Guest Speaker Dale Hartman

As you all know, Britain Road is participant of 128, local churches that support affirming the faith, that's held each year. And this time of year at North MacArthur it, as part of that process, the mini of the ministers and preachers that participate in that process, volunteer their time to give back to the local communities. I'm in that regard and we have Dale and Sheila Hartman with us today Dale is going to bring us the the lesson many Aveeno daily. He's been involved in in a great many of mission and Ministry Works throughout the Brotherhood for many years and he's probably most noted in our congregation is being part of the Australia team that was with our own Charlie and Debbie. Powell Dale is most famously. No. No. Is Jillian's grandpa. So we're going to welcome Dale here today and then we look forward to your message brother.

Check. The volume. Is that sound right? Thank you. Again, a deep appreciation, for your participation in a firm in the faith will never know. Exactly, we were having close to a 900 to 1,000 people, four major classes, and some people come and go. You know, Springs, things going on, other things on any given weekend. Conservative estimate is said, we can have maybe 1,400 people who come to that, and not every year, but often times will have guys from, and fill in the blank Dallas, or Houston or Nashville or somewhere. And they just say, we could not get 28 church, has to agree on anything. Much less to send money to one place to participate in. And one of the things were called to do is to maintain The unity of the spirit in the bond of peace and that to me such an important blessing. And so heartfelt, thank you for your participation in that.

For the older members, Sheila and I were part of the first two campaigns to British Honduras with Ron doors fever.

The World Mission Workshop was held at OCC in and I'm sorry we grew up in a generation for. We weren't consonant talents and we could actually say OCC. And now we have to reduce it, just the o.c., sorry. But the World Mission Workshop was hell and Ron Beaver. Found that British Honduras. Now beliefs was the only English speaking country in the world. For there wasn't a Church of Christ meeting And so if you knew Ron, he got things together and we missed the first semester. But we were both invited by a dear friends. She was invited by Francis Barrett and I was invited by Bob, Everly and the so we met in that first. Monday Night meeting in January to go to British Honduras. And for us, it was just such a blessing because yes we were still college students. But to go to a city that has no meeting Church of Christ and we had maybe 20 people who'd finish the Bible, correspondence course. And if that time, British police was like a triangle next to the the ocean, but he had 40,000 people in it and we spent the whole time having Bible studies and stuff. And so that was just such a blessing and such an encouragement.

For several years, we were able to Sheila and I are able to work with Charlie and Debbie Kent and Nancy Hartman brother and some of your member Kent and my cousin being worshipped here years ago and Tony and Betty kazee. And that was such a blessing and We will always owe you.

And I'm payable debt of gratitude for your support and for your help.

As, for guys, obviously you spend a lot of time together when you're halfway around the world and you're by yourselves Canton, Tony were roommates. And we were sitting in the office one day and one of them said can you remember your old girlfriends phone numbers and Tony said yes. And he spit out for phone number. Some girls that he knew 15 years earlier. He said Kent can you remember the girls fight and can't said yes, and can't spit out phone numbers? Thankfully, they didn't have too many but peas in a pod, here are two guys that 10 or 15 years later. Can still remember three or four girls phone numbers. I couldn't do that. If I life depended on it, On the other hand, Charley and I were Study Buddies and we're always studying and looking at things and the lesson today will come from comments that from a conversation with Charlie Powell. We rode in just let me do this really quickly. In Sydney, we go snow skiing from May to August Okay. You go to the Garden Center needs his mate. Do not put your tomatoes out until the 1st of September, so the frost doesn't get them. And Santa unhook the reindeer at the equator and hooks on male, kangaroos to come into Australia because the reindeer will hyperventilate in 105 degree weather. So Santa comes in on Six White Boomers, snow white male kangaroo blazing across the Australian sky. Summer, Church camp is the second day after Christmas, then it all just sound normal. and so if you have a real tree, Right after Christmas. Or the day before church camp, you must get it out of the house because it'll be a hundred plus degrees and it'll just be splinters because we go to summer Church camp. The second day after Christmas and we pray in the New Year. The last night of Summer Church camp.

Can you imagine how confusing that is to the body?

Initially. Being a hundred hundred five degrees, a Christmas was the hardest, but as we live there, waking up on the 4th of July. In the sun, going down at 5 and seeing your breath in the morning. When you woke up just Works on you mentally. One of the joys of our time there was it Charlie? And I were the team teachers for the adult Bible class at summer Church camp.

