Shaped by Grace: The Potter and the Clay
Summary
In today's message, we explored the profound imagery found in Jeremiah 18, where God instructs the prophet Jeremiah to visit a potter's house. This passage serves as a powerful metaphor for our relationship with God, illustrating His role as the potter and us as the clay. The potter's wheel represents the circumstances of life—both the trials and triumphs—that God uses to shape us into vessels for His purpose. As the potter molds the clay, he encounters imperfections, or "pebbles," which symbolize the sin and compromise in our lives. These pebbles can cause the clay to become marred, disrupting the potter's work. However, God, in His sovereignty and love, is committed to removing these imperfections if we allow Him.
Understanding God's sovereignty is crucial. He possesses the power, wisdom, and authority to shape us according to His will. This can be daunting, but when we recognize that His sovereignty is rooted in love, we can trust Him even when we don't understand His ways. As the clay, we must remain pliable and willing to let God remove the pebbles in our lives. This process requires us to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's conviction, which is not condemnation but a loving call to repentance and transformation.
The journey of sanctification is ongoing. It involves allowing God to continually mold and shape us, removing sin and compromise so that we can become vessels that carry His glory and anointing. We are called to be holy, to turn away from our former ways, and to embrace the new life God offers. This requires a willingness to let go of the pebbles that hinder our growth and to trust God to complete His work in us.
Key Takeaways:
- God as the Potter: God is the sovereign potter, shaping us with His power, wisdom, and authority. His sovereignty is rooted in love, allowing us to trust Him even when we don't understand His ways. We are the clay, and our role is to remain pliable and willing to be shaped by His hands. [44:15]
- The Wheel of Life: The potter's wheel represents life's circumstances, both good and bad, that God uses to mold us. These experiences are essential in shaping us into vessels for His purpose. We must embrace the process, knowing that God uses every situation to form us into His image. [47:21]
- Pebbles of Sin: Sin and compromise are like pebbles in the clay, causing us to become marred in God's hands. We must be willing to let God remove these imperfections, allowing Him to continue His work in us. This requires sensitivity to the Holy Spirit's conviction and a willingness to repent. [50:06]
- Sanctification Process: Sanctification is the ongoing process of being molded by God. It involves allowing Him to remove sin and compromise, transforming us into vessels that reflect His holiness. We must be willing to let go of the pebbles that hinder our growth and trust God to complete His work in us. [55:28]
- Responding to Conviction: When the Holy Spirit convicts us, we must respond with repentance and a desire for change. Conviction is a loving call to align our lives with God's will. By allowing God to remove the pebbles, we become vessels that carry His glory and anointing to the world. [59:26]
Youtube Chapters:
[00:00] - Welcome
[42:38] - Introduction to The Potter's House
[44:15] - Understanding God's Sovereignty
[47:21] - The Wheel of Life's Circumstances
[48:30] - The Marred Pot and Sin
[50:06] - Removing Pebbles of Sin
[51:56] - God's Acceptance and Transformation
[53:03] - Justification and Sanctification
[55:28] - The Process of Sanctification
[56:33] - Call to Holiness
[58:45] - Responding to Conviction
[59:26] - The Role of Conviction
[01:00:34] - Offering Ourselves to God
[01:01:53] - Personal Testimony of Transformation
[01:08:18] - Invitation to Salvation and Prayer
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide: The Potter's House
Bible Reading:
- Jeremiah 18:1-4
Observation Questions:
1. What did God instruct Jeremiah to do in Jeremiah 18:1-4, and what was the purpose of this instruction? [42:38]
2. How does the potter's wheel serve as a metaphor for life's circumstances in the sermon? [47:21]
3. What are the "pebbles" mentioned in the sermon, and how do they affect the potter's work? [50:06]
4. According to the sermon, what is the significance of the potter reshaping the marred clay? [44:15]
Interpretation Questions:
1. How does understanding God's sovereignty help believers trust Him during difficult times? [44:15]
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that life's trials and triumphs contribute to our spiritual growth? [47:21]
3. What role does the Holy Spirit's conviction play in the process of sanctification, according to the sermon? [59:26]
4. How does the sermon describe the difference between conviction and condemnation, and why is this distinction important? [59:26]
Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a recent life circumstance that felt like being on the potter's wheel. How did you see God shaping you through it? [47:21]
2. Identify a "pebble" in your life that might be hindering your spiritual growth. What steps can you take to allow God to remove it? [50:06]
3. How can you cultivate a heart that is sensitive to the Holy Spirit's conviction without feeling condemned? [59:26]
4. In what ways can you actively participate in the process of sanctification in your daily life? [55:28]
5. Consider a time when you struggled to trust God's sovereignty. What helped you to eventually trust Him, and how can you apply that lesson now? [44:15]
6. How can you support others in your small group who are going through their own "potter's wheel" experiences? [47:21]
7. What practical steps can you take this week to respond to the Holy Spirit's conviction and align your life more closely with God's will? [59:26]
Devotional
Day 1: God’s Sovereignty in Our Lives
God is the potter, and we are the clay. This imagery from Jeremiah 18 illustrates the profound truth of God's sovereignty over our lives. As the potter shapes the clay, God shapes us with His power, wisdom, and authority. His sovereignty is not arbitrary but is deeply rooted in love, allowing us to trust Him even when we don't understand His ways. Our role is to remain pliable and willing to be shaped by His hands, trusting that His intentions are for our ultimate good. This requires a heart that is open to His guidance and a spirit that is willing to be molded according to His purpose. [44:15]
Isaiah 64:8 (ESV): "But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand."
