The Three Chairs | Pastor Tom Alexander | Worship with Omar Gamez & Gustavo Andrade

Devotional

Day 1: Little Hands in Covenant

The disciples brought children to Jesus despite the crowd’s objections. He rebuked them, saying, “Let the little children come.” Parents today still bring their babies, not for empty ritual, but to declare before God and others their commitment to raise them in Christ’s ways. Like Jewish parents dedicating infants at the temple, this moment anchors a lifelong promise. [34:19]

Jesus prioritized children when others saw them as distractions. Your daily choices—prayers spoken, patience shown, Scripture read—form spiritual foundations. Children notice mismatched lives: the Sunday sermon versus Monday’s stress. What story does your home tell about God’s character?

“You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”
(Deuteronomy 6:7, ESV)

Prayer: Ask God for consistency between your public vows and private parenting moments.
Challenge: Write one specific way you’ll model Christ’s love to a child today—then do it.

Day 2: Shackles Opened, Not Ignored

Paul warns against returning to slavery after tasting freedom. Chair 3’s chains lie broken for believers, yet many sit bound by old habits. The Galatians traded Spirit-led living for rule-keeping, exchanging sonship for orphan striving. Jesus didn’t die to make you a better slave but to adopt you as His heir. [56:37]

Legalism suffocates joy. When you focus on performance, you forget your Father already approves you. Like the prodigal son’s brother, you might resent others’ grace while missing your own inheritance.

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’”
(Romans 8:15-16, ESV)

Prayer: Confess one area where you’ve believed lies of inadequacy. Receive His “Abba” cry anew.
Challenge: Declare aloud three times today: “I am God’s beloved child, not His employee.”

Day 3: Hedge of Thorns and Honey

The pastor prayed protection over the children—a “hedge” against harm. Job had such a hedge until Satan challenged it. Your spiritual authority as a parent or church member builds hedges through prayer, integrity, and community accountability. One hypocritical leader can poison a child’s faith. [35:48]

Hedges require maintenance. Neglected boundaries invite predators. Yet hedges also shelter—like Ruth finding safety in Boaz’s fields. Your consistency creates safe spaces for young souls to grow.

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
(Galatians 6:2, ESV)

Prayer: Intercede for three children by name, asking God to be their “guard before and behind.”
Challenge: Text one parent today: “How can I pray for your child this week?”

Day 4: First Love’s Unforced Rhythm

The Ephesian church worked hard but abandoned their first love. Chair 1 living flows from intimacy, not obligation. Martha served anxiously; Mary sat listening. Jesus praised Mary’s posture. Your “doing” grows stale without fresh “being” at His feet. [01:09:29]

Burnout whispers, “You must earn rest.” Sonship answers, “Rest empowers mission.” Even Elijah needed angel-baked bread before his next journey.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
(Matthew 11:28, ESV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for three specific gifts He’s given you this week—unearned.
Challenge: Set a timer for seven minutes. Sit silently, imagining Christ smiling at you.

Day 5: From “Have To” to “Get To”

Leif Hetland’s “three chairs” reveal motives. Chair 2 servants mutter, “I have to pray.” Chair 1 sons sing, “I get to pray!” The father didn’t scold the prodigal’s brother for working—but for missing the feast. Your tasks remain; your heart shifts when identity anchors action. [01:13:43]

Orphans strive. Heirs steward. What if you approached today’s chores as privileges of belonging rather than duties of religion?

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
(Galatians 5:1, ESV)

Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to highlight one “have to” mindset. Rephrase it as a “get to” blessing.
Challenge: Perform one routine task today (dishes, emails) while whispering, “I’m Christ’s heir.”

Sermon Summary

Dedication sets the tone by saying repentance and faith come before baptism, so children are brought not to be baptized but to be dedicated. The act is not a ritual. The vow before God asks parents to raise children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, modeling at home the same life they display in public. The church is charged too, because hypocrisy wounds. The call is to live a godly life so these kids will want the Jesus they see.

