And we would never, ever exhaust
this treasure. It's God's word. It's God's word. Now Philemon was a well-known
man who lived in Colossae. You're familiar with the letter
to the church at Colossae, Colossians it's called. And this man Philemon
was a believer. And in his house, A church met. You look at verse 2. Paul talked
about our beloved Athia and Archippus, our fellow soldier, and to the
church, Philemon, in your house. In other words, this man had a large farm, a large house,
and many servants, and believers, other believers met in his home. and worshiped the Lord. And they
had a pastor. His name was, I believe, this
man Archippus was the pastor. You say, who is Appiah? I think
that's his wife, our beloved Appiah. And Archippus, the pastor. But the church met in the home
of Philemon. Now when this letter was written,
you'll see, and you know this already, but I must review it
just a little bit. Paul was in prison in Rome when
he wrote this epistle. He was in prison for the gospel.
He called it the bonds of the gospel, fetters and chains, for
the sake of the gospel. He was confined. It was a sort
of a, kind of an unusual prison. If you turn to the book of Acts,
chapter 28, you see Paul was a man respected and admired even
by political figures. He was a man of great intelligence,
great learning. You know, one of those Roman
rulers said, Paul, much learning hath made you mad. And he was
well thought of. It was a Jewish religious Jewish
religious people who were his enemies. They're the ones that
had him put in prison. They're the ones that stirred
up the political figures against him. These fellows, the Romans,
had to put him in prison because the Jews insisted. And they did
it to pacify these religious leaders. But Paul was in an unusual
prison here in Acts 28, 16. And when we came to Rome, the
centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard,
but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that
kept him. In other words, he was in some
sort of house. He couldn't go and come. He couldn't
leave. He was a prisoner. But people
could come to him, and he had a soldier that guarded him. Now,
turn over a page. to verse 30 and 31 of Acts, is
it 28 there we're reading, and Paul dwelt two whole years in
this type of prison in his own hired house and received all
that came to him. Is this important? Important
you see that. Preaching the kingdom of God
and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ
with all confidence and no man No man forbidding him. And now we come to another character
in this epistle. His name is Onesimus. Onesimus was a servant to Philemon. I told you Philemon was a man
who had a great farm, a great house, and many servants. And this man Onesimus was a servant
to Philemon, Paul's friend. And evidently, nearly everyone
is in agreement that evidently Onesimus had robbed his master. He was a trusted servant, and
he had embezzled some money or stolen some things and ran away. He fled to Rome. And he must
have, like the prodigal son, must have come to himself. We
know God. in his sovereign grace and mercy
worked in the heart of Onesimus. He was God's child. And though
he had not come to faith in Christ, he was a rebel. But he came to
himself, and he found Paul. He found this house where Paul
was kept under guard, and people were coming to hear him. And
he came to hear Paul there in Rome. He must have told Paul.
how he had run away from his master, and he had stolen, and
he was an unprofitable servant, and a wicked servant, and a rebellious
servant, but he repented. And Paul preached the gospel
to him. This man was converted. You see,
down in verse 10, when Paul was writing here to Philemon, he
said, I beseech thee for my son Onesimus. He wasn't Paul's natural
son. He was his son in the faith.
Paul was the preacher that this young man heard and came to know
Christ, was saved. Whom I have begotten in my bonds,
in my chains, in jail, under guard, I preached and God has
seen fit to save this young man. Look at verse 11, which in time
past was to you an unprofitable servant, but now profitable to
you and to me. So this young man had been converted. Now, Paul wanted to keep him
there with him. You'll see in a moment why he
sent him back home. He had many reasons to send him
back home. So he, the Holy Spirit, you see
the Spirit of God uses all of these examples and experiences
for our good to teach us. Here Philemon's servant had run
away That was all planned and purposed by God. Whatever he
stole and went down to Rome and Paul was there where God had
him. This young man heard him and was brought to faith and
now Paul, the Spirit of God leads Paul to write an epistle all
about this. All that happened, Paul's thoughts,
Paul's beliefs, and he writes to Philemon, but it's for you
and me. It's for us. And my message tonight, my emphasis,
will take this direction. I want you to notice how Paul,
in this letter to Philemon, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit,
bases everything he teaches on the person of Christ. Our Lord,
now Philemon's name is used in here, Onesimus' name is used
in here, but the name used over and over and over again is the
Lord Jesus Christ. Paul bases everything he teaches
on Christ, everything he claims on Christ, everything he exhorts
men to do on their relationship with Christ, and everything that
he expects on the promises and the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In fact, in these 25 verses, the name of our Lord is used
ten times. Ten times in 25 verses. So if you preach Philemon, you
preach Christ. If you preach anything that Paul
wrote, you preach Christ. All right, let's look at it just
for a little while together. Verse 1, Paul, a prisoner of
Jesus Christ. You know, all that I've told
you, and Timothy, Timothy was there under Philemon, dearly
beloved fellow laborer. The apostle Paul was in this
prison under guard. He talks about chains or bonds. Evidently, they put chains on
him many times. He wasn't allowed any freedom.
