Philemon. The title of our message
is Onesimus, A Picture of Grace. This letter was written by Paul
while he was a prisoner at Rome. And he's writing to his friend
and fellow believer, Philemon on behalf of Onesimus. It's the
story of a runaway slave. Onesimus was a servant of Philemon
and apparently had been entrusted with Philemon's goods and had
betrayed that trust, had stolen from his master and ran away
to Rome. He thought in the city of Rome,
a large city, that he would never be found and except for the grace
of God, perhaps he wouldn't have. But God had determined to save
Onesimus, this runaway slave, and brought him to hear the gospel
from a prisoner who was at Rome at the same time, at that very
time, Paul. Now Paul, after Onesimus has
heard the gospel, after God has opened his heart, after he's
been saved, Paul sends him back to Philemon with this letter.
I was reminded as I considered this letter from Paul to Philemon
of the hymn in our hymn book, Grace is a Charming Sound. It says, it was grace that wrote
my name in God's eternal book. It was grace that gave me to
the Lamb who all my sorrows took. It was grace that taught my soul
to pray and made my eyes overflow. It's grace that's kept me to
this day and will not let me go. So thankful for that grace. This is an example of God's amazing
grace. Look, if you will, at verse 18.
Look what Paul says. If he that is Onesimus, your
runaway slave, your servant, if he has wronged thee or oweth
thee aught, put that on my account. Charge it to me." That's exactly
what Christ did for his people. Every one of us owed a debt to
God, to God's law and God's justice that we couldn't pay. We could
not pay. God declared, the soul that sinneth,
it must die. And we sinned. And we owed a
debt from which we could not exempt ourselves. We had nothing
to pay. And yet that debt Satisfaction
to God's law, that debt that we owed, must be paid before
God would show mercy. God never shows mercy at the
expense of His justice. Justice must be satisfied. John
wrote, God is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins. The Lord Jesus Christ comes forward. as the surety of his sheep, and
he says, put everything they owe on my account. Charge everything
they owe to God's justice, to God's law, put everything they
owe to me. Turn, if you will, to John's
Gospel, chapter 18, and then we'll come back to Philemon.
And you know where we're going, but this is such a clear picture
of what we're saying in John chapter 18. The traitor Judas
has brought the soldiers to the garden to have our Lord arrested. And we read in verse 4 of John
18, Jesus therefore knowing all things that should come upon
him ran away. No, no. He went forth and said
unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed
him, stood with them. As soon then as he had said unto
them, I am he, they fell backward, or went backward, and fell to
the ground. Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And they
said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I have told you
that I am he. If therefore ye seek me, let
these go their way. Whatever they owe to God's law
and justice, put that down to my account. Charge everything
they owe to me. Paul said, the life that I now
live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who
loved me and gave himself for me. God hath made him, that is
Christ, who knew no sin, to be sin for us that we might be made
the righteousness of God in him. And payment, one hymn writer
put it this way very well. Payment God cannot twice demand. First at my bleeding surety's
hand and then again at mine. He won't do it. He won't do it. And the result of him putting
everything down to our blessed Lord Jesus' account The result
of our Lord paying the debt that we owe to God's justice and law
is this. For everyone for whom He paid
the debt, they have this sweet, sweet promise. There is now for
their no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus and never
will be. Never will be. Bless God. Jesus
paid it all. All to Him we owe. Look, if you
will, in Romans chapter 4. We quoted from Romans 8 and 1
just a moment ago. But look what Paul says in Romans
chapter 4. Here's the blessed result of
Christ being made sin for us. In chapter 4 verse 6. Paul writes,
even as David also describeth the righteousness of the man
unto whom God imputeth righteousness without words, saying, blessed
are they whose iniquities are forgiven. That's a blessed man,
and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. Why? Why? Why will not God charge
his people with sin? Is it because they're without
sin? Is it because they don't sin? No, no, no. It's because
He's already charged all of their sins. All of their sins. He charged,
He laid upon their glorious substitute. And our substitute carried them
all the way. He took them all the way so that
now we stand before God without sin. He will not charge his people
with sin. This is exactly what Paul says.
We were guilty. We deserve death. But, but Christ
stepped forward before the world was ever created. Christ stepped
forward and said, put everything they owe down to my account. Glorious substitution, or rather
I should say, glorious substitute. What a Savior. Listen. Jesus
paid it all. Now look at what Paul says in
verse 17. If thou count me therefore a
partner, receive him as myself. Due for Onesimus, him as you
would me. Treat him as you would me. Receive him as myself. Again, this is a picture of the
redeemed. Turn if you will to John chapter
seventeen and our lord makes mention of this several times
in his high He says, Father, treat them as
you do me. Accept them as you accept me.
