“God’s Masterpiece”

Jeremiah 18:1-6

“This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message. So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. (v. 4) But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

(v. 5) Then the word of the Lord came to me: (v.6) “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as the potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.”

God doesn’t make mistakes.

In 1502, in Florence, Italy there was a large block of marble given to a church in Santa Maria, the church immediately hired who they thought was a professional to sculpt this enormously huge piece of rock. The man was a professional and soon after commencing this great task the man drilled a whole right at the bottom destroying this magnificent piece of marble. So, the church decided just to drape a huge sheet over it not knowing what else to do, since it had been damaged beyond recognition and repair. A certain man, names Michangelo caught word of this large stone and how it has been destroyed, so out of curiosity he went to check it out and thought “Hey, I think I can do something here.” After a time he began work and sculpted; and what was once thought to be a lost cause became one of the greatest statues   .  .  .  .

of the biblical character of David ever built.

Many people today feel like a gigantic slab of marble – perhaps battered and bruised – perhaps lacking substance – perhaps someone who has been discarded by certain people.

But, in the capable hands of the Lord God Almighty, we can be molded into something beautiful.

God – the Master Potter – has a way of taking the leftovers and making them something beautiful.

God knows what He’s doing for all of us. He is the potter and we are His clay. He will mold us and make us, so that we may be made into a flawless piece of work to fulfill His good, pleasing and perfect will.   

Today, as we study Jeremiah 18, we see three stages of the clay in the Potter’s Hand.

Stage 1: A picture of a marred vessel.

(v. 4) But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands;

A young man had been promoted to an important position in his company. He’d never dreamed he’d be in such a position, much less at such a young age. So he went to see the venerable old timer in the company, and said, "Sir, I was wondering if you could give me some ADVICE." The old timer came back with just two words: "Right decisions!" The young man had hoped for a bit more than this, so he said, "Thank you, that’s really helpful, and I appreciate it, but could you be a little more SPECIFIC? HOW do I make right decisions?"
The old man responded: "Experience." The young man said, "Well, that’s just the point of my being here. I don’t have the kind of experience I need. How do I GET it?" The old man replied: "WRONG decisions!"

We don’t enjoy the experiences in life that create scars. The pain. The grief. The tears. The questions. The regret. We find ourselves broken.

Could it be that brokenness is the first step toward being the individual God wants us to be?

David said as recorded in Psalm 51:17, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart.”

Perhaps our prayer should be: “Brokenness, brokenness, is what I long for. Brokenness is what I need.”

Stage 2: A picture of a vessel being reformed.

(v. 4) But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

A new haircut place had opened up, and wanted to attract customers. So, they advertised a grand opening special: $ 7.00 haircuts. Well, this didn’t go well with their competition who was a few doors down from that strip mall. So they decided to put up a sign of their own that read, “We fix $ 7.00 haircuts.”

Sometimes, things need to be redone. Like you and I.

God – the Master Potter – knows how to take the mistakes of life and reform it into something beautiful.

a) There is a divine presence at work in your life.

b) There is a divine purpose at work in your life.

Sometimes, we get all mixed up with what our purpose in life is all about. I’m reminded of the man who woke up one morning and found a puddle of water in the middle of his king size water bed. Well, he thought, “In order to fix the puncture, I have to take it outside, fill it with more water and locate the leak. What happened is that the bed started rolling on the hill right outside his house and it landed on a clump of bushes that punctured and poked numerous holes in the water bed. Disgusted, he threw it away – as well as the water bed frame. And he spent the next few hours taking his old traditional bed frame back into his bedroom. The next morning, he awoke to find a puddle of water in the middle of his new bed. The upstairs bathroom had a leaky drain.

Have you ever noticed that when you try to fix things that you’re not supposed to fix, you find yourself in a deeper mess?

There is a divine purpose at work in your life – let’s let the Lord take care of things.

c) There is a divine patience at work in your life.

We get frustrated in life when things do not happen on our time table.

I believe one of the areas our patience is tried is when we are driving. A young woman’s car stalled at a light. The light turned green. The car behind her actually had room to go around but didn’t. Instead the person in the car kept on honking the horn. After attempting to start the car, the young woman got out and went back to the honker’s car, and said, “Tell you what—you start my car, and I’ll sit back here and honk for you!”

I remember reading about a guy who stopped in the grocery store on the way home from work to pick up a couple of items for his wife. He wandered around aimlessly for a while searching out the needed groceries. As is often the case in the grocery store, he kept passing this same shopper in almost every aisle. It was another father trying to shop with a totally uncooperative three year old boy in the cart.
The first time they passed, the three year old was asking over and over for a candy bar.  Our observer couldn’t hear the entire conversation. He just heard Dad say, “Now, Billy, this won’t take long.” As they passed in the next aisle, the three year old’s pleas had increased several octaves. Now Dad was quietly saying, “Billy, just calm down. We will be done in a minute.”
When they passed near the dairy case, the kid was screaming uncontrollably. Dad was still keeping his cool. In a very low voice he was saying, “Billy, settle down. We are almost out of here.” The Dad and his son reached the check out counter just ahead of our observer. He still gave no evidence of loosing control. The boy was screaming and kicking. Dad was very calming saying over and over, “Billy, we will be in the car in just a minute and then everything will be OK.”
The bystander was impressed beyond words. After paying for his groceries, he hurried to catch up with this amazing example of patience and self-control just in time to hear him say again, “Billy, we’re done. It’s going to be OK.” He tapped the patient father on the shoulder and said, “Sir, I couldn’t help but watch how you handled little Billy. You were amazing.” Dad replied, “You don’t get it, do you?” I’m Billy!”

