He to rescue me from danger Interposed
his precious blood Oh to grace how great a debtor Daily I'm
constrained to be Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering
heart to Thee. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel
it. Prone to leave the God I love. Here's my heart, oh, take and
seal it. OK, go back with me now to the
book of Philemon. Let's read a few more few verses
again. Philemon, let's read verses.
10 through Twelve and a couple of others. Apostle Paul is writing
to a dear brother and friend named Philemon on behalf of a
young man named Omesimus, and he writes, verse ten, I beseech
thee for my son, Omesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds,
which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable
to thee and to me, whom I have sent again, and thou therefore
receive him, that is, mine own bower." Then down in verse fifteen
he says, "...perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou
shouldest receive him forever." And in verse eighteen he writes,
If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee aught, or anything, put
that on my account. A wonderful, wonderful message
of God's amazing sovereign love, mercy, and grace in bringing
a runaway rebel. to himself, home to stay. Well, the story went like this,
and this is how it went. We are just filling in between
the lines, judging from what the Apostle wrote. Paul the Apostle
was preaching in Colossae at some point before this. And there was a man there who
lived there named Philemon. And Philemon heard Paul preach,
and the Lord saved him. He heard the gospel. Faith cometh
by hearing, and it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching
to save them that believe. Philemon heard the apostle Paul
preach the gospel, which I will endeavor to do in this message. couldn't pay it off, and therefore
the law sentenced them to serve, to be a slave. But Philemon had
slaves, or servants, and one of them was a young man named
Onesimus, a slave. Now Philemon heard the gospel,
and the Lord saved him. And by Lehman now loved the Lord
Jesus Christ and loved the saints of God and love those who preach
the gospel like Paul. He loved Paul. They were close
friends. And by Lehman, we believe, had
Paul preach in his house while he was there in Colossi. This
is Colossi is where by Lehman is from. He had Paul preach in
his house. There in verse two it talked
about the church in his house, didn't it? Are you with me? And
he had him preach to his friends, his family, and his servants.
Everybody, like old Feliz. Anybody remember the message
on a man named Happy down in Mexico? Old Feliz? Whom the Lord
used to bring his whole house to hear Brother Walter? Well,
old Philemon had his whole house to hear. And so, I believe that this young
fellow named Onesimus heard, I believe he heard the gospel
from Paul, but it had no effect on him at that time. No effect. He heard it, just like me. He
heard it, but it didn't, it wasn't under life. Seed might have been sown, though,
you reckon? See, that's our hope, you know. Deborah, that's our
hope. God said, My word will not return to void. It's like the seed, he said. Well, he heard, and Paul left
Colossae. He left Colossae after a while,
and he ended up in prison in Rome for preaching the gospel.
Now, Rome is a thousand miles from Colossus. And I hope you're a thousand
miles away. God sent this preacher a thousand
miles away and put him in prison. And now this young man is never
going to hear the gospel, is he? God's ways are not our ways,
are they? He's able to save to the uttermost,
even to what? The ends of the earth. So he sent Paul a thousand miles
away and put him in prison. In the meantime, this young fellow
My own estimate is slain and as I said he's not really a slave. Not now not the file even the
Lord's faith I believe. I believe it is now merciful man.
You would have wanted to work for now. Can you imagine your
boss being a believer I mean a believer could you. How much
time you want all. You need a raise, I'll give you
more. Huh? Oh yeah, he's a merciful man
now, kind man. He's giving young Onesimus everything
he needs and more. This young man's not lacking
for anything now. He's not in slavery to Philemon. No, he thinks
he is though. This young boy thinks, I got
to get out of here. I've got to get out of here.
I've got to get out in the world. I've got to see the world. I
want to be free. He never had it made like he
did under Simon. I want to get out. I want to
be free. I want to be my own man. I want to be in charge of
my own destiny. No, you don't. No, you don't. You're a ignorant young fool. How do I know this happened? You're looking at Onesimus. Got
to get out. Got to get out. You're not under
bondage. You're in a good place now. No, I want out. And so he
begins to plot his escape. Plot his escape. He says, what
I'll do is I'll steal me some money. He just need to ask if anybody
would have given it to him. And I'll steal me some money
and I'll sneak out and I'll head to the big city. I'll go to Rome. Where will I go? I'll go to Rome.