Love them with the same love as you love me. Isn't that amazing? In John chapter 17, look at verse
11. Our Lord prays, and now I am
no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come
to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou
givest me, that they may be one as we are. Verse 20. Neither pray I for these alone,
but for them also. which shall believe on me through
their word, 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. Verse 23, I in them,
and thou in me, that they may be made perfect. Be made perfect. Made perfect. love in love in
one and that the world may know that thou has sent me and has
loved them as thou has loved me. Isn't that glorious? The same love the same love that
god the father has for god the son. He has for us. Verse 24, Father,
I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where
I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me
for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world. Receive them the same as me. Think of that. This is what Paul
spoke of in Ephesians chapter 1. God has made us accepted in
to be loved. God receives every redeemed sinner
as he receives Christ himself. My soul, what security that must
be. What acceptance that must be. What an everlasting salvation
that must be. How safe all God's sheep must
be. God the Father receives us in
the same degree, in the same fullness, in the same capacity
as He receives His own Son. My, we could pitch a tent there
for a while, couldn't we? What a blessed and comforting
thought. He says of those the same as
he says of Christ, this is my beloved son. This is my beloved
son. In whom? In whom? Not with whom,
but in whom? And we're in him. We're accepted
in him. In whom I am well pleased. We all know this verse from the
old hymn, but it's so good. It says, near, so very near to
God, nearer I cannot be. How could I be, Joe? How could
I be any more accepted? How could I be any more pleasing?
How could I be any more secure than I am in the person of God's
Son? What a position! What a place! Near, so very near to God. Nearer
I cannot be. I can't get closer. I can't be
more accepted. I can't be more well-pleasing
to God. For in the person of His dear
Son, I am as near as He. Look, if you will, at verse 15
of Philemon. Here's a word of encouragement
to those of us who have lost children, rebels, runaways, like
Onesimus was. Remember the prodigal son? God
brought him down. He allowed him to take his portion
of his father's goods, run away, wasted in riotous living, but
God used those means to bring him down. What a blessed place
to be. To be brought down because you've
heard me say it. Until God strips us, we'll never
be clothed. Until we're lost, we'll never
be found. Blessed, blessed work of God's
Holy Spirit. When he strips us and brings
us down, then and then alone will we look up. and say, Father,
I've sinned. Have mercy on me. And you remember
what the Father did? Enough. Enough. Hey, kill that
fatted calf. Bring forth the best robe. Put
the ring of reconciliation upon his finger. My son was dead and
he's alive again. He was lost but now is found. And our Lord said likewise. There's
rejoicing in heaven over one sinner that repenteth. So it
was with the case of Onesimus. I was reading a sermon by Mr. Spurgeon from this letter of
Paul to Philemon. And he said that he made mention
of the fact because at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, where Mr. Spurgeon pastored, it would be
crowded to capacity. 6,000 people. What a crowd. would
crowd in there to hear the gospel every Sunday. And Mr. Spurgeon
was preaching from this passage about this runaway slave. And
he said, perhaps, perhaps tonight there's an Onesimus here. Perhaps
this very night someone is coming here, not to hear the gospel,
but just to spend the hour. But God Almighty, God Almighty
in sovereign grace may arrest you, may bring you down just
like He did on Nesimus. It's no accident that you're
here to hear the glorious gospel by which God will open your heart
and save your everlasting soul. And that's exactly what happened.
