Preachers...Preach on Sin

The Gospel is not the good news that you can have a better life here on Earth.  No, the Gospel is the good news that God sent His Son into the world to die in the place of sinners.  Paul said, “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve” (1 Corinthians 15:1-5).  One would think this is basic information, but it’s not.  Sadly, many things have replaced the preaching of the Savior dying for sinners.  That is, the Gospel – God’s Gospel – is not the foundational message being taught in many pulpits today. 
 
I don’t know whether to blame modernism or economic prosperity or some other influence.  It could be a number of things, actually.  But, the modern “gospel” message can be summed up in the statement, “God has a wonderful plan for your life if you’ll just accept it”.  This is not the Gospel.  In no sense is this statement the Biblical Gospel.  Certainly, God is Sovereign over the events of my life, your life and the life of everybody that has ever lived.  Without a doubt, God providentially steers the lives of His children for their benefit.  But that is not the Gospel.  “Become a Christian and catch the world by the tail” is nothing remotely close to the teaching of Jesus or the apostles. It is not the message of the Bible.  Certainly, popular pastors have used such language, but that doesn’t make it right. 
 
The “gospel” of “health and wealth” (AKA “the prosperity gospel”) has resulted from such a poor understanding in and out of the pulpit.  Certainly, churches having itching ears have accumulated for themselves teachers to suit their own passions (2 Timothy 4:3).  That is, worldly people with worldly lusts have hired teachers to tell them they can have all their worldly things that they covet…if they just pray this prayer.  I mean, there needs to be a little Jesus, right?  In such pulpits, Jesus never ever occupies the focal point of the message.  Sermons are geared towards the worldly desires of people and how God wants to give them all the desires of their heart.  Never mind that 1 Timothy 6:10 says, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” But I digress…
 
These obvious abuses of the modern pulpit aren’t the only ones lacking.  Oftentimes, the Gospel…that is, the Good News…is preached without any reference to why we need good news.  Sin is rarely mentioned in the average pulpit these days.  Oh, we may teach our members that they need to avoid some things in life.  But, we aren’t preaching it in the sense that their sin is rebellion against a thrice-holy God and they are condemned as long as they remain unrepentant.  Jesus is “offered” to sinners in some generic way…but not so much as Savior.  “Accept Jesus into your heart” says nothing about Jesus dying on the cross for sinners.  The Gospel, at best, is unclear in many pulpits.  People are left wondering why they need Jesus.  They aren’t being told, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  They certainly aren’t being told that they personally have fallen short of the glory of God…that they are an offense to God in their natural, sinful condition.  Until a person sees himself or herself completely devoid of spiritual merit, he will never see any need to be saved.  Until he sees that he is condemned in his own sin, he will never understand why he needs Jesus as Savior. 
 
Even churches that aren’t preaching “health and wealth” or decisionism still treat the subject of sin as taboo.  The Gospel often takes a back seat to other things.  Even in a doctrinally conservative church, the message of Jesus can be removed from its deserved place of prominence.  Doctrine…even good sound doctrine…cannot replace the person of Jesus Christ.  Perhaps your church believes the truth about the sovereignty of God in salvation or the ordinances or any other related doctrine.  But if those truths aren’t keeping Christ at the absolute center of all we do, they are being improperly taught.  And if we aren’t careful, a solid doctrine like election will become the focus and our being saved from our sins by Jesus will become less than the focus.  This must be corrected.  It has to be corrected if we have any expectation that God will truly save souls.  Confidence in being elected is not the same as trusting Christ as Savior.  This must be preached with absolute clarity. 
 
Jesus regularly warned about sin.  He said, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32).  Jesus wasn’t suggesting that anybody was righteous by his or her own merits.  In fact, he was here condemning the self-righteous Pharisees.  If people believe God will accept them because of anything in their lives rather than on the basis of Jesus’ meritorious work, this statement condemns them as well. 
 
