Telling the Truth in a Post-Truth World, Part B – John MacArthur

Michael A

2 years ago

Dr. MacArthur’s sermon emphasized the necessity of the born-again believer speaking God’s truth in our society. He explained the major problems of this society, and how these are the result of God’s judgment of abandonment.

He briefly traced the social history of that judgment using Romans 1, and went to 2 Corinthians 10 and talked about ideological strongholds, how God’s truth is the only way those fall… that we must be focused on breaking these down by speaking God’s truth.

He also explained how false teachers interfere with truth being spoken; and how politicians are increasing judgment by codifying wickedness, and more.

Sermon HIGHLIGHTS; [bracketed statements, emboldening and underscoring are mine]:

Only folly says that this creation is some great accident
Contemplating reason, personality or relationship will take you back to God
When men suppress God’s truth, they not only suppress God’s revelation, but a revelation that is written to be understood by their reason
Romans 1:21 For even though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish heart was darkened. [LSB]
Why did many turn from God to worship animals… because they had no moral requirements
They were motivated to get rid of the Law-Giver because His laws spoke against their unrighteousness
All efforts to legalize sin are simply groups of people trapped in lies and deception – trying to normalize their sin so they can partake of it without the guilt caused by God’s law
The gods they make in their own images do not place obligations on them
There are 5 types of wrath: 1. Eternal wrath – hell; 2. eschatological wrath- at the 2^nd coming of Christ, as in Revelation 6-19; 3. Sowing-reaping wrath – individuals and nations; 4. Cataclysmic wrath – as in floods, hurricanes… 5. Wrath of abandonment – wherein God no longer restrains individual or national sin
Rom 1:24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.
Act 14:16 “In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways; [if they persistently resisted obeying Him]
The cycle of all history: people know God; they want to violate His laws to live in sin, suppressing His laws to do so; denying God, they create their own gods whose laws they can follow because those laws agree with their lifestyle – they think they are wise, but are actually fools
Such conduct puts a society in danger of God’s wrath of abandonment
We are in the midst of such judgment presently
Romans 1:26 For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions; for their females exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural,
How can one tell when God has begun to exercise His wrath of abandonment?
A sexual revolution will break out; there will be an explosion of immorality
All cultural media will reflect the same: music, movies, TV…
Verse 26 is the second thing that will become apparent, women will give up mothering instinct and the need to be protected in relationship by husbands [he didn’t mention women’s liberation movement, but I have heard him do so at other times when going through this process of degeneration]
Then, Rom 1:27 and in the same way also the males abandoned the natural function of the female and burned in their desire toward one another, males with males committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.
A homosexual revolution
Rom 1:28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to an unfit mind, to do those things which are not proper, [depraved or reprobate mind as it is called in other translations]
You know when that phase of God’s abandoning judgment has arrived when, for example, a man believes he is a woman, or vice versa
This insanity has been codified in our culture as legitimate
The Old Testament refers to the Almighty God as the God of truth in Isaiah, Psalms and Deuteronomy; in John 14, Jesus calls Himself Truth; John 17, Jesus calls God’s word truth; in 1 Peter 1:21, Word of God lives forever
[He seemed to be implying, ‘despite what this culture thinks’ God is as described in scripture]
[The following seems to be the application of the sermon]
2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the tearing down of strongholds, 5 as we tear down speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
Believers must enter into spiritual warfare via the strength of God’s weapons
Believers can’t use music, human ideas / strategies / programs… to break down fortresses of lies
Fortress = speculations, lofty thoughts used to attack God’s word (philosophies; psychologies; religions…)
People in ideological sin groups, are fortified, are in a fortress of lies that they are using to shield themselves against truth
Their fortress is also a prison and it will be a tomb for eternity
We are to make war against lies that imprison people
Our goal is to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ
We must use God’s truth, continue to speak it even though doing so causes us to be hated…
The truth and God’s Spirit destroy their ideological fortresses; one must articulate the truth as well as he can, not avoiding their lies [but confronting, undermining them with truth]
[In this short sermon, he didn’t identify any false ideologies in the church, so I will add some here: many churches are incorporating CRT and its dogmas – Marxism is an ideological stronghold that must be destroyed with God’s truth, it opposes God’s truth. Many secular people also subscribe to it and you will likely have to confront it when you witness. Marx mocked religious people, calling their religion an opiate, which suggest he thought it was empty and foolish. Prosperity preaching; word-of-faith teaching; Roman Catholicism; mysticism…and more that are dealt with in this blog, see categories]
We must use God’s truth to assault the lies of these ideological strongholds
There is an essential connection in a society between sin and lies; as long as people can sustain their lies, they can justify their sinning
The consequences for those who die in their fortress of lies are eternal
God is warning this nation by no longer sustaining them by protecting them from their own lustfulness – because he has permitted their sins to lead them hastily towards destruction – do you see His judgment?
If we keep going, the wrath will increase; and for many, it will become eternal wrath
The election [not sure which election he referred to, but his words apply today also] is a referendum on divine wrath, which indicates that what we vote will determine what we receive
All the things that are indicators of God’s wrath, insanity, immorality and sexuality are points on the democratic platform to make sure they are protected
In terms of the aforementioned, they have made laws to keep this country from being delivered from divine wrath
Jude 1:3 Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you exhorting that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.
MacArthur noted that the above verse is true of him, he’d love to be talking about the blessings of our salvation… but he has to exhort us to contend for God’s truth, that was given once and handed down
Luke 18:8b … However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find that faith on the earth?”
Will there be any who do not succumb to false teachers?
He talked about a Methodist church that just divided because half the church wanted LGBTQ leaders
Such unbiblical (false) doctrines are entering into the church and its leadership [even the Southern Baptist Churches]
He shared a tweet wherein a young pastor he knows spoke harshly of lordship salvation
He explained how the legalists and the antinomians view their Christianity in terms of the law: legalist says, I’m a Christian because I keep the law; and antinomian says, I’m a Christian because I don’t keep the law
Rather than saying, I’m a Christian because I love the Lord Jesus Christ
Ultimately, the false teachers that come into the church attack obedience, purity, holiness…; that is why the young restless reformed movement has no robust doctrine of sanctification
Anybody propagating error has no real doctrine of holiness
Hebrews 12:14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
He closed by reading the following verses:
Psalm 25:5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; In You I hope all the day.
Psalm 25:10 All the paths of Yahweh are lovingkindness and truth To those who guard His covenant and His testimonies.
Psalm 40:11 You, O Yahweh, will not withhold Your compassion from me; Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually guard me.
Psa 51:6 Behold, You delight in truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.
Psa 86:11 Teach me Your way, O Yahweh; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.
Psa 117:2 For His lovingkindness prevails over us, And the truth of Yahweh is everlasting. Praise Yah!
Psa 145:18 Yahweh is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.
John 8:31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word, then you are truly My disciples; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”