I want you to open your Bibles
to the book of Philemon. I preached from this very short
epistle several times, and I'm not certain why I'm preaching
from it this morning. Occasionally, I'll preach a series
of messages, go through an epistle, go through a book. But most of
the time I try to wait on the Lord and wait for some direction,
some inspiration, some indication of what I should preach, what
scripture. I know what I'm going to preach,
Christ, the gospel. But what portion of scripture
the Lord would have me preach from. I felt especially impressed this
morning to preach from Philemon, and I do not know why. Many times
I bring a message and someone will come to me and say, certain
situations have arisen this week, left me baffled, not knowing
exactly what to do and how to handle it, and your message gave
me the answer. God gave me a word through your
message today. So that's what it's all about
anyway, for me to preach and God to give you an effectual
word for your particular need. Let us come boldly before the
throne of grace that we may find mercy and grace to help us in
our time of need. This epistle has four prominent
persons. First is Paul. Paul was in prison. He was in prison because he preached
the gospel. But he was in an unusual kind
of prison. It was sort of an in-home detention
for two years. Let me read it to you. Paul dwelt
two whole years in his own hired house. It says over here in Acts
28, 16, and Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier
that kept him. So he had a guard. There was
a soldier who kept him in his own hired house. He wasn't allowed
to travel. He wasn't allowed to go preach
anywhere. But he was allowed to have people
come see him. I don't understand it. But it
says here in Acts 28, 30, "...And he dwelt two years in that house,
and received all that came in to him, preaching the kingdom
of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus
Christ with all confidence, and no man forbidding him." So Paul
is the author. Secondly, the second person is
Philemon. who was a well-known man in Colossae. Colossae was his home. He was
a close friend of Paul. He was a believer. He had a great
household. He was a wealthy man. Many servants. Great household. And there was
a church and assembly. Back then, most of the churches
didn't have buildings. They didn't erect buildings like
this. Church is not a building anyway. A church is an assembly
of God's people. They might meet on the river
bank. They might meet in the backyard of somebody's house
in a village like they do in Mexico. They may meet under a
brush arbor like they do in Africa. But this man invited people who
loved God to come to his home and worship. So he had, Paul
said, a church in his house. Look at verse 2. Or verse 1,
Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, Timothy, our brother, and to
Philemon, a dearly beloved fellow laborer, to our beloved Athia
and Archippus, our fellow soldier, to the church in your house.
This man, Philemon, had a church meeting in his home, an assembly
of people who loved God. And then the third person we
meet is a man called Onesimus. He was a servant to Philemon. This man was a servant in the
household of Philemon. And we learn several things about
this man. He was a rebellious servant.
And look at verse 11 of Philemon. In time past, verse 10 says,
I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I begotten in my bonds,
who in times past was to thee unprofitable. I don't know his age, don't have
any idea, but I do know he was a rebel. He was an unprofitable
servant. He was a servant in the household
of this godly man Philemon, and he knew Paul. Paul knew him,
and Paul knew his past. Paul evidently had been to the
home preaching, and this servant was made known to him, and he
knew Paul. And he knew Paul was in prison
in Rome, this servant did, Onesimus. But he was a rebel. Second thing
we know about him is he robbed Philemon and ran away. We know he robbed Philemon because
Paul indicated he owed Philemon. You know generally a servant,
the master owes the servant. But this servant owed the master
because he took things that didn't belong to him. And this servant
ran away and went to Rome, went to the capital. How long he was there, we don't
have the faintest notion. What he did while he was there,
up to one time, we have no idea. But he came to himself. He came
to himself. He realized what he had done,
where he was, who he was, what he needed. He was one of God's
elect. He was God's elect when he was
born. He was one of God's elect when he grew up. when he developed
this personality and nature that was rebellious, despised everybody,
even his good master. You know what a good master Philemon
was. He hated everybody, this thievery, but he was one of God's
elect. And he ran away. He went to Rome,
and while at Rome, he evidently came to himself. He knew Paul
was there somewhere, and he found him. He found him up there in
this hired house with a soldier. keeping watch over him. He went
to see Paul. And whether Paul was preaching
and he heard him preach, I do not know. I just know that Paul
taught him the gospel. For Paul said in verse 10, I
beseech thee for my son Onesimus. He wasn't Paul's natural boy,
but he was Paul's son in the ministry. Paul, he said, whom
I've begotten in my prison. He'd been born. This man had
been born. He was born a long, good many years ago, but he was
born again right there in that hired house. He was born again
under the ministry and the preaching and teaching of the Apostle Paul,
who told him of Christ. This man came to Paul, and he
probably heard Paul preach way back yonder when he visited Fatima's
home, but the gospel didn't reach his heart, wasn't effectual.
