Good morning everyone, good to
see you here. Today I'm going to be preaching
from the book of Philemon. Paul wrote this short letter
to Philemon while Paul was a prisoner in Rome. He was held there under
guard by a Roman soldier. in what is referred to as Paul's
own hired house. You can read about that in Acts
chapter 28, where there we learn that while Paul was being held
captive there, he still was allowed to receive visitors. And so he
would preach the gospel to those who came to hear him. Now, among
those who went to hear Paul was this fugitive named Onesimus. Onesimus had once been a servant
to Philemon in his household and from the epistle it would
appear that at some point Onesimus had either robbed or embezzled
goods from his master Philemon and then he had fled to Rome
where by God's divine providence he came to Paul's house and there
he heard the gospel of God's grace and so was converted under
Paul's ministry. Now this epistle, this letter
to Philemon records Paul's efforts to reconcile Philemon to his
former servant Onesimus as he asked Philemon to receive Onesimus,
not only as a returning servant but now as a beloved brother
in Christ. In this appeal for this reconciliation,
we see a beautiful illustration of how God reconciles sinners
unto himself. I know that many of you have,
actually some may have even delivered messages from this, and I know
you've heard it preached with a strong emphasis on how Paul
willingly substituted himself on behalf of Onesimus, willingly
standing in his place as his surety, that's one who pays,
takes on the debt of another, to pay a debt here that Onesimus
owed to his former master, Philemon. And you've heard it preached
as an illustration how just likewise the Lord Jesus Christ substituted
himself as the surety for all those he reconciles unto God,
those he saves by taking on and actually paying the debt before
God's justice that was due unto their sins, the penalty. A debt,
you see, that they could by no means pay. And that is a truth
that stands out in this epistle, and I would be remiss if I didn't
likewise emphasize it, and so I shall. But along with that
emphasis today, I want to direct your attention to how, spiritually
speaking, we all by nature closely resemble this thief, this unworthy
one, this Onesimus. All of us resemble him, but not
all of us resemble Onesimus, the born-again believer. And
with that thought in mind, I titled today's message, Onesimus, My
Spiritual Twin. In studying the book, I found
that a lot of commentators speak highly of the wisdom that Paul
uses here in his approach to Philemon. Many consider it a
model, and it is a good model that we should follow. We see
his humility. We see the persuasive kindness
that attended his arguments, and you'll see that as we go
through these verses. But as you consider the spiritual parallels
of this story, this story of reconciliation, it struck me
that Paul's kindness And even the approach he took in going
to bat for Onesimus here, as a surety, that it's not solely
to be attributed to Paul's wisdom or his diplomacy and his tact,
his people skills, what have you, but rather I believe that's
a product of the love of God having been shown abroad in his
own heart, you see, as a recipient of the mercy and grace in Christ
that he had experienced. And so it is indeed an apt illustration. You see, love begets or produces
love. So it's not a mere coincidence
or anything I think especially remarkable that Paul's approach
here about being reconciled to his servant can be viewed as
such a beautiful picture of the reconciliation of a sinner before
holy God. Instead, I think it's true because
that's how Paul saw himself as the undeserving object of God's
mercy and grace. much like now his spiritual brother
Onesimus. So I'm suggesting that this gracious
approach that's seen here in this epistle that shows us how
Christ deals with his sheep in salvation is really an outcropping
or because of Paul's own experience of grace toward him. So enough
about that. In the interest of time, I'm
going to skip over the introduction. closing of this letter. So I'll
just concentrate on the main body of it. By way of background,
Philemon was a Gentile who seems to have been a resident of Colossae
and a fellow minister there we see in the opening verses of
the book. And he opens this letter like
Paul does many of his epistles with his kind greetings and his
thankfulness for Philemon. for the manifestations of his
faith towards Christ and his love that had been manifested
for his fellow believers. Following that opening, we pick
up in verse 8 where Paul writes, Wherefore, though, I might be
much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient,
yet for love's sake I rather beseech thee, being such a one
as Paul the aged, or your elder here, and now also a prisoner,
of Jesus Christ. I believe the sense here is Paul
is telling Philemon that while he could take a more direct or
a bold approach, leaning perhaps upon Paul's own apostolic authority
or as an ambassador of Christ, to direct or command, so to speak,
Philemon to do that which is convenient. Now, when he says
convenient, that means that which should be expected of you or
becoming of you as a fellow minister and a fellow believer. But Paul
says, no, instead, I'm going to opt to take a different approach.
