'Wanderer, Come Home - Sermon Outlines. Org



"Wanderer, Come Home!"

Luke 15:11-32

INTRO. In the movie, “The Wizard of Oz," the most famous and memorable

line in the entire movie is: “There's no place like home." Home is a

place of safety, security, shelter, love and understanding. "Home is

where the heart is." Even when we grow older we still long for and

have fond desires of our childhood home.

When God created man He created him in His own perfect image. In Genesis 1:26, the Scripture says, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...". But through disobedience man fell. God placed man He created in a perfect environment, the Garden of Eden. Eden means "house of pleasure" in the Hebrew tongue. In other words, God placed man in a perfect "home-like” environment. Man had continual fellowship with God, the heavenly Father, a help-meet to love and help him, and peace beyond compare! But man through sin rejected "home" for the World.

I want to title the message, "Wanderer, Come Home!" Jesus, Our Savior, during His Earthly ministry, spoke many times in Parables. A Parable is a short story intended to teach some spiritual or moral truth. In the parable we have before us, the Parable of the Prodigal son, as it is so named, the LORD Jesus was trying to convey this Truth: GOD'S LOVE FOR THE SINNER NEVER CHANGES! He loves the sinner despite his sin. Romans 5:8 says, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ, died for us."

In this parable, we see 4 characters, the father, symbolic of our heavenly Father, whose love never changes, the younger son, symbolic of the lost sinner who has wandered far from God, the older son, symbolic of the ones who are "self-righteous" and see little merit in "soul-saving" activities, and finally, the citizen of the far country, symbolic of the evil one and what he has to offer.

Just as Adam, who I mentioned earlier, rejected "paradise" "home," if you will for the things of the world; this young son rejected home, for the "far country." There may be one here today who has rejected Cod for the "far country," If so, God is pleading, "Wanderer, Come Home!" I want us to see 4 things in this parable.

(1) The Rejection Of Home

Text: Luke 15:11-16

A. His Request (v15)—“Father, give me... ". Does that not sound like the

world today?

B. His Reason. THE SON WANTED:

1. Riches (Psalm 39:6).

2. Riotous Living--The World's Motto is: "Let us drink and be

merry, for tomorrow we may die. This is the Motto of the “far

country".

*SIN WILL TAKE YOU FARTHER THAN YOU WILL WANT TO GO!!

(2) The Return To Home

Text: Luke 15:17-21

*v17—“When he had come to himself.. "--Rejection and rebellion against

God, the Father is "Madness” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).

*He came back home in:

A. Repentance (Isaiah 55:6-7; Luke 13:5).

B. Reverence (Isaiah 45:22; Romans 10:13). V19—“I am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants." V2O--Notice the Father's compassion--We truly see the heart of Our heavenly Father--"But when he was yet a great way His Father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on neck, and kissed him" (John 6:37).

(3) The Reception At Home

Text: Luke 15:22-24

*He Received:

A. A Robe—The Righteousness of Christ—(Isaiah 61:10).

B. A Ring—The Ring of Reconciliation—(Romans 5:10-11).

C. Shoes—The Right of Sonship—In Christ's day, only those of the

household wore shoes, slaves went barefoot (Romans 8:14-17).

D. A Royal Feast—The Coming Marriage of the Lamb--(Revelation 19:7).

*Notice (v24)—The Rejoicing (Luke 15:10).

(4) The Reaction Of The Elder Brother

Text: Luke 15:25-32

A. His Contempt (vv. 25-28)--His Attitude betrayed him-Anger.

B. His Confession (vv. 29-30)--His Actions betrayed him-Service out of

duty, not Love! He wanted reward for his years of service, and felt in

bondage to his Father

C. The Constraint of the Father (vv. 31-32)--Remember Christ is

speaking to a Jewish congregation, God's Chosen People.

CLOSING: The story is told of a father and mother who had a son, who

although brought up in a godly home, rebelled against his parent's

authority. The situation got so bad that one night the young man

became violent, cursing his mother and striking his father. The

next morning, after the situation had cooled some, the Father told

the son he had to leave. He was breaking his mother's heart and

killing his father. The son left on a train, with his mind set, on

never returning. But after many years of sin and pleasure, the

young man was saved during a Revival meeting.

Happy about the news, he sent a telegram to his parents telling

them the news and asking to come home. On the bus ride home,

a preacher saw the young man despondent staring out the

window. "What's the matter," the Preacher asked. The young man

relayed his story. As they got nearer to his home, the young man

told the preacher that he had asked his parents, that if he was

welcome to tie a white clothe in their big peach tree in the front

yard.

When they were almost there, the young man asked the preacher

to see if the white clothe was in the tree, he just couldn't bear to

look. As they arrived the preacher said, "Son, there's a white

ribbons tied all over that tree, and look there's a white-haired

mother and father out front waving a white bed-sheet.

Have you wandered away far from God? He's pleading with you

today, “Wanderer, please come home!"

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