Creekside Community Church
The Despairing Heart (Jeremiah 18:1-17)
July 6, 2025 Jeff Bruce, Lead Pastor
Locations & Times
Creekside Community Church
951 MacArthur Blvd, San Leandro, CA 94577, USA
Sunday 7:00 AM
1. What the despairing heart rejects about God’s plan (vv. 1-12):
2. What the despairing heart accepts about its own plan (vv. 12-17):
2. What the despairing heart accepts about its own plan (vv. 12-17):
For Further Thought and Discussion
Getting Started
1. What was helpful to you in this week’s sermon? What didn’t you understand?
Going Deeper
2. Read Jeremiah 18:1-12. Where does God instruct Jeremiah to go (vv. 1-2)? What does Jeremiah observe in the potters’ house (see vv. 3-4)? What does God want to teach his people through this object lesson (vv. 5-6; see also v. 11)? What shouldn’t we conclude about God’s foreknowledge from this analogy?
3. Read Jeremiah 18:7-11. How does God describe his relationship to the nations? What principle does God set forth here? Where do we see this principle play out in the biblical story (see Jonah 3-4)? Why did Israel need to hear this?
4. Read Jeremiah 18:12-17. How does Judah view their disobedience (v. 12; compare Jeremiah 2:25)? Why is it significant that God depicts their sin as unnatural, rather than natural (vv. 12-15; compare Jeremiah 8:4-7)? Why is it significant that God calls his people as “virgin Israel” (v. 13)? What is God teaching Israel about her identity and calling? How should these truths reshape the people’s view of their sin?
5. What do we learn about God’s ultimate purposes for his people from the book of Jeremiah (see Jeremiah 18:1-12; 19:1-15; 29:10-14, esp. v. 11)? How does God use even his people’s disobedience to accomplish his purposes (compare Acts 2:22-24; 4:23-28)? How does this help us guard against despair when we feel “stuck” in our sin?
Application
6. When God calls his people to repent, how do they continually respond (see Jeremiah 18:12; compare Jeremiah 2:25)? How does despair lead to continued defiance? How is despair different from depression or sorrow? Why is despair a form of sin?
7. Jeff noted the differences between belief in God’s sovereignty and fatalism. Which of these stood out to you? Where are you tempted towards having a fatalistic view of life?
8. Jeff noted some lies we can believe about the “naturalness” of sin. Which of these stood out to you? Why? Where do you despair of changing, or growing?
9. What’s one thing you can do this week to apply this message?
Getting Started
1. What was helpful to you in this week’s sermon? What didn’t you understand?
Going Deeper
2. Read Jeremiah 18:1-12. Where does God instruct Jeremiah to go (vv. 1-2)? What does Jeremiah observe in the potters’ house (see vv. 3-4)? What does God want to teach his people through this object lesson (vv. 5-6; see also v. 11)? What shouldn’t we conclude about God’s foreknowledge from this analogy?
3. Read Jeremiah 18:7-11. How does God describe his relationship to the nations? What principle does God set forth here? Where do we see this principle play out in the biblical story (see Jonah 3-4)? Why did Israel need to hear this?
4. Read Jeremiah 18:12-17. How does Judah view their disobedience (v. 12; compare Jeremiah 2:25)? Why is it significant that God depicts their sin as unnatural, rather than natural (vv. 12-15; compare Jeremiah 8:4-7)? Why is it significant that God calls his people as “virgin Israel” (v. 13)? What is God teaching Israel about her identity and calling? How should these truths reshape the people’s view of their sin?
5. What do we learn about God’s ultimate purposes for his people from the book of Jeremiah (see Jeremiah 18:1-12; 19:1-15; 29:10-14, esp. v. 11)? How does God use even his people’s disobedience to accomplish his purposes (compare Acts 2:22-24; 4:23-28)? How does this help us guard against despair when we feel “stuck” in our sin?
Application
6. When God calls his people to repent, how do they continually respond (see Jeremiah 18:12; compare Jeremiah 2:25)? How does despair lead to continued defiance? How is despair different from depression or sorrow? Why is despair a form of sin?
7. Jeff noted the differences between belief in God’s sovereignty and fatalism. Which of these stood out to you? Where are you tempted towards having a fatalistic view of life?
8. Jeff noted some lies we can believe about the “naturalness” of sin. Which of these stood out to you? Why? Where do you despair of changing, or growing?
9. What’s one thing you can do this week to apply this message?