Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. Isaiah 58:1
A man came to his preacher one day and asked that the minister to quit speaking of sin so often. He suggested that the preacher might use the words, “mistake, error, human frailty,” in place of the word sin. The preacher had some poison in the building used to kill rats. He pulled it from a closet and said, “Sir, would you propose that I change the skull and crossbones on this jar of poison and put on it a label which reads,”Harmless,” or, “Wintergreen.” The visiting layman answered, “Why, no, that is poison. To mislabel it might lead some unsuspecting person to ingest it and die.”
“Exactly,” said the preacher, “The devil has led our generation to take the danger label off sin and paint it as something acceptable and millions are dying only to end up in an eternal hell.”
“Exactly,” said the preacher, “The devil has led our generation to take the danger label off sin and paint it as something acceptable and millions are dying only to end up in an eternal hell.”
This is a good reminder that sin must be defined, described, and denounced. It is a deadly enemy that is to be dreaded. In this day when easy-going, pussy-footing, crowd-pleasing, compromising preachers are more interested in entertainment than they are in edification, we need bold men with a backbone of steel and the courage of a lion to stand up in the face of the world and tell it like it is. Where are they? Sadly, most preachers today are more concerned about pleasing people than they are about pleasing God. I want to vomit when I hear all that talk about bringing out the “champion with-in you”. We need to hear more preaching about getting the corruption out.
I realize that the truth isn’t always popular, but it is ever profitable. Before sinful man ever turns to God he must see himself as he is, and it’s not a pretty picture! To see the natural man as he appears to God is a horrid thing. A rebellious person is repulsive to God. Indeed, God loves the world, but the only grounds upon which man can be reconcilied to God is the sacrifice of Christ. We don’t do people any favor by leaving the impression that they are fine when they’re not. Until he sees himself as a sinner he will never truly turn to Christ. That’s why Paul wrote these words–“that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.”(Romans 7:13). The law reveals God’s righteous standard and makes us aware of our sinfulness. It is “our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”(Galatians 3:24). Man will never see the gospel as good news until he becomes aware of the bad news–“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”(Romans 3:23).
Let’s pray that God will raise up an army of men who will raise a ruckus in the pulpit, by preaching hell hot, and heaven wonderful, and the blood sufficent for our salvation. Sugar-coating the message hasn’t worked in the past and it won’t work now or ever. It’s the truth that sets men free! Think about it!
