Introduction
Many people will look at what has been graciously given and done for the son who wandered and squandered all that was his Fathers.
The stuff the Father gave him as he requested before it should have been his.
Yet, we too often overlook the great lessons from the brother who did not wander and stayed home and worked.
He had everything as his because he was the firstborn.
He had it all and had no reason to complain.
His brother who had been off in the far country had returned home and that should bring joy.
Yet, it does not. It brings anger and frustration. It does so because the older brother is comparing what he has not had given him rather than what he had.
We all to often do this ourselves. We will look at what we do not have given us and get mad because we want that.
When we do this we miss the joy of what we do have. We miss the amazing blessings that are ours.
We will look at others’ things and compare it against what we have.
What is sad is when we do this, other people are looking at what you have and are jealous or desire it because they don’t have what you have.
Much like life in general. We see other people who have similar situations and circumstances that we have.
Yet we see them doing better and holding together better than us. We see them with their busy schedules and doing so much more than even we do and doing it better.
We will scoff at that rather than look at it as an encouragement and learning exercise.
We will become angered and bitter at them rather than seek to learn how they are managing.
We will allow sin to over run us and take away our joy and happiness. We will allow that to make us bitter and hateful rather than joyful with what we do have and with what we can do well.
We become enamored with what others have and can do and want to be like them.
This is what has caused many in the world to emulate and seek to become like a celebrity or another talented person.
It has caused some to become hermits and filled with hate at the world rather than to embrace the amazing life and gifts God has given them.
It makes us much like the Older Son in the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
This text is found in Luke 15:11-32 but we will start our reading in Luke 15:23 and conclude at Luke 15:32.
In this text we see first that the son is:
Angry With What Others Have (23-28a)
Oh what a joy it must have been for the father to see his son come home. What joy in knowing that he was alive and had came back.
That was a most joyous occasion and one worthy of celebration.
The father’s love for this child was extraordinarily known by this. The prodigal son felt he would be received as nothing more than a servant, as would have been par for the culture then, and what many may do nowadays too.
He was received as a beloved child who had came back. He was always loved and sought after by the father and the son was given extreme grace and love upon his return.
Verses 23-24 tell this story of joy and happiness. How they threw this massive party and celebration for the return of the lost and found son.
We see here an example of the Fathers love for his children who stray and an example of His amazing grace.
Not only do we see this amazing grace and love of our Father God portrayed in the father in this story, but we see what happens with others who do not understand grace and love.
This is the older brother who hears the noise of the party and calls a servant to explain what it was.
He hears and is immediately furious. He sees that his brother, the brother who took his share of his inheritance, basically telling the father I wish you were dead, and blew it on worldly items, is being celebrated and blessed with a massive party.
Oh he was angry and furious and wanted no part of this foolish and ridiculous party.
He was angry much like how John McEnroe used to get in tennis. If he did not make a serve right or if something went wrong he would throw a temper tantrum. He would act like a small child right in front of everyone. He would sulk and pout and stomp around because he did not receive what he felt he should.
This is what we see with the older son. “He would not go in.”
He was pouting and sulking around because he was angry over what another had. He was coveting his brother and the amazing grace that had been extended to him.
The same grace that is for him. The same grace his father would show him if he did this. He should have been in awe and enamored with his fathers love. Yet, he was angry.
How often do we do the same thing with other people?
How often do we look at the grace of God in other people’s lives and get angry rather than stand in awe of the amazing grace of the Lord?
We will get mad when something good happens for another because we want to see them pay.
We fail to remember that God is a loving and compassionate God.
Psalm 103:8 tells us, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” His grace offered to others who we deem as unworthy is a showing of this steadfast love and mercy and grace.
God does this for others and we miss that in our anger of them receiving something we say they should not.
We feel betrayed and allow:
Jealousy Over Joy (28b-30)
This son was so mad and we will see that his anger was fueled by jealousy, that he would not go in.
His father, who is full of grace and love, condescended to his son, he lowered himself below his status, and went out to his son.
He did this as an act of grace and love, just like with the son who had been lost and now was found.
The father heard some very harsh talk and arguments from this son. He was berated by the son and spoken to as a fool rather than an all-loving and compassionate grace filled father.
This jealousy has overridden any sense the older son had. He is so infuriated that he cannot see the blessings he has at all times.
The father tells him, “you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.” The older son had everything as his with his father. The property was fully his and all that was with it was his.
He had everything in the father. The younger brother had strayed and had nothing but came back and his father loved him. That should have made the older brother fall down in awe of the love his father has.
Yet, in jealous rage he rebuked his father. He called him out. He challenged him. He questioned him rather than trusting and resting in him.
Rather than rejoicing in the fact that his brother had returned and was restored. Jealousy over grace is what the older brother had.
We struggle with this too. We struggle with jealousy over God’s grace to others.
How often do we challenge God for what He does rather than rejoicing that someone received his grace?
We all to often challenge God over what He does for others. We become angry because God gave grace to another and blessed them when we may still be struggling. When we may still be out in the field serving and struggling.
We become jealous and frustrated rather than showing joy. Why do we do this?
