Luke 15:11-24 IT'LL BE BETTER WHEN WE GET HOME
Intro: Ill. The story of the Prodigal Son and the usual treatment of this text.
Preachers always use this text to preach to backsliders or to the lost. I
would like to take a different approach this morning and preach to those
who are saved by God's grace. As we look into this passage, we see a
young man with many problems in his life. Certainly there were doubts and
fears about today and about the future. He faced regrets concerning his
past and he found that a person most definitely reaps what they sow. Our
story gives us a young man who is a member of the family, but he is one
who has strayed away. As a result, he finds himself in the midst of great
difficulty and trouble. He sinks about as low as any person could go and
then he reaches a place where he experiences turning point in his life.
Verse 17 tells us that "he came to himself!" Apparently, this young man
had been the victim of temporary insanity. By the way, that's what backsliding is! He came to himself and remember how well he had things
back at the Father's house. He knew that if he could just get home that
things would be better.
Now, I don't want to spiritualize this thing too much this morning, but
I do want you to know that sometimes I feel just like the Prodigal Son. Not
in the sense that I have walked out on the Father, I just fell like it'll be better
when I get home. I often find myself longing to be at the Father's house,
in His glorious presence. I am sure you feel that way too from time to time.
If so, then I have good news for you! One day all of God's redeemed
children are going home. When we get there, we will find that it is better
than it is here. With that thought in mind, I would like to preach for a while
on this thought, "It'll Be Better When We Get Home." I want to show you
from these verses that when we get home, things will change. I want to
encourage you this morning and remind you that It'll Be Better When We
Get Home!
When We Get Home:
I. V. 11-17 SOME THINGS WILL BE BEHIND US
(Ill. When we get home, there will be some things that we will not have to
deal with any longer.)
A. V. 11-13 There Will Be No More Sin - (Ill. The context. The
Prodigal wandered away into a life of rebellion and sin.) How
many times have you and I done the same thing? We had every
intention of living for the Lord and doing well for His glory, but
temptation came, we gave in and we fell into sin. Thank God, the
day is coming when sin will no longer be a problem for you and
me. We are going to a land where there will be no sin, Re. 21:27.
Even this fleshly nature that gives us so much grief down here will
be forever changed and will no longer desire the base things of
life, 1 Cor. 15:53; 1 John 3:2.
B. V. 13 There Will Be No More Separation - (Ill. The Prodigal found
himself separated from the Father. It turned out to be a miserable
place to be.) As we travel through this world, we are blessed in that
we have received these glorious promises from the Savior, (Matt.
28:20; Heb. 13:5; John 14:16-18). However, like it or not, we are still
separated from the presence of our Father Who is in Heaven. There
are still times when we fall into sin and lose our precious fellowship
with Him, Isa. 59:2. Thank God, there is a day coming when this will
be no more! We will be perfected, we will be home and we will be
in His presence evermore!
C. V. 13 There Will Be No More Straying - (Ill. The Prodigal took his
leave of the father and headed out to a live of selfish, sinful living.)
Doesn't that describe us most of the time? As the song says, "Prone
to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. Here's my
heart Lord take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above." Thank
God, when our change comes, there will be no more straying, there
will be no more wandering. We will ever abide in perfect fellowship
with the Father in glory!
D. V. 14-17 There Will Be No More Suffering - (Ill. The Prodigal found
that a life lived outside the will of God is a life of pain and problems,
Heb. 13:5. He suffered because of his decision to live apart from the
Father's will.) I suppose everyone in this room knows that this life is
a time of pain and suffering. Now, please don't misunderstand me,
I have no sad songs to sing. I have no "oh, woe is me" stories to tell.
God has blessed my life and He has been extra good to me. I am
simply saying that this life is a time of trouble for those of us who are
humans. The Lord Himself said so in John 16:33. Job told us about
the trials of life in Job 14:1 and 5:7. While we journey as pilgrims in
this world, we can expect to experience our share of trials and
troubles, but bless His good Name, when we get home, it'll be better!
I have read the end of the book and I have seen where the Lord will
take away the burdens of this life and remove our sufferings from our
shoulders, Rev. 21:4! (Ill The Tribulation Saints - Rev. 7:14-17.)
Thank God, it'll be better when we get home!
I. Some Things Will Be Behind Us
II. V. 20-22 SOME THINGS WILL BE BEFORE US
A. V. 20 We Will See The Father - (Ill. When the Prodigal returned
home, He was able to see the father once again. They had been
separated, but now, they are brought together.) Ill. According to the
Bible, "no man hath seen God," 1 John 4:12. We are prevented from
seeing Him because He is a Spirit and we are flesh. He is holy and
we are sinful. If we were to see Him, it would kill us. (Ill. Even
Moses was prevented from seeing the Lord in all of His glory - Ex.
