In this episode of All for the Kingdom, Pastor Ben Smith teaches from 1 Chronicles 16:28–34 on the call to worship the Lord.

David summons the people of God to ascribe glory to the Lord, tremble before Him, and worship Him in the splendor of holiness. This sermon short shows that when worship falters, the problem is not that God has become less glorious. The problem is that our hearts have turned away and become distracted by the worthless idols of this world.

Pastor Ben uses the illustration of whale watchers who missed a spectacular moment because they were looking in the wrong direction. In the same way, we can miss the glory before us when our attention is captured by lesser things.

Helpful themes in this episode include:

1 Chronicles 16:28–34
Worship the Lord
The glory of God
Ascribe glory to His name
Spiritual distraction
Worthless idols
Biblical worship
The majesty of God
The greatness of God
Turning back to the Lord

To learn more, visit BenSmithSr.org.

From the sermon Life Through the Spirit, Romans 8:5-17

In this Swermon Short, Pastor Ben Smith teaches from Romans 8:5–17 on why a person cannot please God without the Spirit.

Paul’s teaching in Romans 8 shows that pleasing God is not merely a matter of outward action. It begins with the heart. A person may be religious, morally disciplined, generous, or faithful in church attendance, yet still lack the one thing necessary to please God: the indwelling Spirit of God.

This sermon short explains that the Spirit only comes through salvation. External righteousness, religious activity, and sincere effort cannot replace knowing Jesus. Apart from Christ, even our best efforts cannot make us pleasing to God. But through salvation, believers are filled with the Spirit of the living God and given true spiritual life.

To learn more, visit BenSmithSr.org.

In this sermon short from “The Nature of Man” (Genesis 1:26–31), Pastor Ben Smith draws a powerful connection between Isaiah’s vision of God’s holiness and man’s true nature. When Isaiah saw the Lord “high and lifted up,” he was undone—not proud or self-assured, but humbled before God’s glory. In the same way, we must see ourselves rightly before God. Man is not autonomous or self-defined, but an image bearer of God, created to serve His purposes and steward His creation according to His sovereign will.

Resources:

Listen to the full sermon at: https://www.bensmithsr.org/bensmith-allforthekingdom/genesis1-26-31

Listen to more Sermon Shorts at bensmithsr.org/shortspod