picture by Duncan Long
Jer 18:2 Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.
Jer 18:3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
Jer 18:4 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 18:5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Jer 18:6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
Jer 18:7 At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it;
Jer 18:8 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.
Jer 18:9 And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;
Jer 18:10 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.
Jer 18:11 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.
Jer 18:12 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.
The Potter and the Clay
Jeremiah 18:1-12
Today, we’re going to talk about becoming something beautiful for God. We’re going to talk about how we can get God to give us an extreme makeover.
We’re in Jeremiah chapter 18. It’s 600 BC. Beginning with verse one, God says to Jeremiah, “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.”
So Jeremiah heads for the potter’s house. He sees him working at the wheel. The potter spins the lower wheel with his foot.
And he works with the clay on the top wheel. He never takes his eyes off the clay. He’s always watching. He’s always working.
Making sure that the clay turns out the way it’s supposed to turn out.
This is a picture of God at work in our lives. Just as the potter molds and shapes the clay into what it ought to be, our heavenly Father molds and shapes us into what we ought to be.
He uses our situations and our circumstances to make us more and more into the image of Jesus Christ.
You may be struggling financially. You’re working as hard as you can. But the bills just keep coming. You can’t get ahead. You say, “Lord, this isn’t what I wanted!? Why is this happening?”
But then you realize that God is using this to make you more like Jesus. He says, “Right now, you need this situation in your life so that you’ll continue to pray night and day and to ask Me for help.
You need this situation as a reminder that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
You need this situation so that I can accomplish my purposes in your life. I use all the good things and all the hard things to make you more like Jesus.”
Philippians 1:6 says that “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Our God is an attentive God.
The second thing we learn about God from watching the potter at work is that He is an artistic God.
He doesn’t want us to be lumps of clay for the rest of our lives. He wants us to become His masterpieces!
Ephesians 2:10 says that “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
That was God’s plan for Israel. But something was wrong. Jeremiah 18:4 says that the pot that was being shaped from the clay was marred.
The expression refers to something that is ruined beyond repair. The marring of the clay represents the idolatry and the sin that was ruining the Jewish people.
If the potter wanted to, he could say, “This clay is bad. I’m going to throw it out.” But that’s not what he does!
Verse four that he flattens it out and forms it into another pot, shaping it as it seemed best to Him.
Then the Lord says “My relationship with you is just like that. Just as the potter has the right to do what needs to be done with the clay, I have the right to do what needs to be done with you.”
You say, “Oh, I don’t like that! I want to call the shots! I want to be in control! I want to be the boss!”
But Isaiah 45:9 says “Does the clay say to the potter, “What are you making?” When was the last time you heard a piece of clay say, “Hey, what do you think you’re doing? I don’t want to be a bowl!”
Not only that, God has been so good to me. Why would I want to get into a power struggle with Him now?
Why would I want to fight against the One Person who knows me best and loves me most?
If God is truly the Creator of the universe, then He should have the right to run the universe. He’s the Potter and we’re the clay.
Then beginning in Jeremiah 18:7, He gives two examples. He says that if a country headed in the wrong direction repents and comes back to me, I reserve the right to show mercy.
But if a good country turns bad, then I reserve the right NOT to show mercy.
In other words, God’s plan for our lives will turn out well if we turn to Him.
We see this again in the book of Joel. God is sending an army of locusts to ravage the nation of Israel because of their sin. It looks like the country is destined for destruction.
But in Joel 2:12, the Lord says, “Even now, return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.
Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.”
In other words, “I want you to come back to me! I want you to ask for forgiveness! I want us to be together forever!” God’s plan for our lives will turn out well if we turn to Him.
And then in Jonah chapter three, the prophet Jonah goes into the city of Nineveh. In verse four, he says to the people, “FORTY MORE YEARS, AND NINEVEH WILL BE DESTROYED!”
And the message hits home! The Ninevites tear their clothes as an expression of grief.
They fast. They pray. They say, “Who knows? If we turn to the Lord wholeheartedly, God might give us a break.”
And that’s what happened. Jonah 3:10 says that “When God saw how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.”
God’s plan for our lives will turn out well if we turn to Him.
You can be the biggest sinner in Calumet County. You can be on your way to the lake of fire as we speak.
But then you hear the good news: God loves you so much that He sent Jesus to die on the cross to pay for your sins.
Then He rose from the dead on Easter Sunday. And if you renounce your sins and turn to Him, you will be forgiven, and you will be saved.
And your heart is so moved by the message that you say, “Lord, that’s what I want! I want You to love me! I want You to forgive me! I want you to shape my life the way it ought to be.”
Based on your heartfelt response, your name will be written down in the Lamb’s book of life, and nothing will be able to separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God’s plan for our lives will turn out well if we turn to Him.
You say, “Pastor the Bible says in Numbers 23:19 that God doesn’t change His mind. If that’s true, then how can He change His mind about someone’s eternal destiny?”
Number One: God’s not really changing His mind because He’s always ready to extend forgiveness to people who repent.
Showing mercy is a part of God’s unchanging nature! 1 Timothy 2:4 says that He wants ALL men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth!
Knowing that God wants to pour out His mercy on my life gives me hope!
It means that God’s ready to take me back right now! It means that He still loves me! It means that no matter how jaded and hypocritical I’ve been, I can still be forgiven! I can still become a masterpiece for God!
Back in 1501, Michelangelo was commissioned to work on a great statue of David. At the time, he had a big block of marble that was spoiled and abandoned.
Most artists would say, “Who needs this ruined hunk of marble?”
But Michelangelo couldn’t take his eyes off of it. Every day he would walk to where it was, and he would touch it, measure it and caress it.
He decided to work with it. And so for two years, Michelangelo worked without any contact with the outside world.
He chipped off the parts of the marble that were bad. And he chiseled the rest of it into the image he wanted it to be.
Today, his amazing statue of David is considered to be one of the greatest works of art in Renaissance culture.
It’s a wonderful example of how an artist can take something that is marred and turn it into something that is marvelous.
That’s what God wants to do for you. And all you have to do is say “God, I’m ready for a makeover!
Help me to be , the best parent I can be, the best Christian I can be.
Please make me over into the person that you are calling me to be.” God’s plan for our lives will turn out well if we turn to Him.
How many of you know this from your own personal experience?
How many of you already know that it’s better to be with God than to be without God?
Then please take a moment and pray for our country. Israel decided to turn away from God, and they’ve had a hard time ever since.
We don’t want that to happen to us. I love America. Pray that our leaders will turn to God for guidance.
Pray that there will be a nationwide moving of the Holy Spirit that moves people to turn back to the Lord.
Pray that in the words of Psalm 33:12, we will never forget that “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” God’s plan for our lives will turn out well if we turn to Him. Let’s pray.
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