Which Chair Are You Sitting In Today?
(Commitment, Conflict, Compromise, Forgiveness)
Introduction
I had the opportunity this week to attend the home going celebration services of Sis. Annette Sproles. Her death last Sunday took me through a range of emotions. Not so much because I was so close to her, many were closer to her that I was, but because of her commitment to Christ. In everything that she went through during her last months, she did not forget who she was and what God had done for her. I also learned this week of a representative in my region that was killed in a car accident. In the message I received, my director shared with us all of the things that he was planning for his family but would not be able to fulfill. However, as she talked about his life, I felt a sense of peace, as I know he too had a love for Christ and is with him now. This week I have reflected on these two individuals and their faith and I was moved to stir your faith in this message.
This morning I want you to think about your life, where you are in your personal relationship with Christ. In front of you are four chairs and I want to know, based on the description that I give you, which of these chairs are you sitting in this morning. I will walk you through a month in the life of Peter and how he moved from each of these chairs. I want you to compare your self honestly with Peter as I walk you through each chair so that you can visualize where you are in your relationship with Christ. Each of us goes through stages in our lives. We have good days and we have bad days, happy and sad times. There are days when our faith is so strong that we can handle anything, then there are times that only the grace of God gets us through. As we look at one week in the life of Peter, think about your situation and see if the chair that you are currently sitting in is the one you want to be in.
A. Chair #1: Commitment
Matthew 16:16-18 “Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Blessed are you Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” (NAS)
The first chair is the chair of commitment. The definition of commitment is “to bind as by a promise”. This is the chair that Peter was sitting in when he confessed that Jesus was the Son of God. Jesus had asked the disciples who were people saying that He was and the disciples gave Him what they were hearing. Then Jesus asked who did they think He was and Peter quickly answered that He was the Son of the living God. Peter was committed. He had been personally recruited by Christ and had sat and listened to all of His teachings. He had witnessed the miracles and had actually done a few of them himself when Christ sent them out as witnesses. Peter had witnessed Christ feeding the multitudes, calm a storm and walk on water. Peter himself had taken a few steps on the water before he realized what he was doing and started to sink. Yes he was fully committed to Jesus. Everything was good and he was doing things with Christ that he had never considered doing. Things were going well for Peter.
It is very easy to sit in the chair of commitment when things are going well, when everything falls into place and is going smooth. You can look around and see the results of your handiwork and know that you are doing something good. As long as things flow smoothly, we can be committed. If you are sitting in the chair of commitment, hold on tight. Do not let the storms of life blow you out of that chair. Do not let anyone pull you out of the chair. Hold on. You will know how strong your commitment is when trouble rises. Lets read a little further and examine the next chair – the chair that Peter also sat in when things started going down hill (according to how he was interpreting his circumstances).
B. Chair #2: Conflict
Matthew 16:21-23 “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and be raised up on the third day. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”
Luke 22:31-34 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
At this point in Peter’s life, conflict arose. His world was about to change – in his mind – for the worse. Peter could not imagine Jesus being killed – He had not even established His kingdom and He was talking of being killed. I believe that Peter also wondered what would happen to them if Jesus were killed? This new found life that he now had, would it be over. All of the things he had done, would he now have to go back to his old occupation? Although scripture does not tell us what he may have been thinking, these would be the normal thoughts of a person in Peter’s condition. If this was not bad enough, look at what Luke records in Luke 22. Jesus told Peter that Satan had demanded permission to test Peter – I believe because he saw that Peter was now in conflict with what Jesus had shared with the disciples. But Jesus told him that He had prayed for him that his faith would not fail. Satan saw that this was his chance to add more turmoil in Peter’s life in hope of making him lose his faith.
When we have conflict in our lives, often our faith is shaken. We forget about what God has spoken to us in His word just as Peter forgot about what Jesus had said to him. During our weak moments is when Satan really attacks in hope of shaking us up so badly that we fall away in despair. But there is hope. Just as Jesus prayed for peter, He is interceding for us. If anyone can get a prayer answered, Jesus can – do you understand what I am saying? Are you sitting in the chair of conflict today? Is your faith wavering because of your situation? Are you struggling to understand why things are happening the way that they are? Do not lose faith. Jesus is interceding for you.
C. Chair #3: Compromise
Later in Luke chapter 22, verses 54-55 we find Peter in a situation that is a direct result of the conflict that is going on within him. He started off very committed but when issues started coming up, he went into conflict mode. Then enters Satan in the picture and he begins to test Peter. The first test Peter fails because he compromises. In these verses Peter has the opportunity to be a witness for Christ, yet because of the internal conflict he was having and the fear of his life, he chose to compromise and denied Christ to save himself. When the soldiers arrested Christ, Peter immediately went into self-preservation mode. Although he loved Christ enough to follow Him to the house of the high priest, he was still very scared. While standing outside, he had 3 opportunities to admit that he was a follower of Christ and he did not do it. It got so bad that Matthew record that Peter actually cursed and swore that he did not know Christ. Jesus had already told Peter that he would fail this test, but Christ did not lose faith in him. Again, when Satan had requested to test Peter, Jesus told him that He had prayed for Him and that once he had turned back, to strengthen his brothers – the other disciples. In other words, Jesus told Peter to take his failure and use that to strengthen his brothers.
Everyone in this room has had the opportunity to compromise what we believe and hold dear. We have been faced with situations where we felt that although we were compromising (giving in) that God understood and would forgive us. Sometimes the compromise is small while there are other times that they are so bad that we would rather die than have them revealed to the public. The definition of compromise is “to make concessions, meet half way.” In our walk with Christ, we cannot compromise on what he has commanded us to do. Not all compromise is bad, it can be very useful in bringing about resolutions to problems. However, when we compromise our beliefs and our faith in Christ that is where we cannot consistently go. Are you sitting in a chair of compromise today?
D. Chair #4: Forgiveness
The definition of forgiveness is “to pardon.” Before Peter had entered any of the chairs Jesus had already forgave him. All of us must sit in this chair at some point in time. The other chairs do not matter if we never accept the full pardon that Christ offers us. This pardon includes all past sins and upon request with repentance, present and future sins. If you have never sat in this chair, you cannot understand the power that is available to you when you are tempted to sit in the other chairs. The reason we are all here today is because Christ died for our sins and was raised on the third day. His death and resurrection brought us into a harmonious relationship with God the Father, which means that we are always allowed to sit in this chair.
Which chair are you sitting in today? Are your circumstances bringing you into conflict with your commitment to Christ? Are you at the point of compromising in order to end the conflict? Are you finding yourself always in the chair of forgiveness and never quite making it to the chair of commitment? I have found myself sitting in all of these chairs over the years but my desire is never to sit in the conflict or compromised chair again. My desire is to sit in, remain in and never let go of the chair of commitment. Which chair are you sitting in? How are you responding to your “Peter” situations?
