If it is true, as the Bible, the older Confessions and Catechisms teach us, that sinners must be convicted of sin and receive new hearts; then why is it the case that this is so ignored in the modern day? Jesus taught that all must be turned and become as children to even enter the kingdom (Matthew 18:3). He also taught that the one who was humbled as a little child would be the greatest in the kingdom (Matthew 18:4). But again, why are these things so ignored today? Could it be that our very standards of orthodoxy are hiding these things from our eyes? The Pharisees had also developed a standard of orthodoxy that hid the truth from their eyes as well.
The standards of orthodoxy today have redefined justification by faith alone so that it is thought that conviction of sin is to add a work. But as has been shown in previous articles, that is not what the older Confessions and Catechisms teach us. In fact, they taught that conviction of sin is part of how the grace of God draws sinners to salvation. We have also swallowed whole the modern teaching that if we preach on sin too much we will run people away. We even say that we must preach Christ rather than pound people over their sin. It may be true that we are not to pound people over their sin, but that is far different than preaching on sin in the heart so that men and women will be deeply convicted of their sin in a way that can be used by the Spirit to draw them to Christ.
Expository preaching can also stand in the way of preaching on sin in a way that produces conviction of sin. Expository preaching can be an excuse for some not to preach on sin (“I preach the text”) while for others it may simply hide the issue. This happens when we are so interested in the text, what the words mean, and the context that we preach the text and never get to a real meaning of the text. Underneath each text the glory of God and the sinfulness of man are always there. It is not just that they are underneath, but in fact the glory of God in Christ is always the main point. If we are missing the main point of the glory of God in Christ, then we are going to miss man’s sin which is in opposition to God. Whatever else we are doing, if we are going to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ as it has been historically understood we must preach about the sin of human beings. If we have defined justification by faith alone in a way that gets in the way of preaching on sin, then we need to repent. If we have drawn back from preaching on sin because of fear that it will run people away, then we must repent. If our style of expository preaching has kept us from preaching on sin to the heart of sinners, then we must repent.
One way that God brought judgment on Israel was to give it priests and prophets who would not preach on sin. When external sin is not exposed, people go on in external sin. When internal sin is not exposed, people go on in internal and external sin. Listen to the words of Ezekiel 3:25 in the context of not preaching on sin: “As for you, son of man, they will put ropes on you and bind you with them so that you cannot go out among them. 26 “Moreover, I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be mute and cannot be a man who rebukes them, for they are a rebellious house.” What a judgment on the nation when God made the tongue of the prophet stick to his mouth so he could not rebuke them. They were a rebellious house and part of their punishment was to have a prophet that could not rebuke them. We can preach justification by faith alone and do that by expository preaching, and yet if we do not reach the heart of sinners with the news of their sin we have not truly declared the truth of who God is and of who man is in light of that.
Hear the words of Jeremiah: “How shall I admonish you? To what shall I compare you, O daughter of Jerusalem? To what shall I liken you as I comfort you, O virgin daughter of Zion? For your ruin is as vast as the sea; Who can heal you? 14 Your prophets have seen for you False and foolish visions; And they have not exposed your iniquity So as to restore you from captivity, But they have seen for you false and misleading oracles?” (Lamentations 2:13). When a positive form of Christianity is preached it is nothing different from the Old Testament prophets who preached false and foolish visions. When they did that, they did not expose the iniquity of the people. They preached a positive message that the people wanted to hear but they did not preach what God commanded and so the people were left in bondage. The same thing is true today. People are in bondage to their sin and the devil and we have “preachers” who will not deal with the sinful hearts of the people. Instead they say soothing things of how much God loves them and not mention the sin. But as long as they do not expose the sin and tell people of true repentance, the people will remain in bondage to their sins. Sure they may hang around and tithe as long as the “preacher” declares soothing things, but that is not what the Lord commands. This is not conducive to conversion.
