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 church service. If you came to the average 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.