The Lord is patient with you and I. Could it be that we need to learn how to be patient with His work in us?

Stage 3: A picture of a useful vessel.

(v. 4) But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

(v. 5) Then the word of the Lord came to me: (v.6) “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as the potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.”

“In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.”

2 Timothy 2:20-21

My friend, God doesn’t make mistakes.

And you will never be fulfilled in life, until you allow God to do the work in your life that need to be done.

There was a couple who used to go to England to shop in the beautiful stores. They both liked antiques and pottery and especially teacups. This was their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. One day in this beautiful shop they saw a beautiful teacup. They said, "May we see that? We’ve never seen one quite so beautiful." As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke. "You don’t understand," it said. "I haven’t always been a teacup. There was a time when I was red and I was clay. My master took me and rolled me and patted me over and over and I yelled out, ’Let me alone’, but he only smiled, ’Not yet.’ "Then I was placed on a spinning wheel," the teacup said, "and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. Stop it! I’m getting dizzy? I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, ’Not yet.’ Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I wondered why he wanted to burn me, and I yelled and knocked at the door. I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips and he shook his head, ’Not yet.’ Finally the door opened, he put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. ’There, that’s better’, I said. And he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. ’Stop it, stop it!’ I cried. he only nodded, ’Not yet.’ Then suddenly he put me back into the oven, not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. All the time I could see him through the opening nodding his head saying, ’Not yet.’ Then I knew there wasn’t any hope. I would never make it. I was ready to give up. But the door opened and he took me out and placed me on the shelf. One hour later He handed me a mirror and I couldn’t believe it was me. ’It’s beautiful. I’m beautiful.’ ’I want you to remember, then,’ he said, ’I know it hurts to be rolled and patted, but if I had left you alone, you would have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I knew it hurt and was hot and disagreeable in the oven but if I hadn’t put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad and when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn’t done that, you never would have hardened; you would not have had any color in your life. And if I hadn’t put you back in that second oven, you wouldn’t survive for very long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. You are what I had in mind when I first began with you.
 

As the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, the word of the Lord comes to you: “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand.”

Psalm 139:7-16

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

(v.9) If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast  .  .

(v. 13)  For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

(v. 15) My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me were written in you book before one of them came to be.”

Charlie Brown built a beautiful sandcastle. He worked on it for hours. Finally, he stood back and admired his masterpiece. Just as he is admiring his work of art, a rebellious 8 year old boy runs across the sandcastle, destroying it. And with extreme frustration, Charlie Brown says to himself, “I know there’s a lesson in this, but I’m not sure what it is.”

Well, today, we want to learn some lessons. Lessons about the God’s Masterpiece. Lessons about the enemy who wants to destroy God’s Masterpiece.

Lessons about the fingerprints of God upon our lives.  

2 Corinthians 4 gives us three pictures of our spiritual life.

1) PICTURE OF OUR LIVES ON THE ANVIL

2 Corinthians 4:6 “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ Made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

With a strong forearm, the apron-clad blacksmith puts his tongs into the fire, grasps the heated metal and places it on his anvil. His keen eye examines the glowing piece. He sees what the tool is now and envisions what he wants it to be – sharper, flatter, wider, longer. With a clear picture in his mind, he begins to pound. His left hand still clutching the hot mass with the tongs, the right hand slams the two –pound sledge upon the moldable metal.

On the solid anvil, the smoldering iron is remolded.

The blacksmith knows the type of instrument he wants. He knows the size. He knows the shape. He knows the strength.

Wham! Wham! The hammer slams. The shop rings with noise, the air fills with smoke and the softened metal responds.

But the response doesn’t come easily. It doesn’t come without discomfort. To melt down the old and recast it as new is not easy. Yes, the metal remains on the anvil, allowing the toolmaker to remove the scars, repair the cracks, refill the voids, and purge the impurities.

Then the blacksmith stops. He ceases his pounding and sets down the hammer. With a strong left arm, he lifts the tongs until the freshly molded metal is at eye level. In the still silence he examines the smoking tool.

He keenly searches for mars or cracks.

There are none.  (From: “On the Anvil” by Max Lucado)

Now, the Master can finally see his reflection.

Now, light shines where it once was dark.

What was once dull is now sharpened.

What was crooked becomes straight.

What was weak becomes strong;

And what was useless now becomes valuable.

Principle: The hand of God purifies you.

Perhaps you’ve been there. Perhaps you are there. Perhaps you know what it feels like to be disciplined by the Lord.

