Earthen Vessels - Glenn Conjurske

A Sermon Preached on April 28, 1993. Recorded, Transcribed, & Revised.

Introduction: The Treasure in Earthen Vessels

Open your Bibles with me to Second Corinthians, chapter 4. In verse 6 we read, “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. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”

Father, I pray that you might pour out your power tonight, even into this earthen vessel, and that your word might be spoken with power, and Father, that it might go home to all of our hearts with power. Give us your blessing tonight, Father. Warm our hearts. Move us. Do your work in our souls. Give us your grace, Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Treasure in Earthen Vessels

Now in this verse that we just read, it says, “We have this treasure in earthen vessels.” We have two things here—a treasure, and earthen vessels. What is the treasure? The treasure is the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The treasure is what Paul talks about in the first verse of this chapter, “Therefore seeing we have this ministry.” It’s this testimony, this light, this ministry. That’s the treasure. What are the earthen vessels? The earthen vessels are human beings, with all the frailties that belong to humanity—all of the weaknesses, flaws and foibles, idiosyncrasies, ignorance. Just weakness—earthen vessels. We have this treasure in earthen vessels.

Now there’s a reason why we have this treasure in earthen vessels, and he tells you what that reason is in the 7th verse: “That the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” He speaks a similar thing back in the first book of Corinthians, in the first chapter. I Corinthians, chapter 1, verse 26: he says, “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are; that no flesh should glory in his presence.” God has a reason for putting this treasure in earthen vessels. That is that the sufficiency and the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. Not only so, but when God chooses earthen vessels in which to put this treasure, he may often bypass the strong earthen vessels, and choose the weakest ones, because the weakness of God is stronger than men, and the foolishness of God is wiser than men. God does his work by his own strong arm, but he does it always through weak earthen vessels.

The Dangers of Earthen Vessels

Now there are two difficulties that these earthen vessels cause. Actually, there is a third one, which I’ll dismiss first. Quite often, folks get enamored with an earthen vessel, and because they are enamored with the earthen vessel, they imagine that there’s a treasure in it, and there is no treasure. This is how cults are formed—folks get enamored with an earthen vessel. There is no treasure in it, but because they are infatuated with the earthen vessel, they think there’s a treasure in it, and they take something which isn’t a treasure. They take darkness and think it’s light. And this danger exists in the true church of God as well. There are many earthen vessels in the places of ministry, which are in fact empty vessels, but the vessels themselves have some form and comeliness, and the people gather around them, and take chaff in the place of wheat. Such a thing could not happen if the church of God were really hungry, for hungry folks must have bread, and I believe that a little more of true hunger in the church of God would put a good many men out of the ministry.

But I say no more about empty vessels. I intend rather to speak of vessels which actually contain a treasure. There is danger enough where we have these two things—where we have both the treasure and the earthen vessel. There are in fact two dangers. The first one is that we see the treasure that’s in the earthen vessel, and we value the treasure that’s in the earthen vessel, and because of it, we begin to set that earthen vessel up on a pedestal, and begin to think that that earthen vessel is a vessel of gold—forgetting that it’s an earthen vessel—beginning to excuse the faults of this earthen vessel. Maybe fail even to be able to see the faults of this earthen vessel—maybe even begin to defend moral delinquency in this earthen vessel, because we so value the treasure that we see in it. I could give you some examples of just exactly that, if I pleased tonight, but I don’t want to mention any names.

The Weakness of Earthen Vessels and the Danger of Misplaced Focus

But I want to talk about an error on the other side. There is always a danger on both the right hand and the left. Some see the treasure, and therefore fail to see even moral delinquency in the vessel of clay. Others behold the weakness in the vessel of clay, and their eyes are fixed upon the weakness of the vessel, and they can’t see the treasure. Or they allow the weakness of the vessel to stand in the way of their profiting by the treasure that’s in it.

Now when I’m talking about the weakness of the vessels of clay, I’m not talking about moral delinquency, though vessels of clay are subject to that, too. Many of God’s greatest men have fallen grievously. But I’m not talking about moral delinquency. I’m just talking about the weakness that’s common to humanity. And I’ll tell you, human beings have all kinds of weaknesses. Here’s brother so-and-so over here, and he talks too much, and some folks think he’s obnoxious. He doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut. And here’s another brother over here, and he’s so quiet folks think he’s unfriendly. Well, what are those things? Perhaps just human weaknesses. Something that belongs to a person’s particular temperament or disposition. Over here’s a brother that laughs too much, and folks think he’s light and frivolous—think he’s unspiritual, because he laughs so much. Over here’s a brother that doesn’t laugh at all—appears to be unhappy, and folks think he’s unspiritual because he seems so somber and sad. But you know, you will search a long way to find a perfect earthen vessel. And I suspect that when you have found one, you won’t find too much treasure in it, because God seems to go out of his way to choose the weak, and the foolish, and the base, and the despised vessels of clay. Human beings have idiosyncrasies. They have flaws and faults and foibles, and they make mistakes. And it doesn’t matter how good your heart is, you’ll make mistakes. Most of the difficulties that Christians have getting along with each other, that churches have maintaining harmony and unity, are not over any kind of serious doctrinal difficulties. They’re not over any kind of moral delinquencies. They’re just over the weaknesses of the vessels of clay.

God Chooses Earthen Vessels

Now you know, when God has a treasure to give, he always gives it in an earthen vessel. Christ ascended up on high, and he gave gifts to his church. Every one of them was in an earthen vessel. He gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, helps, governments. From the highest of the gifts down to the lowest, every one was in an earthen vessel.

