Sermon Central
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Birth Of A Vessel
Contributed by Gregory Mc Donald on Oct 13, 2002 (message contributor)
Summary: Compairing the seven steps of making a vessel to the seven steps of becoming a vessel for the Lord.
Birth Of A Vessel
(All Scripture taken from the New American Standard)
Pastor Greg Mc Donald
CLAY IS DECAYED ROCK
Deuteronomy 32:4;...This tells us we were once rock made in the perfection of God, but man brought decay to what God made perfect
Discription of the Potter
Deut 32:4 - "The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.
FIRST STAGE...The Unrefined Stage. Full of sin, needing God to bring us out of the horrible pit of miry clay.
Ps 139:15-16, My frame was not hidden from Thee, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. 16 Thine eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Thy book they were all written, The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.
Ps 40:2 - He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay; And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.
SECOND STAGE...The Liquid Stage. We are wash and cleansed by the blood of Jesus. THE NEW BIRTH
1 John 1:7 - but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Eph 5:26 - that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
THIRD STAGE...The Plastic Stage. We go to the pounding and wedging table where we have the hidden air bubbles and hard lumps removed. These are referred to as INIQUITY.
Matt 23:28 - "Even so, you to outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Prov 21:5 - The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, But everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty.
Ps 66:18 - If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear;
Matt 7:21-23, "Not everyone who says to Me, ’Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. 22 "Many will say to Me on that day, ’Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 "And then I will declare to them, ’I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
Ps 32:5 - I acknowledged my sin to Thee, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"; And Thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin. Selah.
FOURTH STAGE...The Leather Hard Stage. This stage is where we are strong enough to be handled and we come off the milk of the word onto the meat.
There is a POSITIVE SIDE where we become stronger and more mature
Heb 5:13-6:1, For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. 6:1 Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,
1 Peter 5:9-10, And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.
There is also a NEGATIVE SIDE where we become stubborn and unwilling to yield.
Matt 24:12 - "And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold
Jer 23:38-39, "Therefore behold, I shall surely forget you and cast you away from My presence, along with the city which I gave you and your fathers”.
Isa 48:10 - "Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.”
FIFTH STAGE...The Bone-Dry Stage...This is the Wilderness Walk. Where we learn to walk by FAITH and NOT FEELINGS. A proving and testing time
Deut 8:1-2, And you shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.
Matt 4:1 - Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
SIXTH STAGE...The Firing Stage. This is to strengthen and purify us. A time when God is transforming our old nature into the image and likeness of Christ.
