Good morning. I'm thankful to be here. It's
a privilege for Robin and I, and it always is. And it's especially
so because it's a remarkable privilege to preach the gospel,
the unsearchable riches of Christ. That the Lord would give me that
privilege is something that I never get over and I hope I never do. It's, I just can't believe it
that the Lord has called me into a work that is just so, so glorious. Not because of who I am, but
because of who he is and who we proclaim. And in that song
we just heard this morning, again reminded that it's his praise
that we seek as we meet together. not the praise of men, but the
praise of God. And in light of that, it's just
such a blessing for me to be here this morning, to be with
you all, and to honor our Lord. So if you would turn with me
to the letter of the Apostle Paul to Philemon. It's between Titus and just before
Hebrews. You may miss it. It's one page.
And while you're doing that, I'll tell you, this isn't the
message I prepared for you. I hope this isn't getting to
be a habit, but I looked at what I'd prepared, and I felt that
there was too much of me in it. You know, one of the hardest
jobs, hardest tasks of any minister of the Gospel is to take out
as much of himself from what he preaches as he possibly can.
And I looked at it and I thought, there's too much of me and too
many of my thoughts here, so the Lord has led me to bring
this to you, and I trust that it's It's his word to you this
morning. But in this epistle, or this
letter of Paul to Philemon, a letter that's been a rich blessing to
the church down through the ages, and it's at our great loss if
we overlook it. And it's easy to do. It's a different sort of letter,
isn't it? The reason that is, is because
it's a personal letter of the Apostle Paul to a brother in
Colossae. Just considering that, think
of the wonder of the revelation of God's word to us. How it comes
to us in so many different ways. Over thousands of years, from
so many different men in different ages, some of those historical
records that lay out the history of Israel and the creation of
the world and the prophecies. And then we have a whole book
of songs, don't we? And those songs, what richness
is found in those songs as we just heard this morning? Then,
of course, the Gospels, the history of Christ's ministry in this
world, and the doctrinal epistles, so full of the truth of the substance
of the Gospel, of God's grace, and revelation, of course. And
then here we have this little letter of Paul. Think of that. of an apostle
in prison writing to a slave owner about a slave that had
run away. Isn't that remarkable? And yet,
in all of this, we find a message of Christ, our Savior, and his
redemptive purposes. And I trust we'll see that today
in all that he has done. I think when we consider this
letter, we can't help but be captivated by the grace which
pours forth from the pen of Paul. I'm reminded of the words that
I think it's in Psalm 45, where it's speaking of Christ, prophesying
of this great king. It says, grace is poured upon
your lips. We see that here. Grace is poured
from the pen of the apostle. And the depths of the sincere
love of Paul for his spiritual son, Onesimus, move our hearts
in an unusual way. And we rejoice in the gracious
appeals of his love on behalf of Onesimus. So read with me
again this letter. No doubt you've read it many
times. Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus
and Timothy, our brother, to Philemon, our beloved friend
and fellow laborer, to the beloved Afia, Archippus, our fellow soldier,
and to the Church in your house, grace to you and peace from God
our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God, making
mention of you always in my prayers, hearing of your love and faith
which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints,
that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment
of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. For we
have a great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts
of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother. Therefore, though
I might be very bold in Christ to command you what is fitting,
yet for love's sake I rather appeal to you. Being such a one
as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ, I
appeal to you, my son Onesimus, whom I have begun for my son
Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains, who once
was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and
to me. I am sending him back. You, therefore,
receive him, that is, my own heart, whom I wish to keep with
me, that on your behalf he might minister to me in my chains for
the gospel. But without your consent I wanted
to do nothing, that your good deed might not be by compulsion,
as it were, but voluntary, for perhaps he departed for a while
for this purpose, that you might receive him forever, no longer
as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially
to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the
Lord. If then you count me as a partner, receive him as you
would me. But if he has wronged you or
owes you anything, put that on my account. I, Paul, am writing
with my own hand. I will repay, not to mention
to you that you owe me even your own self besides. Yes, brother,
let me have joy from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in the
Lord. Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, knowing
that you will do even more than I say. But meanwhile, also prepare
a guest room for me, for I trust that through your prayers, I
shall be granted to you." Now, in reading that, we see that
the gospel permeates the lives of the Lord's people in every
way. It's a sweet aroma, and we see everywhere in this situation,
in Paul's words and in his actions, in this picture we're given of
Philemon, in the providence of God worked out in bringing Onesimus
under the ministry of Paul, who was in prison in Rome. Think of that. This runaway slave
