A VESSEL MADE BY GOD AND NOT BY MAN

TEXT:

INTRODUCTION:

God uses many different images to describe His relationship to His people. God, in His Word, speaks of the shepherd and sheep relationship, the husband and wife relationship, a Father and His children relationship, and many more. These images are wonderful and they teach us many valuable lessons about life, ourselves and our Lord.

As sheep we are protected and provided for by the shepherd, but there is another aspect of our lives that needs to taught also. gives us a clear understanding of our dependence upon Jesus. Israel, through the story of the Potter will learn this lesson.

In our text today we see the Potter and this potter has a singular purpose. He plans to take clay and from that clay produce vessels. He wants to make vessels that will reap a profit; that will be found useful; and that will bring honor unto him. The vessels that the potter makes are intended to be used by him and others. For a few minutes lets look at three different vessels by the Potter.

I. A Vessel Made

a. Before a vessel is a vessel it had to be made by someone. This person is called a potter. Potter’s make bowls, pots, and vessels out of clay that they have chosen to be that bowl, pot, or vessel. . God pick up some clay and said let us make man in our image. God had a design for all mankind, yes we may not look the same but we where all made by the same Potter.

b. As Jeremiah stood in the potter’s house he observed the potter working with his clay. Jeremiah notice that the potter determines the shape the clay will take. It maybe a fat vessel, a tall skinny vessel, or a short fat vessel. What every type of vessel it is the potter is the one who determines the shape and not the vessel. Just because you Botox it up, plastic it up, or color it up it will not change the design that potter has already determined.

God, as the potter of us all, designed use all according to His purpose. Many of us are not happy how God has created us and we try to change the outside when the inside is issue. We should just be happy that the Potter made us. God has this same authority over every nation and every person. Nations are risen up against nations and people are risen up against people because we have forgotten or just don’t care that God is the Potter who created us all.

Lets look at the Potter’s wheel for a moment. In Hebrew wheel means “the two stones.” The potter’s wheel consisted of two stones in the shape of disks. The lower stone was larger than the upper one, the potter could spin it with his feet while working the clay on the top of the small stone. The set up of the potter’s wheel allows the potter to use it whole body or his all in all in working the clay.

God’s potter wheel is set up like this: the base of the wheel represents the world. The wheel that’s in the middle of the base represents the circumstances of our daily lives. Here in Jeremiah, the potter and clay stresses the Lord’s authority over His people and the importance of our submission to His will.

Many vessels in the world are not submissive to the will of God because of the day to day of spinning in their circumstances has caused them to discredit their Potter. . Our circumstance can have us to question the Potter about His own creation. Lord, why did you let me be born.

Many of question God’s creation because we have not responded to His TOUCH. See we are spinning in our circumstances of daily life but God, the Potter, has His hands on us. The Potter is touching our lives and trying to make us what He wants us to be. But often times, like Israel, we are not responding to God’s Touch.

Touch is defined as: bringing into bodily contact of one thing with another. The Potter’s touch is personal in such away that He would rather reshape the vessel that to cast it into the fire. ; .

You, as an earthly vessel, was not made by man’s hand but by God’s hands. These hands are always on us ready to reshape us so that we can maintain His image. I don’t know about you but I don’t mind the Potter touching me see this hand has the power over sickness, power over my enemies, power over death. In order to keep the hand of the potter on you, you must do this. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.”

God, our Potter is the one who can change you but you must seek Him everyday and remain mold able at all times. Many wont seek after God because of their condition, many wont seek after God because they are waiting till they get right. Sometimes the Potter thinks he has created a masterpiece till he look closer at the vessel and see that it spoiled.

In verse 4 Jeremiah notice that the vessel that the potter was making of clay was spoiled in his hand. Even though God has created us we often times become spoiled or marred.

II. A Vessel Marred

a. “You searched out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.” The potter knows his clay because he has it in his hands looking at to see if it is good. Even though God has His hands on us we can still become marred or spoiled because of the sins in our lives.

The vessel in the potter’s hands was not shaping up properly. There was a flaw in the clay or perhaps it was inferior for delicate work. We become marred of spoiled because of . “So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right evil lies close at hand.” Has a vessel of God there is a stalker out there call sin waiting to spoil you.

