WEBVTT 00:00:01.040 --> 00:00:02.610 Well, it's good to see everybody this morning. 00:00:02.880 --> 00:00:04.950 If you would turn in your Bibles to Philemon. 00:00:06.380 --> 00:00:11.880 Philemon's a small, one-chapter book toward the end of the New Testament. 00:00:12.060 --> 00:00:17.020 If you get to all of the t-books, all of the t-books are together in the New Testament. 00:00:17.300 --> 00:00:21.020 First, Second Thessalonians, First and Second Timothy and Titus. 00:00:21.040 --> 00:00:23.820 All the tea books are together and Philemon's right after Titus. 00:00:24.300 --> 00:00:30.340 If you get all the way to Hebrews, you went too far, so come back Philemon if you got all the way to Hebrews. 00:00:30.960 --> 00:00:38.720 But we're going to look at the book of Philemon's this morning, and really to begin to understand Philemon, we kind of have to start with 00:00:38.720 --> 00:00:46.030 the book of Colossians, because Colossians and Philemon were really written at the same time and kind of to the same people. 00:00:46.640 --> 00:00:54.340 As a matter of fact, Colossians, Philemon and Ephesians, and Philippians, were all written by Paul around 60, 61AD 00:00:54.340 --> 00:00:56.620 from a prison cell in Rome. 00:00:57.900 --> 00:01:02.620 So here's Paul reaching out to all these people and caring about all these people while he sits in a prison cell. 00:01:03.480 --> 00:01:07.060 Now, the book of Colossians was written to the church in Colossae. 00:01:07.760 --> 00:01:09.380 And we're going to talk about that a little bit. 00:01:09.740 --> 00:01:15.980 The book of Philemon was written to an individual by the name of Philemon And so we're going to learn quite a bit about him. 00:01:17.800 --> 00:01:25.000 We learn most of what we get to understand that Philemon was an individual in Colossae, actually 00:01:25.000 --> 00:01:26.800 from the book of Colossians. 00:01:27.360 --> 00:01:31.940 So let's look first at Colossians chapter four, verses seven through nine. 00:01:32.420 --> 00:01:36.730 I really like that pastor can read from this screen, because it's so tiny. 00:01:36.840 --> 00:01:38.560 I can't even see it from here. 00:01:38.780 --> 00:01:40.080 I've got to read it off my page. 00:01:40.360 --> 00:01:42.760 So anyway, it's cool that he can do that. 00:01:43.580 --> 00:01:50.880 Philemon chapter four, seven through nine, says this, "As to all my affairs, Tychicus, our beloved brother and faithful 00:01:50.880 --> 00:01:54.680 servant and fellow bond servant in the Lord, will bring you information. 00:01:55.560 --> 00:02:02.680 For I have sent him to you for this very purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your 00:02:02.680 --> 00:02:09.440 hearts; and with him is Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of your own. 00:02:09.919 --> 00:02:17.060 They will inform you about the whole situation here." So Paul's saying, "Listen, Tychicus and Onesimus are going 00:02:17.060 --> 00:02:20.850 to bring this letter I'm just finishing up to you, Church of Colossians. 00:02:21.400 --> 00:02:28.240 They're going to bring this letter to you." Now it's a interesting that he mentions Onesimus because that's really a key player. 00:02:28.250 --> 00:02:29.870 Onesimus is in the book of Philemon. 00:02:30.300 --> 00:02:32.140 And so we're going to learn a whole bunch more about him. 00:02:32.600 --> 00:02:39.780 And keep in mind, as we learn about Onesimus, that Paul calls him a faithful and a beloved brother, because we're 00:02:39.780 --> 00:02:42.600 going to learn some stuff that indicates that he wasn't always that. 00:02:43.880 --> 00:02:46.060 So, think about that for a minute. 00:02:46.600 --> 00:02:52.570 We see from this verse in Colossians that Onesimus is linked to the church in Colossae, it's linked to Colossae. 00:02:53.380 --> 00:03:00.480 Remember, Paul says, "He's one of your own." And then we're going to see how Onesimus is also linked to Philemon in just a 00:03:00.480 --> 00:03:07.160 few minutes so that we know then, from this, that Philemon is an individual that's in Colossae because a book of Philemon doesn't say that. 00:03:08.140 --> 00:03:15.160 And so this links us up to understand that Philemon's in Colossae, and not only does he live in Colossae, he has a 00:03:15.200 --> 00:03:16.860 church that meets in his home. 00:03:17.220 --> 00:03:18.830 We'll see that in just a minute. 00:03:19.040 --> 00:03:24.090 So he's part of the church in Colossae, a believer that's in the city of Colossae. 00:03:25.580 --> 00:03:32.640 It's also kind of interesting to know, Paul writes so many letters to churches that he founded, in a sense, he 00:03:32.640 --> 00:03:33.960 started. 00:03:34.180 --> 00:03:42.060 In Ephesians, in Philippians and Thessalonian, and all of those letters are to church churches that Paul founded, that he started, but 00:03:42.360 --> 00:03:44.070 Colossians isn't the case. 00:03:44.240 --> 00:03:48.710 As far as we know, Paul never even went to Colossae, it's not recorded for us. 00:03:48.800 --> 00:03:56.120 And so Paul did not found this church and yet he's writing a letter to this church and then a letter, a very intimate letter, 00:03:56.160 --> 00:03:57.480 to a member of this church. 00:03:57.820 --> 00:03:59.960 So he still knows these people. 00:03:59.960 --> 00:04:06.560 And that's important to understand as well because Paul is going to challenge Philemon with something very personal. 