Seeing Life in the Proper Perspective

Transcript

GR 1664
1/13/2013
Seeing Life in the Proper Perspective
Philemon 15-18
Gil Rugh

We are going to the book of Philemon in your Bibles, a little one chapter letter of Paul to Philemon. It is just before the book of Hebrews. You have a little trouble finding that little book sandwiched between the book of Titus and the book of Hebrews, Paul’s letter to Philemon.

It is one of what we call Paul’s Prison Letters because it was written during the time Paul was a prisoner in Rome. You are familiar with the book of Acts. The book of Acts closes with Paul having been arrested and over a period of time transported to Rome and the book of Acts closes with noting his two year imprisonment in Rome. Altogether from the time of his arrest til the close of the book of Acts we have about five years of Paul’s life taken up. So while he is in Rome he writes several letters and this is one of them. So it is called the prison letter because he wrote it while a prisoner in Rome. During this time in Rome while he is a prisoner he came in contact with a run-away slave. The run-away slaves name is Onesimus and the result of his contact with the Apostle Paul, Onesimus becomes a believer in Jesus Christ and his life is clearly transformed as Paul gives testimony.

During his time there after his conversion Onesimus ministered to Paul in very helpful and significant ways. We are not given the details but Paul notes in this letter what an aid and what a help Onesimus has been to him during this difficult time when he is a prisoner but Paul believes it is necessary for Onesimus to go back and face the music, return to his master. And interestingly his master is also a man that Paul led to the Lord. So Paul could write to him, knowing him, it is a letter of warmth. He commends him. His master’s name is Philemon and that gives us the title of this letter. It is Paul’s letter to Philemon. Paul is writing on half of Onesimus really. He’s writing on behalf of himself but he wants to intercede for Onesimus and ask Philemon to show mercy and forgiveness to this run-away slave. He is not going to command him as an apostle but he is going to appeal to him as a fellow-believer in Jesus Christ.

Onesimus is a godly man as the letter makes clear. He is a man that has been used of the Lord. Paul considers him a fellow-worker, a fellow-soldier as the letter opened up but you know every situation brings new challenges to us. No matter how far along we are in our growth, in our maturity in Christ, we are never done growing and if you have been a believer very long you can testify to the fact certain things come up. Perhaps they strike close to home, perhaps they involve people close to you and we can be shaken by that. We are sometimes amazed at ourselves when we stop and reflect and say I thought I would have handled that better. I thought I would have had more confidence in the Lord in this situation and Paul is concerned for Philemon that this is time of growth for him. He wants Philemon to see in this situation with Onesimus which evidently resulted in loss, not only the run-away slave but we are not given the details, but evidently personal harm perhaps in stealing goods from Philemon. Paul doesn’t go into the detail. Philemon knows the detail but he wants Philemon to consider that the hand of the Lord has been in all of this. That doesn’t excuse the wrong that Onesimus did but Paul’s challenge and appeal to Philemon is consider this situation in light of the work of God and his sovereign control in all that happens.

So when you come to verse 15, we’ve broken into the letter, obviously, we take time with each section. Verse 15 begins: “For perhaps…” So if we back up a little bit, verse 10 says, “I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment.” And there referring to the fact that he was privileged to be the human instrument God used to share the Gospel and lead Onesimus to salvation by faith in Christ. “I am appealing to you on his behalf.”

The name Onesimus means one who is useful or profitable and we noted the play on words here. “I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus.” Then he uses another word that would have a similar or same meaning. Verse 11: “He was formerly useless.” So the name Onesimus means useful or profitable so Paul builds on that and says “now Onesimus was formerly useless but now he is useful.” Playing on the transformation that God has brought about in his life so that Philemon would be challenged to consider Onesimus in a different light. Keep in mind, till this letter, Philemon’s last contact with Onesimus has been bad. Evidently there were problems with Onesimus before he left and in the situation of him running away has aggravated the situation so Paul doesn’t make excuses for Onesimus. Formerly this man whose name would mean useful or profitable was useless indicating something of the problems that would have been there even before he ran away but now I want you to consider that he is useful and to help Philemon think of this he says, “Not only to you but to me also” because Philemon has to take Paul’s word on this at this point because his last contact with Onesimus has not been a good situation. Paul goes ones and talks about he would have liked to have kept Onesimus with him. That tells you that he has been change. He has become as his name would indicate, useful, profitable but I felt it was important that he come back to you. I didn’t want to presume on you. He is your slave so even though I would have liked to have him remain with me I return him because I think that is good for you and good for him.

