JEREMIAH 182009 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Jeremiah 18

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2009.

And chapter 18 is probably a little bit familiar to you, and you might not remember Jeremiah chapter 18. But as we get into it, I think that you'll remember these illustrations that God is speaking to Jeremiah. I'm sorry, could I trouble the ushers to turn on the lights, please? There you go. I'd like you to be able to see the Bible that you have in your lap.

Jeremiah chapter 18. Now, Jeremiah has been given a difficult task. He's been called to minister to this nation that has really been in rebellion against God. And we'll get to see tonight a little bit of their hearts, a little bit of understanding on what is really going on with the nation of Judah and why God's judgment is coming upon them.

God has sent Jeremiah to the nation to warn them. He's there, you know, raising red flags. He's there proclaiming the warnings of the Lord, calling them back to repentance, letting them know that they need to change because God is about to judge the nation.

But the nation of Judah is steadfastly resisting God and His work. And we'll see that this evening. And as we look at these things, as we've seen throughout the book of Jeremiah, we can see parallels in the nation of Judah in Jeremiah's day to our own nation today that we live in. And there's many parallels between our nation and the nation of Judah as it was in its decline.

And yet, as we look at these things, I really believe God wants us not so much to look at the nation and point fingers and, you know, okay, well, let's elect politicians and try to fix this then. The reality is that God wants to work in our hearts. And that's what He's interested in this evening. He's interested in changing our hearts, in having a relationship with us and drawing us close to Himself that we can spend eternity with Him.

And so as we look at these things, I would ask that you would take some time to consider your own life and look for the ways that God wants to speak to you personally and the ways He wants to use these things to change you and impact your life. Well, we're here in Jeremiah chapter 18. Let's start out in verses 1 and 2. It says this, "...the word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Arise and go down to the potter's house."

And there I will cause you to hear my words. God speaks to Jeremiah and he says, arise. Here's what I want you to do. He gives Jeremiah some instructions. And notice that he says, arise. He's telling Jeremiah, I want you to get up and go somewhere. And where is that somewhere? Well, he says, I want you to go to the potter's house.

Go to the potter's house. Now, we are not going to literally get up and go. We're not going to arise and go this evening. But would you just, in your imagination, in your mind for a moment, get up and go to the potter's house. What might you find, what might you expect to find at a potter's house?

When he's talking about a potter, God is sending Jeremiah to this man who shapes clay into pots. And to do that, you have a wheel.

a potter's wheel and the wheel spins around and the potter then takes some clay and he puts it on the wheel. It's just a lump of clay. It's not in any particular shape. It's just there sitting there all by itself and unable to do anything on its own. It is now put on the wheel and

And the potter spins the wheel, he wets it down, he shapes it, he massages it, he rubs it, he squeezes it, he does all kinds of techniques, you know, carvings and such to create, well, whatever it is that he is in the mood to create that day. Sometimes it's a vase and it's really tall. Sometimes it's a short vase. Sometimes it's a bowl, maybe for a cereal, and sometimes it's a bowl for chips when you have everybody over after dinner or something. It's...

I don't know why you would have people over for chips after dinner, but you get the point. The potter is able to make whatever it is that he wants to make. And so, do you have this vision in your head? Do you have this thought, the picture of the potter and the wheel and the spinning wheel and the clay on the wheel? For some of you, you've been around long enough that you were here when we had that guy come out and do a literal demonstration of this. He had a big...

lump of clay and he made this big old vase out of it and it was incredible to see this work in progress. And there's a lot of

that we can look. You know, you and I, from dust we came and to dust we will return. You and I have a lot in common with clay. We have a lot of the same characteristics. And you can look at these things, these pictures of the potter and the wheel and the clay and find some great

Jeremiah, Jeremiah, Jeremiah,

You know, the primary way that God speaks to us is through His Word. And that's why it's important for us to be in His Word on a regular basis. But there's also those times that God wants to speak to us through these practical examples, these illustrations in front of us. And I would encourage you to be alert and pay attention. Some of the most mundane tasks can be very valuable lessons that God wants to teach you.

Sometimes pulling weeds can teach you lessons about sin that will last your whole life. Sometimes cleaning cupboards can teach you about how God works with us and the way that God works and the house that He desires that these things that He teaches you will last forever.