Suppose, you know, Charlie Charlie from this side and guess why? He's got his great New Testament. I'm on this side and he would do text, and I would do history and other things and it was just like Australians would say we got on like a house on fire. It was just it was just one of these fabulous blessings. And like, for example, one year for every two, two classes different times the day, we walk to the book of Ephesians And one of our dear friends. Now he said Jules was his name. He said, I was a brand new Christian and I came to church camp with a lot of questions. I left church camp with a lot of conviction.

And when you have a guy standing up translated in Reading from his Greek, New Testament, the same, this is what God says. And this is what the word says, then that had a lot to do with getting him grounded and he still a faithful Christian Zion. That was just such a blessing turn it on again to stay with us, summer, holidays, January So at the Macquarie University, they had a Greek summer school. And Charlie. And I would go, we did not go to the same classes. Charlie's class was here in my class was just a little bit above the alphabet but we still went to the summer Greek classes and University had like six levels of Greek. One group of start Alpha Beta gamma, and then one group was reading Plato. And so they just did all the in the movie, maybe. 80 people come to this? Well, having one vehicle initially, we didn't want to leave our wives are kids stranded, so we would ride the train together. So the Campbelltown train going to Liverpool would leave either 6:22 or 6:27. So we catch a charge and I would catch get dropped off at one of those trains would ride the train into Greek summer school. Then we would come back. And on one of those trip somewhere Charlie said, have you noticed that virtually all of the verbs in Paul for Spiritual change? Our passive I said no Charlie, I've never noticed that never crossed my mind. I've never never really thought about that. And so our lesson today is going to be observations from your new test, but obviously, it will be clearly in English. But the heart of our lesson today was seeds planted sitting on the train, from Liverpool, to Campbelltown, with Charlie Powell. And he says, I want you to notice how many times these are passive. a two things as we walk into our lesson, number one for everybody to understand, A small child. Well, it's us. Just do with us. Active, is I tie my shoe? Okay, I just reached down and I tie my shoe in English. Every time we have something passes, the word be is there. My shoe is being tied. If you notice in both cases that you get tied but it's totally different. On the one hand, active, I tie my shoe The other one is my shoe is being tied, mean someone else is doing it. Had me all told a small child. Would you please be still so I can tie your shoe. But look at how different they are. It's the same end result but one of them is I do it. So, I tie my shoe, the other one is my shoes being tied.

Sheila taught special education in a mid-del school and at Cleveland value for a number of years. At least while she was there at the school, counselor was just this fabulous, wonderful, wonderful person. And when you came down, the hallway in her name, is Kelly right above where she locked her door, she had a sign. And so, every day when she stuck the key in the door, she read that sign. And her sign said, I want to be the most positive person that I know.

So think about that, what influence can one person have in an elementary school that every day when they open their door? The first thing they think about is today I want to be the most positive person I know. She was a blessing to the whole school. She encouraged faculty members, she encouraged students, she knew parents. And when Kelly came to school, it was just, like, light came in the building because she was committed to thinking and think about this, I want to be The most positive person that I know.

Well I don't remember she was there 13 years or so and I would walk by and see that sign. I got to thinking as good as that is the sign on my door says, I want to be the most christ-like person, I know.

How different would your life in my life be if we continue to think about, you know, I I want to be the most christ-like person, I know. I know some people would say well isn't that a little bit arrogant and I'm saved, will know because I fail so often but let's look at maybe 10 years. How much better is your life going to be 10 years from now? If on a regular basis, you are committed to. I want to be the most christ-like person, I know.

And so, what we're going to talk about today are things to do with our spiritual formation. There are different Paradigm Source, different ways to look at that. And then we'll have three samples of passive verbs that talk about change and these will be things will be a part of our lesson today.

all of you, hopefully received an outline and, Let me just clarify this. We're going to work off primary the first page. On the back, for those of you who are bereans, then you can go home and follow because these are words studies on these wonderful words of be transformed, be conformed. Be renewed and will touch on these, but that's why everything is going to come off of the front side. And I mention this in our class. I typically do a four-page outline free to bible class. And people have told me when I go home and read through the stuff, we didn't get to, I learned more than I did in class. So the back pages for those you who are bereans and you can look at that and just kind of follow these words as we go through. Every lesson I do has a CI, which is a central idea. So here's the one thought today, It is possible to view our salvation and our spiritual growth primarily from God's perspective.

So what I'm saying is that this is we're going to just do one side, there's an entire other side. We're not even going to try to do because of time. And the other side is we often times, talk more about our side and today And just be aware, there's a whole side that we're not going to get to today, we're going to think about what is our salvation and what is our spiritual growth look, like when we look at it from God's point of view in the primary four hours, okay? I always have a name and these are 15 words or less. So here's what we're going to work on today. I want to emphasize God's involvement in our salvation. Hargrove. and our journey, how So today's about God and and what he wants to do with us and threw us in tennis.

