Preach the Law of God to drive the lost to Christ

One of the greatest tragedies within many churches today is the idea that the Law of God doesn’t have any place within the messages that are preached.  We often hear the word “sin” within those sermons but fail to hear it defined as adultery, theft, gossip, covetousness, hypocrisy or anything which the Bible clearly says it is. 

Mathew 5: 18-19, “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

The law of God is pure and has a specific purpose within preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  This purpose is often ignored as to keep from offending those within the congregation who might be living in a particular sin. 

How can someone repent of their sins if they never hear what sin is?  Notice the verse from Romans 3.  “for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” 

Romans 3: 20, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

The preaching of the Law exposes the sins within the lives of those who hear.  It removes self-righteousness and humbles the individual.  It lays open the hardened ground of the heart and prepares it for the seed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Galatians 3: 24, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”

Many people reading this will say that we do not live under law but under grace.  That is very true, but the Law of God is still very important and cannot be ignored when preaching the Gospel. 

Preaching the Law shows us God’s standards and how far we have fallen from them.  The Law is God’s clear judgement of sin which points us to the only hope we have, Jesus Christ.  As Paul wrote in Galatians it is our schoolmaster that leads us to Christ. 

Read the sermons preached by the Apostles and others in the New Testament and see how the Law was used to open the way for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Those sermons would not be accepted today in most churches. 

We have gotten to the point in our culture today that we don’t want to be seen as judgmental and offensive to people around us which is why there is so little preaching of the Law today.  Sometimes those harsh sermons hit the person responsible for delivering them the hardest and that is why they are avoided.  The bitter medicine given by the physician is intended to help us even though we do not like the taste. 

If the preacher begins to preach the Law and the importance of holy living, there will be many within the church that will leave and find someone who will preach to them the things they want to hear.  However, we must be faithful to the Lord and not to men. 

Please take a moment to look into your own life and ask the Lord to remove anything that is keeping you from being faithful to Him.