Eleventh Avenue Church
The following is reprinted with permission
of The Timely Messenger
Treasures In Earthen Vessels
By Charles Wages
"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. 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; so he made it again another vessel as seemed good to the potter to make it."
This familiar and expressive passage of Scripture is full of dispensational, national and personal meaning and implications. Surely, its
primary application and interpretation is of God's plans and purposes for His chosen Nation, Israel. However, application is appropriate
for God's dealings with all of humanity.
A potter works with the clay of the earth. This refers us to man's origin ("and the Lord God formed man of the dust of the 8round"). It
also refers to man's destiny concerning the natural body. There is, however, more, much more, truths taught us in the passage about the
potter and the clay.
The Scriptures speak of a "treasure in earthen vessels". This is found in 2 Cor.4:7.
"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power way be of God, and not of us."
Also, we are reminded that "the first man was of the earth, earthy" and then, we all have "borne the image of the earthy".
Why would God put a "treasure" in earthen vessels, especially in an old "dirty jar"? Let's not forget the love of God and the grace of
God!
The answer to the above question is found in 2 Cor. 4:7, shown above. The wonderful salvation (the gospel) is not dependent upon the
"dirty
jar", but upon the love and grace of God. We must always remember,
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us."
God doesn't wait until a lost sinner washes himself all clean, and someone has placed beautiful flowers in his vessel, to save him. No,
He just makes a "new" vessel. 2 Cor. 5:17 says, "Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature; old things
are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
What is this wonderful treasure that believers have in earthen vessels? It is the salvation that God gives by grace to those who believe the
gospel. What a treasure! God places this treasure in earthen vessels! Then, God uses these earthen vessels to share it with others. The
treasure is the gospel and the result of believing the message. This wonderful message, the gospel, has an eternal,
purpose.
This purpose is to bring people out of darkness. Why darkness? We are told that "the god. of this world (Satan) has blinded the minds
of people so that they are in darkness. God, however, has commanded the light to shine out of darkness to give the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ".
"Come to the light
"Tis shining for thee:
Sweetly the light has dawned upon me.
Once I was blind, but now I can see!
The Light of the world is Jesus"
The gospel is divinely,
Powerful "For I an not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power
of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first,
and also to the Greek." Romans 1:16
This is the same power that raised Christ from the dead and set him
at his own right hand in the heavenly places. (Eph. 1:19-23) That
mighty power that wraught the original creation is the same power that
makes a "new" creation.(2 Cor. 5:17, and empowers that "new" creation
to work for God's glory. The gospel of God's grace is able to save
"to the uttermost from the uttermost "all who believe in the
Person
of Christ and His finished work on the cross and His resurrection from
the dead.
"For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And
that he vas buried, and that he rose again the third day according
to the scriptures:"
Just as God prepared a chosen Nation (Israel) as pictured in Jeremiah,
so He prepared a chosen Vessel, the Apostle Paul to form His church,
the body of Christ. In Acts 9:15, it is said of the apostle,
" But the Lord said unto him, Go thy vay; f or he is a chosen vessel
unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children
of Israel.
God formed Paul in his mother's womb, separated him, and then called
him to be the apostle to the Gentiles. (Gal.2:15-16). Paul was a "vessel
unto honor" fit for the Master's use, sanctified, and prepared unto
every good work. (2 Tim.2:21). It has aptly been said, "God never
mends what man mars--He creates a new one". Surely what Isaiah said
long ago is still amazingly true,
"But now, 0 Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay and thou our
potter; and we all are the work of thy hand." Isaiah 64:8
These "earthen vessels" of ours, can be used for the Lord, but one
day they will be put aside. Is this the end of life? Only for the
earthen vessel . However, we read in 2 Cor. 5:1,"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved
we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in
the heavens."
We may not know exactly what our "heavenly vessel" will look like,
but we know that our God is able to form it and use it.
"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that
we should be called the sons of God therefore the world knoweth us
not, because it knew his not. Beloved now are we the sons of God, and
it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when He shall
appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." 1 John
3:1-2