from Colossae. How did he end up in Rome under
the ministry of this great apostle and the grace of God that was
made known to him? The work of God's grace in the
heart of this man and so much more. In this epistle to Philemon,
Paul does not command, but he says, for love's sake, I rather
appeal to you. He's an apostle. He could command. He says so himself. He could
command obedience, but no, this is not how the gospel of grace
works, does it? For love's sake, I rather appeal
to you. You know, I know there's many
Many pastors, sadly, who command the sheep, how hurtful and how harmful that
is. Do this and do that. And they
think it's for their spiritual good, but it never is. We have
one master, don't we? And Paul knows this. He says,
for love's sake, for love's sake, how does he do this? How does
he appeal? to Philemon. Well, he teaches, he reasons,
he persuades, and he exhorts. So let's consider some of the
things that the Lord, well it is the Lord through the Apostle
Paul, that Paul uses to appeal to Philemon, which I pray will
be edifying this morning to you and to me once again. This epistle to Philemon accompanied the epistle
of Paul to the saints in Colossae. And he begins that epistle, Paul,
an apostle of Jesus Christ, in the epistle to the saints at
Colossae, the church there. But in this letter to Philemon,
he begins, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus. Why the difference there? Letters written at the same time,
essentially. Well, he's intentionally humbling
himself and making himself, as it were, of no reputation. He's
doing this for the sake of Philemon. He doesn't want to command Philemon
from a place of authority to do what is good and right. He
doesn't want to compel him in this way. And like I said, no
doubt if he did that Philemon would obey, wouldn't he? He would
do what Paul was wanting him to do. But Paul doesn't do that.
Faith worketh by love. And Paul desires that this faith
and love in the heart of Philemon would bring forth fruit. Fruit
to the glory of God. Paul places emphasis upon the
fact that he's a prisoner in this letter, and he does it repeatedly,
several times. He repeats in verse 9, a prisoner
of Jesus Christ. And then in verse 10, he refers
to my chains. And then a fourth time in verse
23, when he refers to Epaphras, his fellow prisoner. Now, that's
not by accident. See, Paul is is communicating that he's in
captivity. Why? Because a slave is essentially
in captivity, isn't he? He's a prisoner. He's in chains. He's deprived
of his freedom. And Paul's identifying himself
as a prisoner with Onesimus, a slave. He's doing this with
the goal of having Philemon look upon Onesimus in a different
way, identifying with Onesimus. And
it would go a long way to resolving differences we have with our
brethren if we would put ourselves in the place of those we have
differences with. How hard that is for us. I know
from experience many, many times. Especially if we've been offended. But you know what's even harder?
Is when you've offended. That's when it's hard, isn't
it? When you've offended. But Paul, he puts himself in
the place of that slave. Now Paul then opens then appeals
to the work of God's grace in the heart of Philemon. He says
in verse 4, Isn't that true of you here in Ashland? I know it
is. It is of all God's people that the sharing of your faith
may become effective by the acknowledgement of every
good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. For we have a great
joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints
have been refreshed by you, brother." That's what we desire, isn't
it? That's what you desire. And you refresh my heart, and
I pray that I refresh your heart. Philemon was a beloved friend
and fellow laborer in the gospel. And Paul lets him know how thankful
he is to the Lord for him, hearing of the faith and love he has
toward the Lord Jesus and towards all the saints. What a testimony
that is, isn't it? Would it be that every, every
church of the Lord would have that testimony? That testimony. He speaks of the great joy and
consolation his love brought to him and to Timothy, because
he says, listen, the hearts of the saints have been refreshed
by you, brother. And Paul desires to stir up this
love, that this love, this love in Philemon would abound still
more and more in knowledge and all discernment. And he tells
Philemon how he always makes mention of him in his prayers.
that the communication of your faith may become effectual by
the acknowledgement of every good thing which is in you, now
listen, in Christ Jesus. This is the perfect description
of the grace of God in the heart of man. Every good thing which
is in you is in you in Christ Jesus. Every good thing. And this grace effectually brings
forth fruit to the glory and praise of God. Paul lays out
all these things before he even mentions Onesimus. He knows that
these things are powerful and persuasive arguments to cause
Philemon to embrace Onesimus in love, even as he has love
for all the saints, and in that the heart of Onesimus would be
refreshed. Now that's something that will
bring forth great joy to the Apostle Paul. Look at verse 10. What did we read there? I appeal
to you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains,
who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to
you and to me. I am sending him back. You, therefore,
receive him, that is, my own heart." What a surprise this must have
been for Philemon to have this rebellious slave return with
a letter from the Apostle Paul. And the first reference Paul
makes to Onesimus in this letter is, And if that were not enough,
my own heart. Paul is sending him back an entirely
different man. He's been born again by the grace
and mercy of God through the ministry of Paul. Every good
thing which is in Philemon is in Onesimus. Because it's in
Christ. Philemon knows that Onesimus
was not like this before. Paul addresses this directly.
