John MacArthur Memorial Program by gracecomchurch

PSALM 16:11

JOHN FULLERTON MACARTHUR JR.

MEMORIAL SERVICE

Adagio for Strings

STEPHEN STURZ, ORGAN PRELUDE • BARBER

Flag Presentation

LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT

PROCESSIONAL Amazing Grace

STEVE LINSKY, BAGPIPER

CALL TO WORSHIP

The Lord’s Prayer

WORSHIP CHOIR

Greeting & Prayer

TOM PATTON

KEITH & KRISTYN GETTY HYMNS Christus Victor He Will Hold Me Fast No. 388

SCRIPTURE READING

1 Corinthians 15

JOHN MACARTHUR

Prayer

ALISTAIR BEGG

ANTHEM

The King of Love My Shepherd Is

WORSHIP CHOIR

Reflections

JOHN PIPER

REFLECTION AND HYMN

Rock of Ages

JONI EARECKSON TADA with KEITH & KRISTYN GETTY

HYMN

In Christ Alone No. 177

KEITH & KRISTYN GETTY

Reflections

MATT MACARTHUR

Great is Thy Faithfulness

JUBILANT SYKES

Message

SINCLAIR FERGUSON

HYMN Is He Worthy?

JOHN MARTIN with CONGREGATION

Benediction

NATHAN BUSENITZ

“Toccata” from Symphony No. 5

STEPHEN STURZ, ORGAN POSTLUDE • WIDOR

Christus Victor

WORDS AND MUSIC by MATT BOSWELL, BRYAN FOWLER, KEITH GETTY, KRISTYN GETTY, AND MATT PAPA

O Most High, King of the ages, Great I AM, God of wonders; By the blood You have redeemed us, led us through mighty waters. our strength, our song, our sure salvation.

Now to the Lamb upon the throne, be blessing, honor, glory, power, for the battle You have won. Hallelujah, amen.

O Most High, dwelling among us, Son of Man, sent for sinners, by Your blood You have redeemed us, spotless Lamb, mighty Savior Who lived, Who died, Who rose victorious.

Now to the Lamb upon the throne, be blessing, honor, glory, power, for the battle You have won. Hallelujah. With every tribe and every tongue we join the anthem of the angels in the triumph of the Son. Hallelujah, Amen.

O Most High, King of the nations, robed in praise, crowned with splendor, on that day who will not tremble when You stand Christ the victor Who was, and is, and is forever?

Now to the Lamb upon the throne, be blessing, honor, glory, power, for the battle You have won. Hallelujah.

With every tribe and every tongue we join the anthem of the angels in the triumph of the Son. Hallelujah, Amen.

Amen, amen, amen.

Now to the Lamb upon the throne, be blessing, honor, glory, power, for the battle You have won. Hallelujah.

With every tribe and every tongue we join the anthem of the angels in the triumph of the Son. Hallelujah, amen.

Sing the victory of the Lamb. Hallelujah, amen.

Amen.

Is He Worthy?

WORDS AND MUSIC by ANDREW PETERSON AND BEN SHIVE

Congregation to sing the portions in bold type

Do you feel the world is broken? WE DO. Do you feel the shadows deepen? WE DO.

But do you know that all the dark won’t stop the light from getting through? WE DO. Do you wish that you could see it all made new? WE DO.

Is all creation groaning? IT IS. Is a new creation coming? IT IS. Is the glory of the Lord to be the light within our midst? IT IS. Is it good that we remind ourselves of this? IT IS.

IS ANYONE WORTHY? IS ANYONE WHOLE? IS ANYONE ABLE TO BREAK THE SEAL AND OPEN THE SCROLL?

THE LION OF JUDAH WHO CONQUERED THE GRAVE: HE IS DAVID’S ROOT AND THE LAMB WHO DIED TO RANSOM THE SLAVE.

IS HE WORTHY? IS HE WORTHY OF ALL BLESSING AND HONOR AND GLORY? IS HE WORTHY OF THIS? HE IS!

Does the Father truly love us? HE DOES. Does the Spirit move among us? HE DOES. And does Jesus, our Messiah hold forever those He loves? HE DOES. Does our God intend to dwell again with us? HE DOES.

IS ANYONE WORTHY? IS ANYONE WHOLE? IS ANYONE ABLE TO BREAK THE SEAL AND OPEN THE SCROLL?