Reflection: In what areas of your life do you struggle to trust God's sovereignty? How can you begin to surrender these areas to Him today?
Day 2: Embracing Life’s Circumstances
The potter's wheel represents the circumstances of life—both the trials and triumphs—that God uses to mold us. These experiences are essential in shaping us into vessels for His purpose. Life's challenges and blessings are not random but are part of God's divine plan to form us into His image. Embracing this process means recognizing that every situation, whether good or bad, is an opportunity for growth and transformation. By trusting in God's plan, we can find peace and purpose in the midst of life's uncertainties. [47:21]
James 1:2-4 (ESV): "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
Reflection: How can you view a current challenge in your life as an opportunity for growth? What steps can you take to embrace this process?
Day 3: Removing the Pebbles of Sin
Sin and compromise are like pebbles in the clay, causing us to become marred in God's hands. These imperfections disrupt the work God is doing in our lives. However, God, in His sovereignty and love, is committed to removing these imperfections if we allow Him. This requires sensitivity to the Holy Spirit's conviction, which is not condemnation but a loving call to repentance and transformation. By allowing God to remove the pebbles, we become vessels that carry His glory and anointing to the world. [50:06]
Hebrews 12:1 (ESV): "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."
Reflection: What "pebbles" of sin or compromise are hindering your spiritual growth? How can you invite God to help you remove them today?
Day 4: The Ongoing Process of Sanctification
Sanctification is the ongoing process of being molded by God. It involves allowing Him to remove sin and compromise, transforming us into vessels that reflect His holiness. This journey requires a willingness to let go of the pebbles that hinder our growth and to trust God to complete His work in us. As we embrace this process, we are called to be holy, to turn away from our former ways, and to embrace the new life God offers. This transformation is not instantaneous but is a continual journey of becoming more like Christ. [55:28]
2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV): "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."
Reflection: In what ways can you actively participate in your sanctification process? What habits or practices can you incorporate into your daily life to reflect God's holiness?
Day 5: Responding to the Holy Spirit’s Conviction
When the Holy Spirit convicts us, it is a loving call to align our lives with God's will. Conviction is not meant to condemn but to guide us toward repentance and transformation. By responding to the Holy Spirit's conviction, we allow God to remove the pebbles in our lives, becoming vessels that carry His glory and anointing to the world. This requires a heart that is open to change and a willingness to let go of anything that hinders our relationship with God. [59:26]
Psalm 139:23-24 (ESV): "Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
Reflection: How do you typically respond to the Holy Spirit's conviction? What changes can you make to ensure you are open and responsive to His guidance?
Quotes
1. "The first thing that's important for us to realize is that the potter in this story, the potter in the illustration, is God. God is the potter. He's the one that's in control. He's the one that determines how each pot or each vessel is going to be shaped, how it's going to be formed, how it's going to be made, what it's going to look like. He's in charge, okay? And that helps us really to understand. And I want you to understand that God is the one that determines how each pot or each vessel is going to be shaped, how it's going to be formed, how it's going to be made, what it's going to look like." [00:44:04] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "The sovereignty of God okay that our God is sovereign and maybe for some of you that word sovereign what do you mean by sovereign what do you talk about let me define the word sovereign for you so you understand what we're saying when we say God is sovereign this is what sovereign means that God has the power the wisdom and the authority to do anything he chooses with his creation let me say it again that he has the power the wisdom and the authority let's say those things together power wisdom authority God has the power the wisdom and authority to do as he pleases with his creation and if you don't know him then that can be a scary thought that that he has power and authority and and and wisdom he can do whatever he wants to but you've got to understand who he is because he is a God of love he's not a God that has the quality of love he is love he is love all that he is is love and so this power and wisdom authority it flows out of him being a God of love it flows out of him being a God of love and so when you understand that he loves us with this immense love then we can trust in the sovereignty of God to make those decisions to use his power to use his authority to use his wisdom to do what he needs to do because we know that he loves us and so we can trust those decisions we can trust what he's doing in our hearts and not and even when we don't understand it even though it may not make sense to us in the natural sense we can trust God and we can trust him because we can trust him because we can trust we can trust our sovereign God because we know that everything he does comes out of his heart of love for us. So God's the potter." [00:44:29] (126 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "We are the ones that are being molded. We're the ones that are being shaped. We're the ones that are being pushed. We're the ones that are being pulled. We're the ones that are being stretched, but it's by his hands, right? And at times it can be scary because you think about that piece of clay on the wheel and it's spinning around. A big percentage of the time, if you're sitting on that wheel, you may not be able to see God. As you're spinning around, you may lose contact of where God is, where the potter is, but you can always trust him, all right? You can always trust him." [00:46:42] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "It is the circumstances of life that God uses to shape us into his image. They're the trials. They're the difficulties that we walk through. They're the