33:18-23.) When we get home, we will see Him as He is!
(Ill. We will look in the face of the One Who loved us enough to send
His only Darling Son to die in our place. The One Who
"commendeth His love toward us in that while we where yet sinners,
Christ died for us." Rom. 5:8)
B. V. 22a We Will Be Remade After His Fashion - (Ill. When the
Prodigal came home, the father ordered him to be clothed in the
best robe in the house. Who do you think it belonged to? The
father himself no doubt! When this boy came home, he smelled of
the hog pen. He was dirty and he was in sad shape, but when the
father's robe was placed upon him, all the evidence of the wayward
life was eradicated from view.) Folks, when we get home we are
going to be remade after His fashion! (Ill. Cor. 15:39-49!
Remember again, 1 John 3:2!) One day, when we get home, we
will be given a body fashioned like that of our Lord's. An eternal
body that will never age, weaken, die or sin. A perfect that will
delight in the service of the Father. A body just like that of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
(Ill. Today, we see faults in one another. In that day, there will be
no faults to see, but all will be perfect just like Jesus. I look forward
to that wonderful "gettin" up mornin'" when I awake with His image.
Ill. This was the hope of the Psalmist, Ps 17:15, "As for me, I will
behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake,
with thy likeness.")
C. V. 22b We Will Enjoy His Favor - (Ill. The Prodigal returned home
and was rewarded by the father with the ring of reconciliation. That
ring signified that this wayward boy had been fully restored to his
place in the family. He was in the wrong, but when he returned
home, he was the one who was rewarded.) My friends, when we get
home, the Father is going to reward us, Rev. 22:12. Now, He did all
the dying, He did all the saving, He did all the keeping, He did all the
working, He did everything and anything we have ever done for Him
was produced through us by His power, John 15:5. Yet, He tells us
that when we get home, He will reward us! That is enough to make
a Baptist shout "Hallelujah!"
(Ill. He may reward us, but we will have the privilege of laying those
rewards at His nail pierced feet, Rev. 4:10-11. What a day that will
be! That will make a lot of things better when we get home!)
D. V. 22c We Will Experience His Freedom - (Ill. When the Prodigal
returned home, He was given shoes for his feet. In that day only the
slaves when barefooted. The father is telling this boy, "You are no
servant, but you are a free man!) In this life, we are told very clearly
that we are the servants of the Lord, Rom. 6:22; Eph. 6:6. We are
His, we have been bought with a price and He has the right to use
us when, where and how He pleases! When we get home, we will
still serve, but like the Prodigal, we will be elevated to a new level of
service. You see, we will have a body that can serve properly. We
will have a mind that will desire to serve properly. We will have a
spirit that will yearn to serve Him properly. We will experience
freedom from all the things that hinder our service down here! We
will be free to serve the Lord when we get home.
I. Some Things Will Be Behind Us
II. Some Things Will Be Before Us
III. V. 23-24 SOME THINGS WILL JUST BLESS US
A. There Will Be A Feast - (Ill. When the Prodigal returned home, He
was presented with a great feast. The Father killed the fatted calf
and threw a great party because his son had returned home from the
far country.) May I remind you that when the Bride of Christ gets
home, there will be a great celebration in Heaven? Ill. Rev. 19:7-9.
I do not pretend to understand all that this entails for you and me, but
I do know that there will be a feast when we get home.
B. There Will Be A Festival - (Ill. When the Prodigal returned home,
verse 24 says that they began to be merry. They had a shindig.
They had a hoot-n-nanny. They had a blow out that night.) I would
like to remind all the saints of God that Heaven will probably be a far
cry from the average Baptist church service. If you cam to the
average Baptist church on Sunday and didn't know better, you'd
think someone died. In Heaven, things are a far cry from that. In
fact, in Heaven, there is shouting and praising of the Lord, Luke
15:10; Rev. 4:6-1; Rev. 5:8-11; Rev. 5:14; Rev. 7:9-12; Rev. 11:15-16; Rev. 19:4-6. Our praising will be better when we get home!
There will be some people who will shout who have never grunted
in church. I can't wait! Now, some of the things I have preached
about, you will just have to wait until you get home to enjoy, but good
old-fashioned praising the Lord is something that can be enjoyed
right now!
Conc: When the Prodigal got home he found it was better. So will we! I
praise God for what awaits the saints one day. However, some here
probably aren't going. If you have never trust Jesus as your Savior, you
will not go home, you will go to Hell. He can change that if you will come
to Him.
