Marred, Flawed --- Jars Of Clay

FLAWED: THE VESSEL WAS MARRED… JARS OF CLAY

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

In 1895 there were only two cars in the state of Ohio. Most people have never seen an automobile. Two cars in the whole state of Ohio? A wealthy man from Cleveland OWNS ONE OF THE CARS. Car #2 belongs to a wealthy man that lives about 100 miles away. The two families took a Sunday drive. They crashed into each other.

THE LORD IS THE POTTER –GOD WANTS TO SHAPE US, MAKE US AND GIVE US A PURPOSE.

TEXT: Isaiah 64:8 But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

MUCH OF LIFE IS ABOUT THE WORDS WE SPEAK AND THE ATTITUDES WE CARRY. I recently taught about the “BLAME GAME” that we often practice. I read the story of a little boy that developed a habit of spitting. The boy spit outside. The boy spit inside. He spit all the time. The parents corrected the boy every day. He continued to spit. They gave the boy time out and he sat in the corner and spit. At the end of the ropes someone suggested put the boy in the closet, turn off the light and make him sit there and thinking about his behavior. The parents put the boy in the dark closet. After 5 minutes, they opened the door and let the boy out. They asked him: WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED? He replied: I ‘PIT ON YOUR SHOES. I ‘PIT ON YOUR CLOTHES. I ‘PIT ALL 5 MINUTES I WAS TRAPPED IN THE CLOSET.

Our God uses who he chooses. God is not searching for perfect people. God is looking for people with good attitudes that have repented and sought forgiveness that have changed their words and behavior. God can use object lessons to try to teach us some deep truths. GOD LOVES PEOPLE. Moral failure and disobedience

*CLAY: We were all made from clay, the dust of the ground. In this fact we find humanity can be very fragile. We need to learn we should depend on God’s plan. Clay has potential and it is versatile.

*MARRED: not perfect, spoiled, disfigured, DAMAGED, ruined, UNFIT, BLEMISHED,

*FLAWED: Defective, mistake, unplanned mistake, wrong conclusion, short coming, not correct, blemish, not perfect, weak,

*POTENTIAL: improvement, possible, capable of becoming, capacity, ability to develop, growth, dormant talents, to achieve,

GOD IS SOVEREIGN --- SOMETIMES THE WORKS OF OUR HANDS DO NOT PRODUCE HIS DESIRED EFFECT. GOD SENT JEREMIAH TO THE POTTER HOUSE TO WITNESS A PHYSICAL SITUATION WITH A SPIRITUAL LESSON.

Jeremiah 18:1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2 Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. 3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. 4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. 5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. 7 At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; 8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.

JEREMIAH was a witness: GOD DOES NOT THROW THE CLAY AWAY JUST BECAUSE IT IS FLAWED AND MARRED. Instead of throwing the clay away, the potter made the choice to MAKE IT A DIFFERENT VESSEL. Many times God has to REMOLD US AGAIN.

GOD HAS THE POWER TO RESTORE AND TRANSFORM MARRED/ FLAWED PEOPLE. GOD CALLS PEOPLE TO CHANGE.

**IT IS HIGH TIME WE REMEMBER WHERE OUR STRESS AND TEMPTATIONS COME FROM… NOT FROM WHAT IS HAPPENING BUT RATHER HOW WE RESPOND TO WHAT IS HAPPENING. DO WE NEED TO CHANGE? CHANGE OUR THINKING PATTERNS? CHANGE OUR WORDS THAT WE SPEAK? CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDES? CHANGE HOW YOU LOOK AT THINGS? WE NEED TO TAKE NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE AND GROW? SEE THE POSITIVE? WE MUST LEARN TO TRUST GOD’S PLAN AND TO STOP WORRYING?

Where there is no acknowledgment of wrong attitudes and sin, there is no place of repentance. We must learn to acknowledge wrong and sin to bring real repentance. We are marred.

There are two approaches to BE GOOD CLAY. 1. Grow: learn, apply, adjust and change.