From The Archives

Change was on the horizon for Israel as the nation anticipated its new king. This time of transition was not marked by God’s absence, though. Instead, it highlighted His providential care for His people. Walking us through the events that led the future king, Saul, to meet Samuel, the prophet of God, Alistair Begg helps us see that God uses even the ordinary, mundane details of our lives to bring about His purposes.

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As Samuel aged and his succession plan failed, Israel clamored for a new leader. No longer wanting to be distinct, they chose to imitate the behavior of other nations and asked to trade God’s rule for that of an earthly king. While God granted Israel’s request, Alistair Begg explains, it led to great suffering, revealing our need for a perfect king. Only Christ, the one true King, reigns in absolute love and justice--and His rule will never disappoint us.

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In God's design of the family, both mothers and fathers play equally important but different roles in their children's lives. In these 6 sermons Alistair Begg addresses the role of fathers. Download or listen to them for free. 

Topics: From the Archives

At Mizpah, the Israelites received thunderous, dramatic deliverance from their Philistine oppressors. Samuel had once again prayed on their behalf, his access to God granted through a blood sacrifice as atonement for sin. Alistair Begg helps us realize how this moment anticipated the perfect Lamb to come and depicted God’s enduring faithfulness to His children. As we praise God for all He has done and trust Him for all that is to come, our lives remind others that our help comes from the Lord alone.

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Although the Israelites had rebelled against God’s rule, the Lord mercifully provided a leader for His people in Samuel. As a spiritual leader, Samuel reminded Israel that their fall into idolatry was not an external problem but an issue of the heart. Alistair Begg notes that a pastor’s priority must similarly be to faithfully proclaim God’s Word, for when the Word is present and active, it leads to repentance, right relationship with God, and transformed hearts.

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Weary of plagues and eager to rid themselves of the ark, the Philistines devised a plan to test whether their affliction was truly the result of God’s heavy hand or merely coincidence. Walking us through the twists and turns of this story, Alistair Begg reminds us that God judges those who violate His plans and is not to be tested. Our heritage, offerings, and endeavors can’t save us from His wrath. Only in Christ can we safely and securely stand before the Lord.

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God cannot be defeated, even when His children are. When the Philistines vanquished the Israelites and captured the ark, all seemed lost. The tables were turned, though, when the almighty God toppled the Philistines’ worthless idol Dagon and inflicted them with tumors until they cried out. Alistair Begg explains that afflictions like these can be acts of mercy that help us recognize God’s glory, presence, and power. Our only true protection from God’s wrath is the refuge He Himself provides in Jesus.

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What would Jesus think about Mother’s Day? The brief glimpses provided in Scripture reveal that while Jesus was respectful, courteous, and concerned for His mother’s care, His priority was to do the work of His Father—and although she gave birth to Christ, even Mary was in need of salvation. In this “charcoal sketch,” Alistair Begg surveys the Bible passages that record Jesus’ interactions with His mother. These scenes remind us that, like Jesus, our duty to God must take precedence over everything else, including family loyalty.

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Paul wrote to the Colossian believers to assure them of their identity in Christ and to urge them on to maturity, lest they be drawn away from the truth. Having once been alienated from God, he explained, they were now reconciled by Christ. Jesus’ death covered every individual sin, and one day He would present His people holy and blameless to His Father. As Alistair Begg makes plain, while everyone’s heart is hostile to God, in Christ we have been radically transformed from what we once were.

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The finality of Christ’s burial left His disciples in a state of fear and mourning. The silence of the grave, however, would not last for long. On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene discovered an empty tomb that proclaimed Jesus’ decisive victory over sin and gave rise to the fledgling faith of all who saw and believed. The Spirit of God, Alistair Begg explains, has the power to raise Christ from the dead and transform mockers and doubters into bold witnesses for Christ.

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