Whatever It Takes (Dr. David Hartman, 09/10/22)

I have the privilege of introducing our guest speaker today. Dr. David Hartman is joining us

from the university just up the road here at Southern. He is a professor of applied theology,

and I had the privilege of taking two classes from him. One required, he's the only one who

teaches that one, and the other one I chose to take it from him, amongst other options.

It was a joy having him as my professor. I learned a great deal from him, from his experience

in ministry. You can read, there's an insert in the bulletin that gives a little bit of a bio

about it, so I'm not going to cover that. I wanted to share a little bit about my thoughts of him.

I first met David Hartman. You were working, it was in the ministerial department in Kentucky,

Tennessee. So he was in the ministerial department in the Kentucky, Tennessee conference while I

still lived at Lexington, so I got to meet him there and observe how he went through a pastor

hiring and leaving. So we kind of knew each other, and I thought I recognized his name when I saw him

join the professor roster at Southern. Then of course when I saw him and we introduced ourselves

to each other again, that was of course confirmed. So now it is a joy to have him not only as a former

professor, but now as a colleague and a friend in ministry. I am glad that he accepted the invitation

to be here, and what impresses me the most about him is he loves Jesus and he wants everybody else

to love Jesus. That became very apparent in my conversations with him and the classes that I took

in his approaches to it. When you are a student, you appreciate the professors that yes, they want

you to do the work, but they also care very much that you know the Jesus whom the work is about.

And that was the impression that I got with him is that he cared more that the students knew Jesus

than that they just had hard work and long papers, etc., etc. So it was a double blessing.

It is my privilege to introduce him. He is going to have our message this morning. You will be

blessed. And then again this afternoon at 1.30, he is going to share from his experience in ministry

on practical ways of witnessing. Can I have a word of prayer for you?

Loving Heavenly Father, we thank you for how you have been a part of Dr. Hartman's life and ministry,

how you have led him and how he has answered that call to follow after you. So now Lord, I pray that

you would use him as your mouthpiece. Speak through him so that we might be blessed with your words.

Bless him with the presence of your Holy Spirit. Fill him with your love this morning. We pray in

your name. Amen. Thank you. It is a real privilege to be here. And I'm glad that my wife Judy is with

me as well. She is my better half, always has been my better half. Judy, would you just stand up and

say hi? All right. We have two children. We have a 35 and a 33 year old. And we have just had our

fourth grandson born into our family last night two weeks ago. So we are blessed with four grand

boys. I could have my own Pathfinder club. And we'll get out and do some of that camping,

backpacking that Pastor Aaron talked about. It feels good to be in a church pulpit. I'm used to

standing up in front of a class of 30 to 60 students. And God has called me to that. This is the

fifth year that I've been at Southern. Prior to that, I was a pastor for 24 years. And then I was

ministerial director of Kentucky Tennessee Conference and evangelism coordinator for nine years.

And got to travel to all of the churches in our conference. We had 110 churches and companies

in the Kentucky Tennessee Conference. So I got to preach in every one of those churches. Through the

nine years I was there and it just feels like I'm back on the sawdust trail again doing that,

being with you. You have a beautiful sanctuary. I'm Facebook friends with Pastor Aaron and I've

noticed the pictures. Now I can come and feel it and experience it. God bless you for stepping out

in faith and taking on a project like this. This is absolutely awesome. Aaron, I can't believe it's

been two years since you graduated. And Heather, I think you graduated about a year later. So both

of you are out in the workforce now. Three lovely boys. We're just so happy for you all.

Before we open God's word, let's pray one more time. Lord, please speak through me.

Please share the burden that you have on your heart. Send your spirit to inspire us in Jesus name.

Amen. When I was young, I dreamed of finding buried treasure.

During my elementary years, I was down on the Emerald Coast of Florida, Pensacola, Florida,

just about 15 miles from where I lived with the long thin barrier island called Santa Rosa Island.

