If You Seek Me, Let These Go Their Way

We can't begin to imagine. Let's look at the Book of Philemon today. Book of Philemon. Right before Hebrews. Paul. a prisoner of Jesus Christ and Timothy, our brother, and to Philemon, our dearly beloved and fellow laborer, and to our beloved Athia and Acropis, our fellow soldier, and to the church in thy house, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers, hearing of thy love, and faith which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus and toward all saints, that the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.

For we have great joy and consolation in thy love because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother. 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 in one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.

I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, 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, thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels, 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. For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him forever. Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, especially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

If thou count me, therefore, as a partner, receive him as myself. If he hath wronged thee, or with thee ought, put that on mine account. I, Paul, have written it with mine own hand, and I will repay it. Albeit, I do not say unto thee how thou owest unto me thine own self besides.

Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord. Refresh my bowels in the Lord. Having confidence in thine obedience, I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt do also more than I say. But withal, prepare me also a lodging, for I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you. There salute thee, Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellow laborers. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Now, anyone who has sat under the preaching of the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace has heard a message from this book of Philemon, maybe more than one, kind of like the prodigal son, It seems like every time you hear that message, it's a new revelation for you. And it brings us to remember how gracious our God has been to us. So we see three types here. Philemon is God the Father. Paul is Christ the Son who makes intercession for the offending sinner. And of course, Onesimus is a type of the offending sinner.

I'd love to speak to God's people and to hear how each one came to faith in Christ, how they heard the true gospel of Christ and him crucified. Many of us came out of religion, dead religion, but religion nonetheless. But God put us in a place where we were able to hear the true gospel of Christ and his sacrifice, his election, his choosing of a people before this world was ever created. Many people that I've talked to over the years heard Henry Mahan on the broadcast at 13th Street, used to air in Ashland. Many have heard the gospel over the internet on sites like Sermon Audio.

But I don't recall ever talking to anyone of God's saints that ever heard the gospel while they were sitting in jail. I can only think of one occurrence of this in the scripture, and that's when the keeper of the prison in Philippi was saved when Paul and Silas preached to him. But that's the only one that we can think of in the scriptures.

But God Almighty will see to it. It's a sure thing. He will see to it that in his good time, every chosen elect sinner will be brought unto the hearing of the gospel. They will come via many different paths, but you can be sure that all will be led to the feet of our sovereign Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ, where, through the preaching of the gospel, they will learn of Him and His mercy and His grace. They will be like that demoniac of Gadara. They will sit and learn at the feet of Christ by hearing a preacher preach the gospel of Christ and Him crucified.

In Paul's first words in this letter to Philemon, he describes himself in an odd way. He says, I'm a prisoner of Jesus Christ. And that would be a strange way of describing oneself if you didn't believe that all things that are brought to pass come to pass because of the will of our sovereign God. Many would argue and say, no, Paul was a prisoner of Rome, but he wasn't. Paul knew from his circumstances, since the Lord had saved him, that nothing occurs outside of God's will. Paul no doubt remembered that what transpired at Philippi when that keeper of the prison and his entire family were given faith and were baptized. Now Paul was blessed with a strong faith that the God he served did all things well, that nothing came to pass that was not purposed before our God ever spoke this universe into being.

That's how he could write in Philippians 4.11, For I have learned, Paul said, in whatsoever state I am in, therewith to be content. Man, I wish I could learn that. To stare right into the eye of any circumstance that comes our way and be sure that that circumstance has occurred because of the will of our loving Father, who arranges all things for our good and His glory.

In verses seven through four, of our text, Paul commends Philemon for his love and his faith that he had toward the Lord Jesus Christ and toward all saints were told how that the bowels of the saints were refreshed by him. Paul then comes to the purpose of his writing this letter to Philemon. The first thing that Paul writes concerning Onesimus is this. He said, I beseech thee for my son, Onesimus. Paul also used this word, beseech, in many of his letters.

In 2 Corinthians 5.20, he wrote this, Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us. We pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. Paul is saying here that when a man preaches the gospel, it is as if Christ himself is standing, beseeching that sinner to come to himself. to bow to his will.

