MOLDED
INTRODUCTION: To mold means to “guide or influence the growth or development of somebody or something”. This is what God seeks to do with every believer. He wants to make and mold us into the image of his son Jesus. The question is-how well is that molding process going? Let’s take a look at why is it so hard to go through this process.
1) Because of our image of God. Exodus 32:1-4. We might call the Israelites foolish for making the golden calf but when you think about it we are capable of doing the same thing. We might not make an actual, tangible image of worship but we do make an image of God that suits us and that is what we worship. It’s still God per se but it’s a god of our own making. We try to mold God into our preferred image. We try to make God into an image that pleases us. We latch onto certain aspects of God like his mercy, forgiveness and grace and block out the more harsh aspects like anger, wrath and judgment. In doing this we actually perform idolatry. We set up a god made in an image to our liking. This false God is the one we worship. This is a god that fits into our back pocket. We’ve molded (fashioned) a god that is our buddy instead of our master. We fashion a god that is a jolly ol’ soul whose purpose is to grant our requests. We have a molded image of a god who is tolerant of our sinful behavior. We want God to act and be according to how we want him to be. We don’t want his truth; we want our own version of truth. We want a god who is completely okay with everything we’re okay with. We find a way to justify our actions or lack thereof, by creating a god that is on the same page as us. We want to accept a god of our own understanding without trying to understand who God really is. We don’t want a god who has commands. We don’t want a god that challenges us. It’s much easier to have a relationship with God on my terms instead of his. It’s much easier to make a god in our own image. When we lose sight of who the potter is and who the clay is we’re in trouble. Isaiah 29:16a, “You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!” With this mindset God cannot mold us.
2) Because of sin. We were molded into the image of the world but now we are called to be molded into the image of Jesus. That’s not easy because it’s not natural. The natural man is of the world. Think about it-you’ll never be invited to attend a seminar on how to be a better liar, 101 ways to increase your anger, how to sin more effectively. We don’t need these because unfortunately, all this comes naturally for us. Therefore, the process of being molded by God is not an easy one. We struggle with sin. And sin works against the molding process. Fashioned, molded=process, shaping, handcrafted, painstaking, precision, decorated. This is so special because it shows the care and attention that God gives to us as individuals. He has a specific design picked out for each one of us. That should make us understand how loved and special we are to him. But when we dive back into sin, it’s like taking paint and throwing it on a masterpiece. It’s like breaking a chip off a one of a kind priceless sculpture. If anyone here has ever built or created something special you have a deep connection with it. You treat it with unique care and concern. You protect it. While you were making it you took the time to make sure it was just right. How would you feel if the person you made it for treated it like it was nothing? They didn’t take care of it, they didn’t protect it; they didn’t have the same love for it that you had. It would make you feel unappreciated, the time and effort you put into it meant nothing to them. It would cause you to wonder if you meant nothing to them also. You would wonder, ‘how could this person, whom I love so much that I gave them this one-of-a-kind special gift that I made with my own two hands, treat me this way?’ And we would be wondering the same thing about this person. So when we have these repetitive sins we are disrespecting God’s time and effort. He spent all that time working on us and we willingly deface his property. When we sin we are treating ourselves like trash. But, thankfully, there is hope. Jeremiah 18:1-6. The good news is that God can restore the damage. But guess what-that takes time. In some cases, depending on the damage caused, he may have to practically start over. In 1502 in Florence Italy there was a large block of marble given to a church in Santa Maria. The church hired who they thought was a professional to sculpt this enormously huge piece of rock. The man was not a professional and soon after commencing this great task the man drilled a whole at the bottom which ended up destroying this magnificent piece of marble. The church decided to just drape a huge sheet over it, not knowing what else to do since it had been damaged beyond recognition and repair. A certain man, Michelangelo caught word of this large stone and how it had been destroyed. So, out of curiosity, he went to check it out. When he saw it he thought, "I think I can do something with this". He began to work and sculpt; and what was once thought to be a lost cause became one of the greatest statues of David ever built. You might be here today, thinking that the damage you’ve caused yourself is beyond repair. But take heart-in the capable hands of the Master, you can be molded into all that Jesus has called you to be.