The prayers over each child ask for protection, strength, early saving faith, fullness of the Spirit, and a life that changes the earth. A story of a prodigal on drugs in Buenos Aires shows how a seed from children’s church can break in years later. The point lands hard. Church hurt is real, but hurt happens anywhere people gather. The resolve is set. Come hell or high water, stay planted and raise kids in a healthy home where parents pray, read, and persevere.

Pentecost points to church planting generosity and a fresh hunger. Testimony stirs expectation. An anointing leveled assumptions, shook bodies, and broke hearts open. The question rises. How does someone walk long in power and stay humble? The answer moves to a simple frame called the three chairs.

Chair 3 is life in shackles without Christ. Chair 1 is lordship, first love, Spirit-led life. Chair 2 is saved but self-led, performance heavy, anxious, annoying even to oneself. In Chair 1 a believer is anointed and prophetic. In Chair 2 the believer gets perplexed and drifts into rules, flesh, and fear. Romans 10:9 makes the hinge clear. Confess Jesus as Lord. Savior is inside Lord, not the other way around. Romans 6 and Galatians 3 and 5 draw the line. Do not slip back under a yoke. The shackles are open. Shake them off and stand free.

Chair 1 is identity, belonging, and rest. It lives from acceptance, not for acceptance. It loves because it is loved. It seeks first the kingdom and lets God add the rest. It serves from overflow rather than staggering in burnout. It learns to ignore the voices of me, myself, and I and to hear the Shepherd. Chair 2 is orphan thinking, comparison, duty, fear of failure, and ministry without intimacy. The bottom line is this. A person cannot give what he or she does not possess. The invitation is simple. Move from Chair 3 to Chair 1 by repentance and faith. Return from Chair 2 to Chair 1 by surrender and first love. Then stay there.

Key Takeaways

1. Dedication declares a lifelong vow Dedication is not a cute ritual but a public commitment to raise children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. The home becomes the first pulpit, and consistency matters more than perfection. Parents promise a Jesus-shaped atmosphere where love, prayer, and Scripture are normal. The vow names a direction the whole household will walk. [34:19]
2. Church hurt is not special Hurt travels wherever people are, so making church hurt special gives it power it does not deserve. The resolve to stay planted honors the God who heals rather than the wound that lingers. A steady life of example and perseverance in the church family becomes a shelter for children and the weak. Stability itself disciples. [38:52]
3. Lordship keeps life in Chair One Confessing Jesus as Lord is the hinge that keeps a believer seated in Chair 1. Chasing Savior-without-Lord leaves the soul dangling in Chair 2, performing hard and enjoying little. Lordship frees, because the throne gets occupied by the One who knows the way forward. The heart finds power where it surrenders. [59:15]
4. Open shackles demand Spirit-led freedom Galatians calls Chair 2 a yoke of slavery that mimics the bondage of Chair 3. The shackles stand open in Christ, but fear and flesh re-close them in practice. Freedom looks like hearing and following the Spirit in the ordinary grind. When the Spirit leads, the son or daughter walks out of chains that only ever hung loose. [62:26]
5. Ministry flows from overflow, not grind Burnout signals ministry without intimacy, a sure tell of Chair 2. Chair 1 seeks God first, receives His flow, then serves out of abundance, not fumes. Overflow cannot be faked, because the fruit and the power expose the source. Real rest precedes real work, and only then does the work carry weight. [69:48]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[33:32] - Dedication not infant baptism
[34:19] - Parents vow before God
[34:58] - Church commits to model faith
[36:02] - Prayer of protection and calling
[38:35] - Stay planted despite church hurt
[48:27] - Children’s seed brings prodigal home
[49:39] - Offering and Pentecost generosity
[50:28] - Vision for Queen Creek plant
[51:06] - Tangible anointing: testimony and hunger
[54:41] - The Three Chairs introduced
[59:15] - Lordship over mere saviorhood
[62:26] - Open shackles and real freedom
[68:47] - Overflow, not burnout
[83:02] - Prayer to live Chair One

