Sermon: “Still Under Construction”
Text: Jeremiah 18: 1-6
The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.
Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
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].
Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
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.
PRAYER
INTRO (Parts of the intro borrowed from Pastor Paul DeHaan)
When the Lord chose to call you and I, God really made a long term investment in a project. That is, like a divine contractor, God covenanted within Himself and decided that He would bring you and I to that place where He wants us to be and make us into what He needs us to be. That is, God would provide the material, the patience, the skill, the work, and the muscle that would bring this wonderful work to completion. With a blue print in His mind and with skill and precision, God has taken on this massive project, and you and I are a work under construction.
Regardless of how spiritual we are, we are under construction. Regardless of how many titles we hold in church office, we are under construction. Regardless of how far we think we’ve come by faith, we are under construction. Some of us have come from some difficult backgrounds, and are now standing in the house of the Lord; we are still under construction. We weren’t always Elder Dan or Deacon Smith. We weren’t always Sister Sabbath School teacher Susan or Miss Missionary Mary. We were not always where we are today, and we still haven’t arrived to where we’re going. Many of us this morning can declare, “Maybe I’m not all I should be, but thank God I’m not what I used to be; I am still under construction.”
The prophet Jeremiah who gave his name to this book lived and minster in Judea during a time of suffering and heartache for the nation. A swift decline spiritually characterized the people who descended from the heights of revival to the depths of rivalry. The prophet Jeremiah, whose name means, “Yahweh’s appointed or God’s established”, occupied at least 41 years from 627 B.C. During this time he suffered personal humiliation, rejection, and persecution from his own people. Now he find himself caught between a rock and a hard place. Often times he would receive the Word of God to deliver to the people, and they would rebuke and revile him. On many occasions he would be beaten-up and harassed by the very people God called him to minister too. After many years of this evil and unruly treatment from the people, he got to a place where he accepted that this would be the result whenever he delivered the Word of God. He called to God one day and said, “I will no longer preach your word, I will no longer make mention of your name, I will no longer deliver a “Thus saith the Lord” to your people.” He had gotten fed-up with trying to serve the people only to be treated in this manner. But as he turned to walk away from the Lord, he felt something down in his bones, like fire shut-up in his bones. (Jer. 20:9, Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But [his word] was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not [stay].) If he did not deliver the Word of God he would be beaten and persecuted, but if he delivered the Word of God it would feel like fire shut-up in his bones. After great deliberation and analysis he decided it’s better to get this fire out of my bones, than to worry about what people said about him.
How many of us can relate to the dilemma that Jeremiah faced during this difficult time? Too many of us face that daily battle of whether or not this Christian walk is really worth the heartache and pain. We are commissioned to preach the Good News, evangelize, hand out literature, tell someone about the God we serve, teach someone about the Sabbath, and the list goes on of the Christian duty to save lost souls. All the while the world is succeeding in riches and wealth, and we are poor and disenfranchised. We the followers of Christ struggle to make it each day. We do all the things to ensure our salvation, and we, like Jeremiah, are persecuted, rebuked, beaten-up, mistreated, cursed, abused and offered up as a lamb to be slain.
But like Jeremiah we must analyze and consider the many Acts of God in our lives. We must declare like the old song, “When I looked back over my life, and I think things over. I can truly say that I’ve been blessed; I have a testimony.” I’ve got a testimony of how God has seen me thru many dangers, seen and unseen. I’ve got a testimony of how God has provided when I had no food on the table, no money in the bank or wallet, not even a place to lay my head. God’s goodness towards me is like a fire shut-up in my bones! I’ve got to tell anybody, about the somebody in my life, that can save everybody. I’m not concerned any longer about what people say, I know a Jesus who is just burning to meet you and be Lord of your life.