And Paul beseeches Philemon. He implores him. He pleads with him on the behalf of Onesimus, whom he now considered his son in the faith. And then Paul says this about Onesimus. He said, whom I have begotten in my bonds. Now begotten is a past tense, of course, of beget, which means to bring forth into existence that which did not exist beforehand. So in this instance, when Paul says that he had begotten Onesimus in his bonds, he simply means that through the preaching of the gospel to Onesimus, the Lord gave him spiritual life. Paul wasn't taking credit for that.

Obviously, he knew the gift of life, the gift of faith was a gift of the Holy Spirit, the work of God alone. But Paul is simply saying that by being used to proclaim the gospel to Onesimus of Christ and him crucified, a new spiritual life was brought forth and this happened while Paul and Anesimus were in bonds were in prison and being in bonds their circumstances and their location were controlled by others.

And so it was with our Lord Jesus Christ. We read in Matthew 27 to we read this concerning our Lord and when they had bound him they led him away and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor. But unlike Paul and Onesimus, our Lord Jesus Christ allowed himself to be bound.

And he allowed that for our sakes. We were like Barabbas, who Mark tells us was laid bound with them that had made insurrection with him, those that had been in rebellion to Rome. We're like that demoniac of Gadara, whom Luke tells us was bound with chains and fetters. So we all our lifetimes, Hebrew tells us we're bound, bound by sin. But our savior allowed himself to be bound so that we could be set free, according to Isaiah 53.

And then Paul says this about an SMS in verse 11 of our text, he says, which in time past was to the unprofitable, but now profitable to the and to me, this word unprofitable is only found seven times in all of scripture. And it's a fitting description of lost men and women in their hopeless condition before a holy God. In Romans three, Paul is describing that hopeless condition of natural man. And in verse 12, he says of the entire human race, they are all gone out of the way. They are together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good, no, Not one. Now, before mercy found us, we were exactly like Paul describes a Nessimus of no use whatsoever to a holy God. We were by our very nature enemies of God, unprofitable to anyone, even ourselves.

And were it not for the mercy and grace of God toward us in Christ, our fate would have been that which is spoken of by our Lord Jesus Christ, when he's telling his disciples about the end times in Matthew 24 and 25. And in verse 30 of chapter 25, he says this of the lost in the day of judgment. And cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. But because of the mercy and grace of our God, both we and this man Onesimus went from being unprofitable to being profitable servants of this great God whom we serve. Then we find this, Paul wrote in verse 15, he says, perhaps he therefore departed for a season that you should receive him forever.

Now this is the experience of each and every child of God. We are born into sin. We've departed from our God. When our father Adam willingly disobeyed God in the garden, we left behind All that was good and right and ran toward that which is evil because that's our nature to do so.

And this is pictured so vividly in that story of the prodigal son. He had everything that he could hope for and wish for as he dwelt in his father's house. But he, like all of us, was convinced that there had to be something more to life than this. Grass is always greener on the other side, as the old saying goes. So he took off, and he found nothing but heartbreak. And such was our father Adam. He had it all, blessed like no other man in the history of the human race. And yet, Adam was convinced that there had to be something more. So he took of that fruit of the forbidden tree. And when his fall came, our fall came with him.

But this prodigal soon learned That sin is a deceiver. I wish men and women, especially young men and women, could learn that. It promises pleasure, but it only delivers pain. Sin promises happiness, but it only delivers heartbreak. It promises good times. We'll have some good times, but it only delivers heartbreak and despair.

But let us also hope for our children and grandchildren, those that we love so dear, because of this verse in Philemon 15, that perhaps our loved ones have departed for a season, but yet may be brought to faith in Christ in due time, that is, Our only hope. David wrote in Psalm 13 five, he said, But I have trusted in thy mercy. My heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. I will sing unto the Lord because he has dealt bountifully with me. A bounty is something that is generously given, and our God gives us his grace, his love, his long suffering, his mercy in abundance. all of which is ours because of the sacrifice of our blessed Redeemer on our behalf. And this is all our hope for those that we love and sometimes nearly despair over, that since God has shown us mercy, perhaps he will show mercy to them as well, that he will not allow them to go on their way to eternal destruction. And we have a good hope because our hope is in the fact that our God delights in mercy. And then Paul urges Philemon in verses 17, 18, and 19.