The prophet Jeremiah gives us the words of God on this: “But if they had stood in My council, Then they would have announced My words to My people, And would have turned them back from their evil way And from the evil of their deeds” (23:22). A preacher is to be one that declares the words of God. But the Word of God tells us that sinners are born dead in sins and trespasses and that they must have new hearts. The Word of God tells us that sinners have proud and stubborn hearts. It tells us that all men are given over to pride and sin and that all fall short of His glory. We are also told that men must repent or they will perish. The teaching and preaching on sin is not an option if we are going to listen to the council of God and declare His words to the people. If we are to be faithful to the Word of God in terms of preaching the Gospel to the unsaved and the saved alike, we must deal with the sin of the hearts of people. We must preach in a way that brings conviction of sin if the Spirit is pleased to do so. How are the churches going to be salt and light if it does nothing but preach the positive things?
When preachers will not preach on sin and on sin in such a way that opens the hearts of people to themselves, they are not just shirking their duty, but they are encouraging the wicked as Ezekiel 13:22 tells us: “Because you disheartened the righteous with falsehood when I did not cause him grief, but have encouraged the wicked not to turn from his wicked way and preserve his life.” Perhaps the hearts of the people are not reached because the hearts of preachers have not been reached. Perhaps the hearts of people are not opened because the hearts of the preachers have not been opened. Perhaps the people don’t want the sins of their hearts opened to them and the preacher does not want the sin of his heart opened either. If the sin of the heart is not opened up then the wicked are encouraged not to turn from their wicked ways. It is hard to hear, but it could be that a major problem in our nation is that preachers are encouraging the wicked in their sin. The problem is perhaps not so much with the world but with the professing Church that is not doing its duty to expose sin from the pulpit.
While this particular series is on conversion, we are not far off the path of that subject. What happens when preachers do not try to expose the heart of sinners to themselves? What happens when the message of the Gospel is close to orthodox but not quite there? What happens when preachers preach expository messages but do not get to the hearts of sinners in exposing their sin? It leads to the same situation that Jeremiah speaks about: “Behold, you are trusting in deceptive words to no avail. 9 “Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery and swear falsely, and offer sacrifices to Baal and walk after other gods that you have not known, 10 then come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’– that you may do all these abominations?” (7:8-10). When we cast the Ten Commandments aside and simply preach what we call “a simple Gospel” or “a simple message of Christ,” we are causing people to trust in deceptive words. If we are not preaching the nature of sin when we preach what we think is the Gospel, then we are providing ways for people to break the commandments and to follow idols and then come to church and say that “we are delivered.”
Apart from a true conviction of sin and a true conversion of soul people are left in the pews with something very close to an orthodox message of the Gospel, will not hear much of sin, but they hear expository sermons that are filled with historical references, good illustrations, catchy stories, and a lot about what words mean. But their hearts are left untouched and so they are able to steal in legal ways, murder in their hearts, commit adultery in their hearts before their computers and magazines, and offer sacrifices to other gods (greed and the love of money are idolatry) while smiling on Sunday morning and thinking that they are saved. As long as people say a prayer and make a relatively orthodox profession, we assume that God has saved them. They are trusting in deceptive words and the deceptive words are those of preachers. The nation of Israel was led astray and left in its sin by its priests and prophets and the professing Church has been led astray and left in its sin by its preachers and its scholars.
What is the only real answer even in this very dark hour? What must be done? Isaiah 58:1 points the way: “Cry loudly, do not hold back; Raise your voice like a trumpet, And declare to My people their transgression And to the house of Jacob their sins.” We need to think again about what the orthodox Gospel and conversion really are. We have turned from what was taught in Scripture and history. We have to think again about preaching God’s glory and on sin even if people leave. We will have to think again about what true preaching is. Expository preaching can be a method of avoiding the truth and hiding behind the words of the Bible. The only real answer is to be broken in heart before God and to return to His methods and His words. The Word of God must be preached to the hearts of sinners so that they will see their wickedness and their sin. We must get back to preaching what true conversion is and leave the results to God. We must listen and bow to God rather than the polls and the “experts.”
God Loves... Himself 
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