Let us Pray
Welcome....
Our theme this year is "Stepping Out By Faith," and I would like to remind each one that
there are things right now that we cannot see, but by faith we can hope for it. There are
things right now we might not fully understand, but by faith we can continue to believe
God. There are things right now that might cause us to wonder, but by faith we can rely
on God for God to work it out. Let’s Picture the Possibilities of what God will do if we
are united in the things that we do or say.
If you and I think that we have arrived, and we have it made, we are wrong, because
God is not through with us yet. If you and I think we have seen it all, and now we have it
made, we are wrong, be-cause God is not through with us yet. If you and I think we have
faced our last test and trial, we could be wrong, be-cause God might have more tests and
trials for us, and he might not be true with us yet.
Maybe you are wondering what’s happening to God’s Church? I want to remind you that
God’s church is alive and well. God’s church will endure the tests of time. If you are in
God’s church, if you are a child of God, I want to encourage you to hold on to God’s
hand, and if you do not know Christ as Lord of your life, I want to encourage you to seek
the Lord before it is too late. Saints we are living in the very last days, and Je-sus said in
Matthew 24 verse 13, "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be
saved." The word endure means, to suffer patiently; to remain set in purpose; hold
out, under suffering, trial etc; to last for a long time. Only those who endure to the
end shall be saved. Picture the Possibilities of enduring to the end, we shall have
everlasting life; unending life with our Lord and Savior.
Please turn with me in your Bi-bles to Jeremiah 18 verses 1 through 6. Let’s all stand and
read together. Please tell someone, God knows all about you, and you can’t hide.
Our to-pic for today is, "In the hand of the potter." We will consider the following
thoughts, 1. The marred vessel, 2. The remade vessel, 3. The useful vessel.
As we look at our text for today, our focus will be on verse 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 word marred means, damaged
or defaced; to spoil the quality of; a mark that disfigures, blemish. All of us here today
were marred by sin, we were de-faced, disfigured, blemished, and God had to do a work
on us on the potter’s wheel. As we read the text, one might wonder why did the potter not
leave the broken and marred clay, and use a fresh and flaw-less piece? There was plenty
of it at his disposal. Why? Because he knew that if the obstacle that marred it was
removed the vessel could be perfected, and so he tried again.
The prophet Jeremiah was depressed and disappointed. Have you ever been depressed and disappointed, and just don’t know what to do? Israel the people whom God had chosen, and moulded for His purpose, had resisted and rebelled against God. In Jeremiah’s depressed condition, many thoughts were passing through his mind: What
was God going to do with Israel? Would God cast Israel aside? Would God take another
people to be used for His purpose and praise? As Jeremiah thought on all these
questions, these questions were answered one morning in the potter’s house, and silenced
Jeremiah’s doubts and fears.
There was good news for the people of God. God would not cast Israel off, for as the
potter had taken the broken, marred clay and made it again, so would God gather Israel to
Him-self once more and try and make Israel again. God in His mercy and grace was giving
Israel a second chance. Thank God for a second chance. Picture the Possibilities of
being given a second chance by God.
God has something good for each of us here today. Every turning of the wheel and every
touch of His hand has been to mould and make us ac-cor-ding to the Divine pattern. God’s
ideal for each of us is for us to become more like Christ. God wants to make the very
best he can of each of us. God is calling for marred vessels to be placed in the potter’s
hand. So many today have been marred by sin, but God is saying just come to the potter’s
house. In our text it talks about what can be done to clay when it is in the potter’s hand,
and today let’s consider what God can do for you and for me when we are in His hands.
Just imagine there is a big sign out there with hands beckoning, marred vessels are welcome here, at the potter’s house. Whatever you might consider to be marring your life, the potter can help you, so come to the potter’s house. Every flaw, every disfigurement, every problem is welcomed at the potter’s house. If you feel hopeless, just come
to the potter’s house. If you feel helpless, just come to the potter’s house. If you feel
burdened down, just come to the potter’s house. If you feel you are being controlled by the
flesh, just come to the potter’s house. If you have attitudes that needs to be changed, just
come to the potter’s house. If you find it hard to for-give others, just come to the potter’s
house. Do you know that there are some people who just enjoy complaining and fussing?
If you like to complain and fuss, just come to the potter’s house.
If you feel nobody loves you, or nobody cares about you, just come to the potter’s
house. If you feel resentment to those around you, just come to the potter’s house. As
you come to the potter’s house, a marred vessel, get ready to be placed in the hand of the
potter, to be put on a wheel so that you can be a re-made vessel. "And the vessel that he
made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again another
vessel.."
The potter has power to leave the clay untouched or to make out of it either a vessel of
honour or a vessel of dis-honour. It might be a beautiful vase or a ugly piece of utensil.
God is shaping us into that form that he deems most fitting. God does not cast us away,
but God put us afresh upon the wheel and makes us again. In the re-making process the
clay must be broken up and remodelled. God as his way of breaking up marred vessels.
That marred life must be disturbed and shaken up, so that God may be able to fashion
that life.