He heard, but he didn't hear. He listened, but he didn't listen.
But when he got in need, when he got desperate, when he got
in real trouble, when he got down, when he saw no end, no
end in sight, no relief, nothing, he came to Paul and he started
listening. That's when a man really listens,
when he's down, when he's stripped, when he's naked, when he's helpless,
without help, without hope, without Christ at his wit's end, at the
end of the rope. Nothing to do but just turn loose,
perish. But he came and sat and he listened.
And God saved him. The Lord saved him. Paul said,
he's my son, begotten in my prison, begotten in my bonds. Begotten. The fourth person in
this epistle, and I'm going to let you do a lot of reading yourself.
I won't be able to cover all of it. But the fourth person
is our Lord Jesus Christ. And as we read the book that
Paul wrote to the man Philemon about the runaway slave Onesimus,
there's a name that occurs over and over and over again, ten
times by name, but in nearly every verse by reference, our
Lord Jesus Christ. And this is the summary of my
message to you. I've entitled the message, Life's
Most Treasured Possessions. Life's Most Treasured Possessions.
But the sum and substance of Paul's ministry and Paul's message,
this epistle, my message, is Christ. You see, everything we
teach relates to Christ. You go through this epistle on
Christ, ten times Paul mentions our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord
Jesus Christ, our Lord Jesus Christ. He's writing to Philemon
about Onesimus, but he's talking about Christ. Because everything
we teach relates to Christ. And everything we possess is
because of Christ. Every relationship, Paul and
Philemon. Paul, a converted Pharisee, Sanhedrin, And Philemon, a wealthy landowner
and householder, how'd those two ever become good friends?
How'd they, what ever brought them together? Christ. So everything
we possess, every relationship, every blessing, every good, every
perfect gift, everything worth having, anybody worth knowing,
is known and possessed because of Christ. That's the relationship. Other relationships are doomed
and damned and dying. But everything we teach relates
to Him, and everything we possess is in Him because of Him. And everything we exhort anybody
to do is for the sake of Christ. for
the sake of Christ, for the sake of Christ and Christ alone. Not
to glorify themselves or to satisfy us or to bring any praise to
us, it's for Christ's sake. That's what he said over there
in Ephesians, that powerful verse. Forgive one another, love one
another, be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one
another, even as Christ, even as God, for Christ's sake, forgave
you. You do it for Christ's sake. And everything we hope, for which
we hope and expect, is because of our relationship with Christ.
It's ours in him. Now, this epistle was delivered.
This is interesting. This epistle was delivered to
Philemon by a man called Tychicus at the same time that Paul sent
the epistle to the Colossians. by the hand of a man called Titicus. Turn with me to Colossians 4.
Colossians chapter 4. You remember now Philemon was
from Colossae. Onesimus was a slave in his house
in Colossae. The church met in his home in
Colossae. There may have been other believers
meeting in other homes, but this one was meeting in his home.
