EARTHEN VESSELS
2 Corinthians 4:7-12 (KJV)
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
So then death worketh in us, but life in you.
I want to begin by pointing out the continuity of this passage. The theme of the “earthen vessels” runs all the way from here to, 2 Corinthians 5:1-2 (KJV)
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.
For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
I have always looked at the earthen vessels as a demonstration of the weakness and humility of the Apostle, and of us.
God could have given the task of preaching His glorious gospel to the angels. It seems to me they would have done a much better job of it.
Luke 2:8-15 (KJV)
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
That’s a pretty impressive message and it got pretty effective results, did it not?
But as I was studying this week I came across a different perspective.
Do you remember what the archeologists found the Dead Sea Scrolls in?
They were in earthen vessels.
For 2000 years those humble earthen vessels contained, protected and preserved the Word of God.
Terrible times came to Israel in those years.
Just a few miles away, at Masada, almost 1000 Jews committed suicide rather than to surrender to the Roman armies.
The invasion of the Muslims
The Crusades
All of the violence of that area, coupled with thousands of years, and those earthen vessels safely kept the Word of God.
I got to thinking about those earthen vessels, made just for that purpose and it reminded me of what God has done you and me.
Those earthen vessels were,
*I. FORMED
Jeremiah 18:2-6 (KJV)
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.
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. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
Just as God formed Israel a vessel for his use
So did he Jeremiah
Jeremiah 1:5 (KJV)
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Isaiah 43:1 (KJV)
But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
He forms us and
He redeems us.
After the vessel takes shape it is then
*II. FIRED
Isaiah 43:2 (KJV)
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
1 Peter 1:6-7 (KJV)
Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
Paul had described his calling and apostleship already. Here he describes for us some of his own firing.
2 Corinthians 4:8-10 (KJV)
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
The earthen vessel is then
*III. FILLED
Ephesians 3:14-19 (KJV)
For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Want to pray with some substance and eternal meaning?
Pray that your loved ones would be filled with all the fulness of God.
God wants to fill us:
· With His Word
· With love for God and man and
· With the Holy Ghost of God
Peter was filled with the Holy Ghost
Acts 4:8 (KJV)
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,
The whole church in Jerusalem was filled with the Holy Ghost
Acts 4:31 (KJV)
And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
Paul was filled with the Holy Ghost.
Acts 13:9 (KJV)
Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,
We ought to pray that we too are filled with the Holy Ghost.
Then those earthen vessels were,
*IV. SEALED
Ephesians 4:30 (KJV)
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
I suggest to you that our sealing with the Holy Ghost is not simply to guarantee that we don’t lose our salvation (though I am sure that is a part of it) but that it is also our authority as witnesses of what God has done in our lives.
The king in those days would wear a ring that was his seal. Any place he put the image of that ring, it marked his authority.
The 144,000 in Revelation are sealed, but not just so they won’t get hurt – so they won’t get hurt AS THEY PREACH.
Conclusion
No doubt, an earthen vessel is plain, ordinary and humble.
But it is also effective to keep the contents.
Christian, you are exactly the vessel God intends to use to be a witness today.
· He has formed you
· He has fired you
· He has filled you and
· He has sealed you
In that confidence he gave to Jeremiah[1] – witness; testify to others about Jesus Christ.
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
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