For the rest of eternity because of the work that he's accomplishing. And so I want to encourage you this evening as you go about your day tomorrow, as you go about your week, consider and seek the Lord. First of all, in his word, that's the primary way. But also look for those other examples that God wants to use to speak to you where you will hear his words. And often you'll see those things.

and as you meditate on them, you're considering them, then the scriptures will come alive and they'll begin to speak to you. You'll think of verses that you've heard and think of things that God has shown you and be reminded about these important truths and these valuable principles. Well, let's see what God wanted to speak to Jeremiah. Look at verse 3. It says, Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was making something at the wheel.

And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter. So he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. So here Jeremiah goes down to the potter's house, as God said, and lo and behold, what does he see? He sees the potter at the wheel with clay on the wheel, just like you would expect to see at a potter's house.

And so there's the potter working with this clay. Now, the thing with clay is there's different types of clay and sometimes a particular lump of clay is...

good for certain types of things, perhaps like a vase or something that's very delicate that needs a lot of finesse and so it needs to be a high quality and sometimes another lump of clay, well, it's not as smooth, it's not as fine and so it can be made into something maybe a little bit more clumsy that doesn't require the finesse or the precision that perhaps a vase would require. And so here's the potter making something out of the clay.

The wheel is spinning, the clay is spinning, he's got his hands on it, he's shaping it into what he envisions, what he wants to make. And as he's doing it, it says that the clay was marred in the hand of the potter.

The clay was marred in the hand of the potter. Now that doesn't mean that the potter marred the clay, that he messed up and, oh, oops, there's a bummer, kind of throw that piece out, let's start over. No, but what happened is, as he's working with it, he discovers, he learns, this clay is not, well, it's not really good for the thing that I first envisioned.

And so what I'm going to do instead is I'm going to make out of it something else. At first, perhaps I was going to make a vase, but now I'm going to make a bowl because of the type of clay that I have here on the wheel. And so it says there at the end of verse 4, So he made it again into another vessel as it seemed good to the potter to make.

So this is, for Jeremiah, a real-life illustration, a real-life picture. God is showing him, and he's about to explain to him what this picture means. Look at verse 5.

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Notice what God said at the beginning. Arise, go to the potter's house, and there you will hear my words. God is always faithful to his word. So Jeremiah goes, he sees the potter, he sees what is going on, and then the word of the Lord came to him. Verse 6, O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter says the Lord?

Look, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. So here God's message now begins to come to Jeremiah. God begins to speak to Jeremiah. And he begins to point out the chief characters of this illustration. The potter...

Well, that is a representation, it's a picture, it points to the Heavenly Father. God the Father. There is represented by the potter. And where is Israel? Well, they are pictured in this scene by the clay. God is the potter and they are the clay. In the same way that God is the potter and you are the clay and I am the clay.

And we get this understanding from this picture that God is the one who shapes us. That God is the one who makes us. That God is the one who gives us. That God is the one who has complete control of our lives. He is the one with authority. He is the master potter. We're the clay. You know, we do not have the ability to change ourselves. We don't have the ability to...

become whatever we desire. We can't just wake up tomorrow and be something different. But the potter is able to shape us, to form us, to transform us into the image of Jesus Christ. We can try desperately. We can try very hard to change and to make ourselves into what we want to be or what we think God wants us to be. But the reality is that it's God who must do the work.

The role of the clay is not to be very active. The clay just sits there on the wheel. The clay doesn't spin around by itself and then the potter can shape it. The clay sits on the wheel so that as the wheel spins, the clay spins. All the clay does is just sit there.

And God says, look, as the clay is in the potter's hands, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. We are clay in God's hands. And he wants to do a work. Our role, our place, our responsibility is simply to surrender and to submit to that work that God wants to do.

Because there is a little bit of a difference between us and clay. Although we have similar characteristics and a lot of parallels, we also have a will. God has given us choice. He's given us the freedom of choice. He's given us this great and powerful thing. So that although God is the potter and we are the clay, we have the choice of whether or not we will resist God

or refuse the work that God wants to do in us. Our responsibility is to surrender, to be like the clay, to fully allow God to do His work in our life. You know, when we hear encouragements like Larry shared, we can very quickly and very easily come to our own conclusions about whether or not we want to participate, what we want to do,

When we are faced with daily life, we first of all think about ourselves and then we think about ourselves a little bit more and then after that we think about ourselves again and we're consumed with ourselves. But what we need to be consumed with is God. When we're faced with a situation, our first thought, our first consideration is our own opinion and our own thoughts. Our first consideration needs to be the Lord. Where does He fit in?