THE LION OF JUDAH WHO CONQUERED THE GRAVE: HE IS DAVID’S ROOT AND THE LAMB WHO DIED TO RANSOM THE SLAVE.

From ev’ry people and tribe, ev’ry nation and tongue, He has made us a kingdom and priests to God, to reign with the Son. IS HE WORTHY? IS HE WORTHY OF ALL BLESSING AND HONOR AND GLORY?

Is He worthy? Is He worthy? Is He worthy of this? HE IS! IS HE WORTHY? IS HE WORTHY? HE IS. HE IS.

PLEASE STAND FOR THE READING OF GOD'S WORD

1 CORINTHIANS 15

Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; 7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

12 Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ

has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. 15 Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we witnessed concerning God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.

18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.

20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 21 For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, 24 then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death. 27 For He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. 28 When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected

all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.

29 Otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them? 30 Why are we also in danger every hour? 31 I affirm, brethren, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. 32 If from human motives I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what does it profit me? If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” 34 Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.

35 But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?” 36 You fool! That which you sow does not come to life unless it dies; 37 and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body just as He wished, and to each of the seeds a body of its own. 39 All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body , it is raised an imperishable body ; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is

sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body . 45 So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. 47 The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. 48 As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.

50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory.

55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

THE REMARKABLE LIFE and MINISTRY of JOHN MACARTHUR

John Fullerton MacArthur Jr. was born in Los Angeles on June 19, 1939, the eldest child of pastor Jack MacArthur and his wife, Irene (Dockendorf) MacArthur. Though the family briefly lived in Philadelphia and Chicago, he was primarily raised in Southern California, where he spent most of his life.

After beginning his college education at Bob Jones University in South Carolina, John transferred to Los Angeles Pacific College, where he played football and participated in several other sports. As he neared graduation, he was in talks with multiple professional football teams—conversations that could have led to his Sundays looking very different. However, after surviving a devastating car accident that

had him skidding down the highway on his back, he sensed a clear call to ministry. In August of 1963, as he entered his final year of seminary at Talbot Theological Seminary, he married Patricia Sue Smith, whom he had met at his father's church. John completed his Master of Divinity in 1964 and began a career in ministry.

Beginning in February of 1969 and continuing for more than fifty-six years, John served as the pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California. The emphasis of his pulpit ministry was the careful study and verse-by-verse exposition of Scripture. Under his leadership, the church grew to several thousand members, providing ample opportunities to train up men for ministry

and the resources to send more than one hundred missionary families into the field.

John’s faithfulness in the pulpit also resulted in a prolific writing ministry. Books like The Gospel According to Jesus , Our Sufficiency in Christ , Ashamed of the Gospel , Slave , Twelve Ordinary Men, The Jesus You Can’t Ignore, The Truth War , The Vanishing Conscience , Strange Fire, The War on Children, and many more were the products of John’s expository Bible teaching. In 2015, John completed The MacArthur New Testament Commentary series—thirty-four volumes covering every verse of the New Testament. Without a doubt, the cornerstone resource of John’s ministry is The MacArthur Study Bible, which provides nearly 25,000 study notes to help readers better understand what Scripture says and means. First published in 1997, it is now available in several English translations, as well as Spanish, Russian, German, French, Portuguese, Italian, Arabic, and Chinese.

From John’s earliest days at Grace Church, his sermons were recorded for the sake of homebound church members. Eventually those recordings made it onto Christian radio, and the media ministry of Grace to You was born. Today the sun never sets on John MacArthur’s preaching, as the Grace to You radio and television broadcasts air around the globe in multiple languages. His full sermon library is available for free download.

In 1985, John became president of what is now known as The Master’s University (formerly Los Angeles Baptist College, then The Master’s College until 2016). Located in Santa Clarita, California, it is a distinctly Christian, accredited, liberal arts institution offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Through the decades under John’s leadership—first as President, then as Chancellor, the University developed into one of the premier academic institutes in the country, equipping thousands of young men and women for the work of God’s kingdom with an education grounded in His Word.

When John came to Grace Church, he told the elders he wanted to do two things: preach the Word of God and train up other men to do likewise. To that end, in 1986, he founded The Master’s Seminary, a graduate school on the campus of Grace Community Church dedicated to training men for full-time pastoral and missionary work. To date, the school has graduated more than two thousand men who are

faithfully ministering across the United States and in seventy other countries around the world.

