Tag: John MacArthur

Sunday’s Sermon Series – Belief or Rejection

Why I Trust the Bible

1 Corinthians 1:18-2:16

AMP and RVR 1960

CONTEXT:

Why is it some folks (especially our loved ones) we know hear the Word of God and it has no effect? Paul points this out in his First letter to the church at Thessalonica 2:13, acknowledging they heard the Word and accepted it not as ordinary human but as divine. 

Here in 1st Corinthians Paul begins the dichotomy or contrast between Belief or Rejection with our text. In order to not take away from the sermon I will try and just introduce some themes for context:

CHAPTER 1

v.18 –  How the elect and the reject see the Cross at Calvary

v.19-21 – Wisdom Godly vs. Worldly

v.22-25 – No matter how foolish God’s wisdom seems, it is far wiser than man’s 

v.26-29 – God’s elect are among the most foolish and He chose us (never about us always about God)

v.30-31 – True wisdom is only found in God and only available to the believing 

CHAPTER 2

v.1-4 –Paul relies on God for wisdom in speaking (preaching) 

v.5 – Why rely on God vs. man’s wisdom 

v.6-9 – God’s wisdom is Hidden from many

v.10-13 – God’s wisdom comes from the indwelling Holy Spirit

v.14-16 – Spiritual (Believing) Man vs. Worldly (Rejection) Man  

I hope this helps in seeing the B I G picture. That is the overarching theme that man will always either act upon (Believe In) the Holy Spirit’s prompting in God’s Word or deem it foolishness (Reject it) and continue to live Worldly lives.  

SERMON:

Why We Believe While Others Reject

by John MacArthur, Sep 10, 2006 – Linked to Video, Audio and Text

 

OTHER RESOURCES:

Why should I trust the Bible? GotQuestions.Org

Is the Bible true?

Is the Bible accurate?

You Can Trust the Bible by John MacArthur

Why Trust the Bible? – by Greg Gilbert

Evidence You Never Knew Existed: Why Jesus and the Bible Can Be Trusted Web Page by Floyd C McElveen

One of the Most Overlooked Reasons Why We Should Trust the Bible  Web Page by Michael J Kruger

God-Breathed: The Undeniable Power and Reliability of Scripture, by Josh McDowell

 

Profiles In Godliness

Here is Grace to You’s Three Part Series entitled Profiles In Godliness by John MacArthur. Originally run 6 years ago, Pastor John uses Joseph as a biblical example of a Godly man and how we can live a Godly life in troubling time. 

Joseph: God's Sovereignty in Our Trials
Joseph: God’s Sovereignty in Our Trials

 

Joseph: The Precision of God's Sovereignty

Joseph: The Precision of God’s Sovereignty

 

Joseph: His Role in a Bigger Story

Joseph: His Role in a Bigger Story

 

Attacking Anxiety

The following 14 Part series by John MacArthur and staff at GTY explores the biblical answers to Anxiety, Doubt and Worry. Along with  God’s Sovereignty and the Believer’s response. 

 

 

 

