Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey - Ep 1218 ｜ John MacArthur： Enemy of Tyrants, Champion of the Gospel

00:00:01.000 Renowned expositor John MacArthur has died at the age of 86.

00:00:06.600 Today, we are honoring his legacy, and in that, we are looking at some of my favorite

00:00:12.780 highlights of his ministry, how he pushed back against tyranny and cultural confusion

00:00:18.920 simply by being a faithful preacher of the Word of God and defender of the gospel.

00:00:25.820 I know this message, this episode will encourage you.

00:00:29.920 It's brought to you by our friends at Olive.

00:00:32.500 This app helps you see what is really in your food, even beyond the ingredients labels.

00:00:38.140 Sometimes companies will sneak in stuff that's just bad for you.

00:00:41.900 If you want full transparency of the food you're buying, you have to download the Olive app today.

00:00:47.740 Go to the App Store and download Olive.

00:00:55.820 Hey guys, welcome to Relatable.

00:01:01.680 Happy Wednesday.

00:01:02.620 Hope everyone is having a wonderful week so far.

00:01:05.180 Before we get into the content of today's episode, just a couple housekeeping things.

00:01:09.900 Number one, CJLA and Relatable are having a giveaway, some of our Relatable merch.

00:01:16.260 I posted about it on Instagram, so make sure that you go and you look at that Instagram post

00:01:21.480 with all of the instructions that is running, I think, for the next couple days.

00:01:26.700 I'm actually, yes, Brie says the next couple days.

00:01:29.660 And, okay, this is really unfortunate, but someone has made a fake account.

00:01:34.240 We are going to make sure that this is reported, and they are reaching out to some of you saying

00:01:39.260 that you won the giveaway, and they are asking for your bank information.

00:01:44.120 Please do not give anyone on Instagram ever your bank information.

00:01:48.820 If someone is asking for your bank info, it has nothing to do with this giveaway.

00:01:53.960 That is a scam.

00:01:55.280 Just some really awful people out there, and I'm really sorry about that.

00:01:58.800 If you have been scammed, we are going to try to deal with that.

00:02:01.780 But it will come from the CJLA official account if you are the winner, and they will not ask

00:02:08.060 for any private information, like your bank account information from you.

00:02:13.100 So, so sorry to hear about that.

00:02:15.120 Also, speaking of Carly Jean Los Angeles, a shout out to our new merch, which is so beautiful,

00:02:19.900 and I love it so much.

00:02:21.040 You guys are loving it so much.

00:02:22.860 All you have to do is go to AllieMerch.com and see that.

00:02:25.940 The t-shirts, Plant Seeds That Bloom in Eternity.

00:02:29.040 That kind of fits into the theme of what we'll be talking about at the beginning of the show

00:02:32.940 today.

00:02:33.720 Raise a respectful ruckus.

00:02:34.940 Self-love won't save you, but Jesus will.

00:02:37.380 The t-shirts are oversized, so I like to wear a size small, but depending on how you like

00:02:42.600 it to fit, it goes up to large.

00:02:45.260 Some people, you know, they wanted an extra large, but it fits large, larger than the actual

00:02:51.000 size.

00:02:51.620 And then our hats are super cute.

00:02:54.180 The embroidery is very fancy on the front of these crewnecks and on the front of these 1.00

00:03:00.280 really, really well-made t-shirts.

00:03:02.100 Love them so much.

00:03:02.900 That black t-shirt was definitely the favorite of everyone.

00:03:05.580 Unfortunately, that is sold out.

00:03:07.480 We will have a restock in a few weeks, but lots of other wonderful colors, totes as well.

00:03:12.460 Go to AllieMerch.com.

00:03:14.740 All right, one more thing until we get into what we're actually talking about today, and that

00:03:19.800 is a survey that we have.

00:03:21.740 We want your feedback.

00:03:23.340 We want to know you better.

00:03:25.020 We've got access to demographics and to audience insights on YouTube and on the listening side

00:03:31.260 to an extent, and then also on my social media.

00:03:34.200 But that doesn't get into specifics of who you are and what you are looking for and what

00:03:39.740 you love about this podcast and your feedback about this podcast.

00:03:43.940 And so if you could please fill out a survey that we have put together, it will take less

00:03:49.900 than 10 minutes, way less than 10 minutes.

00:03:51.920 The link is in the description of this podcast, whether you're watching on YouTube or Spotify

00:03:55.800 or listening on Apple Podcasts or wherever.

00:03:58.900 Just go to the description.

00:04:01.000 You will see the link.

00:04:02.060 And if you could take the time to fill that out, that would be super helpful.

00:04:05.680 We are always trying to add the most value to your life.

00:04:08.820 I know it is no small thing to spend an hour doing anything.

00:04:13.880 And so the fact that you guys are here, that you are investing your time and your energy

00:04:18.360 and your care into this show, especially those of you who engage with me, message me, comment,

00:04:23.960 it just really means a lot.

00:04:25.500 And I am so grateful for all of you.

00:04:28.040 And that's why I want to know more about who you are and what you're thinking.

00:04:31.920 So please fill out this survey.

00:04:34.180 It would help us a whole lot.

00:04:36.600 All right.

00:04:37.100 Let's talk about Pastor John MacArthur.

00:04:40.960 You heard me mention at the end of Monday's episode that their church, Grace Community Church,

00:04:46.480 had announced that Pastor John is in the hospital with pneumonia.

00:04:50.760 He's had a series of health complications over the past several months.

00:04:55.140 He is 86 years old, and they warned people that he is probably not going to recover.

00:05:03.620 And I asked for prayer on Monday, as many other people have had, for healing.

00:05:09.900 But if not healing, then supernatural peace.

00:05:12.920 And actually, God has answered both of those prayers with a yes, because John MacArthur is

00:05:18.400 now fully healed in heaven.

00:05:20.560 He is fully whole, and he is in the presence of his Savior.

00:05:25.140 And I want to talk a little bit about John MacArthur, who he is, his legacy, some of the

00:05:32.180 highlights that at least we can see publicly through videos that have been published over

00:05:38.260 the years.

00:05:39.060 I mean, it would take volumes of books to talk about his entire faithful ministry and the

00:05:45.760 impact that it has had.

00:05:47.520 And so we only have a short amount of time to go through a few of my favorite highlights,

00:05:52.880 but I hope it blesses you, and I hope you, like me, have your courage renewed to stand

00:05:59.860 for the truth of the gospel.

00:06:02.440 This is what Grace To You, his ministry, posted on Acts yesterday.

00:06:06.920 Our hearts are heavy yet rejoicing as we share the news that our beloved pastor and teacher,

00:06:12.920 John MacArthur, has entered into the presence of the Savior.

00:06:16.580 This evening, his faith became sight.

00:06:19.840 Yes and amen.

00:06:20.900 He faithfully endured until his race was run.

00:06:24.880 And they put 2 Timothy 4, 1 through 8.

00:06:29.220 And I just want to read that to you, since it was obviously very important to Dr. MacArthur

00:06:36.620 and also important to his church and to his ministry.

00:06:44.600 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and

00:06:49.100 the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom, preach the word, be ready in season and out of

00:06:55.100 season, reprove, rebuke, and exhort with complete patience and teaching.

00:07:00.060 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears,

00:07:06.140 they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away

00:07:11.180 from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

00:07:14.500 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill

00:07:21.460 your ministry.

00:07:23.940 And then there's more in that chapter, but I'll end right there.

00:07:27.220 For the sake of time, I encourage you to read that whole chapter, but that is a beautiful

00:07:33.040 summary of what John MacArthur's ministry was like and what he aimed to do.

00:07:39.900 If you don't know about John MacArthur, especially those of you who are my Catholic listeners or

00:07:45.620 maybe listeners who don't have a faith at all, you might not know why this person is so significant,

00:07:52.580 not just to his local congregation, but really to the world of Christendom.

00:07:59.720 He was the pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California from 1969 until his

00:08:07.480 death this week.

00:08:08.700 Wow.

00:08:09.220 He was a renowned Baptist expositor.

00:08:12.080 Expositor means that you are lifting the meaning out of the text.

00:08:16.440 You are preaching word by word the text of scripture.

00:08:20.820 You are looking at the context.

00:08:23.660 You are allowing scripture to interpret scripture, and you are pointing to the gospel in every

00:08:29.560 single passage of the Bible.

00:08:32.080 He was a very skilled, a very eloquent, a very dynamic and persuasive expositor.

00:08:38.300 He authored numerous books about the gospel as seen in all segments of scripture, Old and

00:08:45.040 New Testament.

00:08:45.720 I love the gospel according to Jesus, the gospel according to Matthew, really good formative

00:08:51.320 books.

00:08:52.320 I have a few of his study Bibles, which have been very impactful.

00:08:57.280 They've been distributed around the world.

00:09:00.200 John MacArthur was someone who was impervious to cultural pressures.

00:09:05.400 He was relentless in defending the truth of God's word.

00:09:08.580 He was immovable against the demands of the moral revolution that has cast our country into

00:09:15.940 sexual chaos and confusion.

00:09:18.800 He was courageous in the face of government tyranny.

