The Vessels of Gods House
What type of vessel are you
2nd Timothy 2:19-21, 2nd Corinthians 4:7, Jeremiah 18:1-4
In our society today the uniqueness of individuality is almost gone. Everything is produced in such a massive quantity that we loose the appreciation of something quickly and because of this mass production of things, things are easily replaceable. I drive a red Ford F-150, when I first got it I thought it was such a unique truck. I didn¡¯t realize that in such a small town there were so many red F-150s, the uniqueness was gone because of the massive production of it.
Another example is that in this day and time we have become accustomed to the privileges of plastic. We have plastic bottles, plastic bowls, plastic cups, and plastic containers. We are able to store things in them, eat from them, drink out of them, and do all kinds of things with these plastic vessels. Because of the mass production of them, they are easily replaceable, so much so that the commercial says because it is glad-ware you wont even be upset if you loose it. Because of this mass production of plastic vessels we have lost something very beautiful and that is the appreciation of the skillfulness and symbolism of the potter.
God told Jeremiah to go down to the potters house and there will I cause thee to hear my words. Jer.18:1. So Jeremiah went down to the potters house and he saw the potter ¡°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.
Today God is telling us to go to the potters house and there will He cause us to hear His words. Lets go on a spiritual journey in our minds to the potters house. Paul told Timothy that in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and of earth, and some to honor and some to dishonor. 2nd Timothy 2:20.
I want to talk to you about 7 vessels.
1.) Vessel of Honor.
2.) Vessel of Mercy.
3.) Chosen vessel
4.) Clean vessel.
5,) Vessel of Dishonor.
6.) Broken vessel.
7.) Vessel of wrath.
The one thing all these vessels have in common is that they are all earthen vessels. 2nd Corinthians 4:7 says But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
The great house is the church; the vessels are you, you, you, and me.
WHAT TYPE OF VESSEL ARE YOU?????
Everyone wants to be a chosen vessel, but everyone cant be a chosen vessel. Everyone wants to be a vessel of mercy, but everyone cant be a vessel of mercy. Everyone cant be a vessel of honor. If everyone was the same kind of vessel there would be no uniqueness, and when there is no uniqueness it can easily be replaced.
We must first understand that there are 2 distinct aspects of a vessel for the House of the Lord. 2nd Chronicles 24:14 says And when they had finished it (the repairing of the temple) they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, wherefore were made vessels to minister and to offer withal The word minister means to serve. The word offer means to cause to go up. We are vessels to minister (serve) the people and to offer (cause to go up) praise unto God. But in order to do that you must be the proper type of vessel.
The picture of the potter is awesome. The potter shapes the clay into his desired shape, this process seems sometimes rough and hard but the potter knows what he is doing. He then places the vessel on the shelf to dry then after the vessel dries he places it into the fire, this fire makes the vessel strong, after the vessel comes out of the fire he places his name on the vessel.
God is the potter we are the clay that He is making into vessels in the House of the Lord. Just as the potter sits at the wheel he starts by throwing a lump of clay on the wheel, he moistens the clay and then begins to turn the wheel, as the wheel turns he is able to shape and mold the clay into the shape desired. Though the potters touch may sometimes seem violent because he must pound the clay in order that change may take place, be assured that the potter knows what he is doing.
God is the potter and He places us, the clay, on the wheel of life. He moistens us with His word and begins to mold us with His hands. Sometimes it seems violent because there are some changes that need to be made. He is trying to get the weakness out of us. As we begin to grow He shapes and molds us for the job chosen. After He has shaped us He puts us up to let us dry ¨C this is waiting patiently upon the Lord. After a while He will place us in the fire because the fire is that which makes you strong. WATCH THIS: its not until after the fire that the vessel is named.
The 1st type of vessel is the Vessel of Honor. In todays time we fail to understand this concept, but listen closely and picture this in your spiritual mind. The vessel of Honor was the most frequently used vessel therefore it was the most purchased vessel. It was a strong jar with 2 handles at the neck it held about 5 gallons of water in it. The number 5 in the Bible represents Gods grace water represents Gods spirit. It fulfilled an important role in every household it had uniqueness in its service. It was filled with fresh water daily, representing a fresh anointing everyday it was placed on a low stand just inside the door at every home and the Temple. Its main use was to provide water to quench thirst and provide refreshment to everyone that came to the house or temple.