That's where I'll go, the big city. And I'll make my way and I'll
be prosperous. I'll go to Rome. So one night
he steals some money and a horse. And he rides away as fast as
he can in the darkness of night, as the old saying is, hell-bent
and slapping leather. You've got to get away from this
man and get away from this religion that he has and get away from
God. You're running to him and don't know it. What I'm trying to show you is
God. You see, in between all of this, God's amazing providence. Old Brother Maurice Montgomery,
when he was headed off to the war, Korea, I believe. His old
dad, Brother Hubert, who's gone now, to be with the Lord. And
his last words to old brother Maurice when he was just a young
boy, an 18, 19-year-old boy heading out, you know, the old man's
heart was breaking. Brother Maurice, I don't think,
was a believer at the time, but old brother Hubert said to him,
son, remember, God is everywhere. And he was. So Onesimus heads
out, he heads toward Rome, big city lights. Now Onesimus is
no good. He's no good, he's stolen. That's
what he did. He's unprofitable. Didn't Paul
say that? He's unprofitable. He's been a worthless servant
to Philemon. He's no good, he's an ungrateful
young rebel. He had everything that Philemon
could give him, but he wasn't happy. Just like that old prodigal. Give me what's coming to me.
You don't have anything. You don't earn anything. But
he's a young rebel and he's a thief. Knowing how he started out, I
know how he ended up in Rome. I know how he ended up when he
got there. Don't you? He ended up in the
gutter. He wasn't prosperous and all
that. He ended up in the gutter. That's
how he started out. You start out a thief, you're
going to end up that way, right? And he went to Rome, went to
the big city, and you know how he ended up, spent like that
prodigal, spent, wasted all his substance. And he's in the back
alleys, and he's in the gutter in Rome. He's in the gutter. Now, as I say, or as Scripture
says, God's ways are not our way. And this is what we're going
to preach Wednesday night, Lord willing, Isaiah 55. My ways are not your ways. God's
highways and thoughts. And even that's not what you
think. But God's ways are not our way. His way up is down. The way that God Almighty brings
us high, as high as you can get, no higher, is to make us low. The only way we can sit among
princes, among Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, the only way is
to sit on the downhill. God hath no respect, God hath
no mercy for the high and the lofty, but to this man will I
look, he said. The poor and the contrite, the
broken, the down and out, the sinner. So if you know someone, this
would be a good message to give. If you know someone, maybe you
are that one, who's as low as they can go, perhaps like this
boy, the Lord brought them down, you down, into the dung heap
to lift you up on high. As I said, Paul is in prison
in Rome. But he's able to preach the Lord
in his providence. Put Paul in prison to write the
book of Roman, a book of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians
that we have. Bless God for putting Paul in
prison. And he, the Lord made it so that
people could come in and listen to Paul preach while he's in
prison. And Paul would sit in, this happened, that Paul would
sit in the jail cell or wherever, and people would come in and
listen to him preach. Well, one day, one day, he walked onesimus. This is no accident. A thousand
miles away, tell me. Had to get there. This could have happened, some
woman that loved to go to hear Paul preach, some old woman named
Birgie or something, loved to go hear the apostle preach. And
she's walking by and she spots this young man in the gutters,
this young man. Won't you come with me? Come
to hear the gospel. You're down and out. Come with
me and hear the gospel, there's a man down there, God has raised
up to preach the gospel, the good news, the sinner, like yourself,
like me, so faithful, sane and worthy of all acceptation. Come
hear it. Who is it? Who's the preacher?
He's named Paul. Who? Paul, the apostle, he's
preaching down to jail. connection with home. So perhaps he did perhaps he
went with her and so he goes down to the jailhouse with her
on his own and he sneaks in. That's the way you come when
you first get caught. You sneak in. You don't want to be seen
you don't think you belong there do you? You sneak in and what
you do also is you hide behind the person in front of you. Oh
yeah, that's what people do all the time. It amazes me how people
think that I don't see that. Hide behind, either sleeping
or hiding. I see it all the time. But he
did, I know he did. He didn't want, Paul knows him.
And he sneaks in and he gets behind the person in front of
him, you know, and he's listening. Paul's preaching. What's he preaching? There's only one message you're
saying, huh? What does he preach? Well, he preaches God. In the
beginning, God. He preaches God, high and lifted
up. High and lifted up. A holy and
righteous God. Judge of all the earth. Creator.
Yet merciful and gracious and kind. And has opened his hand
and fed a people, Isaiah said, Lifted up my hand, fed a people
all their days. Girded them though they didn't
know me. Fed them. Took care of them. Their sustainer,
their creator. What'd they do? Rebelled against
God. Weren't thankful. Didn't worship
Him. Oh, that's all He required. Just
thank me. Just thank me. Ah. Rebels against God. Him and Adam
all died and become rebels against God. We will not have God reign
over us. I don't like this truth about
God owning me. I don't like this. Nor thankful. He became children
of disobedience, walking according to the course of this world,
a prince of the power of the air, children of wrath even as
others. hating God, hating the truth,
hating holiness, loving sin, living for it, rebels against
God. But God, Paul preached. If you're worthy of the name,
this is what you'll preach. But God, rich in mercy, for his
great love, wherewith he loves some, doesn't have to, but he
does. This is the amazing part of it.