3) Because we question God. Isaiah 45:9-10. We complain to God about how he’s molding us. We deal with pride thinking God doesn’t know what he’s doing. He is the molder, we are the moldee. In order to be able to accept this relationship, we are going to need humility, trust and love. These are key to being molded into the image of God. Some of God’s molding is uncomfortable but necessary because God is more concerned about our holiness than he is about our happiness. In Romans 9, Paul is addressing people who are questioning God over his divine choosing and way of doing things. He puts things in perspective in verses 20-21. Things might not make sense to us. We might envy what God is making someone else into and we find ourselves complaining against God and thinking he loves this other person more than me. This is a trick of the devil. God loves no person more than another. He simply chooses and uses people according to his plans. We need to realize that we have a lack of understanding. There was a couple who used to go to England to shop in the beautiful stores. They both liked antiques and pottery; especially teacups. This was their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. They were in this one shop when they saw a beautiful teacup. They said, "We’ve never seen one quite so beautiful." As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke. "You don’t understand," it said. "I haven’t always been a teacup. There was a time when I was just red clay. My master took me and rolled me and patted me over and over and I yelled out, ‘Let me alone’, but he only smiled and said, ‘Not yet.’ "Then I was placed on a spinning wheel," the teacup said, "and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. “Stop it! I’m getting dizzy?” I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, ‘Not yet.’ Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I didn’t understand why he wanted to burn me, and I yelled and knocked at the door. I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as he shook his head, ‘Not yet.’ Finally the door opened. He put me on the shelf and I began to cool. ‘There, that’s better’, I said. Bu then he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. ‘Stop it, stop it!’ I cried. ‘Not yet.’ Then suddenly he put me back into the oven, but not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. All the time I could see him through the opening nodding his head saying, ‘Not yet.’ Then I knew there wasn’t any hope. I would never make it. I was ready to give up. But the door opened and he took me out and placed me on the shelf. One hour later He handed me a mirror and I couldn’t believe it was me. ‘Wow. I’m beautiful.’ ‘I want you to remember, then,’ he said, ‘I know it hurts to be rolled and patted, but if I had left you alone, you would have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I knew it hurt and it was hot and disagreeable in the oven but if I hadn’t put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn’t done that, you never would have hardened; and you would not have had all this beautiful color. And if I hadn’t put you back in that second oven, you wouldn’t survive for very long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. You are what I had in mind when I first began with you.” God knows what He’s doing. He is the potter and we are His clay. He will mold us and make us, so that we may become a flawless piece of work to fulfill His good, pleasing and perfect will. Therefore, instead of complaining about what God is making us into, we should be thankful that he desires to invest time in us imperfect people to begin with. Psalm 8:4a, “What is man, that thou art mindful of him?”
4) Because we’re impatient. The process of being molded isn’t going to happen overnight. Handcrafting something takes time. You can turn out cheap imitations rapidly but if you want the best you’ll have to be patient. God’s not in the business of manufacturing assembly line quick-as-you-can products. Therefore, we need to be patient with God and ourselves. It can be easier when we realize that it’s the best way to do it. A false diamond is molded in glass or paste in just a few minutes; but God requires ages of slow, patient workmanship to crystallize the real diamond from the dark charcoal. You can cover pressed wood with a veneer of walnut or mahogany at little expense and little effort; but the real grain of walnut or mahogany took many years of strain and struggle while the tree was battling the storms and weathering the droughts. Cheap imitations cannot weather the storms or stand the test of time. But, handcrafted pieces, made with the best parts and precious time are top of the line. God isn’t using subpar materials on us. He’s crafting us with the best that He has to offer. Anything less would not be of his character and it would not be what’s best for us. And think about it-a craftsman who decides to build with the best materials realizes that it will be costly. The best costs more. What price did God pay to be able to craft you? The life of His Son. This was the price God was willing to pay so that we could be crafted, molded into the image of the Son he willingly gave up. With such a high price paid, doesn’t it make sense for God to take his time with us?
CONCLUSION: The great thing is that God loves us as we are. The challenge we’re faced with is that he doesn’t want us to stay as we are. He has a plan and purpose for us and we need to be about his plans and purpose. We said we gave up our own plans and purpose when we decided to surrender to his lordship and follow him. Let’s make sure we stay committed to this wonderful process of being molded; all the while with abundant joy and great anticipation for what we are being made into.
