The Potters Field

There once was a village who had a long history of only having mayors named Benny and who had magnificent beards.

Legend held that if a mayor shaved his beard off, an ancient curse would transform him into a piece of pottery.

Centuries passed and every Benny was a fair and wise mayor, and never shaved their beards. But one summer, their land was struck by a terrible heat wave.

All the men of the village shaved their beards, but Benny knew he couldn’t unless he wanted to be turned into a piece of pottery.

After days and days of higher and higher temperatures, Benny could no longer stand it. He called in the village barber and had his beard shaved right down to the skin.

The people of the village barely had time to gaze upon Benny’s face before he disappeared in a puff of smoke, transformed into a vase.

And so it was on that day, the villagers knew the curse was true:

a Benny shaved is a Benny urned!

That might be a eye roller of a joke, but it’s appropriate because we are going to talk all about pottery today. In fact, I want to pretend that you’re in my pottery shop. I have lots of different works of art here on my table.

(Check out all the types of pottery)

For the past few weeks Pastor Ron has been teaching from Jeremiah 18 and I bring a message from that scripture too.

Jeremiah was a prophet who was commanded by God to bring a message to God’s people. He was promised that the Lord would give him something to say to the people of Israel.

My prayer in preparation to this message is that the Spirit of God would speak to your heart. It’s not an accident that you’re here today. It may be a long time since you’ve been to church, it could be your first time, or your thousandth time, but I believe that from the moment you were born, God had these next few minutes in mind. If you listen to the Spirit of God this morning, your life can be changed.

Let’s read our scripture for today written by the Prophet Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 18:1–6 CEV

1 The Lord told me, 2 “Go to the pottery shop, and when you get there, I will tell you what to say to the people.” 3 I went there and saw the potter making clay pots on his pottery wheel. 4 And whenever the clay would not take the shape he wanted, he would change his mind and form it into some other shape. 5 Then the Lord told me to say: 6 People of Israel, I, the Lord, have power over you, just as a potter has power over clay.

Jeremiah was told to go check out the pottery shop. He went and watched the Potter work. He noticed how the potter placed the clay on the wheel and started to work the clay. But the clay wasn’t exactly perfect and it wasn’t forming into the shape the potter wanted, so he had to form it into something else.

God spoke to the prophet Jeremiah to tell God’s people that He, God, was just like the Potter and they were like the clay.

Let’s imagine that we are in the pottery shop that Jeremiah visited that day. Now, I am like a little kid, I have LOTS of questions. If I were there, I’d have four questions rolling in my head.

1) Why does God say He’s the Potter?

2) Why are people like clay?

3) How fast does that pottery wheel need to spin?

4) What does the Potter do with the Broken Pots?

If we can start to find the answer to these questions then we can start to understand God and His purposes for our lives. As you consider the potter and the clay, you can see a picture of our lives and our relationship to God. Each object has a meaning.

Why does God say He’s the Potter?

God is like the potter because He is the creator. He’s intimately involved in forming His creation.

God is intensely interested in forming your life.

Our lives are not in the hands of some invisible “force” or blind “fate”; they are in the hands of Almighty God. God is not just some far off creator of the universe; He is our Father, and He has a personal concern for our lives.

Just as the potter has his hands on the clay, God has His hands on our lives.

Isaiah makes it clear that God is the potter in the story of human existence.

Isaiah 64:8 CEV

8 You, Lord, are our Father. We are nothing but clay, but you are the potter who molded us.

For some reason, people get the idea that God is unloving, harsh, or angry with people. Nothing could be farther from the truth. God’s thoughts for people is good. He has plans for each and every person.

Think of a potter working on a lump of clay. In order to shape that clay he must keep his eye on the clay. He has to know from the beginning the plan he has for that clay.

Clay will not become a useful vessel by chance. The maker must have a purpose for the clay.

God has an interest in your life! He has His eye on you. He had a plan from the beginning of time of what He wanted to do with you.

