THE POTTER AND THE MARRED CLAY (2)

Introduction

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Today we are going to look at the Potter and the mired Clay. Isn't it wonderful that a lump of shapeless clay can, in the hands of a skilled potter be turned into a most desirable vessel of honour? This is what God wants to do with everyone of us. At the time this was written, many were potters in the Land of Israel.

A. Four Bible Writers Speak of the Potter and the Clay

Isaiah, who had been given a vision of God’s holiness (); Jeremiah, who was known as the weeping prophet (); Zechariah, who wrote so plainly of the crucified Christ (; ) ; Paul, who had such a clear understanding of grace. This should give us some hints about this object lesson.

2. Jeremiah, who was known as the weeping prophet ()

3. Zechariah, who wrote so plainly of the crucified Christ (; )

4. Paul, who had such a clear understanding of grace

This should give us some hints about this object lesson.

B. Jeremiah’s Message of the Potter and the Clay ()

God commanded Jeremiah to go to the potter’s house, and observe him at work, and wait for His message to Israel. He saw the potter at work, in the process of forming a vessel on his wheel. Then God gave a message for Jeremiah’s time and our own time!

God uses the things that happen regularly around us to teach us, personal, national or communal circumstances to teach us deep, spiritually valuable lessons.

God’s will is for us to remain malleable, or reformable in His hands so He can purify, sanctify and make us like Jesus (). Anyone who gets to the point where they become hardened, and are no longer malleable in the hand of God, will be shattered without remedy. But any one who remains teachable, accessible to the Holy Spirit, God will purify, sanctify and make holy. And they will always be fresh and useful in God's hand! We must always look up unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, foe examples of how to live our lives to the glory of God.

1. THE CLAY - REPRESENTS ISRAEL AND ALL HUMANITY

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God said that the clay represented the whole house of Israel because they are God’s people. Believers are also God’s children through Jesus Christ (; ). Therefore this analogy of clay applies to us.

The spinning and making, the marring and modifying are all parts of what happens in the lifecycle of clay - from a useless lump to a useful vessel. The most important quality of clay is its ability to yield in the potters hand. If it fails to yield, it will be marred, spoiled.

The same is applicable to us. There is no self-made Christian (). God always makes the Christian. If a Christian goes out of the Narrow Way, he will be marred and no longer useful to the Lord. We have to cooperate with God while he is working in our lives. God requires us to cooperate with Him as He works for our good (). The Lord wants us to remain useful to Him where ever He places us!

What did Jeremiah see when he got to the potter’s house?

a. Vessels of clay stacked for firing or use

b. Clay stored for making pottery

A potter at work on his wheel; lumps of shapeless clay; completely formed jars stacked for firing and use. Although furnace was not mentioned, it had to be there, it’s needed for firing.

c. Clay in the potter’s hand being formed for use

ii. lumps of shapeless clay;

iii. completely formed jars stacked for firing and use.

2. We are all made of the same clay

As clay is in the potter’s hand so are we in God’s hands (; ; ).

- We are the work of God’s hands

- We cannot therefore strive with our maker

All have evil hearts and a sinful nature ()

- We know from Genesis that God formed man out of clay.

- A clear message from the Potter (God our Maker).

The will of God at any time is not the death of the sinner, but that the sinner should repent and come to the knowledge of the truth (). If a Christian backslides, they must repent, and like the prodigal son, come back to God ().

- Believers are still jars of clay!

- Ruthless destruction of the unwilling vessel.

- The perfect work of the Omniscient Potter (God)

Although we are saved, we are still flesh and blood, still open to temptation, and mistakes (). Apostle Paul was one of the greatest, and most effective apostles of Jesus Christ, yet he understood this (). When we are born again, the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ sets us free from the law if sin and death (; ). But we must not fail to present our bodies as living sacrifice to God and renew our minds through God’s word, that is not God’s will. Like Paul we must press on to Christ every day.

