jULY 26-27, 2003 Secure in the potter’s Hands selected

Gen. 2:7 The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (New International Version)

Isaiah 64:8 Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. (NIV)

God as a master potter molds us into vessels of both ____________ and _________________as we go about our everyday lives.

Four Steps to Making a Vessel

I. THE POTTER _____________ THE CLAY

A. God _________ us through Jesus Christ

Eph. 3:3-5 ³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. ⁴For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— (NIV))

Eph. 2:4,5 …immense in mercy and with an incredible love, ⁵he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and He chose to bless us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Message Bible)

Matt. 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.(NIV)

II.   THE POTTER ____________THE CLAY TO THE WHEEL

     A. God connects us to the ________________

Eph. 3:10 Through Christians like yourselves gathered in churches, this extraordinary plan of God is becoming known and talked about even among the angels! All this is proceeding along lines planned all along by God and then executed in Christ Jesus. (The Message)

Gal. 5:13-14 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." (NIV)

III. The potter ____________the clay

 A. God ______________us

He uses: 1. _____________      2. _____________

                3. _____________ 4. _____________

Luke 5:15-16 …news about him (Jesus) spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. (NIV)

Mark 1:35-38 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!" Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else--to the nearby villages--so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." (NIV)

***When we fail to spend regular time in prayer and solitude we allow others to determine who we are and what we’re here for.

Iv.The potter ________ the clay

A.  POtter uses:

         1.____________________ 2.__________________

          3.____________________ 4.__________________

B. God ______________ us

·    God’s touch can be _________or _________

·    God uses kind, ______________ __________

·    God uses __________people and events

·    God uses even ___________events for good

Gal. 5:22-23a But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard--things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. (The Message)