Much of that global work takes place through another ministry that John has helped establish and lead, The Master’s Academy International. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, a group of Ukrainian pastors requested John’s help in withstanding the flood of false doctrine that was sweeping into the country. In 1991, graduates from The Master’s Seminary began training pastors in the Ukraine. Nearly thirty-five years later, more than nine hundred pastors across the country have been trained. That school, which continues to this day, became the model for what would become The Master’s Academy International.

Through the years, many individuals have approached John with a desire to support these ministries in their areas of greatest need. In response to this growing request, the John MacArthur Charitable Trust was formed in 2017 with the sole purpose of providing support for the ongoing and expanding work to the MacArthur family of ministries.

In God’s providence, all of this—and much more— has been the direct result of John MacArthur’s pulpit ministry. As he often said, it was beyond anything he could have ever planned or schemed to create on his own. He focused on the depth of the ministry and left the breadth of it to God. “Faithfulness,” he said, “is its own reward.” Only heaven will fully reveal the rich harvest God has brought forth through the faithfulness of John MacArthur.

On July 14, 2025, John MacArthur’s faith became sight, as he entered into the eternal presence of his Savior.

John is survived by his wife, Patricia, along with their four married children—Matthew, Marcy Gwinn, Mark, and Melinda Welch—two sisters, Jeanette DeAngelis and Jane Walker (a third sister, Julie Noll, died in 1997), fifteen grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.

UNBROKEN FELLOWSHIP with GOD

BY John MacArthur

Without question, the most marvelous thing about heaven—heaven’s supreme delight— will be unbroken fellowship with God Himself.

Through salvation, we have communion with every member of the Godhead. We can talk and commune with Yahweh. We are adopted as His children (Romans 8:15). We pray to Him as our dear Father—Abba, in Paul’s favorite terminology. We hear Him speak to us in His Word. He moves providentially in our lives to reveal Himself. We enjoy real spiritual communion with eternal God.

But that communion nonetheless seems incomplete from an earthly perspective. It is shrouded. As Paul writes, “Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). He’s talking about our fellowship with God. In heaven it will be perfect, unhindered, and unclouded by any sin or darkness.

This is one of the things that was on Jesus’ heart and mind as He prayed during the night of His betrayal. It was a prayer for the disciples—and also for every believer of all time.

Anticipating the completion of His work on earth, our Lord asked the Father to return Him to the glory He had before the world began. He prayed, “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given Me, may be with Me where I am, to see My glory that You

have given me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:24). He wants us to be with Him. But that’s not all. Notice the kind of relationship He prays for among all believers: “That they may be one; as thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us” (John 17:21, kjv). His design for us is perfect fellowship with Him and with one another—a picture of the unity that exists between Father and Son!

This is such an incredibly profound concept that there’s no way our finite minds can begin to appreciate it. But it was obviously the foremost thought on Jesus’ mind whenever He spoke of the promise of heaven to the disciples. Earlier that same night on the eve of His crucifixion, He told them, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you will follow afterward” (John 13:36). Later, knowing the disciples were troubled at the thought of His leaving them, He expanded the same promise:

Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also. (John 14:1–3)

Jesus is personally preparing rooms in the Father’s own house for each one of the elect! That promises us the most intimate imaginable fellowship with the living God.

And bear in mind that in heaven we will actually see the Lord face-to-face. There is no way to overstate the wonder and privilege this affords us. John 1:18 and 1 John 4:12 both say, “No one has ever seen God.” First Timothy 6:16 declares that God “alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, Whom no one has ever seen or can see.” In Exodus 33, when Moses was craving a glimpse of God’s glory (Exodus 33:18), God agreed to show only His back, and said, “You cannot see My face, for man shall not see Me and live” (Exodus 33:20).

God is inaccessible to mortal man on a faceto-face basis. That is what made Christ’s incarnation so wonderful. Although “no one has ever seen God,” Jesus Christ, “Who is at the Father’s side, He has made Him known” (John 1:18). Christ “dwelt [Gk. skenoō; lit. “encamped” or “tabernacled”] among us” (John 1:14)—“and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

He came to our world to tabernacle among us, and He did it in order to redeem us and take us to heaven, where Father, Son, and Holy Spirit will encamp in our midst in perfect fellowship with us forever. What a breathtaking reality!

