Sunday September 27, 2020
Jeremiah 18:1-6 – “The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear My words.” Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the Lord. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!
MARRED IN THE HAND OF THE POTTER! WOUNDED IN THE HAND OF THE POTTER. BROKEN IN THE HAND OF THE POTTER. TARNISHED IN THE HAND OF THE POTTER. DAMAGED IN THE HAND OF THE POTTER. CRACKED IN THHE HAND OF THE POTTER.
Sexually abused as a child, physically abused, verbally abused. Wounded by a friend. Wounded by a church, a pastor. Abandoned by a mother or father. Lost dreams. A divorcee. Been raped. Forsaken by a friend. A broken marriage or ministry. Rejected by others!
WOUNDED IN THE HANDS OF THE POTTER! WHO IS THE POTTER?
Isaiah 64:8 – “But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.”
The failures in life are never final! We must begin to see things from a divine perspective!
EVEN THOUGH YOU’RE MESSED UP, YOU’RE STILL IN THE GRIP OF THE POTTER’S HAND!
THREE LESSONS FROM THE POTTERS HOUSE
- THE POTTERS POWER
God is powerful. Nothing in your life is beyond His ability, His reach and His desire to restore and heal you!
Jeremiah 32:27 – “I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?”
Psalm 23:1-3 – “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul;”
Is there still an area of your life that is still wounded?
THE POTTER HAS THE POWER TO RESTORE!
II. THE POTTERS PURPOSE
God always starts with the end in mind! God has a vision for your life. He has a plan and a purpose!
God takes ordinary people and does extraordinary things through them! GOD HAS A VISION FOR YOUR LIFE.
No matter how ugly our life seems, God takes us in His hand and loves us with an everlasting love!
God wants to make you useful to His Kingdom!
Jeremiah 1:5 – “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”
Galatians 1:15-16 – “But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles…..”
EVEN THOUGH YOU’VE BEEN WOUNDED, YOU’RE A BROKEN VESSEL, THE POTTER HAS A PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE!
Philippians 1:6- – “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
GOD NEVER QUITS ON YOU! HE’S PURSUING YOU!
THE POTTER HAS A PURPOSE TO RESTORE YOU FOR!
III. THE POTTERS PROCESS
Philippians 2:13 -“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”
Jesus came looking for you! He brought me out of the miry clay and He set me on the rock to stay!
STAY ON THE WHEEL! THE POTTER HAS A PROCESS TO RESTORE YOUR LIFE!
Here’s what staying on the wheel looks like!
Romans 12:1-2 – “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
THE POTTER RESTORES THROUGH HIS PROCESS IN YOUR LIFE! HE HEALS THE WOUNDS!
CONCLUSION: Are you marred in the Potter’s hands today? Do you still feel wounded from the pain of the past?
2 Corinthians 4:7 – “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.”
If the power, the purpose and the process is from God, what is my part?
Romans 12:1- “Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? I encourage you to surrender yourselves to God to be his sacred, living sacrifices…”
TO CONSECRATE MYSELF!
Consecration is a complete surrender to the lordship of Jesus Christ. We relinquish everything to God!
The word consecrate means “to set apart.” It means to be designated for a special purpose. It means to be completely dedicated to God!
The Son of God, that was wounded so you can be restored, set the standard. He gave all of himself at Calvary and He expects nothing less in return!
Consecration means we no longer call the shots!
WHAT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT SAYING TO YOU THROUGH THIS MESSAGE?