Stage Two: Demolition

NEED: My hammer, TV, Chisel Skit video

Stage Two: Demolition

BIG IDEA: Demolition is a destructive, but necessary first step in the process of renovation. Demolition is intentional and permanent. God will do, and wants us involved in, the process of demolition in the renovation of our lives.

SCRIPTURE: (O) ;

(1) ;

Opening

(2) ;

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(4) ; ;

OPENING:

Display & talk about the hammer

Discuss how room used to look, the day of demolition, and how the room looked afterwards – show pictures.

God is no stranger to demolition. He commanded Israel to completely destroy those living in the promised land before them.

Exodus 23:23–24 CSB

23 For my angel will go before you and bring you to the land of the Amorites, Hethites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out. 24 Do not bow in worship to their gods, and do not serve them. Do not imitate their practices. Instead, demolish them and smash their sacred pillars to pieces.

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Numbers 33:50–52 CSB

50 The Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, 51 “Tell the Israelites: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52 you must drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you, destroy all their stone images and cast images, and demolish all their high places.

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God wants to do a work of demolition in our lives. However, He calls us to be a part of the process as well.

God wants to do a work of demolition in your life. However, He calls you to be a part of the process.

Teaching

POINT 1: Demolition is destructive.

Discuss demoing the room – pounding, hitting, kicking, pulling.

Demolition destroys things.

We all have things in our lives that are not what God wants for us.

Jesus spoke about that:

Matthew 5:29–30 CSB

29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Jesus was speaking figuratively. He was meaning if there is something, anything, in your life that causes you to sin, you need to demolish it.

· Jesus was speaking figuratively. He was meaning if there is something, anything, in your life that causes you to sin, you need to demolish it.

These things must not be left – they must be completely wiped out.

Ephesians 5:3–4 CSB

3 But sexual immorality and any impurity or greed should not even be heard of among you, as is proper for saints. 4 Obscene and foolish talking or crude joking are not suitable, but rather giving thanks.

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POINT 2: Demolition is intentional.

POINT 2: Demolition is intentional.

Demolition is ON PURPOSE.

It would have made no sense for me to get carried away with demolition and demolish everything. Remember from last week: where did we start? A plan. I had a plan. That plan used the framework that already existed: the walls, the floor, the roof.

God also has a plan to continue to use what he has already created: us. But because of the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, a renovated us.

But He’s given us a choice as to being a part of the renovation of us.

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Hebrews 12:1 CSB

1 Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us,

· “Throwing off” is on purpose – by choice. It is selective.

“Laying aside” is on purpose – by choice. It is selective.

God’s demolition of our lives is very intentional, even surgical.

2 Corinthians 10:3–5 CSB

3 For although we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh, 4 since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments 5 and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.

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· The tools that God gives us to be a part of this work are the right tools for a specific job.

The tools that God gives us to be a part of this work are the right tools for a specific job.

POINT 3: Demolition is permanent.

The cabinets in my room were DEMOLISHED: broken into pieces; smashed; done away with; RAZED: destroyed to the ground.

I smashed them into small pieces. I tore the hinges off. I didn’t care how they looked. They were useless for anything but building a fire out of when I was done.

It’s not truly demolition if it isn’t permanent. If we had just given the cabinets away, it would have been relocation. If I would have saved them, then they weren’t demolished—they would have been preserved.

Jesus spoke to this fact in the same way later on in Matthew as well:

Matthew 18:8–9 CSB

8 If your hand or your foot causes you to fall away, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to fall away, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hellfire.

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· Our attitude must be the same as that of the psalmist concerning the permanence of doing God’s will:

He said it twice as recorded by Matthew… think He was making a point?

Our attitude must be the same as that of the psalmist concerning the permanence of doing God’s will:

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Psalm 119:44 CSB

44 I will always obey your instruction, forever and ever.

POINT 4: Demolition is necessary.

POINT 4: Demolition is necessary.

Demolition is not just intentional: ON PURPOSE. It’s necessary: FOR PURPOSE.

Without demolition, the cabinets and countertop would still be in the room, and now they would be in the way. The other work could not have happened. It had to happen first.

The first thing that God demolished is the barrier between us and Him: sin.

romans 8:3-5

Romans 8:3–4 CSB

3 What the law could not do since it was weakened by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering, 4 in order that the law’s requirement would be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Ephesians 2:14 CSB

14 For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh,

We’ve got to stop looking at our lives as that: OURS. We belong to Christ.

· We’ve got to stop looking at our lives as that: OURS.

We’ve got to see the destroying of our sin the way the psalmist did.

Genesis 4:7 CSB

7 If you do what is right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”

Psalm 119:71 CSB

71 It was good for me to be afflicted so that I could learn your statutes.

Pslam 119:71

We must submit completely to God.

· We must submit completely to God.

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James 4:7–10 CSB

7 Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be miserable and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Side note: a caution

The problem comes when we think that in having these things demolished, we somehow get “more saved” or get “more grace.” No, this isn’t about asceticism (as I quoted in my morning sermon last week):

Colossians 2:20–23 CSB

20 If you died with Christ to the elements of this world, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations: 21 “Don’t handle, don’t taste, don’t touch”? 22 All these regulations refer to what is destined to perish by being used up; they are human commands and doctrines. 23 Although these have a reputation for wisdom by promoting self-made religion, false humility, and severe treatment of the body, they are not of any value in curbing self-indulgence.

It might seem like asceticism is the ultimate act of demolition. But Scripture is clear that simply treating your body harshly doesn’t actually help us. We need to be changed by the power of God at work in our lives by His Spirit.

Closing

CLOSING:

Things that must be WIPED OUT: pride, envy, greed, selfishness, lust, hate, gossip, idolatry, wrath.

They must demolished: completely destroyed if we are going to move forward in God’s renovation of our lives. We must submit these things to Him for demolition in the power of His Spirit.

Give each other permission to point things out in love.

Get with God. Ask Him what is in the way.