Now, you reflect the light of the Master. Now, light shines in the darkness. Now, others can see Christ in you.

Charles Colson in his book “Loving God” tells about his experience in prison. While in prison he remembered his life before prison, the honors he earned, the court cases he won, and the prestige in government positions. His life had been the perfect success story, the great American dream fulfilled. But while in prison he had time to think and pray. He realized all his achievements meant nothing in God’s economy.

His greatest victory was his biggest failure, begin sent to prison was his great humiliation – but prison was the beginning of God’s greatest work in his life. God chose the one experience in which he could not glory for His glory.
 
People are like tea bags . . . if you want to know what’s inside of them, just drop them in hot water.

2) PICTURE OF OUR LIVES AS A JAR OF CLAY

2 Corinthians 4:7 “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

Principle: The hand of God shapes you.

The Cracked Pot

   A Water Bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and one half pots of water in his master’s house.

   The perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the Water Bearer one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you.” “Why?” asked the bearer. “What are you ashamed of?” “I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master’s house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don’t get full value from your efforts,” the pot said.

   The Water Bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, “As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.” Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologize to the bearer for its failure. The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you’ve watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house.”

   Each of us has our own unique flaws. We re all cracked pots. But if we will allow it, the Lord will use our flaws to grace His Father’s table. In God’s great economy, nothing goes to waste. So as we seek ways to minister together, and as God calls you to tasks He has appointed for you, don’t be afraid of your flaws. Acknowledge them, and allow Him to take advantage of them, and you, too, can be the cause of beauty in His pathway. Go out boldly, knowing that in our weakness we find His strength, and that “In Him every one of God’s promises is a Yes.”

The hand of God shapes you.

2 Corinthians 4:7 “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. (v. 8) We are hard-pressed on every side BUT not crushed; perplexed, BUT not in despair; (v. 9) persecuted, BUT not abandoned; struck down, BUT not destroyed. (v.10) We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

Have you ever noticed the way people – when speaking – often qualify their statement by using the word, ‘but’?

“She’s a good administrator, but  .  .  .”   “He’s a good ball handler, but   .  .  .”

“She’s a talented singer, but   .  .  .”   “He’s a decent manager, but   .  .  .”

Using this type of qualifier changes the whole picture.

And that’s what Paul says here in verse 8 and 9.

We are hard pressed on every side, BUT not crushed. Perplexed, BUT not in despair;

(v. 9) persecuted, BUT not abandoned;  Struck down, BUT not destroyed.

I once was lost, BUT now I’m found.  Was blind, BUT now I see.

God has a way changing everything.

Perhaps you have a similar testimony today.

I once was down and depressed, BUT Jesus raised me up.

I once had no reason to live, BUT Jesus gave me a purpose.

I once was sick, BUT Jesus healed me.

I once was ridden with worry, BUT Jesus gave me peace.

I once was dealing with strongholds, BUT Jesus set me free.

I once was living in sin, BUT Jesus forgave me.

I once was headed for hell, BUT Jesus saved me.

3) PICTURE OF OUR LIVES IN THE ETERNAL.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

The Apostle Paul lived in the light of eternity. When you and I can begin to see the big picture and life in the light of eternity we then know how to handle momentary troubles of today.
 

For 51 years Bob Edens was blind. He couldn’t see a thing. His world was a black hall of sounds and smells. He felt his way through five decades of darkness. And then, he could see. A skilled surgeon performed a complicated operation and, for the first time, Bob Edens had sight. He found it overwhelming. “I never would have dreamed that yellow is so…yellow,” he exclaimed. “I don’t have the words. I am amazed by yellow. But red is my favorite color. I just can’t believe red. I can see the shape of the moon—and I like nothing better than seeing a jet plane flying across the sky leaving a vapor trail. And of course, sunrises and sunsets. And at night I look at the stars in the sky and the flashing light. You could never know how wonderful everything is.”

Principle: The hand of God renews you.

Here in 2 Corinthians 4:16, Scripture reminds us that our physical bodies are wasting away. Is there anyone here who is getting younger every year?

But at the same time that our physical bodies are getting older, our spiritual lives are being renewed every day.

If we could only see things in the eternal, then we begin to see things from God’s perspective.

SCARS:  Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida a little boy decided to go for a s swim in the old swimming hole behind his house.

    In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore.

     His mother, in the house was looking out the window, saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could.  Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him.

     From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator. Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived.

     His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother's fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.

     The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars.  The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, "But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my mom wouldn't let go."

     You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, or anything quite so dramatic. But, the scars of painful, past spiritual battles. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret.

     But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go. In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you. The Scripture teaches that God loves you. If you have Christ in your life, you have become a child of God. He wants to protect you and provide for you in every way.

     But sometimes we wade into dangerous situations. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril - and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack.  That's when the tug-o-war begins, and if you have the scars of His love on your arms, be very, very grateful.

He did not - and will not - let you go!  When the Lord touches you, He will never let go!

You always have been and always will be  .  .  . God’s Masterpiece.