Do Overs

O. T. #1768  "Do Overs"
Sept. 1, 2020
Jeremiah 18

LET IT GLOW

Sixth Message

The Lord sent Jeremiah to the potter's house for an object lesson, as we read in this chapter. There, God spoke to Jeremiah with the sixth message to give Judah. (This probably occurred during the reigns of King Josiah and King Jehoiakim.) This pictures God's grace toward us.

Here is some helpful information on the potter and the clay as found in Liberty Bible Commentary:

Pottery-making was a familiar sight throughout the ancient Near East. Probably, the potter's house was located in the southern section of the city, or perhaps in the potter's field south of Jerusalem, just beyond the Valley of Hinnom. Wheels were two circular stones connected by a vertical shaft. the potter could sit at the wheel, spinning the lower stone with his feet and causing the upper disc to rotate. This enabled both hands to be free in order to work the clay. should the vessel become marred or any impurity detected, the potter would not discard the clay, but simply remold it into another vessel.

God is the Potter.

• A Person: Our lives are in the hands of a Person-Almighty God. He is our Creator, Father, and has a personal concern for our lives. He is the Potter. (Isa. 64:8)
• Power: Only God has the power to guide our lives. He is sovereign over all people. We cannot be blessed if we argue with Him or try to tell Him what to do (Rom. 9:20-24).
• A plan: God has a perfect plan for the clay (Rom. 12:1-2; Eph. 2:10: Phil. 1:6).  He sees the finished product in His mind. We cannot see the finished product, but He promises us that it is wonderful ( 1 Cor. 2:9).
• Patience: The potter patiently works the clay, tenderly molding its shape. God patiently directs in our lives, seeking to fulfill His will. Often He uses the hands of others to help shape us. It takes time to make a worthwhile product, and God is willing to wait. (Warren W. Wiersbe)

God knows how to bring salvation to our family, friends, community, and world. He looks for people who are willing to allow Him to shape them into the instruments He requires to do His divine work. He knows our strengths and weaknesses, as well as our abilities and spiritual gifts.

Just as a potter has freedom to make what he chooses from his clay, so the sovereign Lord has freedom to save or destroy any nation based on its response to His pronouncement of doom or blessing. (Tony Evans)

Jeremiah saw the potter shaping a vessel or jar. Do we see how God is shaping our life for His kingdom work? Are we a willing vessel, or does He have to break us in order to make us pliable to do His will?

LET IT GROW

We are the clay.

• We are clay, dust mixed with water; water of the Holy Spirit has given us life through faith in Christ.
• Clay has no great value in itself; but it can become something beautiful if molded by the right hands for the right purpose. When we yield to God's shaping our heart and life, we become something beautiful to be used for His purpose.
• The most important quality of clay is that it yields. If it fails to yield to the potter, then it is spoiled. If we fail to surrender to what God wants for us, He doesn't throw us away.
• It cannot mold itself, for it needs the potter. There are no self-willed Christians in the will of God. God wants us to pray, meditate, obey His will, and yield to His tender touch.
• A marred lump of clay, hard heart, can be changed into a vessel of great honor. If we have failed God, He graciously forgives us of our rebellion and sin, then remakes us again.
• Useful vessels do not manufacture anything; it only receives, contains, and shares. We receive His blessings and share them with others.
• God asks us to be available, clean, and empty. If we are too full of self, God cannot fill us, and if we are not filled, we cannot share anything with others. So may we yield to God and He will fills us with His love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, and faith.

The soft clay became misshapen, but the potter shaped it back into a good vessel. God will so do with Judah, if she repents, and us. God gave do overs, second chances, to David, Jonah, and Peter. Where ever we are in life, God can still use us in kingdom work, sharing what He has done for us.

LET IT GO
Be compliant, moldable, yielded clay.
Submit to His agenda and allow God to shape us like clay.