00:04:07.580 --> 00:04:14.600 We see that this is such an intimate letter between Philemon and Paul, and we'll come 00:04:14.600 --> 00:04:21.720 to understand as we get into it, that Philemon is actually saved in Paul's ministry, under Paul's ministry at some point, even 00:04:21.720 --> 00:04:24.740 though Paul never went to Colossae. 00:04:25.200 --> 00:04:32.200 So we're going to come to understand that and see that and see this challenge that Paul is going to give Philemon, and it's a difficult 00:04:32.200 --> 00:04:32.740 challenge. 00:04:35.020 --> 00:04:41.740 Different than most books, then, Philemon is really a very personal letter be between Paul and Philemon. 00:04:41.840 --> 00:04:45.380 It's really Paul sharing his heart with Philemon's heart. 00:04:46.100 --> 00:04:48.440 That's really what we're going to read about. 00:04:48.500 --> 00:04:53.580 So let's look first at chapter one, or the only chapter, and verses one through three. 00:04:53.940 --> 00:05:00.760 Isn't it funny to try to figure out, "Okay, do you say verses one through three, or do you say chapter one verses one through three?" Because there's only one chapter. 00:05:01.000 --> 00:05:01.480 So, anyway. 00:05:02.400 --> 00:05:04.420 One through three, we'll go with that. 00:05:06.080 --> 00:05:13.120 So Paul begins, "Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy, our brother, to Philemon our beloved brother and 00:05:13.120 --> 00:05:20.420 fellow worker, and to Apphia, our sister, and to Archippus, our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house: 00:05:20.440 --> 00:05:28.120 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." So as we've mentioned, Paul is in prison, but 00:05:28.120 --> 00:05:30.280 notice he says, he's a prisoner of Jesus Christ. 00:05:30.940 --> 00:05:38.080 Most of would say, "Well, those Romans put me in prison." But Paul doesn't say he's in prison by the Romans, he says 00:05:38.080 --> 00:05:40.580 he's a prisoner of Jesus Christ. 00:05:41.120 --> 00:05:43.980 He's in prison of his faith and belief in Jesus Christ. 00:05:44.560 --> 00:05:45.180 He understands that. 00:05:45.660 --> 00:05:48.560 As a matter of fact, you look at another book and you read that he didn't do anything wrong. 00:05:49.040 --> 00:05:50.100 He says, "I'm not a criminal. 00:05:50.300 --> 00:05:57.480 I didn't do anything wrong, but I've been put in prison like I am a criminal." And so he says, "He's a prisoner of Jesus Christ." And 00:05:57.480 --> 00:05:59.100 he says, "Timothy is also with him. 00:05:59.340 --> 00:06:07.040 Timothy, our brother, is with him." And he says that in Colossians as well, in part of the introduction, but he addresses 00:06:07.040 --> 00:06:14.060 the letter, then, to Philemon and to Apphia, and to Archippus, and then to the church that meets in Philemon's house. 00:06:15.100 --> 00:06:22.760 Now, most people understand Apphia to be Philemon's wife, that's pretty much accepted by Bible 00:06:22.760 --> 00:06:23.660 scholars. 00:06:23.680 --> 00:06:27.000 And then some people think that Archippus is Philemon's son. 00:06:27.720 --> 00:06:34.820 And whether he is really Philemon's son or not, we're not sure, but it's likely that Archippus was a leader in the church at Colossae, though, because 00:06:34.820 --> 00:06:42.120 Paul encourages him in Colossians four, verse 17, he says, "Tell Archippus, See to the ministry which you have received 00:06:42.120 --> 00:06:49.160 in the Lord so that you may fulfill it." So Paul in Colossians is talking to Archippus and saying, "Listen, you've got a specific 00:06:49.160 --> 00:06:56.200 ministry to fulfill." And so it would indicate that Archippus is a leader in that church in Colossae in some way, maybe the church 00:06:56.200 --> 00:06:57.960 meeting in Philemon's home. 00:06:58.840 --> 00:07:05.920 Then the fact that Paul addresses this letter to the church that meets in Philemon's home is really interesting because it 00:07:05.920 --> 00:07:08.640 means that the letter's going to be read aloud in that church. 00:07:09.640 --> 00:07:16.700 And when we get into the book of Philemon and see what Paul is asking of Philemon and understanding that it's going to be read aloud and everybody's going to 00:07:16.700 --> 00:07:20.900 hear what Paul's asking Philemon, you're going to see that Philemon's really put on a spot. 00:07:22.100 --> 00:07:26.120 "What am I to do?" And so, very critical. 00:07:26.120 --> 00:07:29.470 It adds greatly to the challenge that Paul is going to present to Philemon. 00:07:30.340 --> 00:07:37.540 And so, letter of Philemon written to several people and to the church in his house, yet very clearly an individual letter 00:07:37.540 --> 00:07:39.880 between Paul and Philemon as we'll see. 00:07:40.420 --> 00:07:45.640 So let's keep going in verse four he says, "I thank my God, always... 00:07:47.200 --> 00:07:54.260 I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have towards the 00:07:54.260 --> 00:07:56.320 Lord Jesus and toward all the saints. 00:07:57.060 --> 00:08:04.450 And I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing, which is in you for the sake of Christ. 00:08:05.990 --> 00:08:13.240 For I have had great joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts 00:08:13.240 --> 00:08:19.260 of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother." What an incredible paragraph written about a person. 00:08:20.500 --> 00:08:21.120 That's pretty amazing. 00:08:22.020 --> 00:08:29.020 Paul thanks God and consistently prays for Philemon because he's heard about his love and about the faith that he has and his love toward 00:08:29.020 --> 00:08:33.630 not only the Lord, but his love toward the people there in Colossae, all the other Christians. 