And evil men did that. Evil religious men caused Paul
to be in prison, took away his freedom. And those evil men will
be called to account. for these evil deeds. Though
it was God's will, though it was God's purpose, though God
would overrule it, though God would use their evil actions
to accomplish his purpose, they're going to be called to account
for these evil actions. Let me show you that in Matthew
18. The fact that God ordained something,
just like the crucifixion of Christ, that was ordained the
way they spit upon the master, and nailed him to a cross, and
scourged him. They did it because they wanted
to. They did what God determined before to be done, but that doesn't
lessen their responsibility. And they shall be called to account
for those evil deeds. Look at Matthew 18, verse 7. Woe unto the world because of
offenses. For it must needs be that offenses
come. There's got to be offenses. There's
got to be trials and troubles and heartache for God's people. God's ordained it. It must needs
be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense
cometh. In other words, here's a child
of God, and the Lord has ordained a trial in that servant's life. for his good, for God's glory,
to bring someone to faith like Paul in prison. And he used an
evil man to put him there, an evil man to hurt him and to wound
him and to cause him heartache. It's all in God's will and God's
purpose that that man would pay for what he did to God's child.
God's going to call him to account. for what he did. Offenses must
come, but don't be the instrument to offend one of his little ones.
Don't be that instrument. You see, our God's the first
cause of all things. That's what, this is what Joseph
said to his brethren. His brethren treated him miserably. Joseph spent some long hours
in sorrow and tears and heartaches. Because of these brethren of
his, these ten brothers, they put him through some terrible
ordeals. And at the end, he forgave them.
He didn't hold it against them. And when he confronted them,
he said this in Genesis 50, 20, he said, you meant it for evil.
What you did to me, you meant it for evil. But God meant it
for good. And that's the way we look on
it. But that ain't the way God looks
on it. In other words, the band's gonna suffer for their sins. Those that crucified the master,
just, I'm a prisoner of Jesus Christ, is what he said. But
the people that put me here, they have to be called to account
for that. All right, look at verse two.
Verse two and three. And to our beloved Athia, I believe
that's the pastor's wife, and Archippus, our fellow soldier,
fellow laborer, and to the church in thy house." Now watch this,
grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ. There are two words here, I believe,
two things which are life's most treasured possessions. Two things, life's most treasured
possessions, without them There's not much to it. You know what
these two words are? Grace and peace. Life's most
treasured possessions. Do you know anything more valuable
than the grace of God and the peace of God? Do you know anything
you'd rather have more than the grace of God and the peace of
God? Well, you know where it comes
from? Grace to you and peace from God our Father. and from
our Lord Jesus Christ. I want you to look carefully
again at 1 Corinthians chapter 1. I'll turn back to this verse
when I thought about that one there. Grace and peace from God
the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. The grace of God and
the peace of God from God the Father through Christ the Son. Look at 1 Corinthians 1.30. Read it carefully, read it slowly. Verse 30, but of God, of Him,
are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom
and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. That's all I
need, the grace of God. The mercy of God, the peace of
God. That according as it is written,
he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. That's what we're
talking about here. Paul's glorying in the Lord Jesus
Christ. I'm a prisoner of Jesus Christ.
That's all right. I've learned in whatsoever state
I am to be contempt. I know how to abound and I know
how to be abased. I know how to have plenty and
how to have nothing. But I've learned. Wherever I
am, God put me there for His glory, my good, the good of His
church, so I'm His president. And then this grace and peace,
that's the most treasured possession. All right, verse 4. Verse 4,
I thank my God. I thank my God by leaving, making
mention of You, always in my prayers, hearing of Your love
and faith. which you have toward the Lord
Jesus Christ." Philemon, I've heard about your
faith and love which you have toward the Lord Jesus Christ
and toward all his people. Paul rejoiced in the reports
he had about Philemon which came to him. Philemon, a man of faith
and a man of love towards Christ. You know, you're familiar with
the book of 2 John. Turn over there just a moment.
