A preacher once delivered a powerful sermon against the evils of betting, only to find out later that one of the men in his church was a serious gambler. The preacher called the man and explained that his sermon was not meant to be a personal attack against him. The man replied, “Don’t worry about it. It’s a pretty poor sermon that doesn’t hit me somewhere.”

Most sermons do hit someone somewhere.

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”—Hebrews 4:12.