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February 3, 2025 • 16 mins

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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The year was 1980 and just a kid living in Grand
Rapids, michigan, hanging outwith friends, and I don't know
this one day these were kind ofcool friends, they were real
techie friends.
They were my friends that allgot A's and went on to do like,
go to MIT and, you know, harvardand Yale and Smith College.

(00:24):
I went to Grand Valley State,but these were my A friends I
was with and they had all thelatest in technology.
And for 1980, I'm gonna tellyou it wasn't that much.
But they had this incrediblecomputer and I was about the
size of the piano over there butit could do amazing things and
they had designed games that wecould play on the computer and I

(00:47):
know this is throwing you wayback it wasn't something you had
in your phone.
I mean, what we have in ourphone now is 10 times what that
computer was, maybe more.
But 1980, it is what it is.
But that day, while we wereplaying all these games and they
were, their mom had left likesugar cookie dough for them to
make cookies, and so we justkind of got in a competition of

(01:08):
making different likearrangements and styles of
cookies and being as artsy as wecould.
My friend made one.
He was so proud of it.
It was like 3D and it wasincredible.
As he carried it down I knockedit out of his hand and it
smashed all over the floor.
He was so mad at me I couldn't.
I was like man, it's just ajoke.
I didn't really mean to breakit all, I just was messing

(01:30):
around.
He went down and he was poutingand didn't want to play any
games and felt really bad.
So I went back upstairs and Imade, tried to make the same
cookie over again and brought itback down to him and he was
like it wasn't good enough.
And then finally he went backup and redid the cookie and

(01:51):
brought it back down and showedeverybody and everybody
applauded.
It's the year that I learnedthat only the creator can remake
the new better than theoriginal.
Why don't you turn to yourneighbor and say hey, I declare.
And then to the other onesomething new is happening,
somebody.
Something new is happening.

(02:14):
We've been on this journey inthis church we're almost halfway
through it of a series called IDeclare and we made these
declarations.
This is week four of it.
For the first three weeks we'vedeclared things like this
Number one we've declared I willbe a person of consistency,
because real transformationhappens when I do consistently
what others only do occasionally.
And then we talked about takingresponsibility.

(02:37):
I declare I will takeresponsibility for my life.
I'm not going to play the blamegame and blame all the people
around me for where I am.
I'm going to takeresponsibility, seek the help I
need, ask for the Lord to helpme and move forward.
And then last week was a spiritof forgiveness and it was
actually such a powerful weekend.
And if you've missed any ofthese not because I've preached
them, but would you go back andlisten to them on the podcast or

(03:00):
catch up on Facebook or YouTubebecause it's significant for
you.
Because, hey, church, we'rejust in our fourth Sunday of our
best year yet, and this is aseries moving from want and wish
into action, and faith is anaction word.

(03:21):
And even when you don't feel itthat consistency, taking
responsibility, forgiving othersyou're not faking it, you're
faithing it.
And so today's declaration isthis let's get it up on the
screen, I'll make thedeclaration and then, at the end
, we can all make it togetherReady this year, with God's help
and the power of the HolySpirit.

(03:42):
I declare I will stay committed.
The old me is not allowed onthis journey.
I will stay committed to thenew thing God is doing in me,
through me and for his glory,amen.
This is what I want you to geta picture of today.

(04:03):
Get a picture of what's comingin the end.
Get a picture of what this lifechange is gonna produce in your
life.
Get a picture of the progressyou're making and get a picture
of the promotion that's comingyour way.
Get a picture of the new thingGod's doing.
And the reason why you need toget a picture of that is so you

(04:25):
can stay committed, because thisis what I know Promotion
without process brings problems.
So we would like to say, god,we want to be this, and then a
snap of the finger and that'swho we are.
But no, there's the process.
We stay consistent, we keeptaking responsibility, we keep

(04:46):
forgiving others and we staycommitted to the cause of this
new thing God's doing in ourlife.
You see, you've been praying forpatience.
Well, patience is produced inthe fields of delay and and
maybe you're like, oh, I wish Ihad that testimony.
But guess what?
There's no testimony withoutthe test.

(05:06):
And listen, you're going tohave a mountaintop experience,
but don't abuse it.
And in the valley, don't misuseit, because if you abuse it you
can't stay there, and when youmisuse it you can't get out of
there.
So stay committed.
Get out of there, so staycommitted.

