• Did You Know that MacArthur and Spurgeon Share the Same Birthday?
  John MacArthur is 70 years old today and Spurgeon would have been 175.

• Photo of John MacArthur in His Football Glory Days
  Thankfully MacArthur did not pursue his football career.

• 2009 Resolved Conference Audio/Video is Now Online
  Speakers include Rick Holland, Steve Lawson, C.J. Mahaney, John MacArthur and John Piper.

• A Collection of Resources Celebrating the 500th Birthday of John Calvin
  MonergismBooks.com has put together a resource collection of the life and writings of John Calvin (1509-1564).

• Video Parody: Behind the Scenes at Emergent Village
  Hitler gets some bad news. [HT: Phil Johnson]

• Alistair Begg’s Sermons Available for Free Download
  Truth For Life has made their archive of over 1,000 sermons available for free.

• Free Audio Download of “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”
  Get Jonathan Edwards’ powerful sermon for free – Narrated by Max McLean.

• The Ultimate Puritan Resource, Part 1
  Monergism offers one of the largest collections of free Puritan resources that I have come across on the web.

• The Ultimate Puritan Resource, Part 2
  Puritan Library offers another one of the largest collections of free Puritan resources that I have come across on the web.

• The Necessity of the Local Church
  Pulpit Magazine posted a brief article by John MacArthur on the necessity of the local church.

• What is Wolfram Alpha?
  Wolfram Alpha is a computational knowledge engine that has been getting a lot of buzz lately. Will it live up to the hype?

Truth Endures is a commemorative book that celebrates John MacArthur’s fortieth anniversary as the Pastor-Teacher of Grace Community Church. It includes twelve of MacArthur’s landmark sermons spanning from 1969-2009, a testimony to how biblical expository preaching of the living Word of God has the timeless power to transform lives.

Phil Johnson writes,

“…this is merely a sampling of John MacArthur’s best-known and most important messages … This book was assembled entirely without John MacArthur’s knowledge, as a surprise to him, to honor him on his golden anniversary in ministry and his fortieth year as pastor of Grace Community Church.”

Also included is a 60-page essay by renowned biographer, Iain H. Murray, which serves as an introduction to the sermons. Murray’s work is not only fascinating in its detail, but it is also insightful in how it places the life and ministry of John MacArthur into historical context.

Twelve landmark sermons by John MacArthur: Click on each link below to read the transcript and/or download the MP3.

• How to Play Church (February 9, 1969)
• The Simple Gospel (December 26, 1976)
• Which Way to Heaven? (May 18, 1980)
• A Jet Tour Through Revelation (December 5, 1982)
• How to Obtain Eternal Life (May 29, 1983)
• The Purpose of Trials (June 8, 1986)
• Making the Hard Decisions Easy (July 20, 1986)
• Jesus’ Death Shows Us How to Live: A Look at the Seven Sayings on the Cross (March 26, 1989)
• 15 Words of Hope (April 23, 1995)
• A Biblical Perspective on Death, Terrorism, and the Middle East (September 16, 2001)
• The Starting Principle of Discipleship (November 3, 2002)
• The Childlikeness of Believers: Confronting Sin (January 6, 2008)

Video: Retrospective on 40 Years – John MacArthur and Rick Holland

In a series of blog posts entitled The Rape of Solomon’s Song, John MacArthur addresses Mark Driscoll’s handling mishandling of Song of Solomon.

MacArthur begins by saying:

“Apparently the shortest route to relevance in church ministry right now is for the pastor to talk about sex in garishly explicit terms during the Sunday morning service. If he can shock parishioners with crude words and sophomoric humor, so much the better. The defenders of this trend solemnly inform us that without such a strategy it is well-nigh impossible to connect with today’s “culture.” (In contemporary evangelicalism that term has become a convenient label for just about everything that is uncultured and uncouth.)”

MacArthur goes on to state that Driscoll’s approach to the Song of Solomon “is not exegesis; it is exploitation.”

“I keep encountering young pastors who are now following that same example, and I’m rather surprised that the trend has been so well received in the church with practically no significant critics raising any serious objections. So we’re going to analyze and critique this approach to Song of Solomon over the next couple of days, including a look at some specific examples where the line of propriety has clearly been breached.”

