Revival Sermon: Sovereignty of God in Revival

A Sermon on the Sovereignty of God in Revival from Exodus 33:18-23

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Scripture

Exodus 33:18-23 ESV KJV

Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” …

Sermon Description

Revivals are exceptional and unusual. They are rare moments in which God’s glory passes by in an especially sensible way. In this sermon on the sovereignty of God in revival from Exodus 33:18–23, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones points out that Moses experienced a moment like this on the top of Mt. Sinai where he was able to know the character of God. There may be times when Christians are drawn towards the spectacular—this is innate in human beings. Dr. Lloyd-Jones challenges the listener not to seek the spectacle that comes with revival, but rather to seek to know the character of God. Dr. Lloyd-Jones gives a helpful overview of the various names of God in order to show how they inform who God is. For instance, when God calls Himself “I AM,” He declares Himself as the self-existent, everlasting One. God establishes a covenant with His people, and it is based completely upon who He is. He is the righteous redeemer who loves His own. By His grace and in His sovereignty, God chooses when revival comes, where it comes, and to whom it comes. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones preaches on the sovereignty of God in revival.

Sermon Breakdown

Moses asked to see God's glory. God said he would show Moses his goodness by proclaiming his name.
God's glory is chiefly manifested through his goodness, which reveals his character and attributes. Our greatest need is to know God's character.
God revealed himself through his names like Jehovah, which means the self-existent one, eternal, unchangeable, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent. God chose to reveal himself and make covenants with man. Jehovah is the name of God as redeemer.
The first thing God's goodness reveals is his holiness. His hatred of sin and judgment on it. He is righteous and will punish sin.
God also reveals his love, mercy, compassion, and purpose to redeem his people. He forgives sin but will not clear the guilty. The cross of Christ shows how God can be just and merciful.
God's goodness also reveals his sovereignty. He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy. Salvation is by grace alone. Revivals show God's sovereignty in the timing, location, methods, and ending.
We cannot fully understand God's judgments and ways. We must simply trust in his wisdom and grace. All things are through him and to him.

Revival Sermons

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.