You know, we had the wristbands, what would Jesus do, that were popular for a while. Maybe we need to bring them back to remind ourselves, what would Jesus do? What does God want me to do? How does His Word address this situation and this choice that I have to make? When we are offended, our first response is, well, it's normally a response of our own selves, a response from within ourselves of however it is that we like to respond.

You see, we have choice. We have free will. And very often we use that choice and that free will to fill ourselves with more of ourselves. But here God is giving us this picture of Him being the potter and us being the clay. That we can be reminded that there's an importance for us. There's an importance of choosing to surrender to Him.

Are you choosing to surrender to God? And you might say, well, of course I'm choosing to surrender to God. Look, I'm here at church. Of course I'm choosing to surrender to God. I gave my life to the Lord. I've accepted Him. I've been born again. But see, what God is not looking for is He's not looking for us to say, yes, I surrendered to Him on this date, or I surrendered to Him at this time. What God is looking for is today. Today.

Right now, in this moment, are you surrendered to Him? How do we know that God is looking for the present tense? He's looking for the present time and our state of surrender to Him at this moment. Well, we can see as God continues to expound upon this example that He's given to Jeremiah. Look at verse 7. He says, When is that?

The instant, it's the moment, it's right there in the present. He says, "...the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil..."

I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. Here's what God says. In the very moment that I say, this nation is going to be judged, if that nation turns from evil, I will not bring that judgment upon it. As I've often shared throughout Jeremiah and Isaiah, God's pronouncements of judgment are always an invitation to repent.

God says, I'm going to bring this destruction. Judgment is coming. And we say, oh, what a cruel God. But look what God says. Look, if in that moment, when I bring that message, they're deserving of judgment, they're worthy of judgment. But when I bring that message of judgment, when I let them know this is coming, if they will turn, God says, I will relent. I won't bring that judgment if they turn.

I won't give them the judgment that they deserve. He's looking for that moment. Look at verse 9. He says, So now we have the opposite.

God says, the moment I say, I'm going to bless this nation, and I'm going to bring this good upon it, and it's going to prosper, it's going to do well, this nation is going to be blessed. If that nation does evil in God's sight, if that nation rebels against God, God says, I'm going to relent concerning the good that I promised.

So if that nation turns against me, God says, they are not going to experience the blessings that I said I would bring. We see both examples here, both sides of the same coin. You remember when the prophet Jonah was sent to Nineveh? That's exactly what happened here in verses 7 and 8. Jonah went throughout the city and

And he said, in 40 days, destruction is coming upon this city. This city is going to be destroyed. And what happened? The people repented. They turned from their evil. And then what happened? God relented. He was looking for that repentance. He brought the message of judgment, the pronouncement of judgment, to give them an opportunity to repent, to turn and to get right with Him. He doesn't look and say, well...

It's too late to change your spots. You can't teach an old dog new tricks. I don't care if you've got sackcloth on. I don't care if you've repented. I'm going to bring my judgment. That's not what God says. What God says is, look, right now you've surrendered to me. Right now you've chosen to be obedient to me. And so right now I'm not going to bring this judgment upon you. However, a few years later, the city of Nineveh, well, they turned against God once again.

And as they turned against God once again, then they got to experience the judgment of God for the rebellion against Him. Because of their sin. Because they refused to continue in their repentance. They refused to continue in obedience. And so we see that this is verifiable. This is proven in the Word of God. When a nation is pronounced with judgment, if they turn...

God doesn't bring it. When a nation is pronounced with good, when they turn, if they turn, then they will not experience the good things and the wonderful things and the blessings that God promised. Look at verse 11. He says, Now therefore, speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am fashioning a disaster and devising a plan against you. Return now,

Everyone from his evil way and make your ways and your doings good. Here's what God says.

