Gratitude For God's Grace Series

### Introduction

Video Ill.: Thank You Jesus — Freebridge Media

Transcript: Thank you for your grace. Thank you for your love. Thank you for your mercy. Thank you for your Son. Thank you, my Redeemer. Thank you, my Great King. Thank you, Holy Savior. Thank you for everything. Today, I worship you with a grateful heart. Thank you, Jesus.

Michelangelo Discovers Salvation by Grace Through Faith

Source: Simonetta Carr, “Michelangelo And His Struggles Of Faith,” Place For Truth (6-6-17)

https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2020/july/michelangelo-discovers-salvation-by-grace-through-faith.html

Copied from Preaching Today

Michelangelo, the great Renaissance artist, is known for his statue of David and the incredible Sistine Chapel. But what many don’t know is that Michelangelo lived as the Reformation was sweeping through Europe and was influenced himself by Reformation ideas about justification by grace through faith.

Michelangelo was plagued throughout his life to live up to his own and others’ high demands for his artwork. But as he approached his death, a spiritual rebirth began to occur. One of his final works, intended to be his gravestone, was a statue of himself, in the guise of Nicodemus—the one who was “born again” (John 4)—holding the dead body of Jesus, which you can see there on the screen. You can see the statue at the Duomo Museum in Florence, Italy, where a poem by Michelangelo is printed on the opposite wall. In the poem, Michelangelo describes coming to the end of his life and seeing that his artwork was actually harmful to his soul because it became “my idol and my King.”

At the end of the day, his only hope was not in being a great artist or receiving acclaim from others, but rather, the “divine Love, who to embrace us, opened his arms upon the cross.”

He was talking about grace.

Grace. If there is anything for which we should be grateful, it is the grace that God has shown and given to us.

It is grace that frees our soul. It is grace that brings us salvation. It is grace that brought God’s love to us.

Grace changed this world. Grace continues to change this world. God’s amazing grace changes us in ways that cause us to overflow with gratitude.

A life overflowing with gratitude begins by understanding and accepting grace.

This morning, we are continuing our study, learning how to live a life overflowing with gratitude.

A couple of weeks ago, we began our study by being challenged to move beyond occasional thankfulness and embrace gratitude as a daily decision. We were reminded that gratitude is more than a reaction to blessings—it's a way of life that shapes our hearts, perspectives, and relationships. By living gratefully, we not only grow closer to God, but we also become a powerful witness of His goodness to the world around us.

Last week, we focused on how recognizing God's faithfulness in providing for us—physically, spiritually, emotionally, and relationally—cultivates a heart of contentment. Gratitude isn’t just about material blessings but also about seeing God’s hand in every part of our lives. We’re called to respond with generosity, sharing the blessings we’ve received with others.

Today, let’s examine together how grace is the foundation of a life overflowing with gratitude.

### 1. **Grace is an Unmerited Gift.**

Paul writes in Ephesians 2:

1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature, and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature || objects of wrath. 4 But, because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages, He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed || in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 It is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good work, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2, NIV1984)

God’s did His part by giving us the free gift of grace. Our part of grace is simply to accept it. We cannot earn salvation. We cannot earn grace.