If you would, turn with me to
Philemon, the epistle of Paul to Philemon. Some of you may remember I The last time I preached from
this was many, many years ago here in this church. And I can't
believe I haven't looked at this since then. But I thought we
would again look at this little epistle, this letter of Paul to this slave owner. his message about this returning
slave. It's nothing new, but it's always
blessed me. It's always blessed me greatly. I think it's blessed the Lord's
people down through the ages. It's easy to overlook. It's just
this one right in there between Titus and before Hebrews. one
page in many Bibles, and it is a different sort of epistle,
too, isn't it, than any of the ones that Paul, the others that
Paul wrote. It's a personal letter, and that's
the reason why. It's a very personal letter.
And the Lord has, I think, a great deal to teach us because of that,
and so let's Let's consider this letter, and as we do, I think
there's no question that we're captivated by just the love and
the care and the affection that's expressed by Paul for this man
Philemon and for Onesimus. And the way Paul speaks, today
I was thinking about it, he couldn't help but think of that prophecy
in the Psalms, which refers to Christ, where it says, grace
is poured upon your lips. And I thought, well, how true
this was of Paul. And that, too, speaks of this
Christ-likeness that is found in Paul, as he's dealing with
something that is difficult. It would have been very difficult,
particularly in that point in time, but we, It speaks to us
too because there are times when we deal with difficult things,
isn't there? So in the church and in our families, and I think
not only is the message, of course, that I'm gonna primarily focus
on is that picture that we see of justification. But also in
this, I think we can see see so many things that can help
and instruct us and guide us in dealing with difficult things
with other brethren, particularly if we feel like we've been wronged.
That's usually, at least for me, I find that very difficult. And I think it probably, for
many of you, you find it difficult too. And I think this, what we
find here, is a great encouragement, is a great encouragement to the
Lord's people in those circumstances. But anyway, let me just read
quickly through it first and just bring these things to our
mind, then we'll go through it. Paul, beginning in verse one
there, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus and Timothy, our brother,
to Philemon, our beloved friend and fellow laborer, to the beloved
Ephia, Archippus, our fellow soldier, and the Church in your
house, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ. I thank my God, making mention
of you always in my prayers, hearing of your love and the
faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the
saints, that the sharing of your faith may become effective by
the acknowledgement of every good thing which is in you in
Christ Jesus. For we have a great joy and consolation
in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed
by you, brother. Therefore, though I might be
very bold in Christ to command you what is fitting, yet for
love's sake, I rather appeal to you, being such a one as Paul,
the aged, now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ. I appeal to
you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains,
who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to
you and to me. I am sending him back. You therefore
receive him, that is, my own heart, whom I wish to keep with
me, that on your behalf he might minister to me in my chains for
the gospel. For without your consent, I wanted
to do nothing, that your good deed might not be by compulsion,
as it were, but voluntary. For perhaps he departed for a
while for this purpose, that you might receive him forever,
no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother,
especially to me, but much more to you, both in the flesh and
in the Lord. If then you count me as a partner,
receive him as you would me. But if he has wronged you or
owes anything, put that on my account. I, Paul, am writing
with my own hand. I will repay. not to mention
to you that you owe me even your own self besides. Yes, brother,
let me have joy from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in the
Lord. Having confidence in your obedience,
I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I
say. But meanwhile, also prepare a guest room for me, for I trust
that through your prayers, I shall be granted to you. Paphras, my
fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus greets you as do Mark, Aristarchus,
Demas, Lucas, my fellow laborers. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
be with your spirit. Amen. Well, you know, as I read
that, you can see that the gospel permeates the lives of the Lord's people, doesn't
it? You see that in these words that Paul is writing to this