John's second epistle, over here in the closing part of the New
Testament, John's second epistle. The theme of John's second epistle
is those two words. faith and love. But he uses the
word truth. Now you can't separate truth
and faith. You know, Paul, when he wrote to the church at Thessalonica,
he said, Brethren, I thank God for you, beloved of the Lord,
because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through
sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth. Faith
believes the truth. Christ is the truth. I'm the
way, the truth, and the life. So here in 2 John, John's writing
about these two things, truth and love, faith and love, of
which Paul had heard so much about Philemon. Faith and love
toward Christ and all the saints. Listen to John here in 2 John. The elder unto the elect lady
and her children, whom I love in the truth, And not I only,
but also all they that have known the truth. For the truth's sake
which dwelleth in us and shall be with us forever. Grace be
to you, mercy and peace from God the Father and from the Lord
Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father in truth and love, faith
and love. Faith and love. The true treasured
possession, grace and peace. faith and love. Now I beseech
thee, verse 5, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto
thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that you love
one another. And this is love, that we walk
after his truth, his commandment. How did Paul find out that this
man had such great faith in Christ and love for Christ. Look at
those last four words in verse 5 by Leman, for all the saints. If you love Christ, you love
His people. And love for Christ is manifest by our attitude toward
His people, for all the saints. All right, let's look at verse
6. And what's this now? That the communication of thy
may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is
in you in Christ Jesus." Now we don't brag on the flesh. We
give glory to God for everything that dwells in His people and
everything that comes forth from His people. And this is what
Paul is saying about Philemon here. He said, I acknowledge
that every good thing which is in you, that faith, And that
love and that grace and that peace is in you in Christ. It's in you because of Christ.
It's not yours by nature. It's not a product of the human
heart. It's in you by Christ, by your relationship with Christ.
I wish you'd look at 1 Corinthians 15. And Paul makes that very
clear here. 1 Corinthians 15. 1 Corinthians
15. You know, like I said, we don't
brag on the flesh, and Paul is talking here about Philemon,
but listen. We brag on the grace of God that
dwells in this flesh. We rejoice in the grace of God
that dwells in these individuals. You know, he said give tribute
to whom tribute is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor
to whom honor is due. Elders are to be regarded with
honor and respect and tribute men who teach and preach God's
Word and other believers. But here in 1 Corinthians 15
verse 10, listen to Paul, but it's all the grace of God in
us. He said in verse 9 of 1 Corinthians 15, I'm the least of the apostles.
I'm not meet to be called an apostle. I persecuted the church
of God, but by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace
which was bestowed upon me was not in vain, but I labored more
abundantly than all, than they all." Watch it, but he clarifies
that. He said, yet not I, not I, but
the grace of God which was with me. And this is what Paul is
saying about Philemon, I heard about your love. and your faith
toward Christ and toward His people. But I acknowledge this,
that every good thing that's in you is in you in Christ Jesus. And verse 7 says, For we have
great joy and consolation in your love, in your faith, in
your grace, because... Now the word bowels is used often
in this In this three times, I think, I heard Jim read this
word. You can change that word here
to the word hearts. Hearts. In other words, Paul
is emphasizing that this man Philemon, because of his faith
and love and kindness and grace, that people were truly blessed,
and not just Not just blessed materially or just outwardly
or made happy or encouraged, but their hearts were blessed
by this man, innermost being, innermost being. They were refreshed
by this man's life and ministry and grace. And so change that
word. We have great joy, verse 7, and
consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints are
refreshed by thee, brother." Their hearts of the saints are
lifted, inspired, and blessed, the most innermost being. Now
verse 8 and 9. Now before I read these two verses,
Paul, this young man has been converted. He's been brought
to a knowledge of Christ. And Paul's sending him back,
sending him back to Philemon. And a changed man, now a believer. Once unprofitable, now profitable.
And Paul wants Philemon to love him. He wants Philemon to forgive
him. He wants Philemon to embrace
him. He wants Philemon to receive him. And there are two ways open
to power. Two ways. Number one, he tells
us, verse eight, wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ
to command you, to charge you to do that which is right. As
an apostle, as a servant of God, I have a right, Paul said, I
have that divine authority because the Word of God commands us to
forgive one another. If a brother be overtaken in
fault, restore him. Forgive your brother, 70 times
70. The Word of God, this is law.
This is God's law. A new commandment I give you,
love one another as I love you. And Paul said, I can. Send this
man back and command you. to receive him, to respect him,
to forgive him, to restore him. Yet, it just wouldn't work with it
and it doesn't work. Threats and laws and commandments
and Israel couldn't do anything with them. Israel lived under
the law and they rebelled at every turn in the They lived
under the law. Law, law, law, all day long,
all week, all month, all year. Laws. Don't do this. Do this. Don't do that. This is the commandment.
