Mark Lowenstein Deaf Missions Council Bluffs, Iowa. Series: Three Chairs Sermon: 2 of 4 Date: September 13, 2009 THREE CHAIRS OF FAITH

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1 Mark Lowenstein Deaf Missions Council Bluffs, Iowa Series: Three Chairs Sermon: 2 of 4 Date: September 13, 2009 THREE CHAIRS OF FAITH Joshua what a guy! He was my kind of man! Joshua was quite an astounding person. Today I m going to teach about the Three Chairs. You can see these three chairs in front of me. They each have different points. I m going to explain about each of these chairs. Even though I can t hear or see you, I m sure you re very excited to learn about the lesson of the Three Chairs. Each of you is sitting in one of these chairs. You have chosen which chair you are sitting in. Each of these chairs comes with its own effect on your relationships. The first chair and the second chair are different relationships, and the first and the third are different. These chairs provide the context for us to reflect on the decisions we ve made in the past and help us to make better decisions in the future. As you look at the three chairs, you can identify which of them you are sitting in the third, second or first. So, are you curious and want to me to continue this lesson! I m sure you are! This lesson has impacted not only me, but many people whom I have met and in many churches where I have preached. I am overwhelmed by the astonishing rate of conversion among people. Wow! Lord willing, this lesson will impact you as well. The Lord is the only one who is capable of truly breaking through to people s hearts. God can break through to your heart just like a sword. He does this through the Bible. Now I am going to briefly explain these three chairs and the type of people they represent. To do so, I will sit in each of the chairs as I discuss them. Let s start with the third chair. The type of person in this chair is not in a relationship with the Lord. He has no understanding of God. This person might be confused about who God is. He is more focused on himself and his plans than on others around him. The person sitting in the second chair is on the fence. This person struggles with doubt. He is trying to believe in God, yet at the same time is attempting to hold on to the world. Similar to the third chair individual, this person feels confused. The second chair person does think about others. However, he thinks about himself more. 1

2 Let s move on to chair number one. The individual sitting in chair number one has surrendered his heart completely to the Lord. He possesses a growing knowledge of who God is and is enjoying an intimate relationship with Him. This type of person is learning more about God and is thriving on fellowship with other believers. These are just some of the characteristics of a first chair person. This person is a true Christian; passionate about God and totally lost in Him. He considers others with greater regard and importance. All these are characteristics of a first chair person. Back to the third chair; this individual has not responded to God. Perhaps this person hasn t yet decided to make a commitment to the Lord. He might have rejected God due to a crisis in his life such as a death in his family or loss of a job. Peer pressure from friends or family may have also influenced his decision. People who grew up without a religious upbringing or without a church background also find themselves in this chair. A person in the third chair may be confused or feel that his sin is hanging over him, preventing him from approaching God. So what is the third chair identified by? Conflict, with a big C. This person is living in conflict with God. This person is unsaved. He is very much a part of the natural world. First Corinthians 2:14 says, The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. If you quoted God s Word to someone in the third chair, he might respond, So what? This has nothing to do with me! This is because he has no understanding of who God is. He doesn t want to surrender his life to an unknown king. He would rather live for himself instead of for God or others. Living for himself will ruin his life. Now I m going to explain a little more in depth about the second chair person. This person has already accepted new life in Christ, but hasn t fully made a commitment to Him. To a certain degree, this individual is still unsure if he wants to follow Jesus. On the outside, this person gives the appearance of being a Christian and going to church, but on the inside he is confused. This person is identified by inconsistency and instability. Peter is an example of this type of person. He was fascinated when Jesus started to walk on water. Jesus invited Peter to try. Peter stepped out. You can imagine how excited he must have been to be the first human to walk on water! But then Peter saw the rough waves and the raging storm around him. He hesitated, looking at Christ and then at the intense storm. Peter began to doubt. This is an example of a second chair person. This second chair individual is identified by the word Compromise. Compromise. This person makes compromises with God; if you do this for me, I ll do this for you. Maybe he tells God that he will tithe his money but wants to control the rest of his life. There are countless ways to make compromises with the Lord in your life. But I warn you to be careful. This is a truly dangerous game! In Revelation, Jesus warns that, So, because you are lukewarm neither hot nor cold I am about to spit you out of my mouth. Compromise is like having 2

3 God on the tip of your tongue, but Self on the throne of your heart. The second chair person thinks that everything revolves around him and his life. He resists surrendering to God because he wants to be in charge of most, if not all, of his life. In Matthew 23:27, Jesus is disgusted by the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and teachers of the law. He hates their foul attitude and bluntly says to them, Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men s bones and everything unclean. The second chair person is like this. He paints Jesus on the outside, but on the inside he is full of selfish desires, rebellion against God, and trying to compromise with His standards. Inside this person may be disobedient, but from all outward appearances he acts like a Christian, praying and acting self-righteous. Trying to hold on to Christianity and the world is dangerous, in the same way that mixing fire and gasoline is dangerous and will cause a fire. Let s discuss the first chair. This chair is identified by the word Commitment. Commitment is one of the most unpopular words in today s society. If you ask someone for a commitment, he will usually make excuses not to. People who are uncomfortable with commitment are sitting in chair two or three; either on the fence about committing or totally rejecting it completely. There are very few people sitting in this first chair. The first chair type of person has fully accepted the gift of salvation. He believes that Jesus is the Answer, the Door, the Gate, the only Way. When you and I give our lives to Jesus it must be 100 percent! I cannot surrender part of my life to God and keep some for myself. I must give my life completely to God, holding nothing back. The first chair person has fully yielded himself to God. It is important to emphasize that Christ has complete and ultimate authority over the life of the first chair person. This person will follow the Lord s will, treating Him as King and Lord. This person honors the Lord s commands. They respond, Yes, Lord, I will do Your will. Yes, Lord, I will change! I will follow and obey You! This first chair is a really beautiful place to be. This is an eternal issue and the first chair has an eternal plan, unlike the second and third chairs. However, there is a chance for the people in the second and third chairs to repent and move to the first chair. This is possible through Jesus, our rope! This transition requires a lot of hard work, change and sacrifice. It is also important for the first chair person to continue to develop his relationship with the Lord and relationships within the church. Sadly, many Christians prefer to keep their relationship with God an individual thing, and neglect to be involved in the Body of Christ. They choose not to be a part of the unity, provision, support, encouragement and discipline of the Body of Christ. Without involvement in the church, this person moves back to the second chair. This is because he resists anyone else s influence over his life. The final identifying feature of a first chair person is that he lives for the Lord. From the 3