And I would claw in the sand dunes. I had read books by Robert Louis Stevenson, you know,

Treasure Island and other books like that. And I just knew that I was going to strike a year

that I was going to strike a treasure chest and bring up that gold bullion. And I was going to be

a rich young man. Never found that treasure. Treasure has driven men for centuries to go on

great search of it. People like Hernan Cortez, Hernando de Soto, Francisco Coronado, all

traversed the New World in search of gold. Coronado actually tripped over the great,

the Grand Canyon in his search for gold. More recently, Mel Fisher. He was looking for the

Spanish Galilean, a sunken vessel, the Atoka for 18 years. Every morning he would wake up, he and

his man and he would say, this is the morning boys, we're going to find her today. 18 years of

searching and finally they found the Atoka. He was willing to sink several million dollars into that

exploration search project because he knew that that which he was searching for was worth far more

than a few million. And we have been down in the Key West and seen the museum there. We have seen

the gold bricks that came up from the Atoka. But this morning I want to talk about searching for a

different kind of treasure. Although we would like to strike gold, wouldn't we? A different kind of

treasure. Let's take our Bibles and look at Matthew chapter 13. This has already been read as our

Matthew 13 · chapter mention

scripture reading, but we are going to park right here as well as look at several other passages

to take a look at this pearl of great price and what is its application for our life

today. Matthew chapter 13, let's read verses 45 and 46. Matthew 13, 45 and 46. By the way,

Matthew 13 · chapter mention

this chapter 13 is a treasure chest. There are more parables of Jesus found in Matthew 13 than

any other place in the Bible. Seven rich parables and this is right in the heart of that treasure

chest of parables. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a what? A merchant seeking beautiful what?

Pearls who when he had found one pearl of what kind of price? Great price or value. Went and sold

how much? All that he had and bought it. That word there, that one pearl of great value is a compound

is a compound word in the original language is polytumos. Polytumos. Poly means many, great,

much and tume means value, worth. It's the same word found in John chapter 12 verse 3 when it

John 12:3

talks about Mary buying that spikenard ointment, perfume and anointing Christ's feet before he was

crucified. She spent her life savings on that perfume. It was of great value and great worth.

Same word used. You know it's interesting before cultured pearls, you know they introduced little

grit into the pearl oyster now and pearls are you know dime a dozen so to speak. But back in the day,

back in Bible times, divers would have to plunge as deep as a hundred feet and feel around on the

murky bottom. They didn't have scuba tanks back then. They had to hold their breath a hundred feet

down. Can you imagine groping on the bottom of the ocean finding three or four pearl oysters,

stuffing it in a little sack and back up to the surface. It took roughly ten thousand pearl

oysters before they found one gem quality pearl. Can you imagine the repeating that process?

Imagine the risk. That little guy with the dorsal fin, I wouldn't want to mess with that shark,

or barracudas, or decompression sickness, or drowning. All of these things they risked so that

they could find that pearl. In fact, pearls were so rare that they were the most valuable commodity

in the ancient world. More valuable than gold, silver, or even diamonds. Pearl of great price.

This pearl was so valuable, what was the merchant person willing to give to secure it? Verse 46,

he sold all that he had and bought it. Can you in your mind's eye see Mr. Merchantman

searching the world over for this pearl of great price? I can just imagine in my creative mind's

eye he goes to Istanbul and he's at a fashionable bazaar and he sees all these tables laden with

fine silks and emeralds and sapphires and rubies and so forth and there he sees it on this table

the most beautiful pearl he's ever laid his eyes on. Perfect symmetry. I mean without defect.

Perfect luster. And he says to the grizzled seller, how much? You know they had a bartering

system back there. So this Mr. Merchantman began to take rubies, sapphires, emerald, diamonds out

of his pockets. He clunks it on the tabletop. Not enough sir. So Mr. Merchantman goes

and empties out his bank account, cashes out his Roth IRA, sells his sleet of cars, his yacht on

the Mediterranean, his livestock, they all go, his mansion gets put up on the market and is sold,

his investment properties, his fortune 500 company and Mrs. Merchant thinks she and the kids are next.

Everything goes to secure that one pearl of great price. Now I'm a curious guy and you're curious too.

What on earth could that pearl symbolize that would be so valuable it requires me giving up

everything I have to secure it. Any ideas? Now this is the teacher in me. Turn to someone next.

Now this is the teacher in me. Turn to someone next to you. What do you think that pearl represents?

Everybody now turn to someone next to you. Take a moment. What do you think that pearl represents?

All right you got that locked in. Someone, someone, what do you think the pearl represents?