So here now we find Jeremiah has rethought his position on doing the Lord’s work. God tells Jeremiah to go down to the Potter’s house and there I will cause you to hear my words. Jeremiah makes his way to the Potter’s house and finds the potter hard at work fashioning a vessel on his wheel. The Bible says that … he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter. Notice with me that the text does not say the vessel was marred by the potter’s hands, nor does it say that the vessel was marred because of the potter’s hand. But it says that the vessel was marred in the potter’s hand. Let’s stay there for just a little while.
You must understand the significance of this text as it relates to you and I. You must 1st note that in order to get to the finished product of a smooth, well-formed, well-crafted, and beautiful vessel that the potter can sell or use for himself, it takes sweat, sacrifice, and hard work.
• He must 1st go to the Potter’s Pit to retrieve the Miry Clay from out of the pit.
• He then takes the semi-dry clay and after adding a little water, he places the clay on the wheel.
• With a rapid spin of the wheel he begins to form the clay into anything he desires.
• Because of the centrifugal force of the wheel, the clay begins to dry out, at time, so the potter must water the clay.
• Sometimes the clay would try to slide off the wheel, so he must protect the clay from falling off the wheel.
• While on the wheel the potter has to break the will of the clay in order to fashion it to his specifications.
• The potter started by applying his hands hard and forceful in order to bend the clays will, but after the clay begins to form he gently smoothes out it’s roughness to form a vessel.
• He then begins to create the heart of the vessel. People don’t usually know that the smoothness, consistency, and spacing on the inside of the vessel is just as important as the outside that everyone sees.
• After the vessel is formed it is weak, so it must be put thru the fire to be purified and toughened for use. The oven is heated to 2400* F.
You see the when the Bible says that the vessel was marred in the hand of the potter, it is saying that the clay had a flaw; it was deface, disfigure, and deformed. It was blemished, defective, and impaired.
You must understand that before you were formed in your mother’s womb, God had a purpose for your life. God had a reason for your existence. You were formed and fashioned for His purpose, and to give Him praise. You were created as a vessel for God.
But because of sin we must unfortunately realize that the vessel has been marred. If we were to sit here and look at the state of the world today, we would see that indeed the vessel has been marred.
1. Crime continues to plague our communities; the vessel has been marred.
2. The human mind continues to conceive thoughts of wickedness, evil, and immorality; the vessel has been marred.
3. Homosexuality & Sexual Immorality continues to make its way into our everyday lives as common-place; the vessel has been marred.
4. Corruption from the highest levels of government, and dishonesty among our elected leaders has become front page headlines; the vessel has been marred.
5. Our churches are emptying out; the vessel has been marred.
6. Our schools are seeing an increase in drop-out rates; the vessel has been marred.
7. Our jails and prisons are filling up in record numbers; the vessel has been marred.
But you see I’d didn’t come today to tell you how miserable we are and how sin sick we have become. THAT’S THE DEVIL’S SERMON!
The devil will tell you, even from the pulpit, that you are good for nothing and nothing good. He’ll remind you all week that you are worth just as much as the clay that you are made from. He’ll remind you of all the sins you’ve committed from week to week and try to get you away from coming to church to hear The Good News.
I’m so glad that even though the devil has a sermon about how wretched I am, Jesus has a sermon too!
1. The devil may tell me that my sins are as scarlet, Jesus says they shall be as white as snow; though the devil tells me they be red like crimson, Jesus tells me they shall be as wool. Jesus tells me that I can be free from my burdens of sin, there’s power in the blood of the Lamb.
2. The devil may tell me that I’m poor and broke and struggling financially, but Jesus reminds me that God shall supply all my needs according to his riches in glory. He has cattle upon a thousand hills. All the earth is His and the fullness thereof, and all they that dwell within.
3. The devil may tell me that I am a lost soul and not worth saving, but Jesus tells me, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also. You see I can declare like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that I’m not worried about anything, I’m not fearing any man; mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.
One of the things they teach pastors is Homiletics; it is the art of preaching Biblical text. Though this art has many different aspects of coming to the same conclusion, and that is the effective preaching of God’s Word to the people, they tell you that you must find Jesus in every text.