  1. Unshakable Peace Believers often find themselves living in contradiction to the world, and we should. The runaway anxiety and constant fear that grips so much of the world does not have the same hold on us—or at least, it shouldn’t. Over the last few weeks, we’ve been looking at anxiety from a biblical perspective, …
  2. The Only True Peace Any anxious Christian would love to have this prayer offered on his behalf: “May the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. . . . The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”
  3. Casting Your Cares on God A prideful heart cannot find rest in God’s sovereignty. A person who values his or her own plans, opinions, and desires above all else has nowhere to turn when worry creeps in. In fact, pride paves the way for an anxious heart.
  4. Humility vs. Anxiety The apostle Peter was a worrier. He worried about drowning when he was walking on water, even though Jesus was right there with him (Matthew 14:29-31). He worried about what was going to happen to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, so he pulled out his sword and tried to take on a battalion of Roman…
  5. Replacing Worry with the Right Focus God’s Word is clear—believers are not to be given over to anxiety. But it’s not simply a cold, abrupt command to stop worrying. Scripture is clear that we shouldn’t focus on the plans, needs, and uncertainties of tomorrow, but it’s also clear about where our focus should be instead.
  6. The Folly of Worry in Light of Our Future Much of our anxiety is born out of concerns and uncertainty regarding our future. We get caught up in our plans and programs, overlooking the blessings of today and obsessing over uncontrollable details on the horizon…
  7. The Incompatibility of Faith and Anxiety If you worry, what kind of faith do you manifest? “Little faith,” according to Jesus (Matthew 6:30). If you are a child of God, you by definition have a heavenly Father. To act like you don’t, nervously asking, “What will I eat? What will I drink? What will I wear for clothing?” is to act like an un..
  8. What Flowers Teach Us About Worry God is sovereignly in control of all things. That fact alone ought to dispel much of our anxiety. And when we consider the Lord’s fatherly care for His people, we see just how foolish, unnecessary, and impotent our worry truly is.
  9. Bird Watching and Beating Worry One of the most hopeless aspects of unrepentant sinners’ lives is that they have no answer for anxiety. They’re forced to put their hopes in flimsy, fallible plans and institutions. They aren’t able to rest firmly in the unchanging promises of God—they have to ride out every wave of calamity, every …
  10. What Did Jesus Say About Worry? You probably remember the “What Would Jesus Do?” trend from the late ’90s. It seemed everywhere you looked, plastered across T-shirts, hats, jewelry, and all kinds of other merchandise, the WWJD slogan was a blithe, shallow reminder to live up to Christ’s moral code…
  11. Observing God’s Care Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary detective, Sherlock Holmes, is one of the most intriguing creations of literary fiction. He is, quite simply, extraordinary. His famous cohort, Dr. John Watson, is ordinary, at least by comparison. Watson has often been erroneously portrayed as a bumbling fool, but…
  12. John MacArthur on Anxiety and God’s Sovereignty It should be clear by now that unchecked anxiety isn’t good for you. It’s a sin expressly forbidden by the Lord, so there is the spiritual cost to consider. But it’s also harmful to your health, your productivity, and your relationships. It wreaks havoc throughout your life, and as we saw yesterday,…
  13. Worn Out by Worry Worry is a common temptation for all of us. The source of the anxiety might vary from person to person, but no one is completely immune. For some, it’s even a favorite pastime, occupying large portions of their days by troubling over their doubts and fears about the future.
  14. Overwhelmed by Anxiety? Anxiety, fear, worry, and stress are familiar words in our day, and familiar experiences to many. More and more we’re hearing of an extreme form of anxiety referred to as a “panic attack.”

John MacArthur on Anxiety and God’s Sovereignty

It should be clear by now that unchecked anxiety isn’t good for you. It’s a sin expressly forbidden by the Lord, so there is the spiritual cost to consider. But it’s also harmful to your health, your productivity, and your relationships. It wreaks havoc throughout your life, and as we saw yesterday, it strangles your mind.

READ MORE

  Here are the rest of the articles in the series in ascending order:

Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility 

God’s Sovereignty in Salvation

God’s Unimpeachable Sovereignty

God’s Sovereignty and Our Gospel Responsibility

Overwhelmed by Anxiety?

Worn Out by Worry

“Lessons from the Earthquake”

Easter or Resurrection Sunday if you prefer is and should be a day of celebration for true Christians worldwide. Especially with all that is currently going on in the world right now. That being said it is never a bad time to remember or learn from the lessons of the past or in this case as John MacArthur teaches “Lessons from the Earthquake”.

by Cameron Buettel Friday, April 10, 2020

Jesus never promised us lives free of tribulation and calamity. Indeed He warned His disciples, “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33, NKJV). The current COVID-19 pandemic that has engendered so much fear and panic is not the first—nor will it be the last—crisis people will experience in this world.

On January 17, 1994, Los Angeles was struck by an earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale. Just six days later, John MacArthur entered the pulpit of Grace Community Church to minister to a congregation still reeling from the devastation and ongoing aftershocks. His message was titled “Lessons from the Earthquake,” a sermon as timely today as it was twenty-six years ago. It remains a powerful reminder to maintain a godly, eternal perspective on the events around us. As John said that morning,

I think there are definitely some things we need to learn on the temporal side—the earthly side—about buildings and roads and emergencies and processes and all of that. But those kinds of things aren’t really what this earthquake should primarily teach us. There are lessons to learn that are far more profound than anything that is temporal. We need to contemplate the reality of what’s gone on from a biblical perspective—from the Lord’s perspective—and how it is to be viewed in line with His purposes and His will.

There are two categories of lessons to be learned: Lessons for ChristinasLessons for those who are Christians and lessons for those who are non-Christians. Another way of saying it would be lessons for those who are prepared to die and lessons for those who are not prepared to die. . . . An earthquake like this is a profound teacher. And the lessons it teaches are equally profound.

John lays out fourteen lessons in all—seven for believers and another seven for unbelievers. They are encouraging, energizing, and also deeply convicting reminders of the calling and opportunity God has placed upon our lives as His people—the glorious responsibility to bring the light of the gospel to a world engulfed in darkness.

I highly recommend you Click here – to listen or read “Lessons from the Earthquake.”