Now I am deaf you need to really shout this out. What do you think the pearl represents? Anybody?

Yes. Jesus I love that answer. Yes ma'am. God. Okay. Hey you know what it's the young people that

are raising their hands. Adults these guys are on it. All right way back here in the corner.

What is it Judy? Salvation. I love that and then one other hand here. Who else had their hand up?

Okay. Yes. Love. Us. Us. Okay wonderful wonderful. All right we are actually going to see

that it represents two distinct things at least and maybe encompassing all these things.

I've actually done research on this and I found that the word pearl is not mentioned a single time

in the entire Old Testament. It's mentioned nine times in the New Testament and it does not say

definitively exactly what the meaning of the pearl is. So I got my commentaries out as every

good student of the word does. I took out spirit of prophecy and man things began to open up. Okay

so first of this double meaning who said Jesus? All right you got it girl. The first meaning of

this pearl it symbolizes Jesus or Christ. Picture that perfect pearl. Perfect symmetry, pure white,

glowing luster, free of any defects. What a fitting symbol of Jesus and his perfect righteousness.

And we're told that we are to seek Jesus with all our hearts right? Can you think of a Bible passage

yet suggest we need to seek him with our entire hearts? Look back in the Old Testament Jeremiah.

Jeremiah chapter 29. Isaiah Jeremiah chapter 29 and let's read verse 13.

Jeremiah 29 · chapter mention Jeremiah 29 · chapter mention

Jeremiah chapter 29 and verse 13. Many of you know the promise in verse 11. I know the thoughts that

Jeremiah 29 · chapter mention

I think towards you says the Lord thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you a future and

a hope. I love that promise. We're going to talk about witnessing this afternoon. One of the things

I like to do whenever Judy and I go out to eat I always on the little receipt you know I pay with

debit card and on the receipt I always write down thanks so much for the great food and the service.

God has big plans for your life. Jeremiah 29 verse 11. You never know what those kind of little

Jeremiah 29:11

witnessing things will do but two verses below that here is the verse verse 13. And you will seek me

and find me when you search for me with what? With all your heart. Does God play hard to get?

You know I'm aware one time there was a young man that was convinced that this young lady was going

to be his bride and he pursued her with vigor but she was not convinced the other way. She wanted to

get away from this guy and finally he gave up. You know for any relationship to work it has to be two

way right? God always seeks after us. He always comes after us looking for our heart looking to

build a relationship with him but it's got to be a two-way street. That's why God is inviting here

you shall seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. I am a man of faith.

Search for me with all your heart. I am so thankful that God invites me to seek him and last week God

reminded me again urge me David I want you to put me first in your life. I want you to seek me with

all your heart. We need to be like the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts chapter 8 who was reading the

Acts 8 · chapter mention

scriptures diligently and urgently crying out to heaven. Lord give me light give me understanding

on this suffering servant in Isaiah 53. I don't understand this man was so in earnest about

receiving light that God tapped Philip on the shoulder a deacon who was holding evangelistic

meetings up in Samaria and said deacon you're needed down here on the road leading to Gaza and

I believe it was like Star Trek Scotty beam me up. I mean I don't think he had to walk you know two

days to get down there. This guy was in earnest and wanting light this second and there is Philip.

Can you understand what you're reading? That's the earnestness at which we should be seeking God and

truth and his word. We should be like the Bereans in Acts 17 who searched the scriptures how

frequently daily to see whether these things are stuff. Leland Wang was a great revivalist in China

he was the moody the Dwight L. Moody of China. He had a self-imposed rule that he lived by

no Bible no breakfast. I'm a guy I like to eat I gotta have my breakfast. This young lady doesn't

have to eat much for breakfast man I have to have my big old bowl of Kellogg's or whatever it may be

before I head out the door. God wants us to seek him even more passionately than eating

breakfast in the morning we should eat from his word. So how is your devotional life? That's a

rhetorical question. How's your devotional life? Are you seeking God with all your heart?

I believe we're living in some exciting times and we need to be closer to God now than we've ever

been in our life to get those signals from him and I believe this word is more relevant

today than it was back in the Apostles and the Patriarchs time. So let's get into it.

I've been a professor for the last five years and I can tell you I've been a pastor,

I've been a ministerial director, and I've been a professor and I think I've been

the most chaotic busy now that I've been a professor. What do you think Judy?

