PP0637 DATE
BROKEN IN THE POTTER’S HANDS
Jeremiah 18:1-6
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. (KJV)
INTRODUCTION: M.R. Dehaan said all scripture has a primary interpretation, and all scripture has a personal application. That is the case with this passage. The primary interpretation is that Israel had turned away from God and He had allowed them to be broken in attempt to get them to turn back to God. God allowed Jeremiah to see the potter at work at the wheel to show him what He would do with Israel. The application is that each of us will see ourselves as this clay on the wheel, being molded into a vessel for the Potter’s sake.
David speaks of the same thing in Ps 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. (KJV) We know that David wrote this Psalm at a time when he had been broken by God because of his sin. The clay is a picture of the individual that is broken and then remade by the Potter.
I wonder today, if there are any here who is broken? You once was in the will of God daily and doing what He commanded you to do, but then came resistance from you against His leading and His pressure to correct you has broken you. You are marred but still on the wheel.
I want to share some things with you about the Potter, the Wheel, and the Clay.
I. WE SEE THE POTTER – THIS IS GOD
Job 10:9 Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as the clay; and wilt thou bring me into dust again? (KJV)
A. The Purpose Of The Potter.
1. To make the vessel after His will. He has a specific purpose for you. A plan or a blueprint. God has made each of us according to His own design. Ps 139:14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. (KJV)
We had no control over the color of our eyes, our hair, our height. We do have control over our weight.
We are talking about the Purpose Of The Potter.
We should memorize and sing often the song:
Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!
Thou art the potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after thy will,
while I am waiting, yielded and still.
2. The finished product is the work of the Potter.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,(That’s the purpose of the Potter) which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (KJV)
B. The Passion Of The Potter.
1. To perfect the vessel.
2. He knows what part of your life is not surrendered. He is always thinking about us. He knows what He wants to do with each of us.
His mind is on us all the time. He says, “I can’t get my mind off of you Ivan.” Or maybe, “I can’t get my mind off of you Beth Haven.”
C. The Potter Is Soverign Over The Clay.
He plans everything in our life to mold us into a vessel worthy of honor. Adversities are present to mold us.
George W. Truitt shot a friend accidentally while hunting one day. He was Pastor of the First Baptist Church, of Dallas, Texas. He and Chief of Police, James Arnold went on a bird hunting trip. As Chief Arnold was climbing through a barbed wire fence, the rifle that Dr. Truitt was holding accidentally discharged and the bullet hit Chief Arnold in the calf of the leg. On February 4, 1898, he died as the result of complications of that gun shot wound.
Mr. Truitt was never the same after that accident. Someone said he never smiled again. Everyone said, he was a better preacher following the shooting accident. That event was part of the Potters sovereignty over Mr. Truitt. We see the Potter always at work.
II. WE SEE THE WHEEL
The clay cannot manipulate the wheel to suit itself. Isa 29:16 Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding? (KJV)
A. It Was Not Attractive.
1. There was nothing about the wheel that would cause one to seek after it, or to even want the wheel.
2. The clay had no control over the wheel.
3. The wheel is the daily routine of living – God operates the wheel.
The Potter acquired the wheel before He got the clay. He acquired the wheel for the purpose of shaping the clay into His desired vessel.
Your circumstances in life are designed by the Potter. There are necessary for the Potter to mold you into the vessel He has planned you to be.
B. The Pedal On The Wheel.
How many of you have seen the old time sewing machine? My mother had one. She operated that machine by that pedal on the bottom of the machine. When she was in a delicate part of the garment she would go real slow and make sure she did it just right. Other times she would speed the pedal up. All of the operation of the sewing machine was done from the pedal.
The Potter works the pedal. Some times He speeds it up or slows it down. But it is all for the perfecting of the vessel. You and I have no access to the pedal, but all that it does is for the good of the vessel.
C. The Wheel Is The Circumstances Of Life.
The works of the wheel is the circumstances in our life – the pressure – the hard times – heart aches – hardships. The thing is we don’t understand or see what benefit they may bring. That’s the wheel at work.
D. The Wheel Is Operated By The Potter.
It is God that brings the circumstances into our life to shape and mold us. He chooses what degree of pressure the wheel puts on the clay.
E. The Wheel Was Designed By The Potter.
He has you where He wants you – it may not be the ultimate purpose but for the time being He has you where He wants you. He has you on the wheel and is shaping you into a vessel of honor.
F. The Wheel Was Not The End In Itself – Rather A Means To The End.
After the vessel is finished the wheel will be set aside. The vessel will be put on display. The Potter would take the vessel off th wheel and put the vessel in the window.
The wheel seems tough now – but you won’t be in Heaven 48 hours until you will have forgotten the wheel.
The wheel is temporary – each of us will move off the wheel soon. Patsy Morrison moved off the wheel a couple of months ago. We have had others move off the wheel and now they are on display in Heaven. They are through with the wheel.