As God places that marred life on the wheel, as God starts to remake that life, on that
wheel certain things must go if remaking has to take place. On the wheel, something
which in our eyes we think is indispensable, some-thing which we thought we could
not do with-out, is taken away; and something which seems need-less is added. On the
wheel, there is a cutting and a shaping. On the wheel, there is a moulding and a making.
On the wheel, hope-less-ness turns to hope. On the wheel, low es-teem turns to self esteem. On the wheel, that nobody becomes a some-body. On the wheel, that bad attitude turns to something good. On the wheel, that unforgiving spirit turns to a spirit of forgiveness. I believe today, God wants to put us all on that wheel to remake us, and to
make something beautiful out of our lives.
If your life has proven a failure up to this point, let God take your life, what-ever is left of
it, and let God remake you. Maybe you are saying I have gone too far in sin, there is no
hope for me, just get on the wheel, and allow the potter to re-make you. God wants you
to yield yourself afresh to him. God wants you to confess that you have marred his work,
and God is ready to remake you. Jacob’s life was marred, but God remade him. David the
man who was close to God, his life was marred, but God remade him. Peter the one who
walked and talked with our Lord, his life was marred, but God remade him. You too can
be remade by the Master.
In the potter’s hand, in God’s hand, marred vessels can be remade, and once they are
remade they become useful vessels. Most of us here today have or would like to have a
beautiful house. Just supposed you went and bought a beautiful house, it had several
bedrooms, several bath rooms, all the comfort one would desire in a house, but all you did
was to show your friends your beautiful house, and you never lived in the house, what
good would that beautiful house be to you? If after God remake you; if after God
refashions you, if after God give you that which you need to go on, and you are not made
useful, then you are not doing what God expects you to do. So many people in the church
have heard the word of God over and over again, they know what the word says, they
know how they should live by the word, but if they are not making God’s word useful, if
they are not applying God’s Word to their everyday living, what good is the word to them?
There are people who are getting fat on the word, but at the same time someone is starving for the word, because they have not made themself useful.
God is calling for useful vessels. God is calling for people he can de-pend on. God is
calling for people who he can trust to share the word. God is calling you to be that useful
vessel. Once you have been to the potter’s house; once you have been placed on the
potter’s wheel; once you have been remade by the potter into a useful vessel, you will
never be the same again.
I want to en-courage someone here today, and remind you that broken lives are being
remade by the potter, and become useful lives. Lives that have been going in the wrong
direction, can be turned around and headed in the right direction. Lives that have been
going contary to God’s will, can be changed. There is a old song we used to sing, that
says, "My stubborn will hath last has yielded, I would be thine and thine alone."
God wants to take our stubborn will, and remake those wills so that we will be able to
say, Lord not my will, but let your will be done.
As a useful vessel, there is work to be done. Too long we have been folding our arms,
tapping our toes, sitting back and relaxing, but there is work to be done. Too long we
have tried to push the work off on somebody else, but once you have been to the potter’s
house you will not be the same again. As each of us examine ourselves before God, let us
take a walk to the potter’s house. In verse 6 of our text it says, "Behold, as the clay is in
the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand.." In the potter’s hand, the potter is able to
do with the clay whatever he sees fit to do. In the potter’s hand, the clay becomes helpless,
it is no longer what the clay wills, but it is what the potter wills. Sometimes in the potter’s
hand that shaping and remaking might be hard to go through. Sometimes in the potter’s
hand, that testing and suffering might be hard to bear. Sometimes in the potter’s hand it
feels we can’t make it, but I want somebody to know, yes you can make it, yes you can
take it, because God is not through with you yet.
David saw himself, and so he went to the potter and in Pslam 139 verses 23 and 24, David
said, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And
see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Saul thought he was doing right, he thought he was doing God’s will, but on the road to Damascus, Saul met the Master, and in Acts 9 verse 6 Saul said, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?"
As you come into the potter’s house, as you come to the Master potter, today you can say,
"Spirit of the living God, Fall afresh on me, Spirit of the Living God, Fall afresh on
me. Melt me, mold me, Fill me, use me, Spirit of the Living God, Fall afresh on me."
As we close, let me ask this question. Is there something hindering you from being the
very best for God? God has a purpose in every life as the potter has with the clay. What is
God’s purpose for your life? The Master Potter is making vessels; vessels that can used in
his Kingdom, will you be that vessel of use? There lies in the clay, a dead, heavy mass of
clay, with no beauty, unless it is placed in the hand of the potter. Picture the Possibilities
of God taking you and me, putting us on the potter’s wheel and remaking us into useful
vessels. God has a purpose in every life as the potter has with th clay. God has a purpose
for your life, and every life has not the same purpose. Maybe God’s purpose for your life is
for you to be a missionary someday, will you answer the call? Maybe God’s purpose for
your life is for you to be a minister someday, will you answer the call? Maybe God’s
purpose for your life is to a teacher in the Sunday School someday, will you answer the
call? Maybe God’s purpose for your life is to stay in the background and pray for God’s
church, will you answer the call? In the hand of the potter; in the hand of the Master
potter, you can be what God wants you to be.
I want to invite you all to come, and say Lord, I am placing my life in the hands of the
Master potter to be used as he sees that is best.
Call to the unsaved; call to the saved......
Let us stand
Closing Song/Prayer
