Sunday Service 9/6/26 He's Still Working on Me Pastor Nik Schexnayder

Devotional

Day 1: Clay Spinning Under the Potter’s Hands

Jeremiah watches the potter reshape flawed clay without discarding it. Life’s trials spin us like the potter’s wheel, stretching and molding us. God controls the speed, pressure, and outcome. The spinning isn’t chaos but purposeful formation. Even when disoriented, the Potter’s hands steady the vessel. Trust grows when we recognize His grip outweighs the whirl of circumstances. [01:24:48]

“The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ‘Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.’ So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.”
(Jeremiah 18:1–4, ESV)

Reflection: When has life’s “spinning” made you question God’s control? How might trusting His hands change your perspective on current struggles?

Day 2: Treasure in a Cracked Jar

The Holy Spirit dwells in fragile humanity—a divine paradox. Earthen vessels chip under criticism, betrayal, or disappointment, leaking spiritual vitality. Yet the treasure inside remains undiminished. God prioritizes patching holes over replacing jars, restoring capacity to hold His power. Our cracks become testimonies of repair, not shame. [01:13:12]

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”
(2 Corinthians 4:7, ESV)

Reflection: What “crack” in your life most tempts you to doubt God’s power? How could His treasure shine brighter through that repaired place?

Day 3: Slow Leaks and Spiritual Flat Tires

A tire with a slow leak deceives—it feels functional until stranded. Similarly, unresolved hurts, neglected prayer, or quiet bitterness drain faith over time. God offers “patchwork” through repentance, forgiveness, and renewed communion. Vigilance against small leaks preserves the fullness of His Spirit. [01:16:00]

“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.”
(Ephesians 4:30–31, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you ignored a “slow leak” in your walk with God? What practical step will you take to invite His repair today?

Day 4: Staying on the Wheel While Stretched

The potter’s wheel spins, but the clay stays centered. Life’s pressures stretch us thin, yet remaining on the wheel ensures God reshapes flaws into purpose. Resisting the urge to jump off requires surrender. His hands apply just enough pressure to refine, not destroy. [01:21:28]

“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.”
(James 1:2–4, ESV)

Reflection: What current “stretching” makes you want to quit the process? How might enduring it produce deeper spiritual resilience?

Day 5: “He’s Still Working” as a Battle Cry

Imperfection isn’t failure—it’s an invitation for God’s ongoing craftsmanship. The potter reforms marred clay repeatedly, never abandoning the vessel. Our confession—“He’s still working”—defies discouragement. Progress matters more than perfection; the Potter’s patience outlasts every flaw. [01:34:29]

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
(Philippians 1:6, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you need to trade shame over your flaws for confidence in God’s unfinished work? How can this truth fuel your perseverance?

Sermon Summary

Jeremiah 18 opens with God sending the prophet down to the potter’s house, because God wants him to hear a word and see it working right in front of him. The potter’s wheel reveals a vessel being formed, then marred in the potter’s hand. God does not throw the flawed clay away. God makes it again, another vessel, as it seems good to the potter to make it.

The first layer reaches back to Adam, sin, and humanity’s broken condition. Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection make a new birth possible through repentance, baptism in Jesus’ name, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is an incredible treasure, the Spirit of Almighty God inside an earthen vessel. The vessel is where the trouble comes in, because the treasure is perfect but flesh is not.

The earthen vessel can be torn by life, by words, by betrayal, by broken dreams, and by bad reports. The wounds create holes, and things God deposited through prayer, preaching, and worship can begin leaking out. The slow leak becomes especially dangerous because it can look fine for a while, even as faith, joy, and consistency are draining away. God’s mercy answers that leak with patchwork, healing the hurt without discarding the vessel.

The potter’s wheel also removes the pressure to pretend perfection. The clay is marred, but it is still in the Potter’s hand. God calls the vessel away from staring at every flaw and back toward becoming like Jesus. The cry becomes, “Please be patient with me, He’s still working on me.”

The wheel can feel like life spinning out of control, but God controls the spinning. Life brings trouble without every hardship being a special attack or a punishment sent from God. God takes what life brings and asks how that pain can form prayer, faith, endurance, and testimony. The cry shifts from “Here I go again” to “Here I grow again.”

The potter pours water on clay so it does not get dry and brittle, and God pours the water of the Word over a life in process. The Word does not change to fit the vessel. The vessel must receive the Word and be changed by it. God’s hands remain on the marriage, the mind, the health, the finances, the broken heart, and the broken dream. The Potter is not done yet, and the vessel must stay on the wheel.

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Key Takeaways

1. God repairs what life has torn The earthen vessel can carry real wounds without becoming worthless to God. The Potter does not treat pain, betrayal, or broken dreams as reasons to discard the clay. God’s healing reaches the places where faith, trust, and joy have been leaking out. [77:39]
2. Slow leaks require honest attention The danger of spiritual loss often begins quietly rather than with a dramatic collapse. The slow leak can show up through neglect, bitterness, isolation, or a fading hunger for God. The warning calls for an honest prayer: “Lord, plug up the holes in me.” [76:30]
3. The Potter still controls the spinning The feeling of chaos does not mean that God has lost control of the wheel. The trial may stretch the vessel, but the Potter knows the limits of the clay in His hands. God can use what life brings to form stronger faith and a deeper testimony. [88:09]
4. The Word keeps clay from drying The water of the Word keeps a life in process from becoming brittle and broken. The Word may confront what the vessel wants to preserve, but its purpose is sanctifying mercy. The clay finds strength not by reshaping Scripture, but by yielding to it. [85:24]
5. Staying on the wheel matters most The marred vessel is not called to perfection before it can remain in the Potter’s hands. The process requires prayer, Scripture, and distance from voices that pull the heart away from God’s forming work. God’s unfinished work means that failure is not the final shape.