He says this, if thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself. If he hath wronged thee or oweth thee aught, put that on mine account. I, Paul, have written it with mine own hand. I will repay it. Now most of Paul's letters were actually written by other people. Paul dictated them and other people wrote them out because supposedly Paul's vision was very poor. But he made a point of writing this promise with his own hand. I will repay it.

And this obviously is such a great, great picture of our Lord Jesus Christ interceding before the father on behalf of his people. Paul writes, if thou count me there for a partner and certainly God the Father counts Christ a partner. Partner in the triune God, Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost. And then Paul says to Philemon, if thou count me a partner, receive him as myself. Embrace him, welcome him exactly the same way you would me if it were me knocking on your door.

And that's the way our blessed Lord is going to one day receive us the same as Christ himself. And this is a most blessed picture of the elect being accepted in the beloved. If we are not right now seen as holy and as righteous as Christ himself, God could not and will not allow us into his presence. And you can be sure that there is no acceptance outside of the beloved, that those who are not found in Christ will surely perish. But being in Christ, we have this most blessed promise that we find in Jude 24 and 25. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before his presence with exceeding joy, To the only wise God, our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. Being found in Christ, we are now free from any charge that could be brought against us. Justice has been fully satisfied, completely sated.

What does Romans 8.1 say? There is therefore now not much condemnation. No, it says there is therefore now no, no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus who walked not after the flesh, but after the spirit for the law of the spirit and life of life in Christ hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Then in this same eighth chapter of Romans, Paul asks this question, who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect It is God that justifies the highest authority in this universe, deems us justified. Who is he that condemneth that is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. And he makes this intercession for us the same way that Paul made intercession for Onesimus.

If he hath wronged thee or oweth thee aught, put that on mine account. But unlike Paul who wrote, I will repay it, our Lord Jesus Christ can say, I have already repaid it. He has done the great transactions done. I am my Lord's and he is mine. He has already been wounded for my transgressions. He has already been bruised for not my iniquities. The chastisement of my peace has already been laid on him. God's justice. looks at my account and sees it stamped, paid in full.

God's justice and wrath one day came to the Lord Jesus Christ the same way the mob came to him in the Garden of Gethsemane. And they said, we have come to exact payment for the sins of a people. And we understand that you have agreed to take that punishment upon yourself. to bear their sins and iniquities in your own body. And our blessed Lord replied the same way he replied to that mob in the garden.

He said, that's right, I have agreed to that. If therefore ye seek me, let these go their own way. Christ said, it's me you're after, not them. If they have wronged me or owed thee, I'll put that on my account. I will take the punishment due to their iniquities. And in this verse, we find a picture of what our Lord told his disciples in John 10. Turn over there with me to the book of John. John chapter 10. John the 10th chapter.

In verse 11, Christ says this, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. He giveth his life freely for the redemption of his sheep. He goes on to explain that this is why he is so loved by the Father. Verse 15. As a father knoweth me, even so I know I the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, that's you and me, and other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and they shall be one fold and one shepherd. Therefore, because of all this, doth my father love me because I lay down my life that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my father.

This laying down of his life is the ultimate demonstration of God in Christ. God being in Christ, the ultimate demonstration of his love for his people. Christ told his disciples as much in chapter 15 when he said, greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You can give someone all your worldly goods, for their benefit, and that would certainly be a great demonstration of love. But even when you do that, you keep the most precious possession that you have, you keep your life. But when you're actually willing to give your very life's blood to save another, that is, Christ tells us, the ultimate demonstration of love. And he set that example for us. But Isaiah 53 tells us that our blessed Savior didn't just stop at the laying down of His life, but verse 10 of that chapter tells us that He made His very soul, His very soul an offering for sin.

