On Friday (March 7), Grace to You executive director Phil Johnson shared a video of John MacArthur speaking to Grace Community Church’s Shepherds Conference.
The video is the first time MacArthur has spoken publicly since spending nearly two months in the hospital following complications that stemmed from a heart valve replacement he received in July 2024.
The 85-year-old pastor celebrated 56 years as Grace Community Church’s pastor-teacher in February, but due to his health, MacArthur was unable to preach more than half of 2024 and all of 2025 so far.
RELATED: ‘He Still Has a Long, Uphill Recovery’—John MacArthur Could Miss Shepherds Conference Due to Health
MacArthur had hoped to be healthy enough to preach during the Shepherds Conference last week. Instead, he was forced to provide his sermon in written form. He recorded a video message for those in attendance.
“I want to say grace to you, all of you who are at the Shepherds Conference,” MacArthur said in the video. “For me, it’s the highlight of the year. So you have to know my disappointment in coming to you through video. It really came down to being the only option, because I haven’t had such a speedy recovery as I hoped to have.”
“I feel great,” he continued. “I just lost a lot of strength by being seven weeks in the hospital.”
MacArthur added, “I mean, it’s the hospital that can kill you. You can survive the illness. If you can survive the hospital, then you’ve won on every level.” MacArthur explained that his lengthy hospital stay took such a toll on him “physically” and shared that he is currently seeing physical therapists and trainers to regain his strength and return “as soon as possible.”
“I had the message on my heart, and I didn’t want to lose the opportunity to give it to you, so we printed it up in a booklet,” MacArthur told the Shepherds Conference. He then joked, “The good news is you don’t have to listen to me. You don’t have to take notes, because you’re going to get the sermon in a booklet form.”
MacArthur’s message was titled, “On Finishing Well.”
, Grace to You executive director Phil Johnson shared a video of John MacArthur speaking to Grace Community Church’s Shepherds Conference.){kind=link}