4 minute he wakes up in the morning, he looks to Christ. Throughout the day, he is focused on Christ. In the evening before he goes to bed Christ. Throughout the night Christ. Amen? This is quite a simple concept, however many of us struggle to get to this point. This is because we are sitting in chair number two holding on to things in our lives, and are frustrated because we don t know how to face the rock of change in our everyday lives. We need to keep our eyes fixed on the first chair and the importance of commitment, salvation and spirituality. In Joshua 24:14-15 we read, Now fear [respect] the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. [Notice the emphasis on the word all, not just some faithfulness, but all.] Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. There are many idols we worship today, such as TV or sports. These things in themselves are not wrong. However, when we become so enamored with these things that they take top priority in our lives, then they become essentially the king of our life and begin to control us. This is when the problems start. The verse continues, But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. Joshua is telling the people that if they desire to worship these gods, to go ahead and do so. Joshua gave the Israelites a choice. But in Joshua 24:15 we have the punch line: But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD. Of course I am not forcing you, twisting your arm or demanding that you sit in chair number one. It is completely your choice! If you want to sit in the third chair, go ahead. However, I will warn you that in the third chair you will face many frustrations in your life. You might struggle with alcohol, drugs, finances, sex or other things. If you choose to sit in the second chair, you will experience a lot of confusion and wrestle with doubt. Am I saying that the first chair person s life is perfect? No. But Jesus is always in his heart and life. Jesus is always there to protect, encourage, love, rebuke and discipline this person. Life in the first chair is very rewarding! God will reward you with the gift of eternal life. The first chair is such a blessed place to be. I am very excited to be sitting in the first chair right now. Being in that chair is very precious to me. I don t want to let it go. So, what about you? Are you sitting in the first chair with me? Or are you in the second or third chair? Please think about where you are today. Let s pray for your heart and soul today. I pray that if you are in the second or third chair you would decide eventually to make the transition to the first chair. I encourage you to contact your pastor, siblings or local church and ask them for help to make the transition to the first chair. Tell them you want to become a first chair person. Explain that you want to follow Christ and become a Christian. Tell them that you want to be a part of the Body of Christ and serve others. This chair is available for you, for free! This is quite a blessing. 4

5 Let s pray. Heavenly Father, You have clearly shown us the lesson of these three chairs, and helped us to understand this picture. Lord, I know that there are some people who are watching this ASL LINK sermon and are very interested in what we ve just been talking about. Maybe they are Christians who have fallen away from You. Perhaps they have given up on their relationship with You because of pain in their life or lack of interest. Maybe they have become captivated with the idols of this world or caught up in current events. Perhaps they have simply decided to quit; not wanting to walk with You anymore, Lord. Their life now, Lord, is a dangerous as walking on thin ice. I pray that You would touch their hearts and humble them. Encourage these people to come back to the first chair; back to You! We know that it is Your desire for me to be a pastor. I am serving You. I want to be Your spokesperson; reminding people to think about where they are sitting today right now! I pray for the people who are watching right now to evaluate their hearts. Perhaps they are in need of some heart surgery so they can look inside of their hearts and see that they are lacking a relationship with You. Maybe they don t know what a relationship with You means. Lord, guide them right now. If their lives are not right with You, it will be much harder for them in the future. Please help them and please help me. I thank You that I am sitting in the first chair. Thank You for over 15 years of time in this chair. It is quite a blessing! But I know that it takes a lot of hard work. Even though sometimes we feel beat up, I pray that we would always remember Joshua s punch line: But as for me and my household [my family], we will serve the LORD. I pray that those who are watching this sermon right now will sign/say, Amen! For me and my household, my family, my children, my grandparents, my aunts and uncles, all of us, we will serve the Lord. I hope you join me in saying this! We don t want to delay any longer. Lord, I m looking forward to the next lesson. I pray that You would gently touch the hearts and minds of those watching this sermon. Awaken them from their spiritual slumber to life in Christ again. I ask Your blessing on this lesson. In Your Son s name we pray. Amen! 2009 Deaf Missions This printed manuscript is the English translation of a sermon presented in American Sign Language. The sermon may be viewed at LINK is a ministry of Deaf Missions. Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permissions of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. The NIV and New International Version trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society. Deaf Missions, Greenview Road, Council Bluffs, Iowa