brother there. And we see it everywhere in this
situation. In Paul's words, in his actions,
in the picture we're given as Paul writes to Philemon of the
man that he is. And also the providence of God
in that whole situation with Onesimus. Running away, and where
does he end up? In Rome, under the ministry of
the Apostle Paul. And the Lord grants grace to
him. All of these things. All of these
things. And in this epistle to Philemon,
we see too that Paul does not command, but he says, for love's
sake, I rather appeal to you. For love's sake. And how does
he do this? He teaches, he reasons, he persuades,
and he exhorts. You know, it's been my experience
that many churches would rather command than speak
in love. And I'm thankful that we're in
a church where we have pastor, we have leaders of this church
that express these things that Paul is writing about, that speak
to us in love. And oh, how wonderful that is, isn't
it? It truly is. And what freedom
it brings. And we see, we'll see here too,
that this is what brings forth the fruit of the Spirit in the
lives of the Lord's people. Well, let's consider then some
of these things that Paul uses as he appeals to Philemon in
this letter. And I pray that it'll be for
your edification and for my edification. Well, the epistle to Philemon accompanied
the epistle of Paul to the saints there in Colossae. And in that
epistle, you might remember, he begins, Paul, an apostle of
Jesus Christ. But in this letter to Philemon,
he begins in a different way, and he says, Paul, a prisoner
of Christ Jesus. These two letters are coming
together, remember. So this is purposeful. And why
is that? Well, I think it's because Paul,
rather than writing this personal letter, an apostle of Christ
Jesus and all that was entailed in that, he writes a prisoner
of Christ Jesus to humble himself, to humble himself and make himself
of no reputation, as it were, in writing. And in doing this,
he's doing it for the sake of Philemon. He doesn't want to
command Philemon from this place of authority to do what is good
and right. If Paul did that, do you think
Philemon would obey? I think he would, wouldn't you? But Paul doesn't want that. He
doesn't want Philemon to obey because he's compelled by this
command and this authority. He wants Philemon to obey out
of his heart, out of that work of the spirit compelling him.
And so this is why he writes this. He says, we know that faith
worketh by love, and Paul knows this. Faith worketh by love,
and Paul desires that this faith and love be brought forth in
the heart of Philemon. Now Paul doesn't just refer to
himself as a prisoner of Christ in that first verse, but he does
it four times in this small epistle. He repeats this again in verse
nine, you see, for love's sake, I rather appeal to you being
such a one as Paul the aged and now also a prisoner of Jesus
Christ. And then in verse 10 again, he
refers to being at his chains, my chains, and then a fourth
time at the end, and where he refers to Epaphras. his fellow
prisoner. This is one of the leaders of
the church there at Colossae, and he was in prison, too, with
Paul, obviously. And so Paul, four times, he's
emphasizing this, and so it's not by happenstance, as we say. It's for a purpose. He's speaking
to Philemon in a personal way, and he's bringing himself down,
as it were. that Philemon will listen, listen
to him. Now, Paul then appeals to the
work of God's grace in the heart of Philemon. Look down there
to verse four. And he says, I thank my God,
making mention of you always in my prayers, hearing of your
love and the faith which you have toward the Lord's people
and towards all the saints. that the sharing of your faith
may become effective by the acknowledgement of every good thing which is
in you in Christ Jesus. You see, he's speaking about
this testimony, this witness, this Philemon had there in the
work of the gospel in the church, and it's a good witness, isn't
it? It's a good witness. And Paul
is telling him, when I think of you, I make mention of you
in my prayers, hearing of his faith and love. And what does
Paul want? He's doing this, he's bringing
this out because he wants to see an abounding of this love,
doesn't he? As he wrote to those Philippian
saints, abounding more, that your love might abound still
more and more in all knowledge and discernment. And this is
what he's doing with Philemon, he's bringing these things before
him, reminding him of the grace of God in his life to bring forth
this faith and love that was a blessing to Paul and a blessing
to all the saints. And now he's sending Onesimus
back to him. Well, do the same thing and let
it abound more and more. He says in verse seven, therefore,
we have great joy and consolation in your love because the hearts
of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother." That's a good
testimony, isn't it? For one of the Lord's servants.
Philemon was a beloved friend and fellow laborer in the gospel.
