2. His Masterpiece Jeremiah 18:1-4

3. Jeremiah’s trial In chapter 20, Jeremiah tempted to quit. God sent him to art class for a battle winning sermon

4. The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.

5. Materials Clay - Adam Water - Word Wheels - World Hands – Pressure

6. Why all the pressure in life? The potter puts pressure on the clay to make it beautiful & useful Life’s pressures make us beautiful and useful as we spin on this planet

7. Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter:

8. How marred? Hardened, unyielding impurities in the clay make it resist the artisans skill. “Be not conformed to this world…” (Conformed means, ‘shaped by’) Romans 12:1, 2

9. God made us, but Guilt marred us Grace molds us Whether we live or die we are all in the hands of the Potter.

10. The same wheel Made both Peter & Judas One became a living stone in God’s building The other clay for the Potter’s field

11. so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

12. He called it, “Good” Like the first creation To remake lives is good. God recycles He doesn’t throw clay away

13. Between a mess and a masterpiece, there are only a few carefully planned strokes. Each work begins with a mess

14. Close up, all you see is mistakes… Self image? Body perfect? Marriage good? Church spiritual? All artist’s and pastors see is mistakes

15. 5: Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD.

16. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.

17. In the hand of the potter, clay Springs to life Conforms to image Yields or is broken Is shaped for purpose Is made beautiful

18. Ephesians 2:8-10 “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works”

19. Copyright © 2000 by Dan Ondra