It won't work. One old preacher in England said,
I preached law till there wasn't a righteous man left in town.
Paul said, this is what, this is the motive for love's sake. For love's sake, verse 9, I rather
beseech you, being such a one as Paul the aged, and now also
a prisoner of Jesus Christ. This is the second and this is
the best way. This is the Lord's way. This
is the way of grace. This is the way of God. And this
is the way of the gospel. For love's sake. For the sake
of Christ's love for us, For the sake of our love for Him,
for the sake of our love for one another, in the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ, not in the name of the commandment, not
in the name of the law, not in the name of duty, not in the
name of what you ought to do, but in the name of love, you
receive Him. Now, you could receive Him because
I said you had to, and there would be a bad feeling between
you. God wouldn't bless him. That
bad feeling would never go away. But if you really, for Christ's
sake, because of his mercy to you and his grace and kindness
to you and because you love his people, you reach out and do
like the prodigal son's father and kiss him and say, welcome,
brother. Love one another as I loved you,
forgive one another as I forgive you. And this is the only gifts
that God will receive. This is the only service with
which God is well pleased. Do it for Christ's sake. Do it
for Christ's sake. All right, verse 10 and 11. Now
I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds.
which in time past was to thee unprofitable." That's all of
us, isn't it? Unprofitable service. But now profitable to thee and
profitable to me. Begotten of, that's what makes
a difference, begotten of God. That's what makes a difference.
You see, religion is a failure. It cannot make a man a new creature. Religion is a total failure. God's grace is sufficient. The
difference in this man, Onesimus, is not that he got religion.
The difference in this man who left Philemon, came to Rome. And the man that's going from
Rome back to Philemon, this man's got a new heart. He's got a new
nature. He's not the same man. God's
given, made him a new creature in Christ. Religion can't do
that. Religion sends the same man back
with a bunch of forms and traditions and duties. But God's grace sends
him back profitable. That's just so now. Religion is a failure. And maybe
a man works with you or for you. Monday morning he comes to work
and says, I got saved yesterday. It won't take you long to find
out. That's right, it won't take you long to find out whether
he, whether, I never did like that term, I got saved. The Lord
saved me. And if the Lord saved you, he'll
make you a new creature, a new person, and not unprofitable,
Now profitable. All right, let's look at verse
12. And here's a reinforcement of verse 8 and 9. You remember
those verses, love one another, I beseech you for love's sake. Look at verse 12. Whom, O Nessunus,
I've sent again, thou therefore receive him, that is, my own
person, my own heart. Receive him like you'd receive
me. That's what he said. You receive
him just like you'd receive me. When you see him come in, you
just say, there comes Paul. Receive him like you'd receive
my own person. And then verse 13. Whom I would
have retained with me. Paul, this young man must have
been a gifted man. Paul wanted to keep him there
in Rome to minister to him. He said, whom I would have retained
with me, that in your stead he might have ministered unto me
in the bonds of change because of the gospel. There are two
kinds of bonds for the gospel. Look at that, bonds of the gospel. In the bonds of the gospel. Two
things here. One are the bonds because of
the gospel. bonds because of the gospel.
And we have a, we have a, we share a common experience. There's not anybody here that
hasn't received some kind of harassment or persecution for
what you believe. Paul's sitting here with these
chains. Other men are free out there
walking around. He's in prison. Why is he in
prison? Why is he treated like this? Why is he hated? Why does
he wear these chains? Why is he different from these
folks out there that have a lot less goodness about them than he does?
It's the gospel. These are bonds of the gospel.
And every believer has that in common. You're subject to some
type of harassment or bad feeling or ill feeling or persecution
for the sake of the gospel. But the second way this is used,
the bonds in or of the gospel is what unites us together. Now let me make good on this.
This gospel is what separates us from religion. And this gospel
is what brings us together. You see, what What separates
you from the world, makes you different from them, is what
makes you alike one another, and like one another. Bonds of
the gospel. It's the same thing. What brings you out, brings you
together. That gospel. That's the reason
Paul said to, he wrote a letter from this prison in Rome to Timothy,
and he said, don't you be ashamed of that gospel. And don't you
be ashamed of me, his prisoner. That's what unites you together.