Australian France. And classes said, well, we know he's American because all of his lessons have CIA at the very beginning of it.

So every lesson that I do 50, if I can't tell you how pissed I won't do it less until I can tell you, in 15 words or less today. This is we're going to cut out this part. This is what we're going to do and we'll have one specific. Things were going to be looking at. So, two sides to every coin. I hope Focus today is going to be primarily on God's side, and here's the first thing, There is no fruit spiritual growth. Without spiritual roots.

Most of us are very familiar with the parable of the sower. All the conditions are very different. What do the first three seeds have in common?

They didn't develop a root system.

Birds. No roots rocks, no roots, Thorns choked out. No roots. What made the good soil? Good. It develop roots. on the other side of Clinton, Going to Elk City on the interstate is a field next to a creek. And so the the soul down here is just fabulous and some years, the wheat will just just be like this. But there's a little bit of a hill and they've actually quit. So in it and you can tell the soil level is just about this high. Sow the seeds are planted the same time of year. It's the same seed and down on the rich soil by Harvest Time that weeks this high. And guess what, the week has played It On the Rocks. Still has a little bit head on it, but it's about that high. And I look at it, I think o Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who went out to sell. And what I want you to think about today and will come with this at the end. How are your spiritual roots?

You can't produce spiritual fruit. Without spiritual roots in God's work.

I love this expression, the books of poetry commend in the Old Testament, what the law commands? Moses said, do this, do this, do this, do this and poetry comes along and says, you know, happy is the man who walks not in the counsel Wicked nor stands in the way of sinners, dorsett's in the sivas golfers but his Delight is in the law of the Lord and

He will be like a tree.

Just inside your head, I want you to guess. If I remember I'll do this at the end. how old do you think this is a spruce tree is

He will be like a tree planted by. Rivers of water. He brings forth his fruit in his season is lethal, not with her and all that. He does will prosper.

I'm in an Old Testament class.

and Jack vancil says, when you read a quotation in the New Testament, sometimes in your head, just keep keep on going because especially the Jewish people knew it so well, and he just said, If I say the Lord is my shepherd, what comes to your mind? I shall not want. Any said, when you read a new testament quotation, it doesn't hurt to go back and read a little more the context because he's going to introduce that. But that may just be kind of the headline, and there's actually more there. So our Lord stands up and Luke chapter 4, and he starts quoting from Isaiah 61, and he's talking about all these wonderful things that are going to happen in the mantle of praise. And what's the Lord is going to do? But then at a point in time,

Isaiah 61 verse 3. To Grant those who mourn in Zion. That they may be called Oaks of righteousness.

The planting of the Lord that he may be glorified.

I often times go to and buy an oak tree, physical oak tree. And pray that the seeds that we're planting in people's lives today. Will someday grow into Oaks of righteousness?

We went to school in Memphis. They were huge, huge, oak trees. And some of them are so big. Three of us couldn't get our arms around them. And I would read this verse Isaiah 61 and think. Where did that start?

A little seed, an acre and got planted and as it developed these routes. and if things develop, look at what it became later,

Over here on 122nd and Rockwell. There's a shopping center, but by the creek or 6, I don't know if they're White Oaks, or what? They're not, our little Chenier Oaks there. Six of these Majestic, oak trees. And there are days that I literally go over and pull over and just stopped. And just watch them, they're beautifully decorated, in the, if you're there, in the Christmas time, they're these beautiful colors are all covered, but I often times stop and look at oak trees, physical oak trees, and pray. God made the seeds, they were planting in our children or grandchildren and in people's lives today. Someday grow up to be oak. Trees of righteousness.

Why are those six oak trees over here? So massive and so large, they have roots that are next to the moisture from a creek.

We obviously don't have a physical way to measure this, but I still want to ask you. Well, let me get this way. Did any of you do this? My mom had a board in the bathroom that she leaned us up to, and put the ruler over ahead and put a mark and said, this is such and such a date.

In our house. My brother often times, I got called Marshall Kent Hartman. And in my mom's world, the first time was a warning. The second time, the voice is a little louder. The third time, we heard Marshall can't Hartman. You were about to move from from grace to judgments. But we can still go back and hear some bark and on this particular date, this is how high we are. if we could spiritually measure your spiritual root system, this morning,

How deep would your spiritual Roots be?

I don't want you. Remember, you cannot produce spiritual fruit. Without spiritual roots.