• The Rape of Solomon’s Song (Part 1)
• The Rape of Solomon’s Song (Part 2)
• The Rape of Solomon’s Song (Part 3)
• The Rape of Solomon’s Song (Part 4 – Conclusion)

Here are a couple of other posts with helpful thoughts on this issue:

• Irish Calvinist
  Anderson Cooper, Rachel Maddow, Mark Driscoll and a Frat Party

• Tim Challies
  Missing the Forest for all the Trees

• Expository Thoughts
  A Word about Mark Driscoll

• MacArthur ESV Study Bible in the Works
  Phil Johnson was asked to confirm…and this was his reply.

• The Last Days of Christ
  A chart from the ESV Study Bible details the days leading up to the crucifixion of Christ. [HT: Between Two Worlds]

• Cessationism: An Ultimate Resource
  Nathan Bingham, aka Mr. Cal.vini.st, put together a tremendous list of resources that affirm a Cessationist position concerning spiritual gifts.

• Paul Washer Q & A – “I Don’t Understand Election” (Video)
  In this video, Paul Washer answers a question from a seminary student who is having a difficult time understanding the doctrine of election.

• The Doctrines of Grace: A Categorized Scripture List
  Monergism has provided a categorized scripture list (a condensed version and a full version) for studying the doctrines of grace.

See end of post for links to sermons on the holiness of God.

Isaiah 6:1-8 (NASB)
1 In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.
2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
3 And one called out to another and said,

“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts,
The whole earth is full of His glory.”

4 And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.
5 Then I said,

“Woe is me, for I am ruined!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I live among a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs.
7 He touched my mouth with it and said,

“Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.”

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying,

“Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?”

Then I said,

“Here am I. Send me!”

Sermons on the holiness of God:

• John MacArthur
  Experiencing the Presence of God

• Steve Lawson
  Standing Face to Face Before God’s Holiness I
  Standing Face to Face Before God’s Holiness II

• John Piper
  Holy, Holy, Holy Is the Lord of Hosts

• D.A. Carson
  Vision of a Holy God

• Listen to John MacArthur Preach Rap
  You’ve heard Johnny Mac preach, now listen to him rap. [HT: Cal.vini.st]

• History & Theology of the Puritans available free on iTunes
  Free course lectures by J.I. Packer.

• The Purpose of the Church
  Martyn Lloyd-Jones on the primary purpose and task of the church.

• Video of John 3:16 Sign Being Snatched Away at NCAA Tournament
  Sign Nazi says, “No sign for you.” [HT: Jim Smith]

• Rusty the Narcoleptic Dog
  Poor Rusty.

• JohnMacArthur.org is now LIVE
  This brand new website was created to commemorate John MacArthur’s 40th anniversary as Pastor-Teacher of Grace Community Church.

• Free Audio Archives from Westminster Theological Seminary
  Westminster Theological Seminary is offering free access to their historic online audio archives. [HT: Cal.vini.st]

• Free ESV
  Justin Taylor has compiled a list of free ESV options currently available.

• How to Exasperate Your Children
  Erik Raymond came up with a list of 12 surefire ways to exasperate your children.

• Convert Web Pages to PDF Files
  Here is a simple service to convert web pages to PDF files. No need to install an application on your computer. It’s free and without registration.

Various bloggers have been liveblogging the 2009 Shepherds’ Conference:

• Session 1:  John MacArthur
• Session 2:  Tom Pennington
• Session 3:  John MacArthur
• Session 4:  Rick Holland
• Session 5:  Al Mohler
• Session 6:  Phil Johnson
• Session 7:  Steve Lawson
• Final Session:  John MacArthur

You can also listen to and/or watch in real time using the live stream or download each message when it is made available.

Here are photos from the conference. Updates will come as the week progresses.

Andy Woodfield, the pastor from my home church, has been preaching through Ephesians. This past Sunday morning he gave a great sermon on the vital importance of using the sword of the Spirit (God’s word) in our daily walk and as we engage in spiritual battles (Eph 6:17). He exhorted us to be faithful in reading, studying and meditating on the word of God. No excuses. It is crucial to our spiritual lives that we spend quality time in His word. If you say that you are too busy…there’s something wrong. A sword is useless in battle unless it is utilized.

Audio: Andy Woodfield: The Sword of the Spirit

John MacArthur says in his commentary on Ephesians 6:17:

“The effective teacher, preacher, and witness must “be ready in season and out of season” (2 Tim. 4:2). The more we know and understand Scripture, the more we will be able to march through Satan’s strongholds and lead people from his kingdom to God’s.”

Steve Lawson also gave a very stirring message on the sharp, piercing nature of God’s word at the 2008 Shepherds’ Conference based on Hebrews 4:12-13. This was one of the most powerful messages from the conference. Well worth a listen.

Audio: Steve Lawson: The Preacher’s Invincible Weapon