The Craftsman - Jeremiah 18:1-12

Introduction

My grandad was a craftsman. He had imagination, ingenuity, and ability. He was the guy you called when nobody else new what to do. I remember once that a man brought him a lawn mower that needed to fixed. It was too old to buy replacement parts for it, and nobody else would touch it. My grandad new he could fix it. I remember him holding up some part I still can’t identify and telling me that this was the problem, and it was a big problem because you couldn’t buy it any more. I asked him what he was going to do, and he said that he was just going to make the part himself. To an eight or nine year old boy, it was as if he had just told me that he knew how to fly.

My parents would often tell me that I needed to spend as much time with him as possible in his workshop. They told me that there was a lot that I could learn from him. Now, I’m pretty sure they meant mechanically. And, if my grandad was here with us today, he would’ve been the first one to tell all of you that I’m one of the worst mechanics he’s ever known. I didn’t learn how to fix carburetors and starters, but I did learn a lot. I learned that a problem thought about long enough can almost always be solved. I learned that if you can envision it, then you can build it. I learned that curiosity, creativity, and ingenuity create a spark that makes you want to keep going. I learned a lot of things in my grandad’s workshop, just not what you’d expect.

God’s Word

What’s interesting about Jeremiah 18 is that God takes the prophet to a workshop so that he can learn some things. Potters were some of the most skilled and important craftsmen in antiquity. They created everything from basic water jars to family heirlooms. Much of their work still remains today. No doubt, Jeremiah had seen hundreds of potters shops in his day, but on this day he was going to see it in a new light. I want us to see those “Lessons of a Workshop:” (Headline)

God is a “craftsman.”

On December 1, 1913, Henry Ford installed the first moving assembly line, enabling the efficient mass production of affordable automobiles. And so began the gradual decline of craftsmanship. Mass production has undoubtably been a gift to us, but it’s been a curse, too. If you ask anyone if they’d rather have a chair that is mass produced or a chair that is handcrafted, 100 times out of 100 they will take the handcrafted one. That’s why craftsmanship today comes at such a premium. When something is mass produced, it’s made anonymously and without individuality. When something is handcrafted, it’s personal to the maker. It flows from passion. They take pride in putting their name on it.

God is taking Jeremiah to the potter’s shop to show that He is the original Craftsman. And, like any great craftsman...

He has a “design.”

Jeremiah 18:3-6 “So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. Then the word of the Lord came to me: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.”

You see, no craftsman builds without a plan and a vision. Their building is not arbitrary and aimless. They know what they’re building, and they know why. This is certainly the case with God. The potter is shown here making “the vessel.” He knows exactly what “vessel” he intends to make, and he knows what the “vessel” is meant to accomplish. It may be a cup, a bowl, or a pot, but it’s being made by his hands on purpose for a purpose.

God as the potter and us as the clay is one of the most frequent word pictures used throughout the Bible. “Like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are (we) in (his) hand.” This means most fundamentally that God is our sovereign Maker. He has made each of us on purpose for a purpose.

And, I want you to feel the relief and beauty of that. You weren’t an afterthought of God. You weren’t a mistake by God. You weren’t an accident because of your parents. You were a brilliant idea in the mind of THE master Craftsmen, and He’s put you together exactly as He would have you. Now, alone you’re incomplete. He’s talking to a whole nation here. You were made with limitations. That’s because you’re intended to be a part of a set — in the church. Your strengths are on purpose. Your weaknesses are on purpose. Your experiences are on purpose. And, it’s on purpose because you fit within the sovereign design of God.

But, it’s important to see that He’s not finished with you yet. That’s the message to Jeremiah and to Judah.

He’s always “shaping.”

Jeremiah 18:3-6 “So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. Then the word of the Lord came to me: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.”

