We Are the Clay, and You Our Potter (Isaiah 64:8-9)
Rev. Myung-Sin Choi
8 But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand. 9 Do not be furious, O Lord, Nor remember iniquity forever; Indeed, please look—we all are Your people!
Introduction
In our denomination, there is a pastor named Kim Sang-ho who became our president of our Southern synod. But the pastor said that he wanted to rest so I relayed this Biblical scripture to the pastor, Genesis 28:15 “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” - When God uses us, He is the one who allows it and when God’s work is done, then He will end your work. When you are done with your work, then you are done with God’s work so that means that you are done and need to go to heaven. So, I asked the pastor if he was ready to go to heaven? But after he heard this, he agreed to be the president. When he obliged to God’s work, the cancer in his body went away. He thanked me the last time I saw him. This is absolute. Why God called us was because He has a work for us and He chose us. He chose us for His plan and purpose. We heard that President Donald Trump became president and many people were worried. It doesn’t solve anything if you worry. Let me tell you once again, God chose you and He chose you because He has work and purpose for you. All is within God's sovereignty so there is nothing for you to worry about anything. If you need to worry about anything, you need to worry about your walk of faith. Today’s sermon is very important.
1. The Lord the Creator God
1) The Lord is Our Father
Verse 8 - Last sermon we spoke about how the Israelites fell into slavery and became desolate. But Isaiah was confessing that God is his Father. What it means by father is that God is the one who created us. When you call someone father, you have a relationship with a father and his children. The children of a father have a relationship with their father and they continue on the work of the father. This means that children and their father are one body. Even if you make mistakes and fall down, then you can always return and call out to your father. That is why Isaiah was saying that he can only call out to God and only God can help them.
Luke 15:21, 24 “And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.” - The prodigal son left his father but ended up losing all of his money so he was determined to return back to his father. He returned back to his father penniless but what did the prodigal son say to his father when he returned back to him? He said in Luke 15:21 - When his son looked at his sins that he committed against his father, the son said that he doesn’t deserve to live as his son but for his father to take him as his father’s servant. The prodigal son lost everything so his last option was to return back to his father.
But how did the father respond to his son? Luke 15:24 - This is the heart of a father. Even physical fathers couldn’t forget about their sons. Imagine how God feels towards us. This was why Isaiah was calling out to God and calling God His Father. Isaiah was praying for the Israelites, the children of God.
2) The Lord's absolute plan
Verse 8 - God is our Father and our Creator. He is our Creator and we are the clay. When a potter makes his clay, he can determine how he will make his clay. When God created us, He created us with a plan in mind. When we were created by God, there was a great mystery hidden.
Genesis 2:7 “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” - Who are we? When God created us, He created us from the dust of the ground and breathed into our nostrils with the breath of life. God’s breath was breathed into us. This means that we were created as very precious and unprecedented beings. Why did God create us like this?
Genesis 1:26 “Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' ” - The breath of life was breathed into us so that we can rule over the entire world and Earth. With this plan in mind, God created mankind.
Genesis 2:19 “Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.” - When God created the Earth, the first few days, He created the sky, seas, and land. But on the fourth day, there was nothing mentioned about naming the creatures that He created. The reason is seen in this verse. God created Adam and Adam would name the creatures. Whatever Adam named the creatures, that became the name of the creature. This means that God gave Adam dominion over the entire Earth. This means that God gave us the authority to rule. This was how God created us. Why did God give us authority?
Isaiah 43:21 “This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise.” - God breathed into us the breath of life and created us. He didn’t just create us but He created us to have dominion over the earth. The reason was so that we can give glory and praise to God. We were given great authority and power to rule over the Earth but we were given that authority so that we can give glory and praise to God. This is God’s absolute plan. No one can change this. We were blessed this greatly by God but we sinned against God. We who were blessed by God, the Israelites ended up committing sin against God.
2. The Lord is a Merciful God
1) Seeking the Father's mercy
Verse 9 - The Israelites who were considered as children of God, they committed sin against God. That is why Isaiah was pleading God not to be furious with them and with the Israelites. Why did the Israelites commit sin against God? What did they do?
Exodus 20:5-6 “You shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” - God absolutely told them not to commit idolatry and if you love me, and keep His word then God said that He will pour His mercy. This was the covenant that God gave to His children. God told them not to commit idolatry and as a promise, God promised to pour His mercy and blessings upon them. But the Israelites chose the path of destruction. That is why God was furious towards them. This is so strange. Even now, if we keep God’s word, then we will be blessed. But what are we doing now? We continue to stray away from God’s word. That is why the Israelites ended up losing their nation, fell into captivity, and became destroyed. Isaiah seeing all of this, what did he do? Did he look at the Israelites and say that they deserved all of the condemnation and suffering? But rather, Isaiah pleaded to God to not be furious towards them and not to remember their iniquities. Isaiah was confessing that they made a mistake and pleaded with God to forgive us. When our children make a mistake, what kind of prayers do we pray? Do we pray that we hope that God punishes them? We plead to God and pray for our children to be forgiven. Isaiah knew the love of God well. He knew that if he prayed to God and asked for forgiveness, then God would forgive them. He knew that if they repented then God would listen and forgive them.
