My message tonight is in great measure born from some of the correspondence that I have done today and in recent weeks. Today, I wrote to six different men who are inmates in state and federal prisons around the country. Some of them I've heard from several times, some of them just once. some of them just a couple of times. You all know my correspondence for years with Brother Tom DeJarnett, and God's wise providence.

This man was serving time in Lucasville, in a tent in Lucasville, Ohio, when he heard the gospel of God's free grace. Brother Mahan was preaching on the radio, and on one occasion he had the opportunity to go to Lucasville and preach. And when he did, he said he walked in, there's this great big black man there. Walked up to him and said, are you Henry Mahan? And Henry started to say yes or no. He said, yes, I am. And the fellow said, you're the man who told me about a savior. who put away all my sins, I've got to hug your neck." And he just grabbed him in a big bear hug and hugged him. And we've been corresponding for years now. Tom's still in prison, preaches a good bit in prison. I write to him about every week.

I have a friend I've never met, his family's a very good friend of mine, or very good friends of mine, who is in prison now. in Texas for drugs, got caught with a fairly small amount of cocaine, but he's pulling pretty hard time for possession of cocaine. And he was raised in a family where the gospel of God's grace is believed and where our God is worshiped, but he wouldn't pay any attention. And God got his attention while he was in prison. And I believe God saved him. I've had some very good, very good letters from him.

I've been around long enough that I generally know when I'm being conned. And I get some letters from cons who are trying to con me. I recognize that. But this fella, I believe God's done something for him. I received a check the other day for the tape minister here, $15. Scratched my head and I thought, where on earth this come from? Made out by the United States Treasury Department for $15. Why on earth would they be sending us $15? And then I spotted down in the bottom of it, or Shelby did one, it came from a fella I just heard from one time, prisoner in a prison, I believe he's in New Jersey in one of the penitentiaries there. God was pleased to reveal the grace that's so rich and abundant and free in Christ to him. while he was in prison.

I just heard recently from a young man who I presume is a young man who's in prison. This one I know is in New Jersey and said God had saved him. He got hold of some material I'd written and asked if I'd send him some more. So we're sending that to him. I received a letter about a week ago. I just answered today from a man, one of the most interesting and most Heartbreaking letters you'll ever read. A man who was a preacher, spent most of his life preaching. He was a Methodist preacher. 19 years ago, he made a profession of faith and started preaching in a Methodist church. And he heard me on radio while he was in jail in Pennsylvania, pulling time for his third drunk driving conviction. And God taught him something of the gospel of his free grace. He wrote to me and asked me if I could send him some more tapes and literature. His life just turned upside down and God was pleased to turn his life upside down, teach him something of his free grace.

And I've been corresponding recently with a fellow out in California. He's in Folsom Prison. I asked him last time we wrote to write to me and tell me something about his background because the letters I get from him are not typical of convicts. He's a man who indicates some measure of education and so forth. I was surprised. He wrote to me and told me he'd been in and out of prison, either juvenile correction centers or prisons, since he was 16 years old. He's 35 now.

While he was in prison in Folsom Prison in California, there's a man there whom God had saved by his grace and taught him something of the gospel of his free grace. And this fellow wound up working with him and living in the same cell with him, and he didn't have much choice but to listen to him down there. And God saved him. And I mean, this fellow, he's written some things that are as good as anything I've ever preached. He just, right on the money, just good, good literature.

He wrote a few weeks ago and asked me if we would consider helping them to establish a a sovereign grace tape ministry out of the chapel library in the prison there. I said, if you can arrange it, we'll do it. And I got a letter from him. He said, we got it arranged. Can you send some tapes? I've got a note in the bullet about it Sunday. If you want to help pay for some of those tapes, you just designate your gifts in that regard, but we're going to send them. I told him we would.

He said, there are a few men there who have received clear understanding concerning the gospel of God's free grace. And they're certainly in the minority, but they wanted to establish a tape lending library there for sovereign grace literature. And you have to understand these things can't be done just, I can't just send tapes to a fellow who's in prison. I got to send them to a chaplain and that chaplain must have word from the prisoner beforehand that he wants them, that they're coming and so on. And so it's some rigamarole and red tape, but God's opened the door. So we're going to do it.