The problem that with this world is that sin has distorted God’s good design for it. That is, the problem with this world is you and me. Yet, even with the distortion of his design, God is making clear that everything and everyone is still beneath his sovereign control. Everything we see may seem so bent out of shape that it’s hopeless, but “he (is reworking) it into another vessel.” That’s the point. Judah was spoiled clay, but God’s plan wasn’t spoiled. Judah lived as though they were done with God, but God wasn’t done with them.

The picture is a potter whose at his wheel, and the implication is that God is always at his wheel working the clay according to his will. We create lumps and imperfections, and it looks like we’ll throw the whole thing off course. But, there He is at the wheel always at work, always shaping, always doing “as it (seems) good to the potter.”

Aren’t you glad that God doesn’t throw out spoiled clay? There’s an old barn across the street from where Megan grew up. It’s been in their family for generations. It’s grown up over the years, and termites have eaten their way through a lot of the wood. But, a couple of Christmases ago, my father-in-law took some of the wood from that old barn. He sanded it, stained it, and made it into a charcuterie board. You can see where the termites have been, and you can see where pieces of the have splintered off over the years. And, it’s stunning. Today it’s the centerpiece of our kitchen. Where it’s been and where it’s from is the context of its beauty. And, that’s how God forms his Kingdom. That’s how He turns everything to good for those who love him. He takes all of our splinters and spoiled clay, and He turns them into centerpieces of his grace. He’s always shaping me, and He’s always shaping you. And, even more central, as his people, as his church, He’s always shaping us together.

God can “reshape” the “worst” clay.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is one the world’s most iconic towers. It’s also one of art’s most famous blunders. The reason the tower leans is because the architects — the identity of which I have learned is disputed — didn’t compensate for the soft ground that was beneath. The tower is 183 feet tall, but the foundation is only around nine feet deep. So, as they began to build it, the tower began to sink on one side creating almost 4 degrees of lean angle. But, they didn’t tear the tower down. A war took them away from the work for almost a century, allowing the ground to settle and become firmer beneath. New craftsmen began making the walls higher on the leaning side to help compensate for the lean. And, today, the only reason any of us even knows it exists or the city of Pisa exists is because of this leaning tower.

What appeared to be a catastrophe became a masterpiece. And, what God is saying to Judah through Jeremiah is that though they are a catastrophe, they can become a masterpiece. Rather than having the tower torn down, allow this master Craftsman to reshape them into a stunning display of his glory after all.

There are two phrases I want you to notice that lead us to two questions that God wants us to ask. First notice in verse 6 that God says “Can I not?” When it comes to who God is and what God can do, we should look at the catastrophe that is our lives and ask...

Can “God” not?

Jeremiah 18:6 ““O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.”

The problem in Judah was not a design problem. The problem in Judah was that the vessel had fallen away from the Potter. With the Potter, the vessel is cherished, protected, and has a clear purpose. But, if the vessel gets lost, if the clay pot finds itself left out in the sun, it’s notably fragile, vulnerable, and worthless. That’s what had happened with Judah. They had fallen away from the Potter and been broken as a result. They’d abandoned the one who cherished and protected them. They had become as useless as broken glasses. So, listen to the kind of grace of God in the question He asks them: “Cannot I who made you fix you again? Cannot I who kept you safe keep you safe again? Cannot I who gave your life meaning give it meaning once more? Cannot I take your catastrophe and make it a masterpiece?”

You’re not the one one person God can’t fix. Judah wasn’t, and you aren’t. You aren’t the rock too big for him to move. You aren’t the one person too bad for his grace. Don’t think so highly of your abilities and so lowly of God’s. God was asking because He could. And, God was asking because He would. This question is a statement of prerogative (It’s God’s right), ability (it’s within God’s power), and love (it’s because of God’s desire). This is the glory of sovereign grace.

And, that leads us to the second phrase and the second question.

Will “you” not?

Jeremiah 18:7-8 “If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it.”

In verse 7, God takes Jeremiah back to his original call. You’ll remember those six verbs that we saw 1:10 that formed the mission statement of Jeremiah’s call. We see three of those hard verbs here, but God wants it to be clear that there is an offer of grace still on the table. They don’t have to be “plucked,” “broken down,” or “destroyed.” They can be remade. They can be reshaped instead. “If at any time,” they will turn away from their sin and toward God He will receive them.

