Devoted to Destruction

In one paragraph

Brian and Lissa were out celebrating a birthday, so Justin Waters brought the message on a Sunday morning in April. He drew a line from Moses' command to Israel in Deuteronomy 7, through the repeated failures of the judges, and into the practical reality of what it means to kill sin in a believer's life. The title he gave it was "Devoted to Destruction." Moses addressed a new generation of...

Read together

1. Deuteronomy 7:1-5 Moses commands Israel to devote the seven nations to complete destruction and make no covenant with them
2. Deuteronomy 7:17-19 Moses tells Israel not to fear the nations but to remember what God did to Pharaoh
3. Deuteronomy 7:24-26 God will give their kings into Israel's hand; do not covet or bring abominable things into your house
4. Judges 1:27-28 Manasseh and other tribes failed to drive out the Canaanites completely, putting them to forced labor instead
5. Judges 2:1-3 The angel of the Lord rebukes Israel for breaking covenant, promising the nations will be thorns in their sides
6. Ephesians 2:1-5 Read aloud by a congregation member describing humanity as dead in sin but made alive by God's grace
7. Galatians 5:19-23 Read aloud listing the works of the flesh and contrasting them with the fruit of the Spirit
8. Romans 8:5-8 Those who set their minds on the flesh are hostile to God; those on the Spirit have life and peace
9. Romans 8:12-13 We are debtors not to the flesh; by the Spirit put to death the deeds of the body
10. Galatians 5:16-17 Walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh
11. Galatians 5:24-25 Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions; keep in step with the Spirit
12. Romans 13:12-14 Put aside deeds of darkness, put on armor of light, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ
13. 1 Peter 5:8 Referenced in passing describing the enemy prowling like a lion seeking to devour
14. 1 Samuel 17:45-46 David confronts Goliath in the name of the Lord, declaring God will deliver him into his hand
15. Matthew 18:7-9 Read by a congregation member about cutting off hand or foot or eye if it causes you to sin
16. John 14:15 Congregation member quoted Jesus saying if you love me you will obey my commandments, leading into the promise of the Holy Spirit
17. 1 John 1:5-9 God is light; walking in the light brings fellowship and cleansing; confess sins and he is faithful to forgive
18. Psalms Justin referenced David asking God to satisfy him in the morning with steadfast love, without citing a specific psalm number

What was said

• Do an audit of your weekly schedule and identify one specific habit, app, or activity that keeps pulling you away from God, then take a concrete step to cut it out or limit your access to it.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and show you something he has pointed out before that you have not fully dealt with, then bring it to him in honest prayer.
• Find another person in the Tribe community and confess a struggle or blind spot to them, because Justin was clear that sin thrives in isolation and this walk is not meant to be done alone.
• When you wake up each morning this week, pause and ask God to satisfy you with his steadfast love before you reach for your phone or fill your mind with anything else.
• If something came up during the message that you need to pray through, take Justin up on his invitation and go talk to one of the folks who offered to pray with people after the service.

Talk about it

1. Moses told Israel to completely destroy the nations in the land, but they kept some around for forced labor instead. Where in your own life have you held onto something God has asked you to let go of, telling yourself it was still useful?
2. Justin read from Ephesians 2 and named three things pulling us toward walking in sin: the devil, the world, and the flesh. Which of those three do you find yourself most vulnerable to, and why?
3. Several people shared practical examples of things that were not sinful in themselves but were quietly pulling them away from God, HGTV, time alone, social media. Has the Holy Spirit ever pointed something like that out to you? What did you do with it?
4. Justin described making a provision for your flesh like standing under an umbrella while a waterfall is right there. What does making a provision for sin look like in your own day-to-day life?
5. Justin closed by saying sin thrives in isolation and that nobody can do this alone. What would it actually look like for you to let someone else speak into a blind spot or a pattern in your life that you have been dealing with on your own?