Revival Sermon: Why We Should Pray for Revival
A Sermon on Exodus 33:12-17
Scripture
12¶ And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. 13 …
Sermon Description
In this sermon on Exodus 33:12–17 titled “Why We Should Pray for Revival,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones speaks about the vital matter of revival among God’s people and how it must be brought to the Lord in prayer. Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out the powerful example in the way Moses prayed to God in Exodus 33:12–17. Moses’s motives were clear when he approached the Lord: a concern for the glory of God and His honor, his concern for the children of Israel, and his agony of their sin. All God’s servants pray, and should pray, with these motives. There is no hope for revival until Christians forget themselves and begin to be concerned with the church. How often do Christians pray for the church? Their main concern should be God and His glory. They must stop thinking of the church as a gathering of institutions and organizations, and get back to thinking they are the people of God. Dr. Lloyd-Jones also shares the way in which Moses boldly prayed. He prayed with confidence, no hesitation in sight, and was assured of God’s nearness. He was direct and orderly in what He was asking the Lord to do, reasoning and pleading, and reminding Him of His promises. The Christian must be like a child speaking to their Father, pleading with Him because of His own name’s sake.
Sermon Breakdown
- Moses prayed for God's glory and honor.
- Moses prayed for the church, God's people.
- Moses prayed for the heathen nations outside.
- Moses prayed with boldness and confidence.
- Moses reasoned and argued with God in prayer.
- Moses was specific and direct in his petitions.
- Moses prayed with urgency and persistence.
Sermon Q&A
Questions and Answers about Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on Exodus 33:12-17
What is the primary focus of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' sermon on Exodus 33:12-17?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones focuses on Moses' prayer for revival, examining what Moses prayed for, why he prayed for it, and how he prayed. The sermon explores how Moses' intercession serves as a model for the church to pray for revival in modern times. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that we need to study the patterns of biblical prayer for revival to understand how to approach God during times of spiritual decline.
What three things did Moses pray for according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Moses prayed for: 1) personal assurance for himself, 2) power for himself and the people, and 3) exceptional, unusual authentication of the church and her message. Moses wasn't content with ordinary blessings but felt that the situation was so urgent that they needed special authentication from God that they were indeed His people.
What were the three main motives behind Moses' prayer for revival?
The three main motives behind Moses' prayer were: 1) concern for the glory of God - that God's name and honor would be vindicated, 2) concern for the honor of the church (the children of Israel) as God's people, and 3) concern for the heathen outside who needed to see God's power demonstrated so they might be convinced of His reality.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones criticize the contemporary church's approach to prayer?
Lloyd-Jones criticizes the church for having prayers that are too subjective and self-centered. He notes that modern Christians focus primarily on personal needs, problems, and blessings, rarely extending beyond themselves and their families to pray for the church as a whole. He laments that the church has become concerned about statistics, finances, and organization rather than God's glory, and views God merely as "an agency to supply an answer" to personal problems.
What characteristics of effective prayer does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify in Moses' example?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies several characteristics of effective prayer in Moses' example: 1) boldness and holy confidence before God, 2) reasoning and arguing with God based on His own promises, 3) orderliness and directness with specific petitions rather than vague generalities, and 4) urgency - refusing to let go until God answers, similar to Jacob wrestling with God.
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones believe Christians can approach God with boldness in prayer?
Lloyd-Jones teaches that Christians can approach God with boldness because of Jesus Christ, our great High Priest. Quoting Hebrews 4, he explains that Jesus has passed through the heavens and can be touched with our infirmities. It is only through Christ's blood that we have right of entry into God's presence. This relationship allows us to approach God not as subjects under law but as children to a Father.
What historical event is Dr. Lloyd-Jones referring to when he mentions "1859"?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones is referring to the great revival of 1859, which saw a mighty outpouring of God's Spirit in the United States, Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and other places. He mentions that many Christians in his time were commemorating this revival that had occurred 100 years earlier, using it as an opportunity to study the biblical principles of revival.
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, what is "the whole secret of prayer"?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones suggests that "the whole secret of prayer" is to plead God's own promises back to Him. He quotes Thomas Goodwin's phrase to "sue Him for it," meaning to persistently remind God of what He has promised to do. Lloyd-Jones says God delights to hear His children quoting His own words back to Him, and that this pleases Him as a father is pleased when his child listens to and recalls what he has said.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones define revival in this sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones defines revival as "a mighty outpouring of God's Spirit" and indicates it is "the only hope for the Christian church." He describes it as God doing something exceptional and unusual that authenticates the church and her message before the world. Revival is when God manifests His presence and power in such a way that both the church is revitalized and outsiders are confronted with the reality of God.
What example does Dr. Lloyd-Jones give of an ordinary person God used to spark revival?
At the end of his sermon, Dr. Lloyd-Jones mentions James McQuilkin, a relatively unknown man whom God used in the revival in Northern Ireland a hundred years earlier (1859). Lloyd-Jones points to him as evidence that God doesn't only use exceptional people like Moses, but can use "mere nobodies" as instruments for revival, suggesting "it can be any one of us."
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.