I can't comprehend that. On that cross, He bore in his soul what the elect of God would have borne throughout eternity in the pit of the damned. It's as if all the oceans of God's wrath were condensed into one cup, and Christ was made to drink that cup, to pay that price for the awful debt that we owe. He became that ransom spoken of in Job 33, 24, that verse that we love so much, deliver him from going down to the pit, for I have found a ransom. God's elect will never go to the pit of the dam because of the unimaginable, unimaginable sacrifice of our Lord and Savior.

And then in verse 21 of Philemon, we read this. Having confidence in thy obedience, I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt also do more than what I say. When I read that, it brought to mind that a verse in Ephesians 3.20. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus through all ages, world without end. Amen. One day bless us with eternal life to be forever in the presence of him who loved us and laid down his life on our behalf. It will be the unimaginable fulfillment of what Paul wrote concerning our God above doing all above all that we can think or ask.

And I say that because our minds cannot begin to comprehend the majesty of our God As Ruth sang, what a day that will be when my savior I will see. We have nothing to compare it to. And as I've said many times, our grandest imaginations of glory do not begin to even scratch the surface of what the reality of it will be.

We'll be like the Queen of Sheba. After she saw Solomon in all his glory, she declared this in first Kings 10 7. She said, how be it? I believe not the words until I came and mine eyes have seen it. And behold, the half was not told me by wisdom and that prosperity exceeded the fame which I heard. But we won't declare the half had not been told, we will declare the billionth has not been told. We will be so overcome. With the sight of our God and our savior that we will never get over it for all the ages of eternity. We will sing his praises, gladly sing his praises for all eternity. And then lastly, we read this in verse 22.

But with all prepared me also lodging for I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you. Now, history tells us that the apostle Paul died in Rome shortly after he wrote this letter to Philemon. More than likely, he was beheaded, as usually the execution style for Roman citizens, which we know Paul was. But he told Philemon to prepare him a lodging because he expected to see him sometime in the future after he was tried and released, but that didn't happen.

But this is also a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ, who said twice to his father in his prayer in John 17, he said to his father, I come to thee. Our Lord knew that his work that the father had given him to do would soon be complete and that he would rise again and later return to the father. At that time, the father would speak to him those words that we find in Psalm 110 verse one, the Lord sayeth unto my Lord, set thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. Now that same scripture is mentioned twice in the book of Hebrews.

It's mentioned in Acts 2.35 and also the Lord himself mentions it in the Gospels.

What an incredible occasion that must have been. Can you imagine the Lord of glory returning to heaven after he had given his life for his elect on this earth? Begin to imagine. No, we can't. That's a silly question. Can you begin to imagine? Because we can't.

The angels must have shouted in unison with unspeakable joy when the Lord returned to his throne. And one day, because of his death on our behalf, and because of his intercession on our behalf, we'll join those angels in singing his praises. The praises of our great high priest who has made atonement for our sins and given us a standing of perfection before our holy father. We are now fully accepted in the beloved. We should be. We should be the happiest people on earth.

Knowing that the mercy of our God had been shown to us, we could have been born in Esau. I was in Detroit beginning of this month visiting relatives. That's where Debbie and I were born and raised in Detroit. And I went and visited with my brother and my son. I went and visited my mother and father's grave. And as I stood over that grave, I couldn't help but thank the Lord for his goodness toward me.

My father was born in Esau. He had a horrible, horrible life. His father was killed when he was six years old. His mother remarried a man who was an absolute demon. My father Ran away from home, I think, when he was 13 years old. And his entire life, his entire adult life, he was an alcoholic.

And I thought as I stood over that grave, that could have been me. I don't know why. The Lord would leave Him and choose me. But I spent a lot of time with family up there, none of whom care anything for the gospel. But it made me remember once again just how blessed I am. And I hope that you will remember as well, because I think you're like me, probably a few Think of your family members, cousins, uncles, mothers, fathers, nieces, nephews, children, grandchildren, how few of them know the gospel. As I said, we should be the happiest people on earth. I thank you for your attention. Billy, come lead us in a song, please.

If You Seek Me, Let These Go Their Way

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If You Seek Me, Let These Go Their Way

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