All have evil hearts and a sinful nature ()

2. THE POTTER - REPRESENTS THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE

c. All must give an account to God ()

d. All are subject to temptation ()

e. All must die and should be prepared ()

3. The sameness of mankind calls for understanding of others

When Jeremiah got to the potter’s shop, he was making a vessel. That vessel became mis-formed. He squashed it back into a shapeless lump of clay! Then he began to shape it again on his wheel, making it into a brand new vessel.

4. Not to judge by race or face … but in grace

2. THE POTTER - REPRESENTING GOD OF THE UNIVERSE

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God is the Potter. He is in control. 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 ). Clay cannot mould itself but must be soft and malleable in the hands of a skilled potter, so must we all be in the hand of God. The message to Israel was clear and the message to us is clear (). Turn from sin and from evil and God will forgive and bless and guide and use you again. If God needs to, He will remould you, He will cleanse you again. He will take away the heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh. He will give you the Holy Spirit and begin to use you again. You will become a vessel unto honour.

2. Not just a work of chance

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. See . (Wiersbe, W. W. (1993). Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines). Clay cannot mould itself but must be soft and malleable in the hands of a skilled potter, so must we all be in the hand of God. The message to Israel was clear and the message to us is clear (). Turn from sin and from evil and God will forgive and bless and guide and use you again. If God needs to, He will remould you, He will cleanse you again. He will take away the heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh. He will give you the Holy Spirit and begin to use you again.

a. The design in the potter’s mind

b. The vessel rises on the wheel formed by his touch

Wiersbe, W. W. (1993). Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines As the clay is soft and malleable in the potter’s hand so must we all be in the hand of God. The message to Israel was clear and the message to us is clear (). Turn from sin and from evil and God will forgive and bless you again. If He needs to He will remould you, He will cleanse you again. He will take away the heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh. He will give you the Holy Spirit and begin to use you again. God has a plan for every life.

3. The potter’s plan is best for this piece of clay

God has a plan for every life (). The first part of that plan is salvation (; ;). The unfolding of that plan involves sanctification and full surrender. At this point we become ready for service to God ().

b. The first part of that plan is salvation (; ;)

c. The unfolding of that plan involves full surrender

We are His workmanship ()

We are His workmanship ()

d. The fulfilling of that plan reveals the Potter’s work in us

4. We are His workmanship ()

5. We are His work of art ()

The wheel speaks about circumstances in the vicissitudes of life. But God’s hand can work through all these things to achieve His purpose in our lives (). His hand will always be there to guide us.

6. The wheels speak of circumstances … but His hand is upon us

a. Have you experienced problems you didn’t think you would?

b. Have you gone through trials you didn’t think you could?

7. To know the Potter’s heart, you must come to the cross

8. To know the Potter’s hands you must see them nail-scarred

As the Potter, God uses His hand to make and remake us. God’s hand does many things:

(i). IT CREATES (; ; ; ; ; )

(ii) IT HOLDS THE WORLD ( ; )

(ii) IT HOLDS THE WORLD ( ; )

(iii) IT FEEDS CREATURES (; ; ).

(iv) IT IS A SYMBOL OF GOD’S POWER (; ; )

(v) IT EXECUTES JUDGMENT ON THE DISOBEDIENT (; ; )

(vi) IT REDEEMS HIS PEOPLE ( ; ; ; )

(f) IT REDEEMS HIS PEOPLE (

(vii) IT BRINGS THEM SUCCESS (; )

(viii) IT PROVIDES PROTECTION (; ; ; )

(ix) IT SYMBOLISES (Aa place of) GOD’S AUTHORITY (; ; ; ; )

Wisdom demands that we submit to God’s hand to redeem us, uphold us, guide us, direct us, lead us, restrain us, provide for us, bring us success, and ultimately bring us into his presence and His Kingdom at the end of time.