00:08:34.400 --> 00:08:40.919 And remember, Paul is in a prison in Rome and Philemon lives in Colossae. 00:08:42.340 --> 00:08:45.820 It's 1300 miles between Rome and Colossae. 00:08:47.540 --> 00:08:50.320 1300 miles, and yet Paul says, "I've heard about you. 00:08:51.860 --> 00:08:52.920 I've heard about you. 00:08:52.980 --> 00:08:53.920 I've heard about your love. 00:08:54.220 --> 00:08:58.740 I've heard about the way you're treating and encouraging all the Christians." How does that happen? 00:08:59.740 --> 00:09:02.160 Well, Colossians helps us understand that again. 00:09:02.920 --> 00:09:06.860 Look at Colossians chapter one and we'll start in verse three. 00:09:08.640 --> 00:09:15.680 And Paul says in Colossians, "We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we've heard of 00:09:15.680 --> 00:09:22.760 your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; because of the hope reserved for you in 00:09:22.760 --> 00:09:30.180 heaven and of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel, which has come to you, just 00:09:30.180 --> 00:09:37.460 as in all the world and also it is bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since 00:09:37.460 --> 00:09:44.720 the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth." Now, listen to this, "just as you learned it 00:09:44.720 --> 00:09:52.100 from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful 00:09:52.100 --> 00:10:00.800 servant of Christ on our behalf, and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit." So 00:10:00.800 --> 00:10:02.240 here's what we've got going on. 00:10:03.120 --> 00:10:09.070 Paul says all those good things about Philemon up in verses four through seven, of the book of Philemon. 00:10:09.560 --> 00:10:16.880 And then he talks about the whole church in Colossae, and he's talking about the amazing things going on and what they've come to understand and 00:10:16.880 --> 00:10:18.220 how they've come to understand it. 00:10:18.220 --> 00:10:25.460 And he says, "It's because you learned it from Epaphras." And he says, "Epaphras is actually here informing us of 00:10:25.460 --> 00:10:27.540 your love." So how does Paul learn about all that stuff? 00:10:27.540 --> 00:10:28.560 Well, Epaphras is there. 00:10:28.920 --> 00:10:36.160 And we learn from that Epaphras is from the church in Colossae and he's gone to Rome and he's ministering to Paul and he's 00:10:36.220 --> 00:10:39.900 telling Paul about all the people and the things going on in Colossae. 00:10:40.380 --> 00:10:47.000 As a matter of fact, we go on to Colossians four, verses 12 and 13, and he reiterates what's going on, here. 00:10:47.000 --> 00:10:54.120 He says, "Epaphras, who is one of your own..." Clearly saying that Epaphras belongs to the church in 00:10:54.120 --> 00:10:54.840 Colossae. 00:10:54.960 --> 00:11:02.060 He says, "Epaphras, who is one of your own, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, sends you greetings, always striving, earnestly 00:11:02.060 --> 00:11:08.120 for you in prayer, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. 00:11:08.500 --> 00:11:15.660 For I testify for him that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis." And 00:11:15.680 --> 00:11:22.940 so Epaphras is there with Paul, but he's a leader of some type 00:11:22.940 --> 00:11:29.940 in the Colossian church because they learn from him, because he's been informing Paul and the others in Rome of all that they've been 00:11:29.940 --> 00:11:35.100 doing and all of their love and all their faith, and everything that they do for the believers there. 00:11:35.360 --> 00:11:38.020 He's one of their own and he has a deep concern for them. 00:11:38.320 --> 00:11:43.890 And not only the church in Colossae, but also he says the church in Laodicea and the church in Hierapolis. 00:11:44.460 --> 00:11:48.700 All three of these cities were fairly close to each other in the same area on the map. 00:11:48.720 --> 00:11:52.560 And it would indicate that Epaphras has something to do with the group of churches. 00:11:54.080 --> 00:11:57.700 And so he's there explaining to Paul, "This is what's going on with the churches. 00:11:57.980 --> 00:12:05.020 This is what's going on with some of the individuals, specifically with Philemon." He's helped him understand 00:12:05.020 --> 00:12:05.980 some of the things. 00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:08.700 And then Paul prays this, and this is such a unique thing. 00:12:08.760 --> 00:12:12.300 He prays that the fellowship of Philemon's faith would be effective. 00:12:13.720 --> 00:12:14.900 That's an interesting thing. 00:12:15.300 --> 00:12:18.440 That means that the sharing of his faith would be powerful. 00:12:19.220 --> 00:12:26.110 That statement means that the sharing of Philemon's faith would be powerful for the sake of Christ, he says in that verse. 00:12:28.140 --> 00:12:35.240 As Philemon continues to grow and understand everything that's in him in Christ, then his witness, 00:12:35.240 --> 00:12:38.340 his sharing of his faith is going to be powerful. 00:12:38.400 --> 00:12:39.090 It's going to remain powerful. 00:12:39.340 --> 00:12:39.970 It's going to be powerful. 00:12:40.460 --> 00:12:41.080 It's going to remain powerful. 