Listen to what he says. True, true. He once was unprofitable. But God has done a wonderful
work of grace in this man. And now, he is profitable to
you and to me, Paul says. Paul makes this play on words.
Onesimus was unprofitable as a slave, true. From all appearances,
it seems he stole from Philemon and then fled, a double crime. And he did wrong to his master
and ran away, but now he's been profitable to Paul spiritually. And he would return to his owner
to be profitable spiritually and profitable as a slave. Like
all natural men, Onesimus was unprofitable spiritually. So were you. So was I. In Romans 3, we have that great
condemnation of the total depravity of all men. And it's interesting
that unprofitable is in that description. You remember it,
don't you? There is none righteous. No,
not one. There is none who understands. There is none who seek after
God. They are all gone out of their
way. They are together become unprofitable. Isn't that true? There is none
who doeth good. No, not one. You know, have you noticed how
the scriptures continually use this type of construction to
describe the remarkable transforming power of the grace of God? who
once was unprofitable, but now is profitable. You were once
darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. You were once far
off, but have been made near by his blood. You see that? There's
so many. When we're born of God, The Holy
Spirit makes all these once statements true of you and me. We who are
once slaves of sin become slaves of righteousness and become useful
to our Master. Can you believe that? It's hard
to believe, isn't it? But we do. We become useful to
our Master, the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn over to Colossians 3 for
a moment. Keep your place here, Colossians
3. Now remember that, again, as
I said, the letter to Philemon was sent along with this letter
to the church at Colossae. And speaking about those who
have been raised with Christ, we read in verse 10, look there
in verse 10, Colossians 3, and where is it? Chapter 3 and verse
10. And this speaking about those
who have been raised with Christ, we read, and have put on the
new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of him
who created him. And now listen, where there is
neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian,
scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all." Now,
the saints at the Church of Colossae, as these men come bringing this
letter, and who's returning with them? Onesimus, the runaway slave
of Philemon. And in this letter to the saints
there at the church, Paul makes this great statement of truth,
isn't it? that the gospel erases all barriers, doesn't it? It
erases class and background and ethnicity and everything else. The barrier between the master
and the slave, where there's neither slave nor free. But Christ
is all and in all. How this would have resonated
given the situation at that time, wouldn't it? With Onesimus returning
to those people. Look over in chapter 4 of Colossians,
as he closes this epistle. Chapter 4 and verse 7. Here he says, "...Tychicus, a
beloved brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord,
will tell you all the news about me." Isn't it wonderful to see,
again, just how how the Lord works just through
normal circumstances of life. You know, sometimes we approach
the word as if everything is so unusual and unique, but it's
not in the sense of how the Lord works to save sinners like you
and I. You know, here's Paul, and he
knows they're concerned about him, and they're concerned about
news for him. This church has done has done
much to help him, just as the Philippian church did. And they're
concerned, and so he says, he's sending him back, and they'll
tell you the news about me. And I'm sending him to you for
this purpose, that he may know your circumstances and comfort
your hearts. Isn't that the desire? You know,
I trust this word this morning is a word that'll comfort your
hearts. And he says, Now listen, verse nine, with
Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother who is one of you. How about that? What a surprise
that would have been to those saints, wouldn't it? But the
grace of God is so great, so great. Turn back to Philemon. Now Paul speaks about the providence
of God. How about that? How about that? The providence of God that brought
back the slave Onesimus. One of them. Faithful and beloved
brother. Verse 15 now, for perhaps he
departed for this purpose that you might receive him forever,
he tells Philemon. Isn't that wonderful? Sometimes
the Lord uses the worst circumstances to bring about the greatest good,
doesn't he? He did that at the cross. The cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ. God works to bring good out of
evil to accomplish his purposes. The wonder of that. Isn't that
true? Even when things seem to be such
a hindrance to the work of the gospel. I know I struggle with that continually.
You know, circumstances don't go well. And there's many hindrances. And you think, this is all hindering
the work of the gospel. But it's not, is it? It's not. There's nothing that can hinder
the work of the gospel. Paul, consider how he begins
this epistle again. Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus. Now, it's true he's been arrested
by the Romans. He's gone through great suffering.