Verse 15 then picks up with that for. “For perhaps he was for this reason separated from you for a while that you would have him back forever.” “For perhaps he was for this reason separated from you.” That word separated, it’s a passive form. Passive, someone acts on the individual so sometimes we call this the divine passive and the point here, he was separated. He doesn’t say, “Perhaps for this reason he ran away from you.” No, he was separated because Paul is bringing into the picture the hand of God here. It doesn’t excuse Onesimus’ sin but God is sovereignly overruling and working in that situation so perhaps he was separated from you.

We talked a little while ago when we talked about the sovereignty of God about the providence of God and that is what Paul is bringing in here. The providence of God is God’s sovereign work and control over all events that take place. We noted then that even the sinful acts of men are controlled by God. He doesn’t cause their sin but he sovereignly uses them for the carrying out of His purposes. Paul is bringing into the picture here; perhaps he was separated from you. He was separated by whom? He did this to himself. Well the implication here is God’s hand was in this using Onesimus’ sinful desires and the pursuit of those sinful desires for the accomplishing of God’s greater purposes.

Let’s go back to Genesis. Most of you would have been here when we studied the sovereignty of God and His providence but a reminder, Genesis, chapter 37. We often come to Joseph as an illustration of God’s providence. The situation with Joseph, you remember, there is hatred against Joseph by his own brothers. The family is a divided family. Here you have his own brothers hate him. They hate him so much that they are going to sell him into slavery. So in verses 26 and 27 Judah, one of his brothers said to his brothers, “What profit it is for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him for he is our brother, our own flesh.” His brothers listened to him. They wanted to be rid of him but they want to get rid of him in a way that they won’t have any sense of guilt for murdering him. Let’s sell him into slavery and so they sell him to a caravan that is going to Egypt so they sell him as a slave knowing he will be carted off to a strange and foreign land and there these merchants will sell him into slavery in Egypt. What a terrible deed. What a sinful action and then they will go back and lie to their father and deceive him in thinking that a wild animal probably killed Joseph. You are familiar with the story.

Come over to chapter 45. After years have gone by and Joseph has had a hard life in Egypt for a time. You are familiar with the story and ends up in prison in Egypt but God restores him to a place of promises and elevates him to the second highest in authority in Egypt under the Pharaoh. Then his brothers, when he finally has contact with them when they come to Egypt, he confronts them about what they did and you might think, “You’re a miserable sinful bunch and you deserve to suffer” but that is not what he says. Look at verse 5 of Genesis 45: “Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here for God sent me.” So we note that when we looked into this on the providence of God. There you see God’s providence using even the sinfulness of his brothers for the accomplishing of His purposes. You see what Joseph does. He looks at the hand of God even in those events. So, there is no bitterness and resentment there. We say “Well, he’s come to a position of great power.” But often that doesn’t change resentment and bitterness we had because of what people have done to us. The fact that God overruled but Joseph takes it back. “Even what you did to me in selling me was the hand of God sending me. You sold me, God sent me.” Verse 7: “God sent me before you to preserve you.” Verse 8: “Now therefore, it was not you who sent me here but God.”

I mean, what a powerful statement. What godly character Joseph manifested. To see the situation that resolved in him being sold into slavery, living in an Egyptian prison, all of that. You would think that over the years the resentment and the bitterness toward his brothers could have festered and now he could put the pressure on them and at least make them feel their guilt. We say, “No, this is the hand of God.” What peace that could bring into a life and it brought it to his family; the family is restored and his relationship with his brothers.

You’re here, turn over to chapter 50, verse 20 as we come to the conclusion here. Verse 20: “As for you, you meant evil against me. God meant it for good.” And great comfort and assurance to us as believers. People may intend the worst for what they do to you, how they treat you, trying to bring you pain and misery but as a believer I can say, “My life is in God’s hands,” even their sinful actions that they mean for evil. Believers get the idea well, you know, that was something they did and it was their sinful desires that did it. There is an element of truth in that and they are accountable for that but for me I recognize that God’s hand is in it because He controls their sinful desires and directs them for the accomplishing of His purposes.