00:09:23.880 He was an aggressive enemy to false doctrine, whether it was progressivism or the prosperity

00:09:31.880 gospel.

00:09:32.600 He was an untiring defender of the truth.

00:09:38.860 He was also a loving husband to his wife of 62 years, Patricia.

00:09:46.080 He was a father.

00:09:47.660 He was a grandfather.

00:09:48.960 He was a great grandfather.

00:09:51.100 He was a faithful, steady leader of his congregation for 56 years.

00:09:57.560 In an age of soundbites and celebrity pastors, people whose name is really here today and

00:10:05.000 gone tomorrow because they're just there for fame and for notoriety, he was faithful to

00:10:14.720 his church for almost six decades.

00:10:18.560 Last week, I talked to a man.

00:10:21.200 I had a conversation with a guy who has worked for John MacArthur for years.

00:10:25.340 And we were just talking about his dynamics with him.

00:10:29.280 And when he was hired by John MacArthur to do the work that he does, and he was talking

00:10:34.720 about being called into his office.

00:10:37.120 And I said, oh, I'm sure that that was a little intimidating that you didn't know whether

00:10:41.220 it was good or bad, whether you were getting promoted or you were getting fired.

00:10:45.260 And he said, actually, I knew that it was good because John MacArthur didn't like to deliver

00:10:52.040 negative news to people.

00:10:53.940 He didn't like having those very difficult conversations, those kind of negative conversations,

00:10:59.720 negative feedback, because anyone who knows John MacArthur knows what a sweetheart he is

00:11:05.640 and knows how tenderhearted he is, that he really, as much as he was unafraid to talk

00:11:14.100 about sin and beg for people to repent from their sin, his desire was not to hurt people.

00:11:21.240 His desire was to love people.

00:11:23.660 And that is why he was so fierce against deception.

00:11:27.360 He was passionate about the gospel, and he was a soft-hearted shepherd to his people.

00:11:33.240 And we got to see and benefit from so much of his public ministry.

00:11:38.020 But we know that there are thousands and thousands of hours and moments of unseen and unsung faithfulness

00:11:46.160 that are ringing in eternity that we, on this side of eternity, will never fully know.

00:11:51.100 We know that his impact will last for decades, if not centuries to come.

00:11:56.280 And now he has heard the words that he has longed to hear his whole life that we should

00:12:00.580 all long to hear as Christians.

00:12:02.120 And that is well done.

00:12:03.780 Good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your master.

00:12:08.700 He is united with Jesus.

00:12:10.300 He is united with all of the saints who have gone before him.

00:12:14.560 And by saints, I mean what the Bible means when it says saints.

00:12:18.400 I am talking about all Christians.

00:12:20.420 All Christians through Christ, by grace, through faith, become saints.

00:12:25.280 We are saints and members with the household of God.

00:12:27.660 So he has joined all of the saints who have gone before him.

00:12:31.440 He has reunited with many of those he loved so much on earth, including his father who helped

00:12:37.920 shape his faith.

00:12:38.860 That was something he talked about a lot.

00:12:40.800 His beloved friend and fellow defender of the gospel, even amidst their disagreements,

00:12:47.280 their fellowship was such a good example for the rest of us.

00:12:50.680 And that was theologian R.C. Sproul, someone else that I have really learned from and benefited

00:12:55.120 from a lot.

00:12:56.720 I did not know John MacArthur well personally, but I feel honored that I got to speak to him

00:13:05.100 twice when he was gracious enough to come on this show.

00:13:08.200 And we'll talk about that in a little bit.

00:13:10.200 But I will miss him in the sense that I was always able to trust that from his pulpit, he

00:13:18.840 would meet every culturally chaotic moment with clarity.

00:13:23.760 And there's just not, there aren't a lot of pastors who do that well today, to be honest.

00:13:32.180 In the era of COVID, he did a sermon series, I believe it was 2021, about Satan's attack

00:13:40.400 on children, how that manifests itself in society today via sexualization, gender confusion,

00:13:46.180 child sacrifice, abortion.

00:13:47.540 And it bolstered me, it grounded me, it reminded me why sticking to God's word against the lies

00:13:53.340 of our culture is worth it, whatever the cost.

00:13:57.160 So thank you, John MacArthur, for your faithfulness.

00:14:02.200 I am praying for his family.

00:14:04.720 I'm praying for his friends.

00:14:06.480 I'm praying for his church as they go through this transition to different leadership.

00:14:11.760 And I am just so grateful for the power of the Holy Spirit in his life and the impact

00:14:18.980 that it will have for so many years to come.

00:14:21.920 All right, we'll get into some more videos and highlights in just a second.

00:14:25.120 Let me pause and tell you about our first sponsor for the day.

00:14:27.700 And that is Preborn.

00:14:29.340 Preborn supplies pro-life pregnancy centers with the resources and the tools they need to

00:14:35.660 protect life, to serve the moms and the dads and their babies.

00:14:40.060 These families are in a very vulnerable position often, and they've been lied to by the abortion

00:14:45.900 lobby, by Planned Parenthood.

00:14:47.500 They have been told that it's not really a baby.

00:14:50.060 It's just a clump of cells, that their life will be over if they don't get an abortion. 0.99

00:14:56.460 And so Planned Parenthood takes their money, kills their baby, and then leaves them.

00:15:01.240 But these pro-life pregnancy centers, they are there through the pregnancies.

00:15:04.940 They are there after the baby is born through education, through providing them with the

00:15:10.100 material needs that they have.

00:15:12.520 And Preborn makes that happen. 0.99

00:15:14.560 They supply these pregnancy centers, for example, with sonogram machines to ensure that those

00:15:22.200 moms actually can see the living image bearer of God inside them. 0.86

00:15:26.120 They're so much more likely to choose life when they do that.

00:15:28.940 But the only way that Preborn can survive and can help supply these pregnancy centers is 0.99

00:15:34.420 through your donations.

00:15:35.880 If you donate just $28, say you donate $28 a month if you're able to do that, that is

00:15:42.400 covering the cost of one sonogram session for a pregnant woman in need.

00:15:48.440 So if you are doing that every month, you could be saving one real life, one image bearer every

00:15:54.360 month by supporting Preborn.

00:15:56.880 All you have to do is go to preborn.com slash Allie, and you will be able to donate securely.

00:16:04.480 That is preborn.com slash Allie. 0.82

00:16:12.900 Al Muller, another one of my favorite guests and someone that I've learned so much from and

00:16:19.100 have been able to spend time with in person.

00:16:22.840 He published a tribute to John MacArthur in World Opinions on Monday titled, A Lion of

00:16:28.400 the Pulpit, Now in Christ's Presence.

00:16:31.580 He says this, and it is absolutely true. 1.00

00:16:33.840 He was the greatest expositor of his time.

00:16:36.720 One of the ironies of John MacArthur is that, to the end, he insisted that any God-called

00:16:41.680 preacher of the Word could do what he did.

00:16:44.160 There was great truth in that claim, of course.

00:16:46.060 After all, what MacArthur meant was that preaching comes down to the exposition of God's Word before

00:16:51.020 God's people, and that meant studying God's Word with diligence and then standing before

00:16:55.180 a congregation to read and explain the scriptural text.

00:16:59.480 Any God-called preacher can do that.

00:17:02.380 But Al Muller points out that, on the other hand, John MacArthur was uniquely gifted as an

00:17:08.200 expositor, and he was uniquely faithful as well.

00:17:11.860 He says that he loved preachers.

00:17:13.640 He loved being with preachers.

00:17:15.220 He was possessed by a drive to help other preachers.

00:17:18.340 This urgency—I love people who feel urgency, especially for so many years—was transformed

00:17:23.780 into what became the Shepherds' Conference year after year, and they became gathering events

00:17:28.980 for preachers committed to exposition.

00:17:32.060 John MacArthur will be greatly missed and deeply mourned.

00:17:34.960 He demonstrated faithfulness for a long lifetime of honorable ministry, a remarkable gift to Christ's

00:17:41.400 church.

00:17:41.680 His race is now complete, and what a remarkable race it was.

00:17:45.780 But remember this.

00:17:46.860 Pastor John MacArthur would be the first to say that the priority above all other priorities

00:17:52.300 is that the faithful exposition of holy scripture continue until Jesus comes.

00:17:58.140 Soli Deo Gloria.

00:18:00.600 Which, of course, is a Reformation mantra for the glory of God alone.

00:18:06.820 And that is, of course, how John MacArthur spent his life.

00:18:11.220 And I'm trying not to get choked up.

00:18:14.520 It's tough to do.

00:18:15.500 I'm not sad at all for him.

00:18:18.400 I'm sad for the loss for all of us.

00:18:21.300 And it also seems to just represent an end of an era and just a different generation of 0.95

00:18:28.180 people, Americans and Christians.

00:18:30.060 And it's hard not to be sad about that, even though we know that to live is Christ and to

00:18:37.920 die is gain, and he's gained so much.

00:18:41.660 There are so many examples of him perfectly summarizing the gospel.

00:18:45.960 And actually, a very beautiful thing happening on X right now is the circulation of John MacArthur

00:18:53.600 clips.

