By Steven J. Hogan
~ A Saturday Morning Post #335 ~
As many of you may have heard, John MacArthur, a humble and faithful servant of God, and a gifted Bible teacher, was taken home to heaven this past Monday (7/14/2025). John “fought the good fight”, “finished the course”, and “kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7-8). He is now experiencing the second half of Phil. 1:21 – “To live is Christ, and to die is gain“, and of Ps. 23:6 – “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
I believe that John, by God’s grace, was the most well known and most effective teacher of God’s word these past 50+ years. Through his Sunday messages, books, commentaries, and conferences, John was used by God to reach and teach millions of people in this country and all over the world – and that includes my wife and I.
We first started listening to his teaching tapes in 1996, and then began reading his books. I also attended a number of Shepherd Conferences, in 1997, 1998, and several in the early 2000’s. There is no doubt that these helped me become a better pastor and a more effective teacher of God’s word. My wife and I met him on a number of occasions, and he was very kind and gracious to us, even writing many encouraging letters to us. More than anyone else, John helped me in my ministry, and personally helped my wife and I as well. We are very grateful to God for his love, his life, and his ministry.
Throughout the years, most of his teaching was from the New Testament, his primary purpose being to preach the gospel and build up the church. He taught on all kinds of subjects, including our hope. An excellent message on being with Jesus is linked here – The Lord’s Greatest Prayer, Part 8. It is from John 17:24-26. It is also written out in the article’s section on this blog site so you can read it, and there is a link to where you can listen to it. I believe you will find it to be a real spiritual blessing to your life. I would also encourage you to check out this link to Grace to You, where you can download and listen to all his taped messages, a treasure trove of truth, from the past 50+ years.
I want to suggest something else for you to consider – purchasing the entire set of John’s commentaries of the New Testament. This NT library will be a great help to you in having a clear understanding of all the NT’s book. It is my favorite, most helpful resource, and I believe would be incredibly beneficial to you as well. Having a good grasp of the truth of God is well worth your money. Psalm 119:72
Below is a note my wife wrote to some of her friends about John – I believe you will find it most encouraging.
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From Marsha ~
Dear Ones ~
We are so very grateful to God for John MacArthur! What a wonderful man of God! God took him home to heaven yesterday, July 14, 2025. We first began to listen to his teaching in 1996, and then started reading his books, and also became members of his tape library in order to listen to many, many sermons over all these years since. He has been like a spiritual father to me since he was such a gifted Bible teacher and a kind friend. We have listened to/watched hundreds of his thousands of sermons! At the GTY.org website you can find all of them there! We not only learned from him but also had the blessing of knowing him personally over the years. He encouraged us when we ended up leaving the Maryland area so Steve could preach/teach the Bible properly, which he did for 26 years here in Florida. John was always very kind to us and our whole family in many ways since we first met him in 1997, with letters and notes and kind greetings when we saw him at conferences! Truly, he was God’s servant as he loved God, His Word, and His people very, very much!
To honor God and give thanks for John, here below is a link to just one sermon (of many) that I thought you might like. The Gospel of John chapter 17 has always been a favorite of mine, especially verse 24. I thought it would be appropriate today and a special encouragement, knowing that John is now THERE!! He is with Jesus in heaven, indeed his faith has now been made sight! So, dear ones, please try to take some time to watch and listen to this sermon, and others of John’s as well, as the Lord leads you. God’s Word is so precious and nourishing to our souls, and there is no better Bible teacher than John MacArthur to help us understand what God means by what He says!
May God the Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit, bless you as you “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” ~ 2 Peter 3:18
“Father, I desire that they also,
whom Thou hast given Me,
be with Me where I am,
in order that they may behold My glory,
which Thou hast given Me;
for Thou didst love Me
before the foundation of the world.”
Jesus’ Words in The Gospel of John 17:24
The Lord’s Greatest Prayer, Part 8
John 17:24–26
Sermon 43-100 – February 14, 2016
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“Teach me, O Lord, the way of Thy statutes,
and I shall observe it to the end.”
Psalm 119:33.
“To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
and to make you stand in the presence of His glory
blameless with great joy,
to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord,
be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority,
before all time and now and forever. Amen.”
Jude 24-25