So He Made It Again

PreacherJP.2004

Great Chapters of the Bible • Sermon • Submitted 7 years ago

Jeremiah 18:1–17

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Introduction:

Please turn your Bible’s with me this morning, to a great chapter of the Bible, in the Old Testament: . Before we read our text, we want to give a little bit of context to Jeremiah’s Book in the Bible.

Jeremiah was a prophet that sounded out the final warning, before God’s judgment came upon it.

Jeremiah was a prophet that sounded out the final warning, before God’s judgment came upon Judah. Jeremiah preached for 42 years, to over five different kings, while faithfully declaring the truth of God’s word to a rebellious people. His message had a consistent theme, that if Judah would turn from their wickedness, turn from their idols, that God would heal their land.

Jer. 1:

Jeremiah was also called to point Judah back to the purpose to which God formed them.

Jeremiah 1:4–5 AV

Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Jer 1:4

At this, Jeremiah felt his inability. Jeremiah was unable to do this. He was just a child, was his argument.

Jeremiah 1:6 AV

Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.

Jer. 1:

Jeremiah would’ve been about 30 at the time, some believe.

God’s response was

Jeremiah 1:7 AV

But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.

Jeremiah 1:9–10 AV

Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

So we turn to our text.

Sermon Text:

Introduction Cont’d

We notice that God sent Jeremiah to the Potter’s house, for an object lesson so when God’s word came, he would better understand how to communicate it.

In verse 3, we notice “…I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels...”

The Potter always has a specific purpose in mind, a specific form in mind when he begins forming the clay.

I. The Potter always has a specific purpose in mind, a specific form in mind when he begins forming the clay.

The Potter does not just throw a lump of clay on the wheel, hoping that something will come out that will be of use. No, the Potter has a specific purpose for the clay, He knows what He wants to make. Perhaps a baking pan, or a water pitcher, or a butter dish, or a drinking cup, or a flour jar…whatever He had in mind, would be predetermined before the clay was ever placed on the wheel.

Once it was determined what the Potter would make, He would begin the work.

After the clay was extracted from the ground, it was brought to the potter’s shop where it was prepared. Foreign objects (such as stones, sticks, etc.) were removed and usually water was added to soften the clay. Many times a tempering agent such as sand was added to make the clay more workable or to give it particular qualities desired by the potter. One of the potter’s assistants prepared the clay by kneading it with his feet.

With the clay properly prepared, the potter was ready to form his vessels. He did this on a potter’s wheel. In the biblical period the potter’s wheel was a type called the “double wheel,” or “kick wheel.” A flywheel, which turned on a stone bearing (many of which have been found in excavations) was placed in a shallow pit in the floor of the potter’s workshop. A shaft was attached to the top of the flywheel and at the end of the shaft was a small, round wooden platform upon which the potter worked. He placed the clay on the platform, turning the platform by kicking the flywheel with his foot. As the lump of clay on the platform spun, the potter could form, or “throw,” a pot by guiding the clay with his fingers and allowing the centrifugal force to aid in shaping a symmetrical vessel. Having formed the pot, the potter separated it from the remaining lump of clay by pinching it off with his fingers or cutting it off with a string.

After a vessel was formed, it was allowed to air dry to a “leather hard” condition before it was fired. This drying process took several days, depending on the temperature and humidity. When a sufficient number of pots were thus prepared, they were stacked in a kiln and baked for several hours to turn them into the impervious jars, bowls, and cooking pots which are studied so diligently by archaeologists today.

God had a specific purpose in mind for Judah. That purpose is given in . Turn there.

Jeremiah 13:1 AV

Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water.

A linen girdle, well, that is an undergarment worn by those people in those days. We would call it underwear today, but he was told to get some new underwear, put them on, and do not wash it.

Jeremiah 13:4 AV

Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.

Now Jeremiah is told to wear this underwear and travel 200 miles, and dig a hole and hide the underwear in the dirt under a rock.

Jeremiah 13:6 AV

And it came to pass after many days, that the LORD said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there.

Jer 13:

Now Jeremiah is told to go get the underwear. 200 more miles!

Jeremiah 13:7 AV

Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing.

Jer.

Jeremiah finds the underwear, and it was marred. The definition is following: “it was profitable for nothing.” The undergarment could not be worn. The undergarment could not be used for even a rag. It was marred.

Jeremiah 13:11 AV

For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.

Jer 13:11

An undergarment is a garment worn in an intimate fashion. It is close to us, closer to our bodies than anything else we wear, and God had created Judah for the purpose of cleaving unto Him.

“…that they might be unto me a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory...”

The problem was, they did not cleave to God.

Jeremiah 13:10 AV

This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.

Again in verse 11, “…but they would not hear…”

This purpose, when fulfilled, would make Judah intimately holy, because they would not be walking in the pride of their hearts, but in humility, walking in obedience to their Lord. As a result, they would be people who walked in the light of God’s word, and would be the salt and life of the earth.

Acts 13:47 AV

For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.

Judah had a specific purpose, to have an intimate relationship with God, so God could use them to be lights to the world.

God too, has a specific purpose for you and I. That purpose is much and the same. He has called us to walk intimately with Him, and in turn, we become lights to the world for the Lord.

Jeremiah 18:4 AV

And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

Jer

II. In order for the clay to be formed to the specific purpose in the mind of the Potter, it must be yielding.

Notice the clay here. The vessel that the Potter was making became marred. It was marred to the point that it could not fill its purpose.