And Paul sent this letter to Philemon This is an inspired
letter. God gave it to him. It's for
us and you, me, everybody who knows Christ. But yet it was
written to Philemon, addressed to him. And this book of Colossians,
this epistle was sent to the church of Colossians. Now look
at Colossians 4, verse 7. And Paul says, All my state,
my condition, my well-being, welfare, whatever, shall Tychicus
declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, a faithful minister,
a fellow servant in the Lord, whom I've sent unto you for the
same purpose, that he might know your estate and comfort your
hearts with Onesimus." I've sent Tychicus. I've sent
him to you with Onesimus. See, Onesimus, this slave, had
been converted, and he was with Paul. This man Onesimus didn't
just get religion. He didn't just accept Jesus as
his personal Savior and join a church. This man was saved. This man came to know Christ. This man's heart was joined to
Paul in such a way. Paul said, he's my son. He is
my son. And he said, I've sent Tychicus
to you with Onesimus. A faithful, beloved brother who
is one of you. He's from your place. But he
was with Paul long enough that Paul said, he's my son, I've
begotten him upon. He's a faithful, beloved brother. He's a Colossian. They shall make known unto you
all things that are done up here where I am. That's just so thrilling
to me when I think about Paul, and where was he? In prison.
Who was with him? That's interesting. Look at verse
10. I want you to notice the people
who were with Paul there in the prison. You know, these men admired
Paul, they loved Paul, but Paul loved them, and they had a fellowship
in Christ. They were one in Christ. Though
Paul was the apostle, and Paul was the leader, and they regarded
him as such, and they gravitated to him, and they were taught
by him, and they listened to him, and he led them, but they
were brothers together. And he names the fellows that
were with him, the men brothers. Verse 10, Aristarchus, my fellow
prisoner, salutes you. Mark, that's John Mark, sister
son to Barnabas, remember? Barnabas' sister son, John Mark,
touching whom you receive commandments, if he come unto you, receive
him. And Jesus, or Hesu, who is called Justice, he was with
him. A man called Justice, his name
also was Jesus. Jesus was the same word as Joshua
in the Old Testament. It's a common name. These only
are my fellow workers in the kingdom of God. And here's another
man, verse 12, underscore Epiphas. There's Aristarchus. Mark, this
man Justice, Epiphas, verse 14, Luke, the beloved physician,
he's with me, Demas, he's with me. And when he wrote this epistle
to the Colossians and sent it by Tychicus in the company of
Onesimus, these men were with him. Now turn to Philemon. The
last two verses, and notice the men who were with him, the same
group of men. That's the reason I believe both
of these epistles were written and delivered at the same time.
Verse 23, remember, there salutes thee Epaphus, remember Epaphus
was with him, my fellow laborer, prisoner. Mark was with him,
Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow laborers. These all
salute you. And so this epistle from Paul
to the Colossians, what I'm pointing out is Paul regarded his fellowship
with these brethren, these faithful men so highly that even when
God inspired the Word to be taken to a church or to this man Philemon,
God inspired all scriptures by giving by inspiration of God.
And yet Paul saluted them, But he names his brothers who were
with him. Such high regard. He mentions them even in the
Holy Scriptures. Well, let's look at first a few
verses of this epistle. In verse 1, Paul says, I'm a
prisoner of Jesus Christ. I told you everything that Paul
taught, commanded, he related to Christ. He said, I'm a prisoner
of Christ. Now, evil men caused Paul to be in prison. And they'll
give an account for it. You know, when evil men do evil
to God's people, because God ordained it, because God willed
it, and because it serves the purpose of God and the plan of
God, that doesn't lessen their responsibility. Evil men put
him in prison, kept him guarded by a soldier, and they're going
to give an account for it. But Paul said, I'm not their
prisoner, I'm his prisoner. My Lord is the first cause of
all things. That doesn't lessen the responsibility
of those who cause it. Well, God willed it. He did.
