Cedarville Magazine Fall 2015

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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, butyou’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
.
Watch or listen to past messages at or stream them as they speak at :
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.”
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