00:18:54.340 Like, I wish I could play all of them.

00:18:55.980 They're amazing, but it just goes to show that even though Satan is rejoicing right now

00:19:01.740 that one of the most effective Bible preachers and gospel sharers of our day is now out of

00:19:09.780 the fight in this regard, that God is going to make sure that he gets the glory.

00:19:16.780 Like, God is going to make sure that he is drawing people to himself.

00:19:20.640 That actually, his followers don't have to be physically alive in order for God to use

00:19:28.520 them.

00:19:28.700 That's amazing.

00:19:29.520 That's who God is.

00:19:31.140 And it makes sense because Jesus defeated death through his resurrection.

00:19:35.380 And so if death can't hold him, then death can't hold the gospel back.

00:19:39.180 And God is going to use people how he wants to use them even after their death.

00:19:43.220 So here is a really good summation of the gospel that he did in an interview with

00:19:48.460 Kurt Cameron in 2004, Sot7.

00:19:51.860 If a person will say, I am nothing in and of myself, I want to throw myself into the arms

00:19:57.600 of God to be changed.

00:19:59.380 What does God offer?

00:20:00.640 Forgiveness.

00:20:02.000 Total forgiveness for all your sin forever.

00:20:06.780 Unconditionally.

00:20:08.220 Provided by Christ.

00:20:09.960 The greatest gospel verse in the Bible, 2 Corinthians 5 21.

00:20:13.340 He made him who knew no sin, sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God

00:20:21.060 in him.

00:20:21.920 Let me unpack those 15 Greek words.

00:20:23.900 He, God, made Jesus sin.

00:20:26.980 What do you mean he made Jesus sin?

00:20:28.380 Only in one sense.

00:20:29.620 He treated him as if he had committed every sin ever committed by every person who would

00:20:33.980 ever believe, though in fact he committed none of them.

00:20:37.040 Hanging on the cross, he was holy, harmless, undefiled.

00:20:39.720 Hanging on the cross, he was a spotless lamb.

00:20:41.760 He was never for a split second a sinner.

00:20:43.960 He is holy God on the cross.

00:20:45.600 But God is treating him, I'll put it more practically, as if he lived my life.

00:20:50.980 God punished Jesus for my sin, turns right around and treats me as if I lived his life.

00:20:57.360 That's the great doctrine of substitution.

00:21:00.140 And on that doctrine turned the whole reformation of the church.

00:21:03.220 That is the heart of the gospel.

00:21:04.800 And what you get is complete forgiveness covered by the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

00:21:09.640 When he looks at the cross, he sees you.

00:21:11.720 When he looks at you, he sees Christ.

00:21:14.540 He who knew no sin became sin, that we might become the righteousness of God.

00:21:20.860 I mean, there are so many passages that point to the futility of our efforts to earn God's love.

00:21:28.700 I mean, Ephesians 2 is one of them.

00:21:30.860 The whole book of Galatians, gosh, we see that we can't earn our righteousness,

00:21:35.120 that it's not through any effort.

00:21:38.460 It's not through any sacrament.

00:21:41.060 It is not through any attempt at making ourselves acceptable to God.

00:21:48.340 In fact, we were dead in our sin apart from Christ.

00:21:52.180 Dead people can't make themselves good.

00:21:55.080 Dead people can't make themselves better.

00:21:57.240 You can't shake the stench of death after you've died.

00:22:01.020 And so it is only by a miracle, by the full reconciling efforts of Christ,

00:22:09.020 that we can be saved by his grace through the faith that he himself supplies us.

00:22:16.140 He who knew no sin became sin, so we could become the righteousness of God.

00:22:21.840 That righteousness is only by Christ alone.

00:22:26.160 So here he is on the Sunday special a few years ago with Ben Shapiro.

00:22:31.160 I remember listening to this in 2018 and just thinking,

00:22:35.020 yes, I really encourage you, if you have not watched,

00:22:38.800 or maybe you haven't watched it in a few years,

00:22:41.040 the interview between John MacArthur and Ben Shapiro, please go do that.

00:22:45.420 I mean, it is a masterclass in how to share the gospel with someone so respectfully,

00:22:50.940 but without compromising at all, all of us, myself included,

00:22:53.700 when we're in a debate with someone that we really want to persuade,

00:22:56.940 but also we don't want to offend, it's easy for us to caveat.

00:23:00.240 It's easy for us to pull back a little bit,

00:23:02.320 especially if they kind of get aggressive or they seem offended.

00:23:06.000 And Ben Shapiro doesn't seem offended at all here,

00:23:08.920 but just in other situations, it's really easy for us to kind of just,

00:23:14.520 okay, never mind.

00:23:15.760 I don't want to hurt your feelings.

00:23:17.340 And you can see here how John MacArthur is so gentle

00:23:20.440 and so kind, but so persistent and not backing down at all.

00:23:26.000 And here he is breaking down Isaiah 53,

00:23:31.240 which of course is a prophetic chapter that is prophesying specifically Jesus

00:23:36.960 and the salvation that we, and specifically Israel, can have through Christ.

00:23:43.280 This is the fulfillment of messianic prophecy.

00:23:46.400 And John MacArthur speaking to an Orthodox Jewish man

00:23:50.900 who knows fully the Jewish perspective of Isaiah 53 lays out to him,

00:23:57.180 no, no, no, no.

00:23:58.220 Your Messiah has already come.

00:24:00.620 Here's thought 13.

00:24:01.960 He was bruised for our iniquities.

00:24:04.400 He was chastised for our peace.

00:24:07.040 Whoa, what happened?

00:24:08.660 Zechariah says,

00:24:10.880 The day will come when they look on him whom they have pierced

00:24:13.620 and mourn for him as an only son.

00:24:17.560 Wow, that's what they will say.

00:24:20.340 That's what the Jewish people will say

00:24:22.200 when they look on the one they pierced

00:24:24.620 and mourn for him as an only son.

00:24:25.980 They'll say,

00:24:26.620 We thought he was stricken by God.

00:24:29.600 We thought we were doing the work of God

00:24:31.540 and taking his life because he was a blasphemer. 0.63

00:24:34.160 Now we see he was wounded for our transgressions.

00:24:37.740 He was bruised for our iniquities.

00:24:39.880 And then, says Zechariah,

00:24:41.180 A fountain of blessing is open to Israel

00:24:43.100 and a fountain of salvation.

00:24:45.340 And then you have that followed by the kingdom

00:24:47.340 and all the fulfillment of the old covenant.

00:24:50.040 And all of it comes when Israel looks at the Messiah 0.96

00:24:54.100 and sees him for who he is.

00:24:55.740 The interesting thing about Isaiah's prophecy of that is

00:24:57.740 he doesn't say it's going to happen.

00:25:00.220 He doesn't use future verbs.

00:25:01.500 He uses past verbs because he's looking past Christ

00:25:04.500 to when the Jews look back on the past,

00:25:07.620 now we see it, now we see it.

00:25:09.880 I just love that so much.

00:25:11.640 And Ben had sweet tributes on Acts 2,

00:25:15.000 Dr. MacArthur just saying and emphasizing

00:25:17.940 what an incredible man he was.

00:25:19.860 And that also speaks to Ben's character,

00:25:22.060 that he is able to hear something

00:25:24.080 that many could perceive as offensive to his faith

00:25:27.040 and his deeply held beliefs

00:25:28.300 and still be able to recognize the impact

00:25:31.100 and the courage that John MacArthur had

00:25:33.700 and recognize that in his death.

00:25:35.540 But it also goes to show

00:25:36.840 that a lot of us are scared for no reason.

00:25:39.260 Like, we are scared to share the gospel

00:25:40.860 and to tell the truth to someone.

00:25:41.900 I'm speaking to myself as well

00:25:43.240 because we're afraid that that person's going to hate us.

00:25:45.860 And while that may be true,

00:25:47.140 and that cost is totally worth it

00:25:49.060 because Jesus said,

00:25:50.240 if the world hates you,

00:25:51.300 it's because they hated me first.

00:25:53.480 But very often, those people will actually,

00:25:56.900 even if they disagree,

00:25:58.320 they might recognize,

00:25:59.460 okay, but I understand where you're coming from

00:26:02.120 or I understand you're trying to love me.

00:26:03.580 Or maybe they won't recognize that then,

00:26:05.080 but maybe they'll recognize it later on.

00:26:07.260 Just remember, we don't judge our obedience

00:26:09.760 by other people's reaction to us.

00:26:12.080 Either way, we judge our obedience

00:26:13.460 by our faithfulness to God's word.

00:26:15.980 And John MacArthur was so faithful to God's word.

00:26:18.820 All right, next ad for the day,

00:26:20.820 and that is Patriot Mobile.

00:26:23.860 Patriot Mobile is America's

00:26:25.020 only Christian conservative wireless provider.

00:26:28.640 This is the only company that,

00:26:31.060 only a wireless provider

00:26:32.520 that boldly stands in the gap for every American

00:26:35.120 that believes that freedom is worth fighting for.

00:26:38.100 Not only are they leading the way

00:26:39.640 in this more red-leaning economy,

00:26:42.800 Patriot Mobile also outgains the competition

00:26:44.980 when it comes to technology.