And Paul lets him know how thankful he is to the Lord for him. Paul in doing this is stirring
up this love in Philemon. That this love, these thoughts
would be in his heart, in his mind, as he reads this letter,
as this runaway slave is there and he's thinking about what
to do about this and how to deal with it. Isn't that what we would
all be doing? He tells Philemon that he makes
mention of his prayers specifically for one thing. He says that the communication
of your faith may be effectual by the acknowledgement of every
good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. Now, that's a perfect
description of the grace of God in the heart of man, isn't it?
Every good thing which is in you is in Christ Jesus. Every good thing. And this grace
that's in you brings forth fruit. And that's what Paul is praying
for. And that's what Paul is encouraging him to do in this
situation. Paul lays out all of these things
before even mentioning Onesimus. You see the wisdom in that, don't
you? He knows that these things are
powerful and persuasive arguments to cause Philemon to embrace
Onesimus in love, even as he has love for all the saints.
And Paul commends him for those things. Well, here he says, well,
here's a brother. And so these are strong arguments. And Paul says, I want you to do this. It would bring
forth great joy in my heart. In verse 10, he continues. He says, I appeal to you for
my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains,
who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to
you and to me. I am sending him back. You, therefore,
receive him. That is my own heart." What a
surprise this must have been for Philemon. Can you imagine
him getting this letter from the Apostle Paul? And here's
his slave who, it's clear, had stolen stolen most likely a significant
amount of money from him before he fled. And so here comes this
slave, and at the same time, he receives this letter from
the apostle Paul, and how does Paul refer to this man, to this
slave? My son, my son, but not only
is his son, but is my heart. Now that's powerful, isn't it?
And you see, you see the affection that Paul has for the Lord's
people, don't you? He doesn't, these things are
not put on, you know, I mean, if there's anything that so disgusts
me is to see a minister just false, just false and saying
the right words but not meaning them. But this isn't Paul, is
it? No, he has a genuine love and affection for the Lord's
people, and we know that it's worked out in his entire life.
He says he does all things for the sake of the elect, and he
does. He did. And so he says, my son, my heart. Paul, how could he say this? Well, because he's sending Onesimus
back, not the man that left, He's sending back a man, an entirely
different man. He's been born again by the grace
of God. Every good thing that is in Philemon
is in Onesimus. Every good thing. Philemon knows
that Onesimus was not like this before, no. Paul addresses this
directly. He says, true, true. He was unprofitable
to you, but God has done this wonderful work of grace. And
he who is unprofitable is now profitable. Not only profitable
to you, but profitable to me too. And Paul, in doing that,
he's making this play on words. Onesimus was unprofitable as
a slave, He did wrong to his master and ran away, but now
he's been profitable to Paul spiritually. That's what Paul
is saying here. He's been profitable to me spiritually.
And he would return to his owner not only profitable as a slave,
but profitable spiritually to him as a brother. Like all natural men, Onesimus
was unprofitable spiritually. So was I, and so were you. In Romans 3, we know that portion
so well. It's that portion of the great
condemnation of total depravity in all men. And it's interesting
that unprofitable is found in that description. What do we
read there? There is none righteous, no not
one. There is none who understands.
