ingratitude will blind us to what
God is doing about us, in us or through us, and prevent us from celebrating
life.
The text we are going
to read today describes just such a person—a person who allowed ingratitude to
rob him of the opportunity to enjoy the wonderful things God was doing in his
very mist. Let’s read that story
together. LUKE 15:11-32
Now, this is a
familiar story. In fact, it is known in
about every culture on earth. The usual
approach to teaching and preaching this passage focuses on the Prodigal Son,
for obvious reasons. The Prodigal’s path
from rebellion to reconciliation provide the primary story line. There is however a back story, as those
familiar with Hollywood plots will recognize.
The main character in the backstory is the Elder Son.
The Elder Son
typifies the experience of so many people.
Recall the scene: some great
fortune befell the Younger Son. From a
life of depravity, by means of the Father’s grace, the Younger Son receives a
glorious party. The whole household is
full of joy. Except, the Elder Son. He is not happy. He is not enjoying the party at all. The Elder Son is angry. Why?
Why is the Elder Son miserable when everyone else is so full of
joy? The Elder Son is ungrateful. His ingratitude robbed him of the opportunity
to join the celebration and experience the blessings so evident in his life.
There reasons the
Elder Son was robbed of joy and fulfillment because of his ingratitude for what
he had. Three elements combine to allow
ingratitude to breed and grow in the Elder Son’s heart.
1.
Performance Breeds Ingratitude--He let PERFORMANCE rob him of GRACE (29-30)
Notice how the Elder Son reacts to his brother's good fortune:
Notice how the Elder Son reacts to his brother's good fortune:
29 But he replied to his father,
‘Look, I have been slaving many years for you, and I have never disobeyed your
orders, yet you never gave me a young goat so I could celebrate with my
friends. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured
your assets with prostitutes, you
slaughtered the fattened calf for him.’
The
Elder Son’s complaint all revolves around his performance. It’s hard not to imagine that the Elder Son
is exaggerating a little bit about “never disobeying” but in general the
statement may well be true. He had
always performed as the “dutiful son.”
That is an honorable thing. We
should always do our best. We should
always seek to perform at a level of excellence, however, we err greatly when
we make our performance the basis for our salvation—represented by the father’s
reception of his Prodigal Son, which was based on grace, not performance.
The Elder Son’s attitude represents a “performance-based” view of salvation. If the father in the story represents God—and He does—we see God giving the Younger Son something he does NOT deserve. The father gives the younger son, “forgiveness,” without the younger son having any merit at all that would justify that forgiveness. That is what we call, grace-based salvation. It has nothing at all to do with our performance.
The Elder Son correctly points out to the father that his younger brother’s performance completely disqualifies him for the father’s forgiveness. And, the Elder Son is correct in that regard.
The Elder Son’s attitude represents a “performance-based” view of salvation. If the father in the story represents God—and He does—we see God giving the Younger Son something he does NOT deserve. The father gives the younger son, “forgiveness,” without the younger son having any merit at all that would justify that forgiveness. That is what we call, grace-based salvation. It has nothing at all to do with our performance.
The Elder Son correctly points out to the father that his younger brother’s performance completely disqualifies him for the father’s forgiveness. And, the Elder Son is correct in that regard.
Performance
and grace are like oil and water. They
just do not mix. The entire Old
Testament is written to show us that it is impossible to please God through our
performance. Paul reminds us
Gal. 2 21 I do not set aside the grace of
God, for if righteousness comes through the law
[that is, performance] then Christ died for nothing.
Even
if you could perform the Law of God perfectly—and you can’t—you could never
gain salvation by your performance. In
fact, seeking salvation through performance will rob you of the experience of
grace. Without a clear understanding of
grace, you will not be able to be truly thankful. If “forgiveness” of your sins does not make
you truly grateful, nothing else will.
The
Elder Son could not be thankful for the salvation of his younger brother
because the Elder Son did not understand grace.
He let religious performance rob him of the experience of grace.
2. Possessions Breed Ingratitude--He let
POSSESSIONS rob him of PEACE (31b, 28)
31beverything I have is yours.
There
are two ways in which possessions can rob us of our inability to be
grateful—having too little, or having too much.
Both those who are poor and those who have rich can fall into the trap
of riches.
Those who are poor, obviously can fall into the trap of ingratitude by measuring their lives by what they do NOT have. When a person is struggling just to make ends meet, it is hard not to realize that one does not possess enough of the material things in life. For example, if a person is working 10 hours a day, six days a week at two or three jobs just to feed his family, it would be unnatural for such a person not to notice that the person up the street works a straight 8 hour day, five days a week and has plenty of food on the table, two cars in the garage of a big house, and a boat on carport.