And with those things in mind, All of these men, all of them, are men who were snatched from the jaws of hell itself, from behind prison bars by God's free grace. To bring them up to glory, the Savior brought them down in his providence to utter despair and utter worthlessness. And that's often the case.

Now, I have an affinity with them because I recognize, and I'm going to say this and say it without explanation, hope you understand it. I recognize without question that had it not been for God's grace and providence who snatched me from my path of destruction, had God just left me in the way I had chosen to run my life, I would have long ago been sitting in a jail cell just like these fellows are. Either that or I'd have done been in hell, one of the two. And so I have an affinity for them.

And I find in the scriptures one clear example of the very same thing happening. If you want to turn in your Bibles to the book of Philemon, It's that little one-page epistle right in front of the book of Hebrews. Philemon. Philemon. Now Philemon was a truly gracious man. A man who apparently lived, judging by the associations that he knew and Paul was aware of, apparently lived somewhere in the area of Colossae. But this man Philemon was a man of some means and wealth and he maintained a church in his house. He maintained a place in his house for men and women to come and gather together and worship God and he took care of the expenses and so forth apparently out of his own pocket. This man loved the Lord Jesus Christ and he was a benevolent friend to the Apostle Paul. He treated God's servants kindly and graciously. In verse 5, Paul is writing to him, and he says, Paul writes to him. He said, Now, I'm writing to you, Philemon, because I understand by your testimony that you're a remarkably gracious man, a man in whom the grace of God is evident.

But Philemon had a slave. Back in those days, slavery was common. The Bible doesn't teach that it's good. The Bible just recognizes that it existed in those days and deals with things as they are. And in those days, in Roman government, Philemon, being a wealthy man as he was, had a slave, a slave by the name of Onesimus, who had somehow come to gain favor with his master. Onesimus was a man that Philemon trusted with his household goods. He was the man that would be trusted with the money of the house to go and pay for the groceries and go and take care of this thing, take care of that thing. He was the fellow who would run the errands and take care of running the business of the house.

Well, this man, Onesimus, betrayed his master's trust. He took his master's goods and ran off down to Rome. like the prodigal son who took his father's goods that fell to him and wasted his substance in riotous living. Onesimus probably thought, well if I go down to Rome there I can get lost in the cloud and I'll never be found. And there he took away his master's goods and he was found among the vagabonds in Rome.

Now I don't know how it happened, but by one means or another Onesimus was brought at last into contact with the Apostle Paul and was brought to hear the gospel of God's free grace from Paul's lips in the prison at Rome. Now it may be, it may be that someone saw Onesimus when he was finally destitute and had wasted everything and he was, as they say, down on his luck and when he was just, he was down to nothing. And this person may have simply said, now Onesimus, there's a fellow is a house prisoner over here who is God's messenger. If you want to hear something, come hear him. That may have been the case. But I rather suspect that Onesimus was arrested in Rome, and while he was a prisoner at Rome, He was brought to hear the gospel from another man who was also a prisoner at Rome.

Now, like I said, I don't know for sure that Onesimus was a prisoner, but I do know that Paul was. And he heard the gospel in a prison at Rome. He was made to hear the gospel of God's grace, and there he was converted by God's amazing grace.

Now, you know the rest of the story. Onesimus still belonged to Philemon. He was still Philemon's slave. Converted or unconverted, he was Philemon's property and he was a wanted man. Philemon, being his master, had a lawful right to have Onesimus executed. But Onesimus, being his property, must do what is right. And so Onesimus is sent by Paul back to Philemon to report back to his master. Oh, he's talking about costly obedience. Costly obedience. This man is a slave under a system of law and government that is barbaric, inhumane, and totally inconsistent with moral principle. But being under that system of government, Onesimus, being a slave, is sent by the Apostle back to his master to report back to his master, who had the right, were of his mind to do so, to kill him. He had the right to do it. And Onesimus goes back with only one hope. Paul had written a letter, and Paul said, Nephi, knowing of your grace and your goodness and your love and your kindness and your generosity, knowing all those things about you, I want to ask you to be gracious to Onesimus. And Onesimus went back to Philemon pleading for mercy that Philemon might be gracious to him.

