Homecoming

Luke 15:1-2

Some were there far from God yet felt comfortable in His presence. Others thought they were close to God but were uncomfortable in His presence. So, Jesus tells this parable in Luke 15:11-13.

I. People in Want:

a. (Luke 15:14) When you live for yourself, it’s exhausting. And eventually, you will hit a wall. Dreams don’t materialize; nothing satisfies; the future you envisioned fades away. Many Christians today are fed up being where they are. They are tired of the addiction, running from relationship to relationship, the endless pursuit of happiness and going nowhere in life. They are in want. (Luke 15:15) This speaks to me of the kind of person who does not want to go back to what he left behind, so instead he becomes "cause driven or purpose driven." They join themselves to things. (Luke 15:16) This young man must have felt that he did not matter to anybody part of society.

II. A Revelation:

a. (Luke 15:17) The prodigal had a revelation, which was simply this: "What am I doing here? I know I was made for something greater!" (Luke 15:17-19) And so, he got up and tried to figure out what he was supposed to say to be received back.

III. The Father’s Love:

a. (Luke 15:20) Now, he did not see his father, his father saw him. Maybe you don’t have a clear view of God, but God has a clear view of you. This verse continues, "...his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him." The boy had been working in a field feeding hogs. When his father embraced him, he took the smell of his son upon himself. In other words, he was saying, "I am not ashamed of you, son. I’m not afraid of your sin!"

IV. Righteous Restoration:

a. (Luke 15:21) The boy knew how to deal with his father's reaction. The father said, Verse 22, "Bring out the best robe and put it on him." When that robe was put on the son, he was completely covered. He no longer looked like somebody who had just climbed out of a hog pen. And in the kingdom of God, the Father covers anyone who comes to Him in His purest costliest robe—the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.

b. Then the father said, "Put a ring on his hand." This was a ring of authority that the father gave to those who were the most trusted in his house. And then to top it all off, the father said, "[Put] sandals on his feet." Usually in an encounter with God, like the ones Moses and Joshua had, the command was, "Take your shoes off of your feet." In other words, God was saying, "I do not want your strength or your plans. I want you to walk humbly before Me and do what I tell you to do."

c. So now the father can say, "Put his shoes on because he is not going to fight with me. He is not going to bring his own motives into this kingdom. Now I can send him on a journey where he is going to be doing what he was destined to do – to tell everyone about the mercy and kindness of his father."