If you look at 11 and I just did this for a quick sample here, Psalm 73. And look at these words I remember God.

73. Sorry, 70730. I will remember the Deeds of the Lord. I will remember your wonderful works. Also, I will meditate.

Yeah, I grew up on the farm. We use the word ruminate cows will eat something. Go down the sit down. Chew the cud, but on God's word, I will remember. I will meditate 7075. I will consider

I will make a diligent search.

And let me just say this, even for those of us who are Christians, one of Satan's greatest tools is just to keep us busy.

The net to be send, just keep us busy. And I'm going to stop and think. How often do you remember the things of God? How often do you meditate? How often do you consider? And how often do you make a diligent search?

Some of us have been to the Redwood Forest. And when you read about them, these Majestic, huge trees, they don't have as much a deep roots, what do they do their roots? Go out and they intertwined and they support each other. so the first thing I want you to think about is if we are going to produce and you fill in the blank, the Fruit of the Spirit if we're going to produce spiritual fruit in our lives, we must develop a spiritual root system in order to do that. Now they're different paradigms for that. One of those and this is the one that scares me and I'm sorry I haven't had this inflated for a while and it's not fully inflated. But have you heard a person say let go and let God. I'm just going to drift along. These people kind of scare me. There's some good things about that but you stop and thank God, gave you the mind and a conscience and a wheel for some reason. And there's some people who avoid Any personal responsibility or just going to let go and let God. And so, these are people on one side of the equation.

I'm a little more kin to this one.

Instead of let go and let God.

I am going to become more spiritual and I am going to pray more. And I am going to read my Bible and I and I and I and it's all up to me.

The only way I get where I'm going is that I've got to do this?

I'm doing extreme, but think about this. How many people in the end of December? And January said, I am going to, I And again, I'd rather us be doing that than not doing anything. We can you see the contrast that were talking about? Some people take no responsibility at all. We're going to let go and let God. And then some of us spend most of our time and our spirituality focusing on. I'm going to roll, I'm going to get there, it's up to me.

the third suggestion is,

To set the sales of our life and we're a part of doing that.

And usually three or four times a week. Since North Mac is on the other side of Lake Hefner. And especially to the summer, I go. How does the sailboat go?

Because all had paddles and their home, they're just throw it away or do they just leave the pole up there with no sale and say what would just let the wind blow us along for everywhere. We go.

Do you see what I'm trying to say? How does a sailboat actually function? And I have no idea how to do this. But the people was skill. See where the wind is. Do they have a party in it? They set the sails. The what propels the boat?

They're partners with the wind but they can't go anywhere without the wind.

I grow fragrant roses. We're fortunate to still go back to Sydney in July middle winter so they get it. I have roses at the church building to require in three different houses. And so I prune them in the dead of winter in July. and so, from September to may, I have fragrant roses blooming in Sydney Australia,

We had some ice and snow recently, and I stepped outside to say, mister Lincoln is blooming in Sydney today. Yes.

So what are the weather is here, somewhere in the world. I pregnant roses blooming 12 months of the year. So God and I are Partners in the Rose growing business. God only has a small part. He provides Sunshine. He provides rain. He provides nitrogen and phosphorus and potassium and minerals and God. And I are Partners in the Rose growing business.

Do you understand what I'm saying? If they're not put in the ground, they don't grow. But can I ask you this, who is the major partner?

And who's the junior partner?

God and I are in the Rose growing business.

That Rose was just going to need. Hopefully at least six hours of Sun each day. They love to be watered. They love to be fed.

And so anywhere, I'm at a church building. Now, at North Mac, we have red roses. We have a circular driveway, red, roses are close to the building codes, were washed in the blood of Jesus, the white roses on this side because we're to live holy and pure lives. The yellow roses are roses of friendship and say, McCready move from Ireland to New Zealand in 1972 to propagate roses and New Zealand. A lovely pink is on this side and she has six kids, so it's an international pink and underneath are blues and purples for hummingbirds and butterflies.

There's nothing better to take somebody in a hospital room. Then fragrant roses. Did I tell you? God and I are the roads going. We're partners and the rose growing business.

Tongue in cheek. Do you say want to say about her spirituality?

That's why if you're going to be one of the other, I'd rather you be doing this one than this one, but there's a sense that neither one of them are optimal. So when I think of spirituality, I think in the same way, the Sailor says the skills, He listens, he learns, he observes, he has experience. But when he sets the sales, it's actually the wind. They come from God that propels the boat. and that's what I think of, in terms of spirituality,

Redundant number 3.

