A Dump Truck of God’s Love
Garden to Glory: The Dump Truck of God's Love
Pastor Joey Rumble — A Sermon on the Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, and the Running Father
Introduction: Left at Goodwill
Has anyone ever been in a store and suddenly couldn't find one of their kids? That happened to Ginny and me. We were at Goodwill, and our kids were 5, 7, and 9. We finished shopping, got back in the van, and drove off. Then the cell phone rang from a number I didn't recognize.
My normal habit as a dad is not to answer an unknown number when I'm in the vehicle with my family — I don't want to take away from family time. But it rang again. So I answered it. It was Goodwill: "Did you leave one of your daughters here?"
I counted: Amy, Mary, Brad. And yes — I had left one of our daughters at Goodwill. I didn't think, "Two for three isn't bad." I whipped that van around and went back to get my daughter.
(For the record, my wife Ginny deserves to be defended here — this was a long time ago. She had gone into Goodwill with Brad and Mary. I went in later with our daughter Amy, and Ginny had no idea Amy was with me. When we got in the van, it was dark, and she thought she had both her kids. When you see her around church today, tell her: 'Good job coaching up your husband to only do that once.'
That story frames today's message perfectly: God's heart is for lost people. God desires intensely to reach the lost. As we're in this Easter season, the parables of Luke 15 are a powerful reminder of God's love.
Series Context: Garden to Glory
We're in our series "Garden to Glory." We started in Genesis, in the garden, and we've been journeying through all the books of the Bible for a few years. We're finishing on Easter with the resurrection and ascension of Christ to glory — Garden to Glory.
This is also an incredible opportunity to invite people who are lost, who don't know the Lord, to church with you. There are invitation cards in your seat — take one home and use this Easter season to reach people for Christ.
Part 1: The Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin (Luke 15)
The Lost Sheep
Jesus shares the parable of the lost sheep: the shepherd leaves the 99 and goes after the one that is lost. I've had a picture of this in my white notebook for years — I meditate on four or five images daily. Jesus goes after me and carries me back with him. I never want to forget that I was lost and desperately needed a Savior.
"There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance." (Luke 15:7)
The Lost Coin
The woman had ten silver coins and lost one. She lights the lamp, searches frantically, and calls everyone together when she finds it. Jesus is showing us how we ought to pursue lost people — and how He pursues us.
"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." (Luke 19:10)
Real-Life Fence Jumpers
There's a family from Sunburst Lakes — right behind our church — who are a living example of this. For two years during our outdoor Easter services, they would sit in their backyard and listen to the worship. They were as lost as lost can be. Finally, they decided to jump the fence and come over. The following Easter, Sandra brought her husband Roger. Sandra and her sister Susan came to know the Lord and were baptized here. That's the parable lived out. We're not losing them — we're sending them to Wyoming in Jesus' name.
Your Mission Once You're Found
Jesus comes after those who are lost. And once we are found, He uses us to find the lost. That is great news — you have a mission. Once you've given your life to Christ, He's going to use you to reach those who don't know Him.
One danger to watch for: once you've been saved, it's easy to start taking your salvation for granted — to forget that you were once that lost one. We need to remember where we came from.
Part 2: The Parable of the Running Father (Luke 15:11–24)
The Son's Rebellion and Descent
Jesus shares the third parable: "There was a man who had two sons. The younger said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.' And he divided his property between them."
The son gathers everything and takes off to a far country, where he squanders it all in reckless living. God gives him the freedom to choose — one of the beautiful things about the Lord. But that freedom leads him to ruin. A severe famine rises, he ends up feeding pigs, and finds himself longing to eat the pig slop.
Coming to His Senses — Getting Off the Highway of Denial
"But when he came to himself" — the NIV and NASB say "when he came to his senses." He realizes: "How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger?"
He's reaching the end of himself. He's recognizing that his choices have led to suffering and that he has to change. This is what John Maxwell calls the moment of change: "People change when they learn enough, receive enough, or hurt enough."
For some of you, this speaks directly: maybe you're digging deeper into your sin, denying the consequences of your disobedience. The Lord's message to you today is: get off the highway of denial. When you're in a hole, don't dig deeper. Rebellion against God never helps anything — it never works.
It's Okay to Stumble Home
The son rehearses his speech: "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants." He's rationalizing how he'll approach his dad.
Here's the point: it's okay to stumble home to survive. When you're in repentance, it's okay to return to the Lord even if it looks messy. The key is to repent. Get back home to the Lord and respond to Him.
The Father Runs — No Walk of Shame Required
"And he arose and came to his father, but while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him." (Luke 15:20)
In their culture, this was considered undignified — a father did not run to a son. He was wearing a robe and would have had to lift it up to run. That's why in the East, this is called the Parable of the Running Father, not the Prodigal Son. God the Father becomes undignified to run to His son. That's the picture of God running to us.
This connects to what we saw in the feeding of the five thousand a few weeks ago: the Father saw, He had compassion, and He took action. The pattern is the same — God sees what we're going through, feels compassion for us, and responds. A long way off emphasizes the Father's great love — He must have been watching and waiting for his son.