There is none who seeks after God. They are all gone out of
their way. They are together become unprofitable. And it's true. In our natural
state are we any profit at all to our creator. to our God. None. None. And so even in that,
what a statement that when God does this marvelous work of grace
in the heart, that he makes us profitable. And that's a wonderful
thing, isn't it, to consider? Profitable. You know, the scriptures continually
use this type of construction to describe the remarkable change
brought about by the Spirit in the new birth. Who were once
unprofitable, but now is profitable. Who were once darkness, but now
you are light in the Lord. You who were once far off have
been made near by the blood of Christ. When we're born of God, the Holy
Spirit makes all these one statements true of you and me. We who were once slaves of sin
become slaves of righteousness and become useful to our master,
the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn over for a minute to Colossians
chapter three. Keep your place here, Colossians
chapter three. And as I said, remember that
this letter to Philemon was sent along with this letter to the
saints at Colossae. And you know, I hadn't really thought
that much about this fact until this week. And it's interesting. When you think about that and
read Colossians, in light of that, it takes on more significance
in certain places. Look at here in verse 10, Colossians
3 and verse 10. Having put on the new man who
is renewed in knowledge according to the image of him who created
him. Now, renewed in knowledge. This
is the image of who? The image of Christ. The image
of Christ is inscribed, as it were, on everyone whom the Spirit
works in, in this way. And now look at verse 11. If this is the case, where there
is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian,
Scythian, bond, nor free. but Christ is all and in all. Now, as Onesimus returns, this
slave, this letter is brought also, this letter to the church,
this letter that Philemon would also read, and there's no question
that this would have had so much more weight and meant so much
more to them, reading about the fact that we're all one in Christ
Jesus. And all of these distinctions
are erased for the people of God, that people are so, think
of today, think of all the nonsense and the hatred and the strife
and the divisions going on. But here, Paul is writing, in Christ, we're all one in Christ. All of these distinctions are
erased. and how much I'm convinced that would have spoken to Philemon
at that point in time as well. Now, turn, well, actually turn over
to chapter four and just see towards the end of that, chapter
four. And as Paul's closing, that epistle to the church at
Colossae, he says, Tychicus, a beloved brother, faithful minister,
and fellow servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about
me. I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that he may
know your circumstances and comfort your hearts. With Onesimus, a
faithful and beloved brother who is one of you. They will
make known to you all things that are happening here. Isn't
that wonderful? And you see, too, just the naturalness
of the Apostle Paul. He's writing this letter and
he closes his head, speaks about sending news that they would
know what's happening with these men. But Paul, back to Philemon,
back to Philemon, Paul now speaks of the providence of God. Look
in verse 15. He says, for perhaps he departed for a while for this
purpose, that you might receive him forever. Isn't that wonderful? Sometimes
the Lord uses the worst circumstances to bring about the greatest good.
He did that at the cross, didn't he? God brings good out of evil to
accomplish his purposes. Even those things which seem
such a hindrance to the work of the gospel. You know, Paul,
as we noted, described himself as he opens that letter, Paul,
a prisoner of Christ Jesus. Now, Paul had been arrested by
the Romans. He's guarded by the Roman soldiers. He's in captivity, in chains,
in a Roman prison. But he doesn't say, I'm a prisoner
of Rome. He says, I'm a prisoner of Christ
Jesus. Why? Because Paul knows all of
these circumstances are not out of the will and purpose of God. He's a prisoner of Jesus Christ. You know, from a natural perspective,
Paul's imprisonment there in Rome would have seemed like such
a blow to the gospel work. I know if I was there, if I was
in Colossae or some of these other churches, I would have
thought, You know, just I would have been so disheartened and
thinking, you know what? Paul's in prison and the work
of God will be greatly hindered. But you know what he wrote to
the saints at Philippi. This is what he says. But I want
you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have
actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel so that it has
become evident to the whole palace guard and to all the rest that
my chains are in Christ. How much that should encourage
you and I. Isn't that true? You know, it's, I think in the
last message I preached, I said how great the Christian life
is. And it's true. It doesn't matter
what the circumstances are. The life that the Lord gives
us in this world as his people, as his children, is a great life. And we should rejoice in it.
I'm preaching to myself. Paul then appeals on the basis
of the new relationship which now exists, not only between
himself and Onesimus, he's referred to him as a son, but also between
Philemon and Onesimus. Look there. Continue there in
verse 15, for perhaps he departed for a while for this purpose,
that you might receive him forever, no longer as a slave, but more
than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much
more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. And you know,
when we're born again, in the new birth, new relationships
are formed. New bonds are formed. And it's
these bonds and it's these relationships which are in fact the ones that
are lasting. They're forever. That you might
receive him forever. We're brought into fellowship
with the son. David preached on that a few
weeks ago. Do you remember that in the first
epistle to the Corinthians in that first chapter? were brought
into fellowship with the Son. We read there, I thank my God
always concerning you for the grace of God which was given
to you in Christ Jesus. I'm reading from 1 Corinthians.