00:26:46.740 Patriot Mobile is one of the only carriers

00:26:48.900 with access to all three major networks.

00:26:51.740 They offer unlimited data plans,

00:26:53.180 mobile hotspots, international roaming,

00:26:55.200 internet backup, so much more.

00:26:57.180 It's time to make the switch today.

00:26:58.880 Just go to patriotmobile.com slash Allie.

00:27:01.460 You'll get a free month of service.

00:27:03.000 It's patriotmobile.com slash Allie.

00:27:05.380 And before we get into the rest of the episode,

00:27:07.660 I just want to remind you guys about Share the Arrows.

00:27:11.700 And if you want to be given courage,

00:27:15.020 if you want to be bolstered in your faith,

00:27:17.040 if you want to learn about the Word of God,

00:27:20.120 maybe this is all new for you.

00:27:21.600 Maybe you're hearing the gospel for the first time,

00:27:23.700 or maybe you've been a Christian for 50 years.

00:27:26.540 This conference, Share the Arrows, is for you.

00:27:29.180 We've got some of the best female Bible teachers, 0.71

00:27:32.660 apologists, and encouragers,

00:27:34.700 and worship leaders in the world

00:27:39.440 that are going to be speaking and serving you guys there.

00:27:43.600 Sharethearrows.com, that's where you can get your tickets.

00:27:46.700 And we've got a VIP package too,

00:27:48.740 where you can come the night before to the VIP dinner.

00:27:51.120 You can see the relatable sets.

00:27:53.020 You can meet all of the speakers,

00:27:54.580 but general admission tickets are also awesome.

00:27:57.340 Every seat in the house is amazing.

00:27:59.480 This year, Share the Arrows is brought to you

00:28:02.040 by our friends at Good Ranchers.

00:28:04.120 And y'all, last year, it was just so obvious

00:28:07.960 that it was a Holy Spirit-led event,

00:28:10.440 that it was so much bigger than just one day.

00:28:13.120 And by God's grace, this year will be the same

00:28:16.200 and even better.

00:28:17.940 Go to sharethearrows.com, get your tickets today.

00:28:20.620 That's sharethearrows.com.

00:28:27.240 He was on Relatable a couple times.

00:28:30.480 He was on the first time

00:28:32.380 after he defied Gavin Newsom's order

00:28:36.420 to shut down churches,

00:28:38.400 and they basically said no.

00:28:40.940 And, you know, it's interesting

00:28:42.320 because some people who were a part of his ministry,

00:28:45.020 they were talking about their thinking at the time,

00:28:47.440 and I was involved publicly,

00:28:49.540 like, in some of those early conversations

00:28:52.380 about, like, what is the biblical obligation

00:28:55.640 to obey the government.

00:28:57.800 And obviously, in Romans 13

00:28:59.600 and elsewhere in Scripture,

00:29:00.980 we see that we are to submit to the government.

00:29:05.480 However, in the United States,

00:29:08.180 the Constitution is the law of the land,

00:29:10.860 that even our government officials,

00:29:13.420 who are supposed to be our public servants,

00:29:16.580 they are to submit to the Constitution.

00:29:19.020 So if a leader is outside of constitutional bounds,

00:29:24.060 how we have it in our constitutional republic

00:29:26.640 is that it is they who are usurping authority,

00:29:30.060 not those of us who are abiding by the Constitution,

00:29:32.540 which has a First Amendment,

00:29:34.140 the very first one that includes religious liberty,

00:29:36.860 that allows churches to gather

00:29:39.200 without interference from the state,

00:29:41.300 especially for a virus that, yes,

00:29:44.860 had some potential danger for some populations,

00:29:47.440 but really not more than the flu.

00:29:49.660 And even if it had,

00:29:50.580 churches have the freedom to gather as they see fit.

00:29:53.220 So that was the first interview that we had.

00:29:55.680 Loved it so much.

00:29:56.720 Was so honored to be able to talk to him for a little bit.

00:29:59.360 But then he came,

00:30:00.460 and he talked for a whole hour

00:30:02.660 about all different kinds of things,

00:30:05.860 how faith intersects with politics.

00:30:07.920 He wrote a book that was very similar

00:30:09.400 to the sermon series that I referenced earlier

00:30:11.620 about the world's and Satan's attack on children

00:30:14.420 and how we combat that with the truth of God's word.

00:30:17.500 And here he is talking a little bit about that,

00:30:19.700 Sade.

00:30:20.300 The way that you live out your Christianity in a society 1.00

00:30:23.720 is by your godly living,

00:30:27.100 your righteous living,

00:30:28.880 upholding truth and the word of God.

00:30:33.800 And how does that coincide with politics?

00:30:36.900 For me, politics gives me an opportunity

00:30:41.380 to stand up for righteousness.

00:30:45.940 The Democrats and the Republicans

00:30:47.780 aren't particularly against each other

00:30:51.160 based on economics.

00:30:53.420 It's morality against immorality.

00:30:56.860 When your agenda is kill babies,

00:31:00.180 mutilate children, 0.78

00:31:03.040 advocate homosexual marriage, 0.87

00:31:05.900 those are sins of epic proportions

00:31:11.040 that will completely destroy a culture.

00:31:14.060 So if I am in a society

00:31:15.640 where I can take a stand against that,

00:31:19.100 then I have to do that.

00:31:20.840 That's my responsibility before God to do that.

00:31:26.060 Yep.

00:31:26.720 And of course, he's absolutely right.

00:31:28.880 Politics matter because policy matters,

00:31:30.540 because people matter.

00:31:32.800 And for the Christian,

00:31:33.660 these things aren't primarily political.

00:31:35.340 They're primarily biblical.

00:31:37.080 And politics has become theological.

00:31:39.160 It's not that our theology has become political.

00:31:41.660 And John MacArthur,

00:31:42.540 he was not a political activist.

00:31:44.660 I saw someone say he was a culture warrior.

00:31:47.300 Well, I don't know if I would describe him as that,

00:31:50.200 only because,

00:31:52.000 like, by necessity,

00:31:53.420 as a biblical expositor,

00:31:55.240 and he preached God's word

00:31:56.600 against the chaos of the culture,

00:31:57.980 I guess you could label him as that.

00:31:59.520 But really, he was just an expositor

00:32:01.340 who set up for what the word of God said.

00:32:03.380 And when that intersected

00:32:04.720 with where culture was going wrong,

00:32:06.260 he was totally unafraid to say,

00:32:07.760 well, this is what the word of God says.

00:32:09.160 He staked his life on that.

00:32:10.980 And that's an example for all of us.

00:32:13.400 You know, some people don't know

00:32:14.960 that he has actually been a boil

00:32:17.620 on the back of Gavin Newsom

00:32:19.340 for a very long time.

00:32:21.120 Like, before he was battling him,

00:32:25.260 as Gavin Newsom was the governor of California

00:32:27.580 trying to shut churches down,

00:32:29.420 they were duking it out on Larry King Live.

00:32:32.300 Larry King, who, of course,

00:32:33.640 was, I believe, an atheist,

00:32:35.300 had John MacArthur on often

00:32:36.860 to represent the Christian perspective on things.

00:32:39.540 And there was a debate about homosexuality

00:32:41.780 in the early 2000s

00:32:43.080 against Gavin Newsom,

00:32:44.120 who claims to be,

00:32:45.220 you know,

00:32:46.180 an ardent Catholic.

00:32:48.720 And here's what John MacArthur

00:32:50.140 had to say to good old Gavin.

00:32:51.960 Here's Sot9.

00:32:52.920 I'm a practicing Catholic.

00:32:54.440 I got married in the church

00:32:55.500 two plus years.

00:32:56.640 I don't see what we're doing

00:32:58.080 in terms of advancing the bond of love

00:33:00.020 and monogamy

00:33:01.040 and extending that to families,

00:33:03.000 families of same sex,

00:33:04.380 in any way, shape, or form.

00:33:05.580 Takes away anything from the church

00:33:07.100 or the sanctity of the union

00:33:08.720 that my wife and I have.

00:33:09.880 I would just like to ask the mayor

00:33:11.220 as a practicing Catholic,

00:33:12.360 do you believe the Bible

00:33:13.340 is the word of God?

00:33:14.860 Look, Pastor,

00:33:15.460 I'm not going to get in a theological debate with you.

00:33:17.580 No, that's not a theological debate.

00:33:19.220 That's just a straight question.

00:33:20.600 Do you believe the Bible

00:33:21.420 is the authoritative word of God?

00:33:23.280 Yeah, with respect, I guess I do.

00:33:25.980 Now the response.

00:33:26.860 Well, then the Bible says

00:33:27.900 when God created man,

00:33:29.300 he said one man, one woman

00:33:31.060 cleaved together for life.

00:33:33.380 That's a family.

00:33:34.480 Jesus in the New Testament

00:33:35.600 reaffirms that.

00:33:36.860 All the writers of the Old 1.00

00:33:38.020 and the New Testament affirm it.