00:12:41.940 --> 00:12:45.580 And really, it's something that we can be praying for each other, isn't it? 00:12:46.480 --> 00:12:53.600 We really can be praying that the sharing of our faith would be powerful for the sake of Jesus Christ, every one of us, when we get that all 00:12:53.600 --> 00:12:54.050 opportunity. 00:12:54.600 --> 00:13:01.640 And that as we grow and as we could learn, and as we understand more about what we have in Christ, all the 00:13:01.640 --> 00:13:08.760 things that we have in Christ, we're going to begin to understand more and more of that power and understand how it applies to every situation 00:13:08.760 --> 00:13:11.700 in our life, but especially to share in our faith. 00:13:13.660 --> 00:13:19.700 And so if I finally Paul says that he has this great joy and comfort because of Philemon's love. 00:13:20.360 --> 00:13:23.640 And because the hearts of the Christians have been refreshed by him. 00:13:24.340 --> 00:13:29.520 What a great testimony, what a great testimony, wouldn't it be nice? 00:13:30.520 --> 00:13:37.960 I think you and I had would praise the Lord if we knew that somehow we had loved on somebody 00:13:37.960 --> 00:13:45.840 or encouraged somebody or refreshed somebody, or they had found rest in the Lord because 00:13:45.840 --> 00:13:48.800 of something we had done, some way we had loved on them and stuff. 00:13:48.800 --> 00:13:50.220 Wouldn't we be encouraged by that? 00:13:50.520 --> 00:13:52.850 That's got to be encouraging to Philemon. 00:13:53.420 --> 00:13:59.020 And it's such, such an amazing testimony, these few verses are, in the book of Philemon. 00:13:59.860 --> 00:14:03.000 But that's not why Paul wrote. 00:14:04.420 --> 00:14:11.460 All of this stuff is good, and it's nice to know about Philemon, and it's nice to know how amazing he is with the church and with 00:14:11.460 --> 00:14:13.780 the people there, but that's not why Paul wrote. 00:14:14.680 --> 00:14:17.430 And so let's look at the few verses starting in verse eight. 00:14:18.620 --> 00:14:26.000 He says, "Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper, 00:14:26.320 --> 00:14:33.420 yet for love's sake I'd rather appeal to you -since I am such a person as Paul, an old man, and now 00:14:33.420 --> 00:14:40.500 also a prisoner of Christ Jesus- I appeal to you for my son, Onesimus, whom I fathered in 00:14:40.500 --> 00:14:47.660 my imprisonment and who previously was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me." 00:14:49.060 --> 00:14:56.180 Paul admits, look, because of my position as an apostle, because of who I am, because of where I'm at, 00:14:56.180 --> 00:15:00.660 because of what I've done for the church, I could order you to do what I'm about to ask you to do. 00:15:02.500 --> 00:15:05.320 But for love's sake, I'm not going to do it. 00:15:05.940 --> 00:15:13.120 I want to extend the same love that I'm just praising God that you have, Philemon, I want to extend that same love to you, so 00:15:13.120 --> 00:15:16.740 I'm going to make my appeal for love's sake for Onesimus. 00:15:17.900 --> 00:15:25.320 Now, Onesimus was Philemon's slave, and we're not going to spend a whole bunch of time talking about slavery because 00:15:25.320 --> 00:15:26.540 that's not the point of the letter. 00:15:28.180 --> 00:15:34.310 It suffices to say that slavery was a accepted, practiced, and often written about in the Bible. 00:15:34.680 --> 00:15:37.120 So, slavery was common at the time. 00:15:38.220 --> 00:15:45.600 So Onesimus was Philemon's slave, and Onesimus, as Paul is going to reveal here soon, had apparently stolen from 00:15:45.600 --> 00:15:46.220 Philemon. 00:15:47.420 --> 00:15:51.110 He stole from Philemon and he bolted for Rome. 00:15:52.940 --> 00:15:53.640 Think about that. 00:15:53.940 --> 00:15:58.720 Onesimus is going to go to the biggest city he can find close by and get lost, right? 00:15:59.120 --> 00:16:06.420 He stole from his master, and he's going to go to Rome and try to get lost because he's 00:16:06.420 --> 00:16:07.140 in a lot of trouble. 00:16:07.400 --> 00:16:13.640 See, under the law, Philemon had every right when he finds Onesimus, to kill him. 00:16:14.980 --> 00:16:17.420 To not murder him, but to put him to death. 00:16:18.260 --> 00:16:24.420 And he actually could have put him to death for two things: one for stealing, and one for taking off, for running away. 00:16:25.480 --> 00:16:28.080 So Onesimus hits 1,300 miles, remember? 00:16:29.100 --> 00:16:36.160 I mean, if you could walk from Colossae to Rome and you could average 20 miles a day, which was common at 00:16:36.160 --> 00:16:42.540 the time because people walked all the time, it'll still take you 65 days to walk from Colossae to Rome. 00:16:42.900 --> 00:16:44.060 Now, you can't do that. 00:16:44.080 --> 00:16:50.180 You've got to get on a boat at some point, but if you could, that's how long it would've taken Onesimus to get. 00:16:50.720 --> 00:16:55.440 And that's how bad he wanted to get far, far away from where Philemon was. 00:16:57.020 --> 00:17:01.700 So he heads to Rome and he hopes to get lost in Rome. 00:17:01.900 --> 00:17:03.800 But, praise the Lord, God had a different plan. 00:17:05.359 --> 00:17:10.550 Onesimus ends up connecting with Paul and he gets saved, he becomes a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:17:11.740 --> 00:17:14.180 That's why Paul calls him his son in this paragraph. 00:17:14.900 --> 00:17:21.900 Paul calls him "his son whom he fathered in his imprisonment." So at some point in time Onesimus and Paul linked 00:17:21.960 --> 00:17:27.900 up and Paul presented the truths about the Lord Jesus Christ to Onesimus and Onesimus got saved. 