05/18/08
Poised for Greatness…
Jer 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.
(prayer)
I want to talk to you today about being “poised for greatness”!
"poised [poyzd]adj
ready to act: fully prepared or in position and about to do something"
-encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861738299/poised.html
In our opening text this morning we have a simple illustration.
God was trying to make a point to the prophet Jeremiah, so that he would go and teach to the Children of Israel. He gave Jeremiah an illustration, or example.
We have a potter. And, we have some clay. The potter begins working that clay on his wheel as it begins to spin.
The potter works, molds, and shapes that clay into a vessel.
The potter has plans for his creation. He has plans for the vessel he is molding, and making.
But, there is a problem. The vessel becomes marred. There is a defect. (small defect cause problems when it is fired/kiln)
The potter will have to start over. Now, we live in a throw away, plastic society don’t we? If it’s broke, get rid of it! Throw it away, it’s of no use!
That is not the case for our potter. He doesn’t discard the marred clay. But, he works the marred clay into something new…something to be used.
Jer. 18:4 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.
This is a beautiful example, or illustration that God gave to us in scripture about a person’s life.
Just as that potter takes the clay from the earth, and is going to make something out of it…
God made man from the dust (clay) of the ground, and wants to mold us to be used by Him!
But, the clay was marred.
Man sinned. Man is marred with sin.
The potter begins anew…yet, with the same clay. He takes what is unusable…what man would throw away…and makes it usable!
That is what God does for the sinner. He saves man from sin. He takes those that were not usable by Him because of sin. He takes them, He molds them, He cleanses them from their marred state, their sin…and He makes them usable!
Some observations…
-The clay must be moldable.
-The clay must remain in the potter’s hands.
-The clay becomes what the potter makes it.
-The vessel the potter makes, he makes to use.
So, the ultimate purpose of the vessel is to be used according to the will of the potter.
Moldable Clay…
How much would you spend on clay?
Well, you can buy a can of play-doh for $1 or $2. (That’s not really clay…I’m not sure what it is. It’s made from wheat. I know it smells good! I’m weird!)
(There is a lot of clay where I’m from. It’s that red clay. I wouldn’t give a nickel for it.)
It seems to be of little use. However in the hand of the potter it becomes of great value once it has been molded, formed, shaped, and fired.
That clay that was a lump of nothing…not worth anything…now becomes a vessel that is precious, and valuable.
What did the clay do? It was moldable.
Clay is just clay. It’s dirt. It has no mind of it’s own. It has no will of it’s own.
It’s completely powerless in the hands of the potter. It can’t fight against the will of the potter!
(Maybe man should have remained dirt! He may have been smarter!)
Isa 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.
Just like clay, we need to be moldable.
Don’t fight the Lord and His will…be moldable into His will!
Remain in the Potter’s Hand’s…
The clay must remain in the potter’s hands.
Can you imagine a potter working with a lump of clay? The wheel begins to spin, the potter begins his work…and, then all of a sudden…the clay jumps off the wheel!
Crazy, huh! (Where’s it going to go…it’s a lump of clay!)
The only way for the clay to become something of value is to stay in the potter’s hands!
You on your own can become nothing!! (Nothing of value.)
John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Outside the Potter’s hand’s you are nothing…nothing but headed for trouble.
And, yet the Bible also says…
Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
You can do all things through Christ! But, you have to stay in the Potter’s hands!
I’m not talking about remaining in His salvation. We are secure in that once we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior!
I’m talking about that we need to not seek our own will, but the will of our Lord for our life!
Change My Heart oh God, by Vineyard Music
You are the Potter, I am the clay…
Mold me and make me, this is what I pray.
Change my heart oh, God,
Make it ever true.
Change my heart, oh God,
May I be like you.
If you are not one that likes to stay in the Potter’s hand…your attitude needs to change…you need to change the attitude of your heart!
We need to pray that we remain in the Potter’s hands so that He is able to He molds us, and makes us.
And, if your heart is not in it…then you need to ask God to give you a heart that He can use.
Ps 34:18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
We need to be moldable…We need to stay in the Potter’s hands…
Becoming What the Potter Desires…
The clay becomes what the potter makes it.
Jer. 18:4 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.
The potter when he sets out to make something from the clay. He never intends on keeping it a lump of clay. His intention is to always make it into something…a cup, a bowl, a plate.
He has a design. He has a plan. He has a purpose. He has a will.
It is not the clay to fashions itself!
What lump of clay do you know that makes itself into something?
(That same lump that jumps off the potter’s wheel!)
“I’m a lump of clay…but, I’m going to make myself into a big, beautiful “vaaze”.” (That’s fancy for vase!)
The only thing you are going to make yourself into is a mess!
Remember that old country song?
"I’m just an old chunk of coal. But, I’m gonna be a diamond someday!"
-John Anderson
Well, that chunk of coal doesn’t become a diamond on it’s own. It takes pressure…
It takes something other than itself!
And, amazingly the same Designer, the same Creator of that diamond…just happens to be our same Potter!
He wants to make you into something, and that something is whatever He desires!
Vs. 4…
… as seemed good to the potter to make it.
Listen…we ought to be happy with what He wants to make us. We will be happy with what He makes us…if we allow Him to mold and shape us, in His hands.
Ps 84:10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
The Psalmist declared…
“I would rather serve God for one day, then to live a thousand serving the world…”
The world will use you, abuse you, and throw you away!
The Lord will use you to fulfill His will for eternity…and with that will come great purpose and reward!
We need to be moldable, we need to stay in the Potter’s hand, we need to become what the Potter Desires…
We need to understand that we are…
For the Potter’s Use…
The vessel the potter makes, he makes to use.
When a potter finishes what he has made. He’s proud of it. He may even show it off. But, the ultimate glory for what he has created is when he uses what he has made!
Imagine the satisfaction of the potter who takes a lump of clay, molds it into a vessel, a cup for example…and then takes that cup into his hands, and uses that cup to take a drink of cold, refreshing water!
How satisfying it must be for the potter. Something he has made, something he has designed and created…now being used by him!
(Some of you like to paint, quilt, build, craft…you all get satisfaction when you make something out of nothing… especially when that something is to be used, and enjoyed!)
We can all comprehend this even in our small human level of understanding.
So, the ultimate purpose of the vessel is to be used according to the will of the potter.
Jesus, Himself said…
John 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
Being poised for greatness isn’t about being great. It’s about being moldable. It’s about remaining in the Potter’s hands!
It’s about being used by God as He desires…not exercising our own will, but His!
It’s about letting God put you on His wheel, and working on you, and in you, and through you to make you into whatever He desires to then be used by Him!