(05:26):
The Bible declares this story inthe book of Jeremiah, chapter
18.
And it begins with verse 1.
God is speaking to Jeremiah andhe says the word which came to
Jeremiah fell from the Lord,saying Arise and go down to the
potter's house, and there I willcause you to hear my words.
And arise and go down to thepotter's house, and there I will

(05:48):
cause you to hear my words.
Then I went down to thepotter's house and there he was
making something at the wheel.
This is the story of Jeremiahgoing to hear from God.
But notice, before he couldhear from God, he had to see
something.
He had to get a picture of whatGod was getting ready to say,
and I want you to just see thatphrase right there.
It says and there he was, thepotter making something at the

(06:14):
wheel.
Can I just spend about 30seconds and encourage you today?
Even when you can't see it, godis working, even in the middle
of these 21 days.
Maybe you didn't get the answeryou've been waiting for and
it's not come yet.
But don't give up, because he'sworking.
It took Daniel 21 days ofprayer and fasting for the angel

(06:36):
to reach him, to give him theanswer of his prayer.
And Daniel was like where haveyou been?
And he said well, listen, therewas a battle between me and you
, but I got here.
God is working, he's always atthe wheel.

(06:56):
So Jeremiah sees him workingthe wheel and it's incredible
because if you pay attention tohow that wheel works as it spins
the clay around, the potter,shapes and molds the clays in
two ways First he puts pressureon the outside and then he puts
pressure on the inside.
Pressure on the outside andpressure on the inside.

(07:17):
And let me tell you, church,when God's working on you,
that's how he's working.
He's working with pressure onthe outside and pressure on the
inside.
See, we made some declarationshere and we think, oh, I made
the declaration, so it's justgoing to be easy straight from
now on.
But actually that's just thebeginning, and how you respond
to the pressure of what God isdoing in your life determines

(07:39):
how you're going to be made up.
He puts the pressure inside.
The attitude Puts the pressurefrom the outside.
The workplace Puts the pressureon the inside.
The declaration you feel inyour spirit You're making it
with such confidence.
He puts pressure on the outside.

(07:59):
The family starts going crazy.
You decide to tithe and thenyour car breaks down.
How you respond to the pressure, the pressure is what makes you
who you are.
Then we read in verse four.
It says this and the vesselthat he made of clay was marred

(08:21):
in the hand of the potter.
Marred in the hand, it was.
Some translations use that wordas spoiled or ruined.
But what happens in the handsof the potter is critical that

(08:43):
you stay in the hands of thepotter.
See how it was marred in thehands of the potter.
It was.
It wasn't the potter thatmarred it, but it was the
response of the clay to thepressure.
And how you respond is going todetermine how you're made.
And let me just tell you thisthat if you're going to be
marred, at least you're going tobe marred in the potter's hands

(09:05):
.
If you're going to be out ofyour mind, at least you'll be
out of your mind in the potter'shands.
If you're going to be out ofplace, at least you'll be out of
place in the potter's hands.
So stay on the wheel, don'tleave the wheel.
Be committed.
Keep yourself to this level ofcommitment at the wheel, because
God is working something in youand my God, who's begun the

(09:28):
good work in you, will completeit all the way to the end.
But look what happens.
Look what happens.
It says so.
The clay was marred in thepotter's hand.
Go back to verse four.
We're still verse four.
It was marred in the hand ofthe potter.
Look at this.
So he made it again anothervessel Because the clay did not

(09:53):
respond the way the potter hadhoped the clay would respond.
The potter didn't take the clayand throw it out.
He didn't take the clay andwater it down.
He didn't take the clay and getrid of it.
He put the clay back into amold and put it back into the
wheel and water it down.
He didn't take the clay and getrid of it.
He put the clay back into amold and put it back into the
wheel and began again, but notjust the same as before.

(10:14):
It says another vessel, church.
These 21 days we've been on thispotter's wheel and the pressure
inside and outside from thefasting and putting away things
and getting rid of stuff out ofour lives.
And can I just tell you what'shappening is God's forming you,

(10:36):
he's making you for somethingvery special that is coming your
way.
But listen, even if, even ifit's not quite what you thought
it is, only the creator canremake the new better than the
original.
That's why we've we've if youpaid attention to the songs,

(10:56):
we've sang so many songs aboutthe new thing, the new way of
saying goodbye yesterday.
Hey, listen, stay committed tothis new thing, don't go back to
yesterday.
The new, you cannot go.
The new, you cannot take alongthe old you on this journey.
Goodbye yesterday, goodbyeyesterday.

