What Does Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Mean by "Revival" in His Sermon?

What is the difference between revival and an evangelistic campaign according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the difference is fundamental. An evangelistic campaign is "the church deciding to do something with respect to those who are outside," while a revival is "something that is done to the church, something that happens to the church." Evangelistic campaigns focus mainly on those outside the church, whereas revival primarily affects those inside the church. He emphasizes that you cannot "hold a revival" (as some mistakenly announce) because revival is not something the church organizes but something God does to the church. He notes that evangelistic campaigns may even leave churches worse off, as many suffer from what he calls "post-evangelistic campaign exhaustion."

What were the 12 stones at Gilgal meant to represent according to Joshua 4?

The 12 stones at Gilgal were set up as a memorial to commemorate God's miraculous intervention when He divided the waters of Jordan, allowing the Israelites to cross over on dry land. As explained in Joshua 4:21-24, these stones served as a reminder of God's mighty acts so that when future generations asked, "What mean these stones?", they would be told about God's power in dividing both the Jordan River and earlier the Red Sea. The purpose was "that all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty" and that the Israelites themselves "might fear the Lord your God forever."

Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones believe people need tangible reminders of God's works?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones believes people need tangible reminders because of our tendency to forget even the most remarkable events. He attributes this to:

1. The devastating effects of sin that "puts a paralysis upon the mind and even upon the memory"
2. Our self-absorption with our current age and activities
3. The modern feeling that the past cannot help us
4. Our subjective approach to Scripture where we read the Bible only for personal help rather than to objectively see "God acting in history and intervening"

He points to communion as another example of this principle—Christ ordained it because we would even forget "the death of the son of God for us" without such a reminder.

What are the key characteristics of genuine revival according to Lloyd-Jones?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, genuine revival has these characteristics:

1. The Holy Spirit "comes down upon a number of people together" like a visitation or outpouring
2. Christians become aware of God's presence and power in an unprecedented way
3. Spiritual realities become clear to believers in a new way - "things that I was so familiar with stood out in letters of gold"
4. People gain a deeper realization of God's holiness and glory
5. This leads to a profound sense of sin, guilt, and helplessness before God
6. They then receive a clearer view of God's love and Christ's sacrifice
7. The gospel becomes personal and real - "He died for me"
8. Believers become absorbed with spiritual matters as their main interest
9. Prayer meetings and gatherings increase, often lasting for hours
10. Christians develop an urgent concern for the unconverted
11. The revival spreads beyond the church as outsiders are drawn in
12. Conversions happen even outside of meetings as the Spirit works throughout an area
13. There's a mixture of conviction of sin alongside great joy and praise

Why does Lloyd-Jones say 1959 is significant for discussing revival?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones notes that 1959 is significant because it marks the centenary of the great revival of 1859. He sees this anniversary year as providential for focusing attention on revival, comparing it to the stones at Gilgal. The commemoration through "centenary meetings... books and pamphlets and articles" serves to make people ask, "What mean these stones?" This creates an opportunity to study what happened in 1859 and to discover "the great principles that underlie this matter" of revival. Lloyd-Jones believes this historical reflection should not be merely "antiquarian" but "utilitarian"—studying past revivals to understand what we should be "seeking and praying for in our own day and generation."

What historical examples of revival does Lloyd-Jones mention in his sermon?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones mentions several historical revivals:

1. The religious revival associated with John Wycliffe and the Lollards in England
2. The movement connected to John Huss in Moravia (now Czechoslovakia)
3. The revival among the Waldensians in northern Italy
4. The movement associated with John Taller, "a priest and a preacher in the Roman Catholic Church"
5. The Protestant Reformation, which Lloyd-Jones emphasizes "was a revival as well as a reformation"
6. The great evangelical Awakening of the 18th century associated with "Whitfield and the Wesleys"
7. Revivals at "the close of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th" century
8. The 1857-59 revival that occurred in "America, Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Sweden, and in other parts of the world"

What did Jonathan Edwards say about the revival in Northampton in 1735?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones quotes Jonathan Edwards's description of the Northampton revival as creating "a glorious alteration in the town" where it "seemed to be full of the presence of God." Edwards described it as never being "so full of love nor so full of joy and yet so full of distress." There were "remarkable tokens of God's presence in almost every house" with families rejoicing over salvation coming to them. Church services were transformed—"God's day was a delight," the congregation was "alive in God's service," and hearers were "eager to drink in the words of the minister." The assembly was frequently in tears during preaching, with some weeping from "sorrow and distress," others with "joy and love," and others with concern for their neighbors' souls.

What does Lloyd-Jones identify as the most important need for the church in his day?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones states emphatically that "there is no more important subject for the christian church at this present hour than this very question of the need of revival." He declares it is "second to none" and that "the greatest need of the hour is that the thoughts and the minds and the prayers of christian people everywhere throughout the world should be channeled and directed into this matter of the urgent need of revival." He quotes Albert Barnes who wrote that the day when "the great body of professing Christians" becomes convinced "of the reality and desirableness of revivals will constitute a new era in the history of religion and will precede manifestations of power like that of Pentecost."

How does Lloyd-Jones describe revival as a "divine disorder"?

Lloyd-Jones uses the phrase "divine disorder" to describe the seemingly contradictory elements that coexist during revival. He explains that there is "this curious, strange mixture" of "great conviction of sin and great joy, great sense of the terror of the Lord, great thanksgiving and praise." In revival meetings, some people are "groaning and agonizing" under conviction of sin while others are simultaneously "praising God for the great salvation." This creates what appears to be disorder from a human perspective, but it's divinely orchestrated. The meetings themselves reflect this divine disorder—they're often spontaneous, prolonged (sometimes lasting from evening until daybreak), and not subject to normal human scheduling or physical limitations, as "people have forgotten the body" in their spiritual absorption.