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.
2. LAZY PROCRASTINATION: test, re-test, test, trials, test: S.O.S. STAY THE SAME.
ISRAEL IS IN BIG TROUBLE… SIN HAD TAKEN TOLL AND THE PRICE OF SIN WAS OPPRESSION. GOD IN HIS MERCY SENDS AN ANGEL TO GOD VISIT A MAN FROM THE TRIBE OF DAN. MANOAH’S WIFE HAS AN ENCOUNTER WITH GOD. . WE DON’T KNOW HER NAME, JUST MANOAH’S WIFE. THE ANGELS PROMISES THEM THAT GOD WAS GOING TO GIVE THE BARREN WOMAN A SON --- YOU CAN BE THE PROMISE OF GOD AND STILL BE MARRED/FLAWED.
Judges 13:24 And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him. 25 And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.
OFTEN WE HAVE OUR OPINIONS AND PERSPECTIVES THAT CAN MARR/ EVEN THE SONS OF PROMISE GO THROUGH LEAN, HARD TIMES OF TROUBLE. SELF-INDUCED POTENTIAL KILLERS. EYE TROUBLE? FOCUS?
THE TRAP IS SET, THE CLAY IS MARRED. WAKE UP!
Judges 14:1 And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. 2 And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife. 3 Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.
TALK ABOUT MARRED CLAY? I AM SORRY I CAN’T SEE? OPEN YOUR EYES? SAMSON'S SENSUAL DESIRES CAUSED TROUBLE. SAMSON KNEW BETTER. SAMSON’S PARENTS TRIED TO WARN HIM. NO! NO! WHEN DID SAMSON REALIZE HE WAS BLIND? SAMSON REFUSED TO BE CORRECTED. SAMSON BECOMES THE 12TH JUDGE OF ISRAEL.
Judges 16:16 And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;
Judges 16:20 And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.
Judges 16:21 But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.
SAMSON WAS BLIND BEFORE HE LOST HIS VISION. SAMSON WOULD NEVER ACCEPT HIS PERSON RESPONSIBILITY FOR HIS MIND SET AND DEEDS… I want her!
WHAT A SAD DAY, WHEN THE MAN OF GOD NEVER CLAIMED HIS POTENTIAL. SAMSON ALLOWED HIS FAILURE TO GET HIM TO PRAY A FOOLISH PRAYER --- GOD COULD HAVE GIVEN SAMSON MANY MORE VICTORIES.
Judges 16:28 And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.
**HE DIDN’T THROW THE CLAY AWAY BY GENE REASONER.
EMPTY AND BROKEN, I CAME BACK TO HIM. A VESSEL UNWORTHY,
SO SCARRED WITH SIN. BUT HE DID NOT DISPAIR,
HE STARTED OVER AGAIN, AND I BLESS THE DAY,
HE DIDN’T THROW THE CLAY AWAY.
OVER AND OVER, HE MOLDS ME AND MAKES ME, INTO HIS LIKENESS,
HE FASHIONS THE CLAY, A VESSEL OF HONOR , I AM TODAY,
ALL BECAUSE JESUS DIDN’T THROW THE CLAY AWAY.
HE IS THE POTTER AND I AM THE CLAY, MOLDED IN HIS IMAGE,
HE WANTS ME TO STAY. BUT WHEN I STUMBLE AND WHEN I FALL.
AND MY VESSEL BREAKS, HE JUST PICKS UP ALL THE PIECES,
HE NEVER THROWS THE CLAY AWAY.
A VESSEL OF HONOR, I AM TODAY,
ALL BECAUSE JESUS DIDN’T THROW AWAY THE CLAY.
Conclusion: THERE IS A TERRIBLE WAR. THE CONFLICT IS REAL: THE BATTLE IS BETWEEN THE FLESH AND SPIRIT. WE MUST LEARN TO LIVE DAILY AND WALK IN THE SPIRIT.
SUBMIT TO GOD’S PLAN, DRAW NEAR TO HIM.
Romans 9:20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? 21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (YouTube: Wade Hughes)
GOD IS NOT FINISHED --- GOD LOVES MARRED/FLAWED VESSELS. GOD DESIRES TO USE YOU! Conclusion: THERE IS A TERRIBLE WAR. THE CONFLICT IS REAL: THE BATTLE IS BETWEEN THE FLESH AND SPIRIT. WE MUST LEARN TO LIVE DAILY AND WALK IN THE SPIRIT. God loves and uses marred vessels. God loves JARS OF CLAY!
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?
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (YouTube: Wade Hughes)