Many of us fall to this stalker everyday because we kept tucked away in our closets. You know what I mean, those skeletons, or those secret sins that we do that make us feel good and you don’t want anyone to know about. I know that some of you are saying that I don’t have any secret sins. Well let me tell you this, there are times when even with the best care, the vessel still gets out of shape.

Isn’t this the way our lives seem at times? We are going along doing just fine and we are growing in the grace of the Lord, the along comes a temptation, or a trail and for one reason or the other, we are thrown off balance and marred in the potter’s hands. Every turn of the wheel makes the blemish more visible. It soon become evident that God cannot use us in our present shape.

Many of us have vessels in our homes and we tell our children to be careful and don’t it over. But the child say that it will not happen then out of know where a ball hits the vessel. No one should think so highly of themselves that they think they will not spoil.

If you happen to marred, today I want to let you know that there is something special about your Potter. His hand is resting on you. Jeremiah notice how the clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand. Jeremiah notice that even though this clay was spoiled the potter did not throw it away. No, he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.

“You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.” God the Potter has His hands on His work and He knows instantly when a problem arises. God senses the changes in the clay and begins to take whatever steps are necessary to correct the problem. God, our Potter, knows our sins and flaws and at that moment, God takes the necessary steps to get us back in usable condition. There is a reason that God whips us back in shape.

See, when a potter has finished the vessel and it hardens and he notices that it is still spoiled. The potter will throw it away because he cannot rework a harden vessel. Our Potter has never thrown a vessel away because it was flawed. If you don’t believe me, well lets ask Peter.

Peter will tell you that Jesus called him satan. Peter will tell you that he was quick to curse someone out. Peter will tell you that he denied Jesus three times. Peter will tell that because the Potter didn’t throw him away but reworked him, he became of the most power preachers to preach a matter of fact 3000 souls was save.

The potter has invested to much time in salvaging the clay from the soil and preparing it for use. The Potter has a vested interest in what happens to the clay. Therefore, he can afford to be patient and to keep working the in the clay until it begins to resemble that image that he desires it to bear.

By this same token, our Heavenly Potter has never thrown His clay away. He paid the ultimate price for His clay. He died for it to redeem it from sin and disuse. See, what God saves, God saves to keep. . ; ; .

There are times when the clay becomes no longer pliable to the potter’s touch. When the clay because on longer pliable, the potter sets it aside and chooses another lump of clay to work with. There are times when God removes His hand of blessings and place us aside and uses another vessel instead. .

Has the potter’s vessels, we must discipline ourselves to yield to God’s hand and always remain mold able. Yielding to God and remaining mold able with allow God to mend us.

III. A Vessel Mended

Verse 4b “He reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the Potter to do. This gives all believers hope. Hope in a Potter who is not like any another Potter, who will throw away spoiled clay that they cannot use. God will never throw away spoiled clay. He will continue to rework the clay into another vessel.

Even though we have good intentions of been righteous, often become broken, discourage, and lost. “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” We must continue to seek after God in our broken state.

God is the only one who can restore us. Clay or a vessel after it has been spoiled, cannot restore itself. The potter is the only one who can rework the clay back into a usable state. “give and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap.”

When you become spoiled or marred give all of your self to God. God will begin to rework you by pressing you down and shaken you up. This done to get that marred or spoil spots out of your soul. God begins to do what ever His has to do to get His vessel back into a usable state.

Why would God do what He wants with else? Well this phrase gives us an understanding of my He is God. Because God is God, He is free to do whatever he pleases. In His hands rest all power, rule, control, authority, kingdom, government, and dominion. He is the greatest potter ever and we are at His mercy in our broken state.

John Calvin wrote, “Until men are brought to know that they are so subject to God’s power that their condition can is a single moment be changed, according to His will, they will never be humble as they ought to be.”

See when God begins to mend us after we have be marred. The clay is pounded, pounded, pounded, and reshaped by the Potter. ; .

The clay, the believers must yield to the will of the Potter, God. Jesus is the best example of how to yield to God. Christ went around doing good, He went around sharing God’s Word. He yield to God upon that rugged cross, died, and rose on the third day so that we can be able to yield to the Potter.

If we want the blessings of the Lord, and want to be a strong vessel of honor unto Him, then let us be what the Potter has equipped us to be.