G. The Wheel, Though Necessary At The Time, Was Incidental.
One day the wheel stood motionless and out of sight. The eyes were focused on the vessel – as they behold the vessel they will praise the Potter for the vessel. The wheel is not the item of importance, but the work of the Potter.
III. WE SEE THE CLAY
Clay has no beauty or value.
A. Its Value Is Derived By Being In The Potter’s Possession.
The Touch Of The Master’s Hand.
All of us have heard that song about the Touch of the Master’s hand. An auctioneer held an old violin to be auctioned. He asked who would bid. The bid never got over two dollars. An Old man came from the crowd and took the violin, and tuning the strings played a melody pure and sweet. The bidding then started over again and went to $3000 dollars. What was the difference – “The Touch Of The Master’s Hand.”
Some clay thinks it is of value or beauty. Science talks about the beauty of humanity – but it is contrary to the Bible.
The heart is deceitful in all things and desperately wicked. Your heart. All have sinned. All have come short of the glory of God.
America has the erroneous idea that man is basically good and by improving his environment he will build a utopia. That’s backwards. You can’t change man by improving his environment – you change environment by changing man.
One of the worst things for man is ease. Selfish ease has destroyed more people than has war, guns, tornados, etc. Selfish ease brings discontent and that brings turmoil and eventually violence. Street violence is the result of people have ease or free time.
The value of the clay comes from the Potter’s hand.
B. Clay Is Powerless To Improve Its Condition.
Ten years from now it will still be clay. Man is powerless to improve his condition. You must yield to God to improve you.
C. Clay Left To Itself Is Formless And Useless Forever.
After Adam sinned in the Garden he hid himself from God. God came looking for Adam. He did not say, “God where are you?”
Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (KJV)
I read this about sheep – A sheep left to itself will never come home. They are geographical morons. They have no sense of direction.
A sheep cannot see more than 14 feet in front of its eyes. If it gets 14 feet away from the flock it is lost. The more and more it will roam and get farther and farther away. If God ignored us we would be lost – but he hasn’t left us alone. Lu 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (KJV)
D. The Clay Could Not Know The Potter’s Mind Nor Direct His Hands.
E. The Clay’s Only Participation In The Process Was Submission And Reception.
After a person has come to the full assurance of being saved there should be a complete surrender to the will of God. A person who is not surrendered does not understand the full pardon of sin.
Clay must be made pliable before it can be shaped. It is flattened and smoothed and any foreign matter is removed. After the surrender things will usually get worse. The flattening process will usually bring some rebellion. God will say, “Did you surrender? Then stay on the wheel.”
You don’t get pliable until God brakes you a few times. Job wasn’t submissive until later on in his troubles. It was later that he said, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.”
IV. THE VESSEL BEING FORMED
Vs. 3 says, “….he wrought a work…”
There was no wasted motion.
A. The Clay Was Marred In The Hand Of The Potter. Vs. 4.
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. (KJV)
The Potter didn’t mar the clay. He didn’t get disgusted and smash it, the clay was marred in the hand.
Here’s what happened: As the Potter applied pressure to form the vessel into the plan he had in mind, there was a hard spot, or an unyielded area. The Potter would not be turned from His purpose – either the clay would yield or be broken. He kept putting pressure, and putting pressure, and putting pressure until the pot broke.
We see a picture of the longsuffering and grace of God – He didn’t through the clay away. He didn’t say, “You stubborn clay, I’ll get another piece of clay.” After the resistance of the clay God is still willing to give another chance. D.L. Moody said, “It is amazing what God can with a broken vessel, providing He has all of the pieces.
In all probability there is someone here now who God was doing a work on you on the wheel and you resisted – now you are between the time of broken and being remade.
B. The Hardest Work For The Potter Was The Interior Of The Vessel.
The most difficult experience for a Christian is not quitting smoking, or stop cursing, or dressing right. The most difficult is the inward man – the spirit. Things no one sees – right motives.
The inside of the pot is what made it of value. It was no good until the finishing of the inside. If the inside was right, the outside would conform to the inside. You can mold the outside without it showing on the inside, but you can’t shape the inside without the outside taking the shape of the inside.
The vessel became marred because it did not yield.
He made another vessel – God never loses His purpose for each of us. God’s gifts and callings are without repentance. Even though you may be broken a few times – He never loses His ability to accomplish His purpose with you.
The requirement is simple: Must be willing to let Him work by submitting and accepting what He does. If it is business loss, job change, illness accept it.
The vessel was broken and then remade.
INVITATION
DATE
CRISIS CHRISTIANITY!!
Matthew 14:25-30
INTRODUCTION: Why do so many Christians wait until they have gone under for the third time to cry out unto the Lord?
Why do married couples wait until it is too late to cry unto the Lord?
Why do churches wait until the congregation has gone or until the spirit is dead to cry unto the Lord?
I wish I knew the answers to these questions. I do not.
There is an O.T. parallel in Psalm 107. We will refer to that a little later on in the message.