Therefore, here's kind of the conclusion or the point of the vision. He says, look, since we have this example, since we have this illustration of the potter, now, therefore, guys, listen up, he says, speak to the nation of Judah and to the inhabitants. He's speaking not just to nations, but he's speaking to persons. He's speaking to you and I this evening. He says, look, behold, I'm fashioning

and devising a plan against you. He says to the people, look guys, this nation is going to experience judgment. Now he just finished saying, look, when I pronounce judgment, if the people repent, if they return, they won't experience that judgment. We just talked about God's pronouncement of judgment is an invitation to repent. And so God says, behold, okay, listen up. Knowing all that, guys, I'm going to bring judgment.

upon this nation. What's God doing? He's inviting them to repent. He's making it very clear. He's presenting it to them. It's in big letters. It's in bright colors. I mean, it's inescapable what God is saying to them. It's easy to understand. They...

unless they repent, are going to experience the judgment of God. And so God says, return now everyone from his evil way. When return? He says, return now.

You see, God was speaking about the instant a few minutes ago in verse 7 and verse 9. He says, return now everyone from his evil way and make your ways and your doings good. God is not looking for the promise of some future, one day I'm going to follow you. He's not looking for, well, look at those good things that I did yesterday or the day before or two years ago. He's looking for, where is your heart today?

What God desires in us, what God desires with us, is a daily relationship with Him.

Where each day we are surrendered to Him and we are walking with Him. And we are in agreement with His will. And we're walking in the ways that He has laid out before us. God is looking for a day by day, a moment by moment, each instant, right now, where is your heart? That's what God is interested in. Where is your heart? What's going on in there? Are you surrendered to God?

Are you available to Him? Are you open to hearing from Him and what He wants to do? God gave this message to this nation so that they would have an opportunity to repent. But notice how they respond in verse 12. And pray that our response is not like this. Verse 12 says, And they said, That is hopelessness.

So we will walk according to our own plans and we will everyone obey the dictates of his evil heart. Here's what the people said. You want us to turn and do good? You want us to obey you? That's hopeless, they said. They said forget it. That's too hard.

Forget it. That's too difficult. I can't do it. I can't walk with God. I can't be obedient. I can't walk in daily relationship with the Lord. No way. Forget it. That's too hard. That's what they said. They said, that is hopeless. God says, look, there is for sure, there is certainty. There is this disaster that is coming upon you.

But you can alleviate yourself of that disaster. You can escape that disaster. That disaster doesn't have to come upon you. All you have to do is turn from your evil and make your ways and doings good. Now, he's not talking about being legalistic and you have to be perfect. All he's saying is, turn and get right with me. Stop living in sin. Stop worshipping other gods, he's telling them.

And just get right with me. Make me your Lord and Master once again. Devote yourself wholeheartedly to me. And they said, that's hopeless. We can't do that. That's too hard. It's very similar to the rich young ruler who came to Jesus and said, what must I do? And God said, okay, well, Jesus said, here's what you need to do. Sell everything you have. Give it to the poor. You'll have treasure in heaven. And then come follow me. And he walked away sad. That's hopeless, he said. That's what I've got to do to get to heaven? No.

Well, forget it. I can't do that. I need that money. I need those goods. I need those things that I have. He sacrificed eternity for the things he could have in that life, in that moment, when he could have. Now, he was interested. He said, what must I do to inherit eternal life? He could have had eternal life. We don't know if he ever turned and got right with the Lord. We don't know if he ever gave his heart to God. But at that time, at that moment...

His heart was gripped with those material things. And that was the most important thing to him. And so he said, that is hopeless. In the same way the nation of Judah, their hearts were gripped. They were fully devoted to things that were not of God. So much so that they said, no way, forget it. We can't do that. Verse 13. God is shocked too. Check it out. He says, therefore, thus says the Lord, ask now among the Gentiles, who has heard such things? The

The virgin of Israel has done a very horrible thing. Will a man leave the snow water of Lebanon, which comes from the rock of the field? Will the cold flowing waters be forsaken for strange waters? God says, I can't even believe what's happening right now. This is crazy. Go ask among the Gentiles. Ask around. Ask the nations. Has this kind of thing ever happened? And he talks about all these different waters. And you're like, well, what in the world is this? Okay, well, he's saying like, okay,

Will a man leave a bottle of water and go drink the water that's in the gutter? That's basically what he's saying. You're thirsty. You have a bottle of water there and there's water in the gutter going down the street. Will a man, I don't want the bottle of water. I'm going to go drink out of the gutter. Who would do that? That's ridiculous. That's crazy. But that's what the nation of Israel, the nation of Judah, was choosing to do. They were saying, we want this gutter water.

