Devoted to Destruction

In one paragraph

The guest speaker this Sunday walked the congregation through what it looks like to take sin seriously, not just avoid it casually. Drawing on passages from Deuteronomy through 1 John, he made the case that the same ruthlessness God required of Israel toward foreign nations is the posture God asks of us toward our own flesh. The conversation that followed drew in much of the room. Moses addressed...

Read together

1. Deuteronomy 7:1-5 God's command to Israel to destroy the seven nations and make no covenant with them
2. Deuteronomy 7:17-19 God's reminder not to fear the nations, recalling what he did to Pharaoh
3. Deuteronomy 7:24-26 command to destroy carved images and not covet their silver or gold lest you be devoted to destruction
4. Judges 1:27-28 Manasseh and other tribes failing to drive out the Canaanites completely
5. Judges 2:1-3 the angel of the Lord rebuking Israel for not breaking down the altars, promising the nations will be thorns in their sides
6. Ephesians 2:1-5 read aloud describing humanity as dead in sin, following the devil, the world and the flesh, saved by God's grace
7. Galatians 5:19-23 read aloud listing the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit
8. Romans 8:5-8 contrasting the mind set on flesh with the mind set on the Spirit
9. Romans 8:12-13 call to put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit
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 and desires
12. Romans 13:12-14 put aside deeds of darkness, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, make no provision for the flesh
13. 1 Samuel 17:45-46 David confronting Goliath in the name of the Lord, then cutting off his head as an illustration of killing sin
14. Matthew 18:7-9 if your hand or eye causes you to sin, cut it off, linked to the call to radically destroy sin
15. 1 John 1:5-9 God is light, walking in the light brings fellowship and the blood of Jesus cleanses from sin, confession brings forgiveness
16. John 14:15-16 if you love me you will obey my commandments, and the Father will give you the Helper, the Spirit of truth
17. Psalms speaker paraphrased David asking God to satisfy him in the morning with his steadfast love

Talk about it

1. Moses told Israel to completely destroy what God asked them to destroy, but they kept the conquered peoples around and put them to work. Where in your own life have you held onto something God has pointed out, telling yourself it was still useful or harmless?
2. The speaker described living what felt like a double life, showing up and saying the right things while not being submitted to God. What does that kind of gap between the outside and the inside actually feel like from the inside, and what tends to keep it in place?
3. Several people in the room connected the idea of crucifying the flesh to ordinary things like watching HGTV, spending time alone, or scrolling social media rather than only the obvious big sins. What is one small or ordinary thing in your current routine that you sense might be pulling your eyes away from what matters?
4. Romans 8 says that to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the spirit is life and peace. What does it actually look like on a normal Tuesday to set your mind on the spirit rather than just trying harder to avoid certain behaviors?
5. The sermon closed with the phrase no mercy on sin and the image of confession letting light into dark places. What makes it hard to bring those dark places into the open with other people, and what would it take for this group to be a safer place for that kind of honesty?