The Potters House

Transcript

Rob McFarlane: 0:59

The title of my sermon today is The Potter's House. Please read Jeremiah chapter 18, verse 1 to 6 with me, and I'm reading from the English Standard Version of the Bible. It says, The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words. So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel, and the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. Then the word of the Lord came to me, O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done, declares the Lord? Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O House of Israel. We saw in verse 1 and 2 that the Lord wanted to teach Jeremiah a life lesson using the analogy of the potter and the clay. And when we read the scriptures, we see many analogies in the Bible that describe the relationship between God and His people. For example, God is the shepherd and we are his sheep, he is the father, we are his children, or he is the vine and we are the branches. We saw in verse 5 and 6, God wanted Jeremiah to understand that he was in control. God is the potter and we are the clay. We read in Isaiah 64, verse 8, but now, O Lord, you are our Father, we are the clay, and you are our potter. We are all the work of your hand. This is telling us that we need to have an understanding that God is in control and He knows what He is doing. Now, today we're going to look at four lessons from the Potter's House. Four things that God wants us to know and learn. And I believe that these things will encourage us to put our faith and trust in Him. And I'd like to read verse 3 and 4 again, and as I do, let's prepare our hearts to hear lessons from the potter's house. So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel, and the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. So, lesson number one. We see the potter's purpose. The potter's purpose is to make a vessel that is useful, that brings him honor and has value. He wants to make something that can be sold, and others can see his handiwork. We have to understand that God is our potter and we are the clay, and he wants to make us into a vessel that he can use, that has value, that he can use to reach others for him, to contain his glory and his goodness. That his love would be shed abroad in our hearts. God is at work in our lives. In Philippians chapter 2, verse 13, we read, For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. We are his handiwork, we are his workmanship. He's created us for good works. Ephesians chapter 2, verse 10 tells us, for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works that God has prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. So we have to understand that the potter has the right to make out of us whatever he wants so that he can use us for his glory. He wants to use us to reach others for him. Life lesson number two from the potter's house. We learn how the clay was prepared. The clay is dug out of a quarry and brought to the potter's house, and over a period of several weeks it's processed. It's first left to dry out, then it's soaked in water where the impurities rise to the surface and are removed, and then it's treaded underfoot again to make the clay workable in the potter's hands. We read, for example, in Isaiah 41, verse 25 how God is preparing us as the potter treads the clay. We need to understand that there is often a period of preparation for us to be used by God. God doesn't waste any opportunity in our lives, and sometimes there's a period of waiting as He starts to prepare us. There's other times when there's periods of activity where He is also preparing us, seeing if we're faithful with little things, faithful with that which belongs to another, or faithful with worldly wealth. But there are times when it feels like not much is happening. But we need to understand that our master Potter knows exactly what he's doing. We need to trust his time, we need to trust his methods. We all want it instantly these days. We want instant downloads, we we want to be able to uh to to ask for something and we have it immediately, and we become impatient. But the Bible teaches us that through faith and patience we inherit what has been promised. And God wants it developed faith and patience in us so that we are ready for whatever He has called us to. The third thing we see is the potter's tools, and the tools essentially are two things: there's the potter's wheel and the potter's hands. Now, the wheel, I believe, can represent life's circumstances, it just keeps turning around, and life just keeps on moving. We are exposed to so many things, both in the ordinary and the mundane, and sometimes in the highlights of life. We're all passing through things in life, and we need to understand that whether we're passing through happy times or challenging times, God is with us, He is at work in our lives. I like the way Isaiah 43, verse 2 teaches us: when you pass through the waters, the Lord says, I will be with you. And when you go through the rivers, they won't overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned. The flame will not consume you. So, first of all, we see the wheel, which is the circumstances of life that God is taking us through. The second thing we see is the potter's hands, and we as children of God are in safe hands. We are in safe and skillful hands of our potter. He is molding us and making us into a vessel that He can use. I love the way John chapter 10, verse 28 and 29 teaches us that Jesus says, I give them his sheep, eternal life, and they'll never perish, and no one will snatch them out of his hand. He then continues to say, My Father who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. You are in safe hands. God is at work in you through life's circumstances, through the things that you go through. He is with you and he is using circumstances, situations, his word, other people, things that you are exposed to in worship and prayer to mold you and make you into a vessel that He can use. And finally, number four, we see in this example that there were problems at the wheel. In Jeremiah 18, verse 4, we read, and the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. I take great courage from that verse. Even when things seem to be going wrong in my life, I know that God is still in control. When things are confusing and difficult, or perhaps things take a lot longer than we anticipate to come to pass, we need to be what Proverbs chapter 3 verse 5 and 6 teaches us. We need to trust in God wholeheartedly. Proverbs 3 verse 5 and 6 tells us, trust in the Lord with all your heart, and don't lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. Another verse that always encourages me is Romans 8, verse 28, which says, And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good to those who are called according to his purpose. What a wonderful thought that our God is in control. We might not see the end, but we know that through the process God is preparing us for good things. In summary, God is our potter and we are the clay. He wants to mold us and make us into a vessel that is useful, that brings him honor, and is of great value. And even when things seem to go wrong, we're in safe hands. God is still in control and he's using all circumstances for our good and for his glory. Let's pray. And as we do, ask the Holy Spirit to show you what He wants you to do or what adjustments He wants you to make as a result of what you've heard in today's sermon. Let's pray. Father God, thank you that you are the potter and we are the clay. Thank you that you are preparing us and you're molding us and making us into a vessel that you can use. We want to see you fulfill your work in our lives. Thank you that you are at work in us to work and will according to your good pleasure. Have your way in us. Mold us and make us. Help us to trust your skillful and safe hands. Knowing that even when things don't seem to be going as we had anticipated, that you are still in control. That nothing takes you by surprise. You are a good God. And we entrust ourselves to you. We say today, you are the potter, we are the clay. Speak to us now, Holy Spirit, and show us what you want us to do, what adjustments you want us to make, what thoughts we need to reject or accept as a result of what we've heard today. We ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.