We want to worship all these gods. We want to hold on to these things. There's no way. We're not going to drink this fresh water. We're not going to be refreshed and renewed and healthy. We're going to go be sick and stick our faces in the gutter. That's what they chose to do. God says, ask around. Has this ever happened?

Look at verse 15. He says,

Everyone who passes by it will be astonished and shake his head. I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy. I will show them the back and not the face in the day of their calamity. God says, look, this is what's happening here. My people have forsaken me. They've forgotten me. They've worshipped these other gods. And that is why I am bringing this judgment upon them. You see, it's not just that God desires judgment.

a relationship with the nation of Judah. And it's not just that God desires a relationship with you and I. He does. And that is amazing. And that should blow our minds every time that we think about it. God wants a personal relationship with us. But not only does God want a personal relationship with us, He commands a personal relationship. He commands us to walk with Him, to know Him, to draw close to Him. He commands us

Because it's what's best for us. Because He knows the consequences of anything else that we might choose. He commands us. He says, "You, follow Me. Walk with Me. Surrender to Me. Because I have fresh water here. Stop drinking the gutter water." Now, if someone was there out in the street drinking the gutter water and we came up to them and we said, "Stop drinking the water. Here. Here's a bottle of water. Drink this instead."

We could, with great authority, with great boldness, offer that water and tell him, stop drinking that and drink this. That's what God does to us. He says, look, that stuff that you're involved in, that stuff that you're living in, it's ruining your life. You're living in sewage. Stop drinking that.

And receive from me the water of life. Receive from me what will renew you and satisfy you and quench your thirst. God, not because he has this power trip and he wants to watch us walk around and ask him how high when he tells us to jump. No, but because he loves us and cares for us and wants what's best for us. He commands us to walk in relationship with him, to draw near to him, to be surrendered to him.

That we can have the fresh water. That's what Jesus said. Hey, if anyone's thirsty, let him come to me and drink. What does Jesus offer to us? He offers fresh living water. He offers to us a life filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. A life in the center of God's will. Following his purposes and his plans for us. And so we have this illustration here that God gives to Jeremiah.

The potter, the wheel, the clay. Judah's the clay. God's the potter. But the clay, in this case, has a choice. And the men of Judah choose. It's hopeless. We're not going to follow God. We're going to keep drinking our sewage. We're pretty comfortable here. We like it here. It's more important for us to stay here. We can't turn. We can't get right with God. We can't surrender. You know, they had been living this life in rebellion against God for quite some time.

But then at that moment, God gave them this opportunity. Because again, God's interested in the present time. And you and I, we can live a life full of sin up to this point. And God, He will take care of that. He'll wash it away. We can rebel against God our whole lives until right now. And right now, He gives us the opportunity. As we're here in this passage, it's God giving us an opportunity. You can wash all that away. You can get right with me.

You've been faking it a long time. You've been in rebellion. You've been miserable for a long time. You've been drinking water out of the gutter for a long time. But you can get right with me. And your sins can be forgiven. And the destruction that sin brings, the wages of sin is death, the scripture says. That does not have to be your end. You don't have to spend eternity away from God. You don't have to experience the judgment that comes as a result of sin.

God says, today if you'll surrender to me, right now will you surrender to me. But it's important that that be ongoing. We can't say, well yesterday I surrendered to God. What about today? Where is your heart today? Let's finish up the chapter and then we'll come back and close again with this idea of the potter and the clay. Verse 18 of Jeremiah 18 says,

So here's what the people determined.

The people said, okay, let's get rid of Jeremiah. That's the real problem. The problem isn't that we're drinking the gutter water. The problem is this guy, Jeremiah, what we're going to do is we're going to get rid of him and we're not going to pay attention to any of his words. Why? Well, he says, look, the law shall not perish from the priests. What were they trusting in? They were trusting in, we have the law. We're not going to experience the judgment, is what they're saying, because we have the law. That's like saying,

Hey, I'm not going to get hit by a car as I walk on the freeway because I'm holding a Bible. Oh, you're holding a Bible so all the cars are going to miss you. No. If you hold a Bible and you walk on the freeway, you're going to get hit. It doesn't protect you.