3. THE MARRING BY SIN AND REMAKING BY THE CREATOR

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c. All must give an account to God ()

To mar is to ruin, to stain, to spoil, to tarnish, to deform or disfigure. All these, when applied to humanity, is caused by sin. In this object lesson God is saying, "If you have been tainted or stained or tarnished with sin; if you have been bruised by the aggression of the devil; if you have been misdirected from the way of salvation by the enemy, come back to me and I will make you whole again". Through the blood of Jesus God removes every stain of sin from the repentant sinner. What a wonderful God we serve.

d. All are subject to temptation ()

e. All must die and should be prepared ()

When Jeremiah got to the potter’s shop, he was making a vessel. That vessel became mis-formed. He squashed it back into a shapeless lump of clay! Then he began to shape it again on his wheel, making it into a brand new vessel.

SIN WILL MAR THE HUMAN LIFE.

To mar is to ruin, to stain, to spoil, to tarnish, to deform or to disfigure. Sin has marred humanity. Sin has ruined humanity. Sin has stained humanity. Sin has disfigured humanity. All have sinned (; ); all must give an account to God (); all are subject to temptation (); all must die and should be prepared (). This is why Jesus came (; ; ; ; ). His blood washes away the sin of the world. Anyone who comes to Him will not perish but have everlasting life.

When a piece of equipment, say a computer, begins to malfunction, you have the option to reset it to factory condition. All the viruses and trojan horses that have been secretly embedded into the software will be wiped out. God must do the same with our lives. The virus of sin is flushed out of our lives when we yield our hearts to Jesus. All lying is flushed out. All fornication is flushed out. All adultery is flushed out. All lying is flushed out. All cheating is flushed out. All deceit is flushed out. All forms of defilement are flushed out. We become new ().

Life is the wheel that is spurn around swiftly by the potter! It is not controlled by luck or by chance. Our lives are controlled by God. The steps (and the stops) of a good man are ordered by the Lord (). He will always arrange the circumstances of our lives. Why did Joseph go to Egypt? In this object lesson God is saying, "If you have been tainted or stained or tarnished with sin; if you have been bruised by the aggression of the devil; if you have been misdirected from the way of salvation by the enemy, if you have disobeyed God’s word, come back to me and I will make you whole again". Through the blood of Jesus God removes every stain of sin from the repentant sinner. What a wonderful God we serve.

Life is the wheel and it is spurn around swiftly by the Potter! It is not controlled by luck or by chance. Our lives are controlled by God. He will always arrange the circumstances of our lives. Why did Joseph go to Egypt? In this object lesson God is saying, "If you have been tainted or stained or tarnished with sin; if you have been bruised by the aggression of the devil; if you have been misdirected from the way of salvation by the enemy, if you have disobeyed God’s word, come back to me and I will make you whole again". Through the blood of Jesus God removes every stain of sin from the repentant sinner. What a wonderful God we serve.

Whenever a potter finds a flaw, he will make it again into a new vessel. The flaw found may be unseen by others, but it is known to the Potter and He is willing to correct what has gone wrong and make it again(; ). gives clear details of God is willing to do to remake the marred vessel. He will change your heart. He will give you a heart to obey Him. He will cause you to keep His commandments and do them. He will put His Holy Spirit in you. Starting from Eden, sin became the marring agent, the spoiling agent, the tarnishing agent. life is the wheel controlled only by God. He always does His gracious work in the obedient children.

In every potter’s shop there is a furnace where finished articles are fired with intense heat. In our lives trials, persecution and temptations take the place of the furnace . But God promises that He will be with us at such times (; ; ; ; ). When Job was tried, he stood. When Abraham was tried, he stood. When Daniel was tried, he stood. When you are tried, you will stand. You will come out as gold.

All God wants in us is to become vessels unto honour (; ).

The judgement of God can be likened to the breaking of the vessel. All God wants in us is to become vessels unto honour (; ).