And that approach is more in keeping, I think, with how the
triune God had mercifully shown his love to both Paul and Philemon
in receiving them in Christ their substitute. And you know, it's
also struck me here where he says, He mentions, I'm going
to ask you instead of order you. I'm going to beg or plead beseech
you. And he mentions how he's a prisoner
of Christ. And it's interesting to me that
how God put Paul in these positions. And we have letters such as this
one from Philemon that are available to us today because of God's
providential hand where he wrote many of these from prison. Anyway,
verse 10, Paul says, I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom
I have begotten in my bonds." He refers to Onesimus as his
son, speaking of him as his spiritual father. Paul had been the instrument
of his conversion while he was held captive in Rome, and so
he continues in verse 11 describing Onesimus, saying, which, or who,
in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and
to me. So certainly Onesimus, he'd been
anything but profitable in his lost state. As we'll see, owing
a debt to Philemon later, he had apparently robbed or embezzled
goods from him. But before we go any further,
let's start delving into how we can be likened to this one
Onesimus. That is, unprofitable, spiritually
speaking. As God describes us all by nature
in Romans 3, beginning in verse 10, we read, as it is written,
there is none righteous, no not one. There's none that understandeth. There's none that seeketh after
God. They are all gone out of the way. They are together become
unprofitable. There's none that doeth good,
no not one. God's telling us here in Romans
3, that just like this unprofitable Onesimus, this thief, none of
us are profitable to him, you see, in our natural state of
spiritual darkness, which we start out in this journey here
on Earth. You see, akin to Onesimus, we
too are thieves, so to speak, spiritual thieves, and it shows
up in this way. Now, stay with me before you
say, well, wait a minute, that doesn't describe me. It shows
up in our initial religious thoughts that reflect an attempt to rob
God of His chief design, that is, His glory in the salvation
of sinners, that is, by Christ and Him alone with no contribution
from you, the sinner. You may say, well, wait a minute
now. I said this at one time. I certainly never intended to
rob God of His glory. of that chief design, but you
know in the lost state of darkness and blindness, which the scriptures
tell us we all begin this life's journey, we unwittingly perhaps,
but nonetheless we did just that as we imagined as we all do by
nature, that there's got to be something I can do to be saved,
that at least in some way, Christ maybe made it possible, but what
if we, if you get serious about religion, haven't we all asked
ourselves that question? What do I have to do to be sure
I'm saved? And that notion in and of itself
is, is consistent with a sinful fallen nature that we all possess. And if we are not taught or right
by God under the sound of the gospel, it's a doctrine that
we persist in that effectively robs God of his glory. Consider
with me in Romans 3. Again, he's describing all of
us by nature. And when he gets down to verse
15, it says, their feet are swift to shed blood. That doesn't mean
that everyone's eager to go out and commit murder. This is referring
here to the practice of religion that is consistent, you see,
with that fallen nature. It's referring to the shedding
of animal blood, the sacrifices that the Jews were commanded
by God himself to observe under the terms of the Old Covenant.
But listen, that command was never given to support the false
notion that their eternal welfare, their eternal salvation was a
result of their participating in those religious ceremonies. That's very much like the fact
that God commands us all to believe, but that command was never intended
for you to imagine that your believing is what saves you.
Rather, it is the object, just as those sacrifices were picturing
the Lamb of God, Christ, the coming Messiah, whose infinitely
valuable shed blood alone could and did fully pay the penalty,
the debt that was owed due unto the sins of each and every one
of those for whom that blood was shed. In Romans 3, it goes
on to say there, verse 16, after that, Now this is of those who
are religious, whose feet are swift to shed blood, that destruction
and misery are in their ways. That is, they're on the broad
road that Christ said leads to destruction. And he's describing
us all now, and he says in the way of peace have they not known. That's the way of peace between
God and man, how God could be reconciled to a sinner. And it
gives us this commentary on us. It says, there's no fear of God
before their eyes. That is, they have no reverential
respect for the glory of God as he is uniquely revealed in
the person and work of Christ when understood correctly as
a finished, accomplished work of salvation. You see, only there
in his work On the cross, do we see how God can be God? Do
we see how he can be both a just God, that is, one whose holy
justice is not perverted or set aside? He doesn't just look over
our sins, but they must be dealt with. We see that justice is
satisfied at the cross so that God can still be a merciful Savior. That's his redemptive glory and
that redemptive glory is what by nature we all naturally deny. We show no regard for it and
it's evidenced by that initial, if nothing else, it's usually
evidenced by many things, but it's certainly evidenced by those
initial religious notions where we imagine that salvation is
at least in some way based on something I must do in order
to be saved, not Christ alone. You see, it reminds me of the story of the
Philippian jailer. Many of you will recall that
when the doors of the jail were miraculously opened and God was
starting to do a work with that jailer, what was his first question
he asked Paul? He said, what must I do to be
saved? You see, embodied in that question
is the presumption there's something I can do to be saved. And that's
that no regard for God's glory that we all have initially. When
Paul answered and said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and
I shall be saved, he wasn't saying here's something you can do,
believe. He was saying believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, on
the doing and the dying of another. He was correcting that assumption.