All right. Let's look at verse 14. I would have kept him, but
without your mind, without your agreement, without your willingness,
I wouldn't do it. That your benefit should not
be, as it were, of necessity, but willingly. You see how You
know there's a scripture over in, don't turn to it, but over
in 2 Corinthians 8 verse 12 about giving. And God, the Lord God
through Paul in 2 Corinthians 8 verse 12, he establishes this
foundation for all giving. There's something that's first
before every gift, before every act, before ever worship, before
everything. He says, there must first be
a willing mind. That's the word. There must first
be a willing mind. It cannot be accepted unless
there's a willing mind. And he said, right here, he said,
now, I could command you, back there in verse 8, and I could
command you to receive this man. Because that's what the Bible
says it did. But that wouldn't do any good. It wouldn't do you,
him, or anybody any good or be a blessing before God. You do
it willingly, because you love him. And then he says here, I
would have kept him, but without your being willing for me to
keep him, I wouldn't do it. In other words, Paul is saying,
if you want to send him back now, that's different. But there's
got to be a willing mind. Thy people shall be willing. to worship, to pray, to give,
to live, to be separated in the day of
thy power. Willing. Got to be a willing mind. Brother
man, put more pressure on folks. Brother man is going to put less
pressure on folks. I get it right here from this
man right here. Must be a willing mind. The only pressure I know
that will accomplish anything spiritually is the pressure of
the Holy Spirit. Even the servants said, I found
it in my heart to pray. How did it get there? God put
it there. Then he says this, verse 15,
for perhaps, and this is, I'm going to quit here in a moment,
but I want us to learn a lesson here. He therefore departed for
a season that you should receive him forever. Not now as a servant. I think he went on serving, but
more than a servant, above a servant, a brother. A brother can be a
servant. A brother can be the best servant in the world. But a brother, beloved, especially
to me and how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the
Lord. It's hard to do, but we need
to bring ourselves to see things as Paul's seeing it here. To
see everything in the light of eternity. Onesimus was a runaway
slave, a runaway servant. Now he's a beloved brother. But
he wouldn't have returned a beloved brother if he hadn't run away.
The runaway was hard. found out that man was gone,
and that probably his best horse was gone, and his finest saddle,
and some of his money. I bet he's upset. I imagine he's pretty upset,
and he's pretty upset until he got this letter. And this is
what Paul is saying. Perhaps all of this had to happen
that he might come back this way. hard though, isn't it? It's awful hard. It would not have been possible
had he not run away. So now he said he's a brother
in the flesh and in the Lord. What a blessing. What a blessing. Our family is in the Lord, strive
to keep the unity of that family. I hear people, they write to
me and they say, well, do your folks there know what to have?
Do they really know what to have? I think they do. I think they
do. A family in Christ. But oh, I
tell you, a lot of folks don't have it. Verse 17, Paul said,
if you count me a brother, pardon me, if you count me a brother,
receive him as myself. Now, if he's wronged you, I love
this, I'll call this sermon, Charge It To Me. Paul said, if
he's wronged you, and evidently has, or if he owes you anything,
and evidently did, charge it to me. Paul said, put it on my
account. That's what our Lord Jesus did.
Everything we owed the Father, He took it. He charged it to
Christ. And Paul went on, he said, I've
written this with my own hand. I'm surety for this man Onesimus. I've promised. I've written it
with my own hand. And I'll repay it. Paul wasn't
a wealthy man, but he's implying here, I'll go to work, I'll do
anything, I'll pay back whatever he owes you. You charge everything
he took to me, and I'll pay it. Charge it to me. And that's what
the Lord Jesus did for us. Everything was charged to his
account. And he promised, and he did. He paid it all, all the
debt I owe. Sin left for crimson stain. He
washed it white as snow. But I want to remind you, my
brother, that you owe me even your own self. I preach the gospel
to you. Yea, brother, let me have joy
of thee in the Lord. See, everything's in Christ.
Let me have joy of thee in the Lord. Refresh my heart, refresh
my soul in the Lord. Let me hear good news from down
there. Having confidence in your obedience, as I wrote unto you,
I love this right here, I know that you'll do more than I say. You'll do more than I say. That's
the confidence that Paul had in this dear man, Philemon. All right, Mike, come lead us
in a song and we'll be dismissed.