Even Superman has KryptoniteMany of us are familiar with the fictional character Superman. He came from a planet called Krypton as a child. Growing up on Earth, he had superhuman powers that he used to do good to humanity. However, whenever Kryptonite from his old planet is brought close to him, he would lose his superhuman strength and become weak.
God Made us Superhuman – Beware of “Kryptonite”God has rescued us from the life a slavery to sin and has given us great promises to not only conquer sin in our own lives, but to be agents of change that will help rescue others from its power as well. Like Superman, any part of our ‘old hometown’ or old nature that we allow to function in our world has the ability to sap us of our strength and render us unable to achieve all that God has planned for us.
The Battle of Ai (Joshua 7)God gave Joshua great promises of victory and His presence in Joshua 1:1-6. The people experienced those promises unfold in the following chapters: crossing the Jordan River on dry land; Kings and peoples hearts melting for fear; and the fortified city walls of Jericho falling at the sound of their shout. However, in Chapter 7, when the small town of Ai was approached, the Israelites faced a humiliating defeat that seemed at odds with God’s promises in Chapter 1.
The Power of Hidden SinGod didn’t change His purposes for His people. The people disobeyed God and allowed what was ‘devoted’ to be cherished (instead of it being destroyed). Many times, we think that a little sin can be ‘harmless’. The fact is, sin (in all its forms) is our Kryptonite. It saps us of our strength and makes us ineffective in fulfilling the great work God planned for us (Psalm 32:3-4 NLT).
Confessing Sin Break its PowerContrary to how we sometimes feel, hidden sin cannot be dealt with in private. The only way to overcome it is for it to be confessed and forsaken (Proverbs 28:13). Unlike the Old Testament days, Jesus bore the penalty of our sins on the Cross, so that we don’t have to pay for them ourselves. Confessing and forsaking our sins not only takes the guilt away (Psalm 32:5 NLT) and restores to us the righteous standing with God (1John 1:6-9 NIV)… confessing (and forsaking) our sins allows God to use us to bring restoration to our community, in and outside of church (2Chronicles 7:14 NLT)
Discussion Questions1. How did you feel when you first came to Christ and asked His forgiveness? How does that compare with how we feel when we allow sin to be in our lives?
2. What’s the difference between ‘known’ and ‘unknown’ sin (ie a sin I’m aware of and a sin I’m not aware of)? Which of them am I responsible to act on promptly?
3. What are some of the reasons why we do not confess and forsake our sin?
4. What is the impact of unconfessed sin on our personal life? Our Church? Our community?
5. What does it take us to confess and forsake our sin?
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