Jeremiah 18
God's sovereignty and our necessity to yield to Him are the core messages of this sermon.
Chuck Smith explores the metaphor of the potter and the clay in Jeremiah 18, emphasizing God's absolute sovereignty and the necessity for humans to yield to His will. He illustrates how the potter represents God's authority and interest in our lives, while the wheel symbolizes the transitory circumstances we face. The clay, pliable in the potter's hands, signifies our potential to become vessels of beauty and purpose when we submit to God's shaping. Smith encourages listeners to recognize their worthlessness without God and to embrace His transformative power through quiet submission. Ultimately, he reminds us that rebellion against the potter leads to a life devoid of purpose and utility.
Text
"THE POTTERS HOUSE"
I. WHAT JEREMIAH SAW.
A. The potter.
1. Intelligent capable worker.
2. Speaks of God's authority - interest - absolute power.
3. His right and authority are the clay.
4. His keen interest as clay changes shape.
5. I recognize his power.
B. The wheel.
1. An instrument by which the potter accomplishes his purpose.
2. The circumstances of life.
3. The wheel, though necessary, is transitory.
C. The clay.
1. A pliable material by which the potter accomplishes his purposes.
2. Man's capacity in relation to God.
The simplest lesson I see God and myself, the circumstances that surround my life.
The master workman has a thought in His mind - if I yield, my life can express the
thought.
II. THE PRINCIPLE TAUGHT - ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD AND NECESSITY OF MAN TO YIELD THERETO.
A. God has given us a free-will, in a sense.
III. THE PURPOSE EXPRESSED - "HE WROUGHT HIS WORK."
A. Potter has a thought in mind for the clay.
1. Clay ignorant of thought.
2. Can discover it by quiet submission.
B. The clay gains in hand of the potter.
1. Worthless, shapeless mass, transformed into thing of beauty and use.
2. "We are His workmanship."
3. Man without God is lacking in purpose and utility. Submit to God and find
beauty and usefulness to God and man.
4. "My life has no purpose" - Give it to God!
5. "The years are slipping away and done nothing."
IV. THE PERSONS OF THE POTTER.
A. Who is the potter.
B. Who is God? God is love.
1. I can submit to love.
2. He controls wheel as well as clay.
a. He applies pressure to create.
b. He crushes in order to make.
C. Would you know the heart of the potter?
1. You must see it in the wounds on the cross.
D. To rebel is to take clay out of potter's hands.
1. Render it useless and purposeless - waste.
2. The wrecks in the potters field.
a. They would not yield to the hand of the potter.
3. Last mention of potters field.
a. He marred the vessel.
Begin with person - yield to person and find the purpose.
Sermon Outline
- I. What Jeremiah Saw
- A. The Potter
- 1. Intelligent capable worker
- 2. Speaks of God's authority and power
- B. The Wheel
- 1. An instrument by which the potter accomplishes his purpose
- C. The Clay
- 1. A pliable material by which the potter accomplishes his purposes
- II. The Principle Taught
- A. Absolute Sovereignty of God and Necessity of Man to Yield Thereto
- III. The Purpose Explored
- A. The Potter's Thought
- 1. The clay ignorant of the thought
- 2. Can discover it by quiet submission
- B. The Clay Transformed
- 1. Worthless, shapeless mass, transformed into thing of beauty and use
- IV. The Person of the Potter
- A. Who is the Potter
- B. Who is God
- 1. God is love
- 2. He controls the wheel and clay
- C. The Heart of the Potter
- 1. Seen in the wounds on the cross
Key Quotes
“The master workman has a thought in His mind - if I yield, my life can express the thought.” — Chuck Smith
“We are His workmanship.” — Chuck Smith
“To rebel is to take clay out of potter's hands.” — Chuck Smith
Application Points
- We must yield to God's will in order to discover our purpose and find beauty and usefulness in our lives.
- Quiet submission to God's plan is essential for us to be transformed into something beautiful and useful.
- Rebellion against God's plan renders us useless and purposeless, like the clay that is taken out of the potter's hands.