I love how the writer of Psalm 139 tells us about God’s interest in us.

Psalm 139:1–3 CEV

1 [A psalm by David for the music leader.] You have looked deep into my heart, Lord, and you know all about me. 2 You know when I am resting or when I am working, and from heaven you discover my thoughts. 3 You notice everything I do and everywhere I go.

God knows us better than we know ourselves. And His thoughts for us are GOOD. Not evil! Good things come from God and bad things come from the consequences of sin and attacks from the devil.

Later in Psalm 139 we can read that God has so many good thoughts about us that they are more than the grains of sand on the beach! Basically, God’s good thoughts toward you are beyond what anyone could ever count!

God cares for you. He isn’t trying to trip you up or trying to get you to fail. His thoughts are good towards you!

Just as the potter forms the clay, God wants to form our lives.

God is the Potter in the story.

Who is the clay in the story? WE ARE!

Why are people like clay?

In this scripture, we are the clay. Here’s the problem with clay: in it’s natural state it’s basically worthless. It’s EVERYWHERE on earth. It’s just like dirt. In fact, it’s sold like dirt - by the ton! We could go outside right now and wouldn’t have to look far to find clay.

Have you ever felt worthless in life? Like you’re not good enough? Well, you’re not alone! The struggle of self-worth is real and I can promise you that people in this room right now have questioned whether or not their life has value.

Let me tell you something interesting about clay.

There is potential in clay.

If you place regular old worthless clay into the hands of a skilled potter, they will work it by kneading it, and will turn it into a priceless work of art.

If you’ve struggled to find value in your life or you’ve placed you worth in temporal things like your job, money, health, or any other thing than God then you’ll be disappointed every time.

The full potential of a life can only be found when it’s touched by God. As He shapes us, and as we YIELD to Him, our life becomes something valuable.

We aren’t good at shaping our own life. All of our of accomplishments will seem empty and unfulfilling. Why? Because clay has no power to take on a form or shape on it’s own. The shape and form come from outside influences.

No person is a “self-made” man. We are all the product of our environments. We are a product of the forces of influence allowed in our lives. ‌The way we think, respond, and operate are motivated by the influences we allow.

What are you allowing to shape you? Negative People, Social Media, Politics, Lust, Disobedience, or Any other sort of thing not found in God?

Here’s the absolute truth: The influence of God in our lives produce something great.

He wants our lives to be conformed into something He has in mind. What the clay must to is yield to the touch of the potter.

It makes sense right? The potter controls what is made from the clay.

You know where I think we get into trouble? WE try to be the potter in our lives. We have ideas that we might think are better than God’s.

The truth is that God has a plan for each person. A work that we are supposed to do. We aren’t accidents.

The problem we face is that we might not know what He is trying to do in our lives. And when we aren’t in control we have a tendency to question Him because we don’t know where or how His plans are coming together.

We question God, but we really don’t have the right.

Romans 9:20–21 CEV

20 But, my friend, I ask, “Who do you think you are to question God? Does the clay have the right to ask the potter why he shaped it the way he did? 21 Doesn’t a potter have the right to make a fancy bowl and a plain bowl out of the same lump of clay?”

We ask God, why have you made me like this? Why are you allowing pain in my life? Why was I born into this family? How could you ask me to endure the pain I am facing?

When we question the Potter we effectively take things into our our hands.

I need two volunteers: Take this clay and form something amazing in one minute. Ready GO!

Now, you’ve got to admit that as good as they did in one minute, their work isn’t really comparable to the other works of art on this table.

God has had all of eternity to think about you. How can our plans compare to God’s plans? As we rush to make something of our lives, we forget or don’t realize that God wants to shape your life into a masterpiece that He had planned long before your were ever born.

God is the potter, as clay, we must allow Him to work in our lives.

There’s something else we need to see in the scripture:

Jeremiah 18:4 NKJV

4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.

In the scripture we read that the vessel was marred. This means that It was imperfect.