Every time I read these.

Charlie Powell comes along in my mind says, have you noticed, how many of the passages in the New Testament of spiritual change or passive? Look at the first one.

I beseech, you Brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies, as living sacrifices Do not be conformed to do not be shaped by this present world. So, thinking, I want you to be what Transformed.

Are you doing the transformation?

Is the change because of what I am doing and I'm going to be more spiritual. I'm going to read my Bible more. I want you to be transformed. and, This is helpful for us in English. Our word transformed is the word metamorphosis.

Have a brave sight, glass Tennessee. A tadpole to frog.

What is the caterpillar do in Thai?

Well, they eat leaves. They eat larvae. And they seem, they're ugly. And they seem to disappear for awhile. but because of metamorphosis,

what is it?

It's a butterfly.

You think how often God has taken the dark and sinful part of someone's life? And through their relationship with Christ, a metamorphosis has taken place and they become a child of God.

Do not be shaped. By this world's present way of thinking. Allow God. To transform. Your life.

And experienced a spiritual metamorphosis. What is the second one?

This is my favorite. There's a whole section here about those. He predestined that all this other stuff, which is God choosing. But I want you to notice the what Conformed.

To the image of his son.

Nobody in the ancient world would have thought of this. but if I take Jello, but it's a liquid. And put it in this bundt pan. And put it in the fridge, what's going to happen over time?

It will. Conform. Do the shape of water. We put it in. Bundt cake Jello. And when I read Romans 8:29, I think if this is the image of Christ, God, please help me to pour myself into the image of Christ so that I may be

Conformed. By God into his image. Be transformed, be conformed. And here's the third example. Paul's going to say, Colossians 4 and 10 in there. Several of these, put on the new self, which is being renewed in the image of its creator.

What are things we enjoy get doing is going to end. He can jump stores. The dustier, the better. But have you ever seen an old piece of furniture? That's been neglected and dried out and the old English and what is it? It's wood conditioner and cleaner. What would happen if these pews if you start using this Old English? Conditioner and cleaner.

Think about our spiritual lives? Metamorphosis. We are be conformed from the darkness to the light from the image of the world. We are to be conformed to the image of Christ. And it's time to go by, there's Nicks. We get a little Dusty. Life can happen. And even what did David say, restore to me the joy of my salvation. If we're going to live for a lifetime, they're all times that we spiritually. Need to be restored.

Back to the image of Christ. I don't want to insult your intelligence, but I do want to make a point. Look at these three things, and I'm going to do, these will just go really quick. It's going to be one to three acts, 238 repent and do what be baptized Saul. I think about this Saul has done everything that Billy Graham would tell him to do to be saved.

He's fasted, he sprayed, he's confessed. Jesus is Lord. He's done this for three days and three nights and have you haven't. If you've been the church long, you've had it on my Facebook friend. Say I'm saved by faith, but you're saved by Works. And what it's all told to do a rise and The can you adhere to lie can baptize yourself? I think about this is this active or passive, I accepted Jesus in my heart. Active or passive. I said the sinner's prayer.

All the things that are religious friends. Tell us that we're the ones who are saved by works, what they did to be saved is active and be baptized in the same way that God raised Jesus from the dead. Then by faith symbolically, we are raised from the water to walk in newness of life where the ones that are saved has to lie. Be baptized. And other ones who were saved actively. When they said, the sinner's prayer, accepted Jesus in their heart, and his other stuff that no one is taught to do in the New Testament after cross. We get into the the Christ be baptized. In addition to the ones who looked at, here's one more beholding, the glory of the Lord, we are being transformed. Our spiritual change is passive and then what's this How do we get home?

The trumpet will sound.

The dead in Christ will be raised. And guess what will happen to us? We will be changed.

Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. If Christ comes back this week, we don't go like this. Do any of us have the power to change us from being Flesh and Blood to being spirit? That we just corruptible will take on incorruptible.

We the dead will be raised and we shall all be changed. Paul says in Romans 7:4 that. You may belong to him who has been raised from the dead. That you may bear fruit for Christ.

On the back page. I list this wonderful verse that we are the workmanship of God.

And you think if we're the workmanship of God, are we the Potter and the clay?

Do any of us have the capacity on our own to change ourselves to be conformed to the image of Christ?

So let me ask you again.

How old do you think this Spruce is?

It's eight years old.

And because it is in such a small container. The roots that keep it alive. Are the roots that will keep it a miniature for the rest of its life.

You will never be able to produce spiritual fruit. Without spiritual roots. And may God bless you as he tries to work in each of Our Lives.