VESSELS…

A sermon by pastor.ctj...

1 John 3
1 Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this cause the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
2 Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is.
3 And every one that hath this hope set on him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.


Matthew 28:19 -20
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.


2 Corinthians 4:1-7
Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;
2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.
6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.


Essentially, what I gather from these passages is that there is no one unqualified to obey the Word.
No matter what you’ve been through, experienced, done.
Whom the Son sets free is Free indeed, and Isaiah 54:17 says that the righteousness of God's people is of Him…

Jesus said we are the salt of the earth, the light of the world. How do people see the light? How do they?
Through your cracks..
How you handle adversity? How you treat your spouse, how you love your kids? Through your flaws…

-> Cracked vessels make the best containers… Because they let the Light out!



Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Yet, O Lord,...
Isaiah 64:8 We are the clay, You are the Potter; we are all the work of your hand.

-> God shaped and formed, and then He blew, and man became

Acts 1:4-9
4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

-> Jesus shaped and formed, and then He blew, and the church became

John 20:20-22
20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.
21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

Ephesians 4:11-15
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

What Paul is saying here is that the church is a body, a team, and each of the gifts is equally important for the perfecting of the saints for the maturing of the body,

Unlike the early church, which was:
1) Communally centered (which allowed for the operation of all of the gifts equally, and consistent growth)
2) God focused
3) Objective Worship based, and
4) Inclusive

See Acts2:42-49

Today’s church is:
1. Pastorally centered: The cult of personality.
The problem with this beloved is that mature Christians should not be eating pre-chewed food. What do i mean? Let's consider the Eagle: The Eaglet eats regurgitation, which is pre digested, (other’s interpretation and opinion) often containing bile (dislikes bias, etc.) among the stomach contents. But once it is mature, its talons and beak are hard and sharp, and it hunts, and eats for itself. Too many of our brethren are unable to hunt because their talons are dull, and their beaks are soft.

2. ME focused: That needs no explanation

3. Subjective Worship based,
Our concept of worship is that we come to be entertained, and as such treat God the same way. We come when we're in need, lift our hands, and like Chaka Khan, sing 'Whatcha gonna do for me, when the chips are down?'
Or when things are ok, we resort to Janet Jackson's classic lyric; 'What have you done for me lately?'

and
4. Exclusive. 11 am is STILL the most segregated hour in America.

We are backwards.
We have become a reflection of the society, instead of a reflection of Christ.
This is why you can turn on ‘Christian TV, Christian radio, and in a few hours hear false prophecies, twisted scriptural interpretation, and competing, vastly different doctrine. Why? Because everybody is blowing, just like Paul said. And the immature in the body are suffering…

-> The amplified Bible says:
14 So then, we may no longer be children, tossed [like ships] to and fro between chance gusts of teaching and wavering with every changing wind of doctrine, [the prey of] the cunning and cleverness of [a]unscrupulous men, [gamblers engaged] in every shifting form of trickery in inventing errors to mislead.

-> Those of us who know the Word are responsible.
-> Those of us who are mature are responsible

Matthew 28:19 -20
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

CRACKS AND ALL TRUST HIM
CRACKS AND ALL SURRENDER TO HIS WILL
CRACKS AND ALL DO WHAT HE SAYS!

Cracks and all, do what He says...
Amen.