From the MLJ Archive

1 Samuel 4:19-22 — In this sermon on 1 Samuel 4:19-22, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones draws parallels between the state of the church today with the spiritual condition following the capture of the Ark of the Covenant by the Philistines that is recorded in the Old Testament. As with the tabernacle, the Doctor says, the vital factor in the life of the church is the presence of the glory of the Lord. The greatest danger to the church today could very well be that it is content with nice buildings that are missing God’s glory. But as in the Old Testament, both humanity’s contribution and God’s glory are vital in working together to bring a church to a state of flourishing. How can churches guard against this separation? Lloyd-Jones proposes that it all begins with a church being sensitive to the glory of the Lord, and then asks some haunting questions: is the church aware of the glory of the Lord? Where does it start? The answers to these questions, and the fervor with which the answers are applied, will play a large part in the shape the church takes over the next several decades. Listen as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches on why the glory of the Lord is vital for a church to succeed.