Molded By The Potter
(God has power over
the 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?
Jeremiah 18:1-10 - Jeremiah went down to the potter to view him making vessels.
The subject is the above passage is Israel, and God being able to turn from them to another people. It is not Israel that is controlling God, but God that is controlling Israel. He is the potter, we are the clay. I would like to use the subject to discuss how we should allow God to mold and make us into being what He wants us to be.
A. Must first be clay, not rock, or dirt, to make a vessel. Must be able to stick together. Every kind of earthly material is not clay. Some is dirt and cannot be made into a vessel. Some are rocks and cannot be made into a vessel. Clay is not good for a foundation of a building. Rock is good for a building. If we are “clay” we should be glad, because clay is pliable and can be molded to fit the masters use. Dirt is good for growing things - things (vegetables an such - good and necessary works) come out of the dirt, but the clay becomes a vessel. Rock is good for foundation because it doesn’t move around or change shape.
1. This fact speaks about predestination, foreknowledge, and fore-ordination.
2. We are the good seed of Matthew 13:38, and those not elected, predestinated or foreordained, are not of God, but are children of the evil one.
3. Dirt has plants growing out of it, rock has things placed on it, but clay becomes a vessel.
4. II Corinthians 5:17 - We become a new creature in Christ Jesus.
B. Romans 8:29 - we are to be conformed into the image of His dear son. If the potter has this kind of control over that clay which he hasn’t made, what kind of power or control does Christ have on us, who are made by Him, for Him, and in His image? We find that God has a plan in mind for us. He sees the end, therefore brings about circumstances in our life which cause us to be transformed into that image He has for us, which He has foreknown and predestinated us to be.
C. How to make a vessel. I remember as a boy going down to a creek that had a clay bank, and digging the clay out of the bank and making marbles and logs with it. My friend would make animals. We didn’t have the right tools for molding clay. The right tool is the potters wheel.
1. To make a vessel correctly, it must be in the right place - on the potter’s wheel. If it isn’t on some kind of wheel, it will turn out distorted, not perfectly round. The right place is the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
a. A piece of clay, improperly prepared, won’t make a good vessel, just like a lost person doesn’t make a good church member.
b. If there isn’t proper moistening of the clay before it gets to the potters wheel, it won’t stand the molding that takes place on the wheel.
c. If a lost person is placed in the church, they won’t last because they don’t have the water of the Word of God on them. They remain stiff and are not conformed to the image of Christ spiritually, and will refuse to be transformed physically.
2.
Must be willing to be molded by the hands of Jesus Christ.
Must place yourself into the hands of Jesus Christ and let Him do what He
wants to do with our life. Don’t do
what we want to do. When God starts
with us, we are lost and don’t know the end - God does.
3.
Jesus will put water (the Word of God) on us.
If we don’t have enough water on us, we become brittle and won’t easily
be molded as God moves His hands over us.
Without enough water, God’s fingers will cause a chaff mark on us.
Changes are hard, but if we don’t yield ourselves to the gently pressure
of God’s fingers, he just might use a knife to cut the bad part out, and that
would be harder than yielding to God’s gentle pressure.
4.
The potter’s fingers press the clay into a natural shape.
God’s fingers press us into a natural shape.
We must yield to what shape (image) God desires for us.
This shape is “unnatural” to us, and something we don’t understand, but
we are to serve God by faith, trusting that whatever He does in our lives is the
absolutely best thing for us. We
must believe and practice that Jesus Christ
is the beginning and the ending, that He knows the eventual outcome of our lives
and that what He is doing in our lives will make us into the image of His
liking.
5.
The shape the potters fingers leave in the vessel becomes a
permanent change in the clay. The
shape God puts us in is permanent.
God intends for us to stay in the shape He puts us in.
His fingers have gently caused that curve in our lives, and God intends
to use that for our good and His eternal glory.
6.
Change doesn’t happen instantly, but it happens constantly.
Everyday, there are things God does in our lives to improve us and to
cause us to be more like Him, that we will be more and more conformed to His
image. Let us be more and more
yielding to Him each day.
D. II Tim. 2:20 - But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. 21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.
1. For a full understanding of these verses, read verse 16-21.
2. This passage is written to preachers.
3. Preachers ought to be especially aware of using tricky words which destroy the faith of their listeners.
4. This is very important as during the past year or so, there has been a concerned attempt among many preachers to twist words - this is concerning the current debate about Baptist succession and perpetuity. Also concerning the person and work of Christ, his impeccability.
E. John 9:6 - Jesus made clay of the spittle and put it on the eyes of the blind man and told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam to recover his sight.
1. This might be a very pretty picture to some, but wouldn’t it be wonderful if God would use us to open the eyes of someone who is blind to the light of God’s precious truths?
2. We might think this job is beneath us, and we want to be used in some greater way.
3. Is there some job in the church that is “beneath” you?
There is a sense in which God will destroy all who work against him.