I've got nine courses that I teach and this semester I have 200 students we have a bumper

crop of incoming freshmen this year good problem to have but I am up early and a bed late

and there are some mornings I have to choose boy that lesson that course that presentation

that lecture is not super polished that I'm going to give this morning but I'm going to spend time

with you God I've got to start my day with you.

All right so let's go to the second meaning now who said us? Us all right.

Us there you go that is absolutely correct the pearl of great price not only symbolizes Christ

and the eternal riches of Christ we found in his word but it also symbolizes us it symbolizes lost

sinners. Jesus's supreme purpose of coming to the earth is found in Luke chapter 19 let's go there

Luke 19 · chapter mention

Luke chapter 19 Luke chapter 19 and children you will recognize this story as Zacchaeus was a wee

Luke 19 · chapter mention Luke 19 · chapter mention

little man climbed up in the sycamore tree to see Jesus and I see a double seeking in this chapter

Zacchaeus did whatever it took to see Jesus even shaming himself scooting up a sycamore tree how

did a short little runt of a guy get up to that first limb I can just uh that's kind of a hilarious

uh picture you know he was he maybe had someone toss him up I don't know but I see a double seeking

not only was Zacchaeus seeking for Jesus but Jesus was seeking for Zacchaeus and notice what it says

in chapter 19 verse 10 this is Christ's purpose why he came to planet earth for the son of man

has come to get wealthy and rich well he he left all that behind the son of man was a poor man

he left all that behind the son of man has come to seek popularity no the son of man has come to

seek and to save that which was lost that word seek is very interesting in the original Zateo

it means to do whatever it takes to secure that object or that person do whatever it takes was

Jesus willing to do whatever it takes to secure us did he give up all to secure us the pearl of

great price absolutely look at a cross reference Matthew chapter 18 Matthew 8 chapter 18 says

Matthew 18 · chapter mention

almost the identical thing and then it goes into a story Matthew chapter 18 look at verse 11

Matthew 18 · chapter mention

Matthew 18 and verse 11 reads for the son of man has come to what to save that which was lost and

then goes into this story about a farmer a herder had how many sheep hundred cheap and one of those

little rascals goes missing and that herds person valued that lost sheep more than the 99 that were

safe in the fold and he went after seeking that one straying sheep so he could find it these verses

illustrate so well how we are the pearl of great price and Jesus gave up all heaven to secure us

there is a commentary that Ellen White wrote on the parables you know it is Christ object lessons

right and in her chapter where she talks about the pearl of great price page 117 this paragraph

absolutely stuns me she talks about this double meaning the the we're the merchant people seeking

Christ and Christ is the heavenly merchant seeking us notice what she says Christ the heavenly merchant

man seeking goodly pearls saw in lost humanity the pearl of great price in man and woman defiled and

ruined by sin he saw the possibilities of redemption hearts that had been the battleground

of the conflict with satan you know right up the road here is battlefield right civil war battle

fought right here it's she says hearts that have been the battleground of the conflict with satan

and that have been rescued by the power of love are more precious to the redeemer than are those

who have never fallen stop there for a second Jesus has all these other pearls all these other gems

all these other unfallen planets unfallen beings this planet in rebellion is more valuable than

all the other worlds now look would you rather have a brand new Lexus right off the showroom floor

or a beat up old car that's been smashed I used to say or beat up VW bug and some people say oh

I'd rather have the beat up VW bug and restore it you know now this this car is in the junkyard

it has been smashed it is no longer any use to it that's essentially what Jesus is saying here

hearts that have been the battleground of the conflict with satan that have been rescued by

the power of love are more precious to the redeemer than are those who have never fallen

God looked upon humanity not as vile and worthless he looked upon it in Christ

saw it as it might become through redeeming love he collected all all all the riches of the universe

and laid them down in order to buy us the pearl of great price may I just speak personally to your

heart right now you are of infinite value to the heart of God my students fill out something called

a personal spiritual history where they talk about their upbringing and their spiritual journey

before they came to southern and since they've been at southern what they would like that journey

to look like and I tell you some of our students really battle with low self-esteem they didn't

have a dad in the picture they didn't have parents in the picture and they do the cutting stuff and

they've had suicidal thoughts and they're in really dark places and this passage assures me

it assures you that you are infinitely valuable to the heart of God God loves you God has a bright

special future a plan for your life I am so thankful for that this shows the inestimable

value of the human soul like the merchant in the parable who sold all he had to purchase the one

pearl God gave up everything to secure us not with silver or gold but with his own precious blood

