John MacArthur Comments On Steve Lawson / Gives Health Update

Hello in this video, we're gonna play John MacArthur's response to Steve Lawson. A lot of people have been waiting for John MacArthur to come out and publicly say something about the Steve Lawson Situation.

So MacArthur did a Q &A. He hasn't preached in a long time. So he also gave a health update. We'll talk about the health update at the end, but he hasn't been in the pulpit. So he did a Q &A and he responded to the Steve Lawson Scandal and basically MacArthur said God is purifying the church.

The Lord is purifying his church and we could think of verses like Romans 8 28 That says that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love him. To those who are the called according to his purpose.

So MacArthur is taking an optimistic view. Obviously, it's a very bad thing that happened. It's detrimental to the church, but all things really do Work together for good. So let's listen to what John MacArthur says about Steve Lawson.

And then we'll cover the health update at the end. Watch but sometimes.

Purifying the Church Through Exposure of Sin

Unexpectedly. There are threats and challenges. There's adversity that comes from inside the church.

When.

People that we respect and trust. Turn out to be different than we thought they were. Or at least than they profess to be. When that happens, we're all stunned. How do we? Process that. How do we move?

Past that. Well, I know you're talking about Steve Lawson. And I say that with the deepest agony in my soul. But the first thing you have to understand is God is blessing this church in many many ways and that is one of the ways he is blessing us.

To expose someone Who is in a position? They have no right to be in. To purify the church. To purify the church.

I mean.

This is the whole point of Revelation 2 and 3 right where the Lord sends all those letters to the churches and says look. Something isn't right in your church. You either deal with it or I'm coming. I'm gonna blow the candle out and you're gonna be out of existence.

I mean the church has two options one get right to you're done. I mean the church of Laodicea was done. Smyrna was done. You either you either deal with the sin. One of those letters basically says you have someone there who tolerates adultery.

I'll remove the candlestick. It is fatal to a church to have that kind of behavior in leadership and.

While.

None of us knew it or expected it because of the soundness of the theology the Lord knew and The Lord said for Grace Church, that's enough for the Master Seminary. That's enough. I think there's there has to be a weariness with the Lord.

I think he has to be sick of superficial church worship. One of the downsides of not being here every Sunday morning is the agony of watching church on TV and The frivolity and silliness and superficiality.

The the the pragmatic movement we all talk about pragmatism over the last 30 40 years. Church is becoming pragmatic trying to entertain unbelievers. I Think there's a weariness with God with that and some of those pragmatic Churches the ones that maybe had the greatest amount of influence like Hillsong or the one in Dallas Robert Morris's church, which is right across the road from Tom Pennington's faithful Church countryside Bible.

The Lord is turning the spotlight on. And saying that's enough that's enough and unfaithful leaders are being exposed As they should be and while we would wish that it had never happened to us We would be foolish to think that there wouldn't be an effort made By the enemy to plant in this church Someone who could have a corrupting influence while apparently having a positive influence.

That's the subtlety of Satan and it almost seems to me that you'd have to have somebody like that Here because we wouldn't take. What the kind of leadership that other churches take to rise to this pulpit?

Your theology has to be sound and Everything about you as far as we know it to be Supporting that theology. So if we were going to have that that's the kind of person it would be but I but again, I You know as we get closer to the end.

I think the Lord is Purifying his church, and I I'm so thankful for that. My heart and soul aches for Steve.

Obviously a.

Friend. I don't love him any less than I've loved him for 25 years.

I.

Don't know how you preach past Your conscience unless it's completely scarred over. But I pray Constantly in fact find myself almost every night praying for him in some point in the middle of the night so.

But the Lord has favored us. He wants a pure church. I mean the the first instruction in the Bible for the church is if somebody sins Go to him right? Matthew 18 and Ultimately if they don't repent tell the church.

Tell the church. Paul said I want to present to the Lord a pure and chaste bride. Sometimes we know the sin and we can deal with it. Sometimes we don't know the sin and the Lord has to bring it out. But while my heart is crushed for the sinner It is grateful for the Savior who is purifying his church.

Unity in Christ After a Church Wound

Along with that emphasis on purity. I know with our pastoral Leadership team over the last several weeks. You've really been emphasizing the priority of unity. So I wanted to ask you When you think about Grace Community Church and what it means to be unified in Christ Why is that such an important priority and how can we as members of this church pursue?

That biblical calling. Well, of course, we all heard this morning in John 17 that there is a There is a spiritually organic unity. We're all one in Christ, right. And that I'll play out. And how we live our lives.

Just coming off that incident we were just talking about when the church is so severely wounded it's like an animal. When that animal is severely wounded all the predators will move in for the kill. And What I noticed online was this as soon as this thing was exposed.

Those people who resent and hate and attack Grace Church all the time ramped up their attacks and they started coming after us and You can't let that happen. So you were there right in my house. We got together for two or three hours and we said this is where we take our stand.

This is where we love each other. We support each other. We uphold each other.

We.

Deal honestly with each other as leaders. We've got a circle the wagons. We've got a link our arms. We've got to make sure the chain is unbroken because When we're exposed like that all the enemies are going to come at us with a vengeance.

And if they can pit us against each other They can do some real damage. And I said This the damage is done no more. We're going to be faithful to each other and faithful to Christ in our loving of each other.

None of us is perfect. We all have to concede right something sometimes a lot of things I guess particularly to me.

But.

The Lord wants us to be unified. I love this in the perfect bond of peace. Peace with each other the perfect bond of love. So we've got to find a way to close ranks and not let the wound be an opening for enemies to attack our integrity or to pump lies about us out under the Internet.

We've Got to be faithful to each other.

MacArthur's Health Update and Future in the Pulpit

Okay, so I thought that was helpful that he commented and obviously we need to continue to pray for the situation Steve Lawson in particular his family his church, but good to hear from MacArthur and it's good to see that he's able to Sit there and answer questions, and he's obviously In his right mind and you know at that age age 84 with all of those health problems.

Yeah, he could be starting to slip but it doesn't look like it. John MacArthur Seems to be very doing very well. A lot of people have speculated I think one person online was even sending around rumors that John MacArthur had died.

He's preached his last sermon. He's all sorts of things were going around and obviously those Rumors are not true. John MacArthur all things considered is doing very well. So he made some remarks about his health he said I was preaching here in January of 2023 in the morning service and all of a sudden I couldn't breathe he goes into the fact that They said he had an a-fib attack on his heart.

And he was benched for the second service because Grace Community Church has two services on Sunday morning. So they took John to the hospital gave him four stints and then after that after about a year They said he needed a new aorta, so John MacArthur has been through several surgeries and procedures and It looks like he's doing okay.

So will we see him again in the pulpit at Grace Community Church? I hope so. But continue to pray for him and just everyone involved and if you found this video helpful consider giving it a thumbs up.

But until next time may the Lord be with you. Have a great day.

You.