There's nothing you can do to be saved. So spiritually speaking,
you see, we don't have anything better than our twin Onesimus
to offer as we begin all a religious journey with those God dishonoring
notions that would effectively rob God of his glory. That's
what he's like, how he can be just and still save a senator.
Some may say, as I once did, well, that just, that just, that
doesn't apply to me. I remember telling our former
pastor that when I first heard the gospel and I said, well,
that, that, you know, yeah, I hear what you're saying and I see
the implications now that I understand your gospel and all, but I just
didn't think about it that way. And he says, that's what it is
to have no fear of God before your eyes. It just didn't matter
to me. You see, I was consumed with
whether I could accept Jesus or do my part in order to be
saved. It never entered my mind I better
be dealing with how could God, holy God, accept me a sinner.
You see, it was all a manward focus rather than a Godward focus. Look, you may say, as I did,
that this doesn't describe me, but hear God's word here in Romans
3. That's His description of us all by nature. So whether
we see it that way or not, we are all indeed unprofitable like
Onesimus, unless and until God makes us profitable. Look again
now at verse 11. Paul said there of Onesimus,
which or who, in time past was to thee unprofitable. But he
says, but now profitable to thee and to me. See, now in his born-again
state, he's not only profitable to Philemon as his returning
servant, but Paul speaks of how he is profitable now to both
of them. He's referring to the truth that he's now their fellow
minister and their fell a brother in the faith, and he's so profitable
in that sense. You know, I believe that every
born-again believer is involved in the ministry of Christ, even
if in no other way by your identification with this message. We know that
Onesimus was involved in the ministry of the gospel from the
mention of him in Colossians chapter 4. And there's a footnote,
and it's interesting, at the end of Philemon in my Bible,
and I'm sure it's in yours as well, at the end of the book
of Colossians that say this is by Onesimus. That doesn't mean
he wrote it. At the beginning of the book,
we see that Paul wrote it and credits Timothy as well, but
it means it was delivered by Onesimus. So we see, and the
same was true of the book of Colossians. In fact, most think
they were delivered on the same journey. So Onesimus essentially
delivered his own letter of recommendation, but we see his involvement in
the ministry thereby. Well, Paul continues in verse
12, and he refers to Onesimus saying, whom I have sent again. Thou therefore receive him that
is mine own bowels. Again, I think he's referring
to the fact that Paul considered Onesimus, his spiritual son,
as coming forth from him. And he says, whom I would have
retained with me. that in thy stead he might have
ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel. But without thy
mind would I do nothing, that thy benefit should not be, as
it were, of necessity, but willingly." I think Paul here is relating
that as he had been the instruments he used in the conversion of
Onesimus, being his spiritual father. And we see here he said,
notice he said that in thy stead, as we'll see later, there's indications
that that Philemon, in a sense, owed Paul as well, that most
think that he likewise was converted under Paul's ministry. But he
states here that I may, as a result of these things, have been justified
in keeping Onesimus with me in Rome to assist in the ministry
there. But he states he would not do
that without considering the mind or the interest of Philemon. And I believe he is conveying
here his strict regard for equity and justice. He knew that Onesimus
was Philemon's runaway slave or servant, I should say, and
as such he was still his rightful property. And so regardless of
what authority Paul might otherwise have used to justify keeping
him in Rome, he's saying there's not going to be a perversion
of justice in this case. Now, again, let me digress and
elaborate some more on how we might be spiritually likened
to Onesimus. You see, like Onesimus, we've
already established we're unprofitable sinners in and of ourselves,
so we need a reconciliation just as Onesimus did with Philemon.