In heaven, since we will be free from sin, we will see God’s glory unveiled and in its fullness. That will be a more pleasing, spectacular sight than anything we have known or could ever imagine on earth. No mere earthly pleasure can even begin to measure up to the privilege and the ecstasy of an unhindered view of the divine glory.

Matthew 5:8 says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” The Greek verb translated “see” (horaō) is in a tense that denotes a future continuous reality. In heaven we will continually be beholding God, face-to-face. Kings generally seclude themselves from direct contact with their people. It is a rare privilege to have an audience with a king. But believers in heaven will forever have perfect, unbroken fellowship with the King of kings!

This has always been the deepest longing of the redeemed soul. The psalmist said, “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” (Psalm 42:1–2). And Philip, speaking for all the disciples, said to Christ, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us” (John 14:8). Moses’ petition, “Please show me Your glory” (Exodus 33:18) reflects the true desire of every reborn heart. David expresses it beautifully in Psalm 17:15: “As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with Your likeness.”

As Christians, our highest satisfaction will come when we see our God and His Son, Jesus Christ, and when we stand before them in perfect uprightness. Heaven will provide us with that privilege: the unclouded, undiminished, uninterrupted sight of His infinite glory and beauty, bringing us infinite and eternal delight.

Nineteenth-century songwriter Fanny Crosby expressed the hope of every believer in a well-loved gospel song titled “My Savior First of All”:

WHEN MY LIFE WORK IS ENDED, AND I CROSS THE SWELLING TIDE, WHEN THE BRIGHT AND GLORIOUS MORNING I SHALL SEE, I SHALL KNOW MY REDEEMER WHEN I REACH THE OTHER SIDE, AND HIS SMILE WILL BE THE FIRST TO WELCOME ME. . . .

Those words have special significance— Fanny Crosby was blind from infancy. She knew that literally the first person she would ever see would be Jesus Christ.

In a way, the same thing is true of us all. Our sight here on earth is virtually like blindness compared to the clearer vision we will have in heaven (1 Corinthians 13:12). We ought to be eagerly looking for that day when our vision will be enlightened by the glory of His presence. I sincerely hope that’s your deepest desire.

THIS BOOK OF THE LAW SHALL NOT DEPART FROM YOUR MOUTH, BUT YOU SHALL MEDITATE ON IT DAY AND NIGHT, SO THAT YOU MAY BE CAREFUL TO DO ACCORDING TO ALL THAT IS WRITTEN IN IT; FOR THEN YOU WILL MAKE YOUR WAY PROSPEROUS, AND THEN YOU WILL ACHIEVE SUCCESS.

JOSHUA 1:8

Today, we stand not just as your family—but as people profoundly shaped by your life, your example, your love, and your unwavering faith.

You were our dad and papa, a man of deep conviction and clarity. You didn’t just preach truth— you lived it. In the pulpit, you taught millions; at home, you taught us. We saw in you the same steadfastness, courage, and humility behind closed doors that the world saw on Sunday mornings. Your Bible was never far from your hands, but neither were we. You always had time for your family, and you loved us with strength and tenderness.

You taught us to fear God, not man. You showed us how to build our lives on the foundation of Scripture. But more than that, you taught us the importance of graciousness without ever demanding perfection.

You prayed for us by name, encouraged us when we struggled, and pointed us to Christ again and again.

Your legacy isn’t just in books or sermons or institutions. It’s in us.

We miss you. More than we can say. But we don’t grieve as those who have no hope. You ran your race with endurance, and now you rest, not because your work is done, but because Christ’s work is finished.

We’ll carry what you gave us. We’ll keep the faith, and we will finish strong. And one day, we’ll see you again in glory.

I BELIEVE

One day I’ll see the face of Jesus in a heav’n of joy and peace.

One day I’ll taste the sweet fulfillment of the life He promised me. I’ll fall before Him with hymns of praises sung in the pow’r of perfect love.

I’ll join the voices of saints and angels, all who gather ‘round the throne.

Yes, I believe.

I believe in the blessed Son of Heaven made a man to die for me.

I believe in a grave that could never hold Him, and He arose to make heav’n my home.

I believe in the blessed Son of heaven, made a man to die for me.

I believe in His love and full forgiveness that makes heaven my home. I believe.

SONG WRITTEN by John MacArthur