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
- Romans 10:9 (ESV): "Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
- Galatians 5:1 (ESV): "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."
- Matthew 6:33 (ESV): "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

Observation Questions

What key distinction does Romans 10:9 make about confessing Jesus as "Lord" versus only as "Savior"?
In the sermon, how does the story of the prodigal son in Buenos Aires illustrate the long-term impact of early spiritual seeds? [48:27]
According to Galatians 5:1, what does it mean to "stand firm" in freedom rather than returning to "a yoke of slavery"?
What practical examples were given in the sermon to describe living in "Chair 1" versus "Chair 2"? [57:00]

Interpretation Questions

Why might the idea of Jesus being "Lord" (not just Savior) be foundational to avoiding a life of performance and anxiety (Chair 2)?
How does the analogy of "open shackles" in Chair 2 (Galatians 5:1) challenge believers who still feel trapped by fear or rules? [01:02:26]
The sermon emphasizes that "ministry flows from overflow, not grind." How does Matthew 6:33 redefine priorities to prevent burnout?
Why is hypocrisy in the church uniquely damaging to children and those exploring faith, according to the examples shared? [34:58]

Application Questions

What specific habits or rhythms could help you shift from striving for approval (Chair 2) to resting in your identity as God’s child (Chair 1)?
How can parents intentionally create a "Jesus-shaped atmosphere" at home, even in small daily moments? [34:19]
When have you experienced or witnessed "church hurt"? What practical steps could help you "stay planted" instead of withdrawing? [38:52]
Identify one area where you’re living in "orphan thinking" (e.g., comparison, fear of failure). How might confessing Jesus as Lord over that area change your perspective?
What does "seeking first the kingdom" look like in your current season? How could this focus reduce anxiety or performance-driven habits?
The sermon warns that "you cannot give what you do not possess." Where do you need to prioritize intimacy with God to serve others from overflow? [01:09:48]

Sermon Clips

35s

“There was a mother there. She had one child. And we started praying that he would come back to the lord. He's a drug addict living next to the railroad tracks in Downtown Buenos Aires. And one day, he was standing at a little fire and remembered the teaching from children's church about the prodigal son. And he said, this illumination came even through his drugs. I remember what my children's teacher taught me. I'm going to go home. I have a home. He came back to the lord and is still serving god today.”

29s

“Now here's the problem with chair one and chair two. You go back to chair two and you put the shackles on of chair three. Now they're not closed. They're open. But you sit in the chair with the shackles on and they have the same impact on your life. You're shackled, and and the lord is up there going, just shake those shackles off. They're open. When you got born again, those shackles got opened. You don't have to sit there with those shackles on.”

28s

“You are free. See, so there's chair one and chair two, I could just go. It's the yoke of slavery. For you were called to freedom. Chair one, brethren, only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh. And there's all the Christians that go, well, you know, I'm born again. I'm saved, so I'm gonna do a little porn. I'm a Christian. I'm saved, so I can be mean to my wife. I'm a Christian, and I'm this, so I can do this. I'm a Christian, but I can do that.”

39s

“Serving from an overflow rather than serving from exhaustion. Behind this phrase burnout is serving from little or no flow. We have the opportunity in Jesus to have as much flow come in as we need for the outflow in our life. And we have to teach in our discipleship how to get the proper flow for what you're going through. If you're going through a more difficult time, you need more flow of the holy spirit. You need more time in the presence.”

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The Three Chairs | Pastor Tom Alexander | Worship with Omar Gamez & Gustavo Andrade

Devotional

Day 1: Little Hands in Covenant

Day 2: Shackles Opened, Not Ignored

Day 3: Hedge of Thorns and Honey

Day 4: First Love’s Unforced Rhythm

Day 5: From “Have To” to “Get To”

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

The Three Chairs | Pastor Tom Alexander | Worship with Omar Gamez & Gustavo Andrade

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