What The World Needs Most
As one looks about and views the condition of world affairs it becomes obvious that the world NEEDS something. But what does the world need most? We could name many things that would help the world situation but there is ONE thing that the world needs more than anything else. I believe that the world needs, more than anything else, a sense of sin. A recognition of sin in all. The world needs to be made to feel the GUILT of sin. Until this happens there is no possibility of a change. So long as a person does not feel that he is in sin there is no feeling of guilt and therefore no need for a change in life.
The moral standard has been lowered considerably in the last few years. Society engages in, and condones practices today that would, a few years ago, have made social outcasts out of those participating. Things condemned and frowned upon a decade or two ago are tolerated, and even encouraged today. The modern motto seems to be, "I don't see anything wrong in that." Many books and magazines are filled with filth. We see sin winked at in movies and on television. It is ignored in many pulpits. There is little or no effort being made to cause people to see wrong in anything.
God's Word
God's word is designed to produce a sense of sin; a realization of the guilt of sin. When the word of God was preached on the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Christ the people "were pricked in their heat". And then ask, "What shall we do?" (Acts 2:37.) Do you know why these people were pricked in their heart? It was because the truth had been told them. They were told that they had crucified the Son of God. They were made to feel their own guilt. Any time God's word is faithfully preached it will produce this feeling of guiltiness. Someone may say we have more preachers today than ever before, why, then, do not more people feel their guilt of sin? I am persuaded that too much of the preaching today is "watered-down" and clothed in enticing words and pretty speeches.
Many preachers are so sorely afraid that they will offend someone that they preach in such a way that the people are not made to feel that they are guilty and need to do anything. "Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?" (Gal. 4:16.) Paul one time said, "For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet please men. I should not be the servant of Christ." (Gal. 1:10.) Preachers must never allow public reaction to temper their preaching. "Preach the Word" should be the motto of every preacher. "The word of God is quick and powerful. and sharper than any two edged sword ... ." (Heb. 4:12.) Yes, when the word of God is preached the people will be cut to the "quick". As in Acts 2 they "were pricked in their hearts". Some one has well said that a preachers work is twofold. 1 — To comfort the afflicted. and 2 — To afflict the comforted.
When the word of God is proclaimed in it's fullness and in it's simplicity the hearers will realize that they are sinners and stand condemned to a devil's hell if they don't change their lives. Then they will ask what shall we do.
It is a waste of time to tell self-satisfied persons what to do to be saved. They do not think they are lost. We must first convince them that they are lost and therefore need to be saved. We can preach the love of God, His mercy and grace. However, there is another thing calculated to lead people to repentance. Paul said, "Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; .. . ." (II Cor. 5:11.) More "hell fire and damnation" preaching is needed. Peter told the people on Pentecost that they had "by wicked hands" "crucified and slain" Jesus Christ. We need that kind of preaching today.
Tell Them What They Must Do
In many instances the honest soul is not told what to do in order to be saved. Those Jews on Pentecost were told that they must believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and that He had been raised from the dead and was exalted at the right hand of God. Some preachers would have hesitated to have preached such a sermon to the very people who had just a few days before "slain" the Lord. But faith is essential to salvation. (Heb. 11:6.) "But without faith it is impossible to please him . . . ." But "faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17.)
When these people were convinced that it was the Son of God that they had crucified, they wanted to know what to do about it. The answer was, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins . . . ." (Acts 2:38.) From this we learn that those in the world who are lead to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God must repent and be baptized in order that they may enjoy forgiveness of their sins.
The burden of our preaching is to get people to realize that they are sinners. Until this happens they are not going to repent. Some have stated that it is difficult to get people to repent. Maybe so. But I am convinced that if we can convict people of being sinners they will want to repent. Therefore, the world needs more plain, strait-forward, and simple preaching of the truth.