What a picture that is of how sinners who are rebels against God may obtain mercy. Though man rebels against God, he still belongs to God. And justice cries out against those who will not bow to the Savior. Justice cries out against those who have sinned against God. Hell itself pleads for men's blood that hell might be satisfied, though it can never be. And there's only one thing for a condemned sinner to do. And that is return to God through Jesus Christ the Lord.

with the hope, maybe he'll be gracious to me. Maybe he'll have mercy on me. The only thing for him to do is go like the hymn writer says. Perhaps he will admit my plea. Perhaps he will hear my prayer. But if I perish, I will pray and perish only there, there at the footstool of mercy. I can but perish if I go. I am resolved to try, for if I stay away, I know I must forever die.

But then the hymn writer adds this line. But if I die with mercy sought, when I, the king, have tried, this were to die delightful thought, as sinner never die. I believe I'll go to the throne of mercy, because there's never been a sinner to perish there. I believe I will sue for mercy because there's never yet been a sinner who sued for mercy and didn't obtain mercy, suing for mercy on the grounds of Christ's obedience.

Now once Onesimus was converted, Paul took down his pen and paper and under the direction and influence and inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, he wrote this intercessory epistle to Philemon on behalf of a saved sinner, Onesimus. And Onesimus carried the letter in his hand back to Philemon. And he walked in. I suspect he walked in and bowed before him. And he said, Sir, Mr. Philemon, I know I deserve to die. I know I did wrong. But let me tell you what happened to me while I was down in Rome. And just so you know I'm not trying to con you, so you know I'm not trying to pull the wool over your eyes, here's a letter from your friend, the Apostle Paul. Will you read it before you do anything else?

And Philemon read the letter. This is how it goes.

Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy, our brother, unto Philemon, our dearly beloved and fellow laborer. Kind of hard to turn that down, isn't it? And to our beloved Atthea and Archippus, 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, in the light of all this, 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 old man, all the age, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ, I beseech thee for my son, Omesimus, whom I have begotten in my bond. which in time past was to thee unprofitable, that is, he was a good-for-nothing slave, but now profitable to thee and to me, whom I have sent again, that thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels. Receive me, he says, whom I would have retained with me, And in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel.

But without thy mind, without your permission, would I do nothing, that thy benefit should not be, as it were, of necessity, but willingly. For perhaps, perhaps, he therefore departed for a season. That is, this is the reason all this trouble came about. This is the reason why God permitted Satan to inspire him to theft. Think you can get by with it. This is the reason. He stole your money. He ran off down the road. He departed from thee 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 a pardoner, 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. Howbeit, I do not say to thee how thou ow'st unto me even thine own self besides.

Now let me give you some lessons clearly established in this book. First, the Apostle Paul, writing by the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, shows us plainly that all true believers are united in love one to another. All of them are. The scriptures are so plain. If any man love not, he knoweth not God. That's what our Lord said. God is love. If you're born of God, you have something in you that causes you to love one another. He that loves not his brother whom he sees, how can he love God whom he doesn't see? Our Lord said, by this shall all men know that you're my disciples, because you have loved one for another.

In this little epistle, I sat down reading this just a little while ago, and I took a pen and marked. There's one, two, three, four, five, six, six times I believe it is. The apostle uses the words beloved or love or loved, not including other words that refer to affection, but those words are used just at least six times in these verses we just read. And Paul is saying, I appeal to you on the basis of brotherly love. I appeal to you on the basis of that love which you have demonstrated consistently. I appeal to you on the basis of that love which you have in your heart for me and for Christ and for his people.

Now Paul is speaking here of Onesimus or of Philemon's love, but he also demonstrates love. For Paul holds Onesimus, whom he had begotten in the gospel, as his own son. He said to Philemon, he said, now you receive him, he's my son, whom I've begotten in the bonds of the gospel. I've begotten him. I've sired him. Somebody said, well, we wouldn't dare talk like that. We're good sovereign grace folks. It's time we learn to talk like Bible talks. If a man is an instrument of God for good, it's proper that he be recognized as an instrument of God for good. And Paul's relationship to Onesimus was the relationship of a father to his son. Paul knew that Onesimus' salvation was God's work. He knew that any instrumentality with which he was used of God, that was God's work. But he also knew he was used of God. He also knew that Onesimus had been begotten by his instrumentality into the kingdom of God's grace. And so he writes to Philemon and asked for Philemon to receive Onesimus as his son and as Philemon's brother. And Philemon lovingly received him. And then Onesimus returned to Philemon.

