God and Dagon ― Newly found sermon on 1 Samuel 5:1-4

Newly found sermons info: www.mljtrust.o... ― We are thrilled to announce that several previously unheard sermons by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones have been discovered and are in the process of being uploaded to our site. These timeless messages have been preserved and are now being shared with the world for the first time in decades.
Sermon Description:
In this sermon on 1 Samuel 1:5, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expounds on the story of the Philistines capturing the Ark of the Covenant, drawing profound parallels to the modern world's relationship with God. He begins by recounting how the Israelites, at a low point spiritually and militarily, were defeated by the Philistines who then captured the Ark. The Philistines placed the Ark in their temple next to their god Dagon, thinking they could use the Israelite God when needed. However, God demonstrated His power by repeatedly knocking down the Dagon idol. Dr. Lloyd-Jones uses this story to illustrate how the modern world has relegated God to the background, only calling on Him for ceremonies or emergencies, while trusting in human wisdom and achievements. He traces how God has repeatedly intervened to humble mankind's arrogance throughout the 20th century - through world wars, economic crises, and technological dangers like nuclear weapons. Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that these disruptions to human plans are God asserting His sovereignty and judging a world that has forgotten Him. He emphasizes that the church's weakness stems not from external challenges but from its own self-reliance and forgetfulness of God. The solution, he contends, is not better organization or campaigns, but a true revival where Christians recognize their helplessness without God. Dr. Lloyd-Jones concludes by affirming God's nature as the living, exclusive, and sovereign Lord who cannot be manipulated, warning that He will judge those who neglect Him, and calling listeners to humbly repent and turn to Christ as the only way to be reconciled with God. This sermon powerfully applies an Old Testament story to critique modern secularism and call the church back to complete dependence on God.
Sermon Breakdown:
1. The story of the Philistines capturing the Ark of the Covenant from the Israelites is recounted (1 Samuel 4-5).
2. The Philistines placed the Ark in the temple of their god Dagon, thinking they could use it when needed.
3. However, the next morning Dagon was found fallen before the Ark, and the following day Dagon was broken.
4. This story represents religion and God's cause being in eclipse, with the enemies of God appearing triumphant.
5. The modern enemies (Philistines) have taken the form of scientific knowledge, secularism, and human wisdom undermining faith.
6. The church has been relying on its own power instead of God, leading to its decline.
7. Revival is needed, not just organized efforts, to experience God's power again.
8. God disrupts the "perfect worlds" people construct without Him.
9. God humbles and ridicules the false gods (education, science, politics) that people worship.
10. God is pronouncing judgment on the world for forgetting Him.
11. The living God demands total allegiance and will not share worship with other gods.
12. The only way back to God is through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

[@sherry3422]

Thanks be to God for His precious Word!! ❤❤❤

[@BABATUNDEOLADIMEJI-q4b]

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones ❤❤

[@AlfordClarke-y7m]

Great sermon by the dr. appreciate.

[@patrickchirwa9351]

Thanks for these wonderful resources

[@Hooftimmer]

January 1955. Thank you for posting this sermon, it doesn’t get any better than MLJ.

[@abelam1550]

Fantastic message, thank you.

[@blank-964]

Great sermon

[@ChristyOFaghan]

powerful and still relevant today
i wasn't sure i'd be able to listen to this, the quality of the recording being so crackled compared to modern audio, but i am so glad i stuck with it for the big reveal - thank you so much, MLJTrust
the subtitles don't help much, YT's transcriber service not being up to the job: i imagine it would take a dedicated listener to sit down and do the work - but it would be worth doing
i wonder if there's some processing available to us now that might be able to clean up the audio more

[@MothyEmms]

yay!