God has placed Vessels of Honor in every congregation. They are those who know their source and seek filling daily, they dont just come to church on Sunday and think everything is alright, but they are constantly seeking God. They are always ready to share with anyone. They dont mind being placed in a low service. They are content to be available to those in need. They dont mind being the usher no matter who is the president. They dont mind being the janitor, they dont mind being the grass cutter, they dont seek popularity or prosperity. They simply just want to be used by God. They understand they are the aqua-ducts for the movement of the spirit. They are the Vessels of Honor and their trademarks are kindness and concern.
The 2nd type of vessel in the House of the Lord is the Vessel of Mercy. The vessel of Mercy looked like and was a vessel of honor in appearance. It was filled with water and taken to the town center to refresh strangers as they came into town. Its significance was it was easily accessible. Vessels of Mercy are those that go out into the highways and bi-ways and compels people to come. Everyone is not going to come to the church so God places vessels of mercy that are out there and are easily accessible to those that are lost. A vessel of Mercy is not afraid of action they dont mind being on the front line of the battlefield. They will meet the challenge head on and bloom with great delight. They understand that people want and need to be loved and cared for, but they need vessels of mercy they can get to.
Understand a vessel of mercy is a spirit led drink of refreshing water offered by God in the world. My mind goes back to Mother Teresa she was differently a Vessel of Mercy because she was easily accessible, not by church folk, but by those that were hurt, sick, afflicted, and needed to be loved and cared for, she was a refreshing drink. Are you a Vessel of Mercy?
The 3rd type of vessel is the Chosen Vessel. Everyone wants to be the Chosen Vessel, but everyone cant be the chosen vessel. There is some uniqueness about the chosen vessel. Someone might be saying I thought God doesnt have respecter of person so how can one be chosen above the others. The Chosen Vessel is created from the same clay as the other vessels, but what qualifies it has a chosen vessel is based upon the clay. When the potter is shaping the clay he notices something in the clay and as he works with the clay he notices how the clay yielded to his touch. As it goes through the fire something remarkable was brought out of it.
The chosen vessel is the best work the potter could produce. The chosen vessel is handled differently from the other vessels. The potter takes the chosen vessel and places it in a small dark room on a low shelf he turns goes out the door, closes the door, and goes back to work. The chosen vessel is alone not made available to the public shopper. It is kept out of view. It is isolated from all the other vessels not yet ready to be revealed. Before there can be revelation there must be isolation.
The calling of a chosen vessel comes with the need for a stricter discipline and a more intense commitment. When you are a chosen vessel God is going to anoint you with a special anointing, but this anointing is going to cost you something.
First of all you must understand that God is not going to be hurried in the giving of this anointing instead He is going to turn up the heat in your life. It may seem as though His gentleness and kindness is gone towards you, but understand this is not that He loves you any less, but that He is trying to bring something out of you. Sometimes we feel the aggressiveness of His love as He forges our character and because it cuts deep, it hurts, and sometimes it will make you cry. There will come times when you feel as though you are all alone, you can be in a crowd of people and you feel as though no-one is around. You may even begin to pray and say like Elijah said Lord it is only me only I am left. Because I have been placed in this dark and lonely place, but just like the sculptor that takes a hammer and chisel to the marble so will God shape you the chosen vessel? Hes getting rid of some stuff, stuff that you would allow to compete with Him. Oftentimes what we consider our most treasured possession will be taken away, because He will remove all that distracts from our beauty. He is making you better. You couldn¡¯t understand why that car had to get reposed, you couldn¡¯t understand why that job all of the sudden wasn¡¯t anymore, you couldnt understand why your so called friends just stopped being around. People began to tell you if it would have been me I would have left him long ago, if it would have been me I would have left her long ago, but thats why it wasnt them because they werent the chosen vessel.
Pretty soon you begin to look at your situation, you recognize the call on your life and you begin to say I should have been passed this by now, by this time in my walk with God this should be over. Surely by now God has completed what He needs to complete in me. You begin to wonder God have you forgotten about me, the darkness and inactivity just seems to be lasting forever, you are waiting for something to happen in your life yet there is nothing. Understand that God has not forgotten you; He has set you apart, not aside.