We are much like this man and wife:
After forty years of faithful service to the Lord as a missionary to Africa, Henry Morrison and his wife were returning to New York. As the ship neared the dock, Henry said to his wife, “Look at that crowd. They haven’t forgotten about us”. However, unknown to Henry, the ship also carried President Teddy Roosevelt, returning from a big game hunting trip in Africa. Roosevelt stepped from the boat, with great fanfare, as people were cheering, flags were waving, bands were playing, and reporters waiting for his comment, Henry and his wife slowly walked away unnoticed. They hailed a cab, which took them to the one bedroom apartment which had been provided by the mission board.
Over the next few weeks, Henry tried, but failed to put the incident behind him. He was sinking deeper into depression when one evening, he said to his wife, “This is all wrong. This man comes back from a hunting trip and everybody throws a big party. We give our lives in faithful service to God for all these many years, but no one seems to care.”
His wife cautioned him that he should not feel this way. Henry replied “I know, but I just can’t help it. It just isn’t right.”
His wife then said, “Henry, you know God doesn’t mind if we honestly question Him. You need to tell this to the Lord and get this settled now. You’ll be useless in His ministry until you do.”
Henry Morrison then went to his bedroom, got down on his knees and, began pouring out his heart to the Lord. “Lord, you know our situation and what’s troubling me. We gladly served you faithfully for years without complaining. But now God, I just can’t get this incident out of my mind…”
After about ten minutes of fervent prayer, Henry returned to the living room with a peaceful look on his face. His wife said “It looks like you’ve resolved the matter. What happened?”
Henry replied, “The Lord settled it for me. I told Him how bitter I was that the President received this tremendous homecoming, but no one even met us as we returned home. When I finished, it seemed as though the Lord put His hand on my shoulder and simply said, ‘But Henry, you are not home yet!’”
We get focused on here rather than on the Lord and what we are doing here for Him. We want to have what others have. We do this and are rejecting the grace of God and His love for us.
This world is not our home. We are here serving the Lord for Him. We need to rejoice when a wanderer comes home, rejoice when we see God grace another person, and we need to remember to:
Be Thankful for All You Have (31-32)
When we are the Lords He is always with us and we are always with Him. He is for us and if He is for us, “Who can be against us?” Rom. 8:31
Yet those who have strayed even if saved have separated themselves from the Lord and are not in this communion with Him that we have.
When someone is out there and is not the Lord’s they do not have Him at all.
So, when God graces them in the world now, that may be all they get. If they never believe they will not receive anything in death but punishment.
If they are saved but not living with the Lord, they will not receive anything in glory but to be present with the Lord. Which is great, but they are missing so much by their willful straying.
So, when they return it is something we should glory in and rejoice so much that it is like we have received something.
What this means is what it meant for the older son then, Be thankful for what you have.
What we have is because of the grace of the Father. He has blessed us with what we have.
He has given us what we have so we need to be joyful with what he has given us.
Worrying over what God has blessed others with will do nothing but sour us and make our lives miserable. We will seek to find joy in something other than the Lord when we do this.
God’s grace is so much that even in the straying and wandering we may do in life he will receive us back with joy and celebration.
But even more is when we are always with Him and following Him and serving Him He will come out to us and let us question Him. He will listen and then He will answer that all that is His is ours in Him.
Since that is true, why do we feel like we have nothing when in truth we have everything?
We need to not let the world guide us and cause us to feel like we have missed out.
We need to be like Henry Morrison and know that we are not home yet. This world is a gift and a blessing to us but our true home is with the Lord.
So, if you see God gracing someone here, rejoice. Be happy and seek to show that because we are blessed in many ways.
God gives grace to others so that they will see His love. We have all this and so much more so let us rest in that and not become angry and jealous but let us be thankful in what we have.
Conclusion
So, as we start this new series Are You Thankful? or are you frustrated and jealous of others?
God’s grace is wide and amazing and He wants to give it to you just as the father in this parable gave it not only to the prodigal son but the older son too.
You see, thankfulness is an action we need to perform. It is something we need to practice every day. We need to demonstrate it always before we become sour and mean.
As we will look at next week with what Paul said, he found how to be thankful in all things, in Phil. 4:10-20. So can we. We can be thankful in everything if we will just begin to speak it out and then act it out.
You see we can say I am thankful and still be bitter and angry inside, but when we put that into action and begin to celebrate with others and show our thankfulness, we cannot stay bitter and angry.
My Favorite Illustrations (Count Your Blessings)
An old adage says that counting sheep will help you go to sleep. For the Christian the better exercise would be to count God’s blessings upon you. You cannot exhaust that number. But reflecting on His blessings will bring joy to your heart and drive out worry. Then you will know God’s peace—and so, to sleep! Why should you toss sleeplessly when the One watching over you never sleeps—or needs to?
When we do this we will begin to be truly thankful and filled with joy.
Also, when we do this we will begin to thank God for the good things that happen to us, and not fail to express gratitude for the bad things that because of His protecting grace do not happen to us.
So as we head into this time of thanksgiving let us go out today and examine ourselves and ask Are You Thankful? When we do we will see the lacking in this we have and the amazing grace God has given us even in our lack of thankfulness.
