SHAPED FOR GOD'S GLORY -Part 2

SHAPED for GOD’S GLORY

Story of the Potter — the mud to beauty that Glorifies the Potter

A potter sat quietly at his wheel with nothing before him but a rough, shapeless lump of clay.

To anyone passing by, it looked ordinary and unremarkable.

Yet the potter saw something more.

With patient hands, he pressed, shaped, and refined the clay.

At times the clay was stretched;

at other times it was gently corrected when it leaned out of balance.

The process was not always easy, but the potter never took his hands away.

Hour after hour, he worked with skill and purpose until the lump became a beautiful vessel,

graceful in form and useful in design.

When the vessel was finally placed on display, visitors stopped to admire its beauty.

They spoke of its elegant curves, its strength, and its craftsmanship.

But the pot did not glorify itself.

Its beauty pointed beyond itself to the one who had made it.

Every line and detail testified to the wisdom, patience, and skill of the potter.

In the same way, God takes ordinary lives and shapes them through His loving hands.

As He molds us into what He created us to be,

the finished work is not ultimately for our glory, but for His.

The beauty of the vessel brings honor to the Potter.

the PROCESS of the POTTERY

MUD —dirt and water

MIX —

Manipulated

MASTER HANDS

to the MASTERPIECE

GLORY TO GOD THE POTTER of OUR LIVES

it is a PROCESS

and a BIBLICAL CYCLE

Marker of MANKINDS —-Dynamic with GOD

Perfect to REMOVED to the LAW to GRACE TO RESTORATION

transformed people reflecting God’s glory.

our shaping brings GLORY TO GOD

OUR MESSAGE TODAY

Cycle, Contrast , Condemnation

to Restore, Reconciled and Righteous.

The clay was made by God ——

There is a great story

God is sitting in Heaven when a scientist says to Him, "Lord, we don't need you anymore. Science has finally figured out a way to create life out of nothing. In other words, we can now do what you did in the beginning." "Oh, is that so? Tell me..." replies God. "Well", says the scientist, "we can take dirt and form it into the likeness of you and breathe life into it, thus creating man." "Well, that's interesting. Show Me." So the scientist bends down to the earth and starts to mold the soil. "Oh no, no, no..." interrupts God, (I love this) "Get your own dirt."

Main Points

1. The Human Tendency:

Short-Term Focus vs. Eternal

Perspective

 We often seek immediate relief from pain and difficulties.

and we want ease, pleasure, joy over all the contrasts.

We seek PLEASURE

and seek to Avoid PAIN

it is the simple core to our decisions

This is designed in by God.

The contrast to Life before —- it will get better

to the Promise of ETERNAL LIFE —— no more any thing bad, nothing to make better

Romans 5 is the culmination of Pauls first four chapters

The cycle —— birth, sin, hopeless —- to BELIEF, FAITH, RESTORATION, LIVING IN PROMISE

The Contrast is the KEY from PAUL

through ADAM

through ONE act of DISOBEDIANCE

SIN entered —- DEATH WAS ONLY REALITY

Death was the ONLY END

This is not the same exact focus as

Romans 3:23 “23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Yes we all have sinned

but PAUL is saying prior to CHRIST —— they didn’t know RIGHT OR WRONG

Adam sin was the abolishment of RIGHTEOUS, RELATIONSHIP with GOD ——

all will DIE separated from HIM

— NO HEAVEN

— NO HOPE

This Cycle moved from Adam to MOSES

the LAW was entered

RIGHT and WRONG

man having no need of choice

to man having CHOICE —— OBEY or DISOBEY

Romans 5:20 ESV

20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,

the Laws increased —- therefore the ability to disobey increased

so the revelation of LAW, produced the ability to GIVE GRACE

prior to the LAW

there would have been no concept of forgiveness

for there was no line to break

but the law brought the line

the ability to walk it, or disobey

Man did as MAN wanted to do

the BIBLE tells of the CHAOS —- the slavery —- the craziness in the WORLD

so our CYCLE moves to CHRIST

the LAW now fulfilled

simple returned —— Believe or DON’T believe

Simple failure —- ADAM —- one act

no law —- total chaos

LAW —- line of RIGHT and WRONG —- GOD never clouded that walk —- but Man sure did manipulated

Then the CYCLE changes —- ONE ACT of OBEDIANCE, ONE act of LOVE, ONE PAYMENT, ONE SACRIFICE

turn the cycle 180 degrees

what one man did to condemn mankind

another MAN — defeated by ONE ACT

ADAM did one thing and it spread through mankind

Jesus captured all that and brought it back to SIMPLICITY

ADAM< JESUS > SAVED

Sin defeated, RECONCILATION POSSIBLE, LAW FULFILLED

and a NEW LIFE, a NEW WAY, a NEW OUTCOME —- ALL THROUGH CHRIST JESUS

God’s GRACE greater than SIN

Let me ground this by reading our SCRIPTURE again today

Reference

Romans 5:12–21 ESV

12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. 18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Closing Thought

All of Paul’s teaching points to this truth: Though we were once lost through the ACT of ONE MAN

we are SAVED, RESTORED because of the SECOND MAN — the SECOND ACT

DISOBEDIANCE to OBEDIANCE

LOST TO SAVED

FAILING the LAWS to RECIEVING GRACE

through Christ we are found, alive, and destined for a glorious future.

Let us live with

hope, gratitude, and a focus on God’s redemptive plan.