He's guarded by Roman soldiers. He's in captivity, in chains. But Paul knows that none of this
would be unless it was according to the express will and purpose
of God. He is a prisoner of who? Not
the Romans. He's a prisoner of Jesus Christ. You know, from a natural perspective,
Paul's imprisonment would would have seemed to be such a blow
to the work of the gospel in that first century, wouldn't
it? Here's this great apostle, the apostle the Lord Jesus Christ
commissioned as an apostle to the Gentiles. And where is he? Out carrying the gospel of God's
grace to the ends of the earth? No, he's in captivity. It would seem that the gospel
is hindered. His ministry is hindered. No, no, no. We know
that. We know, as he says, it was for
the furtherance of the gospel, wasn't it? This is what Paul wrote to the
saints at Philippi. But I want you to know, brethren,
the things which have happened to me have actually turned out
for the furtherance of the gospel. So that it has become evident
to the whole palace guard And to all the rest, that my chains
are in Christ." What a testimony. Well, Paul then appeals to Philemon
on the basis of the new relationship which now exists. Not only between
himself and Onesimus, but also between Philemon and Onesimus. Verse 15. For perhaps he departed
for a while for this purpose, that you might receive him forever,
No longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother,
especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh
and in the Lord. In the new birth, new relationships
are brought into being. New bonds are formed. And these
bonds, these relationships, are, in fact, the only true and lasting
relationships. Have you thought about that?
How differently we would look upon our brethren if we thought
in that sense. You know, we have brothers, sisters,
fathers, mothers, family, and we love them, don't we? Our families. We love them. We truly do. And we overlook all sorts of
things because they're our family. But how much more true this is
of those who are brothers and sisters in Christ. The new relationships
which are formed. These are relationships which
are forever. Forever. That you might receive him forever. We're brought into fellowship
with the Son. Think of that. Turn to 1 Corinthians 1. Keep
your place here again, but let's just remind ourselves of these
things. We're brought into fellowship
with the Son. 1 Corinthians 1, and look there with me, beginning in verse And
remember that this was a church that had really done much wrong
to Paul. You know, it really had, and
there were men who were speaking against him, undermining his
ministry. They were having preachers come
that derided Paul, criticized him. And listen to what Paul
says in this first letter to these saints at Corinth. I thank
my God, always concerning you, for the grace of God which was
given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything
by him in all utterance and knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ
was confirmed in you, so that you came short in no gift, eagerly
waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will
also confirm you to the end that you may be blameless in the day
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now listen, God is faithful by
whom you were called into the fellowship of his son, Jesus
Christ our Lord. Think of that, that this is the
privilege of the saints of the Lord, that we're called into
fellowship, no longer alienated, but into fellowship with the
son of his love. And not only that, fellowship
one with another. as brothers and sisters in Christ. And these relationships, they
truly do supersede the natural relationships that we have. And
they'll never end. We'll turn back to Philemon. Paul writes, that you might receive
him forever, no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved
brother, especially to me. But how much more to you, both
in the flesh and in the Lord. And now the Apostle Paul brings,
before Philemon, three powerful points to persuade him to receive
Onesimus. Verse 17. If then you count me
as a partner, receive him as you would me. Paul says literally,
receive him as me. Receive him as me. As if he's
me. How does Philemon count Paul?
How does Philemon look upon Paul? As a beloved friend, and even
more, a brother in Christ, a fellow laborer in the gospel, an apostle
of the Lord Jesus Christ. What a esteem he would have had
of the apostle Paul. But what of Onesimus? He has
betrayed his master. He's guilty. He's broken the
law. He's a slave who's committed
a grave offense against Philemon and had added an even greater
offense by running away. Onesimus returned owing a great
debt. He returned owing a debt he couldn't
pay. What does Paul say? Receive him
as me. Don't receive him as a slave
who is guilty. Don't receive him as slave who
is guilty but forgiven. Don't receive him as a slave,
but receive him as me. Receive him as a beloved friend,
a dearly beloved brother in Christ. Receive him Onesimus, with all
the love, the care, the friendship that you would receive me, receive
him as me. But what of the injury to Philemon?
What of the debt owed by Onesimus? Verse 18, but if he has wronged
you or owes you anything, put that to my account. I, Paul,
and writing with my own hand, I will repay." You see, Paul
doesn't tell Philemon to overlook the great debt he's owed. That's
the thought of, it seems, everybody today, doesn't it? It doesn't
matter whether there's a great debt owed or a great offense.