Ezekiel 18:21, 23 “ ‘But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 23 Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?’ says the Lord God, ‘and not that he should turn from his ways and live?’ ” - If we change our lives and repent, then God will save us. This was what Isaiah knew.
Ezekiel 18:23 - What kind of God is God? When people commit sins against God, He is hoping that they return back to Him and repent. Of course, He pours His wrath and judgment onto them but His greatest desire is for His people to repent. What makes God the most pleased is when we repent before God. This is what we must do. Isaiah who knew God’s heart, he was praying this prayer. He was pleading before God in verse 9. We need to have the same prayer. This is the type of prayer that God will listen to. If we call ourselves people of God, then we have to know that we are the remaining ones. We are the remnants. Who are the remnants? There were those who were taken as slaves but who were able to return back to their homeland. It was the remnants who repented. We need to have this kind of prayer. We need to look towards our children and ask God for forgiveness. Ask God to remember us and remember us as His children. Remember us, God. This is the prayer of a remnant. God remembers the remnants and allows them to return back to the land of Canaan. God fulfilled the prayers of the remnants. This is what is in God’s heart.
2) Call to the Lord with the covenant
Matthew 18:21-22 “Then Peter came to Him and said, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’ 22 Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.’ ” - This was what Peter asked Jesus. How did Jesus respond to Peter’s question? Forgive the person until the end. We need to hold onto this. This is the heart of God. Are you a child of God? Then you need to forgive others.
There was an incident of an adulterous woman. This woman was brought before Jesus in John 8:7, 11 “So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.’ 11 She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.’ ” - If you apply this to today, then every woman needs to be stoned. Because this scripture says any woman who shares a bed with a man before marriage, then they need to be stoned. But how did Jesus respond? Every one of them remembered their sins and dropped their sins. I think these people at least had a conscience. Some people think that they have no sin and think that they can judge others.
John 8:11 - Does this mean that Jesus was confessing that He is also a sinner? No, Jesus was not saying that. This was speaking about how Jesus was telling this woman not to commit this sin again. This is the heart of God.
I listened to the answers that Rev. Dong-chul received. Luke 22:31-32 “And the Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.’ ” - This was when Peter was boasting before Jesus. He was boasting before Jesus that he will never betray Jesus. But Satan was also listening to what Peter was saying. What does this verse mean? Peter was boasting arrogantly and Satan heard this, and Satan told Jesus that he will try to test Peter. Satan plays around with people’s arrogance. Jesus allowed Satan to test Peter. But at that time, Jesus prayed for Peter and prayed for Peter not to fall into that test and fail. Because Jesus was able to pray for Peter, Peter was able to repent before Jesus later on. When that time came when Peter realized that he betrayed Jesus, he cried out to God and repented. Jesus accepted Peter’s repentance. The reason why Jesus allowed Peter to be tested by Satan was so that Peter can repent and strengthen his brothers. We can see that Peter repented, received strength, and helped his brothers in faith.
3. The Guidepost of the Throne
1) The covenant of Mount Calvary
This is the answer that I received. There are three Biblical scriptures that I held onto. The first one is the covenant of Mount Calvary. Jesus finished everything on Mount Calvary.
We need to hold onto John 14:14 “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” - Do you believe this? When you pray in the name of Jesus, then God’s power will come upon you and He will work through you. When we call out to God’s name, then God will work.
2) The covenant of Mount of Olives
Matthew 12:28-29 “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.” - Jesus said that He will cast out demons. But when Jesus casted out demons, He used the power of the Spirit of God. Jesus casted out the demons by commanding them to come out. This means that when we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, then God said that He will answer us and do it. When we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, then the power of the Holy Spirit will come upon us and all forces of darkness will be bound. All darkness will be broken down inside of us by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will work so all darkness has no choice but to flee. When we pray in the name of Jesus, then the Holy Spirit is at work and darkness is broken down. Then, our house, our walk of life, and life that were plundered by darkness will be broken down. Pray in the name of Jesus Christ. This is the truth. All personal, family lines, and all problems will all be broken down.
3) The covenant of Mark's upper room
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” - Inside of me, darkness is bound and the Holy Spirit is at work. The result is peace. This means that we are always able to enjoy the Holy Spirit inside of us. If God is with us, there is nothing for us to worry about. This is because God will protect us no matter what. He will guide us forever. May we live the life of a servant who can fulfill God’s plans.
Conclusion
Hold onto Acts 2:38 “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’ ” - This is the order on how to receive answers. First, we need to repent. Secondly, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Third, we need to confess in the name of Jesus Christ. Then, we can receive forgiveness of our sins and we can receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Then, we can become children of God. May the power of the Holy Spirit come upon you. May the power of the Holy Spirit that came upon Mark’s Upper Room come upon you. May you receive these blessings in the name of Jesus Christ.
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