00:17:30.640 --> 00:17:31.610 What an incredible thing. 00:17:32.160 --> 00:17:38.160 Here I'm running from my master, and he runs as far away as he can and he meets up with Paul. 00:17:38.800 --> 00:17:41.160 It's just amazing the way God would work that out. 00:17:41.540 --> 00:17:41.760 You know what? 00:17:42.740 --> 00:17:49.560 It's interesting the name Onesimus means "useful." And you kind of see Paul's little bit of play on words here. 00:17:49.920 --> 00:17:53.960 He says, "Because Paul says that Onesimus was useless to you. 00:17:54.400 --> 00:18:01.740 He wasn't living up to his name, but now he's useful to you and to me as a fellow believer." So 00:18:01.740 --> 00:18:08.100 he, not living up to his name as being useful, but now he is. 00:18:08.760 --> 00:18:12.660 And Paul's going to explain a little bit about that in the next set of verses. 00:18:12.660 --> 00:18:19.920 So picking up in verse 12, he says, "I've sent him back to you in person, that is, sending my 00:18:19.920 --> 00:18:22.980 very heart whom I wanted to keep with me. 00:18:23.400 --> 00:18:30.620 So that in your behalf, he might be at my service in my imprisonment for the gospel, but I did not 00:18:30.620 --> 00:18:37.920 want to do anything without your consent so that your goodness would not be, in effect, by compulsion, but 00:18:38.760 --> 00:18:39.840 of your own free will. 00:18:40.660 --> 00:18:47.900 For perhaps it was for this reason that he was separated from you for a while, that you would have him back forever, no longer as 00:18:47.900 --> 00:18:54.940 a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both 00:18:54.940 --> 00:19:02.160 in the flesh and in the Lord." So, Onesimus spends enough time with Paul in 00:19:02.160 --> 00:19:09.460 Rome that he becomes valuable to Paul, valuable to Paul in service, valuable to Paul there in whatever they're 00:19:09.460 --> 00:19:14.180 doing to minister to the church and to the people that they're able to be in contact with in Rome. 00:19:14.640 --> 00:19:17.240 And he says he actually would like him to stay there with him. 00:19:18.200 --> 00:19:25.220 I would really like him to stay here in Rome with me because he's that valuable, but I don't want to keep him here 00:19:25.220 --> 00:19:29.020 without your free will consent, Philemon. 00:19:30.160 --> 00:19:32.120 His place is back with you. 00:19:32.540 --> 00:19:35.420 He needs to come back with you, so he sends him back. 00:19:35.880 --> 00:19:39.620 And he says, "I send my very heart with him." Isn't that an amazing statement? 00:19:39.940 --> 00:19:41.400 I send my very heart with him. 00:19:42.820 --> 00:19:46.320 Put yourself in Onesimus' sandals, I guess, for a minute. 00:19:47.260 --> 00:19:54.360 And remember, Philemon had every right to punish him with death, every right under the 00:19:54.360 --> 00:19:55.760 law to punish him with death. 00:19:56.580 --> 00:20:04.700 So Onesimus, in a sense, could be walking back into his very death, but 00:20:04.700 --> 00:20:06.600 he does it anyway because of what? 00:20:07.300 --> 00:20:09.420 Because of what Christ has done in his life now. 00:20:10.540 --> 00:20:11.540 Jesus has changed him. 00:20:11.880 --> 00:20:12.820 He's a different man. 00:20:12.880 --> 00:20:13.660 He's a new man. 00:20:13.920 --> 00:20:16.080 And he says, "I'm going to face up to whatever it is. 00:20:16.400 --> 00:20:23.680 I'm going to trust the Lord and I'm going." So Paul says, "Maybe it's good that this happened 00:20:23.680 --> 00:20:24.220 with Onesimus. 00:20:24.500 --> 00:20:31.940 Maybe it's good that he was here with me for a while and separated from you because he's going to be coming back to you and he 00:20:31.940 --> 00:20:36.280 can come back forever, and not as a slave, but as a beloved brother in the Lord. 00:20:37.320 --> 00:20:41.100 And that's been Paul's prayer through the whole thing is wanting him to come back as a brother in the Lord. 00:20:41.440 --> 00:20:47.780 And he's valuable, He's useful, not just to you, but he can become even more useful now in person and in the Lord. 00:20:48.160 --> 00:20:48.960 He not only now... 00:20:49.140 --> 00:20:55.120 I mean, he could come back and he could continue to be a slave, but he's going to be a different kind of slave because now he has a relationship with Jesus. 00:20:56.220 --> 00:20:59.840 It's going to make it different for Onesimus, and that's what Paul's trying to say. 00:21:00.500 --> 00:21:04.920 And listen, don't miss the dynamics that are going on here. 00:21:05.020 --> 00:21:12.280 It was important for Onesimus to return to Philemon and face whatever consequences he might run across for 00:21:12.280 --> 00:21:12.660 his actions. 00:21:13.480 --> 00:21:15.500 That was an important step, that had to take place. 00:21:16.300 --> 00:21:23.200 But it's equally as important for Philemon to struggle with his responsibilities, with Onesimus, as a believer. 00:21:23.560 --> 00:21:26.470 Both Philemon as a believer, and now Onesimus as a believer. 00:21:27.260 --> 00:21:27.830 It was important. 00:21:28.300 --> 00:21:35.420 You've got to believe if all those things that Paul said, about Philemon are true, he and his wife and his family had 00:21:35.420 --> 00:21:37.700 to have prayed before for Onesimus, right? 00:21:38.300 --> 00:21:40.040 They had to have presented the gospel. 00:21:40.260 --> 00:21:42.100 They had to have talked to him about Jesus. 00:21:42.480 --> 00:21:45.900 They had to have spent time praying that he would get saved. 