Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! — Psalm 100:4 (ESV)
While believers hold many ideas about corporate singing and music in the church, the Bible is clear on God’s directive to worship Him alone in a manner that is spiritual, rational, and grounded in Scripture. In this selection of sermons, Alistair Begg reminds us that our praise, thankfulness, and declaration of trust in God’s steadfast love are based on what we know of Him from His Word.
A Call to Worship (Psalms 100) — Listen (Free) | Download MP3 (Free)
Ask what makes a good worship service, and you are likely to get many different responses. In this study from Psalm 100, we see the Bible's answer: we need to know God. God's people are exuberant, joyful, and thankful in corporate expressions of worship as all that we know of him forms the foundation of our praise.
Worth-ship (Colossians 3:16) — Listen (Free) | Download MP3 (Free)
Why do Christians sing when we gather for worship? Our music allows us to participate together in praising our great God and edifying one another in the faith. As we build on the worship patterns of believers in the past, we are creating patterns of our own for generations yet to come.
Prayer and Praise (James 5:13)— Listen (Free) | Download MP3 (Free)
Often during times of trouble we do not feel like praying, and during times of prosperity we forget the God who gives us all good things. Alistair Begg shows us that instead, affliction should give way to prayer, and happiness should prompt God-centered praise. To respond in this way is not natural – it requires the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Declaring His Praise (1 Peter 2:9) — Listen (Free) | Download MP3 (Free)
As the church, Christ calls us to “declare the praises” of the God who reconciled us to himself through the death of his Son. How are we doing? Is the preaching and proclaiming of the Gospel central as we gather each Sunday? Do our attitudes toward our worship services proclaim God’s praises to those who are watching us?
Acceptable Worship — Part One (John 4:19-24) — Listen (Free) | Download MP3 (Free)
Man was created to praise God, but there has been a steadily increasing tendency to focus on man and his needs rather than God and His glory. In part one of this four-part message, we learn why it is vital that we consider the theme of acceptable worship. Merely attending weekly services, abiding by the rules, and seeking to have our needs met is cold, empty, meaningless worship. Knowing God personally is the key to genuine worship that grants Him our undivided attention and changes our preparation for worship, as well as our expectations. Listen to Part Two | Part Three | Part Four.