It couldn’t be clearer – Jesus came to call “sinners to repentance”.  First of all, we are sinners.  People must understand that - personally.  And preachers, we aren’t preaching the Gospel that Jesus preached unless we make it clear that sin separates us from God.  James 2:10 tells us, “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.”  Perhaps you have never robbed a bank or committed adultery.  But certainly you have lied…you have dishonored your parents…you have coveted another person’s property.  These are sins.  And, as far as guilt goes, one of them condemns you just like the sins we consider more heinous. 
 
But knowing you are a sinner is not enough.  Jesus came to call “sinners to repentance”.  Repentance can be defined as “deep sorrow for sin” or “a change of mind” (specifically about sin in your life) or even “conversion from sin to God”.  Jesus came to tell sinners they need to understand their depraved condition, turn from it and live for God.  Repentance from sin is so vital that Jesus said without it, one is condemned to Hell (Luke 13:3, 5).  True God given repentance of sin causes one to see their need of the Savior, Jesus Christ.  Understanding one is devoid of any merit before God is to understand one’s need for another to stand between them and God.  Jesus is that Mediator.  “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). 
 
One could easily begin in the Book of Acts and read through Revelation and see the warnings against sin.  It’s a common theme in the Word of God – man is a condemned sinner before a holy God.  Yet, it’s rare to hear sin so much as mentioned these days in the average pulpit.  Perhaps the preaching of wealth and prosperity has replaced it.  Perhaps some theologically correct position (wrongly applied, obviously) has replaced the preaching of sin and the preaching of the cross of Jesus Christ.  It honestly doesn’t matter what has taken its place, we need a return to the preaching of sin so that we can then rightly preach the Gospel.  Without the preaching of sin…without the preaching of the Savior from sin…people are not being saved.  Paul was clear enough, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” (Romans 1:16-18).  The Gospel is the means by which God has chosen to save sinners.  Yet, notice Paul’s reason for desiring to preach the Gospel – “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men”. 
 
One needs only look at the lifestyle of professing Christendom today to see that we have a problem.  In a 2015 Gallup poll, 75% of Americans identify with the Christian faith.  This would be laughable if it wasn’t so sad.  If 75% of Americans were Christian, the entire social and political landscape of our country would be radically different.  The fact that we have arguably the two most wicked candidates for President in our nation’s history should be enough proof to show that we aren’t 75% Christian.  The truly sad thing is that apparently some 75% have been convinced by somebody out there that they are a Christian and will be in Heaven one day.  Yet, clearly the vast majority of this 75% is completely devoid of any God honoring activity in their lives.  On the contrary, the vast majority of this 75% live lives that are opposed to God’s instruction in most every way.  Jesus said, “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit” (Matthew 12:33).  These words of the Savior Himself condemn the vast majority of people who profess Christ.  And yet, someone somewhere has convinced them they are a Christian in every sense.  Sadly, this is often a pastor whose preaching has eliminated both sin and the Savior from the pulpit.  
 
Preachers, people need to hear about their sin.  They need to hear of the crippling effects of it.  They need to hear that they are condemned before God because of their sin.  They need to hear that their sin merits them everlasting condemnation in the Lake of Fire if it isn’t dealt with.  They need to hear that Jesus came to save sinners.  They need to hear that He, being sinless Himself, died in the place of sinners.  They need to hear that He rose from the grave three days later because His sacrifice was sufficient to save.  If people in your church aren’t hearing that clear message, people aren’t being saved.  You may have “decisions”, “altar calls”, the repeating of prayers, etc. etc. etc.  But, without the preaching of the Gospel, people cannot be saved “for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”  
 
Pastor, if you are seeing “conversions” without any preaching of sin, what do you think they are converting from?  What are they repenting of?  Why do you think they see a need for Jesus?  Without a doubt, if people don’t see themselves as sinners, they are “turning” to Jesus for some reason other than they desire Him as Savior.  And if that is the case, whatever way they are “using Jesus” is insufficient to save them eternally from their sins. 
 
Preachers, preach on sin.  The eternity of those you have opportunity to minister unto depends on it.