Revival Sermon: O Wouldest Thou Rend the Heavens
A Sermon on Isaiah 64:1
Scripture
1Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,
Sermon Description
What ought to be the prayer of God’s people in all times? It is the prayer that God would come down and save His people. It is the prayer that God would deliver His people from suffering and persecution. It is the prayer that God would save sinners and make them spotless children of God. In this sermon on Isaiah 64:1 titled “Revival Sermon: O Wouldst Thou Rend the Heavens,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches on the need for God’s people to always pray for God to show mercy and compassion to His people. The church should pray this prayer in faith and belief that God is as loving and good as He has told them He is. It is a prayer that relies on the absolute greatness of God to be what He has said He will. The church can know that in the midst of a world that is hostile to God and His people, God is always for them in His Son, Jesus Christ. This sermon encourages both believers and unbelievers to turn away from doubt and unbelief, and to trust in God who is always faithful. This sermon tells of human sin, but most of all, it speaks of God who is gracious and who has sent His Son to redeem all things.
Sermon Breakdown
- The prophet Isaiah offers a prayer for revival and renewal in Isaiah 64.
- The prayer contains two petitions - for God to look upon his people again with favor and for God to rend the heavens and come down in power.
- True prayer is characterized by urgency, pleading, and persistence. It means taking hold of God and not letting go.
- Revival is God coming down in an unusual and extraordinary way, displaying his presence, glory and power. It is over and above the normal working of the church.
- Isaiah looks back at how God moved in the past, like at Mount Sinai, to gain encouragement for praying for revival. God is still the same God who can rend the heavens.
- We must realize the power and might of God in order to pray bold prayers. God can melt mountains and shake the foundations of the earth.
- We must pray that God would act to make his name known to his adversaries and cause the nations to tremble at his presence. The world does not know God.
- We must pray out of a concern for the state of the church and a desire for God's glory. The church has declined and the world blasphemes God.
- We have encouragement to pray bold prayers from what God has done in the past, the possibilities of what God can do, the promises of God, and the gracious character of God.
- God has done surprising and unexpected things in the past, like the exodus, provision in the wilderness, and the resurrection of Jesus. He is the God of the impossible.
- The possibilities of what God can do are unlimited. No eye has seen nor ear heard what God has prepared for those who love him. We can never ask too much of God.
- God has promised to meet with those who seek him, rejoice in him, and wait for him. If we seek him with all our heart, we will find him.
- Although God may be displeased with our sin, his anger is temporary but his mercy and compassion are everlasting. We can hold onto his mercy and grace.
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.