A reconciliation before a holy God, and listen, that reconciliation
must be in accordance with God's strict justice being fully satisfied. That's why Christ had to come
and die and suffer an equivalent of hell and more for all those
he saves. Paul's consideration here of
Fleeman's interest, see, it shows that he recognized that the debt,
there was a legitimate debt due unto Fleeman. It was a debt that
must and should be paid. And we'll see that more clearly
as we go on in the chapter here. as he stands in as his surety. That is, one who takes on the
debt of another so that he could provide the just and the equitable
payment that was due to Fleeman. So I want to digress even further
here to show you that this isn't true, or I'm not asserting that
it must be according to justice, this reconciliation before God,
because it's illustrated here. It's because that's what God's
Word tells us. To show that it must be a just
and equitable reconciliation, I want you to think back of what's
recorded for us in Exodus 33 and 34. That's a favorite passage
of mine I've dealt with before. But there God, Moses, asked God
to show him his glory. And so what did God do? He started
describing himself. That's what his glory is. describing,
it's a revelation of what he is like. And when he gets to
verse 7 in Exodus 34, he says this of himself. He says, I am
a God who is keeping mercy for thousands. I'm going to save
a people, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. But
notice he adds also, I am a God that will by no means clear the
guilty. In other words, God does not
show mercy to any sinner apart from justice being satisfied
for that sinner. He doesn't just look over your
sins or pretend, say, I'm gonna pretend like you really aren't
a sinner. No, they must be dealt with. He doesn't save a people
in spite of their sins. You see, that would be a perversion
of his justice. Christ died to pay the debt due
unto their sins. Justice was satisfied, you see,
by their surety. The one who took on and he paid
the penalty in full for all of the objects of God's everlasting
electing love. That's in keeping with God's
description of himself as he spoke through the prophet Isaiah
in Isaiah 45. At the end of verse 21 he says,
and there is no God else beside me, a just God and a Savior. There's none beside me. He's
telling us something important here. This is what distinguishes
me. He says, look unto me, who a just God and a Savior, and
be ye saved, all the ends of the earth. For I am God and there's
none else. We're all, without exception,
born into this world in spiritual kinship to this unprofitable
Onesimus, this runaway servant, this thief. But a crucial question
is, are we, or you, now in spiritual kinship with Onesimus, the born-again
profitable believer, listen, for whom a reconciliation before
God had already been made. You see, he wasn't only reconciled
or being, Paul, the request that he be reconciled taking place
here before Philemon, but he was reconciled before a holy
God by virtue of Christ's substitutionary work for him on the cross. his
surety, having already paid his debt. Now, how do we know that? How do we know Onesimus was among
those for whom Christ died? Because he was given the blood-bought
gift of faith. There's the evidence. Today,
are you spiritually akin to Paul and Philemon and Onesimus? Well, if so, it's by way of just
dissatisfied. It is the very righteousness
of God in Christ put to your account. That's what righteousness
is. It's perfect satisfaction to God's law and justice. That
law being fulfilled in precept, meaning perfectly obeyed by the
sinless Savior. But an obedience unto death,
for you see, he did it for sinners. And so the penalty for their
sins had to be extracted. That's righteousness. Back to our text. Note what Paul
said to Philemon at the end of verse 14. He said that the benefit
should not be, as it were, of necessity, but willingly. Paul seems to be saying that,
look, had I kept Onesimus with me here in Rome, then any goodness
that Philemon might attempt to demonstrate by way of forgiveness
and renouncing his rightful claim as the master, of Onesimus, that
would appear to be forced perhaps. On the other hand, let's say
later Philemon decided to send Onesimus back to Rome after having
first willingly received him and upon his arrival and forgiven
him, it would be clear then that all of that was of Philemon's
own doing. Well, here's a parallel, another
spiritual parallel. Our acceptance before God is
not, as it were, of necessity in this sense. It's not because
God has become indebted to us as a result of us meeting some
condition or requirement that we may presume to have met. You see, none are saved because
they believe. Sinners believe because they're
saved. That sinners believe on Christ,
you see. They're given the gift of faith
because it was purchased for them. Saved sinners are redeemed
sinners. That word redeemed doesn't mean
that just a payment was made or somehow salvation was made
possible by what Christ did. It means they were bought and
paid for in full and that by his shed blood as their substitute
on the cross of Calvary. God's acceptance of sinners is
not of necessity forced upon him because he is obligated to
the sinner as is suggested by this prevalent but false notion
that we the sinner must do something to save ourselves, to distinguish
ourselves from those who are lost so as to acquire God's blessing. And there are all sorts of conditions
and requirements that are set forth depending on your various
denomination or sect. Whether it may be you're believing
is what you're told makes a difference, or you're receiving him, or just
being serious about religion, or attending church, or reading
your Bible, or praying a prayer, a sinner's prayer, or just praying
regularly before God, whatever. Listen, and believers, they do
get serious about religion. They do believe on Him. They
do pray and read their Bible, but not in order to be saved,
but because they are. As Lamentations 3.22 tells us,
it is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed. It doesn't
say it's of your free will decision made with a proper response is
the reason you're not consumed. No, it's of the Lord's mercies.
