Hope in God's Hands: The Potter and the Clay

1. "So the truth is, like Israel, like God's people, we are all clay in the hands of the potter. And now we know, of course, this illustration is of God as the potter and us as clay. And to be in God's hands, to be worked and reworked, and not have our lives wasted, to keep using that same piece of clay, that for me is the message of hope in this. What hope we have when we know that God is at work. All of our imperfections, despite all of our mistakes, there is always this offer of forgiveness. There's always this opportunity to start over again. There is always this opportunity to change our ways. We are still the same clay, but we have a chance to be worked and reworked by God." [06:30] (51 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2. "And you know, I love the fact that pots are useful. Pots are useful. They have a purpose. And we know that God is working on us. So as we saw from that little clip there, the potter working on the clay, God is at work in us, but he's working on us. And he's producing something, something that's of use, something that has purpose. Now, we see in this passage that this pot has an imperfection. And when an imperfection is found, what the potter would do is he'd compress the clay, and he'd compress the clay, put it back on the wheel, and start all over again." [05:40] (38 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3. "Now, it is painful. Crushing and pressing is not easy. It is painful. But ultimately, there is hope. There is hope that one day the pot will go through the fire, and it will not be marred. There will be no impurity. There will be no flaw. It will be, as Paul describes, the vessel of honor. It will be exactly what it is supposed to be. And that is the hope. You may have gone through moments when you feel like you're being reshaped and reformed, and that's painful. You may have gone through the moments where you think you've got something that looks great and looks good, but needs to be crushed and pressed and started again. God is at work." [12:30] (43 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4. "And you know what I love about a vessel? It can be filled up. He's going to pour out his oil of anointing on us. Praise God. In a new way and a fresh way, there is going to be breakthrough. And he's going to move you from where you are to where he wants you to be and where he needs you to be. And you may not always like it and you may not like the steps to take you there, but God is with you. God is with you and he is moving in you. All you have to do is let him do the work. All you have to do is remember that God is the potter. Let God create the masterpiece that he has always wanted to create in you." [18:14] (46 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5. "So maybe right now, and maybe if you're going through a trial, I just want to encourage you to read. It's not always good to read the mind of prophets if you're wrong, because many of them did. Just those verses. This is what God's doing. He is producing a glorious finish. I don't know, the enemy may have launched an assault on you. Every word might seem to be against you. Every word might seem to be a discouragement. It might seem to be a word of defeat. And when we have those moments, maybe we want to just act out a little bit and maybe shake our fists a little bit. there's a part of you, I know there's a part of you, I've seen it in many of you, that goes, no, I am determined. Now in this moment, I am determined. I am determined. I am determined of fire and trial more than ever to serve God." [16:45] (45 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


6. "And if God is present in your life, God is always creating. God is a creator God. We know that. He's a recreator God. He is working, and he is reworking in you. So at times, this might mean we need to allow ourselves and even some of our precious traditions to actually be broken. So if a potter finds a flaw, finds some impurity, they're going to work it out of the clay. And as the clay forms, they're going to keep reworking it. But sometimes, even if it's gone in the fire and in the kiln, and the potter takes it out, and it doesn't look quite right, there are some options. He might just throw it away. He might just declare this is a faulty good. He might just say, we'll put this on the second shelf. We'll sell it cheaper. But actually, I think God does something else." [12:30] (52 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


7. "But to be in God's hands means that even when we think we found something good, we know that there's always an opportunity to be reshaped, always an opportunity to be reformed. And if God is present in your life, God is always creating. God is a creator God. We know that. He's a recreator God. He is working, and he is reworking in you. So at times, this might mean we need to allow ourselves and even some of our precious traditions to actually be broken." [10:57] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


8. "And you know, this is not a decorative pot that's going to go on a shelf, just to stay on a shelf. As actually Molly's word this morning says, we are pots with a purpose. We have to be out there doing something. And this morning, I want to talk about that as well this morning a little bit. But you know, I love the fact that pots are useful. Pots are useful. They have a purpose. And we know that God is working on us. So as we saw from that little clip there, the potter working on the clay, God is at work in us, but he's working on us. And he's producing something, something that's of use, something that has purpose." [05:40] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


9. "And sometimes God needs to come in and break things. But the truth is, even when it's crushed, even when it's pressed, you can mix it with water, and you can start all over again. And even then, God may find more impurities, but he'll keep removing them. He'll keep working, and he'll keep reworking. Now, it is painful. Crushing and pressing is not easy. It is painful. But ultimately, there is hope. There is hope that one day the pot will go through the fire, and it will not be marred. There will be no impurity. There will be no flaw. It will be, as Paul describes, the vessel of honor. It will be exactly what it is supposed to be. And that is the hope." [12:30] (50 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


10. "And you know, I love the fact that pots are useful. Pots are useful. They have a purpose. And we know that God is working on us. So as we saw from that little clip there, the potter working on the clay, God is at work in us, but he's working on us. And he's producing something, something that's of use, something that has purpose. Now, we see in this passage that this pot has an imperfection. And when an imperfection is found, what the potter would do is he'd compress the clay, and he'd compress the clay, put it back on the wheel, and start all over again." [05:40] (38 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)