00:21:46.260 --> 00:21:49.320 This wasn't just any guy, this was a guy that spent time in their house. 00:21:50.100 --> 00:21:54.300 They had to have prayed for him and cared enough about him, wanting him to get saved. 00:21:54.920 --> 00:21:58.880 That makes this dynamics, it adds to it. 00:21:59.140 --> 00:22:06.380 And then undoubtedly Philemon had to know this: everybody in Colossae was going to watch and see how he handled Onesimus. 00:22:07.860 --> 00:22:15.400 Other masters, other slaves, other Christians, everybody in Colossae was going to want to say, "Okay, how does Philemon 00:22:15.400 --> 00:22:19.860 handle this Onesimus who stole from him and ran away and comes back? 00:22:20.160 --> 00:22:21.320 How's he going to handle that? 00:22:21.520 --> 00:22:29.500 That's going to say some stuff." As a matter of fact, I think Philemon really understands the tremendous witness that forgiving Onesimus 00:22:30.280 --> 00:22:37.980 and reconciling with him as a believer now, as a brother in the Lord, is going to be just a tremendous witness to 00:22:37.980 --> 00:22:39.220 the church in Colossae. 00:22:40.880 --> 00:22:44.220 And I think Philemon understood that the opposite is true as well. 00:22:45.340 --> 00:22:49.160 It could turn into a real negative witness. 00:22:49.600 --> 00:22:51.520 I think he's aware of all those things. 00:22:51.920 --> 00:22:59.080 I think he understands all this stuff as this is developing and Onesimus is standing in front of him, handing in this letter 00:22:59.080 --> 00:22:59.540 with Tychicus. 00:23:00.560 --> 00:23:01.160 It would be amazing. 00:23:02.900 --> 00:23:04.380 Let's pick up in verse 17. 00:23:06.980 --> 00:23:09.340 Paul really wants to help the situation out. 00:23:09.400 --> 00:23:12.240 It's a difficult situation for Philemon. 00:23:12.320 --> 00:23:13.840 And Paul says, "I want to help you out here. 00:23:13.880 --> 00:23:17.700 I want to give you somewhat of a solution for this whole thing. 00:23:17.780 --> 00:23:26.520 In verse 17, he says this, "If you regard me as a partner, accept him as you would me." He 00:23:26.520 --> 00:23:30.750 says, "Accept Onesimus as you would me." We've talked about how close their relationship was. 00:23:31.240 --> 00:23:37.300 He says, "But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 00:23:37.340 --> 00:23:40.300 I, Paul, have written this with my own hand. 00:23:40.600 --> 00:23:45.800 I will repay." He's making it clear he's standing up for Onesimus. 00:23:47.080 --> 00:23:47.440 He says, "... 00:23:47.440 --> 00:23:51.940 (not to mention to you that you owe me even your own self as well). 00:23:53.380 --> 00:23:58.620 Yes, brother, let me benefit from you and the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. 00:23:58.940 --> 00:24:08.320 Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you since I know that you will do even more than I say." Paul's 00:24:08.480 --> 00:24:13.760 final appeal to Philemon is, "Accept Onesimus as you would me. 00:24:15.060 --> 00:24:22.060 If you count me as a partner, if you count me as to have a common faith and fellowship with you, accept Onesimus as 00:24:22.060 --> 00:24:22.560 you would. 00:24:22.620 --> 00:24:25.020 Receive him into your family, just like you would me. 00:24:27.180 --> 00:24:34.240 And listen, if he owes you anything," because remember that this is an indication that he's stolen, "if he owes you anything, I'll 00:24:34.240 --> 00:24:35.980 pay it, charge it to me. 00:24:37.560 --> 00:24:38.160 I'll cover it. 00:24:38.700 --> 00:24:43.050 I love him that much, that I'm going to take care of it for him. 00:24:44.280 --> 00:24:51.160 Clear his account with you, Philemon." And I love that we're getting close to Easter. 00:24:51.360 --> 00:24:56.480 Easter's such a wonderful time of year, but isn't that exactly what Jesus did for us on the cross? 00:24:57.880 --> 00:24:59.880 He says, "Look, I love you so much. 00:25:00.900 --> 00:25:02.020 Paid the price in full. 00:25:03.060 --> 00:25:07.560 I paid the price that you should pay for your sins, forgave every one of them. 00:25:09.360 --> 00:25:12.820 By faith and belief in me, you can be reconciled to God. 00:25:13.300 --> 00:25:20.540 That's why Paul is praying for Philemon and Onesimus, that they'd be reconciled together, that they'd forgive each other. 00:25:21.420 --> 00:25:25.840 And Philemon would forgive Onesimus and be reconciled to God. 00:25:27.580 --> 00:25:31.230 God accepts us into his family because of Jesus. 00:25:32.360 --> 00:25:32.780 That's pretty amazing. 00:25:34.360 --> 00:25:36.900 That's what Paul is asking Philemon to do with Onesimus. 00:25:37.640 --> 00:25:43.970 And Paul reminds Philemon, "Not to mention, I loved you so much that I shared the truths about who Jesus Christ is to you. 00:25:44.180 --> 00:25:49.320 You believed, and now you've been reconciled to God and you've been accepted into his family. 00:25:52.260 --> 00:25:52.700 Remember? 00:25:53.160 --> 00:26:01.200 You were saved because of my ministry, is basically what he's saying." So we get that Paul's desire 00:26:01.200 --> 00:26:07.130 is to see Philemon forgive Onesimus and that the relationship would be reconciled. 00:26:07.940 --> 00:26:14.060 To see Philemon receive Onesimus now as a fellow believer, just like he would receive Paul. 00:26:14.920 --> 00:26:16.860 The same way he would receive Paul. 00:26:16.880 --> 00:26:22.640 And see his value now is being useful to Philemon, to the church and to Paul, to everyone now. 00:26:24.160 --> 00:26:25.060 He has value. 