And He used those people who crucified Christ as instruments
of His will, but they'll give an account. They said, His blood
be on us and our children. It is. It still is. But He said, I'm the prisoner
of Jesus Christ. And He mentions in verse 2, to
our beloved Athia, And our beloved Archippus, our fellow soldier
and church in your house. Many people believe that this
was a man and his wife. But Paul in verse 3, he says,
grace to you, grace to you and peace. This is life's most treasured
possessions. Grace to you, grace to you and
peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Do you
know anything more valuable than grace and peace? Grace and peace. Do you know anything that you'd
rather possess than the grace of God and the peace of God? And these are from God the Father
and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace and peace came by Jesus
Christ. He made peace with God by the
blood of his cross. Grace and peace. in every epistle
that Paul wrote in the salutation of these words. Now let's go
back to the book of Romans. Let's just start with the writings
of Paul. I want you to turn back here now. Grace and peace. Romans chapter 1 verse 3. I beg your pardon, 1st Corinthians,
1st Corinthians chapter 1, 1st Corinthians chapter 1 verse 3,
writing to the church at Corinth, 1st Corinthians chapter 1 verse
3, grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and from
the Lord Jesus Christ, grace and peace. Now 2nd Corinthians,
2nd Corinthians chapter In the salutation, 2 Corinthians chapter
1 verse 2, Paul writing to the church at Corinth and he says
in verse 2, grace be to you and peace from God our Father and
from our Lord Jesus Christ. Grace, forgiving grace, redeeming
grace, saving grace and peace with God from our Lord Jesus
Christ. Now then, Galatians chapter 1. Galatians chapter 1 verse 3,
he writes in verse 2, all the brethren that are with me to
the churches of Galatia, grace be to you and peace from God
our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians, the
greeting and salutation to the church at Ephesus and the faithful
in Christ Jesus, Ephesians 1 verse 2, grace be to you, the grace
of God, the forgiving grace of God and peace from God our Father
and our Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians chapter 1 verse 2,
grace be unto you, peace from God our Father and from the Lord
Jesus Christ, life's most treasured possession, grace and peace from
God through Jesus Christ. Look at Colossians chapter 1
verse 2. To the saints and faithful brethren
in Christ who are in Colossae, grace be to you and peace from
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians chapter
1 verse 1. Paul and Silas and Timothy
unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ, grace be to you and peace. from God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ." 2 Thessalonians. I want you to see this now. Every
epistle, with the exception of Romans, that starts out with
the glory of Christ, but in every epistle, these two things, grace
to you and peace. 2 Thessalonians 1-2, from God
our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Now 1 Timothy, chapter 1, Paul writing to the
individual. young preacher, unto Timothy,
my own son in the faith, grace, my own son in the faith, grace,
mercy and peace of God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Second
Timothy, chapter 1, verse 2, to Timothy, my dearly beloved
son, grace, mercy and peace of God the Father. And then of course,
Philemon. You know, my friends, One of
the most blessed times in human history, one of the most significant
events in human history, took place in Deuteronomy 10, verse
1 through 5. I want you to turn over there.
In Deuteronomy 10, verse 1 through 5. And that's when God took the
law from the hands of Moses and put it in the earth under the
mercy seat. In Christ, grace, mercy, and
peace. When he significantly, in pattern
and picture, literally took that law out of the hands of Moses
and put it in the ark under the mercy seal. Let's read that,
Deuteronomy 10. That's grace, mercy, and peace
from God our Father in our Lord Jesus Christ. Deuteronomy 10
verse 1, At that time the Lord said to me, Moses, Hew thee two
tables of stone, like unto the first, the ones that were broken,
remember the stone. And you come up to the mountain,
and make thee an ark of wood. And I'll write on the tables
the words that were in the first table, which you broke. And you
put them in the ark. And I made an ark of shed of
wood, and hewed two tables of stone, like unto the first, and
went up to the mountain. having the two tables in my hand.
And God wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the Ten Commandments, which the
Lord spake unto you in the mount, out of the midst of the fire
in the day of the assembly. And the Lord gave them to me.
And I turned myself and came down from the mountain, and I
put the tables in the ark which I had made. And there they be. as the Lord commanded me. These,
the law of God, in that ark. But on top of that ark was a
mercy seat. Let's read about that. Turn with
me to Exodus 25. Exodus 25. This is the cause, fountain of
mercy and peace. Grace, mercy and peace. Life's
most treasured possession. Exodus 25, verse Now, my friends,
mercy seat. Mercy seat means propitiation. There was an ark made, and the
law was put in that ark. And over the top of that ark
was a mercy seat of beaten gold on either side of the cherubim
facing one another. And that mercy seat, covering
that broken law, mercy seat means propitiation. It means propitiation,
it means atonement, it means reconciliation, it means forgiveness. Mercy seat means those things.