But here is what happens when God bestows his treasures upon his church. God takes an earthen vessel, and puts a treasure in it, and gives it to you, and you don’t look at the treasure, you look at the vessel. You say, “God, that vessel isn’t a very pretty color.” And God says, “But there’s a treasure in it.” You say, “That vessel is misshapen. There are all kinds of vessels with a better appearance than that one.” And God says, “There’s a treasure in it.” You say, “God, that vessel is too small.” And God says, “But there’s a treasure in it.” There’s an old proverb, by the way, that says, “Precious things come in small packages.” You look at that earthen vessel, and get all taken up with its earthiness. You can’t see the treasure in it. You say, “But God, there isn’t even any glazing on this earthen vessel. Couldn’t you at least have taken it to a ceramic shop and put a little glaze on it? It’s just drab, rough earth.” And God says, “But there’s a treasure in it.”

God Chooses Weak Vessels to Showcase His Power

Well, eventually we may begin to believe God, and begin to see the treasure after all. But we still have trouble with the vessel. We say, “God, you know, I see that treasure, but I don’t like that vessel. See, my idea is not to have a rough, poorly-shaped, earthen vessel to contain this treasure. My idea is a beautiful, golden pot at the end of a shining rainbow, with fleecy white clouds all around, like I used to see in the picture books when I was a kid.” God says, “I don’t have any golden vessels. All my vessels are earth.” Well, you may want to say, “God, I want this treasure. Just give me the treasure, but you can keep the vessel.” And God says, “Oh, no, I give no treasures, except in earthen vessels. I know they’re weak. I know they’re not what you might want, but it’s the only kind of vessels I have”—“that the excellency of the power might be of God,” and not of the vessel. And God purposely chooses the weak ones, the base ones, the foolish ones, the despised ones.

The Need for Brokenness

You know, God could have done something other than he has done. Honestly, God didn’t need these weak earthen vessels that he has put his treasures into. He has myriads of angels walking the golden streets. He could have put his treasures into them—every one of them a vessel of pure gold. Those angels don’t have any of the weaknesses of humanity. They’re powerful. They don’t have any spiritual weaknesses. They don’t have any emotional weaknesses. They don’t have physical weaknesses. They don’t have, as far as I know, any idiosyncrasies. They don’t have any faults and flaws and foibles. They’re all just vessels of pure gold. And there’s no reason on earth why God couldn’t have just filled these vessels of gold with his treasures, and said, “Go down there to earth and spread the light.” Well, there is one reason. He wants the excellency of the power to be of God, and not in the vessel.

The Breaking of the Earthen Vessel

Now I want to talk to you tonight about some earthen vessels into which God put some treasures. But I want you to understand, when I’m talking about the weaknesses of humanity, I’m not talking about moral delinquency. I’m not talking about walking in sin. I’m just talking about human frailty. We all have our share of it.

The first earthen vessel I want to talk to you about tonight is Job. I want you to turn back to the book of Job, chapter 1. “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.” Verse 8: “And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?” Now Job was a vessel of earth. He may have been, according to God’s testimony, the best vessel of earth on the earth, but he was a vessel of earth. And oh, he did very well when God smote him with stroke after stroke, and took away everything that he had. Job bowed his head before the Lord and said, “The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away: blessed be the name of the Lord.” But as time wore on, and Job began to feel the force of all of his losses, all of his troubles, he didn’t do quite so well.

Job’s Weakness in Grief

Now, in Job chapter three, it says, (beginning with the last verse of chapter two), “So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.” Now, sometimes vessels of clay don’t handle very great grief very well. Job had very great grief, and it says in chapter three, verse one, “After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day. And Job spake, and said, Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived. Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it. Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it.”

Conclusion: The Nature of God’s Broken Vessels

Well, this looks to me like weakness, and a lot of it. In fact, I have a great suspicion that if any of us heard one of our people, or heard one of our ministers, talking like this, we’d rebuke him very sharply. They have no business to talk like that. I’m not going to try to answer the question of whether it was sinful for Job to speak so, but it is certainly a picture of the weakness of a vessel of clay. The best vessel on earth, by the way, but oh! so weak when he’s smitten down with very great grief. So weak that he curses his day, and curses the night, and lets forth a volley of imprecations against that poor innocent day upon which he was born. That’s the weakness of humanity. You say, “Well, I’m not that weak.” Well, I don’t think I am either, but I don’t know. I haven’t really been where Job was. I’m not sure what I might do if I was there, but I do know I’m weak. You know, the interesting thing is that God never called Job to account for this, never mentioned it to him. I honestly don’t know if this volley of imprecations was sinful or not. It looks to me like it was, but I won’t try to answer the question. But whatever else it was, it was very great weakness. Yet in the forty-second chapter of Job, God never calls Job to account for this. He just says in the seventh verse, “And it was so, that after the Lord had spoken these words unto Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath. Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.” In spite of all of that weakness, probably even sinful weakness, what does God say? Well, he says, “He knows our frame. He remembers that we’re dust. He hath not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.” He didn’t chide Job for that volley of imprecations, but accepted him, and filled him with his treasures.

Final Prayer

Father, we thank you for your earthen vessels, and oh, we thank you for the precious treasure that you’ve put into them. Grant us, Father, that we may value both the treasure and the vessel as you do, and bear with all the frailties of the vessels of clay, love and forgive, and help, and appreciate; and God, help us to deal as we ought with our own vessel of clay, lest the thickness and the hardness of the vessel stand in the way of the light that is in us. Oh, Father, pour out your grace upon us, and make us vessels meet for the Master’s use. Amen.