1 Samuel 5:1-4 — In this sermon on 1 Samuel 5:1-4, 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.

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