00:26:28.240 --> 00:26:30.260 Think about what's going on, here. 00:26:31.500 --> 00:26:35.120 I love Paul's heart because remember Paul's in prison. 00:26:36.380 --> 00:26:37.700 Paul's in prison in Rome. 00:26:37.720 --> 00:26:41.500 And honestly, at this time, Paul's being treated pretty well. 00:26:42.040 --> 00:26:45.350 I mean, he's in house in Rome, he's been given certain privileges. 00:26:45.720 --> 00:26:46.930 He's eventually going to be released. 00:26:47.140 --> 00:26:52.260 He's going to be released this time and end up back in prison in Rome another time, but Paul's still in prison. 00:26:52.800 --> 00:26:56.410 And you know the way the Romans were: at any time, Paul could face execution. 00:26:57.980 --> 00:27:01.110 And yet his concern is for Philemon and Onesimus. 00:27:02.660 --> 00:27:05.800 For Philemon to forgive Onesimus and for their relationship to be reconciled. 00:27:06.280 --> 00:27:06.980 That's pretty amazing. 00:27:07.700 --> 00:27:13.720 When we're going through tough stuff, how much do we think about that other person and what they have happening in their lives? 00:27:14.720 --> 00:27:17.860 It's pretty tough to think about others when we're going through tough stuff. 00:27:18.920 --> 00:27:22.960 And Paul's heart and his desire was for these brothers in the Lord. 00:27:24.180 --> 00:27:31.390 He says, "Let me benefit in the Lord from your actions, refresh my heart the same way that you refresh the heart of the believers in Colossae. 00:27:31.960 --> 00:27:35.760 Refresh my heart that same way." And he says, "I think you will. 00:27:36.080 --> 00:27:36.660 I really do. 00:27:36.740 --> 00:27:40.480 I think you're going to do it." That's why he has confidence to even write to him. 00:27:40.680 --> 00:27:47.500 And he says, "I think you're going to do even more than I ask." We don't know what that is, but it doesn't matter. 00:27:47.500 --> 00:27:53.740 Paul has that confidence in Philemon that he's going to take care of things and he's going to do even more than Paul asks. 00:27:54.840 --> 00:28:02.220 And let me just say, man, we could sure use more Christians who are willing to forgive and 00:28:02.600 --> 00:28:06.140 reconcile with their brothers and sisters in the Lord, couldn't we? 00:28:07.650 --> 00:28:09.570 Relationships are such a challenge. 00:28:10.320 --> 00:28:16.900 We could sure use more Christians who benefit from forgiving and reconciling with each other. 00:28:19.660 --> 00:28:27.100 And I guess that's one of the prayers this morning as well, is that Paul's appeal to Philemon and Onesimus 00:28:27.100 --> 00:28:28.360 would stir our hearts as well. 00:28:29.120 --> 00:28:30.830 Do we have someone that we need to forgive? 00:28:31.640 --> 00:28:36.720 Do we have someone that we really could be reconciled with for the glory of God? 00:28:37.640 --> 00:28:44.760 Not because of us, not because of anything that's going on in our life, not because of any power that we can even muster up to do it, but for 00:28:44.760 --> 00:28:45.420 the glory of God. 00:28:48.560 --> 00:28:54.500 Paul ends this letter in a kind of a unique little way, starting in verse 22. 00:28:55.280 --> 00:29:02.480 He says, "At the same time also prepare me a guest room, for I hope that through your prayers I will be given to you." Paul says, "I'm looking forward 00:29:02.480 --> 00:29:03.260 to being released. 00:29:03.640 --> 00:29:06.620 And one of the things I'm going to do when I am, is I'm going to come and see you. 00:29:06.620 --> 00:29:14.000 I'm going to come by you, so prepare a room." He says, "Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, as do Mark, 00:29:14.460 --> 00:29:19.470 Aristarchus, Demas and Luke my fellow workers. 00:29:19.860 --> 00:29:26.980 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit." The people that Paul mentions here, it's interesting 00:29:26.980 --> 00:29:28.020 and helpful to us. 00:29:28.080 --> 00:29:31.800 We've already met Epaphras, and Epaphras is obviously from Colossae. 00:29:31.860 --> 00:29:34.300 But now Paul says that he's a fellow prisoner in Christ. 00:29:35.620 --> 00:29:41.130 And so we see that he is in prison in some way with Paul. 00:29:41.300 --> 00:29:46.320 Now, whether it's voluntary or whether something's going on and Epaphras has been thrown in prison, we don't know. 00:29:47.240 --> 00:29:51.080 But he says, "He's my fellow prisoner." Then I'm going to skip Mark for a minute. 00:29:51.140 --> 00:29:52.360 Then he mentions Aristarchus. 00:29:52.560 --> 00:29:58.520 Aristarchus is from Thessalonica, and Aristarchus went on one of the journeys with Paul to Jerusalem. 00:29:59.800 --> 00:30:03.600 So he's been a believer for quite a while and a faithful companion of Paul. 00:30:04.180 --> 00:30:05.440 And he mentions Demas. 00:30:06.900 --> 00:30:08.720 He calls Demas one of his fellow workers. 00:30:08.840 --> 00:30:14.860 Here, back in Philippians, he calls Demas a fellow worker as well, understanding this was written at about the same time. 00:30:15.380 --> 00:30:22.400 He calls him a fellow worker, but unfortunately, by the time he writes the book of Second Timothy, he says about Demas 00:30:22.400 --> 00:30:29.540 that, "He's deserted me because he loved the world more." And probably only six or seven years 00:30:29.540 --> 00:30:36.720 from the time he's writing this book of Philemon and the time he wrote the book of Philippians, until he writes Second Timothy, now Demas 00:30:36.720 --> 00:30:37.720 has deserted him. 00:30:37.820 --> 00:30:39.040 That's kind of a sad thing. 