Mr. Spurgeon said sometime after
that he was on the street and a man came up to him and said,
I want you to read this letter. and he took it out of his pocket,
and Mr. Spurgeon read it, and it was
a letter from a son who had ran away from his father, had shamed
the family, and he was waiting to get on a ship to go to America,
and he had some time to waste, to spend, so he went into the
tabernacle, sat down, and heard the gospel of God's sovereign
grace. Perhaps, perhaps that prodigal
son daughter has departed from thee just for a season that he
might be received unto everlasting glory. That's God's amazing grace. As we shall see in the case of
Onesimus, this runaway slave, God moves God moves. God works. God's never idle. God's never on vacation. He's
not like those gods of Baal. Oh no. He hears the cries of
His people. He identifies with what troubles
them. He knows their heartache and
He's Mighty to save. And when He reaches down His
mighty arm of grace, none can stay His hand, and none can resist
His will. When He says, come down sinner,
I'll tell you what will happen. That sinner, no matter who he
is, No matter how fallen, no matter how far he's wandered,
that sinner will bow down before the throne of sovereign grace
and plead for mercy. Oh yes, God moves in a mysterious
way His wonders to perform. He plants His footsteps in the
sea and He rides. He rides upon the storm. Deep
in unfathomable minds of never failing skill, He treasures up
His wise designs and works His sovereign will. Now look at Onesimus
with me. A picture of grace. First behold
the wonder of God's grace. And it's indeed a wonder. Ask anybody. That's experienced
it. God's grace is amazing. God's
grace is effectual. What does that mean? That means
it works. That means it gets the job done. It means it accomplishes whatever
God intends. Ask anyone who's experienced
God's grace. Ask this runaway slave. Ask Onesimus. Onesimus, is God's grace not
a wonder? Is it not a marvel to your soul? And he said, oh yes. Let me tell
you what happened. Let me tell you what my intentions
was. Let me tell you why I went to
Rome. Let me tell you what God did. It's amazing. It's marvelous. God's true grace is. I don't
mean that which is called grace in our day. Grace that's simply
an offer. No good news there, is there?
Grace is not an offer to save. What good would that be? What
good would that do? No, it's God's operation of grace. It's what God does. It's what
God performs. God says, they shall be my people,
and I shall be their God. I don't see any room there for
failure, do you? Concerning our Redeemer, the
prophet said, He shall not fail. My righteous servant shall not
fail. And when our glorious substitute,
after bearing the wrath of God, after carrying our sins away
forever, exclaimed, it is finished, it didn't sound like a failure
to me, does it you? And thank God it wasn't. My people
shall be willing in the day of my power. Not in the day of their
will, but in the day of God's will. Grace is always first.
Always. Grace first contrived a way to
save rebellious man in all the steps that grace display, which
drew the wondrous plan. Odessimus did not love God, and
he did not want to be loved by God. He didn't seek God's love,
but, but, but God, but God loved him. God had set His love on
this runaway slave before He ever said, let there be light.
Before He ever created the heavens and the earth, He had loved this
slave with an everlasting love. But God loved him. And that made
the difference. Listen to what the prophet Jeremiah
said in Jeremiah chapter 31. At the same time, saith the Lord,
will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they
shall be my people. Thus saith the Lord. The people
which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness,
even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest. The Lord had appeared
of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee, child of God. Listen to this. The Lord hath
appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an
everlasting love. Therefore, with lovingkindness
have I drawn thee." Onesimus was the object of eternal election. God chose this slave, this rebel,
to salvation before the world was ever created. Isn't that
wondrous? Isn't that wondrous? People say,
when they hear the scripture, Jacob have I loved, but Esau
have I hated. Oh, can't stand that. Can't stand
that. Oh, that's just terrible. Let
him be brought face to face with what they really are. Let God
open their eyes to see their state before Him. And they'll
not marvel that God hated Esau. They'll marvel and adore that
He could love a worm like Jacob. That's the marvel, is it not?
Look what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1 concerning God's choice of
sinners to salvation. And he says this very thing.
In verse 26 of 1 Corinthians 1, For you see your calling brethren,
how that not many, some but not many, not many wise men after
the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God,
that makes a difference. That makes all the difference.
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound
the wise. And God hath chosen the weak
things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.
And base things of the world and things which are despised
hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not to bring to naught
things that are. for this purpose, that no flesh
should glory in His presence, but of Him, that is, of God,
are you in Christ Jesus, who of God has made unto us wisdom
and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, that according
as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. Turn, if you will, to 2 Thessalonians
chapter 2. Paul describes his day, and our
day, a day in which men will turn their ears from the truth
and will turn to fables, would rather hear fairy tales than
to hear the truth of God's Word. Well then, will God's purpose
fall to the ground? Will God's grace prove ineffectual? Oh, no. Oh, no. Look what Paul
says in verse 13. But, you see, God's love, God's
purpose, God's grace, God's design, God's work, it doesn't fail. He's God. He's God. You and I have both heard in
our religious day these little slogans. God is trying. God is trying. God is wanting
to have His way. If God had His way. That's nonsense. That's nonsense. I don't know who they're talking
about. I don't know who that pygmy is. But He's not the God
of the Scriptures. He's not the God over all. He's
not the God that has His way and the world wins and the clouds
are but the dust of His feet. He's God Almighty. But we are
bound, verse 13, to give thanks always to God for you, brethren,
beloved of the Lord, because God, look what God did. He had from the beginning chosen
you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the
truth. Whereunto He called you, whom He did foreknow, He also
called. How shall they call upon Him
on whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without
a preacher? God sent Onesimus to a preacher. And God sent the preacher to
Onesimus. That's not a problem for God.
Chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit
and belief of the truth. Whereunto He called you. He called
you by our gospel. to the obtaining of the glory
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Not only is this an example,
onesimus, of God's wondrous grace, it's a demonstration of God's
sovereign grace. It was unmerited. It was undeserved. It's entirely up to God. If that ever dawns on a man,
He won't casually go his way after hearing the gospel. Oh
no. If God ever opens his eyes to
realize that his immortal soul is in God's hands, that it's
not up to him, That God's not waiting for him to do something
for God. God's not waiting for him to
take the first step. No, his salvation or his damnation
is entirely upon the will of God Almighty. Look what Paul
said in Romans 9, or listen while I read it. Romans 9 verse 15. For he saith to Moses, I will
have mercy upon whom I will have mercy. And I will have compassion
upon whom I will have compassion. So then, Paul concludes, if that's
the case, if that's true, if that's the only reason one sinner
is saved and another is not, so then it is not of him that
willeth. That's not the cause. Or of him
that runneth. The reason is this. The reason
any rebel finds mercy. The reason any rebel finds grace
is because God showeth mercy. It's entirely up to him. That's
exactly what Paul was saying here. And that's startling to
most people today. They would be shocked to hear
that preached in most churches. In most Baptist churches, go
in and take that as your text and people say, oh, that's terrible,
that's terrible. We can't have that. Well, whether
they will or not, that's the way it is. God is not obligated
to show mercy. If he were, it would cease to
be mercy. The sovereign grace of God sought
out Onesimus. He didn't seek God. Onesimus
went to Rome to hide, but God found him. He couldn't hide from
God. Onesimus didn't want grace, but
grace wanted him. Onesimus didn't come to grace,
but grace came to him. Listen to what the prophet said
in Isaiah chapter 62. We read these blessed words. verse 10 or verse 12 rather,
Isaiah 62 and 12. And they shall call them the
holy people, the redeemed of the Lord, and they shall be called
sought out. sought out. Who did the seeking? God. A city not forsaken. And then in chapter 65 of Isaiah,
verse 1, I am sought of them that ask not for me. I am found
of them that sought me not. That sounds strange, doesn't
it? But not to God's grace. I am found of them that sought
me not. I said, behold me, behold me,
unto a nation that was not called by my name. Thank God for such
sovereign grace. Would anything less than that
have saved you? Would anything less than that
have saved you? Of course not. Today's religion
says, take the first step. Take the first step, then God. But the great shepherd says,
I came to take all the steps. I've come to seek and to save
the lost. And if he doesn't, you'll never
be found. If he doesn't, you'll never be
saved. Oh, how thankful we should be.
that God doesn't leave us to ourselves. How thankful I am
that it's not true that God's done all that He can do. Salvation
is of the Lord. Which part? You name it. Every part. Every part. from election to glorification
and everything in between the two. It's all of the Lord. A man named Josiah Condor wrote
an old hymn that expresses this well. He said, It is not that
I did choose thee, for, Lord, that could not be. This heart
would still refuse thee, had thou not chosen me. My heart
owns none before thee, for thy rich grace I thirst. This knowing
if I love thee, thou must have loved me first. And that's exactly
what John wrote. We love him because he first
loved us. We see here too in the case of
Onesimus, grace before grace. Grace preparing the way for grace. The old writers referred to it
as prevenient grace. God ruling and overruling all
things to accomplish his purpose of grace. Before we're called
and when we're called. Onesimus did exactly what he
wanted to do. And he was responsible for it.
He was guilty. It was wrong to steal from his
master and to flee to Rome. But God used that to bring him
to Rome to hear Paul preach the gospel and be saved. Is that not wondrous overriding
grace? Paul was brought to Rome as a
prisoner. Onesimus came as a runaway slave,
a criminal. And Onesimus ran. He ran. He ran right into the arms of
God's grace. He can do the same for our sons
and our daughters. Oh yes, they can run, but they
can't outrun God's grace. They can't outrun his grace.
Both he and Paul came at God's appointed time, to God's appointed
place, for God's appointed purpose, to save this runaway slave. Our Lord said, other sheep I
have, which are not of this fold, them also I must bring. I must bring, perhaps even now. Perhaps even now God is arranging
for an Onesimus to be here this morning to hear the Gospel and
to open his heart and to drop in his amazing grace. Perhaps
next weekend when our brother comes to preach, God will gather
here an Onesimus to hear the gospel and to save his soul. This is what Paul told Timothy,
is the reason that he endured the things that he did. Timothy,
I'm bound, I'm in prison, but the Word of God is not bound.