They're saying, we've got the law, we've got the priests, council's not going to cease being there for the wise. We've got wise people here, we've got elders, and lots of wisdom, we've got the finest schools in all of Jerusalem, or all of Judah.

Yeah, we're not going to experience the judgment. We're too wise. We've got too much wisdom. We've got too much counsel. We've got it all figured out. Hey, and the word's not going to stop coming from the prophet. Prophets are going to continue to come. It's only this guy, Jeremiah, that's saying these things. The rest of the guys, you know, they're telling us good things. So here's what we'll do. Let's get rid of Jeremiah. Let's attack him and not give attention to anything that he says. Big mistake.

They have their trust in all the wrong things. In the same way that many times Christians have their trust in all the wrong things. Well, I go to church. Well, you know, bad things aren't going to happen to me today because I read the Bible this morning. That's like saying, hey, the law is not going to perish from the priests. They were trusting in their religion. They were trusting in those things that God had established, which were good things. But they had moved away from their relationship with God. And so instead of trusting in God, they were now trusting in this system.

trusting in their religion, trusting in the rituals, instead of trusting in a true and living God and walking in relationship with Him. So they said, we're not going to give heed to any of His words. And so Jeremiah now responds. He prays, and check out his prayer. He says in verse 19, he says, Jeremiah says,

Well, they tell Jeremiah, they say, we're not going to give heed to Jeremiah. And so Jeremiah says, okay, they're not going to give heed to me, Lord, but would you give heed to me? Would you pay attention to me, Lord? Listen to the voice of those who contend with me. God, they've purposed, they're planning, they're going to come against me. Verse 20, Shall evil be repaid for good? For they have dug a pit for my life. Remember that I stood before you to speak good for them, to turn away your wrath from them.

Jeremiah says, they're returning evil for good. They're coming against me. They're contending with me. But I stood before you, God, on their behalf, beseeching you and seeking you for mercy that they wouldn't experience the judgment that you promised was going to come. I was interceding for them. Jeremiah says, look, they're mad at me and they're upset with me, but I'm trying to save their life. I'm trying to redeem them. I'm trying to help them get right with you. I'm doing what's best for them.

But they refuse and they're fighting against me. And so he says in verse 21, Verse 22, Verse 23,

And we can look at Jeremiah's prayer here and think, man, what a cruel guy Jeremiah was, praying all these things upon the people. What on earth is he thinking, praying this kind of prayer? But here's the reality.

All Jeremiah is praying, all he's really saying to the God is, God, they are refusing to hear you. They're refusing to turn. You've asked them to repent. You gave them the pronouncement of judgment. You told them what that meant, that it was an opportunity for them to repent. They've chosen not to repent. Therefore, God, bring the judgment that you said you were going to bring. They are not turning to get right with you.

All Jeremiah is doing is he's praying according to the will of God. He's praying according to what God has already proclaimed. He's recognizing this is the state of the people, Lord. God had brought him to a point where he could understand, where he could recognize that judgment, as horrible as it is, as horrifying as it is, it's just. It's right. It's exactly what a holy...

loving, righteous God is needing to do at that point. God is good and He is love. And we love the goodness of God, the mercy of God, the grace of God. But there's a great, great danger. The Apostle Paul in the book of Romans had this discussion about sin and the character and nature of God. Shall we sin that grace may abound, he asked. He said, no way, of course not. Shall we sin that

So that God's grace is more evident. You know, I just continue to do these things and practice these things. And now it's a testimony. It's a demonstration of God's grace. Look at how horrible I am. And yet He still lets me come to church. Yet He still promises to save me. He still promises eternal life for me. And look at all these things I do. We may not articulate it that way. But as we saw in Jeremiah chapter 17, our heart is deceitful and desperately wicked.

That's often the way that we think. We think I'm saved. I prayed a prayer. I go to church. I read my Bible. And so it's okay for me. It's not a big deal if I practice this thing. If I participate in this area. If I go in this direction. It's not that big of a deal. It's not that important because, well, there's grace. And so it's okay for me to do these things and live this way.