Being a Berean

The Bereans were residents of the city of Berea in Macedonia. Paul and Silas preached to them during Paul’s second missionary journey. The account of Paul and Silas in this location is recorded in Acts 17:10-15. The key verse for reads:  

Logos.com

These Bereans exhibited several positive characteristics that marked their response to the gospel message. First and foremost, the Bereans were “more noble” because of their willing reception of the Word of God. Unlike the unbelieving Thessalonian Jews, the Bereans were eager to hear the teaching of Paul and Silas.

Second, the Bereans examined what they heard by comparing it to the Old Testament Scriptures. The fact that they honestly listened and conducted further personal research led many Bereans to faith in Jesus as the Messiah. This expansion of Christianity was not limited to those within the synagogue, but also extended to many Greek men and women in Berea.

Third, the Bereans guarded Paul’s safety. When Paul’s enemies arrived from nearby Thessalonica, the Berean believers protected Paul by getting him out of the region. They did not turn him over to his enemies or disassociate from him as the Jews from Thessalonica might have expected.

Fourth, the Bereans continued to grow in their faith. After Paul’s departure, Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. Why? The Bible does not explicitly say, but one reason was probably to give the Berean Christians a chance to obtain further instruction in the Christian faith.

Later in the book of Acts, we are given further insight into the faithfulness of at least one Berean man. When Paul decides to return for additional ministry in Macedonia despite the tremendous persecution he had recently faced, one of the men who chose to accompany him was from Berea: “There he spent three months, and when a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him” (Acts 20:3-4). Sopater, likely a Gentile Christian, continued to assist Paul (and Timothy) in ministry long after Paul’s first visit to Berea.

In summary, the Bereans have long been seen as a positive example of how a person or community should respond to biblical teaching. We are called to eagerly learn from God’s Word and, no matter who the teacher is, to investigate new teaching in comparison with the Bible. The practice of the ancient Bereans is a model for all who desire to grow spiritually today.

Here is a series of messages from John MacArthur and Grace to You Ministries on being a Berean. 

    1. Finding Your Way in the Evangelical Fog
    2. Meet the Bereans
    3. Your Berean Battle Plan: Remember
    4. Your Berean Battle Plan: Remain
    5. Your Berean Battle Plan: Reach
    6. Your Berean Battle Plan: Rescue
    7. John MacArthur on Every Believer’s Responsibility
    8. Guarding the Pulpit

 

God Is a Trinity

by John MacArthur / Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Why does the doctrine of the Trinity matter to us today? And why have so many great Christians throughout church history fought so tenaciously in defending it? The answer is fundamentally rooted in one critical question: Do we know God?

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God Is One

by John MacArthur / Monday, March 2, 2020

There is only one true God, and He demands exclusive worship. That is the essence of the first commandment God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai. It is also the unshakable and unchanging truth about God from eternity past to eternity future.

READ MORE »»

God Is Spirit

by John MacArthur / Friday, February 28, 2020

Every form of unbelief is just another version of idolatry. Even atheists refute themselves by voicing hatred for the God they deny. Creation is proof of a Creator, but those who do not acknowledge the God of the Bible often imagine it was the work of some nebulous, distant, and uncaring superpower. Like the Deists who picture God as a great clockmaker, who wound up His creation and then left it to itself, unbelievers—some of whom are professing Christians—go through life hoping this impersonal cosmic force will ultimately work in their favor.

But the true and living God isn’t distant, uncaring, or impersonal. Our attributes of emotion, intellect, and will did not just happen—God made us in His image. He has revealed Himself in the Bible to be a person. The Bible uses personal titles to describe Him. He is called Father. He is pictured as a shepherd. He is called a brother, a friend, a counselor. Scripture uses personal pronouns to refer to Him.  READ MORE

 

God Is

by John MacArthur | Wednesday, February 26, 2020

“If God is real, why doesn’t He show Himself to me?” “Where is the evidence of God’s existence?” “I need proof of God—where’s the proof?” We’ve all heard those questions—or perhaps more precisely, objections—before. But we should never be intimidated by them. Rather, we ought to follow the pattern Scripture lays out.

The Bible presupposes, rather than proves, God’s existence. Scripture says this about God in Psalm 90:2: “Before the mountains were born, or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” That is a classic doctrinal affirmation about God. It tells us that God is the only God: “You are God.” It tells us that God is the eternal God: “From everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” It tells us that God is the Creator God: “You gave birth to the earth and the world.”

As Christians we accept one foundational truth—God. Then everything else makes sense. An atheist denies God and has to accept incredible explanations for everything else. It takes more faith to deny God than to believe in Him.

Theologians give several arguments for the existence of God. Logic can’t prove God’s existence, but it clearly shows us that there is more reason to believe in God than there is not to believe in Him.

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