Jeremiah 18:1-6....He can fix the broken

Psalm 16:8 “I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.”

Introduction...

i came to the Lord, busted, broken and defeated but He put me back together and make me whole again...

life in general can break you.

the weight just keeps pushing you downward...

i know God gives us free will and I don’t know about you but i willingly depending on Him

i just can’t do it by myself.

i just used this scripture on Tuesday and it fits here as well, Isaiah 40:29

Isaiah 40:29 NKJV

He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.

TALK, PREACH......

and check this out sometimes God has to break us so He can fix us..

i would call that broken but blessed

God must break us of our self-dependence so that He can bless us as we cling to Him in our brokenness...

God’s breaking process reveals to us the power of our flesh

God’s breaking process reveals to us the power of our God.

God blesses us as we cling to Him in our brokenness...

We won’t cling to the Lord until we’re broken.

Even in clinging, we’re prone to use God, not to submit to Him

whether physically or spiritually broken He can fix us..

spiritually broken…wavering faith, little prayer, little power; He is not first in our lives; and the list could on

physical broken..not talking about a broken arm but depression, anxiety, what about those 7 deadly sins, lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride...

and you can go to Galatians chapter 5 for another list

but all we need to know is that God can take that broken vessel and put it back on the wheel and fix it up...

he has done time and time and again..

i hope you didn’t think you made it this far on your own....

it was nobody but God that fixed you up and took you from the streets to His seats…from the bottle to the bible

He can fix the broken...

History...

Jeremiah, a prophet to the southern kingdom.

known as the weeping prophet..

one who loved God and loved the people of God

and it hurt him to see how the people were acting and turning away from God…being conformed of the world...

he wanted the people to repent and turn their hearts back towards God… that’s all we want today

but the people still doing their thing, he warned them about the fall of Jerusalem but he wanted to give them hope as well...

God through the prophet told the people to urgently and fervently repent and turn from their sins

sins that were breaking the people and taking them away from God

if they did, He could restore them

but God knew his stiff necked and hard hearted children

so thru the prophet He wanted to teach them somethings for them to hold on to while in exile under the babylonians..

1, that He is Lord of all

2, He keeps His word

3, He offers hope

4, no matter the situation, He can still save and restore..

TALK,PREACH....

even though you are broken, I can fix you...

he can bring you back to where you were but He can also bring you back better than before… is there anybody in here that believes that....TALK,PREACH.....

so the people are headed on a path of destruction however God being who he is always has a ram in the bush

God has instructed Jeremiah to go to the potters house. there the Lord would give His prophet a very special message for the people of Judah.

a message that can still be shared today with all

what is that message

He can fix the broken...

Let’s go deeper into the text...

Points...

Jeremiah 18:1–6 “The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear My words.” Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. 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. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the Lord. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!”

Holman Concise Bible Commentary The Potter (18:1–20:18)

The Lord sent Jeremiah to a potter’s house, where he illustrated His sovereign control over Judah. As Jeremiah watched the potter shaping a pot, the clay was marred. The potter reshaped the marred clay into a different style pot. The Lord explained that His people were like clay in His hands, which He is free to reshape in accordance with His desires. When He threatens to destroy a sinful nation, He remains willing to reshape that nation’s destiny if they are repentant. When He plans to bless a nation, He will alter His purpose if they are disobedient. Though He had once blessed His people, He was now planning disaster against them because of their idolatry and disobedience. Repentance would reshape their destiny, but they refused God’s offer.

Let’s look at the players here..

God is the potter

We are the clay

Life is the wheel

disobedience is the marring

repairing is salvation..(REPEAT)

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

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament Chapters 18–19

Clay cannot mold itself; only God has the power to guide our lives

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament Chapters 18–19

The potter has a perfect plan for the clay; he sees the finished product in his mind. God has a perfect plan for our lives (Rom. 12:1–2; Eph. 2:10; Phil. 1:6). We cannot see the finished product, but He promises us that it is wonderful (1 Cor. 2:9).

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament Chapters 18–19

The potter patiently works the clay, tenderly molding its shape. God patiently directs in our lives, seeking to fulfill His will. Often He uses the hands of others to help shape us—parents, teachers, fellow Christians, even those who persecute us. It takes time to make a worthwhile product, and God is willing to wait.

The Clay.....Of course, in Jeremiah’s message the clay represented the people of Judah, but we are not wrong in applying it to our lives personally. Christians are God’s vessels, molded by Him to contain the treasure of the Gospel

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament Chapters 18–19

Clay is of no great value in itself, but it can become something great if molded by the right hands for the right purpose.

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament Chapters 18–19

The clay cannot mold itself; it must have the potter.

The Wheel.....God gives us free will but most of the time, we choose to get on the wrong wheel with the wrong potter...

life is only as hard as me make..

with or without Jesus…

A life with Christ at the center, everything will be balanced...

Marring.....Watching the potter at work, Jeremiah noticed a lump of clay that seemed uncooperative. The potter decided to start again, making something that seemed good to the potter to make.

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament Chapters 18–19

How often we as Christians mar our own lives by making our own plans outside the will of God. If only we could see the finished product that God has planned we would never disobey Him. Alas, we think we know more about life than He does.

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament Chapters 18–19

God is gracious to forgive and to “make us again.” Sometimes He must use difficult testings to get us to yield.

Salvation..God had just given Jeremiah a wonderful illustration through the potter and the clay

Judah was marred but God wanted to repair them

look at the verse…Jeremiah 18:6 ““O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the Lord. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!”

Holman Concise Bible Commentary The Potter (18:1–20:18)

He remains willing to reshape that nation’s destiny if they are repentant.

Church God is willing to reshape and fix you if you are willing..

i can hear the song writer now, I give myself away to you…

one of the lines say, my life is not my own

when i was down and out and couldn’t pick myself..it was God and God alone that picked me up and put me back on the wheel and fixed me up

time and time again, He continues to amaze me on how much He loves me...

and HE loves me so much He sent his only begotten son...

TALK, PREACH, CLOSE....