That you were enriched in everything by him in all utterance and all
knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you,
so that you came short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the
revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm
you to the end that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord
Jesus Christ. God is faithful by whom you were
called into the fellowship of his son. Jesus Christ our Lord. And then this relationship, this
fellowship with the son brings us into fellowship with the father.
And it brings us into fellowship one with another. And these relationships
supersede the natural relationships. Do you realize that? These relationships
are forever. And that should speak to us as
a body of believers, shouldn't it? As brothers and sisters in
Christ. These spiritual relationships will
never end. How much more we should cherish
them in this life. So Paul writes, receive him forever, no longer
as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially
to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the
Lord. And then Paul brings three powerful
points to persuade him to receive on SMS. Verse 17, look there. If you then count me as a partner,
receive him, as you would me." Now, Paul says, literally, receive
him as me. Well, how does Philemon count
Paul? What does he think of Paul? How
would he receive Paul? As a beloved friend. We've just
read that. And even more, a brother in Christ,
a fellow laborer in the gospel, an apostle of the Lord Jesus
Christ. But what of Onesimus? He's betrayed
his master, he's guilty, he's broken the law, he's a slave
who's committed a grave offense against his master, and he's
added an even greater offense by running away. Onesimus returns
owing a great debt. He returned owing a debt he couldn't
pay. And what does Paul say? Philemon,
receive him as me. Don't receive him as a slave
who is guilty. Don't receive him as a slave
who is guilty but forgiven. Don't receive him as a slave,
but receive him as me. Now this would have been shocking. Receive him as a beloved friend,
a dearly beloved brother in Christ. Receive him with all the love,
all the care, all the friendship that you would receive me with.
Receive him as me. But what of the injury to Philemon? What of the death owed by Onesimus,
verse 18? Paul deals with that, doesn't
he? He says, but if he has wronged you or owes you anything, put
that on my account. I, Paul, am writing with my own
hand. He's emphasizing his commitment
to this. Again, it's not just words. I,
Paul, am writing with my own hand. And what does he write?
I will repay whatever debt he owes. You see, Paul doesn't just
tell Philemon to overlook the dead. That wouldn't be just. And yet
that's what the, that's all people believe virtually anymore, isn't
it? It doesn't matter, just forgive. I mean, just forgive. How many times I've heard that?
Just forgive, but yet what about the dead? How is that gonna be
dealt with? In Exodus, as you know, the Lord
reveals something of his divine nature to Moses. And Moses so
longed to see, have a glimpse of his glory. And in Exodus 34,
verse six, we read, and the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed,
the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering
and abundant in goodness and truth. keeping mercy for thousands,
forgiving iniquity and transgression and sins, by no means clearing
the guilty. By no means clearing the guilty. How important it is to recognize
that. That this is a Lord passing by
Moses to receive to reveal something of his glory, a glimpse of his
glory. And in this list of just wonderful
attributes of mercy and grace and long-suffering, abounding
in goodness and truth, the Lord makes clear that his nature too
is by no means clearing the guilty. This is an unalterable truth
which is emphasized throughout the word of God. And if it were not so, Christ
would not have died. Paul immediately writes, put
that to my account. I will repay. But do you know
the penalty of a runaway slave in the Roman Empire was death? Now, we know Onesimus wasn't
ever going to exact that penalty. He's a believer. And especially
with a letter like this from Paul. And Paul knows that too.