00:33:39.520 Adultery, bestiality, homosexuality 1.00

00:33:42.180 was punishable by death

00:33:43.220 according to the Old Testament law

00:33:44.840 because it was so serious

00:33:46.060 in those early years

00:33:47.160 because it literally shattered

00:33:49.080 the hope of civilization.

00:33:50.900 The New Testament offers us,

00:33:52.440 of course, grace.

00:33:53.420 Those sins are sins.

00:33:54.620 They are forgivable.

00:33:55.340 Jesus died to redeem us

00:33:57.100 from those sins.

00:33:57.980 We're all sinners.

00:33:58.860 You don't want to categorize sins.

00:33:59.820 What does the state have to do with it?

00:34:01.000 But the point at this juncture is,

00:34:02.880 well, he's representing the state.

00:34:04.480 He's coming back and saying,

00:34:05.580 I'm a Catholic

00:34:06.240 and I'm a Catholic

00:34:07.720 and somehow this fits

00:34:08.980 into my Catholicism.

00:34:10.120 And I'm saying,

00:34:10.540 well, what's your authority then?

00:34:12.940 Absolutely right.

00:34:14.500 Gavin Newsom,

00:34:15.280 I believe he was maybe

00:34:16.060 the mayor of San Francisco

00:34:17.240 at that point.

00:34:18.140 He wasn't yet

00:34:18.620 the governor of California.

00:34:20.540 And so it's Gavin

00:34:21.380 that brought up theology first.

00:34:22.940 It's Gavin

00:34:23.360 that brought up religion first.

00:34:25.040 And then when

00:34:26.320 when John MacArthur says,

00:34:28.420 OK, let's talk about

00:34:29.440 what your supposed religion says.

00:34:32.060 If the Catholic Church, 0.99

00:34:33.120 he is saying,

00:34:33.860 says that the Bible

00:34:34.640 is at least an authority,

00:34:36.400 which it does,

00:34:37.280 then let's talk about

00:34:38.200 what that Bible says.

00:34:39.340 So it's Gavin

00:34:40.080 that brought up

00:34:40.600 his Catholicism

00:34:41.540 as a justification

00:34:42.360 for, you know,

00:34:43.760 saying that he's OK

00:34:44.700 with gay marriage.

00:34:46.200 And then John MacArthur

00:34:47.740 very expertly said,

00:34:48.840 OK, well,

00:34:49.160 we've got a shared authority there.

00:34:50.620 Let's see what the scripture

00:34:51.460 has to say about it.

00:34:52.900 And then that's,

00:34:53.540 you know,

00:34:53.940 oh, my gosh,

00:34:54.740 Gavin Newsom is such a snake.

00:34:56.580 And he was just slithering there.

00:34:58.700 And John MacArthur

00:34:59.500 was completely unimpressed

00:35:01.340 with his sliminess.

00:35:04.340 Here's another

00:35:05.020 before we get back

00:35:05.640 to the Gavin Newsom conversation,

00:35:07.100 which we will.

00:35:09.180 Let me read you

00:35:10.860 or let me show you

00:35:13.060 this other clip

00:35:13.740 from Larry King.

00:35:15.580 And this is he's

00:35:16.600 on a panel in 2005

00:35:17.920 and he's got

00:35:20.160 a bunch of faith leaders there.

00:35:21.680 And the question is,

00:35:22.400 what happens when we die?

00:35:25.000 And Larry King asked,

00:35:26.820 like, would he be afraid

00:35:29.160 to die in a plane crash?

00:35:31.100 And MacArthur says,

00:35:32.460 no, here's why.

00:35:33.760 Saw 10.

00:35:34.680 Going down in an airplane

00:35:35.820 would be a novel way

00:35:37.500 for me to go

00:35:38.100 immediately to heaven.

00:35:39.260 And my Bible says,

00:35:40.640 absent from the body

00:35:41.360 present with the Lord,

00:35:42.420 far better to depart

00:35:43.520 and be with Christ.

00:35:44.560 This is my hope.

00:35:45.480 I have no fear

00:35:46.560 of dying itself.

00:35:47.740 I have no fear of death.

00:35:48.860 It was five years ago

00:35:50.080 that I was near death

00:35:51.140 in the critical care unit

00:35:52.160 with blood clots

00:35:52.860 all over both lungs.

00:35:54.280 And the truth of the matter is,

00:35:56.260 eight days later

00:35:57.020 when I came out,

00:35:58.260 I had a disappointment

00:36:00.100 because I felt like

00:36:01.560 I was ready to see my Lord

00:36:03.600 and I was ready

00:36:04.460 to enter into all

00:36:05.560 that God has prepared

00:36:06.360 for them that love Him.

00:36:07.860 And not that I don't love

00:36:09.360 my wife, my kids

00:36:10.280 and enjoy the riches.

00:36:11.800 I was made for social life.

00:36:13.420 I was made for relationships.

00:36:14.760 And that's why

00:36:15.580 I hang on here

00:36:16.440 and I was made

00:36:17.340 to be used by God

00:36:18.300 and I want to serve Him

00:36:19.060 as long as He wants me here.

00:36:20.500 But I'm ready to go to heaven

00:36:21.940 whenever He sends the word.

00:36:24.220 I love that confidence so much.

00:36:26.220 I mean, that is the verse

00:36:27.880 that actually I quoted

00:36:29.980 and paraphrased

00:36:30.900 that he's paraphrasing there

00:36:32.080 just a few minutes ago.

00:36:33.680 To live is Christ

00:36:34.840 and to die is gain.

00:36:37.000 And he was confident in that.

00:36:38.140 And may we all have

00:36:39.060 that confidence

00:36:39.660 and be ready to give

00:36:40.560 that kind of answer

00:36:41.300 when asked.

00:36:42.420 Let me pause and tell you

00:36:43.300 about our next sponsor.

00:36:44.460 It's Good Ranchers, y'all.

00:36:45.700 I love Good Ranchers so much.

00:36:47.940 The sad news is

00:36:48.740 is that by the time

00:36:49.700 this show ends,

00:36:50.740 another family farm

00:36:52.580 will close down

00:36:53.980 because of the overregulations,

00:36:55.900 because of the competition

00:36:57.120 from cheaper,

00:36:58.120 less quality meat

00:36:58.900 that's being imported

00:36:59.900 from abroad

00:37:00.860 and filling our grocery stores.

00:37:02.840 It is just really hard

00:37:04.400 for the American meat farming

00:37:07.120 ranching industry

00:37:08.080 to stay alive.

00:37:09.080 That is why Good Ranchers 0.83

00:37:10.340 does what it does.

00:37:11.680 It relies only on

00:37:13.160 American farms and ranches

00:37:14.700 for all of their seafood,

00:37:16.020 all of their chicken,

00:37:17.220 all of their beef,

00:37:19.200 even their seed oil-free

00:37:21.600 chicken nuggets.

00:37:22.300 That comes from

00:37:23.400 an American farm or ranch.

00:37:25.560 This is a Christian,

00:37:26.960 family-owned,

00:37:28.420 God-loving,

00:37:29.080 America-loving company

00:37:31.420 that sends you

00:37:32.720 American meat

00:37:33.440 right to your front door

00:37:34.580 on dry ice every month.

00:37:36.060 When you subscribe

00:37:36.660 to Good Ranchers,

00:37:37.680 you will be so happy

00:37:39.020 that you did.

00:37:39.460 It will make your life

00:37:40.040 so much easier

00:37:40.640 and you'll feel good

00:37:41.440 knowing that you're supporting

00:37:42.620 this American industry.

00:37:44.120 Plus, when you subscribe,

00:37:45.380 you can pick a free meat for life.

00:37:47.920 So Wagyu burgers,

00:37:48.800 hot dogs, bacon,

00:37:49.640 chicken wings,

00:37:50.160 in every box

00:37:50.900 for the lifetime

00:37:51.520 of your subscription.

00:37:52.720 Plus, my code Allie

00:37:53.600 gets you an extra $40 off.

00:37:55.520 That's goodranchers.com

00:37:56.740 slash Allie, 1.00

00:37:57.720 code Allie, 1.00

00:37:58.580 goodranchers.com,

00:37:59.920 code Allie. 1.00

00:38:05.960 Back to Gavin Newsom.

00:38:08.160 As I said,

00:38:10.580 he was really,

00:38:11.500 John MacArthur

00:38:11.940 was really a thorn

00:38:12.800 in Gavin Newsom's side

00:38:13.980 for a long time.

00:38:15.640 And then when we fast forward

00:38:17.000 to COVID,

00:38:17.960 when Governor Newsom

00:38:19.540 was the governor

00:38:20.520 of California

00:38:21.360 and not just like

00:38:22.840 a slimy,

00:38:23.660 ambitious local politician

00:38:25.500 trying to go on the news

00:38:27.340 and defend homosexuality, 0.63

00:38:29.560 he was trying

00:38:30.480 to close down churches.

00:38:33.200 Grace Community Church,

00:38:34.940 after Gavin Newsom

00:38:35.980 said,

00:38:36.200 no church services,

00:38:37.240 but you can go

00:38:37.780 to strip clubs

00:38:38.540 and you can go get weed

00:38:39.740 and all of that,

00:38:40.660 Grace Community Church

00:38:41.520 resumed indoor worship

00:38:42.520 in July of 2020.