As I was looking over these sacred words and doing my best to peel away and find the core of what the text was saying, I finally found Jesus in the text. The text says, And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel,. You see because we were marred in the hand of the potter, Jesus could have taken this deformed, marred, inadequate, messed-up, sin-sick, good for nothing piece of clay and tossed it aside. Why? Because He’s God! He could have taken this clay, thrown it out, and started with new clay; but he kept the same broken vessel, the same defaced, disfigured, and blemished clay and formed a vessel fit for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He could have easily started over at the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, but my God said No! I’m going to take these same broken pieces and put them back together again. That’s the kind of God I serve. Jesus is in the text this morning!
While taking my English Research Writing class, my professor would often remind us that when writing an academic research paper, we must not make our paper too ambiguous. We must do our best to make the reader understand clearly what it is we are trying to covey in our paper from a concise, straight forward, and clear prospective. We must eliminate all the redundancies from your sentences, and take out all the wordiness that makes your paper too high browed.
So as I’m looking at this passage of scripture, I’m convinced that Jeremiah probably didn’t pass the Writing research class of his day. It seems that Jeremiah is guilty of a wrong of sentence structure that must be pointed out this morning. Jeremiah says, so he made it again, another vessel. In this text I’m trying to figure out what he means when he states that he made it again, another vessel. Did he make it again or did he make another vessel? In English Grammar it means then that it or the vessel is serving as the antecedent of the pronoun it. We clearly have a correct sentence at this point. But now we must wonder if it/the vessel is made again, then what is another? I had to go to another text to give clarity on this text. I also had to go to the original language of Greek to get better a better meaning. In the Greek Septuagint, the word is Alos, which means another of the same kind. Then I went to 2 Cor. 5:17,”Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. You see Christ has used the same clay to make a new vessel.
Now let us continue taking a look inside the Potter’s House. We’ve looked at the Potter at work with his hands. We’ve looked at how he retrieves the clay and begins to form the clay into a vessel for service. We’ve even noticed that the Potter is very careful in not tossing away clay that is marred in his hands, but uses the same clay to make another vessel.
Take a tour with me now to the passage of scripture that says, “Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.” I am fascinated at the wheels that allow the Potter to work his craft. If you’ll notice with me that the Potter sits at a instrument that has a peddle on the floor, a big wheel under the Potter’s table that cannot be seen, and a small wheel on top where the Potter places his clay to begin forming and fashioning his vessel. The big wheel was connected to the small wheel by a piece of rope or cord. For those of you who remember the old Kenmore Manual Sewing Machines that one would have to use a pedal to get the momentum going, in order for the machine to begin working; you’ll understand how a Potter’s Table works.
So the Potter would use his foot to spin the big wheel, which would then spin the small wheel, which would then spin the clay. Now if you remember from a few moments ago, I shared with you that the Potter would use his hands to bend the will of the clay. The clay would spin so fast that the power exerted from the centrifugal force would often times dry out the clay; so water had to be constantly added. The Potter would then begin to form and shape the clay into whatever vessel he wanted it to be.
Now allow me to tell you that I had a little talk with The Potter before I came here this morning, and he wanted me to share with you that he has distinct names for the 2 wheels that he is working with.
The big wheel that you can’t see, and that is covered up, is called the BIG WHEEL of Divine Providence. The reason why this wheel is name this is because the Potter knows that no man can see God and live.
The Small Wheel is called the “little wheel of circumstances”. The small wheel is the wheel you see because you’re living in a world of sin.
I asked the Potter why he named the big wheel this name. (Divine Providence)
He stated that he named it so to remind me that God is in control.
He reminded me that though I can’t see the big wheel, God is still on His throne looking down upon his people.
He reminded me that God is a very present help in the time of trouble.
He reminded me that though I can’t see the Big Wheel, God is my refuge and my fortress.
He told me that even though I can’t see that Big Wheel of Divine Providence, God is an awesome God.
He is Provider and Counselor.
He is Healer and The Great Physician.
He is Redeemer and Lord.