But that is the law. That was the law of the Roman
Empire. And so this in fact was a debt owed by Onesimus. And how could Paul have this
put to his account? Well, here comes what I call
the crowning argument from Paul to Philemon. And I'm convinced,
but Philemon already knows what's coming. And you can almost see
him smiling as he reads, not to mention to you that you owe
me even your own self besides. It appears that Philemon too
was a son of the apostle Paul, that he was saved through the
ministry of this apostle. And so Philemon, he too owed
his life to Paul. Would Philemon understand, we
know salvation is of God, we know Paul's not saying that,
but Paul was used as the instrument to bring this good thing to Philemon. It's like those saints that I
wrote about in Papua New Guinea, how grateful they are for those
who bring the gospel to them. And I can testify of it, there's
a particular attachment. It's embarrassing sometimes for
me. Those who've been saved under
your ministry just love you so much. And Paul knows that. And this is why he's saying this. It's as if he's saying, yes,
Onesimus, he's in debt for his life to you, but you're in debt
for your life to me. A life for life. Paul then concludes, verse 20,
yes brother, let me have joy from you in the Lord. Refresh
my heart in the Lord. Having confidence in your obedience,
I write to you knowing that you will do even more than I say. What a tender, loving entreaty. This is being constrained by
love, isn't it? Paul's hemmed Philemon in from
every side, there's no way Philemon's gonna escape this loving appeal,
is he? But you know, he has no desire
to escape these bonds. The Lord's people delight in
the bonds of the cords of love, especially the cords of God's
love, don't we? We don't count them as bonds
at all. This is what constrains us. And what does Paul say? having confidence in your obedience,
knowing that you will do even more than I say. And he'll do so joyfully, willingly,
with delight, with love, and with thanksgiving. You know,
I thought too, today, as I was preparing this, that isn't this
an instance of where the word says, love hopes all things,
believes all things. And that's true of Paul with
Philemon, isn't it? Paul knows he'll do more than
he says. He has confidence in this. Why?
Because Paul hopes all things, he believes all things. That
is, he believes in the grace of God in the heart of the Lord's
people. Well, in closing, Let me bring
your attention once again in this epistle to the fact that
we're given a great picture, a wonderful picture of the justifying
work of the Lord Jesus Christ. A justification by righteousness
which is not our own because we don't have any. Righteousness
which is imputed to us. John Bunyan put it so clearly. I think this is one of the greatest
quotes He says, indeed, this is one of the greatest mysteries
in the world, namely, that a righteousness which resides with a person in
heaven should justify me, a sinner on earth. Isn't that true? There is one in heaven who humbled
himself and he made himself of no reputation. He took upon himself
our nature. and shared with us flesh and
blood, taking the form of a bond servant, he came in the likeness
of men. He identifies with us, doesn't
he? He puts himself in our place. He's touched by the feelings
of our infirmities. He's the beloved son, the only
begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. And the Father
loves him, eternally, perfectly. And he looks upon this beloved
son with perfect satisfaction and joy and pleasure. He delights in this son, the
son of his love, the son who is described as glorious in righteousness,
beautiful in holiness. And here am I. a miserable, guilty slave. In utter bondage to sin, nothing
but awful filth and corruption, full of iniquity, transgressions
and sins. God alone knows the unimaginable
depths of my sin, more than I ever will. And in the vast, unfathomable
reaches of eternity, he saw me. He saw me before I ever was.
He saw you before you ever were. And he loved you with an everlasting
love. Before time, before the world
began. He looked upon me and my sin
and misery, and what did he see? A slave. fleeing from him in fear,
in great debt, a load of sin crushing me into the pit of hell,
a runaway guilty slave. You know, and I thought, the
beloved son of God, he too penned an epistle. He penned an epistle
in his own body. And he sealed it with his own
blood. And this is what he wrote. Receive him as me. With all the love and the joy
and the pleasure and the satisfaction and the delight with which you
receive me. Receive him, that is my own heart. And what of my debt of sin? What
did Christ say? Put that to my account. I will
repay. And he did, didn't he? The cross
of our Lord Jesus Christ resonates with this glorious proclamation.
Receive him as me, for I have paid. Amen.