Poverty can put blinders on our eyes so that all we can see is what we do NOT have. The lack of possessions can make it difficult to be thankful.
Here’s the ironic twist in this story. The father reminds the Elder Son, “Everything I have is yours!” Here’s a person that has “everything” and it is still not enough. The rich person is as consumed by what he does NOT have as the poor person. Look at the Elder Son’s complaint in v.28:
Those who are poor, obviously can fall into the trap of ingratitude by measuring their lives by what they do NOT have. When a person is struggling just to make ends meet, it is hard not to realize that one does not possess enough of the material things in life. For example, if a person is working 10 hours a day, six days a week at two or three jobs just to feed his family, it would be unnatural for such a person not to notice that the person up the street works a straight 8 hour day, five days a week and has plenty of food on the table, two cars in the garage of a big house, and a boat on carport.
Poverty can put blinders on our eyes so that all we can see is what we do NOT have. The lack of possessions can make it difficult to be thankful.
Here’s the ironic twist in this story. The father reminds the Elder Son, “Everything I have is yours!” Here’s a person that has “everything” and it is still not enough. The rich person is as consumed by what he does NOT have as the poor person. Look at the Elder Son’s complaint in v.28:
you never gave me a young goat
so I could celebrate with my friends.
so I could celebrate with my friends.
He
had everything, but he didn’t have enough.
Possessions can rob us of our peace in life. A constant striving to collect more and more
material blessings keep our heart in constant turmoil. Riches can rob us of peace, and make it hard
to be truly grateful for all we DO have.
Remember, both sons received their share of the inheritance. The Younger Son just received it prematurely and wasted it foolishly. Being the Elder Son, he actually received more than his brother. He received two-thirds while the younger one third of the capital assets, which apparently were substantial. The father retained what is called the “usufruct.” Under Roman law the Elder Son who gained title to the property could not dispose of it. He had full benefit of the estate though he could not liquidate it while the father lived.
Remember, both sons received their share of the inheritance. The Younger Son just received it prematurely and wasted it foolishly. Being the Elder Son, he actually received more than his brother. He received two-thirds while the younger one third of the capital assets, which apparently were substantial. The father retained what is called the “usufruct.” Under Roman law the Elder Son who gained title to the property could not dispose of it. He had full benefit of the estate though he could not liquidate it while the father lived.
But
what good did all these possessions do the Elder Son? He had no peace in his soul. He was not thankful for what he had—which
apparently was substantial. He wanted
more. He spent his days consumed with
improving the holdings of the estate.
His possessions robbed him of his peace.
When everyone else was “celebrating,” he was “calculating.”
A
person can have all the money in the world and at the end of the day all he has
is “all the money in the world.” All the
money in the world certainly cannot buy salvation. It certainly can’t buy love. it certainly cannot buy peace. In fact, too often just the opposite
occurs. The more possessions one has the
less peace one has in life.
The
Elder Son had great possessions, but no peace.
The Elder Son had much wealth, but no joy. He could not celebrate the great event in his
brother’s life. He was consumed by
ingratitude. The father points out how
the Elder Son is letting possessions rob him of peace:
31 “ ‘Son,’ he said to him, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But
we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and is
alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ”
Solomon
knew a thing or two about wealth. This
is his conclusion:
10 The one who loves money is never
satisfied with money, and whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with income.
This too is futile.
Possessions
robbed the Elder Son of his peace and ability to join in the celebration. Possessions impoverished the Elder Son in
regard to all that really matter.
Possessions bound the Elder Son in shackles of ingratitude.
3. Pride Breeds Ingratitude--He let PRIDE rob
him of LOVE (31a, 32, 20)
Notice
the kindness and love extended to the Elder Son by the Father:
31 “ ‘Son,’ he said to him, ‘you are always with me,
The
language of this address in the original demonstrates the father had a deep
affection for the Elder Son (Baker
Exegetical Commentary). He loved the
Elder Son very much. One can almost hear
the heartbreak in the father’s voice as the father realized his son did not
fully comprehend how much he really was loved.
Beyond that, the father was grieved no doubt that the Elder Son was focusing on himself, rather than on his younger brother. Verse 32 is also emphatic in its expression of the “necessity” to celebrate this great transformation in the younger son’s life. It says,
Beyond that, the father was grieved no doubt that the Elder Son was focusing on himself, rather than on his younger brother. Verse 32 is also emphatic in its expression of the “necessity” to celebrate this great transformation in the younger son’s life. It says,
32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice,
because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is
found.’ ”
The
words translated, “we had to,” literally means, “this situation is characterized
by compulsion and necessity.” Notice
the text not only stresses the urgency of the moment but the urgency of the
relationship. The father reminds the
Elder Son, “This is not only my son, but
it is your brother.” The tone hear
seems to change to where the father appears aggravated that the Elder Son was
only thinking about himself, and not his dear brother.