You and I are not, nor can we ever be perfect. We need a touch from the Potter to change our lives.

Our imperfection is KNOWN by God. He can work with us if we are willing to surrender to His touch.

What matters is whether or not you are ready and willing to allow God to touch you right now and forever more! He is willing to transform your life if you are willing to be shaped by Him.

Thankfully, God is patient with the clay. He will work out the lumps and hard places.

Let me tell you the truth, if you’re alive right now, God isn’t done with you. You may have committed your life to Him in the past, but you’ve held onto something that is preventing Him from transforming you into the person He has in mind for you.

The good news is that God’s grace is reaching down to rework your life. Repent and allow Him to work on you again. Today is a new day!

God doesn’t throw clay out! Sometimes our lives have become marred because of Sin. But God continues to work to make us a pleasing vessel. If we are willing.

That’s the key. Willingness to surrender to His work in our lives.

Allow God to take control.

You might say, Yes! I’m ready to allow Him to mold me and make me according to His will, but what about the chaos in my life? I’m going through a lot right now. I’ve prayed the prayers but things haven’t gotten any better.

Well, that brings me to the next question.

How fast does that pottery wheel need to spin?

Let’s go back to verse 3:

Jeremiah 18:3 CEV

3 I went there and saw the potter making clay pots on his pottery wheel.

The truth is that even when things seem to be coming apart at the seams, God is in control.

Think about that clay on the wheel. The wheel is that tool used to shape the clay. It spins at the will of the potter. He is the one who controls the speed and intensity.

To the clay, it could seem unwise to spin at such fast speeds. It might seem to the clay that at any moment it could go flying off the wheel.

The wheel is like the circumstances of life that God allows to shape us. Circumstances, easy or difficult, are used to shape us into what we are to be.

The truth of living a life surrendered to God is that He is continually transforming us to the likeness of Jesus. Jesus is the only standard of Holiness. God’s plan is to make us more and more like Jesus.

Romans 8:28–29 NLT

28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

God is working in you to make you more and more like Jesus! That’s why this scripture tells us that He is using EVERYTHING to work for the good of transforming us to become like His Son!

Even the difficult circumstances of life are pushing us to become more like Christ.

There is no reason to complain. If we do, we are complaining about God’s working our life.

Think about the children of Israel. They complained about their circumstances but God trying to reveal what was in there hearts.

Deuteronomy 8:2 CEV

2 Don’t forget how the Lord your God has led you through the desert for the past forty years. He wanted to find out if you were truly willing to obey him and depend on him,

God is concerned about our heart. He wants US to know what’s in our heart. Sometimes He allows us to face tests of circumstances to show us what we really believe. How we respond is important.

Difficult times reveal WHO we are. The spinning wheel reveals the beauty inside the clay. It forms the clay as it turns.

It seems the Lord will allow us to go through things over and over to work out rough parts of our faith. Round and round we go until we finally take the shape the potter wants us to become.

We discover the truth about who we are when the circumstances of life are upon us. When we can’t see our way out is when we find out what we believe.

Why does it seem like my world is spinning out of control?

Because I have the wrong perspective. From God’s view, the Potters view, He’s got us surrounded by His loving hands. From the Clay’s view it seems like everything is about to fall apart.

God is the Potter

We are the clay

The wheel is the circumstances of life.

Now, let me get to the last, and in my opinion the most important question to answer today:

What Does the Potter do with the Broken Pots?

The Potter takes clay off the wheel and places it into the fire to harden it into it’s final form. When the pot is in the fire, unless it’s completely perfect, it will crack in the fire.

When the potter pulls it from the fire and sees it’s cracked all hope is lost. It’s lost it’s value. He has no choice but to toss it in the trash.

This is an important part of the story because no matter how great and powerful the potter is, if the clay is imperfect it won’t withstand the fire. It won’t have the strength to fulfill it’s purpose.

Oh, it might be able to work for a while, but that imperfection will eventually grow until the whole pot is completely broken.