Come back to Philemon. This is why we have the confidence and quote so often, Romans 8:28: “All things work together for good to those who belong to God,” to summarize it. We are His children. I think we need to keep that verse in mind in the worst of times as well as the best of times. His plan can’t be frustrated so Paul in verse 15, “Perhaps for this reason he was separated from you.” What do you mean, he was separated from me? The miserable slave ran away after causing me grief he added to it with what he did when he ran away but this was the hand of God. “He was separated from you for a while.” Now Paul doesn’t say this is for sure what happened. He doesn’t say God appeared to me in a dream and told me this was His purpose. He says, perhaps this was the hand of God in it. You get the sense from the letter Paul was confident that was true but he wants Philemon to make the decision. This is time of growth for Philemon to see the hand of God in what is going on so perhaps he was for this reason separated from you for a while so that you would have him back forever so consider that it was God working in this rebellious, sinful slave and the decisions and actions he made so that God could bring about an overriding purpose. You were separated from him for a while. The separation was brief but the reunion will be permanent. It goes beyond just our physical life here because now he is a brother in Christ. That temporary situation has resulted by the grace and sovereignty of God that now he is a member of the family of God and throughout eternity will be in a relationship with one another as God’s people, so the balance. Consider that temporary situation was overruled for good.

John Calvin, everybody knows John Calvin’s name. Some of you perhaps read some of his stuff, a great sixteenth century reformer. Here is what he said on this situation. “The elect of God are sometimes brought to salvation by a method that could not have been believed contrary to general expectation by Cerquatus windings and even by labyrinths. Onesimus lived in a religious and holy family and being banished from it by his own evil actions he deliberately, as it were, withdraws far from God and from eternal life yet God by hidden providence wonderfully directs his pernicious flight so that he meets with Paul.” Now that’s the way John Calvin wrote it. The simplicity of it, the hand of God directed in it all.

You know sometimes we as believers bring sorrow and grief upon ourselves by failing to step back and say, “God, it’s in Your hands.” You know we don’t control it. I was thinking of this as I worked on this this week, a situation in my own life many years ago, far before anybody sitting in this section was living. I went to a meeting in a suburb of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, my mother had been saved a year or so earlier and so she was taking us to a meeting with her sister. My cousin came along and at this meeting, old fashioned camp meeting, an invitation was given after the Gospel. My cousin and I went forward and declared our faith in Christ. I believe I was saved that evening. My cousin went forward with me but he was not truly saved that night. He gives testimony today. So he goes off in a life, hippy life style in those days I guess we would call it, through a couple of marriages, divorces, into drugs, travelling. You go to 20 – 25 years later Marilyn and I and the kids are visiting my parents in New Jersey. I haven’t had contact with my cousin about a year after that event where I was saved and we moved to Philadelphia, the eastern part of Pennsylvania. So we are visiting with my parents on vacation and low and behold we get a call. Who is it from, my cousin. He is traveling with his girlfriend and his van broke down and he just happened to be near my parent’s house. My parents said we will go get you. You can stay here and get your van fixed and go on your way. He comes, he and his girlfriend and we sit down and we had a talk at the table and they get saved. So he gets in the van. They are on their way to New England, traveling from the south to New England. They had been doing drugs with their friends down there and then they had some friends in New England they are going to do drugs with. So they get in the van, you know and we think well you know, we will see. You know we shared with them, talked with them. They said they were saved, they really trusted Christ, they went on. You know what happened when they got to New England? The people they went up to do drugs with, what do you think happened? They had gotten saved about two weeks earlier. So you know what? It was a great reunion, they end up getting baptized up there, married, going to schooling and went to France as missionaries twenty some years.

I think why did God work this way. Here we are in a meeting. I can tell you how long ago this was, it was 1952 and I know you can’t believe I am that old, right? And we go. Why didn’t God just save them then? Save all this misery and foolishness and sin and all these years in between. That’s the way I would have done it, let’s get this done. No, twenty-five years later then he’s, you know, with his wife who had been his girlfriend. They go off to France for twenty some years as missionaries. The story is not done. Do you know where they live now? Omaha. The Lord is not only gracious, He has a sense of humor. The ways God works. You think, well he had his opportunity and obviously he didn’t take it. He’s probably lost. No, the Lord works.