God Almighty set his love upon a number that, if he'd have chosen
one of these rebels, it would have been infinite mercy and
love, amazing grace. But he chose a number as the
stars of the sky. Who could argue with that? If
there's one person in glory saved, he'd be singing at the top of
his lungs, sovereign But God, rich in mercy, abundant in mercy,
for His great love, loves a people that cannot be numbered. And in mercy and grace and according
to His purpose, God Almighty's purpose to save them from sure
death, destruction. He's going to destroy this despicable
place called planet Earth. Yes, He is. And how he did that
was to send his beloved son. God was manifest in the flesh.
God Almighty came down here himself. He left the ninety and the nine
of the saints in heaven, the angels, and came down to this
earth and became flesh, became a man. To do for these what they
would not do, what they could not do, but he could and he did. His name was Jesus Emmanuel,
that's his first name, God with us. But God gave him another
name, that at the name of every nation bow, his name Jesus, Savior,
the Christ, the Substitute, the Redeemer, the Mediator, the Intercessor,
the High Priest for sinners. The Savior has come. Jesus Christ
is his name. This is what Paul preached. Who? He came. And what did he do?
How did he save these people? These rebels. Why? We already
said why, God? He just pleased God. And how
did God do this? God himself came down here. And this rebel who refused to,
who hated the law of God and holiness, hated it and loved
sin. Christ, God, loved holiness, loved sin. I delight to do thy
will, O Father. Here's the rebel over here. I
hate this. Here's the son. I love this. Here's the rebel
over here. We will not have God. Here's
Christ. I will do your will. Here's the rebel spit in God's
face. Here's the son. Accepted. Approved. Loved God. Loved the Lord. Kept the Lord. Holy. Pure. Just. Sinless. without spot, without
blemish, altogether lovely, sinless, holy son, the only one of the
most high God. What do you have over here? A
rotten, no good rebel that ain't fit for hanging. But God. And then God says, switch places. God laid on the Son, he who knew
no sin, took this prevalent. It's a mystery. I'm doing the best I can, but
this is what God Almighty put on His Son. My father used to always use
this illustration, weight, sin, over here, without sin. God almighty put all his people
on his son, all of them. And then took his perfection,
his holiness, and put it on him. So now here we have the sinless
one made sin. And God looked on him and took
him to the cross and said, you deserve to die. And God killed him. God killed
him. And here's this red one. No sin. God laid on him. And God, Paul
says, has committed unto us, Paul preached, he hath committed
unto me as his apostle this ministry of reconciliation. And everyone who hears every
rebel whom God Almighty elects, they hear that message of substitution
and it breaks their hard heart. It break. God gives them a new
heart. They wouldn't hear it if he didn't. He gives them life.
They were dead. He gives them life and breaks
their hard heart over their rebellion and points them to Christ crucified,
their substitute. And they say, did that for me?
That's right. Why did he do that? He just did.
But why did he choose me? He just did. But I didn't do
anything. That's right. He did all that
for me? Oh. You mean God accepted me for
nothing? There's nothing I did to Him? That's right. You sinned? He didn't. You're
accepted in the blood. You believe that? If I want to,
I believe. And God Almighty grants that
faith. And he says, Paul went on to
preach, he said, Be ye reconciled. Now, Brother Scott used to always
say, stack your guns. Who are you fighting? Young rebel,
who do you think you're fighting? God? He won't win. Where are
you running? Who are you running from? You
think you can run from God? You're running to Him. I'm going
to Rome. I'm getting as far away as I
can. You're getting closer. That's God, isn't it? That's
our sovereign God. He is able to save. He really
is. People say that. They don't believe
it. We believe it. He's not only able to save the
uttermost, he does. Had God sent that young runaway
rebel? far away from home as he could
get to hear the gospel, to send him back to stay. Stack your guns. Paul is preaching
to Onesimus, and now he knows it. Onesimus, he's hiding. He's talking to me. Onesimus
thought, I'm the only one in this room. You rebel, you run away, you
sinner, stack your guns, be reconciled, submit, bow, come. Christ said, come unto me. But
you might have to come. And Onesimus did. He believed, right then and there,
by the mercy of God. Oh, my. And God broke his hard
heart, gave him a new heart, granted him repentance, faith,
love for the truth, for the gospel, for Christ, love for God's people. You see, he was once a crony
and a He was once a companion of those that hated God, now
he's a companion of them that love him. And now he's in every service.