Let’s think about our lives for a second. Even if you’ve surrendered your life to God, are you perfect?

I’ve got to say, I think we aren’t perfect. I feel as though we are like this pot right here - it looks so good on the outside, but really it’s weak because it’s got a million little imperfections. Tiny little cracks that when you apply just the right pressure break up the whole pot!

Some of you are here this morning and you feel just like the broken pot on the ground. Like your life is completely and totally shattered. I’m here to tell you, you’re not alone.

None of us are perfect. We are all cracked pots. We are all broken.

In Jeremiahs day, next to the potters house was a field that was used as a dump heap. The potters field was full of broken pots.

The Good news is that God doesn’t give up on the broken pots. God hasn’t given up on you!

Let me read a portion of scripture that can change your life:

Matthew 27:3–8 CEV

3 Judas had betrayed Jesus, but when he learned that Jesus had been sentenced to death, he was sorry for what he had done. He returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and leaders 4 and said, “I have sinned by betraying a man who has never done anything wrong.” “So what? That’s your problem,” they replied. 5 Judas threw the money into the temple and then went out and hanged himself. 6 The chief priests picked up the money and said, “This money was paid to have a man killed. We can’t put it in the temple treasury.” 7 Then they had a meeting and decided to buy a field that belonged to someone who made clay pots. They wanted to use it as a graveyard for foreigners. 8 That’s why people still call that place “Field of Blood.”

Judas betrayed Jesus for money. He regretted what he did and wanted to give the money back. The Jewish religious leaders didn’t want the money back because it was used as “blood money”. Judas didn’t know what else to do so he threw it at their feet and went out to take his own life.

The scripture tells us that the priests picked up the money and used it to buy a field. But not just any field. They purchased a field from a potter. It was a field of broken pots.

Jesus was betrayed by Judas for 30 silver coins. Those coins were used to buy a potters field.

If you don’t hear anything else today, please hear and understand this truth:

The field of broken pots was bought by the blood of Jesus!

This is incredibly significant because you and I are broken pots! The whole human race is broken. We need redemption.

No matter how hard we work, we will never be perfect. We are always going to have some hidden sin that is revealed in the fire of life. As clay, we are imperfect, flawed by sin!

The Bible tells us clearly:

Romans 3:23 CEV

23 All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.

We are broken without hope. Useless and dead in our own sin.

But Jesus came to heal us by being broken for our sin. He was beaten, spit upon, and hung on a cruel cross to die.

Price of our sin is death. Just as the price for a broken pot was to be thrown out in the trash, you and I deserve to be tossed out.

God knows that we can never be perfect, that we’re broken. That’s why Jesus came to restore our souls!

Jesus was broken on the cross to bring us out of the field of brokenness!

As He shed His blood on that cross and gave His life for the sin of all humanity, God accepted His sacrificial as a payment for our imperfections.

Three days after Jesus died, God raised Him back to life as PROOF that He was Messiah and that our sins could be forgiven.

Here’s the question you should ask yourself today: Are you going to reject Jesus or accept the free gift of Salvation today?

Even if a person feels they have gone to far and destroyed their lives, they've not really gone to far. Jesus takes the broken pots and puts them together for the Glory of God.

Maybe sin has overcome you. Maybe you think you’re in the potters field. Remember that the blood of Jesus has purchased you!

Here’s the truth about being broken…God can put you back together. Jesus has paid the price for your brokenness.

The only question left today is simple:

Are you willing to be put back together? The only way is if you are willing to Confess Jesus as your Lord, surrender to the Potter, and allow Him to make you brand new.

God can pick up the pieces of your life if you are willing to trust Him today.

Heres’ the scripture you need to hear:

Romans 10:9–10 NLT

9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.

1 John 1:9 CEV

9 But if we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away.

Galatians 2:20 CEV

20 I have died, but Christ lives in me. And I now live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me.

Are there any broken pots in this place? Do you need to give you life to Christ today?