Should the Pastor Preach Against the Sins of His Congregation?

Of course. And of course not. The sermon is that part of the service where God’s Word exposes our failures, and proclaims Christ’s provision. The end is not the sin, but neither can the sin be ignored. We do not preach simply to tell the congregation, “Stop it. Try harder. This is the right way to go.” Rather we preach to tell the congregation, “Stop trying harder. Jesus already went this way.” That is, we want to face our sins, give thanks for the forgiveness of our sins, and in gratitude seek to follow the royal law of love. As such we do indeed preach sin. The notion that we hide their sins from the flock, so as not to offend, to keep them from leaving the church is pure folly. No church has enough musical skill, no pastor enough entertaining style, no coffee shop enough tasty coffee to keep the crowds coming. What we have are the words of eternal life, which begin with Repent, and end with and believe the gospel. Read more