00:38:44.820 L.A. County

00:38:45.500 sought a court injunction

00:38:46.540 to enforce the ban

00:38:47.680 threatening fines

00:38:48.540 in jail time,

00:38:49.440 but the church,

00:38:50.340 they could have stood down.

00:38:51.980 A lot of people

00:38:52.560 told them to,

00:38:53.460 Andy Stanley at the time,

00:38:55.140 even Tim Keller

00:38:55.880 at the time,

00:38:57.040 they were criticizing

00:38:58.080 without naming

00:38:59.320 John MacArthur

00:39:00.040 in many cases

00:39:01.120 as, you know,

00:39:02.700 fighting against

00:39:03.680 the safety

00:39:04.960 and protection

00:39:05.640 of people.

00:39:06.420 Andy Stanley said,

00:39:07.420 and I believe

00:39:07.940 it was a convocation

00:39:08.900 to Liberty University,

00:39:10.700 that the Bible

00:39:11.720 doesn't actually call

00:39:12.980 us to meet together

00:39:15.700 bodily as a local church,

00:39:16.860 which of course

00:39:17.540 is simply not true.

00:39:19.580 A lot of people

00:39:20.220 criticize John MacArthur

00:39:21.440 and his church

00:39:22.080 for this courage,

00:39:23.080 but here's why he did it.

00:39:24.740 Here's Psalm 11.

00:39:25.780 You know that

00:39:26.660 the Word of God

00:39:27.400 commands you to worship,

00:39:29.320 to come together,

00:39:30.160 to not forsake

00:39:30.880 the assembling

00:39:31.380 of yourselves together

00:39:32.280 as a manner of some is.

00:39:33.260 Come together

00:39:33.740 to stimulate one another

00:39:35.240 to love and good works.

00:39:37.280 You know,

00:39:37.620 in the book of 1 Corinthians,

00:39:39.140 when the Apostle Paul

00:39:40.240 is writing to the church

00:39:41.120 and talking about

00:39:41.680 the Lord's table,

00:39:43.100 in that chapter,

00:39:44.200 over and over,

00:39:45.200 it says,

00:39:45.600 when you come together,

00:39:46.420 when you come together,

00:39:47.280 when you come together,

00:39:48.140 when you come together,

00:39:48.840 this is the church.

00:39:50.360 The church

00:39:50.840 isn't a video experience.

00:39:52.600 The church is life on life,

00:39:54.760 and you need to be the church.

00:39:57.720 You also need

00:39:58.660 not only to follow

00:39:59.420 the Word of God,

00:40:00.240 but also realize

00:40:01.140 Christ is the head

00:40:01.800 of the church,

00:40:02.220 not any political entity,

00:40:04.640 not any government agency,

00:40:05.980 and not any person in power.

00:40:08.180 Christ is the head

00:40:09.020 of the church.

00:40:10.180 Give glory to Him

00:40:11.060 by being the church.

00:40:12.640 And then you need

00:40:13.440 to understand

00:40:13.940 that you don't really

00:40:15.080 have anything to fear

00:40:16.440 in terms of the threat

00:40:18.300 of this virus,

00:40:19.860 because the statistics

00:40:21.280 are just so minuscule.

00:40:23.580 I mean,

00:40:26.180 just so brave

00:40:27.060 and so clear.

00:40:28.700 You can also just,

00:40:29.640 you can see a difference,

00:40:31.480 a big difference in him

00:40:33.640 just physically

00:40:34.480 from that 2020 clip

00:40:36.340 to the clip that I played,

00:40:38.340 which was from 2024.

00:40:40.240 And you can just see,

00:40:41.140 like,

00:40:41.460 he was just ready

00:40:43.020 to meet his Savior,

00:40:44.340 although the sharpness

00:40:45.680 of his mind

00:40:46.380 and his passion

00:40:47.260 never faded.

00:40:48.420 On September 2nd, 2021,

00:40:50.580 the county and state

00:40:51.320 settled,

00:40:51.960 paying the church

00:40:52.760 $800,000 for illegal fees,

00:40:55.400 resolving the case

00:40:56.260 without the church

00:40:57.220 admitting fault.

00:40:59.600 Praise God.

00:41:00.280 I mean,

00:41:00.520 what a precedent to set

00:41:02.320 on the front lines

00:41:03.180 of that battle

00:41:03.760 when too many pastors

00:41:04.920 were scared.

00:41:06.400 That, of course,

00:41:07.460 was not his last battle,

00:41:09.740 however,

00:41:10.260 with Gavin Newsom.

00:41:12.240 I mean,

00:41:12.520 no one called out

00:41:14.720 and I think just showed

00:41:16.880 by contrast

00:41:18.040 the evil and stupidity

00:41:19.680 of Gavin Newsom

00:41:21.120 as, you know,

00:41:22.780 effectively and persuasively

00:41:24.480 as John MacArthur did,

00:41:25.800 but also I doubt

00:41:27.280 that anyone has prayed

00:41:29.020 for Gavin Newsom's repentance

00:41:31.980 as genuinely

00:41:33.360 and persistently

00:41:35.360 as John MacArthur has.

00:41:37.880 And so I'll get into

00:41:39.120 this last story

00:41:40.420 in just a second.

00:41:41.480 I do have to pause.

00:41:42.960 We've got five ads today

00:41:44.440 since we went down

00:41:45.300 to three episodes.

00:41:46.620 We've got five ads

00:41:47.620 per episode,

00:41:48.200 so sometimes towards the end

00:41:49.580 I have to put them

00:41:50.240 a little close together.

00:41:51.280 So let me go ahead

00:41:52.260 and pause until we get

00:41:53.100 into this last segment

00:41:54.140 of the show

00:41:54.840 and tell you about Cozy Earth.

00:41:56.640 Absolutely love Cozy Earth

00:41:58.900 and right now

00:41:59.900 we're in the heat

00:42:00.580 of the summer, y'all.

00:42:01.780 No one wants to be sweating

00:42:02.880 at night.

00:42:03.400 No one wants to wake up

00:42:04.780 in a puddle of sweat

00:42:05.660 because you don't have

00:42:06.680 breathable sheets.

00:42:08.160 You want to have soft,

00:42:09.640 luxurious,

00:42:10.880 temperature-regulating sheets

00:42:12.320 and that's why

00:42:12.980 you should have

00:42:13.540 all of your sheets

00:42:14.320 from Cozy Earth.

00:42:15.460 They're so soft.

00:42:16.340 They're so high quality.

00:42:17.580 I love them so much.

00:42:18.960 They are my preference

00:42:19.900 and I can always tell

00:42:21.160 if for some reason

00:42:22.400 I don't have Cozy Earth sheets

00:42:23.780 on my bed,

00:42:24.660 it makes a really big difference.

00:42:26.020 It keeps you cool

00:42:26.960 and that helps you sleep well.

00:42:28.940 This is true, by the way,

00:42:30.000 of all of their loungewear

00:42:31.280 and their pajamas.

00:42:32.260 So comfortable,

00:42:33.640 so silky soft

00:42:34.800 while keeping you cool.

00:42:36.260 Go to CozyEarth.com.

00:42:37.520 Use code RELATABLE.

00:42:38.820 You get up to 40% off.

00:42:40.660 That's amazing.

00:42:42.000 They're best-selling

00:42:42.740 temperature-regulating sheets,

00:42:43.960 their apparel,

00:42:44.600 and more.

00:42:45.400 You will feel the difference

00:42:47.020 when you use Cozy Earth stuff.

00:42:48.400 Go to CozyEarth.com.

00:42:49.800 Code RELATABLE.

00:42:50.700 All right.

00:42:56.620 In September 2022,

00:42:58.440 I wrote an article about this

00:42:59.980 in World Magazine at the time.

00:43:02.180 MacArthur wrote an open letter

00:43:04.100 and delivered this sermon as well

00:43:06.440 that criticized California Governor

00:43:10.720 Gavin Newsom

00:43:11.680 for a billboard campaign

00:43:13.060 in California promoting abortion.

00:43:15.840 And it actually wasn't just

00:43:18.480 in California.

00:43:19.420 It was throughout the country.

00:43:21.660 And the billboard said,

00:43:22.980 need an abortion. 1.00

00:43:24.200 California is ready to help.

00:43:26.500 Learn more at abortion.ca.gov.

00:43:29.440 And here's the kicker.

00:43:30.900 At the bottom,

00:43:31.540 you can see,

00:43:32.600 love your neighbor as yourself.

00:43:34.740 There is no greater commandment

00:43:36.760 than these.

00:43:37.860 Mark 12, 21.

00:43:39.660 So using the words of God

00:43:41.400 to try to convince women 0.98

00:43:42.680 from other states

00:43:43.680 where Roe v. Wade

00:43:45.520 or the overturning of Roe v. Wade,

00:43:47.000 the Dobbs decision

00:43:47.780 had triggered these laws

00:43:49.600 or allowed laws

00:43:50.400 to be put in place

00:43:51.500 to heavily restrict abortion.

