Revival
A Sermon on Ephesians 4:4-6
Originally preached June 9, 1957
Scripture
4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Sermon Description
Many Christians today are praying for revival. What is it and what is the role of the Holy Spirit in it? Is revival something that is predictable? In this sermon from Ephesians 4:4–6 titled “Revival,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones tackles these questions and more. “The one supreme need of the church,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones says, “is revival.” It is its only hope. He defines revival as the repetition (to some degree) of what happened at Pentecost, where the Holy Spirit fell on a number of people at the same time. According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, revival serves two purposes: it raises the church to a new level of experience and it brings those outside the church to repentance. Many Christians are wary of deep emotions in their Christian walk, and thus are somewhat afraid of revival. But is this biblical? In addition to walking through biblical support for revival, Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds that “the history of the church is a history of revivals.” What does the history of revivals teach? Ultimately, it shows that they are a work of God, not of humanity, and that it is the responsibility of Christians to pray earnestly for them. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones answers common questions related to revival and its place in the life of the church.
Sermon Breakdown
- There are those who disapprove of revival and believe it should not be preached about or sought.
- Revival is a repetition of what happened at Pentecost - an outpouring of the Spirit on a group of people.
- Revival lifts the church to a new level of experience and understanding and brings outsiders into a saving knowledge of Christ.
- You can't announce or schedule a revival. It is a sovereign work of the Spirit.
- Revival is God's way of keeping His work alive and proves the supernatural character of the church.
- Church history is a history of ups and downs, revivals and their waning. Revival is the only hope for the church.
- Revivals are identical no matter when or where they happen because they are the work of the same Spirit.
- Revivals happen suddenly and unexpectedly. They are not the work of man but of the Spirit.
- God often uses humble, inconspicuous men in revivals to show it is His work, not man's.
- Revivals give believers new clarity of understanding, joy, assurance and a desire to share with others.
- Revivals produce unity of the Spirit through understanding, not dismissing doctrine.
- Revivals convict and convert even those thought unreachable by human means.
- Revivals attract people to the church in a way no advertising can. People come seeking to understand.
- To seek revival we must realize our impotence and need for God, be of one accord in doctrine and prayer.
- Our duty is to pray for revival. When it comes, more will happen in a day than in years of ordinary church work.
The Book of Ephesians
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.