Yes he is. Now nobody has to ask him to
go, it's where he wants to go. And he's there early. And he's
a right-hand man of the Apostle Paul. God turned this runaway
rebel and slave. into a young profitable. Help me help her to the possible. Can God make an out and out thief
and a rebel into a preacher of the gospel. That's who you're
listening to. Now he's a son of the Most High
God, and I'm certain he confessed Christ in baptism. Confessed. You know he did. That's the command,
isn't it? He that believeth in is baptized. Well, he did. And
he became a regular in attendance there, a fast friend of Paul,
and now Paul writes a letter. You see, that's what happened. And Paul writing this letter
back to his friend Philemon. And he writes this in verse ten. Now, if you see, if you don't
know what he's saying here in verse ten, he said, I beseech
thee for my son Onesimus. This is the first Philemon's
heard of him in years. Onesimus. Yes, he's my son. He's been born again. While I
was in prison, that's what he means by that, begotten in my
bond. Paul was the one whom God used
to preach the gospel to this young man. He quite often used
that. He said, you have many teachers and all that, but you
have one father, that is, one whom the Lord used to preach
the gospel to you. Give new birth, and he said in
verse 11 to Philemon, he said, Onesimus, now he was in time
past, to thee unprofitable. He left a no-good rebel, didn't
he? But now, by leaving now, he's
profitable. He left a no-good. Now he's a
good man. Oh yeah, that's what God says
about his people. That's what Paul said about Philemon,
didn't he? A good man in Christ. We'll add
that, won't we? In Christ. Old Philemon, old
Onesimus was once worthless. Now he's worthy of whom the world
is not worthy in Christ. Onesimus, old Philemon, young
Philemon that is, once was useless. Now he's of some service. Finally,
he's worth something in Christ. Once a companion of thieves,
now he's my companion and a companion of the saint. once far from God,
but bless God, God brought him a thousand miles to bring him
to himself. Now he's drawn nigh unto God
by the blood of Jesus Christ Christ. And he says in verse
12, Philemon, I'm sending him home. I'm sending him back. Why does anybody come to Christ?
Because God sent them. God the Holy Spirit sent them.
Paul says, I'm sending you by Lehman. Onesimus probably thought,
I'd love to go back home. I'd love to see my master. I'd
love that. But I feel so ashamed. Huh? You know, I feel so ashamed. But what if he won't have me?
Paul says, I just can't believe you'll have me. I tell you what,
I'll write a letter. You know who's taking this down?
You know who's taking this letter down? You know who's writing
it? Onesimus. Look at the end of it. It says,
written from Rome to Philemon by Onesimus. He's writing this down. His own
pardon. I hope you're getting that. Our
Lord sends us home, but you know what? After this letter is over,
Old Nessimus wants to go home. He's going home willing. Why is he going? He's been sent.
Why is he going? He wants to go. He's been made
willing. And here's what the letter reads.
He says, I've sent him again. Receive him that is my own bowels. This young man is me, Paul says. He's my son. He's my beloved. He's my brother. He's me. He's
my own bowels. I've forgotten that. Are you
are you thinking of this as what Christ says concerning his people
to the father? Because that's what this is all
about, the covenant between God, the father and God, the son.
And all this can be said of Christ speaking to the Father, to the
praise of the glory of God's grace, wherein he hath made us
accepted in the blood. But see, Paul is writing back
to Philemon and says, this young man now is me. You receive him
as you would me. I'm sending him home. But he's
coming willingly. He wants to come home. He wants
to come home. If you'll have him, and I know
you will. I know you. I know you will. And, you know,
Christ said, come unto me, didn't he? Because he said, I know all
that the Father giveth me shall come unto me. And whoever comes,
and no wife's got that. Oh, my. What's Philemon need
with this runaway slave? Nothing, except to the praise
of the glory of his grace. If he receives this no-good rabble,
he'll get—they'll esteem him as being a gracious man. So it is with our God. We can
add nothing to him, but it'll all be to the praise of the glory
of his sovereign, far-reaching grace and mercy. Well, Paul says in verse fifteen,
he says, and we've looked at every single verse together before,
but time is going by. Verse fifteen, he says this to
Philemon in the letter, Perhaps Onesimus therefore departed for
a season. He departed temporarily, that thou shouldest receive him
for a season. Perhaps he left for a season.
He's gone for a season. You didn't see him. Gone astray.