good days, the victories, the mountaintops, and the defeats, and the valleys, all of it he uses. It's part of the wheel. It's part of what shapes us. It's part of what molds us. It's part of what he uses to create in us his nature and his image. He uses those things to turn us into the vessel that he needs us to be." [00:47:36] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "Aren't you glad that when we come to God, that he's willing to accept us just the way that we are? You know, we didn't have this experience. This is what some people think happened, but it's not true. That we come to God and, you know, we come and we got all kinds of flaws and we got all kinds of sin and we got just a mess. You know, our lives were a mess before Jesus. Let's be real. Our lives were a mess before Jesus. And we come to God and we say, oh, Lord, I need you. I need your help. I need your grace. I need your mercy. I need your forgiveness. And God did not do this. Well, you know, kind of a little messy right now. In fact, you've made a huge mess. Look at all the sin. Look at all the garbage. Look at all the pebbles that are in your life. Listen, let me make you do it. You take the next six months. You work on it. You try to fix some stuff up. Try to correct some things. And if you do a good enough job over the next six months of getting your life together, then maybe I will extend my grace and my mercy to you. Aren't you glad he didn't do that? Come on, aren't you glad? For the grace and the mercy of God that says, I will accept you just the way that you are." [00:52:53] (86 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
6. "If you're broken, if you're hurting, if your life's a mess, I will accept you just the way you are. But understand, I love you enough that I'm not going to let you stay there. I will forgive you of everything. In a moment, if you ask, and some of you may be in the room today, you need to, at the end of the service, we're going to give you an opportunity. You need to ask. You're at a place in your life where you've never asked. And what Jesus is declaring and what his word declares to us is that, listen, if you ask, I will forgive you of everything. You come just the way that you are. And all the mess and all the sin and all the hurt and all the pain and all the brokenness, you come and I will accept you just the way that you are. But I'm not going to leave you just the way that you are." [00:54:00] (51 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
7. "And the process of sanctification is what we're talking about today. You being on the wheel. You allowing God now to begin to start molding and shaping your life. And as he's molding and shaping you, he's going to find these pebbles, these areas of sin, these areas of compromise in your life. And you have a choice and a decision to make. Are you going to allow him as the potter to pull that pebble out and continue to shape you? Or are you saying, time out? No, no. I'm keeping that. I'm holding on to that area of sin. I'm holding on to that area of compromise. I'm not willing. I'm not willing to give that up. Or I'm not willing to do this or do that. And so I'm holding on to the pebble. See, that stops the process. Because how can it continue? Because it's just going to continue to cause you to be marred in his hands." [00:55:28] (54 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
8. "And so we need the conviction of the Holy Spirit to come and to stir us and to move us to a place of repentance. Okay, and so I've been praying that God would bring conviction in your life. If there's areas of sin, if there's areas of conflict, of compromise that is keeping you bound, that's keeping you from becoming the vessel that he needs you to be, that he would convict you and you would allow him to begin to do his work in you." [01:00:33] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
9. "That's really what it is. Understand, if you're trying to hold on to that sin, you're trying to, I want to have the freedom to be able to do this, I want to keep this in my life, just understand what's happening. Sin, that behavior, that attitude, that mindset, that area of consciousness, compromise, it's your master. It's controlling you. You're not controlling it, it's controlling you. And so, we've got to come to a place where we're not going to allow sin to be our master any longer." [01:01:44] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
10. "And so I'm just going to ask everyone just to bow their heads across this room. And I just want to pray for all of us today that we would be so sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit that as he convicts us of areas of sin, he convicts us of areas of compromise in our life, that instead of condoning it or making excuses for it, we're just saying, yeah, I know. but you know I'm not going to give that up or I'm not ready to do it that we would be so willing to say God get it out of my life God get it out of my life don't let there be anything in me that would cause my life to be marred in your hands but God shade me into the person that you need me to be let me pray Lord I pray for each person here God I pray for all of us Holy Spirit we invite you even right now into our hearts Holy Spirit come help our ears our spiritual ears to be tuned in to your voice and I pray that you would begin to show us areas of our lives that are wrong areas of sin areas of compromise areas where we're not living the way you would ask us to areas of our lives that break your heart that grieve you because of the way we're acting and Lord I'm asking that you would reveal it to us and then help us to have the attitude that says God get it out God I surrender it God help me to overcome this area of sin God I'm just believing that you want to do a deep work within our hearts and God I'm asking that you would allow each one of us to get back onto the wheel and God I pray that you would apply your grace to us to your hands to our lives and God that you would mold us and that you would shape us and that you would form us into vessels that are worthy to carry your anointing that are worthy to carry your love and your grace and your mercy to the world that we that we're a part of God use us we pray use us we pray and we ask it in Jesus name in Jesus name amen amen" [01:16:14] (141 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
Chatbot
-
I'm an AI bot trained only on this specific sermon. Do you have any questions about it?