Andy Sochor July 20, 2009

Correcting the Over-Zealous

Sometimes we’re guilty of speaking or acting before knowing what God expects.

A Woman’s Praise of Mary (Luke 11:27-28)]

She directed praise & attention to Mary
Jesus directed the focus on hearing & obeying the word of God

A Dinner Guest’s Statement about the Kingdom (Luke 14:15)

Stated how wonderful it would be to be part of the kingdom
Jesus responded with a parable rebuking those who would make excuses when the invitation comes

A Willing Follower (Luke 9:57-58)

This man was eager to follow Jesus anywhere
Jesus made sure his enthusiasm was based in the reality that following Christ was not an easy path

Peter’s Defense of Jesus (John 18:10-11)

Peter tried to save Jesus from being arrested and led away to be crucified
Jesus taught that violence could not be used to advance or defend the cause of Christ

Filed Under: New Testament Tagged With: excuses, hardships, Jesus, kingdom, Mary, obedience, Peter, spiritual warfare, zeal

Jesus Christ came to set us free from the bondage of sin (Romans 6:3-6; John 8:34-36). Yet many Christians are content to remain enslaved to it. They have been convinced that we can never defeat sin; therefore, they have resigned themselves to the belief that they will always struggle with it.

Yet the Bible does not present the removal of sin from one’s life as an unattainable ideal but as a realistic goal. Paul said there is a way of escape for every temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13). Peter spoke of what one needs to do so that he will never stumble (2 Peter 1:10). John wrote so that we may not sin (1 John 2:1). Jesus told the woman allegedly caught in adultery, “Go. From now on sin no more” (John 8:11).

But how can we successfully remove sin from our lives? We first need to understand the reasons why we sin so we can learn how to find the way of escape. This material has been written to help each one of us overcome sin, rather than struggling with it perpetually.

The second edition also contains questions at the end of each chapter to aid in personal and group Bible studies. There is also an appendix at the end with additional articles related to sin and temptation. This book is available in paperback and digital formats.

Click here for more information and to download a sample of the book.