(11:22):
So, as long as you stay on thewheel, don't get off the wheel,
because on the wheel, the potterhas the potential to remake you
again into another vessel, new.
And then, in verse five, godsays see this, this is what I'm

(11:44):
doing with my children.
This is what I'm doing.
This is what I'm doing with mychildren.
This is what I'm doing, this iswhat I'm attempting with my
people, this is my hand upontheir life to bring the new
thing that they're walking into.
And can I just tell you, we'recoming out of this 21 days
better than we were.
Hey, my pants fit a littlebetter than they did 21 days ago

(12:04):
.
And I just want to encourage you, church, don't go back.
Tell your neighbor, don't goback.
Don't go back.
Don't go back.
Some of the things you got ridof, you don't got to put them
back in your life.
Some of the things you pushedaway, keep pushing it away.
Stay committed.
We're not going to have a365-day fast, but I'm going to

(12:27):
tell you this those old habits,they got to stay behind you.
Those old ways, they're notwelcome in this new thing.
Those old thoughts, they can'tcome along anymore.
And somebody's going to look atyou and say say well, what
happened to the old you?

(12:48):
And you're gonna say he's longgone.
He's long gone.
He's long gone.
He no longer is a part of thislife, because God's done
something new in me, he's doingsomething new through me and
he's doing something new for hisglory.
Can you receive that word today?

(13:09):
We're going to close out alltogether, but before we do that,
I just want to pray for you andif you've never made a decision
to follow Jesus, I want to giveyou that opportunity.
If you've never made a decisionto follow Jesus, I wanna give
you that opportunity.
I wanna pray for everybody inthis room.
Lord, help us to make thisdeclaration of staying committed

(13:35):
.
Help us say goodbye to the oldme and God.
Let us walk with confidence inthe new thing you're doing.
If you're in this room and everyeye is closed, you've never
confessed your belief in Jesus.
What a journey we've been ontoday People being baptized,

(13:56):
proclaiming their decision tofollow Jesus, receiving
communion in the very body andblood of Jesus in remembrance of
the price he paid.
That price he paid was for you,for your freedom, for you to be
able to conquer that guiltthat's been pressing you, that

(14:20):
shame that you've been carrying.
The thing is, it really doesn'tmatter what you've done, but it
matters what you do with whatyou've done.
And if you try to fix it all byyourself, how's that working
for you?
But when you take what you'vedone and you put it in the hands

(14:43):
of the potter, he can make thenew better than the original.
If you've never made aconfession to follow Jesus.
It's very simple.
The Bible says believe it inyour heart and it says confess
it with your mouth.
So I'm going to count to three.
When I get to three, I want youto raise your hand in this room
and say PC, that's me.
I'm going to begin today.
I'm going to be committed andI'm going to follow Jesus.

(15:05):
That's my Lord and Savior.
Ready?
One oh, we've been praying forthis moment all week long.
Two, I cannot wait for thisjourney to begin for you.
Three, let me see your handsall over the street, thank you,
thank you, thank you, thank you,come on church, thank you,
thank you, thank you.
Let's pray this prayer together.

(15:26):
Church.
Dear Jesus, thank you forpaying a price I could not pay
to give me a gift I could neverearn.
I want to turn from my own wayand I want to follow you.
Be my Lord and Savior In Jesus'name.
Amen.
Church, come on, let's celebrate.

(15:48):
Let's celebrate.
Hey, let's put up on the screenthis declaration.
If you're ready, I want you tosay it with me.
You can stand if you want to.
We've got one more song.
We're going to end on a highnote out of here.
This is a song I requested ourteam to do.
I don't do that very often.
With this one, I felt like weneeded to do after this message

(16:08):
Are you ready?
Let's say it together this year.
With God's help and the powerof the Holy Spirit, I declare I
will stay committed.
The old me is not allowed onthis journey.
I will stay committed to thenew thing God is doing in me,
through me and for his glory.
Come on church, let's celebrate, stay with us one more minute,

(16:31):
as we call it now.
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