But I want to challenge our hearts this evening and again ask us, where is our hearts this evening? And are we surrendered to God as a clay surrenders to the potter there on the wheel? Look again at the picture that God painted for Jeremiah. The potter, the wheel, the clay on the wheel. The potter is making a vessel. As he's making this vessel, he finds that it's marred. He finds this clay is no good for

what I intended to make with it. God is using this picture to challenge us. He's using this picture to challenge the nation of Judah. He uses this picture. He says, look, you guys are the clay. And don't I have, as the potter, don't I have the right to make a lump of clay into whatever I choose? And so if I find that the clay is marred,

And it's not good for what I originally intended. Don't I have the right then to mix that clay into anything else that I want? Just like this potter, he had the clay, he found, hey, this is not good clay. It's lumpy. It's got some rocks. I'm going to make a...

I'm going to make a dog food tray. I'm going to make something else out of it and not the vase that I intended. Look, this is the picture. This is the point of the message that God is giving here. Because He goes on to say, look, when I speak concerning a nation, when I say, hey, this nation is going to be blessed, I have these great plans for it, I'm going to form it into a vase, I'm going to fashion it and it's going to be a beautiful masterpiece. But then, that nation is

turns from God. And as God is shaping the nation, now he finds it's marred. This nation has not responded to me. This nation is not surrendered to me. This nation is refusing the work that I want to do in their life. And so God says, don't I have the right then to stop making the vase and to make it into something else? And what is that something else? What does he mean by that?

Well, he says in verse 10, If it does evil in my sight so that it does not obey my voice, then I will relent concerning the good which I said I would benefit it. What God is saying is, Don't I have the right to judge those that turn from me, being the master potter and us being the clay? When a nation, when a people, when a person refuses to surrender to God, God has great promises for us. His intentions for us are to

Well, to transform us into the image of Christ. That's the image that He is working in us. But He's given us choice, the power of choice, and it's a great power and a great responsibility. He's given us the choice to receive His work, His plans, His will, or to refuse. Where are you at this evening? When we look at the potters, we look at the clay, God is saying, look, I have the right to

to reshape that clay and to make it into whatever I choose according to the type of clay that He has in His hands. What type of clay are you? Not yesterday, not last week, not tomorrow. What type of clay do you intend to be? No. What type of clay are you right now? Are you soft? Are you moldable? Are you fully surrendered to God? Are you willing for Him to accomplish His will, His plans, His purposes in your life?

Are you willing to be obedient to him? Are you willing to fully surrender? I read an interesting portion this morning in my devotions, and you could turn there with me, 1 Chronicles chapter 21. It caused me to consider and reflect on the attitude of this man here in 1 Chronicles chapter 21. Now, 1 Chronicles 21 is the account of the census of Israel that David took.

And there's a lot of things that we could look at. There's a lot of things that we could consider. And we usually look at the site and the location. And there's some important things about the events and where that took place. There's some important things about David and also Joab. But there's also this other guy that really stood out to me this morning. In 1 Chronicles chapter 21, there's a guy by the name of Ornan.

And Ornan, he had a threshing floor. And he was out there working on the threshing floor. Now, the angel of the Lord, his sword drawn, is standing over Jerusalem because of a plague, because of David's sin. Long story, not getting into it. But there, the angel is there. He's...

about to strike, but God's withholding him so that David can go and offer this sacrifice and relent concerning this judgment. But there he is, he's threshing wheat, and he looks up, and there's this angel, sword drawn, standing over Jerusalem. And it tells us that his sons hide. His sons freak out, but he kept working. And first of all, I thought...

What kind of guy, you know, you walk outside, you know, you're working, you're getting things done, you're going from here to there, and you see this angel, sword drawn, about to come down, and you just go, yeah, well, okay, back to work. He was, well, he was pretty solid where he was. He says, look, I'm in God's hands. I'm putting words in his mouth, but he's in, I'm in God's hands.

I can't run from judgment if God's bringing it upon me. I can't run from these things. Okay, I'm just here. I'm in God's hands. That's an angel. What am I going to do? Can you outrun an angel? I don't think so. I'm just going to keep working. This is where I'm called to be. This is what I'm called to do. This is what I'm supposed to do. Okay, I'm going to keep working. Let's pick it up in verse 20. Now Ornan turned and saw the angel and his four sons who were with him hid themselves, but Ornan continued threshing wheat. Verse 21...

So David came to Ornan, and Ornan looked and saw David, and he went out from the threshing floor and bowed before David with his face to the ground. Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of this threshing floor, that I may build an altar on it to the Lord. You shall grant it to me at the full price, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people.

