Cedarville Magazine, Fall 2015

Chapel Notes You’re going to be surprised to find that Jesus was never stronger than His weakest moment, and His weakest moment was when He was nailed to a cross. Join me in Luke 23 as I show you a God who is strong enough to save even in weakness. CONVICTION Conviction is the first step of salvation. Both thieves are literally, legally convicted. But on a spiritual side, one thief doesn’t feel conviction and the other does. Conviction is that inner voice telling you not just that something’s wrong, but you’re wrong. I’mnot a sinner because I sin. I sin because I’m a sinner. When the Holy Spirit convicts you and tells you you’re wrong, He’s not doing that because He’s mad at you. He loves you. Some of you know you need to quit being your own god and let Jesus save you. You have wondered whether you’re truly a Christian, and you know you need to give your life to Jesus. That’s the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Don’t deny it. CONFESSION Confession is when you’re weak enough to admit your sin. You are saying with God, “I am guilty.” The thief does that. He’s in the presence of God Almighty and confesses, “I’m a sinner. I’m getting what I deserve.” You cannot be saved unless you’re convicted, but you cannot be saved unless you confess what God convicts you of. You confess your sin to God. You own it. CONVERSION Conversion is when you’re desperate enough to ask for help. That’s the moment when you convert. Jesus uses the analogy of being born in John 3. You must be born again. There is a moment in time when you were born. It’s on your birth certificate. You didn’t just sort of come alive. You were born. How do we see this here in the Bible? We see this right there in verse 42. The thief says, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” Best sinner’s prayer anybody every prayed in the Bible. He believed heaven belonged to Jesus. So he prayed a simple prayer, “Will You save me?” CONFIDENCE Jesus makes a promise to the thief in verse 43, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with Me in paradise.” Yes, I was born for this moment that inMy dying breath I will save you. And then Jesus gives him confidence. Today you’ll be with Me in paradise. You want to be saved? Ask Him. Feel this conviction. Confess that sin. Convert and ask Jesus to save you, and you can walk out of this house tonight with confidence that you are in Christ. Not because of anything you’ve ever done, but because of what He did on that cross, when He took your place and died the death you deserved. Clayton King is the Founder of Clayton King Ministries and Teaching Pastor at NewSpring Church in Anderson, South Carolina. At His Weakest, Jesus Was Strong to Save The following is an excerpt from an August 18, 2015, chapel presentation by Clayton King. King was this year’s speaker for the 2015 Fall Bible Conference. Listen to his full remarks and other conference messages at cedarville.edu/chapel . Watch or listen to past messages at cedarville.edu/chapel or stream them as they speak at cedarville.edu/chapel/live : Oct. 21 Chip Ingram Senior Pastor of Venture Christian Church Los Gatos, California Nov. 10 Duke Crawford Pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church Toledo, Ohio Nov. 13 9Marks Pastors Conference Danny Akin President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Wake Forest, North Carolina Dec. 2 Charles Ware President of Crossroads Bible College Indianapolis, Indiana Jan. 12–14 Missions Conference David Platt President of International Missions Board Richmond, Virginia Jan. 20–21 Trip Lee Teaching Pastor at Cornerstone Church Atlanta, Georgia AMAZING RESPONSE AT FALL BIBLE CONFERENCE During this year’s Fall Bible Conference (Aug. 17–20), more than 100 students made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, and another 93 committed to serve in some kind of mission. “We praise God that each of these students responded in faith, moving forward toward what they felt God wanted them to do,” said Cedarville University President Thomas White. “It was an amazing week, and we are praying that it is only the beginning of even more spiritual awakening.” Cedarville Magazine | 23