The Gospel According to God is the title of a soon-to-be-released 228 page book by Dr John MacArthur. It’s the latest in the “Gospel” series. The book’s focus is on part of Isaiah 52 and all of Isaiah 53.
A few weeks ago after evening communion service, Alistair Begg announced that John MacArthur was scheduled to come and speak at Parkside Church. Pastor Begg said it was a special surprise and secret. You could tell he was excited about it. The audience reaction confirmed they were as well. I certainly was. The reason I mention this is that MacArthur is dispensational (though often referred to as a leaky dispie), and Parkside Church’s Bookstore tends to mainly stock books by amillennialists.
As it turns out Pastor Begg and Dr MacArthur have been friends for around 38 years. Dr MacArthur was one of the people who recommended Pastor Begg for his current position. Grace Community Church and Parkside Church have similarities in style. So while there may be eschatological differences, what unites these churches and men is love for the Triune God and His Holy Word. John MacArthur ended up speaking to a packed Parkside Church. The subject he chose was Isaiah 53. You can watch it HERE
During a different presentation, MacArthur remarked that he’d written a book on Isaiah 53 and pre-empted the question as to how one could write a whole book on one chapter. His response was that he’d finished reading a massive tome on it by another author. That 700+ page book was James Durham’s 73 Sermons on Isaiah 53.
In fact, William Gurnall is well known for his outstanding and prodigious work on Ephesians 6:11-13, The Christian in Complete Armour. In these days of sound-bite information and short attention spans, the older books get left by the ways side. This is a pity because Puritans like Gurnall, Durham, Owen, Flavel and others had wonderful pastoral insights. I don’t know if I’ll ever read Durham, but I’ll certainly get MacArthur’s book when it comes out. Here’s a preview of its scope:
Table of Contents
Introduction
Part 1: The Suffering Servant
1. The Most Remarkable Chapter in the Old Testament
2. Of Whom Does the Prophet Say This?
3. Astonishing!
4. What If Some Did Not Believe?
5. The Substituted Servant
6. The Silent Servant
7. The Suffering and Exalted Servant
8. The Sin-Bearing Servant
Part 2: The Life and Times of Isaiah the Prophet
9. Here I Am! Send Me
10. Judah’s Demise
Appendix 1: The Man of Sorrows (Charles Spurgeon)
In the interim, here are some links to his online sermons on Isaiah 53. They’re well worth listening to:
Messianic Prophecy: Isaiah 53, An Exposition Series by John MacArthur
The Gospel According to God (audio is free)
Sharing is caring!