But Ornan said to David, Take it to yourself and let my lord, the king, do what is good in his eyes. Look, I also give you the oxen for burnt offerings, the threshing implements for wood, and the wheat for the grain offering. I give it. As I read that this morning, it really just hit me upside the head. He says, I give it. Now earlier in Genesis...

You see when Abraham goes to buy a field, a cave at Machpelah, he says, hey, you know, inquire of this guy, I want to buy this field. And the guy responds, oh, well, that's not that big of an idea. Why don't you just keep it? It's yours, it's free. And then Abraham said, no, I want to pay what it's worth. Oh, it's worth 400. And so they kind of haggle, they negotiate, and then they come up with this price. That's not what Ornan was doing here. He's not saying, oh, David, oh, yeah, it's free, just take it.

Secretly saying, okay, give me your offer. Make it a good one. What can I get for it? No, Oren in here, he says, you need it? God wants you to sacrifice here? He sent the prophet to you? Oh, this is something God's doing, huh? I want to be a part of what God's doing. I give it all. You can have it. Not only that, here, take my oxen too. This is his place. He's threshing wheat. This is his livelihood. This is how he survives. This is what he does. This is his land. He says, huh?

It's yours. God needs it. God's doing this work. Obviously, there's an angel here. I understand something big is going on. I give it all. It spoke to me just about the importance of absolute surrender to God. To have this heart, to have this mentality, to have this attitude. Saying, not only will I give you my threshing floor, but what else do you need? Can you use it? Look, you can use this for what?

"Hey look, you can use my wheat and you can offer a grain offering. Take my oxen and you can offer a sacrifice." This was a man, he was, if he would be pictured as clay on a potter's wheel, it was clay that easily shaped to the touch. Just a light touch, "Oh yeah!" He responds, it just, it moves. Easy to work with. A pleasure for the potter to work with. Responsive to the master's touch.

Where are you this evening? What kind of clay are you? Soft, moldable, responsive. God speaks and you say, Lord, is that it? What else can I do? God points out this area. Lord, I'll gladly surrender it to you. I'll give it all. I'll stop drinking the gutter water, God. Gladly. I'll move in this direction. I'll go that way. I'll take that step. Lord, I'll do what you want me to do. Are you surrendered to God? You know, you could also have a

bumpy, lumpy, rough piece of clay. It's kind of hardened and the only way you can get it to move is you've got to squeeze really hard and put a lot of pressure. Is that a better picture of you than Ornan who said, I give it all. You know, he said, I forget what psalm it is, but I think it's around 37, 38, somewhere around there where he said, look, don't be like the horse and mule where you've got to put the bit in their mouth in order for them to come to you. No, come to me.

Don't be hard, lumpy clay. I've got to put all this pressure and I've got to bring these things in your life in order for you to surrender. And I've got to apply all these things in order for you to submit. He says, it's so much better. It's so much easier. Just surrender to me. Be responsive to my word. Be responsive to what I say. Respond to me, God is saying. And God is saying it with the authority that if we don't respond, He has the right.

to make this lump of clay into whatever he wants. We can surrender to God and His good plans, His purposes, His glory, His will, or we can insist on our way. We can insist to drink the gutter water. We can insist, no, this is how I want my life to live, and this is the school that I want to go to, and this is the career that I want to follow, and this is the sin that I want to continue to participate in. Just drink in gutter water. Or we can drink the living water that God has offered to us. Where is your heart this evening?

Are you surrendered to the King of kings and Lord of lords and responsive to His touch? The worship team is going to come up and close us in a song. And I just encourage you to ask that during this song, you would just seek the Lord. You would ask Him to show you your heart. You know, we saw in Jeremiah chapter 17 last week, the heart's deceitful and desperately wicked. Who can know it?

Don't just think, I already know my heart. I know I'm good. Okay, I'm good. Yeah, great. Praise the Lord. Good message. All right. See you later. God says, I, the Lord, search the heart. Let God search your heart. Let Him share with you what type of clay you are. Let Him show you the things that He wants to do, the way He wants to form you. Let Him speak to you about those things that He wants you to turn from and the other things that He wants you to turn towards. Let's take this time.

to allow God to work in our hearts. Amen? Let's worship the Lord together.