Mercy seat is an expiatory place or thing where sin is covered,
where sin is purged, where sin is put away, where God is reconciled. Now let's read about it here,
Exodus 25. And thou shalt make a mercy seat,
verse 17, of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be
the length thereof, a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. And
you make two cherubims of gold, a beaten work shalt thou make
them in the ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on
the one end and the other cherub on the other end, even of the
mercy seat shall you make the cherubims on two ends thereof. And the cherubims shall stretch
forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings.
And their faces shall look one to another, toward the mercy
seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. You shall put the mercy seat
above the ark, and in that ark you put the law, the testimony
that I give. Put it in that mercy seat. And
there I'll meet you. There I'll meet you. And I won't
meet you in judgment, and wrath, and condemnation. I'll meet you
in grace. I'll meet you in peace, reconciled,
propitiated, sins expiated, covered, put away. Not bare, glaring sins
in the law in the hands of a lawgiver, Moses, but the law under a mercy
seat. Listen, there I'll meet you.
I'll commune with you from above the mercy seat, between the two
cherubims, which are upon the ark of the testimony of all these
things which I give thee in commandment to the children of Israel." Now
then, turn to Leviticus 16. Leviticus chapter 16. Let me
read you two or three more verses. Leviticus 16, verse 15, talking
about the work of the priest. Then shall he kill the goat of
the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood,
the blood of the lamb, the blood of the goat, the blood of the
sacrifice, bring his blood within the veil, and do with that blood
as he did with the blood of the bullock, sprinkle it upon the
mercy seat. Sprinkle the blood on the mercy
seat. What's the mercy seat? Reconciliation, propitiation.
The mercy seat covers the broken law. Sprinkle that blood on the
mercy seat. Verse 16. And he shall make an
atonement for the holy place because of the uncleanness of
the children of Israel and because of their transgression in all
their sins. And so shall he do. for the tabernacle
of the congregation that remaineth among them in the midst of their
uncleanness. There shall be no man in the tabernacle of the
congregation when he goes in, the high priest, to make an atonement
in the holy place until he come out, and have made an atonement
for himself, for his household, for all the congregation of Israel." Now then, we don't do that anymore.
This is a picture and a pattern of what Christ did. Now let's
turn to Romans 3. Romans chapter 3, verse 25. Verse 24, Romans 3. Verse 23 of Romans 3 says, "...all
its ending comes short of the glory of God, being justified
freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation, a mercy
savior, a reconciler, an atonement, an expiation, to declare his
righteousness for remission of sins of the past through the
forbearance of God, to declare, I say at this time, his righteousness
that he might be just and justifier of him that believeth in Jesus.
Propitiation. Christ is our propitiation. Christ
is our mercy seat. Christ's blood puts away our
sin, purges our sin. Now, 1 John chapter 2, verse 1, My little children,
these things write I unto you, that you sin not. And if any
man sins, we have an advocate. We have a reconciler. We have
a propitiation. We have a mercy seat. with the
father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is our mercy seat he is
our reconciler he's the propitiation for all our sins and not ours
only the Jews but the Gentiles too out of every nation, kindred,
tribe, tongue unto heaven and the whole world he's our mercy
seat it's in him we have grace and peace so when Paul writes
to Philemon unto all these people, Colossians and all these others
and says grace be on thee and peace from God our Father through
our Lord Jesus Christ. That's how we have these most
treasured possessions in Christ. Everything's in Christ. One more
scripture, 1 John chapter 4. 1 John chapter 4, verse 10. Herein is love. Not that we love
God. He loved us and sent his son
to be the mercy saint. Sent his son to be the reconciler. Sent his son to be the covering,
the atonement for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us,
we ought to love one another. Based upon that love in Christ
for us. Thank God for the mercy saint.
our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank God for grace, mercy, and
peace from God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ.