What comes to your mind when you think of Dr. John MacArthur? Perhaps you think of The MacArthur Study Bible or The MacArthur Commentaries – these are such helpful aids in our personal times of study! Maybe Grace to You comes to mind as you think about the sermons that you have enjoyed on the radio or on the Grace to You app. You might also think of one of the 120 books that Dr. MacArthur has written during his last 50 years of ministry. For some, “Pastor/Shepherd” comes to mind as you call Grace Community Church your local place of worship. For others, Dr. John MacArthur is “President” to those who have attended, are attending, or will attend The Master’s University – what a great blessing this university has been to our community of Santa Clarita!
For the families of SCCS, Dr. John MacArthur is more than a modern-day Reformer who is literally “turning the world upside down” (Acts 17:6) for Christ. He is also the beloved “Grandpa” to Tommy Gwinn and Miss Olivia Gwinn. As is fitting, Tommy Gwinn introduced his Grandpa as our guest speaker to the secondary chapel this past Wednesday. We were treated to a rich meal as Dr. MacArthur walked the 7th-12th grade students through Isaiah 53. Without a need of any notes and simply his Bible in hand, Dr. MacArthur moved aside the podium and spoke casually to our students, working through each verse one at a time. Having just celebrated Easter, this could not have been a more fitting message as MacArthur lovingly instructed us in the beauties of our justification in Christ and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to our account.
He began, “There is a gospel that tells the full story of the life of Christ 700 years before He ever arrived.”
As we read through Isaiah 53 together and learned of the treasures contained in each verse, one theme kept emerging: “The Father wasn’t pleased with the agony, but with the atonement.” Isaiah 53:10 says, “Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.”(ESV) The Father did not delight in the painful agony of His beloved Son, but in what the atonement accomplished in bringing many sons to glory (Heb. 2:10). He also added, “On the cross, God treated Jesus as if He personally committed every sin ever committed by every person who would ever believe in Him.” What a humbling truth and sweet reminder!
We are grateful to have had Dr. MacArthur visit SCCS and teach at our chapel