God has a purpose for us.

That purpose has been since time began.

Genesis 1:26–27 AV

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Gen. 1:26

Genesis 2:7 AV

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Now, man is a sinner. Man is opposed to the Lord’s will. Man now, is a marred vessel.

One proof is necessary, and that is our affections.

An affection is: “A bent of mind towards a particular object” furthermore, “it is the desires of our heart that motivate us to worship the object of our desires.”

George Whitefield spoke of this in regards to man’s first estate, and his current state.

These, at his being first placed in the paradise of God, were always kept within proper bounds, fixed upon their proper objects, and, like so many gentle rivers, sweetly, spontaneously and habitually glided into their ocean, God. But now the scene is changed. For we are not naturally full of vile affections, which like a mighty and impetuous torrent carry all before them. We love what we should hate, and hate what we should love; we fear what we should hope for, and hope for what we should fear; nay, to such an ungovernable height do our affections sometimes rise, that though our judgments are convinced to the contrary, yet we will gratify our passions though it be at the expense of our present and eternal welfare. We feel a war of our affections, warring against the law of our minds, and bringing us into captivity to the law of sin and death. There is a latin phrase, I approve of better things but follow worse, is too, too often the practice of us all.

The Problem: Judah had not yielded. We have not yielded. God has a purpose for us, and when we sin by our self-will, when we sin by our stubborn refusal to cleave to God, we are marred in the hands of the Potter.

The fault is not in the hands of the Potter.

STOP BLAMING GOD FOR OUR SINS!

James 1:13–15 AV

Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

James 1:13

Again in verse 4,

Jeremiah 18:4 AV

And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

III. So He Made It Again.

This Potter had the sovereign right to start over. He could have thrown the clay out. He could have started with a new lump of clay. But the heart of God is such, that He has mercy for our renewal, and plans for our future.

Notice, not only did He make it again, He made it, “…as seemed good to the potter to make it.” Our wills must yield to God’s will, because as long as we are on His wheel (By the way, the wheel represents our lives, our circumstances, etc…and God is always in control of the speed of the wheels and how fast they spin…) He is going to make us according to His will.

Jer. 18:7-

Jeremiah 18:7–11 AV

At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them. Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.

IV. God’s Message for the Clay...

If we were are walking contrary to God’s will in self-will, Judgment is Upon us.

Our we living our lives walking with God, for God’s purpose?

Or, are we living our lives as we choose?

Can we skip out on church to go golfing? Or shopping?

Can we skip out on Bible-meditating to watch our favorite show?

Can we skip out on prayer because we are too tired?

When was the last time we invited someone to church?

Are we living in close communion with God?

If we repent, and turn back to Him, He will build us again.

Jeremiah 18:12 AV

And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.

V. HOPE, YET NO HOPE. NO HOPE, YET HOPE

Spurgeon preached a great message on this verse. He coupled it with a verse from Isaiah.

Isaiah 57:10 AV

Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; yet saidst thou not, There is no hope: thou hast found the life of thine hand; therefore thou wast not grieved.

The message here is a simple one.

“Hope, yet no hope.” Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; yet saidst thou not, There is no hope: thou hast found the life of thine hand; therefore thou wast not grieved.”

The theme here: Stop living life your way thinking you have hope, because you do not have hope.

In Jeremiah, we have the contrast, “No Hope, Yet Hope.”

Jeremiah 18:12 AV

And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.

This mindset is one that says, “My clay is marred. My life is ruined. There is no hope for me. So I might was well do whatever my evil heart and mind can imagine.”

Listen, Spurgeon pointed out that when we despair, we are in worse shape than ever before, for despair will drive us to do the most evil, the most wickedness. We are not without hope. In ourselves, we are without hope. But in God, there is hope.

It is like

Yes, we’re marred vessels. Yes, we are fit for nothing.

But wait, the Master isn’t done!

The Touch of the Master’s Hand

'Twas battered and scarred, And the auctioneer thought it hardly worth his while To waste his time on the old violin, but he held it up with a smile."What am I bid, good people", he cried, "Who starts the bidding for me?" "One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two?" "Two dollars, who makes it three?" "Three dollars once, three dollars twice, going for three,"But, No, From the room far back a gray bearded man Came forward and picked up the bow, Then wiping the dust from the old violin And tightening up the strings, He played a melody, pure and sweet As sweet as the angel sings.The music ceased and the auctioneer With a voice that was quiet and low, Said "What now am I bid for this old violin?" As he held it aloft with its' bow."One thousand, one thousand, Do I hear two?" "Two thousand, Who makes it three?" "Three thousand once, three thousand twice, Going and gone", said he.The audience cheered, But some of them cried, "We just don't understand." "What changed its' worth?" Swift came the reply. "The Touch of the Masters Hand.""And many a man with life out of tune All battered and bruised with hardship Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd Much like that old violinA mess of pottage, a glass of wine, A game and he travels on. He is going once, he is going twice, He is going and almost gone.But the Master comes, And the foolish crowd never can quite understand, The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought By the Touch of the Masters' Hand.

Jer. 18:

Jeremiah 18:15 AV

Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up;

In closing, we notice that God has an ancient path. It is a path that He has designed to be stable, to be narrow, to be straight, and to be sure. That path is called, God’s will. We the clay, are set upon that path. But we have strayed. Isaiah said we have turned every one unto his own way. We walk in paths that are full of briers and thorns. O, today, may we get on the path that is God’s will, may we yield to the touch of the Master’s hand!