Just let it go. Let it go. That would not be
just, would it? Not at all. Debt just doesn't
go away. Debt doesn't just dissolve. Debt must be addressed. Someone must bear the burden
of the debt owed. In Exodus, when the Lord reveals
something of his divine nature to Moses, we read, And the Lord
passed by before him and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful
and gracious, long suffering and abounding in goodness and
truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression
and sins. But what does he add? By no means
clearing the guilty. That's how important it is. In God's declaration of himself
to Moses, who he is, he includes this, by no means clearing the
guilty. God is just. He always is just
and will forever be just. This is an unalterable truth,
which is emphasized throughout the word of God. If this weren't
so, then Christ wouldn't have died. Paul immediately writes,
put it to my account, I will repay. But do you know what the
penalty for a runaway slave was in the Roman Empire? Death. It was death. How could Paul have this put
to his account? How could Paul repay that? Well,
here comes the crowning argument from Paul to Philemon. You can
be almost certain that Philemon was anticipating this. You can
almost see him smiling as he reads, not to mention to you
that you owe me even your own self besides. It appears that
Philemon was also saved through the ministry of Paul. We all
know that salvation is of God. We know that. You know I'm not
saying that. It's not due to Paul. But in a sense, Paul can say
that Philemon owed him his life because Paul was the instrument
used by God to bring salvation. Every minister of the gospel
will know this, that those who the Lord is so gracious to save
under your ministry have such a great attachment to you. for
that reason, because they look at you as one who brought them
the truth of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Through you,
the Lord was pleased to open their eyes to bring them out
of that darkness into his marvelous light to see Christ. And there's
such an attachment. And Paul knows this. And he wisely
uses that argument. Not to know. Yes, Onesimus, it
is in debt with life to you, but you're in debt with life
to me. A life for a life. Then Paul concludes, listen.
Yes, brother, verse 20. Yes, brother, let me have joy
from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in the Lord.
Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you knowing that you
will do even more than I say. What a tender, loving, entreating
exhortation. This is truly being constrained
by love. Paul has hemmed him in from every
side. There's no way Philemon can escape
this loving appeal. But you know, he has no desire
to escape, does he? He has no desire to escape these
bonds. And the Lord's people delay. to be bound by the cords of love.
He will do even more than Paul asks him to do. He will do so
joyfully, willingly, with delight, with love, with thanksgiving. Paul hopes all things. He believes
all things, knowing that he will do even more than I say. Wouldn't that be wonderful if
you and I, that we would be willing to do more than Christ tells
us. More than he says. Well, in closing,
let me bring your attention once again to the most important thing
now. Now listen. The most important
thing about this whole story. This gives us a wonderful picture
of the justifying work of the Lord Jesus Christ. A justification
by a righteousness which is not our own. but is imputed to us. Banyan put it so clearly. Now
listen, listen to what he says. Indeed, justification. Indeed,
this is one of the greatest mysteries in the world. Namely, that a
righteousness which resides with a person in heaven, a righteousness
which resides with a person in heaven should justify me, a sinner
on earth. There is one in heaven who humbled
himself and made himself of no reputation. He took upon himself
our nature and shared with us flesh and blood. Identifying with us, taking the
form of a bond servant, he came in the likeness of men. And we read that he identifies
with us, he's touched with the feelings of our infirmities. Who is he? He's the beloved son,
the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. The
Father, how does the Father look upon him? He loves him perfectly,
eternally. He looks upon him with perfect
satisfaction and joy and pleasure. He delights in the son of his
love, glorious in righteousness, beautiful in his holiness. And here am I, a miserable, guilty
slave, in utter bondage to sin, nothing but awful, and corruption,
full of iniquity and transgressions and sins. That's me. He alone, God alone
knows the unimaginable depths of my sin more than I could ever
know. In the vast, unfathomable reaches
of eternity, he saw me. He saw me before I ever was.
before time, before the world began, and he loved me with an
everlasting love. He looked upon me in my sin and
in my misery, fleeing, fleeing from him in fear with a great
debt, a load of sin crushing me into the pit of hell, a runaway
slave. Isn't that what we all are? a
runaway slave, and he too penned an epistle. He penned an epistle
in his own body and he sealed it with his blood. And this is
what he wrote, receive him as me with all the love and joy
and pleasure and satisfaction and delight in which you receive
me. Receive him that is my own heart. And what of my debt of sin? Put
that to my account. I will repay. And he did. And the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ resonates with this glorious proclamation. Receive him as
me. I have repaid. Amen.