On the Wheel

This morning I want to talk about surrendering to the POTTER;s HAND!

God spoke to Jeremiah in Jeremiah 18 about the nation of Israel being clay in His hands, and fulfilling His design for their nation.

Interestingly these days we see a lot of talk about comparing Israel with USA, but I eed to say that Israel by design was a nation chosen by God to bring the Messiah, and although we see God’s hand in our nation in its establishment and use through its history - it is not the same.

God was dealing with HIS PEOPLE. USA has never been all God’s people, and we don’t live in the OT, we live in the NEW TESTAMENT where the people of God are any individuals that have surrendered their lives to Christ.

That being said, the account in Jeremiah about the potter and the clay is one we can apply personally in our lives, not nationally.

For years, myself included, we have often talked about repentance for a nation

2 Chronicles 7:14 NLT

14 Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.

I think, especially in light of recent events, we need to realize that if people are not God’s to begin with, they are not called national repentance, but as individuals if we see our lives drying up and going through destruction, or as a church then we need to be surrendered to the Lord when things go off track.

Last week, we discussed the hope of Jesus we have to OVERWHELM those around us as we explore OVERALL, OVERCOME AND OVERWHELM — this morning I want us to revisit OVERALL...

If we are clay in the potter’s hand - we need to stay ON THE WHEEL so He can work HIS will in OUR lives.

Jeremiah 18:1–11 NLT

1 The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, 2 “Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.” 3 So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. 4 But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over. 5 Then the Lord gave me this message: 6 “O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand. 7 If I announce that a certain nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed, 8 but then that nation renounces its evil ways, I will not destroy it as I had planned. 9 And if I announce that I will plant and build up a certain nation or kingdom, 10 but then that nation turns to evil and refuses to obey me, I will not bless it as I said I would. 11 “Therefore, Jeremiah, go and warn all Judah and Jerusalem. Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am planning disaster for you instead of good. So turn from your evil ways, each of you, and do what is right.’ ”

I cannot change the world around me and repent for them, but I certainly can make personal decisions as one chosen by God to follow Him and surrender myself to HIS WORK in my LIFE.

Isaiah 64:8 NLT

8 And yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand.

1. Mar in the Pot is Clay’s Fault

Some have said, well why would a potter have to start over???

Sometimes the clay a potter is working with is unstable, it has flaws in it that come out as the potter is spinning the wheel.The clay is often not pliable, moist enough, or had some other defect. That is not the designers fault, but his challenge!

This is certainly true of Christians.

God begins to work in our lives, but something we carried onto the wheel of the potter has put a dent in His design!

Something that may need to be worked out, cut out,or made more pliable becomes the cause for the potter to start over.

From this passage in Jer 18, it is clear that the mar is one of two things...

Straight up sin in our lives. Defect!

Stubbornness to let go of sin in our lives Pliability!

The result is the potter having to knock down the clay and begin to rebuild. That requires our willingness to allow him to cut those things away in us that need to be removed.

Our flaws are not the end of us!!!!

The beauty in this picture is the potter is willing to REWORK the clay - to keep at it until it fulfills HIS DESIGN. The potter often has to do this again and again - patiently shaping the clay to fulfill its purpose.

FROM A POTTERY EXPERT:

“The experienced potter knows there is no perfect clay, and they will have to work it to attain their desired outcome.Choosing clay... is as important for technique as it is for aesthetics. Spend time trying out different clays for look as well as feel. It can have a big affect on how successful you are at the wheel. The clay you buy from the supplier might not be quite right- it may have the beautiful colour you are looking for but it might be a bit too stiff for throwing so be prepared to put some time into preparing your clay to get it the right consistency to throw with. Consistency is key, if the clay you are working with is too soft it won’t hold its shape for long and the water you add during throwing will weaken it and your form will likely collapse. Likewise, if your clay is too hard- you may struggle to centre it, the forces you’ll need will be much greater, and you may push it off the wheel head. You’ll also get tired and likely frustrated that it’s taking so much effort to produce the shape you want.”

--- Karen Ford

Remember, God was aware of our flaws and still chose us to use us!

In fact, our flaws are often be the beginning of God doing something new in us....

GOD IS THE GOD OF SECOND CHANCE. Our flaws do not cause him to throw us away, our continued stubbornness however could leave him to choose a new piece of clay.

We often blame God when things are not going right in our lives, or are not turning out how we want them to be, but we need to HONESTLY look at ourselves and realize that the flaw is not coming from God!!!

James 1:17 NLT

17 Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.

God is bringing good things into our lives, not weaving in that which makes us weak, and He wants to draw the weakness OUT OF US rather than leaving the potential for a crack or destruction in the future.

His desire is to work us into what He wants us to become --- so stop resisting!

2. Surrender to the Potter’s Hand

If Jesus is to be OVERALL - WE NEED to surrender those flaws to His hand!

The biggest issue in clay being discarded it is inability to become pliable to the potters desires!!! Clay that has had so many contaminates added to it, it can no longer be worked. Most clay is constantly being recycled and reused, and even has additives of epsom salts, water, process of being dried out - so it can still be useful.

Potters are patient people willing to not give up on that hard clay - but the clay has to become free of contaminates and accepting of what it needs to be usable again.

Look at this passage regarding the nation of Israel - they turned to their creator and the God who called them and stubbornly said NO - we won’t change.

Remember our actions speak louder than our words - you can’t say YES to Jesus and then not follow through with your actions. This is the part where we need to ALLOW HIM TO BE OVERALL...

Can you imagine the clay refusing the potter’s shaping?

We have to realize that in the end - Jesus is overall, and we are just clay in his hands.

Isaiah 45:9 NLT

9 “What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’ Does the pot exclaim, ‘How clumsy can you be?’

The biggest question today is to ask if you are arguing with the POTTER?

Making Jesus OVERALL IS SURRENDERING!!!

3. Vessels for His Choosing

OK, I wonder if we also fight what God is wanting to use us for!!!!

HMMMM, do we object to what the potter is shaping us into and the purpose he is designing us for?

We sometimes have grandiose ideas of what is important and how we want to look, but every vessel made by the potter has a purpose.

Interestingly in this passage, I see a nation designed for a purpose that was rejecting what God had in store of them.

Realize today, that all nations, all governments are designed by God for seasons and times and specific purposes. I believe the Lord used the USA for his glory in spreading the Gospel, but as our nation has rejected God, rejected the Gospel, we are no longer useful for the purpose He desires. He then uses other nations for His purpose, or His purpose may be in preparation of His return....

That is why we have to be PERSONALLY YIELDED TO THE LORD for whatever He desires to do in and through us --- not our dreams, but HIS!!!!

Romans 9:17–23 NLT

17 For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, “I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth.” 18 So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen. 19 Well then, you might say, “Why does God blame people for not responding? Haven’t they simply done what he makes them do?” 20 No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into? 22 In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction. 23 He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory.

Sometimes what God has designed us for seems less glorious.

Let’s face it, we all want to be the decorative pot on the shelf that looks beautiful and is elevated in the home, but the toilet gets a lot more use!!!! It actually serves a lot more purpose!!!

Do not let your pride cause you to reject what God is shaping you for, but accept His purpose in your life to be used for His glory, because if we remain surrendered and useful we are fulfilling His design.

Conclusion

This morning we must realize,

Our flaws are what cause God to have to continue to work our clay and reshape us, but wonderfully He is the God of second chances

We must remain on the wheel and not argue or resist the potter, making Jesus overall requires our surrender to His shaping our lives

Accept His purpose and what He is shaping us for. Stop looking for what we thing is important, and surrender to His plan in your life today