Why Worship? | Ephesians 1:3

Why Worship? | Ephesians 1:3

September 7, 2026 · 51 min

Why do we even have a time of singing before the sermon? In this message opening Ephesians 1:3, Dr. Abidan Shah asks the question directly: why worship? He defines worship as a time of wonder — marveling at the majesty, power, and grace of God — and traces the biblical pattern of blessing God all the way from Melchizedek and Abraham to David's 4,000-person choir of Levites.Dr. Shah makes the case that worship together with God's people has never been optional, then walks through the difference between physical blessings (which God gives to everyone, believer or not) and spiritual blessings (which belong only to those in Christ) — election, adoption, redemption, forgiveness, and the sealing of the Holy Spirit. The message closes by unpacking Paul's mysterious phrase "the heavenly places," and what it means that believers are already seated with Christ even while still in the middle of a spiritual battle.0:00 – Why Do We Even Have a Time of Worship?5:43 – Blessed Be the Lord: The Old Testament Pattern9:04 – David's Army of 4,000 Worship Leaders13:56 – What Heaven's Worship Looks Like (Revelation 19)17:09 – Every Good Gift Comes From God — Even to the Lost21:41 – What Are Spiritual Blessings?26:00 – Paper Assets vs. Real Assets31:02 – What Does "Heavenly Places" Actually Mean?39:35 – Seated With Christ, Yet Still at War44:41 – Why Church Isn't Optional48:04 – How You Can Help Someone Else Worship

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Dr. Abidan Shah is a New Testament text critic, author, professor, and pastor of Clearview Church in North Carolina. His desire is to make biblical scholarship accessible and applicable to all people.