00:43:54.000 And so Gavin Newsom

00:43:55.480 tried to use the Bible

00:43:57.040 to advertise California

00:43:59.600 as a sanctuary state

00:44:01.480 for a child sacrifice

00:44:03.600 as the destination

00:44:05.540 for those who are seeking

00:44:07.320 to brutally murder their babies.

00:44:09.860 And so John MacArthur

00:44:13.440 wrote a letter,

00:44:15.260 delivered a sermon

00:44:16.580 that was an earnest call

00:44:19.060 for Gavin Newsom

00:44:20.200 to repent of his evil.

00:44:23.180 MacArthur also accused

00:44:24.560 in this sermon

00:44:25.340 and in this letter

00:44:26.360 of news,

00:44:27.580 accused Newsom's policies

00:44:29.380 of causing crime,

00:44:30.560 homelessness,

00:44:31.040 and moral decline,

00:44:32.580 called out his support

00:44:33.500 of homosexuality, 0.91

00:44:34.600 transgenderism.

00:44:35.720 And most importantly,

00:44:37.220 MacArthur warned

00:44:37.860 that Newsom's soul

00:44:39.760 was in eternal peril

00:44:41.960 and urged him

00:44:42.840 to repent and follow Christ.

00:44:44.400 He said Newsom's leadership

00:44:45.540 went against biblical values

00:44:47.080 by promoting evil

00:44:49.320 instead of good.

00:44:51.460 He said,

00:44:52.100 in mid-September,

00:44:53.080 you revealed to the entire nation

00:44:54.480 how thoroughly rebellious

00:44:55.860 against God you are

00:44:57.160 when you sponsored billboards

00:44:58.920 across America

00:44:59.700 promoting the slaughter

00:45:00.860 of children

00:45:01.520 whom he creates

00:45:02.980 in the womb.

00:45:04.180 And then he said,

00:45:04.700 you further compounded

00:45:05.800 the wickedness

00:45:06.440 of that murderous campaign

00:45:07.700 by showing

00:45:09.680 a reprehensible act

00:45:11.680 of gross blasphemy

00:45:13.300 quoting the Bible.

00:45:15.900 He said,

00:45:16.320 you chose words

00:45:16.960 from the lips of Jesus

00:45:17.880 without admitting

00:45:18.700 that in that same moment

00:45:20.280 he gave the greatest command,

00:45:21.460 you shall love

00:45:22.060 the Lord your God

00:45:22.960 with all of your heart,

00:45:24.720 mind, soul, and strength.

00:45:26.020 He says,

00:45:26.520 you can't love

00:45:27.740 the Lord your God

00:45:28.580 and promote murder.

00:45:29.820 And so here's

00:45:30.640 where he gets to the point

00:45:32.260 and I believe

00:45:32.920 that John MacArthur

00:45:33.720 really believed this,

00:45:35.600 that it grieved him

00:45:36.880 that Governor Gavin Newsom

00:45:38.240 right now

00:45:39.140 as it stands

00:45:39.880 is headed straight to hell. 0.82

00:45:42.120 My concern,

00:45:43.260 Governor Newsom,

00:45:44.140 John MacArthur writes,

00:45:45.400 is that your own soul

00:45:46.580 lies in grave eternal peril.

00:45:49.000 Each one of us

00:45:49.800 will give an account

00:45:50.720 of himself to God

00:45:52.280 one day,

00:45:53.480 not very long from now,

00:45:55.260 you will face that reality.

00:45:57.000 Nothing is more certain.

00:45:59.120 You will stand

00:45:59.680 in the presence

00:46:00.160 of the Holy God

00:46:00.980 who created you,

00:46:01.880 who is your judge,

00:46:03.040 and he will demand

00:46:04.260 that you give an account

00:46:05.560 for how you have flouted

00:46:06.900 his authority

00:46:07.460 in your governing

00:46:08.180 and how you have twisted

00:46:09.700 his own holy word

00:46:10.780 to rationalize it.

00:46:12.500 As you look over

00:46:13.440 the precipice of eternity,

00:46:15.120 what will your answer be

00:46:16.580 when you look ahead of you

00:46:18.160 and see that nothing awaits you

00:46:19.840 but eternal misery,

00:46:21.180 the just punishment

00:46:22.160 for your sins?

00:46:23.360 What will all

00:46:24.000 the clever rationalizations

00:46:25.520 and political talking points

00:46:27.140 avail for you then?

00:46:29.260 And by then,

00:46:29.880 it will be too late

00:46:31.040 for any remedy

00:46:32.740 or redemption.

00:46:34.720 My plea to you,

00:46:36.260 Sir,

00:46:36.760 John MacArthur writes,

00:46:37.780 is that you would not

00:46:39.000 let it come to that,

00:46:40.140 that you would not go

00:46:41.360 to that day of judgment

00:46:42.660 apart from receiving

00:46:43.760 forgiveness

00:46:44.300 and righteousness

00:46:45.200 through faith

00:46:46.600 in Christ alone.

00:46:48.760 Our church

00:46:49.620 and countless Christians

00:46:50.720 nationwide

00:46:51.300 are praying

00:46:51.960 for your full repentance.

00:46:53.600 Please respond

00:46:54.220 to the gospel.

00:46:55.040 Forsake the path

00:46:55.740 of wickedness

00:46:56.320 you have pursued

00:46:56.820 all of your life.

00:46:58.120 Turn to Christ.

00:46:58.740 ask for forgiveness

00:47:00.380 and use your office

00:47:01.400 to advance the cause

00:47:02.480 of righteousness

00:47:03.180 as is your duty

00:47:04.380 instead of undermining it

00:47:06.760 as has been your pattern.

00:47:08.360 I love the parenthetical

00:47:11.740 clarification there.

00:47:14.280 So good.

00:47:15.540 All right.

00:47:16.300 We've got one more clip

00:47:18.060 of John MacArthur

00:47:18.960 before we close this out.

00:47:20.980 It's thought 12.

00:47:22.420 Governor Gavin Newsom,

00:47:24.120 who has decided

00:47:26.380 that he is going

00:47:27.880 to lead the nation

00:47:28.920 in providing

00:47:29.580 the slaughter

00:47:30.920 of the children

00:47:32.680 that God creates

00:47:33.620 in the womb,

00:47:36.220 has postured himself

00:47:37.920 as if he were Herod.

00:47:42.260 And I am deeply concerned

00:47:44.200 for the jeopardy

00:47:44.920 of his eternal soul.

00:47:46.960 He had the terrifying audacity

00:47:50.500 to use the words

00:47:52.320 of Jesus

00:47:52.820 to support

00:47:53.460 the slaughter

00:47:54.060 of the ones

00:47:55.460 that he creates

00:47:56.280 in the womb.

00:47:59.600 The jeopardy

00:48:00.520 of his soul

00:48:01.220 is evident.

00:48:04.020 I say this

00:48:05.200 because my heart

00:48:07.860 is grieved

00:48:08.680 that Christ

00:48:09.180 should be so dishonored.

00:48:12.260 Hmm.

00:48:14.240 Let's all join

00:48:15.580 the prayers

00:48:16.100 for Gavin Newsom's

00:48:17.360 repentance,

00:48:17.960 for all of our nation's

00:48:19.520 leaders' repentance,

00:48:20.740 that they would come

00:48:21.880 to Christ,

00:48:22.800 that they would know

00:48:23.640 the true gospel,

00:48:25.380 and that they would

00:48:25.980 pursue righteousness.

00:48:27.740 And may we see

00:48:28.700 the fruit

00:48:29.440 of John MacArthur's

00:48:31.460 efforts

00:48:31.860 and his prayers

00:48:33.260 in our lifetimes

00:48:34.580 because God

00:48:35.420 can do that.

00:48:36.820 All right,

00:48:37.240 we'll close out

00:48:37.860 with a final message

00:48:38.700 in just a second.

00:48:39.500 Let me tell you

00:48:39.880 about our last sponsor

00:48:40.660 for the day.

00:48:41.860 That's Concerned Women 0.99

00:48:42.900 for America.

00:48:44.140 This is an awesome

00:48:45.060 organization.

00:48:46.420 It's the nation's

00:48:47.080 largest public policy

00:48:48.620 Christian women's

00:48:49.500 organization,

00:48:50.140 and for 45 years

00:48:51.880 they have been

00:48:52.260 leading the charge

00:48:53.080 as your voice,

00:48:54.620 women, 1.00

00:48:55.060 in all levels

00:48:55.860 of public policy.

00:48:57.240 Their seven core issues

00:48:58.460 are the issues

00:48:59.060 that we care about

00:48:59.980 as well.

00:49:00.800 Family,

00:49:01.240 sanctity of life,

00:49:02.160 religious liberty,

00:49:02.940 parental choice,

00:49:04.140 and education,

00:49:05.220 fighting sexual

00:49:05.980 exploitation,

00:49:06.840 national sovereignty,

00:49:07.840 and support for Israel.

00:49:09.780 CWA knows what a woman is. 1.00

00:49:11.440 CWA trains women 0.99

00:49:12.740 to become grassroots leaders,

00:49:14.420 speak into the culture,

00:49:15.480 pray,

00:49:16.240 testify,

00:49:16.620 and lobby.

