Truth Matters Conference Notes (Sessions 1 & 2)

The following are my own notes copied from my social media account.

Some parts are quotes.

Due to difficulty with my hands (etc.), this is likely all that I will share with you of them on this blog.

Session 1 

It's so normal to violate the moral and spiritual laws of God that our nation is making laws to protect that.

"The real terrorists in America are those who advocate abortion."

The Gospel always offends the contented sinner living in deception.
"Sin is bondage. Forgiveness of sin is freedom."

Suppressing the truth is motivated by a love for sin.

(Romans 1:24,26-27)

for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.
2 Cor. 10:4 NASB

Spiritual war is bringing down fortresses...you can't use rock & roll or pragmatism.

The election coming up next year is a referendum on Divine wrath.

You must fight...earnestly for the faith...the Christian faith...Divine truth revealed in the once for all delivered Scripture.

They're not all on the outside.

Antinomians are no better than legalists. They both define Christianity by the law (instead of loving Christ).

These were things that I got from listening online to John MacArthur (Session 1 / Day 1 of the Truth Matters Conference).

Session 2

For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, (From Isaiah 61:10 NASB)

There is no other authority that is equal to Scripture... All ecclesiastical opinions must be judged by Scripture..not vice versa.

The new Calvinism was deemed new, because they wanted to make room for the Charismatic movement...

"We need to let the word of God interpret our experiences rather than the other way around."

“The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? 

Jeremiah 17:9 NASB 

Your heart tells you that God thinks the way you do.

"You can't blame the Devil for the evil that you do." 

 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. These are the things which defile the man; (From Matt. 15:19 & part of vs. 20)

These were things that I got from listening online to Phil Johnson (Session 2 / Day 1 of the Truth Matters Conference).

Truth Matters Update, Masters of Disguise, & My Father's Care

Truth Matters Update
The Truth Matters Conference is this week at Grace Community Church in southern California (October 16-18th, 2019).

For those who didn't see my update on my previous post, you should be able to live-stream it on GTY.org (or HERE).

Session 1 with John MacArthur began at 10 AM Pacific / 1 PM Eastern / 6 PM BST

UPDATE:  They are now adding some of the audio to the conference page HERE.

Day 2  starts with Jeff Williams at 9 AM Pacific / 12 noon Eastern / 5 PM BST
John MacArthur is scheduled for 11 AM Pacific / 2 PM Eastern / 7 PM BST
Mike Riccardi, a Q & A, & Phil Johnson come later.

Day 3 is scheduled to start with Voddie Baucham at 10 AM Pacific / 1 PM Eastern / 6 PM BST
Next comes Mike Riccardi, another Q & A, and then John MacArthur is scheduled to close out the conference.

You can find the rest of the schedule on the conference page HERE.

Masters of Disguise

Mike Riccardi (at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA) preached a message recently on Satan painting sin with virtue's colors & the really good costumes Satan makes for his followers.

You should be able to hear it HERE.

My Father's Care 
Recently I shared another music track by Darby Hughes on my blog, and I ended up listening to other music by him after that.
My family has been going through a difficult time lately physically, and it is making it a challenge to even get a dinner ready or groceries.
Even using my hands on here is painful.

If you are going through a hard time as a believer, this song may encourage you.

The Problem of Evil

We live in fallen & cursed world because of sin, but Heaven will not be so.

Recently in social media someone asked about why there is evil in this world.

The person asked about Lucifer's sinning, and if he could sin, couldn't we in Heaven?

These types of questions get me searching things out...sometimes from things that I have shared in the past from others!

My responses may not always be direct answers, but I hope that they are helpful in some way.

God uses secondary causes. He is not the chargeable cause of evil, but He foreordains all things.
(I think that this was from Mike Riccardi.)

Evil serves God's purpose.
We have a God who is sovereign over evil.
He is not victimized by the problem of evil.
His Son the second Adam will resolve evil and bring satisfactory judgment.
(This was from listening to Abner Chou.)

What Joseph's brothers meant for evil (putting him in a pit and selling him into bondage), God meant for good. 

Job's suffering was also something that God purposed for his ultimate good. 

The same is true of all believers.

"God continually upholds His entire creation and sovereignly works in absolutely everything that happens and thus directs all creatures and events to accomplish His purposes."

- Don Green (Truth Community Church)

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We will not sin anymore in our resurrected bodies in Heaven.
I can't tell you why Lucifer wanted to exalt himself, but rest assured there will be no more of that after the final judgment.

Also, there will be no more death for believers.

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Matthew 25:34 NASB

for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.
Luke 20:36

Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.
1 John 3:2 NASB
There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him;
Revelation 22:3 NASB
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The unbeliever is enslaved to sin. Only in Christ is there freedom. Christians are being conformed into the image of Christ. 

"For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge"
2 Corinthians 5:1-5 NASB