Romans 4 verse 4 says, now to him that worketh is the reward
not reckoned of grace, but of debt. That is, if you think you're
saved because of some contribution you put into the mix, something
you do, then that would mean that God is now obligated to
you. The presumption is, he made it,
he set up some terms, I met him, now he owes me, I've earned it.
But look what verse 5 says, but to him that worketh not. but
believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly." That declares a
thief like Onesimus. An unworthy, unprofitable one
declares him not guilty. It says his faith is counted
for righteousness. That's not his act of faith. You can only, only the merit
of a work can be imputed. You see, it's the object of faith.
It's what faith looks to for righteousness. So this refers
to that which his God-given faith, see, believed in as far as meeting
the condition of a perfect righteousness. That is the work of Christ and
that alone being imputed or accounted to him. And listen, if it's any
other way, God would owe the sinner, and that's not a reward
of grace, but of debt. That would be salvation by works,
and God said that shall not be. For by grace are you saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast. And you see, Christ is not going
to happen that way, because he's going to have all the preeminence
in the salvation of a sinner. God willingly according to his
own good purpose and will, saves his elect. That is, all those
that he gave to Christ from eternity past, that Christ might come
and live and die for them to fully accomplish their eternal
salvation. Now back to verse 15. Paul says of Onesimus, he says,
for perhaps he therefore departed for a season that thou shouldest
receive him forever. He's suggesting that the divine,
overruling, providential hand of God was in everything that
had taken place. Here's Onesimus, out of the evil
of his own heart, robbing his master, taking off for Rome,
only to land under the sound of the gospel of God's grace.
And now he's brought back to Fleming. You folks think back. on how
blessed we are, that, like on Nesmus, and you look at the uncanny
turn of events that put you under the sound of this gospel, it's
amazing. And it is cause for rejoicing.
So I don't get all teary-eyed just because I'm unhappy here. He brings him back to Fleming,
and Fleming now can rejoice with him in receiving his spiritual
and his eternal brother in the faith. You know, we have a kinship
as brothers in the faith, and this is an eternal one. He says
that thou shouldest receive him forever, Philemon. You see, and
you know, we don't always get along perfectly, but we will
when this body of sin is destroyed. and sins no longer present, but
we do have a kindred spirit as we walk on this earth somewhat
as aliens, you know. We who have this hope, you see,
we've been blessed with an enlightenment that's of God under the sound
of this gospel message. Well, he continues in verse 16. He says, you'll receive him forever,
not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved,
especially to me. How much more unto thee, both
in the flesh and in the Lord? Paul is saying, look, he's much
more than a servant to you now, Philemon. He's not just returned
to your family in the flesh as your servant and profitable,
certainly in that sense, but he's saying in a spiritual sense,
he may now be received as a profitable fellow citizen and servant in
the household of God. That's a double blessing. Verse
17, Paul says, now, if thou count me therefore a partner, me and
you, Philemon, in the ministry of the gospel, you're my brother,
he says, then receive him, Onesimus, as myself. Now there's a beautiful
picture of substitution. Drawing the spiritual parallel,
we have God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, one
God in three persons interceding, partnering, partnering in their
respective offices to achieve that one God's design and Christ,
God the Son, in his interceding work, you see, he is in essence
ever saying, Father, receive these as you have received me,
and that in his resurrection glory. You see, in other words,
on the same basis of why he came out of that grave for righteousness
demanded life, he's saying on the same basis of the very righteousness
that I established in their room instead. Christ prayed to the
Father in the high priestly prayer in John 17, 4. We read, I have
glorified thee on the earth. I have finished the work which
thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou
me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before
the world was. I have manifested thy name unto
the men. I've identified you, O Father.
to the men which thou gavest me out of the world. Thine they
were, and thou gavest them me, and they have kept thy word."