Listen, if the enemy can’t convince you that you’re too bad, then he’ll work to convince that you’re in too deep. But, God says, “if at any time” you will turn away from your evil and away from yourself, He will receive you. And, y’all, I take that to mean “at any time.” It’s not too late until it’s too late. Ask yourself, are you in deeper than the thief on the cross was? Are you in deeper than Peter was after he told three different people that he didn’t even know who Jesus was? Are you in deeper than Paul was when he was killing Christians? Are you in deeper than David was after he took advantage of Bathsheba? It’s not too late until it’s too late. If Jesus was willing to hear the cries of a dying criminal and of a cowardice disciple and of a blaspheming apostle and of a predator king, will He not hear you?

Romans 2:4 “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”

The question is: Will you not turn to him? Will you not allow his kindness lead you to repentance? You see, when you really understand sovereign grace, it isn’t a get-of-jail-free card that allows you to live however you want with impunity. It’s a love so great that you’d never want to betray it. With a mean dad, you have to be right with him. Some of you grew up with a dad like that. It was all law and no love. But, with a good dad, you want to be right with him. Because being with him is the best place to be. Will you not turn to him? Will you not turn to him that He might reshape your catastrophe into a masterpiece?

God can “break” the “strongest” pot.

When we were working with teenagers, I sat in one Sunday with Andrew’s small group of junior high boys. One of the boys was the kicker for Oxford’s junior high team. And, Andrew would always start off the group by letting everybody give a life update, and this kid was just a proud as a peacock talking about how he had not missed a kick all season and had won games for his team. Without blinking, Andrew snap back at him: “Bro, you better watch out because pride always comes before the fall.” He missed three field goals in his next game.

You know, that’s funny to think about in the life of a junior high kicker, but it’s painful for me to remember how often it’s been true in my life. Humans famously overestimate themselves. And, that has always been a temptation for God’s people. But, God wants Judah to know that...

Every “pot” is “fragile.”

Jeremiah 18:9-10 “And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it.”

God prefers to draw us to repentance with his kindness. His patience with Judah makes this obvious. He’s still here pleading for them to turn. But, God is willing to draw us to repentance with his discipline. Judah will know that soon enough. Again, he takes Jeremiah back to his call and his mission statement by going to those six verbs. This time, he highlights “build” and “plant.” That’s who God had made Judah to be. That’s who God has made us to be.

But, the unique temptation for God’s people is to believe that God’s grace excludes them from any consequences. That is, God’s love can be corrupted by God’s people in such a way that emboldens sin. It can give them an unhealthy sense of independence and invincibility. But, eternal security does not mean temporal immunity. This is what Paul means by “presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience.”

There’s no pot further away from God’s design than a proud one. A pot doesn’t decide what it will do. The potter does. A pot doesn’t decide what it will look like. The potter does. A pot doesn’t decide what it’s capable of. The potter does. So, God says it would be better for you to be broken and refashioned into something useful than for you to think you don’t need the potter. So, even if He’s made you to be able to preach or if He’s given you great intellectual gifts or business acumen, it’s better for him to break you than to allow you believe you don’t need him. Don’t presume upon his grace. Grace makes you more dependent, not less.

Every “day” is “new.”

Jeremiah 18:11-12 “Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.’ “But they say, ‘That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.’”

So, God says, “Don’t wallow in your sin, and don’t presume upon my grace. RETURN!” It’s a way for him to say that they need to make a decision today. Don’t keep running away from God because you’ve been running away from God. There’s no logic more flawed. Return today! And, don’t presume upon God’s grace tomorrow because you’re living without painful consequences today. He won’t let you keep going. Return! Every day is new, and today you have the opportunity to turn to him. It’s not too late until it’s too late. But, one day it will be, and you don’t know when that day will be. Return!