The Three Chairs John 1-6
Summary
Jesus is God and he came to this earth as a human being to live amongst us (John 1:1-5, 14). Jesus’ purpose in coming was not to condemn us, but to rescue us from the death penalty required for our sin (John 3:16-17). Jesus spoke to us directly the very Word of God and provided to all who would receive him into their life the permanent residency of the Holy Spirit (John 3: 34-35). Jesus’ ministry began with explanation of spiritual truth to those who would listen (the woman at the well: John 4:1-26) and a demonstration of his divine power of healing (John 4:43-54). Jesus’ ministry was initially to those outside His kingdom (i.e. Samaritans 4:39-42). A number believed his message and enthusiastically received him and became followers or disciples. Many, especially the religious people who believed in God, rejected him. Jesus asserted his authority (John 5:21-23) and was supported through the testimony of John the Baptist (John 5:31-47). Jesus identified three types of people by their response to him. (1) Unbelievers (2) Worldly believers (3) Spiritual believers. Jesus performed public miracles (John 6:1-15), supernatural power (John 6:16-24), and made grand claims about himself (Johnm 6:25-40). Those who were the religious unbelievers questioned Jesus’ claims (John 6:41-59), and their testimony led to many followers deserting Jesus (John 6:60-66), but the 12 disciples remained true (John 6:67-71) even though they themselves were young in the faith.
Paul took up this theme which we will study today. Read 1 Corinthians 2:10-3:3
In the Bible, there are three types of people before God. So let us compare and contrast each of these types of people in the hope that it will bring great clarity to us each as to what type of person we are before God.
Paul presented three types of people in relation to God and each is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 2:10-3:3.
(1) Chair 1: The spiritual believer (1 Corinthians 2:15-16)
(2) Chair 2: The worldly believer (1 Corinthians 3:1-3)
(3) Chair 3: The worldly unbeliever (1 Corinthians 2:14)
Chair 1
1 Corinthians 2:15-16
The spiritual believer
Christian – saved going to heaven
Led by the Holy Spirit
Judged by God
Ruled by Christ
God is intimate/close
Holy Spirit empowered
Saved
Worship God on the basis of who He is
Ruled by the Spirit of God
Lives in the Tree of life. Acknowledges their own sinfulness and inability to live a holy life, understands all they have that is good is from God, and relies on the Holy Spirit to live Christ’s life in and through them.
Trusting in God’s provision for life recognizing all they have is received from God – living “in” God
Baptism of Spirit (Acts 1:8)
Filling of Spirit (Ephesians 5:18)
Baptism of love (Romans 5:5)
Knows they are loved by God unconditionally and seen as righteous (1 John 1:9)
Commitment
7% of Christians
Normal Christian life - supernatural
Godly mental operating system
World changer
Habitation of God
God is their heavenly Father
Chair 2
1 Corinthians 3:1-3
The worldly believer
Christian – saved going to heaven
Led by self
Judged by the world
Ruled by self
God seems remote
Self empowered
Saved
Worships God on the basis of who they are
Ruled by emotion, will and personality
Lives in the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Condemns evil in others and promotes their own avoidance of that evil. Applauds and promotes their own goodness and what they have done for God.
Trying to achieve things for God believing that what they have is from their own efforts – living “for” God
Baptism of Spirit (Acts 1:8)
Led and empowered by self, often disconnected from God
Doubts they are loved by God unconditionally and often live with a sense of failure, shame, and guilt
Compromise
93% of Christians
Abnormal Christian life - worldly
Worldly mental operating system
Changed by the world
Performance for God
They have an orphan spirit that does not feel accepted by Father God
Chair 3
1 Corinthians 2:14
The worldly unbeliever
Unredeemed – unsaved going to hell
Led by self
Judged by the world
Ruled by self
God seems irrelevant
Self empowered
Lost
Does not worship God but self or others
Ruled by emotion, will and personality
Lives in the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Condemns evil in others and promotes their own avoidance of that evil. Applauds and promotes their own goodness.
Living life essentially for self, in self-effort, using their resources.