When I think of my God who can:
1) I’ll bring treasures out of trash
2) ******* jewels ***** junk
3) ******* glory ***** garbage
4) ******* riches ***** rubbish
5) ******* diamonds***** coals
6) ******* righteousness** ungodliness
7) ******* Worship ***** Waste
8) ******* Majesty ****** Mess
9) ******* Deliverance to the Drug Addict
10) ******* a praise ****** Prostitute
11)*******Healing to the sick
12)*******mended heart to the broken hearted
13) ******freedom to the captive
14)******sight to the blind
When we look at the small wheel of circumstances, we must realize that we live in this world of sin.
• The little wheel of circumstances says sickness will take hold of your body, but the Big Wheel of Providence says: Come, ye disconsolate, where’er ye languish, Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel. Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish; Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.
• The little wheel of circumstances says they’re going to foreclose your house; the big wheel of providence says: Let not your hearts be troubled…in my Father’s house are many mansions…
• The little wheel of circumstances says you don’t have enough to get by each day. The big wheel of providence says: My God will supply all my needs, according to His riches in glory.
• The little wheel of circumstances says when difficult times come, and all your friend and family forsakes you and turn their backs on you, the Big wheel of Providence says: There is still friend that sticks closer than a brother.
The small wheel of circumstances cannot spin until the big wheel is spinning. You must understand that whatever circumstances you facing in life is because the big wheel of divine providence is spinning. Somebody in here has some broken pieces that need to be put back together again. The circumstances seem dim, but the big wheel is spinning your life back together.
Once again I must go back to the text. My professors told me I must stay in the text. The part that jumped out at me as clear as the morning sunshine is the part that says, And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel.
The part that jumps out at me is where Jeremiah uses the word SO to connect something that happened to something that’s going to happen in the future.
You see everybody has a SO in their life. I’m so glad I have a SO in my life.
The devil will remind you that you are born in sin, and shaped in iniquity; all you have to do is stick out your chest, look him right in the eyes, and say, SO!
The devil will remind you of your sins, you tell him SO!
The devil will remind you that you used to be a drunkard, you tell him SO!
The devil will remind you that you used to be a drug addict, you tell him SO!
Romans 9:21 “Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?”
You see we need vessels of honor in our churches.
• You are not a vessel of honor simply because you come to church each Sabbath and put on your Sabbath face, but can’t act lovingly when in the work place.
• You are not a vessel of honor simply because you hold some big office in the church, and can’t handle your own affairs at home.
• You are not a vessel of honor when you can’t share the goodness of God in your life to your next door neighbor.
After I spent a day in the Potter’s House I wanted to see some of the finished product. I had to take a look at some of vessels that had been marred. I had to see the vessels that had been formed and fashioned for the Potter’s service. I begged to see the vessels that had been thru the fire and were strengthened and purified.
I looked around a bit and found some vessels that I could use as a water jar, or vase to put flowers in. I found a few that I could use for decoration. Then the Potter told me he had some precious ones in the back room that were special to him. He beckoned me to come and see.
As I stood there looking I was amazed to see Moses on the shelf. Moses was a murderer. He struck the rock when he should have spoken to the rock. I asked the potter why is Moses up there. The devil will tell you all these things about Moses, but the Potter answered me SO! By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
Then I looked and saw Rahab. I said to the Potter, “there is no way she made the short list of being in this room of witnesses.” She was a harlot. The Potter replied, SO! By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace. Not only that, but she also became an ancestor and direct lineage of Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God.
I looked and I saw Peter. I said to the Potter, “clearly you’ve made a mistake”. Peter, who denied he knew Jesus 3 times, even resorted to cursing, cut off a man’s ear, and has the temper of a lion. The devil would have you believe that, but I say SO! Not only did Peter repent and ask forgiveness, but after a long productive life of service in preaching the Good News of Jesus, he would not allow himself to be crucified the same way as his Savior.
APPEAL: Impromptu/Summarize and Alter Call.