You see, the problem never was with Philemon. That never was the problem. Philemon had always been good to Onesimus. He had always been kind to Onesimus. He had taken Onesimus, a common slave, and made him the steward of his house. Philemon had done nothing to Onesimus, but Onesimus had enmity against Philemon.

But now, when grace comes, Grace overcomes enmity, and Onesimus is reconciled to Philemon, and that takes humility. That takes a man coming, acknowledging his wrong, and seeking mercy. I can't think of anything on this earth harder for a man to do, can you? I can't think of anything much easier to show mercy than to seek mercy. It's much easier for a man to exercise benevolence than to seek benevolence.

And Onesimus comes to Philemon and he must acknowledge Philemon, I'm wrong. I've done wrong. I deserve to die. But Philemon, I want to be united to you like I've never been united to you before as a brother. And they were reconciled in Christ Jesus. Oh, that's a picture of brotherly love. Brotherly love receives the fallen in perfect, complete restoration. Complete restoration.

I have occasionally had fallen believers, fallen brethren, or sisters say to me, what do I need to do? Make things right. And I say to them, nothing. Nothing. Don't need to say anything. Don't need to do anything. Just come, find your place in the house of God, and everything's done. Everything's forgotten. Everything's over. For love covers evil. Love covers a multitude of sin.

Now, children of God, this is what we do with husbands and wives and sons and daughters. If you love somebody, you cover up their evil thoughts. You just cover them up. You don't expose them. That doesn't mean you pretend they're not there. That means that you recognize the frailty of the one you love, but you're determined to put that one whom you love, put him out there in the best light possible. And you'll do it every time. You'll do it every time. You do so because you love them. And you do so until they fix it so you can't do otherwise. Don't you?

You've got those two kids in school over there. I sold the two young adults now. All their life long. You recognize as a father their weaknesses, but I've never heard you talk about them. I've never heard you expose one of them in bad light. Not one time. Why? Because he loves those kids. He loves those kids. And he sees more about them than anybody else does, but he loves them. So he's going to present them in their best light possible.

Oh, children of God. Let's do that for each other. That's the way believers love. That's the way we love each other. We cover the sin and we present one another in the best light possible.

Secondly, this passage of scripture demonstrates clearly that God never bypasses his appointed means of grace. Look in verse 10. The apostle says, I beseech thee for my son Onesimus whom I have begotten in my bondage. You see, God has ordained by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. God has ordained that sinners be saved through the preaching of the gospel. so that those who are born of God's Spirit, those who are called by God's grace, those who are given faith in Jesus Christ, experience those blessings of grace through the instrumentality of the preached word. That's the necessity for gospel preaching. Men and women are perishing without the knowledge of God, without the knowledge of Jesus Christ. And God has sent men and women like you and me into the world to carry the gospel to those who are perishing. And we proclaim Christ to others, either by the public ministry of the word, or by tracts, or tapes, or the distribution of the word in one way or another, or by personal witness, and proclaiming the truth of the gospel to other sinners, God's pleased to save sinners.

Someone said, wherever God is pleased to show his mercy, he always brings the sinner whom he's determined to save to the preacher. by whom he will speak the word of grace. And he always does. One way or the other.

Say, well, what is? God's in charge of all the what is. He still rules this world. And by one means or another, If he turns the world upside down, if he puts the prisoner or puts the sinner in prison, or if he puts the preacher in prison, one way or another, God's going to bring his servant and his elect together, so that the gospel is heard and believed.