00:49:18.300 The CEO and president,

00:49:19.460 Penny Nance,

00:49:20.300 has written a book,

00:49:21.080 A Woman's Guide,

00:49:21.940 Seven Rules for Success

00:49:23.320 in Business and Life.

00:49:25.020 Go to

00:49:25.260 ConcernedWomen.org

00:49:26.620 slash Allie 1.00

00:49:27.500 for your copy today.

00:49:29.040 That's

00:49:29.260 ConcernedWomen.org

00:49:30.840 slash Allie. 1.00

00:49:31.940 You know,

00:49:38.280 there's a line

00:49:38.980 that I've used

00:49:40.660 many times

00:49:41.840 in my speeches now,

00:49:43.220 and it's a line

00:49:43.940 that came to me

00:49:45.560 when I was speaking

00:49:46.960 in Sacramento

00:49:48.160 several years ago

00:49:49.600 for a pro-life organization,

00:49:53.760 and it is still true today.

00:49:56.660 And, I mean,

00:49:57.520 California brings forth

00:49:59.000 many wicked politicians,

00:50:00.800 and I think it's easy

00:50:02.100 to get discouraged by that,

00:50:03.680 especially if you live

00:50:04.580 in the state,

00:50:05.200 but here's the truth.

00:50:06.920 From Nero to Newsom,

00:50:09.160 from Herod to Harris,

00:50:11.160 Jesus Christ reigns,

00:50:12.880 and the gates of hell

00:50:14.060 will never prevail

00:50:15.340 against the church.

00:50:17.320 And while in this lifetime,

00:50:20.020 or in his lifetime,

00:50:21.280 he didn't see

00:50:21.940 Gavin Newsom repent,

00:50:23.360 the truth is

00:50:24.120 is that

00:50:24.440 God's eternal plan

00:50:26.080 of redemption

00:50:26.540 is always going off

00:50:28.140 without a hitch,

00:50:28.860 and it will not be

00:50:30.120 until we go to glory

00:50:32.220 or until Christ returns

00:50:34.060 that we see

00:50:34.620 the fullness

00:50:35.160 of the tapestry

00:50:36.440 of people's testimonies

00:50:38.300 and how God used

00:50:40.020 every single bit

00:50:41.840 of faithfulness

00:50:43.020 of his saints,

00:50:44.640 every single bit

00:50:45.800 of unseen

00:50:46.780 and unsung,

00:50:48.760 obedient work

00:50:50.200 to bring people

00:50:51.360 to himself

00:50:52.540 and to advance

00:50:54.400 his kingdom

00:50:55.040 here on earth,

00:50:56.040 and God is faithful

00:50:57.180 to do it.

00:50:59.180 And the truth is

00:51:00.100 is that

00:51:00.340 he is coming back

00:51:01.420 one day

00:51:01.940 and there will be

00:51:02.900 no more death,

00:51:04.120 there will be

00:51:04.540 no more sin,

00:51:05.760 there will be

00:51:06.340 no more sorrow

00:51:07.340 or sadness

00:51:08.080 or corrupt leaders,

00:51:09.440 there will be

00:51:09.840 no more politics

00:51:11.240 because Jesus

00:51:13.000 will rule

00:51:13.700 in perfect peace

00:51:14.700 forever and ever.

00:51:15.840 So we operate,

00:51:17.820 we even mourn

00:51:19.000 as people

00:51:19.460 who have hope,

00:51:20.700 who live victoriously,

00:51:22.100 who are looking

00:51:23.260 forward to that day,

00:51:24.920 who live joyously,

00:51:26.120 not because of

00:51:26.900 our circumstances

00:51:27.800 here,

00:51:28.640 but because we know

00:51:29.980 Jesus is returning 0.91

00:51:31.080 and because we know

00:51:32.960 that as Christians,

00:51:34.200 only because of what

00:51:35.380 Jesus has done for us

00:51:36.700 that one day we too

00:51:37.900 will get to hear,

00:51:39.140 well done,

00:51:39.960 my good and faithful servant.

00:51:42.320 And I just want you

00:51:43.140 to know that,

00:51:44.600 that you are not

00:51:45.620 too far off,

00:51:46.840 you are not

00:51:47.660 too far gone,

00:51:48.680 you haven't done

00:51:49.560 too much,

00:51:50.720 you haven't done

00:51:51.460 too little

00:51:52.480 to be saved

00:51:53.720 and to be

00:51:54.820 completely forgiven

00:51:55.900 of every single

00:51:57.220 big or small

00:51:58.760 sin

00:51:59.660 that you have

00:52:00.780 ever committed

00:52:01.520 that you can be

00:52:02.380 reconciled to God

00:52:03.600 because right now

00:52:04.380 if you don't believe

00:52:05.760 in Christ as your Savior,

00:52:06.800 you're actually an enemy

00:52:07.780 of the Holy God

00:52:09.080 because you,

00:52:09.740 like everyone else

00:52:10.480 except for Jesus,

00:52:11.320 is imperfect

00:52:12.100 and so you have

00:52:13.140 to be reconciled to Him,

00:52:14.360 you have to be

00:52:14.860 made friends with Him

00:52:15.860 and the only way

00:52:17.040 that you can be

00:52:17.680 made friends with God

00:52:18.740 forever and ever

00:52:19.980 is not through

00:52:20.460 your own efforts,

00:52:22.040 not by your church

00:52:23.000 attendance,

00:52:23.580 not by being as good

00:52:24.880 as you possibly can,

00:52:26.620 not by trying to avoid

00:52:27.760 the really bad stuff

00:52:29.340 as much as you possibly can,

00:52:30.980 but by placing your faith

00:52:32.400 in Jesus

00:52:32.860 for the forgiveness

00:52:33.580 of sins.

00:52:35.240 And He'll do it all

00:52:36.080 for you

00:52:36.500 because when Jesus

00:52:37.680 hung on the cross,

00:52:38.500 He said,

00:52:38.880 it is finished.

00:52:40.460 And before He actually

00:52:41.620 died,

00:52:41.940 the thief on the cross

00:52:43.140 believed in Him,

00:52:44.940 believed in Jesus' power

00:52:46.700 and Jesus promised Him,

00:52:48.720 today you will be

00:52:50.500 with me in paradise.

00:52:52.260 Now that thief

00:52:52.860 hadn't been baptized,

00:52:54.380 that thief hadn't done

00:52:55.480 any good thing,

00:52:56.840 that thief hadn't

00:52:57.780 earned his salvation,

00:52:58.860 it was only because

00:53:00.320 by grace,

00:53:01.400 through faith in Jesus,

00:53:03.200 that that thief was saved,

00:53:04.540 that any of us

00:53:05.420 can be saved.

00:53:07.200 If you don't have a Bible,

00:53:08.480 I encourage you

00:53:09.260 to get a John MacArthur

00:53:11.060 study Bible

00:53:11.800 or get my favorite,

00:53:12.980 my ESV study Bible.

00:53:15.140 I encourage you to go

00:53:16.280 to your local

00:53:17.060 Bible preaching 0.99

00:53:18.240 church that believes

00:53:20.020 in the Bible

00:53:20.640 as the authority

00:53:21.480 to ask questions,

00:53:22.700 to get plugged in

00:53:23.660 and to know this God

00:53:24.740 who created you,

00:53:25.760 who loves you,

00:53:26.800 who wants relationship

00:53:27.580 with you,

00:53:28.820 who wants to save you

00:53:29.780 from your sins

00:53:30.680 and spend forever

00:53:31.500 in heaven with you.

00:53:32.800 All right,

00:53:33.220 that's all we've got

00:53:33.880 time for today.

00:53:34.980 We actually had a plan

00:53:36.140 for a whole other thing

00:53:38.020 to talk about

00:53:38.580 and I was at most

00:53:39.940 going to make this

00:53:40.660 half of my episode,

00:53:41.900 but, you know,

00:53:43.540 the gospel is always worth it

00:53:44.980 and the gospel

00:53:45.520 was so exemplified

00:53:46.460 in his life.

00:53:47.180 So by paying

00:53:47.860 homage to him,

00:53:49.660 by honoring

00:53:50.360 John MacArthur,

00:53:51.280 we got to talk

00:53:52.520 about the most

00:53:53.440 important message

00:53:54.020 in the world

00:53:54.440 and that is

00:53:54.900 the good news

00:53:55.500 of Jesus Christ.

00:53:56.800 So we will be back

00:53:57.900 here on Friday.

00:53:58.540 Doug asks God

00:54:10.480 to the both

00:54:18.480 and Isaac

00:54:18.940 to the one

00:54:19.360 and a mother

00:54:19.600 and Isaac

00:54:20.980 to the one

00:54:21.000 and Isaac

00:54:22.180 to the one

00:54:23.220 and Isaac

00:54:24.080 to the wolf

00:54:24.640 and Isaac

00:54:25.100 and Isaac

00:54:25.220 to the one

00:54:25.760 and the two

00:54:26.720 and Isaac

00:54:26.960 next day.

Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey - July 16, 2025

Ep 1218 ｜ John MacArthur： Enemy of Tyrants, Champion of the Gospel

Episode Stats

Summary

Transcript