Two Mindsets to Break Free From
The first mindset to break: you have to take a walk of shame to come back to the Father. That's wrong. There needs to be repentance — an eye-opening moment where you recognize this is not working. But there is no shame walk.
The second mindset: the Father runs to us. He takes action. Why don't we have to take the shame walk?
Hebrews 12:2 — "...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
He took the shame walk so we didn't have to. Jesus wasn't just crucified for your sins — He was publicly humiliated, spit upon, and viciously mocked for you. In Israel, the Via Dolorosa is the approximately 600-meter path in old Jerusalem believed to be where Christ walked for us. He took that walk so you don't have to. That's good news.
The Robe, the Ring, and the Shoes
The son returns — covered in dirt and filth from the pig fields. And the Father says: "Bring quickly the best robe, put it on him, put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet." (Luke 15:22)
This is a symbol that God loves you in your filth. As you repent and return, He is there to redeem and transform your life:
• The robe of righteousness — as Galatians shares, we are clothed in Christ; this covers his shame and takes it away.
• The ring of identity — likely a family seal, declaring: you are a son in this family.
• Shoes of purpose — the gospel of peace; as you return to the Father, He gives you stability and direction.
The Fattened Calf — You Are Treasured
"Bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate." (Luke 15:23) The fattened calf was reserved for a special occasion — the most treasured celebratory meal. This shows that your life is treasured. The Father says: "For this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." And they began to celebrate.
Part 3: The Older Son and the Dump Truck of God's Love
The Older Brother's Heart (Luke 15:25–32)
"Now the older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what was going on. The servant told him: 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.'"
"But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered: 'Look, these many years I have served you, and I have never disobeyed your command. Yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!'"
The father responds: "Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found."
"All that is mine is yours." As a believer and follower of Jesus, you need to be celebrating and worshipping — recognizing that the goodness of God, everything He has, is yours. Philippians echoes this. If you've come to know the Lord but have lost your joy, this parable may be speaking directly to you.
Duty vs. Delight — The Pharisee Trap
These parables were originally told to the Pharisees. The older son represents the Pharisee — faithful in action but joyless in heart. Tim Keller writes in The Prodigal God:
"To be sure, to be faithful to any commitment involves a certain amount of dutifulness. Often we don't feel like doing what we ought to do, but we do it anyway for the sake of integrity and obedience... But the older brother shows that his obedience to his father is nothing but duty all the way down. There is no joy or love, no reward in just seeing his father pleased."
If we're not careful, we can develop a Pharisaic heart — going through the motions, losing the joy. There's a necessary place for self-discipline, integrity, and walking in obedience. But as another theologian put it: "God is not opposed to effort, but to earning." He has given us a gift and set us free. The older brother's error is that his obedience is duty all the way down — there's no joy, no love, no intimacy.
Have you lost your joy? Have you lost that intimacy, that relationship with God? The beautiful part of this story is learning to enjoy what God has for you.
The Dump Truck of God's Love — A Personal Breakthrough
Visual aid: this is my Tonka dump truck from when I was a kid — I was probably about the same age my daughter was when we left her at Goodwill.
When I first gave my heart to the Lord and started understanding that God had a plan for my life — the title of this message is "Dump Truck of God's Love" — my understanding of the depth of God's love back then was like just a little bit of sand in this small toy truck.
The breakthrough came when I read The Prodigal God by Tim Keller. I was really struggling with performance — feeling like if I performed well, God loved me, but if I didn't, I had to earn it back. And then Keller's words helped me articulate the shift:
God loves me, therefore I obey. Not: I obey, therefore God loves me.
It's a small tweak — but it was a key turning point in my walk with God. It went from the small little dump truck of God's love to the big dump truck. I'm praying that the story of the running Father will be that same breakthrough for each of you.
Conclusion: Two Responses
Share Your Story
One of the most powerful things you can do is learn to share your story. I call it ABC:
A — What was my life like Before coming to know Christ?
B — How I Came to know Christ.
C — How my life has Changed.
Sharing your story not only helps others come to know the Lord — it helps you remember what God has done in your life. People are drawn to others who share authentically. And it keeps you from becoming the older brother — going through the motions without joy.
This Easter Season — Reach the Lost
Have you forgotten how important it is for your friends and neighbors to come to know Jesus — for their lives to be supernaturally changed? Let's use this Easter season to invite people to church. We have three Easter Sunday services: 8:30, 10:00, and 11:30 AM. Let's seize the opportunity to see eternities impacted in Jesus' name.
Prayer to Receive Christ
Scripture says: if you believe in your heart that Christ was raised from the dead and confess with your mouth that He is Lord, you will be saved. If you'd like to respond today, pray this aloud:
"Lord Jesus, I confess with my mouth that you are Lord, and I believe in my heart that you were raised from the dead. From this day forward, I choose to serve you. Come into my life. Make me the person you want me to be. God, thank you that you love me. Thank you that you run to me in my repentance. Thank you for your love. Thank you that you took the shame walk for me so I didn't have to. In Jesus' name. Amen."
Don’t Shrink Back,
Pastor Joey Rumble