00:30:39.440 --> 00:30:45.420 He talks about Luke, the beloved physician, Colossians calls him. 00:30:45.460 --> 00:30:49.410 And obviously, the writer of the gospel of Luke and the writer of Acts. 00:30:49.760 --> 00:30:56.860 But he talks about Mark, and the unique thing about Mark is Paul's not just saying "I'm praying 00:30:56.860 --> 00:31:04.320 for and I desire that you would forgive Onesimus, Philemon, and reconcile to him." He throws 00:31:04.320 --> 00:31:08.620 in an example of it right here, a perfect example in Mark. 00:31:08.680 --> 00:31:15.700 Do you remember, Mark, in Acts, Paul and Barnabas were set apart for the work of the Lord and they were 00:31:15.700 --> 00:31:17.660 getting ready to go on that first missionary journey. 00:31:18.160 --> 00:31:20.160 And they took John-Mark along with them. 00:31:20.660 --> 00:31:23.060 That's the person we're talking about here, Mark. 00:31:23.060 --> 00:31:28.040 And somewhere along the way in the journey, Mark heads back to Jerusalem. 00:31:29.080 --> 00:31:32.540 Something goes on and there's a bunch of speculation as to why. 00:31:33.060 --> 00:31:35.040 Whatever it was, Mark heads back to Jerusalem. 00:31:36.140 --> 00:31:43.840 Eventually Paul and Barnabas get ready to go on another missionary journey, and Barnabas wants to take Mark again, and Paul says, "No way, Mark 00:31:43.840 --> 00:31:44.420 deserted us. 00:31:44.920 --> 00:31:51.920 He's not useful to us because he deserted us." And Barnabas is getting a little bit of contention 00:31:51.940 --> 00:31:52.520 over that. 00:31:52.860 --> 00:31:56.380 Barnabas and John-Mark head off this way, Paul and Silas head off this way. 00:31:56.400 --> 00:31:57.680 They continue to serve the Lord. 00:31:57.980 --> 00:32:01.980 They continue to bring people to the Lord and tell people about Jesus. 00:32:02.360 --> 00:32:09.220 But listen, ultimately we get to this place where Paul calls Mark a fellow worker. 00:32:10.700 --> 00:32:14.470 And then, when we get to Second Timothy again, you know what he calls Mark? 00:32:14.640 --> 00:32:21.740 He says, "Bring mark with you because he's useful to me." What a beautiful picture right there in Mark 00:32:21.740 --> 00:32:26.460 of this forgiveness and reconciliation that we're talking about. 00:32:27.320 --> 00:32:34.500 Paul could have gone on about that and he didn't, with Philemon right here, but Paul has such a strong desire to 00:32:34.500 --> 00:32:38.640 see Philemon forgive Onesimus and the two of them to be reconciled as brothers in the Lord. 00:32:39.860 --> 00:32:45.080 And to enjoy the same kind of relationship that Paul and Philemon enjoy together. 00:32:45.280 --> 00:32:46.220 That's really what he wants. 00:32:46.280 --> 00:32:51.700 He said, "I want you guys to have that." And I guess that's really my challenge to us this morning as well. 00:32:52.990 --> 00:32:55.200 If you've got somebody you need to forgive, forgive them. 00:32:56.340 --> 00:32:57.110 I know it's hard. 00:32:57.700 --> 00:33:02.120 I know probably one of the hardest things we do as believers is forgive. 00:33:03.720 --> 00:33:07.460 But if you know someone, you know if you have to forgive someone. 00:33:07.880 --> 00:33:08.220 Forgive them. 00:33:08.700 --> 00:33:11.740 Be reconciled to each other as fellow believers in the Lord. 00:33:12.720 --> 00:33:14.380 That's what's going to honor our God. 00:33:15.000 --> 00:33:16.550 You can do it right now if you need to. 00:33:18.170 --> 00:33:19.860 That's the good a thing about this. 00:33:19.920 --> 00:33:21.100 You can do it right after service. 00:33:21.200 --> 00:33:28.320 You can do it anytime, but let forgiveness and reconciliation be the mark of our lives as believers and 00:33:28.320 --> 00:33:29.060 as our church. 00:33:30.240 --> 00:33:37.540 Because when we do, I think we'll be amazed to see what God's going to do with humble hearts that are surrendered to Him and desire 00:33:37.540 --> 00:33:39.080 relationships that honor Him. 00:33:40.720 --> 00:33:46.440 A forgiven relationship and a reconciled relationship honors our Lord in a great way. 00:33:47.540 --> 00:33:50.620 I mean, isn't that really what Easter's all about? 00:33:50.620 --> 00:33:52.120 Ain't that what we look forward to with Easter? 00:33:53.840 --> 00:33:55.280 Jesus is alive. 00:33:55.840 --> 00:33:57.820 What an incredible thing to realize. 00:33:58.240 --> 00:33:59.920 What a fun thing to be able to tell people. 00:34:00.640 --> 00:34:07.220 There's no other religion that can say, "The one we follow is alive." Just Christianity. 00:34:07.700 --> 00:34:13.360 Jesus is alive, and if you place your faith and belief in Him, He's alive in you right now. 00:34:14.820 --> 00:34:20.460 And He gives you the power to forgive and the power to reconcile if you need to. 00:34:21.580 --> 00:34:23.880 And listen, he says this. 00:34:24.159 --> 00:34:26.290 He says, "Love the way I've loved you. 00:34:27.560 --> 00:34:29.389 Forgive the way I've forgiven you. 00:34:29.780 --> 00:34:37.460 And in every place that you have the power, wherever you have the ability, live at peace with those around you." Those 00:34:37.460 --> 00:34:40.860 are the things Jesus says because He gives us the power to do it. 00:34:41.500 --> 00:34:49.520 I think we'll be amazed at what we'll see, the difference we'll see not only in our lives, but in the lives of others within the church body as we 00:34:49.520 --> 00:34:51.850 forgive and reconcile.