Revival Sermon: Glory Concealed
A Sermon on Exodus 33:18-23
Scripture
18And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. 19And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on …
Sermon Description
In this sermon on Exodus 33:18–23 titled “Revival Sermon: Glory Concealed,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones reminds the listener of what the ultimate motivation should be for revival as Christians. It should never be for the sake of a large number of converts, or fame and glory, but for the glory of God. Moses asked the Lord to reveal His glory to him and in response, God revealed Himself in His own way. As Moses is hid within the cleft of the rock, God both reveals and conceals, blesses and protects. He is always doing these four things when He reveals Himself to His people. In Christianity, God reveals His glory in the face of Jesus Christ. Therefore, a Christian is someone who grasps the fact that God has revealed His glory in the face of Jesus Christ and all those who are called by God have beheld His glory. When Christ came to earth, He was concealed in the flesh, and yet He did not leave any of His glory behind. He was not any less God. Believers can be encouraged and filled with great hope in remembering that like Moses, they are in the cleft of the rock, which is in Christ Jesus.
Sermon Breakdown
- The ultimate motive for desiring revival and praying for it is the glory of God.
- What God does in revival is to grant us the petition of Moses: "Show me thy glory."
- God does this in an extraordinary manner. Though Moses cannot see God's face, God passes by and allows Moses a glimpse of His glory.
- The great lesson learned in revival is the goodness of God. His attributes of mercy, grace, kindness, compassion, righteousness, and sovereignty are displayed.
- The principles in Exodus 33 govern all of God's manifestations to His people. There is a combination of revealing and concealing, blessing and protecting.
- These principles are fulfilled in the New Testament through Jesus Christ. God reveals His glory in the face of Jesus Christ.
- No one can see God's face and live. God is only known through Jesus Christ.
- Jesus Christ came incognito but was still fully God. He concealed His glory by coming as a servant in human likeness.
- Jesus' miracles, transfiguration, and words revealed His glory though He appeared as a man. His death showed His glory and divinity.
- Revival is when the Holy Spirit makes the glory of God in Christ exceptionally clear and real to the church. There is a renewed sense of His majesty, goodness, and work on the cross.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Sermon Questions on Exodus 33:18-23
What is the ultimate motive for desiring revival according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the ultimate motive for desiring revival is the glory of God. He emphasizes, "the first reason for desiring revival is not that a large number of people may be converted. That is a motive. But it is not the first motive. It is not the greatest motive. It should never be the chiefest motive in evangelism. The motive is the glory of God and the desire to see God's glory manifested." He summarizes this in Moses' petition, "Show me thy glory."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones define what a Christian truly is?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones defines a Christian as someone who has realized that God has revealed His glory in the face of Jesus Christ. He rejects common definitions like "a good man," "someone who's had a marvelous experience," or "someone whose life has been entirely changed." Instead, he states: "A Christian is a man who believes that...God has given this manifestation of his glory in the face of Jesus Christ. Not a change of life or habits or of behavior, not merely being religious, not merely attempting to worship. No, no. It is the realization that God has done this, has given this manifestation of his glory in the face of Jesus Christ."
What are the two main principles Lloyd-Jones identifies in how God reveals His glory?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies two main principles in how God reveals His glory: 1. There is a combination of revealing and concealing - "God is revealing, yes, but at the same time he's concealing." 2. At the same time, God is both blessing and protecting - "There is obviously this great element of blessing here. Yes, but at the same time, God is protecting Moses." He calls this "the great paradox of the Bible" where these four elements (revealing, concealing, blessing, and protecting) happen simultaneously.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones connect the Moses experience in Exodus 33 to Jesus Christ?
Lloyd-Jones explains that the Exodus 33 account serves as a prophecy of Christ. Just as God revealed His glory to Moses in a specific way (in the cleft of the rock), God fully reveals His glory in Jesus Christ. He cites 2 Corinthians 4:6: "God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." He shows how Christ both concealed His glory (by coming as a man) and revealed it (through His words, miracles, death, and resurrection) - mirroring the paradox in Moses' experience.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say is the meaning of Christ's death on the cross in relation to the Exodus passage?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that Christ's death on the cross represents our protection against the glory, holiness, righteousness, justice, and wrath of God against sin - just as Moses needed protection in the cleft of the rock. He quotes Augustus Toplady's hymn "Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee" to illustrate this point. He explains: "That is the meaning of the cross, and the death upon the cross... The hand of God is upon him, and he's safe. That's the meaning of the death upon the cross. It is this protection without which we would be undone."
According to the sermon, what happens during a time of revival?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, during revival "the great character of God is made evident. His great attributes are displayed, his mercy, his long suffering, his graciousness, his kindness, his compassion. Yes, and his righteousness. And above all, his sovereignty." He describes revival as "a period in the history of the church when the things of which I've just been reminding you become the greatest reality in the world to God's people." During revival, the Holy Spirit gives believers "an exceptional glimpse of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ," causing the church to be filled with thanksgiving and praise, particularly focused on Christ's death on the cross.
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.