Revival Sermon: The Holy Spirit in Revival
A Sermon on the Holy Spirit in Revival
Scripture
17¶ And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. 18And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and …
Sermon Description
What is a revival? In this sermon on the Holy Spirit in Revival from Genesis 26:17–18, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones answers that a revival is a work of the Holy Spirit wherein He moves amongst God’s people and unbelievers. The Holy Spirit is the one who works in God’s people to equip them and gift them for the work of spreading the gospel and building up the church. It is the Holy Spirit who gives the church apostles, preachers, and prophets. It is also the Holy Spirit who moves in the world to convict fallen sinners of their wicked ways and of their need of repentance. But one of the church’s greatest dangers is to quench the work of the Holy Spirit by denying His work. Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that one of the biggest problems with the church today is false teaching about the nature of the Holy Spirit’s work and ministry amongst the people of God. If the church is to be faithful and equipped to serve God, Christians must return to a doctrine of the Holy Spirit that recognizes His working and power in the world. This sermon has a message for both believers and unbelievers in that it calls all to recognize the grace of God in giving His Spirit to the world.
Sermon Breakdown
- The church is in a state of declincity and revival is desperately needed. The way to revival is not just prayer but removing the "rubbish of the Philistines" - false doctrines that have crept into the church.
- The Philistines deny or cast doubt on vital Christian doctrines like the sovereignty of God, the authority of Scripture, the sinfulness of man, and the person of Christ. These doctrines must be rediscovered for revival.
- The person of Christ is central to Christianity and revival. His deity, incarnation, miracles, resurrection, and ascension cannot be denied. Christ must be at the center of the church's life for revival.
- The atoning work of Christ - His death on the cross and shed blood - is also essential. The cross is the only way to enter God's presence, and the Holy Spirit honors and bears witness to this truth.
- The person and work of the Holy Spirit is crucial. He must not be ignored, seen as just an influence, or denied His place as shown in Scripture. Outpourings of the Spirit, or baptisms of the Spirit, are necessary for revival.
- Some deny baptisms of the Spirit by saying they are non-experiential, happened only at Pentecost, or that we should just focus on being filled with the Spirit. This quenches the Spirit.
- Others say we should not pray for revival because prophecy indicates the Spirit is being withdrawn and Christ's coming is imminent. But this view is based on a doubtful interpretation of Scripture.
- Many today deny the immediate and direct action of the Holy Spirit, saying He only works through the Word. But the book of Acts shows the Spirit speaking directly to and guiding the church. This activity of the Spirit has been lost, leading to the church's current state.
- Recent books on the Holy Spirit do not mention revival, showing many do not believe in revivals or the Spirit's extraordinary work. But revival has been God's means of pouring out His Spirit throughout church history.
- We must examine our doctrine of the Holy Spirit and be careful not to exclude His remarkable work of revival. We need to pray for Him to pour out His Spirit on the church.
Sermon Q&A
Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Revival: Questions and Answers
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the main obstacles to revival in the church?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the main obstacles to revival are the "work of the Philistines" who have filled the wells (representing spiritual sources) with rubbish. Specifically, he identifies these obstacles as:
- Denying or casting doubt upon vital doctrines of the faith
- Neglecting the transcendence and sovereignty of God
- Undermining the authority of the Bible
- Downplaying the doctrine of sin and man's condition under God's wrath
- Diminishing the person and work of Christ
- Quenching or ignoring the Holy Spirit
In his words: "The trouble still, as it always has been at such times of declincity, is due entirely to the work of the Philistines. And the immediate task of the church, therefore, if she is genuinely and truly concerned about revival, is to understand this and to get rid of this rubbish and earth which have been poured into the wells and which are choking the supply of water."
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones believe prayer alone is not sufficient for revival?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that while prayer is essential, certain conditions must be met before prayer can be effective for revival:
"The way to revival is not just to say, let's pray about it. Of course we've got to pray, and I hope to emphasize that and emphasize it tremendously. But what I am saying is this, that there is something we have to do before we pray, because there are certain conditions attached to prayer. To go on our knees and to utter words is not of necessity prayer."
He emphasizes that God can only be approached in certain ways and on certain conditions. The Holy Spirit, who brings revival, can only honor truth, not falsehood or denial of essential doctrines. Therefore, the church must first clear away false teaching and return to biblical truth before prayer for revival can be effective.
What role does the doctrine of Christ play in revival according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that Christ is absolutely central to revival. He states that in every historical revival, Christ has been the focal point:
"Take the great hymns that were written and became so popular 200 years ago... What's the great theme of these hymns? Well, the theme of them all is the Lord Jesus Christ... You get it in every revival. The favorite hymns that were sung 100 years ago in all the countries that were visited by revival were just these hymns about the person of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ."
He insists that any theology that diminishes Christ's deity, virgin birth, miracles, physical resurrection, or atonement hinders revival. Churches that place Christ in the background rather than the center cannot expect revival. The glorification of Christ is essential: "Revival, above everything else is a glorification of the Lord Jesus Christ, the son of God. It is the restoration of him to the center of the life of the church."
What misunderstandings about the Holy Spirit does Lloyd-Jones identify as hindering revival?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies several ways people "quench the Spirit" and hinder revival:
- Forgetting or ignoring the Holy Spirit altogether
- Regarding the Spirit merely as an influence rather than a person
- Denying the possibility of special outpourings or baptisms of the Spirit
- Claiming baptism of the Spirit is only non-experiential and happens at conversion
- Teaching that Pentecost was a one-time event that cannot be repeated
- Focusing only on "being filled with the Spirit" to the exclusion of special outpourings
- Using prophetic interpretations to claim the Spirit is being withdrawn and revival is impossible
- Limiting the Spirit's work only to what comes through the Word
He notes: "What so many are disputing and denying and ignoring is what I would call the immediate and direct action of the Holy Spirit... The living, powerful activity of the Spirit, the spirit coming directly, as it were, and controlling and leading and guiding and giving orders and indicating what was to be done, the Spirit descending upon. That's what you've always got in revival."
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasize the importance of the blood of Christ in revival?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that in every period of revival, there has been a tremendous focus on the blood of Christ and His atoning work on the cross. He states:
"You will find that in every period of revival, always without exception, there has been a tremendous emphasis upon the blood of Christ. The blood of Christ. Those have been the hymns that have been sung most of all in periods of revival."
He contrasts this with modern preachers who ridicule "this theology of blood." Lloyd-Jones argues that the very heart of the Christian gospel is the atonement - that Christ was made sin for us, that God laid our iniquity on Him, and that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins.
He believes that when the church diminishes the centrality of Christ's blood sacrifice, it loses its power: "There is no hope, I say, until we get rid of this work of the Philistines and clear out the rubbish that is concealing the most precious truth of all." In revival, the church returns to glorying in the cross and the redemptive work of Christ.
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.