There is no greater sadness than to live a life in which your love is only big enough to cover yourself. The Parable of the Prodigal Son is a love story—pure and simple. The father’s reaction to his returning son is nothing short of amazing, considering the son’s actions. The entire household—the whole ranch—went into celebration mode. The father focused on the son he loved, not on the money he had lost.
There is no greater sadness than to live a life in which your love is only big enough to cover yourself. The Parable of the Prodigal Son is a love story—pure and simple. The father’s reaction to his returning son is nothing short of amazing, considering the son’s actions. The entire household—the whole ranch—went into celebration mode. The father focused on the son he loved, not on the money he had lost.
The
father could not contain his love for his son.
Day after day for perhaps a few years the father would go out to the
long lane passing through the property, stretching his neck and peeling his
eyes to see if maybe this was the day his beloved son would return. Finally, that day did come. The Bible says the father was “filled
with compassion” (v20). The word describes a “deep, gut-level love
that is uncontainable.” The father had
no harsh words for his son, only a warm embrace. Yet, the text clearly contrasts the Elder
Son’s reaction. He was not filled with
love, but the text says,
he became angry.
The
father was “filled with compassion” and the Elder Son was “filled
with anger.” What was the
difference? In a word, “pride.” The father was focused on someone else. The Elder Son was focused on himself. The father was consumed by love. The Elder Son was consumed by anger. Pride eliminates the ability to be truly
thankful because it destroys the ability to love and be loved. Without love, one’s life becomes a small room
with no doors or windows. It becomes a
prison cell. Pride breeds ingratitude
and ingratitude shrivels up one’s heart.
Pride isolates us from others.
Notice
how this texts weaves pride into the warp and weft of this story. The father did not let pride keep him from
his son, and the son did not let pride keep him from the father, but the Elder
Son let pride keep him from both his father and his brother. Pride robbed the Elder Son of love, and
caused a festering sore of ingratitude.
And in the course of the matter, pride robbed the Elder Son from
enjoying the great celebration all around him.
Pride
turns our whole lives inside out, or actually folds life back onto itself. Pride locks us into a small room of
self-centeredness in which there are no windows—only mirrors. Pride keeps us from seeing all the good that
God is doing in us, about us, and even through us. Pride makes it impossible to be truly
grateful.
It
is easy to see the source of the Elder Son’s troubles: 29 But he replied to his
father, ‘Look, I have been
slaving many years for you, and I
have never disobeyed your orders, yet you never gave me a young goat so I
could celebrate with my friends.
Perhaps
some editing will make it clearer: “Look, I. . .and I. . .so I.”
The
Elder Son had an “I” problem that robbed him of the opportunity to embrace his
brothers turn of fortunes, and to reflect on his continuing good fortune. Rather than be grateful for his brother’s
good fortune, the Elder Son could only reflect upon himself.
Why
was the Elder Son so ungrateful? Why was
the Elder Son incapable of truly entering into the festivities and celebration
taking place around him? Ingratitude
robbed him of the opportunity to really enjoy the blessings of life. His performance robbed him of grace. His possessions robbed him of peace; and his
pride robbed him of love. All this added
up to an angry, ungrateful, isolated man.
A
grand old hymn gives us a necessary reminder of how to maintain a thankful
heart: Count your many blessings name them
one by one. A prideful person loses count of his or her blessings.
We
must not allow ingratitude to rob us of the opportunity to enjoy the multitude
blessings of life. Even if the only
blessing we have to count is: “well it could be worse!” then I
think we have much for which to be thankful.
If we focus on the One Who Is Perfect, we can be thankful even if our
circumstances are NOT perfect.
It
was years ago when reading Gulliver’s
Travels that I came upon the Lilliputian’s view of how big a deal gratitude
really was. In the Land of Lilliput,
ingratitude was punishable by death!
Gratitude was a “big deal” for these “little people.” That picture has stuck with me in regard to
thanksgiving for all these many years.
I’m not so sure, our society really appreciates how big a deal “gratitude” to God really is. I’m not so sure that the church realizes how big a deal gratitude really is. If I had nothing else whatsoever to be happy for other than the fact that “For God so loved me that He gave His only Son for me, that by believing in Him I will not perish but have eternal life” . . . well, that is certainly a “big deal” for which I can be truly grateful.
I’m not so sure, our society really appreciates how big a deal “gratitude” to God really is. I’m not so sure that the church realizes how big a deal gratitude really is. If I had nothing else whatsoever to be happy for other than the fact that “For God so loved me that He gave His only Son for me, that by believing in Him I will not perish but have eternal life” . . . well, that is certainly a “big deal” for which I can be truly grateful.
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