Therefore, I endure all things for the elect's sake. I've had
people tell me, ignorant people say to me, Jeff, if I believed
what you believed, I wouldn't even preach. I'd say, man, if
I believed what you do, that it's up to man, I wouldn't preach. Oh no, election, God's will and
purpose to save, is all the reason too. Paul said, I endure all
things for the elect's sake that they too may obtain the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus. When Satan tempted Onesimus to
steal from his master, about that same time, an angry mob,
had gathered around the apostle Paul as he preached the gospel
when he first arrived at Jerusalem. And they said, away with that
man. It's not fit that he should live. And the soldiers came down
and rescued the apostle Paul. And that night, while he sat
in that dungeon cell, God spoke to him and said, Paul, don't
be afraid. Don't worry. As you've bared witness of me
in Jerusalem, so shall you bare witness of me at Rome. And Paul
was put on a ship. And he goes to Rome. Turn, if
you will, to Acts chapter 28. Acts chapter 28. Paul has some liberty. He's a
prisoner, but he has his own hired house, it's called. And
people come to him, and Paul expounds the gospel to them from
morning to night. He speaks to them concerning
the glorious things of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Jews say,
well, we've heard enough, and they go away. And then others
come, Gentiles included. Look at verse 30 of Acts chapter
28. And Paul dwelt two whole years
in his own hired house and received all that came in unto him, preaching
the kingdom of God and teaching those things which concerned
the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no man forbidding
him. And one day, one day, can you
picture this? One day, among the people that
would come and sit down and hear the gospel, one day, here comes
this runaway slave. Here comes Onesimus. And he sits
down among Paul's hearers, and God opens his heart and opens
his eyes, and he believes that God saves him. That's why Paul
wrote this letter. and sent him back to his master,
to Philemon. Last of all, God's grace is always
successful. Remember this. We're talking
about God's grace. Paul said, God who commanded
the light to shine out of darkness. God commanded the light. He said
in the same way He commanded the light of the glorious gospel
of God to shine into our hearts. He commanded it. He didn't beg
for an entrance. He didn't say, pretty please
will you let me in? Oh no, he turned the light on. God's grace can never be defeated. Paul said, for by grace are ye
saved. Saved. And God saves us by His
grace. Paul went on to say in Ephesians
2 that in the ages to come, He might show the exceeding richness
of His grace and His kindness toward us in Jesus Christ. He'll put us in the display,
the trophy case, if you will, of heavenly glory and say, look
what I did. Look what my grace has accomplished. Look what the triune God has
done. Look there, a multitude before
the throne of God. Look at them. They're perfect. Look at them. No sin. Pick out anyone you want. You
won't find any sin. They're without fault, without
a blemish, without a spot before the throne of God. Look there,
there's Paul. Paul, remember how he hated Jesus? There he sings the praises of
his Redeemer. And there's Philemon. And there,
standing right next to Philemon, clothed in the same robe, waving
the same blessed palm of victory, standing on the same foundation,
there's Onesimus. But I'll tell you what, A greater wonder than that, a
greater trophy than any of them will be this sinner. Will be
this sinner seeing the King in His beauty. Child of God, your
labor and your faithfulness and the cause of Christ in this place
is not in vain. Your prayers on behalf of your
lost loved ones is not in vain. Grace can never be overruled.
God's grace cannot be overcome. Not the true grace of God. Religion
can and will. Man's works will. Man's will
can. But not God's grace. What was
true of Onesimus is true of each of God's children. Grace preserved
him. protected him, directed him,
and conquered him. Grace reigns. Onesimus is now
in glory, called, kept, and brought home, and so shall every one
of his sheep be. Grace alone gives a sinner hope.
Grace alone. If salvation were on any other
grounds, there would be no hope. But our Redeemer sits upon the
throne of grace. Come boldly. Come to the throne
of grace that ye may attain grace and mercy in time of need. And our great savior setting
upon his throne of grace says, come, come, come. Let him that hear us say come.
And let him that is a thirst come. And whosoever will, let
him take the water of life freely. Anybody thirsty? Anybody thirsty? You've drank of this world religion,
but you're still thirsty. You've walked owls, perhaps?
I did. Still thirsty. Made decisions?
Didn't amount to very much. Still thirsty. Oh, come to the
fountain, filled with blood, drawn from Emmanuel's veins.
Plunge into that fountain, and all your sins All your sins will
be washed away, washed away forever, forever. Amen. God bless you.