## [90:40]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[64:06] - Jeremiah’s Potter and Clay
[68:37] - The Vessel Was Marred
[69:27] - Born Again Into New Life
[70:51] - The Treasure of the Holy Ghost
[72:34] - Earthen Vessels and Leaks
[75:24] - The Danger of a Slow Leak
[76:30] - God, Patch the Holes
[79:10] - Still Working on Me
[81:13] - Stay on the Potter’s Wheel
[82:34] - Here I Grow Again
[84:48] - Water by the Word
[88:09] - God Controls the Spinning
[90:40] - His Hands Are Still on It

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Jeremiah 18:1–6
“The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ‘Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words.’ So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. Then the word of the Lord came to me: ‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.’” [01:04:06]

2 Corinthians 4:7
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” [01:12:34]

Ephesians 5:26
“that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,” [01:25:24]

Observation questions

In Jeremiah 18, what does the potter do when the vessel becomes spoiled or marred in his hand, and what does God say this picture reveals about Israel? [01:05:26]
According to 2 Corinthians 4:7, what is the treasure, what is the vessel, and why does God place such a treasure in something as fragile as a jar of clay? [01:12:38]
What kinds of experiences were described as tearing holes in an earthen vessel, and what kinds of spiritual things can begin to leak out through those wounds? [01:13:28]
What does the picture of water being poured onto spinning clay show about the purpose of God’s Word in a believer’s life? [01:25:06]

Interpretation questions

The potter remakes the marred vessel rather than throwing it away. How does this shape the way a believer should understand failure, weakness, or a painful season? [01:19:10]
A slow leak may not be obvious at first, yet it can slowly drain faith, joy, consistency, and hunger for God. What might a slow spiritual leak look like in a believer’s habits, attitudes, or relationships? [01:15:36]
Ephesians 5:26 connects cleansing with “the washing of water with the word.” Why is it important that the vessel be changed by the Word instead of expecting the Word to change around the vessel’s preferences? [01:26:39]
Life’s trials are not always sent by God as punishment, but God can use what life brings to form a person. How can a believer move from saying, “Here I go again,” to asking, “Here I grow again”? [01:22:34]

Application questions

Is there a hurt from words, betrayal, a broken relationship, or a broken dream that still feels like a hole in your vessel? What would it look like to honestly bring that specific place to God and ask Him to patch it? [01:17:22]
Where have you noticed a slow leak lately—prayer, worship, faith, peace, church involvement, forgiveness, or desire for God? What is one small, honest step you could take this week to address it before it leaves you stranded? [01:16:14]
God does not require us to pretend that everything is fine. Is there an area where you have been putting pressure on yourself to look perfect instead of admitting that you are still in process? [01:19:33]
What situation currently feels like life is spinning too fast? How might remembering that you are still in the Potter’s hands change the way you pray and respond this week? [01:28:09]
What Word from God—Scripture, promise, or truth—do you need to keep before you during this season so you do not become dry, brittle, or discouraged? [01:25:31]
Staying on the wheel includes prayer, time in the Word, and refusing voices that pull the heart away from God. Which of these areas needs the most attention in your life right now, and what practical change could help you remain in His hands? [01:30:59]
Think of one trial you have faced or are facing. What kind of faith, compassion, prayer life, or testimony could God be forming through it? [01:30:07]

Sermon Clips

55s

“I don't need you to just to fill me, Lord. I need you to patch me up. Because I'm tired of coming and getting filled, but I got so many holes. It's just leaking out. My god. Do you feel the spirit moving in the house? The lord's talking to somebody with some hold. The holy ghost don't want you to leave it that same way you came. There is a healing that can take place in this house. Somebody's leaving this house patched up. Somebody's leaving this service whole. I know you're marred, but the Lord, the powder, is gonna work on you.”

46s

“You know, a fast leak like a blowout in your tire. You can deal with a blowout quicker because it blew out, boom, and it takes your attention now. We gotta deal with this. But it's the tire with the slow leak. That's the real problem because it gives you a false sense of security. You can drive on a tire with a slow leak because it feels fine, but the next morning, you get up and you're stranded. See, there's differences. Blowouts are easy to deal with, but it's the slow leak that can get to us. That's why people can backslide all of a sudden. You go, what happened? It didn't happen overnight. No. They've been leaking for a while.”

42s

“God controls the spinning. That lets me know he's not gonna put more on me than I can bear. So when you get to feeling like you're about to lose your mind, you just remind yourself the word says, he'll never put more on me than I can handle. God knows how much I can handle. I'm on his will. He controls it. The devil's not in control. God's in control. Sickness is not in control. God's in control.”

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