Baptism of the world
Lives oblivious of God
Conflict
Rest of the population
Normal worldly life
Worldly mental operating system
In the world
Rejection of God
They have an orphan spirit that is not at peace and not understood
George Barna claims that there is little difference between the life of those in chairs 2 and 3, but a big difference between the life of those in chairs 1 and 2. A person who is filled with the Spirit walks under the guidance and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, lives under God’s blessing, and is an example of Jesus to the world (Galatians 5:16-18; Romans 8:1-16)
We need to understand that it is so easy to shift from chair 1 to chair 2.
Romans 7:15-25; Romans 12:1-2
To move from chair 2 to chair 1, one must personally encounter God. We cannot live a Spirit-filled life relying on our own past conversion experience, or the experiences of others such as parents, friends, small group, conference high, or good works of service. We must allow God to possess us – embrace us into His life, rather than us try to possess God by embracing Him into our life.
Step 1: Sit: understand your position in Christ (Ephesians 2:6-7)
Step 2: Walk/live: walk in the power of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:17-24)
Step 3: Stand: stand for Christ against the enemy (Ephesians 6:10-12)
Read: 1 John 4:7-21; Matthew 6:33; Philippians 4:19
God’s plan for this world and the ministry of the Spiritual believer
We all like a great or epic story. There have been many films made of the great stories. There have been many books written about great stories. We love to watch television programs of great real-life stories. The greatest story ever told is the story of God’s work in the world and this is portrayed in great detail in the Bible.
(1) Designed for good
In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth and His creation was good. He created a perfect world in which we would love God, each other and appropriately steward the physical world. It would be a society in harmony without selfishness, with each person engaged in purposeful activity, thriving and experiencing shalom. This was God’s design.
(2) Damaged by evil
Sadly, humankind decided to live apart from God’s will – to write their own script and so play at being God. They ate the forbidden fruit, ignored and despised God, abused each other, and vandalized God’s world. Humankind turned inward acting as if the world revolved around them and built life around the good things God had given them rather than around Him. The result: a damaged world, divided relationships, and a confused identity.
(3) Restored for better
Being compassionate and faithful toward His damaged creation, God decided to restore humankind for better, by entering humankind’s sad story through His Son – Jesus. Jesus was God in human form. He was the long awaited and predicted Messiah of the world, and his life would model the life God intended humankind to have – a life under God’s rule in a kingdom of peace and love. Jesus would call us back to His Father’s will, and by His death enable humankind to be forgiven and restored for better. Jesus covered our shame and guilt, absorbed evil by love, was crucified to cover our sin. In rising from the dead, He showed all that death had been defeated, and in so doing, He invited all who would follow Him into a new and exciting life.
(4) Sent to heal
Wanting to restore the world to Himself, God sends out all those restored for better into the world as agents of healing. He empowers them with His Holy Spirit’s healing love and power to restore relationships with God and each other and to promote healthy care for and stewardship of His earth. Restored humankind is to give this damaged world a preview of God’s final scene in the Epic Story.
(5) Everything set right.
For all our best efforts, humankind whilst restored for better is still broken. Without God’s final intervention the world will never fully heal. God is patient. He wants all of humankind to freely choose the roles He created them to play in His Epic Story. So, the day is coming when Jesus will return to set everything right. He will call all of humankind to give account for the life they have lived. Those who have accepted His forgiveness and have been restored for better will inhabit a restored earth with no hate, pollution, poverty or war. God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit will be on centre stage of all things and everyone present will be set free in His love. Those who reject Him, will live for eternity separate from God for He always honours our free will choices. This estate is called “Hell’.
To join God in His story is the most important pursuit of life and the only certain path to freedom and peace. His story is the story of the kingdom of God.
We can study the kingdom of God and try to possess it, or we can allow the kingdom to study us and be possessed by it. If the latter desire is ours, we need to allow the kingdom of God to challenge us and then yield to the challenge. Which chair are you sitting in?
· What are you prepared to do to be seated and/or remain in chair 1?
· What do you want God to do for you in order for you to be an agent of healing in a fallen world?
Prayer of commitment
“Lord Jesus Christ, I am sorry for the things I have done wrong in my life (take a few moments to ask his forgiveness for anything particular that is on your conscience). Please forgive me. I now turn from everything that I know is wrong. Thank you that you died on the cross for me, so that I could be forgiven and set free. Thank you that you offer me forgiveness and the gift of your Spirit. I now receive that gift. Please come into my life and fill me with your Holy Spirit to be with me forever. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Amen.”