Now, most believe that at the beginning of that high priestly
prayer, he's speaking primarily about his apostles, and I believe
that's so. But lest we restrict this to
only refer to the apostles, consider what he said as he continues
the prayer down in verse 20. He said, neither pray I for these
alone, that is, these apostles. but for them also which shall
believe on me through their word. I believe that's the word of
the apostles being preached. That they all may be one, as
thou father art in me and I in thee, that they also may be one
in us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. To be
one with the Father is to be one with Christ in the eyes of
God's law and justice. All that the Father gave to Christ,
you see, they are received into glory, into the very presence
of a holy God on that same basis that he came out of the grave,
having the entire merit of his finished work, his righteousness
put to their account by the Father's gracious imputation of it to
them. Look, in the same way that Christ had accounted to him the
demerit of all of their sins. Their surety and substitute took
them on in order that he could pay the just sin debt on their
behalf. Dying for sins he had no part
in producing that they might possess the very righteousness
they had no part in producing. I tell you what, this is This
is good news for a sinner like me and Onesimus. When you get
to verse 18, he says, he continues and he says, if you have wronged
thee, I owe it to thee all. Put that on mine account. Think on that. What a beautiful illustration
of imputation. It pictures how the Lord Jesus
Christ took on the debt incurred by virtue of the wrongs, their
sins, of God's elect, having the demerit of their sins imputed
or charged to his account so he could bear them away and pay
that infinitely valuable price of his blood, his own suffering
and death, a price that no sinner could ever pay for themselves.
Paul goes on in verse 19, he says, I, Paul, have written it
with mine own hand. I will repay it. Look, likewise,
our surety and substitute entered into covenant promise with the
triune God to come in time and actually pay the debt on the
cross. Just as Paul here is saying,
look, not only is the debt, not only am I going to take it on
my account, I'm good for it. He's committing to actually pay
it. And what the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit commit
and promise to do, you see, they cannot fail at for they are God.
So Paul continues here in verse 19 saying, albeit I do not say
to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides.
In other words, Paul's saying I'm gonna pay it even though
you kinda owe me, Philemon. Again, this appears to note that
Philemon owed him perhaps in this sense, that Paul apparently
had been the instrument of his conversion as well as I mentioned
earlier. And you know, there's a picture of mercy and grace
in that. We owe the debt to God's justice. It was a debt we could
not pay. But God didn't set up that, his
whole plan of salvation whereby he's glorified in such a way
to say, but I'm still going to require this of you or that of
you because you kind of owe me. No, no, he paid the whole thing
in full, provided himself a suitable sacrifice. Paul continues in
verse 20, he says, yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the
Lord, refresh my bowels in the Lord. I think he's saying they're
giving me that inner cause for rejoicing. Having confidence
in thy obedience, I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt
also do more than I say. See, Paul knew that Fleming was
his brother, and so he knew he would be of like mind, that he
too had experienced the grace of God in Christ. And having
been received by God in Christ, how could they not forgive this
brother in Christ and likewise receive him as such? Well, I'm
gonna stop there and I'll leave it to you to read the closing
verses of this book on your own. But just to summarize, as I've
already set forth, all men and women, without exception, indeed
bear a resemblance to Onesimus the Unprofitable One, the runaway
thief, the servant. But while all men resemble that
Onesimus, that unprofitable thief, only those who are brought to
recognize their kinship to that Onesimus as totally bankrupt,
the unworthy sinner with nothing to offer. Only they, you see,
That's what it is to be convinced of sin. You see, only they see
their desperate need for Christ to have been their substitute
and their surety. So unless or until you've been
convinced of your kinship to this Onesimus, this unprofitable,
unworthy sinner, it would just be presumption. You'd be tragically
mistaken to consider yourself as spiritually kin to Onesimus,
the born-again believer. and spiritual brother of Paul
and Philemon and all the other blessed objects of God's mercy
and grace in Christ. You know, twin brothers and sisters,
especially identical twins, they bear a much greater resemblance
to each other than other non-twin siblings. And that's why I use
this description in the title of today's message. You see,
believers, stand accepted, the scripture says, in the Beloved,
that is in Christ. And so as such we all stand before
God with the exact same perfect righteousness. The scripture
says of us we're unreprovable, holy, unblameable, me a sinner. The very righteousness of God
which Christ accomplished for them. His righteousness graciously
put you see to their account. So I stand before you just as
righteous as Paul? No, just as righteous as Christ. For my righteousness is not mine
own, but it resides at the right hand of the Father now in heaven
and has been put to my account in the same way my sins were
put to his." Well, like Onesimus, someone you may have providentially
been brought to hear this message for the first time. this wonderful
news of God's grace in Christ. It's the very gospel that Onesimus
came across there in Paul's hired house in Rome. And I pray that
God likewise will be gracious to someone new so that you too
can identify with Onesimus, my spiritual twin.