WATCH THIS: I had to find this out for myself. As long as the idleness bothers you, as long as the loneliness bothers you, as long as the backbiting bothers you, as long as friends turning their backs on you bothers you, as long as not being included in the church clique bothers you, as long as your name being dragged through the mud bothers you, you are not ready for the next step. A chosen vessel doesnt mind waiting on God. The chosen vessel doesnt mind being lonely because they know they are never alone. The chosen vessel knows they are clay; they wouldnt be anything else but clay, because they understand thats the stuff God molds to hold treasures. 2nd Corinthians 4:7 says But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. The chosen vessel is able through the excellency of the power of God to enlighten the mind, to convince the conscience, to heal the broken hearted, to set at liberty those that are bruised, to open up the blinded eyes, and to destroy the works of the devil.
The chosen vessel brings honor to the potter. I have never been to Israel, but it is said if you go to the potters shop even today and look at all he has to sell, before you buy anything ask for a chosen vessel. The potter will go to a small dark room alone and bring a chosen vessel to you. The customer doesnt get to pick the vessel the potter does thats because he knows that that vessel will bring in honor not matter what.
The 4th vessel is the clean vessel. The clean vessel was made to be a vessel of honor it was designed to be of service and use. Understand that usage over time will result in wear on the vessel. Frequent use will begin to mar and soil the vessel, even the vessel of mercy, and chosen vessel will begin to erode after frequent usage. The beauty will begin to fade, the lip becomes chipped and pitted and erosion takes place. The vessel has become battle worn and is no longer able to sit in the door way and perform it duties as before. This represents those that have been on the battlefield fighting for the Lord. Its not that they have lost anything, but they have weak, worn, and tainted, ships tossed and driven, battered by an angry sea; however, this goes with the territory. Oftentimes tradition will cause tainting. Sometimes we get caught up in the mechanics of worship we know and do the art of worship, but the heart of worship just is not there, we have become worn.
In the military when a solider has been in battle for a while they will take that solider and send him to the rear for what they call R&R, which is rest and relaxation because he is battle worn. Well the clean vessel has become weak and worn and literally becomes a second class vessel in appearance and service; however, that doesnt mean its not of use. It is moved to the back of the house and is used now to carry grain. Several times a year the clean vessels are gathered up and taken back to the potter and he attempts to restore the vessels REVIVAL.
There comes a time in each and every ones life when we need to be revived. Jesus Himself sometimes had to get away and be restored because he was battle worn. The spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak. Psalms 51:12 says ¡°Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and uphold me with thy free spirit¡±.
The restoration of the clean vessel is a 4 step process.
1.) Emptying: - The potter will take the vessel and empty all its contents. This is done by turning the vessel upside down, nothing can remain in the vessel. Ever felt like your life has been turned upside down. The emptying of you the vessel is not going to be pleasant; you must be willing to empty yourself of all your favorite theories, traditions, and doctrines. Its going to be like peeling an onion, there is going to be some stuff in you that when taken away is going to make you cry, but its all part of the process..
2.) Scraping and Brushing: - The inside of the vessels, after it is emptied, is cleaned by filing and scraping the inside. Old religious residue ¡ú traditions and the rudiments of men. The scraping of the inside is what will produce humility. The scrapping of the inside destroys the pride, it kills self-reliance, it removes arrogance. The brushing cleans the outside of the vessels
3.) Rest the Lip: - The lip of the vessel is very critical if the vessel is to pour properly. The lip needs to be reshaped. He needs to purge my lips causing me to understand that the power of life and death is in the tongue; therefore, I must make sure I dont speak death, but life so restore my lip that I may be able to properly pour out the Word of God to the people.
4.) Put into the fire: - This one we dont like, but its the fire that makes us strong. It is at this point we try to bargin with God. We begin to say God you have emptied me, you have scrapped me, you have reset my lip please dont put me back in the fire, I will do right, I will praise your name, I will tell everyone of your goodness, Lord please dont put me in the fire if you put me in the fire I will die. God says in a still small voice you promise ¨C and back into the fire we go.
After the fire the potter is finished with the vessel, the vessel is put back into service at the front of the house as a vessel of honor. REVIVAL.