A preacher, are you sure that's necessary? Absolutely certain. Absolutely certain. I know God could save sinners by sending an angel down here to preach the gospel if he wanted to. I know that. I know God could speak directly to the hearts of men if he wanted to. But God is ordained by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

Brother Ken Weimer lives in Africa. Raises his family in Africa. Bears his children in Africa. Brother Walter Gruber down in Mexico, these men that give themselves for the cause of Christ, why on earth do they do it? Because faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Of his own will begat he us with the Word of truth. The Word of God is that incorruptible seed of life by which we are born of God. That's the language of Holy Scripture. And if that doesn't jive with man's theology, man needs to throw his theology away and get in his book. The word of God's plain as it can be.

Paul says to Philemon, now Philemon, I'm calling on you to be gracious to Onesimus, whom I, as God's instruments, I'm nothing, Apollos is nothing, Peter's nothing, you're nothing. We know that. But we're God's instruments. And this man has been begotten by me into the kingdom of God. He's my son. You receive him as such. And so he demonstrates the instrumentality of gospel preaching.

And then in verse 11, the Holy Spirit here gives us an example of the wondrous transforming power of God's saving grace, which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable. Now look here and pay attention. The grace of God takes many women who are useless. I mean useless. Men and women who are useless and makes them instruments of great usefulness for the glory of God.

Let me show you the scriptures. Hold your hands here and turn to 1 Corinthians 1. 1 Corinthians 1. Occasionally, I listen to somebody talk, sometimes even preachers, not often, but occasionally. even preachers. Boy, if we could, if the Lord just send us somebody with some means, send us somebody with some money, send us somebody with some talent. Oh, listen to me, listen to me. As a general rule, God uses nothings and nobodies to do his work, as a general rule. As a general rule, God uses folks who have no abilities and no qualities and no characteristics that anyone would look at and say now there's one, he'd sure make a good preacher, he'd sure make a good deacon, he'd sure make a good church member. God takes the off scouring of the earth, the off scouring of the earth and makes trophies of his grace and makes them useful for his glory and the good of others.

First Corinthians 126, for you see your calling brethren, Have it not many wise men, there are a few, but not many, after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. 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 the things that are. And this is the reason why it does it, that no flesh should glory in his presence.

Look in 1 Corinthians 6. Verse 9, Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you you're sanctified, but you're justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

If any man be in Christ, he's a new creature. Old things are passed away and behold, all things have become new. And God takes that old piece of worthless, corrupt, fallen, cast, cast away, reprobate humanity. And says now, here's my spokesman, listen to him. And allows you, allows you to be an instrument for good in his kingdom. Allows me, me, imagine that. To stand and instruct sinners in the way of life. That's God's way of grace.

Boy, there's not much for us to strut with there. Not much for us to walk around and pat ourselves on the back with there. Boy, he's a remarkable preacher. That's because God saved him out of the gutter. Boy, he talks like he's been right there. That's because he's been right there. He talks like he knows what it is to be lifted from the dung heap of fallen humanity and sit among princes with God. That's because he's been lifted from the dung heap and now sits among princes.

Fourthly, here's a picture of God's overruling providence. Verse 15. Paul could have said for sure, but he speaks as a man and speaks tenderly, reasoning with another man. And he says, he says, now Philemon, did you ever think about this? Maybe, maybe this is what's happened. Maybe this is what's happened. Rather than, rather than getting so upset And rather than murmuring against God's providence because this thing happened to you, perhaps, perhaps, he therefore, that is, he for this reason departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him forever.

Brother Maurice and I were talking yesterday morning before he left town. I'm going to tell you something, I'm absolutely certain, Ron. I'm absolutely certain this is so. Shakespeare wrote it. I don't think he knew it. I know it. The world is a stage. The world, the whole world is a stage. And we creatures are just actors on the stage. And all events are just so many parts of the script. The world is a stage on which God Almighty, for the glory of his name, unfolds and works out the wondrous drama of redemption. And that's the reason everything happens as it does.

The Apostle Paul's in prison down here in Rome. Boy, that sure don't make sense, does it? He's a faithful servant of God. He's lived all his life committed to the gospel of God's grace. From the day God called him to the day God called him home, he was nothing but a faithful servant to Christ. And yet this faithful servant of God While he's preaching the gospel, a Jewish mob raises up a riot because of him, and he's arrested, and he might have been released, but for one thing, he was a Roman citizen as well. He said, I appeal to Caesar. And because he made that appeal to Caesar, he could not be released, but must rather be sent to Rome in chains, and there he is in a Roman prison. There he is. He's sitting in prison in Rome.

