He Made it Again!
Recently, while looking through my mother”s Bible, I came across a sermon from my father Rev. Neil MacDonald. It was rewritten by my mother”s hand, as she so often rewrote his sermon notes to make them more legible.
Since I have recently been typing out sermons both from my father and from David, I know dad appreciated the labour of love mum did for him!
I thought of how often we sat together at night and read the Bible and prayed together, and I”m eternally grateful for that privilege, as they shaped our lives for the Potter. We, in turn, have passed this habit to our children, who do the same with their children. As they grow up, trusting in Jesus, they too will know what it is to be formed into vessels fit for the Master”s use! Don”t neglect to teach your little ones about God and let Him form them for Himself!
It is a simple sermon from Jeremiah 18, and I want to leave it with you in short form!
Jeremiah 18:4 “the vessel he made of clay was marred in the hand of the Potter; so he made it again, another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it!”
Four words are the key to this message: “He Made it Again!”
Here we have the Gospel of Recovery, or the Gospel of the Second Chance!
There is Grace sufficient to take the most disastrous backslider and make him what he should be because: “All things are possible with God!”
We have here three simple stages:
• We have Creation
• We have Desecration
• We have Re-creation!
1. Creation:- The potter had a lump of clay and he wrought a work on the
wheel.
But there was hardness in the clay and it failed the test!
It was not pliable and would not come up the design of the Master!
The vessel was marred! Is that the case with you?
Has he given you a task to do and you failed? Or you said, “I can”t”
2. Desecration:- God says you can!
He says He is willing to re-make you! To give you another chance!
Don”t look at anyone else”s failure.
There is enough in each one of us to mar the vessel!
If a man wants to play a reed instrument and make good music,
he must first fashion the reed [cut it and flatten it]!
God wants to make music out of our lives and sometimes before He can do that, He needs to flatten and reform the vessel to make it anew!
3. Re-Creation:- He made it again! No attempt to patch!
• With Passion – The Potter is passionate about his work.
God has great passion for our souls. You need not fail,
but if you do, with His whole heart God wants to restore you!
• At a Price – It costs time and effort, possibly material to reform a vessel!
The Potter”s Field was bought with the price of blood!
This field was littered with broken vessels, but Jesus paid the price for every broken vessel and He works faithfully to remake us!
• Through a Process – The clay must be broken, crushed, softened –
and only then comes the remaking!
If we will allow Him, He will make us vessels fit for the Master”s use!