Alistair Begg delivered his final sermon as senior pastor of Parkside Church in Cleveland, Ohio, with characteristic modesty, stepping down in the middle of a series on Exodus and beginning his sermon by saying that he would only seek to “advance the ball a little further.”
“I joked this morning that since [Franz] Schubert has an unfinished symphony, why can’t I have an unfinished series?” Begg told the church.
Begg has been pastoring Parkside Church since 1983, during which time he has risen to prominence in the evangelical community through his “Truth for Life” radio program and his numerous books.
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In September of last year, Begg, 73, announced his coming retirement, saying that his final Sunday would be Sept. 14 of this year. It is unclear why his retirement date was apparently moved up.
When he announced his coming retirement, Begg said that he did so a year in advance in order to “make it clear [it] is not precipitous.”
“It’s not driven by anything of which I am personally aware, other than my ambition to pass the baton safely into the hands of my successor,” said Begg.
Alistair Begg: God ‘Is Sufficient’
Begg’s final sermon focused on the account of God calling Moses through the sign of a burning bush to deliver the people of Israel from captivity in Egypt.
“Can I just say to you what I say to myself? That God, because of who he is, is sufficient for every season of life,” Begg said toward the end of his message. “He is sufficient for every responsibility that he entrusts to us. He is sufficient for all of our needs. And he keeps all of his promises.”
“My hope and prayer for today is that the services will be ordinary,” Begg said, pointing to written reflections that were included in a bulletin given to church attendees. “And by that I mean doing what is routine. Instead of a closing message that focuses on our parting, we simply look to the next passage in our mini-series on Moses.”
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Quoting the hymn “I Do Not Know What Lies Ahead,” Begg said, “I know who holds the future, and he’ll guide me—guide you—with his hand. With God, things don’t just happen. Everything by him is planned.”
