D.L. Moody emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit in convicting individuals of their sins to guide them towards a better life. He points out that many people resist this conviction, preferring comforting messages that ignore their faults and promote a false sense of improvement in the world. Moody critiques the prideful belief that humanity is inherently better than previous generations, highlighting the danger of ignoring God's laws. He asserts that true preaching, empowered by the Holy Spirit, confronts sin, particularly the sin of unbelief in Christ. Ultimately, Moody calls for a recognition of the Spirit's work in revealing our need for repentance and faith.

The Holy Spirit tells a man of his faults in order to lead him to a better life. In John 16:8 we read: "He is to reprove the world of sin." Now, there are a class of people who don’t like this part of the Spirit’s work. Do you know why? Because He convicts them of sin; they don’t like that. What they want is some one to speak comforting words and make everything pleasant; keep everything all quiet; tell them there is peace when there is war; tell them it is light when it is dark, and tell them everything is growing better; that the world is getting on amazingly in goodness; that it is growing better all the time; that is the kind of preaching they seek for. Men think they are a great deal better than their fathers were. That suits human nature, for it is full of pride. Men will strut around and say, "Yes, I believe that; the world is improving; I am a good deal better man than father was; my father was too strict; he was one of those old Puritanical men who was so rigid. O, we are getting on; we are more liberal; my father wouldn’t think of going our riding on Sunday, but we will; we will trample the laws of God under our feet; we are better than our fathers." This is the kind of preaching which some dearly love, and there are preachers who tickle such itching ears. When you bring the Word of God to bear upon them, and when the Spirit drives it home, then men will say: "I don’t like that kind of preaching; I will never go to hear that man again;" and sometimes they will get up and stamp their way out of church before the speaker gets through; they don’t like it. But when the Spirit of God is at work he convicts men of sin. "When He comes He will reprove the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment; of sin" - not because men swear and lie and steal and get drunk and murder - "of sin because they believe not on Me."