Jesus purchased us first Peter chapter 1 18 19 here's a follow-up thought that hits me not only

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

do we have infinite inestimable value in the heart of God but this is how God feels about the people

around us our work associates our family our neighbors next door God loves them with an

everlasting love if God cares that much about the lost can we do any less after all we're servants

of Christ ambassadors of the king God took Abraham Abraham his name came to be out of her the

cowdies and had him go 1200 miles up over the fertile crescent to the crossroads of civilization

in Canaan so he could be a light to the pagan nations that's how much God loved the pagans

and wanted to get their attention and then on the flip side a few hundred years later he had Daniel

and his three friends go the opposite direction 1200 miles back over the fertile crescent to pagan

Babylon to be a light in the heathen king's court because God wanted Nebuchadnezzar to be his child

and I believe that's why God has placed you in your neighborhood in your workplace in your community

it's not by accident it's by divine design God has put you there to be a light to that neighbor

next door to that person that works with you in your workplace he wants you to reach that person

for his kingdom how deliberately and earnestly should our search be for the lost

June 23 2018 12 members of a soccer team over in Thailand just finished their practice for the day

their 25 year old coach had grown up exploring the deep recesses of this Thai cave

and he challenged them let's go for an hour or two back into the heart the bowels of this cave

and let's explore and what turned out to be an afternoon adventure ended up an absolute hellish

nightmare because as they were back in there it was ahead of monsoon season but a monsoon came a

violent thunderstorm floods rains began to flow through the cracks and crevices and into that cave

and they were literally unable to retrace their way back out that main channel because it was all

flooded they were two and a half miles back in the recesses of this cave

immediately the world found out about it word quickly spread I'm gonna read this because I

want to get it straight listen to how an international community came together to do whatever it takes

to save these 13 10,000 rescue workers and volunteers quickly converged from around the world

including Thai navy seals the US Air Force 353rd Special Operations Unit that was the first

military that was at that time station in Okinawa a hundred divers from Great Britain Australia

Japan China and elsewhere 50 to 60 doctors representatives from a hundred governmental agencies

900 police officers 2,000 soldiers in addition there were 10 military helicopters and seven

nurses as well as hundreds of people working to pump more than one billion liters of water out of

the cave to try to drop the level for these these 13 to get out the international team had one goal

in mind to safely extract the 13 from the bowels of the earth British divers discovered the group

about two and a half miles inside the cave on July 2 2018 but they had a real predicament on their

hand those channels were completely full of water they had to have scuba gear on to get out and they

actually used anesthesia to knock the 13 out in a semi-state of unconsciousness so forth they

sedated them so that they could transport them two and a half hours underwater and praise god

between July 8 and 10 all 13 were rescued one former Thai navy seal Saman Kunan actually gave up his life

the Thai government and international community vowed to do whatever it takes to save the 13

don't you love that motto whatever it takes are you willing am I willing to do whatever it takes

to reach the people in my circle of influence do you have family members that don't know Jesus

that don't know this precious truth that will enable us to go through that end time and see

Jesus when he comes do you have work associates do you have neighbors that god has put a prayer

burden on your heart are you willing to do whatever it takes are you willing to make out a 10 most

wanted list not the FBI wanted list but write the names of these people on a piece of paper and begin

praying diligently for them are you willing to step across the property line take courage as

pastor Aaron said it's a little fearful to knock on doors a little fearful to greet that neighbor

but are you willing to get acquainted and build that friendship are you willing to serve practical

needs are you willing to at the appropriate time to give that glow track or that bible study whether

online or in person are you willing to invite them to that next evangelistic meeting you do

are you willing to invite them to that next evangelistic meeting you do god wants to use you

to reach those 13 that are lost all around you praise god i'm no longer searching

for buried treasure i never found it by the way never found it i found something far greater in

value and worth i have found the pearl of great price jesus and his righteousness

and the lost in my sphere of influence that god is asking me to reach