Clay Vessels 2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 1. Clay is soft a. There were limited materials for making things back in Bible times. They had clay, rock, gold, silver and some other materials. They didn‟t have plastic like we do today. They didn‟t have the ability to shape things as easily as we do. Clay was their primary method of making household items because it was cheap and easier to shape. b. We need to be soft and open to being molded. c. Teachableness. i. That can be taught. ii. Able and willing to learn. iii. Many people are not teachable they like to let you know what they know even when they don‟t really know what they are talking about. Some who fancy themselves as teachers really need to be taught. iv. We see time and again the people who come into church and sit in the pew and cross their arms and say “hum, who are they to be teaching?” v. I struggle with being a teacher sometimes. I think who am I to stand up in front of someone and teach the Bible. I‟m not perfect and I haven‟t reached any sort of level of spiritual ness. But I have been in the word for several years now. I know nothing about having an extra-marital affair. I‟ve never cheated on my wife. But I can tell others that It‟s not a good thing. I‟ve never killed another person, I‟ve thought about it, but I‟ve never done it. But I can tell others that murder is wrong. There are things I‟ve done that I can tell first hand they are not good, drugs for instance. d. Demonstrated by Ezra i. Ezr 8:21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. ii. Jer 42:3 That the LORD thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do. e. Demonstrated by the Disciples i. Lu 11:1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. f. Demonstrated by the Ethiopian eunuch i. Ac 8:31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. g. Demonstrated by Paul i. Ac 9:6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord [said] unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. h. It should be demonstrated by us i. Be teachable. ii. It‟s hard to take criticism. We usually take it as a personal attack and get defensive and mad.
2. Clay is useful a. In order for clay to be useful there is a process that has to take place. i. The potter takes this lump of clay and presses it and prepares it. ii. Then he puts it on a wheel and begins cutting away at it and shaping it iii. He may put a special glaze on it to make it look a certain way. iv. Then he takes the shape that‟s still soft and puts it into the fire. v. Once it‟s been fired he takes it out and maybe paints it. b. In order for us to be useful to God there is a process that has to take place i. Our hearts are prepared and the soil of our lives is worked ii. The seed of the gospel is planted and we hear about what Jesus did for us. iii. Our hearts are softened and we are convicted of our need for God. iv. We call on God and he hears us and willingly and gladly accepts us. v. The process continues for the rest of our lives as God continually molds and shapes us. vi. Sometimes the pottery that we started out as changes and our roles and usefulness changes. c. Once a lump of clay is prepared, shaped and fired it has a use. Maybe it‟s to hold water. Maybe it‟s to hold a plant and let that plant grow. Maybe it‟s a plate for someone to eat off of. Or a bowl for someone to eat soup or salad out of. Maybe it‟s to just stand there and look good. Each piece of pottery has a role. You don‟t see many plant pots refusing to hold a plant because it wants to be a bowl. The plant pot does it‟s job. d. What is your job? What is your role? We don‟t need people to stand around and look good. We need to be useful. e. How to be useful i. One Who Has Godly Priorities & Objectives – 1. Mt 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you ii. One Who Will Pay Any Price To Do The Will Of God In His Life 1. Luke 14:26 and 27 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. iii. One Who Loves The Word Of God 1. 2 Ths. 2:10-12. 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: iv. One Who Has A Servant Heart 1. Matt. 20:25-28. 25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. v. One Who Has A Love For Lost Souls. 1. Charlie Brown says: "I love the world. I think the world is wonderful. It's people I can't stand." 2. Mt 22:39 And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
vi. One Who Does Not Trust In Himself 1. 2Co 1:9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: vii. One Who Has Learned Self-discipline 1. l Cor. 9:24-27. 24 ¶ Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. f. Be teachable and Be Useful 3. Clay is humble a. The real value to clay vessels is not the vessel itself. Clay is cheap. You can purchase 2000 lbs of clay for $345. 25 lbs is like $8. b. Some pottery might be expensive, but it‟s because of who the potter is. The person who made it and the time that they spent shaping it. c. Clay pots usually contain flowers and usually the flowers are what gets the attention. If you goto Lowes (second favorite place next to Best Buy) and look at the clay pots. They come in all sorts of sizes but 90% of them look identical. d. Php 2:3 [Let] nothing [be done] through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. e. A good dose of humility will take care of gossip because when you realize you are no better than the next person it gives you little room to look down on others and talk about them. f. There but for the grace of God go I. “On seeing several criminals being led to the scaffold in the 16th century, English Protestant martyr John Bradford remarked, „There but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford.‟ g. Ge 1:27 So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. h. Ge 9:6 Whoso sheddeth man‟s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. i. We need to look at everyone we come into contact as being made in the image of God. j. Be teachable, Be useful and be humble 4. Clay is fragile a. It‟s easy to break a clay pot. b. Human beings are fragile. What‟s also fragile are our feelings. c. We need to be careful with our words and realize that they can hurt. d. I‟m sure you have all been hurt by someone and have hurt others as well. e. We need to realize though that caring for someone sometimes means saying things that might hurt their feelings. We need to do it in a spirit of humility and love, but we need to do it. f. Jas 4:14 Whereas ye know not what [shall be] on the morrow. For what [is] your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. g. Realize that we have no guarantee that we will live to see tomorrow. h. A lady at work asked me to help her with her computer. She had a web cam that she used to talk to a little 5 year old boy with Leukemia. She came in on last week and told me that he had passed away. There were people walking up a gangplank to an ocean
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liner when it gave way and broke sending 50 or more people plunging 30 feet to the water below. 12 of them died. They had no idea that morning that this was the last day of their life. One of Jars of Clays songs is called famous last words. Part of the song goes Famous last words, "I'm not ready yet.” If you are not saved today is the day to do it we humans are fragile and easily broken.
5. Clay is resilient a. This pottery here is dated at 1500 bc b. While clay pottery is fragile it‟s amazingly resilient and long lasting also. c. Realize that you are stronger than you think you are. d. 1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it]. e. Ps 18:32 [It is] God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. f. Ps 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. g. Ps 27:1 The LORD [is] my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD [is] the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? h. The resilience of a piece of pottery has a lot to do with how well it was made. The clay used to create has to be prepared and properly pressed. You cant have chunks of hard clay in what you are using to make something. There‟s a reason that the preparation of the clay is so important. When you put that shaped clay in the kiln it‟ll shatter and break if there are to many imperfections. i. Realize that you were made by the same hands that created the sun and the stars. j. Ps 136:5 To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy [endureth] for ever. k. Isa 42:5 ¶ Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: l. Jer 10:12 He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion. m. Isa 45:12 I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, [even] my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded. n. Do you think that there is anything to big for these hands to handle? o. You may be thinking there is no hope for you but there is. You were made by the master potter who makes no mistakes. We need to be like clay. Clay is soft – be teachable, sometimes it‟s best to just shut up and listen. Clay is useful – be useful, find something to be doing and do it. Clay starts out as a lump, but you shouldn‟t stay that way. Clay is humble – practice humility, find someone and put their needs before yours Clay is fragile – Realize the fragileness of those around you and watch your mouth! Clay is resilient – Realize there is hope, don‟t give up, but give it to God.