Why? Why? Onesimus, who apparently all his days in Philemon's household had demonstrated nothing but the trustworthiness, never demonstrated anything else, always been dependable, so dependable that Philemon trusted him with his wallet and his bank account. Suddenly that man does something totally out of character, totally out of character that would have ruined his life. He stole his master's goods, went down the road. How come? How come? Because God had determined that Onesimus would meet the Savior. and meet him on this date in this place through the preaching of that man in that jail. He departed for a season that he might be redeemed, restored.

and you undergo difficulty in trial with your family, and you don't know what's going on. Sons and daughters break your heart, and your heart cries in the lonely watches of the night. God, what's happening? And you can't pour out your soul to anybody but Him. You turn to Philemon verse 15 and read these words again, perhaps. He therefore departed for a season. If it's just for a season, it'll be all right. That thou mightest receive him forever.

Elimelech goes down into the land of Moab contrary to the word of God and contrary to the revelation of God, contrary to everything he knew to be right, contrary to everything he professed. But there's a woman down in Moab by the name of Ruth who must be brought to Christ. And so Elimelech goes down to Moab.

would never give Hosea her heart until she had absolutely nothing else to give him. And so Gomer chased after her lovers. That prodigal son would have been like his elder brother had he not first wasted his substance with riotous living and then began to be in want and then was made willing to come and be just one of his father's hired servants. That's God's providence.

Certainly, there is a picture here of the substitutionary work of our Lord Jesus Christ as well. In verse 17, Paul says, if thou count me, therefore, a pardoner, receive him as myself. And the Lord Jesus says to God, the Father, receive them as myself, and he does. Paul says, if he hath wronged thee or oweth thee aught, he did, put that on my account. And the Lord Jesus said to his father in the covenant of grace, whatever they owe you, put it on me, I'll pay it. And he did at Mount Calvary.

Verse 19, Paul writes again and says, I, Paul, have written with my own self, I will repay it. This passage demonstrates another thing. It demonstrates something of the debt each of us owes to those who are the instruments of God by which we're converted. Notice what Paul says in verse 19. He says, I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides.

Paul said, now Philemon, I'm not putting you under any pressure with this thing. I try not to use those words too much, because whenever I hear them, I know I'm fixing to get some screws turned on me. I'm not putting you under any pressure now, Philemon. But don't forget. When you were perishing under the wrath of God. God sent me to you, too. And you also heard the gospel of his grace and were restored to his favor. I never shall forget those men who have been instruments in the hands of God for good to my soul. God helping me, I'll not forget. I'll not forget. I count their feet to be beautiful who had published to me the gospel of peace.

And one last thing, in verse 17, Look at it again. If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself. And there Paul gives us an example of the blessedness of free forgiveness. As Onesimus was forgiven for Paul's sake, so God forgives our sin for Christ's sake.

Now forgiveness is more than just saying, all right, I'm not going to punish you for that sin or for that crime. Forgiveness is complete restoration to a position of unsuspected favor. Complete restoration to a position of unsuspected favor so that God, for Christ's sake, has received us as Jesus Christ and receives us permanently as Jesus Christ. For Christ's sake.

And forgiveness is contagious. It's contagious. I mean by that, forgiven folks are forgiving folks. Boy, I can't forgive him. I can't forgive her. Well, let me tell you something. Listen carefully now. I don't care what the offense is. I don't care what it is. I don't care who committed it. If you can't forgive your brother, you've never been forgiven. For our Lord said, if you forgive me and your Heavenly Father forgive you, if you don't forgive, he's not going to forgive you. Be you kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another. Forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you.

Well, those are the lessons from this little epistle of Philemon. Every time I read it, I'm reminded again of God's abundant grace toward me. I was near to despair, but Christ came to me there. I was lost. and done done without God or his son, as guilty and as vile as I could be. But he reached down his hand for me. He lifted me up. He gave me peace, joy, and love when he reached down his hand for me.