The 5th vessel is the vessel of dishonor. The vessel of dishonor was Judean garbage can. It was fashioned to be a vessel of honor; however, it got pot-marked in the fire. Either air in the clay or some flaw caused the potter to be unhappy with it. There was some stubbornness, some resistant quality that refused to yield to the potters touch. The vessel of dishonor was used for 2 purposes.
1.) It was place beside the vessel of honor to receive the dirty water.
2.) It was moved to the kitchen to become a slop bucket, its the place where scraps were tossed.
As you all know it doesn¡¯t take long for a trash can to begin to stink. Finally it is taken out and thrown away and is then called an abominable vessel (Isa. 65:4)
Now the vessel of dishonor creates a problem that must be cleared. God does not appoint vessels of dishonor to the congregation it is not His will that there be a resident garbage vessel. The vessel of dishonor is a self appointed vessel they are the ones that are always available for slop. They are the ones that are always listening to and spreading gossip. They are nothing more than the busybodies of the church. They are always trying to find out and spread who did what or who didn¡¯t do what. Vessels of dishonor, busybodies, are just plain nosey people.
2nd Thessalonians 3:11 says For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all (idle) but are busybodies Peter compares busybodies to a murderer. 1st Peter 4:15 saysBut let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or a busybody in other peoples matters. You must guard yourself from the vessel of dishonor for they are self appointed vessels, with careless tongue, lack of wisdom, and openness for garbage, which draws flies and the lord of the flies is Beelzebub. They are in the House of the Lord, but their lord is Beelzebub. Beware of the vessel of dishonor.
The 6th vessel is the broken vessel. Most of us have been broken from time to time in our life. If you havent yet you will. The broken vessel was not named carelessly. The broken vessel is clay that could not or would not take the heat. The fire that normally produces durability and strength has produced a crack in this vessel. Have you ever been treated in such a way that you said something you really didn¡¯t mean to or you latter had regrets about saying. Have you ever responded to someone angrily, or said a quick unguarded and unseasoned word. Have you ever had an attitude failure? Have you ever in church just threw up your hands and said I quit. These are all manifestations of a broken vessel. The broken vessel is a wounded vessel in need of repair.
However when a vessel has been cracked the potter has a remedy to Save The Broken Vessel. The potter goes through great lengths to restore the damage. The potter will go to the sheep (just like Jesus when he came to His sheep) and find a lamb; he begins to dig through the wool of the lamb until he finds a fasuka, which is the Hebrew name for a tick, we all know what a tick does. He takes the tick back to his house a pulls out the powder form of the clay (clay is in a powder form until mixed with water). He squeezes the blood of the lamb from the tick into the powder and makes glue from the blood & powder. He then slowly works this glue into the cracks; after he fills the crack he places the vessel back in the fire. This process is done over and over again until the vessel is no longer broken. The thing about the potter I like is when he places the vessel in the fire he is constantly watching it to ensure the vessel doesnt break again.
The church today is filled with a bunch of cracked pots.
The 7th and final vessel is the vessel of wrath. When the broken vessel refuses to accept the blood of the fasuka in mending the crack it becomes a vessel of wrath. There is no honor or joy for the potter. When one refuses the blood of the lamb or refuses to go through the fire they become subject to the wrath of the potter.
When all has failed the potters wrath on the vessel is taken out. He would take the vessel up on the wall of the city and cast it down into the dump or what is called the potters field. The potters field is the place where those that had leprosy dwelt, it was the place of burial for unknown or indignant people, it is also called the field of blood, because this is the place where Judas hanged himself after betraying Jesus. The vessels of wrath were cast down and would break and the lepers would take the pieces of the vessels and scrape their wounds.
If you dont want to be a vessel of wrath REPENT.
What type of vessel are you? Are you a:
1.) Vessel of Honor ¨C that holds a unique service
2.) Vessel of Mercy ¨C that is accessible to world
3.) Chosen Vessel ¨C that brings honor to God
4.) Clean Vessel ¨C that has had restoration
5.) Vessel of Dishonor ¨C self appoint busybody
6.) Broken Vessel ¨C in need of repair
7.) Vessel of Wrath ¨C that refuses to be saved.
Let God make you a proper vessel in His house.
District Elder M.L. Maughmer, Jr.
Assistant Pastor O.G.C.O.G.I.C
Boanerge Ministries.