Oh, we like Sheba. Gone astray, but just for a season. And in God's good purpose and
time, he sends him home to stay. Not going to leave him yet. Oh, my. In verse 16, he says,
now, what is he? As a servant? Oh, he's more than
that. He departed a slave. He's coming home a son. He's departed worthless, he's
coming home, he's going to be of some value to you now. He
got nothing out of him before, now you're going to get something.
Praise. A brother, beloved to me and
to you also. Didn't Christ say, all mine are
thine and thine are mine? If you'll just on your own go
back and read John 17, you'll think it's Philemon, the book
of Philemon. It is. Same story. same story. And I look at this blessed birth,
you don't, you know, it wasn't going to pass this up. In verse 17, he says, if you
count me a partner, receive him as myself. If I'm your equal,
and I am, Didn't Philippians say, who thought
it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation,
a servant, a prisoner of Christ? Why? Why did Christ become a
prisoner? That we might be set free, sent
home. And he said in verse seventeen,
receive him as you would me. Onesimus is coming home. I'm
sending him. I want you to receive him as if it were me walking
in the door. As he is. More than a doctrine. As he is. So are we. Not just sons on a book. Sons of God in God's heart. He said, I have loved thee. Who? You, if you're in Christ. You've come by faith in Christ.
Yes. Oh, that's what Christ said. As the Father hath loved me,
he loves you. He receives you as me. Why? Because I'm in you. And you in me. Accept it. Love. highly esteemed. Oh, but I'm
worth nothing. Don't you call unclaimed what
God has made. And he said in verse 18, if he
hath wronged thee, oh my, what all did Philemon do? I mean Onesimus do to Philemon? Ungrateful, wretched, A thief robbed him, ungrateful
as we say it. Whatever he hath done that wrong
thee, or if he owes you anything. Whatever debt he owes you, Paul
says, put that on my account. Charge it to me. And in verse
18 he says, I've written this and I will repay it. And isn't that the gospel? Huh? We have sinned and come short
of the glory of God, and when God Almighty laid on Him the
iniquity of us all. Christ. We wronged God, and Christ
put it right. We owe unto Him a debt we couldn't
pay. The Lord Jesus paid it out. laid
on him. That's what is putting on my
account. That's the big word imputation.
Charged. And Christ said, I will repay
it, and he did. He did. Paid it off. And he said
in verse 19, you owe me your own self. And he says, now I
know, brother, that you'll let me have joy of thee, refresh
my bowels in the Lord. I have this confidence in your
obedience, your willingness I wrote on you knowing that you will
do. And our Lord prayed there at
Lazarus tomb, you remember when he prayed, I know you hear me,
but I said this for their sake. Who hear me, are you listening
on this one? That was my opening comments
18 years ago in the first preach this message. Opening comments
were, I don't know who this is for, but I'm hoping there's an
Onesimus out there. That's what it's for. If you're
not, it'd be a message, just another sovereign grace message.
But to a sinner, this is good news. I mean, this is salvation,
life. Paul said, Philemon, I know you'll
do more than I ask. Do you think Onesimus went back
to being a servant and a slave? Now he sent back a free man. I bet he ate up in the big house
all the time. At the table as a son. You reckon like old Muffin? And as I pointed out to you,
and this must be so, Ole Miss was just writing all this down. As Paul is saying, Mr. Filey,
he's writing it all down. You reckon? Hold on here. Hold
on here. You reckon this is his freedom? It all depends on this letter. Do you hear this word? It all
depends on this word. So he's taking this letter back
to somebody he's offended. He doesn't know if he's going
to be accepted or not. But he's got this promise, this
hope, John. And he's writing it now. Oh, I like that. Say that again.
You really say that? That you want him to receive
me as you? Oh, I like that. I'll underline
that. Make sure he sees it. I'll highlight
it. And he's going to take this letter
to Philemon that this is my hope. He's going back to shame, ain't
he? No good, he left no good, he
still feels no good, and he comes back. Here's a letter. Before
you say anything, would you read this? Are you getting this? Bless God,
John. Philemon opens it up, and he's
smiling the whole time. And Omesimus is getting some
confidence. What do you think? Hylaemon says, Welcome home, Omesimus. Come. Come on in. I've been waiting
on you. Kill the fatted calf. You reckon? You reckon if I kill the fatted
cat, we're going to have a pardon. May I say that? A feast. Kill
the fatted cat. Onesimus, rebel, run away. Let's come home to stay. And we're going to just enjoy.
And the whole house erupted. Yes, they did. That's what happened.
And you know, they started singing and eating. You know who the
happiest one there was? singing aloud of who you reckon,
huh? Go to business. Home to stay. All right. Brother Gabe, you
come, please. you