The Potter NoG9

Tonight let us look at a name for God that shows how he molds us and tests us. We are looking at God as our potter. Now what does this mean? Let us turn to Isaiah were this name is used first.

Isaiah 64:7-8  And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.  But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

This passage preceding verse 8 is talking about how Israel had been forsaking God and turning away but now they are coming back to God; because God is the potter. Let us think about this, what is the imagery showing here? Have you ever seen a piece of pottery, like a pot, being made? The way it works is that a person sits down at a pottery wheel, and places the lump of clay on it. Then they start to spin the wheel and as the wheel spins they shape the clay with their hands. So they start by making a depression in the clay and slowly working that into a larger opening and then as that grows they begin to smooth at the walls of the pot and shape the clay into the proper shape.

When I first read this passage here I was thinking, so what does this have to do with me? Let us think about this. When we first came to know Jesus we were like that unformed lump of clay. We just sat there with no purpose in life. But once we came to know Jesus, he is able to take us down from the shelf and place us on the wheel so that he can form us and direct us.

Just like when the pottery wheel first starts spinning and clay does not have a shape or a purpose, so were we when we first came to believe in Jesus. Think back to that time when you were new in the faith, even if you were saved did you know what it meant to be a child of God? Of course not, we had to be taught.

Being saved is like the first impression on the unformed clay on the potter’s wheel. Then after we are saved we begin reading our Bibles, going to church services, and seeking Godly counsel, all of these things are helping to shape us into the vessel that God wants us to be.

Going back to the imagery, the lump of clay having just the initial indentation is now spinning on the wheel, the hands of the potter reach down and begin to form the vessel from the inside out. Each time the wheel spins the pot is closer to being finished.

So over time as we continue on our journey with God, he continuously forms us for his purpose. We read our Bibles and learn more about him so that we can be formed by him. That is so that we are more like him. Just like how a potter doesn’t make something useless, God has a purpose for all of the vessels that he makes. That is, we have a purpose in Gods kingdom.

The big way this illustration fails is that pots and vessels formed by the hands of man cannot be made perfect. There will always be a weak spot or a mistake. But our potter, that is God, does not make pots that are imperfect. He is shaping us according to his will.

Let us turn to Romans and see what was revealed through Paul about this name of God

Romans 9:17-23 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.  Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.  Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?   Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?   Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? Rom 9:22  What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:  And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory

Let us take a look at each verse on an individual basis so we get a better understanding about what is being said. Verse 17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.

This verse is saying that God sometimes uses other people even nonbelievers to accomplish his will in our lives and so that people can see who he is. Then the people around us can influence us and help to shape us into the vessel that God wants us to become. In other words God sometimes forms us using outside influences, so we must be careful that the outside influences we are into are good for us.

Verse 18 and 19 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?.

These verses are explaining that God choose to not soften Pharaoh’s heart, that is God choose to allow Pharaoh to still hate the Israelites. God does not cause anyone to hardener there heart toward him but if a person has chosen to not accept God then God working through that person can cause other people to learn things or grow closer to him.

Look at what happened for the Jews in Egypt and all of the plagues and the outpouring of Gods power, and how this showed the Israelites that Mosses was from God and was going to lead the people out of slavery. Think about how little faith the people had if when Moses showed up, Pharaoh had simply said take the people, the Jews would not have followed Moses because they would not have known that he was sent from God.

We can look at this verse in our lives today like if you are sharing the Gospel with someone and they are not responding to it, maybe you being consistent and doing what God has called you to do will open up the heart and mind of the other person that you were not trying to reach. God has plans that are different from ours.

We have touched on how he is our potter and forms us for his purpose, so shouldn’t we listen to him and do what he wants? So these verse are talking about how when a person goes against what God is wanting to accomplish, God is still in control, that is God’s will is still done. God was working through all of the objections of Pharaoh so that we to this day are still talking about this story. About how God is so powerful that he was able to overcome all of the objections and roadblocks put in place by man.

God is able to overcome all things because he is in control, he is the one who is forming his people for a specific purpose. In this passage he was forming Pharaoh in such a way so that the Jews would know who he was.

Verse 20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?

This is a very good question for us, since God formed us and is molding us into the person he wants us to be, then what business do we have to question him about what he is doing? God is able to accomplish anything he desires. Who are we to object to how God made us? God has planned out everything in our lives for his specific purpose. That job you hate going to everyday? Maybe God has placed you in that situation because someone you work with needs to be shown God through you.

I am a firm believer that we reach way more people through living out Christ in our lives than we ever can reach through preaching another sermon. You may be the only Bible someone ever sees.

This is profound, you may be the only Bible someone ever sees.

This means that we are supposed to live out our lives just as Christ did. We are supposed to be the example for other people because God has formed us, he is our Potter and he doesn’t make mistakes, you are for a purpose.

Verse 21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

Going back to our image of the pot being formed on the wheel, in the same way God is forming us on a daily basis. He is slowly applying the pressure and smoothing out areas in our life so that we are of use to him. Verse 21 is explaining that God chooses what we are used for, so we should not be discouraged if someone is doing more than us or accomplishing more than us. All we need to worry about is that we are doing everything for the glory of God, because we have a purpose and need to fulfill it for God.

Some people may have a calling from God that has more honors then yours but it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things because if you are doing God’s will, then you are doing what you are supposed to do.

1 Corinthians 12:20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.

Being in the body of Christ means that people have different jobs to do and different functions in the body, thus we must do what we are called to do for the glory of God. In the preceding verses in 1 Corinthians 12 it talks about how the body of a person cannot function if it is made up of all eyes. In the same way if every person who is in Christ had the same gifts and did the same work then the church could not fulfill what it is supposed to do.

We need people who are gifted and called by God to teach and preach, but we also need people who are gifted in serving to pick up chairs and sweep the floor. One may have more honor but both are needed, both are jobs that people are called to do through God. If a person being formed by God to sweep the floor of the church building and that is their act of service then they are being formed by the master potter.

Verse 22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:.

God has been waiting on us as people to turn to him and accept what he has done for us. Part of that waiting is giving all people a chance to turn to him, but God knows that not all people are going to, so some people are vessels that are to take God’s wrath.

God must pour out vengeance on the people who have refused to come to him because he cannot be around sin but he gives us every opportunity to turn to him and do his will. God has formed some people to teach us lessons about what not to do. He uses these other people to form us in his image.

Verse 23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory.

The people who have accepted God are vessels to show his glory in all of the earth. So when we accept Christ and God begins working on forming us, we then become this example for all of the people who do not know God. We are only accepted through God because of his grace and mercy, there is nothing we can do that gets us accepted by God. But once we are accepted and God is moving in our lives then we are to show God through our lives. Just like when a potter makes a gorgeous piece of pottery we are to be shown to other people so that they see how great our God is.