Cedarville Magazine, Winter 2016

Chapel Notes Are you convinced about the Gospel? Is this message central to all we say and do? Bow underneath the lordship of Jesus. Under His lordship, you don’t have the abi l it y t o b e l i e ve whatever you want. This is the moment for us to say quite clearly: THE MESSAGE OF THE BIBLE IS HISTORICAL Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the Scripture (1 Cor. 15). We don’t follow myths, Peter said. We are eyewitnesses of His majesty. We are witnesses of the fact, not the idea or the concept. In Jesus, either God entered into time, lived a perfect life, and died the death we as sinners deserve and rose again from the dead on the third day, or the New Testament is the record of an elaborate hoax. Christianity does not exist for a moment apart from the historicity of a risen Christ. IT IS RATIONAL Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going? Christianity has an answer for all of these questions. God has created a world, set us in that world; we’ve rebelled, the world becomes broken; Christ comes into it, the King has come and does wonderful things; and sin remains. You look forward to the day of perfection. Who can change the heart like Jesus? Jesus can do all of this and more. IT IS EMPIRICAL Men and women can put it to the test. It’s not true because it works; it works because it’s true. The story of the Gospel answers the cries of the human heart. The question of identity is addressed in Jesus. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. We were created purposefully, for a relationship withGod. Jesus says that He came to give us life and have it in all of its fullness. Are you convinced these things actually happened? That these things really are rational? And that you can say to people, “Listen, put it to the test; taste and see that the Lord is good”? Not one line of the New Testament was written apart from the conviction that Jesus had defeated death and was alive forever. The symbol of Christianity is not the dead figure of a crucifix, but a triumphant Christ with a cross broken beneathHis feet. It is that which compels individuals to give up their small dreams and take this [message] to the ends of the earth. Are you prepared to allow this to frame your life, to form your convictions, and to fashion your plans? Alistair Begg is Senior Pastor of Parkside Church in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. His teaching ministry is also featured on the Truth for Life radio program. Are You Convinced About the Gospel? The following is an excerpt from a September 9, 2015, chapel presentation by Alistair Begg. Listen to his full remarks 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 : Jan. 28 David Jeremiah Senior Pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church El Cajon, California Feb. 11 Jennifer Marshall Vice President, Institute for Family, Community, and Opportunity The Heritage Foundation Washington, D.C. Feb. 16 Matt Carter Pastor of Preaching and Vision The Austin Stone Community Church Austin, Texas Mar. 1–2 John Stonestreet Speaker and Fellow Chuck Colson Center for ChristianWorldview Lansdowne, Virginia Mar. 16 The Gathering Chris Broussard Sports Analyst for ESPN Bristol, Connecticut Apr. 7 Freedom to Flourish Conference Arthur Brooks President of the American Enterprise Institute Washington, D.C. WATCH CHAPEL ON YOUR TELEVISION Now anyone can experience the inspiring atmosphere and challenging content of chapel from home. The fourth generation Apple TV was released at the end of October and lets users watch favorite media on their TVs like they do on their smartphones, tablets, or computers. Available from the Apple App Store is the brand- new Cedarville Chapel app. The Cedarville Chapel app lets users watch chapel in real time through live streaming. They can also catch up on popular and recent messages. A searchable archive of past messages is planned for early 2016. Users can download Cedarville Chapel in the App Store by searching “Cedarville.” Cedarville Magazine | 17