This will have to be a two-part message, as I will not be able to cover everything in one night.
But first I want you to see what has to be given up or what is lost by living a “crisis life”. I’ll give you three or four things tonight, and then I will deal with avoiding these places in a later message.
I. LIVING A CRISIS LIFE IS A HARD WAY TO LIVE
A. Always Needing To Be Rescued.
1. Never rescuing anyone else.
Peter was always in trouble. The Lord had to rescue him out of several different “hardships.” We talked about one last Sunday AM from Luke 5, where Jesus had to help him with his fishing.
2. They never seem to learn from their mistakes.
You know people who are always in trouble.
3. They jump from the frying pan into the fire.
B. You Should Anticipate These Crisis And Be Ready For Them Spiritually, And Then You Won’t Get Blown Out Of The Water.
Illustration: Sgt. Williamson in the military. During a parade and just before the cannon salute, whether it be eleven or thirteen shots fired, he would start preparing us for the loud “bang”. He would say, “Steady, steady, steady”. Just before the cannon would fire, he would intensify his voice, “STEADY, STEADY, STEADY.” We knew that the cannon was about to go off, and the bodily response to the loud noise and concussion wasn’t nearly as great as it would have been had we had no knowledge of when the cannon would fire. I remember some of the “new guys” that would come into our outfit and had never been in a parade before, when that cannon would fire, sometimes they would drop their rifle, or their helmet would fall off. They would always get a good ribbing back in the barracks when the parade was over. “Did everyone see what that ‘new guy’ did? He dropped his rifle.” I know exactly what some of you are thinking. You think that I was one of those who dropped his rifle. I didn’t. I fell down instead.
If we are spiritually ready for any crisis to come, then we will be less affected by it.
Don’t wait until you are on your way down to cry unto the Lord.
Don’t live in a “crisis situation” all of the time.
II. LIVING A CRISIS LIFE CAUSES YOU TO MISS OUT ON A LOT OF SWEET FELLOWSHIP WITH THE LORD
A. It Is Nice To Be Able To Talk To The Lord Sometimes When He Is Not Having To Rescue You.
1. It is sweeter to walk side by side with the Lord rather than Him having to carry you to safety all of the time.
B. Too Many Christian’s Total Life Is In Response To A Crisis Of Some Nature.
1. Putting one fire out after another.
2. I know people whose entire life is that of going from one crisis to another. They never get out of the crisis living.
C. The Lord Enjoys The Fellowship Of A Christian When There Is Not Always An Emergency.
1. He wants to hear from you at times other than from the spiritual emergency room.
2. He wants to fellowship sometimes when there is no crisis.
Don’t you want your children to come to you at times other than just to kiss a bruise or treat a scratch?
D. Crisis Christianity Is Not The Way God Wants You To Go.
1. He wants a day by day fellowship.
2. A time of sweet personal worship because of love and not because of an emergency.
E. When The Emergency Comes, Of Course, Call On Him.
III. GOD DOES NOT ALWAYS CHOOSE A CRISIS SITUATION WITH WHICH TO WORK WITH YOU
A. If That Is The Only Way In Which He Can Get Your Attention, Then He Will Allow Crisis Situations To Come On You.
Psalm 107:4-6.
Psalm 107:11-13.
Psalm 107:17-19.
Psalm 107:25-28.
Each of these four passages are speaking about the same condition as in Matt. 14.
In each of these times of deliverance in Psalm 107 we see that the Lord delivered them from their “distresses”. Strong’s Concordance likens that to “narrowness” or a tight place.
We get ourselves into “tight places” sometimes and cannot get out without crying unto the Lord.
I am not trying to discourage you from crying unto the Lord when these “crisis times”; “tight places” come, but if we can learn a better way, it would be to our benefit.
Let’s look at these four passages in Psalm individually for a moment.
1. Psa 107:4-8.
2. Psalm 107:11-13.
3. Psalm 107:17-19.
4. Psalm 107:25-28.
This entire chapter deals with “crisis situations”. The children of God went from one crisis to another. That is not the way He intends for us to live.
B. He Wants To Give Us The Peaceful Life.
1. (Psa 29:11) "The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace."
2. (Psa 85:8) "I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly."
3. (Prov 16:7) "When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him."
4. (Isa 26:3) "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee."
5. (Isa 32:17) "And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever."
6. (Isa 48:22) "There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked."
7. (John 14:26) "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."
(John 14:27) "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
We could find scripture about peace of the soul all night. There are 429 references on “peace” alone in the Bible.
Why do we insist on living a “crisis life”? Why not let His peace dwell within us and live a life of peace?
That seems like the way to go to me. Doesn’t it seem like that to you?
INVITATION
Beth Haven Baptist Church
PO Box 891523
OKC OK 73189-1523
405-691-8701
icasteel1@cox.net
This sermon and thousands of others are available on a CD Rom Disk and may be purchased for $75. If interested contact the above information.
