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.
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.