That’s all Paul is telling Philemon, consider this the hand of God. You know, we give up. We get so concerned. Oh, you know, my parents they didn’t trust the Lord yet, they are probably not going to. My kids, my grandkids… It’s in the Lord’s hand. That doesn’t mean we don’t do what we can but I trust the Lord will work. They are in His hands. It’s in His hand. We don’t know what the Lord is going to do with the worst of situations.

Come to verse 16 of Philemon. “You would have him back forever. No longer as a slave but more than a slave.” Now this is the first time that Paul refers to Onesimus as a slave and he doesn’t say that Onesimus will no longer be Philemon’s slave. He used a comparison here. No longer as a slave and the point he’s making but more than a slave. So you see, he’s not saying I am saying this since he’s become a believer and you’re a believer, you have to release him from slavery. No. You receive him back. You are welcoming him back not as a slave but as a beloved brother. He’s still your slave but the spiritual relationship that you now have with him supersedes the physical relationship. So, you welcome him back not as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother. He may be your physical slave but your relationship that really matters is your spiritual relationship. He’s a beloved brother. Paul has prepared the way for this.

In verse 7 he says that Philemon is a brother. “I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.” Down in verse 20 then he will say, “Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart.” So he calls Philemon twice a brother. Now he calls Onesimus a brother. The point what? We see him now as a family member. A fellow member of the family of God. So you will have a beloved brother. His relationship physically is a slave but he is more than a slave to you, a beloved brother. So you receive him back, you’d have him back forever no longer as a slave, more than a slave, a beloved brother especially to me but how much more to you both in the flesh and in the Lord. Paul says this is what he is to me but Philemon, you have had a longer on-going relationship with him than I have. How much more special will this be to you? Paul hasn’t had the ongoing relationship with Onesimus. Philemon can appreciate in a greater way what a transformation has occurred in Onesimus. To see that this useless, troublesome, grief causing slave is now a brother in Christ and his life is totally different. So, if he is a beloved brother to me how much more will he be that to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord? Both your physical relationship and now the superseding spiritual relationship.

This means that Philemon and Onesimus will continue to have the physical relationship of master and slave. You don’t think that Paul’s writing this letter saying that Onesimus ought to be freed from slavery but he is saying that that physical relationship will be superseded by the spiritual relationship.

Some of you work for a Christian boss. Well, you have a superseding spiritual relationship but you still have obligations to fulfill as an employee. You have an obligation as the boss but just because you are believers it doesn’t mean that relationship is wiped out. Sometimes we get confused on this but your spiritual relationship supersedes everything else and we come together as God’s people in the body. Those physical relationships are not those that control us so the boss might be sitting in the class being taught by the employee. Where in Paul’s days one of the masters might be sitting in a class in church taught by one of the slaves and in the body of Christ we have a spiritual equality.

Important, this section here sometimes people try to read into passages like this and want to make Philemon a letter that shows that Paul is trying to do away with slavery and show that the work of Christ means that we ought to abolish this kind of social injustice. The emphasis in the New Testament is Christianity doesn’t change necessarily your physical or social standing or situation. Paul doesn’t voice any criticisms of slavery and some have criticized the Scripture for that and have accused Christians of promoting slavery by their adherence to the literal interpretation of Scripture.

Let’s see, come to I Corinthians, the principle here. We want to appreciate what Paul is saying and be careful that we don’t make him say what he is not saying. In I Corinthians 7 Paul in one of the passages where he makes clear that becoming a believer doesn’t require a change unless you are obviously, doing something sinful, but he doesn’t put slavery in the category of sinfulness or other certain social situations. Verse 17: “Only as the Lord has assigned to each one as God has called each in this manner, let him walk.” How do you know what the Lord has assigned, what are you? Onesimus was saved as a slave so that is the position that he was in. That is what the Lord has assigned him. Now he is to function as a godly slave, be the point. Then he says, “Were you called circumcised, or uncircumcised,” verse 20: “Each man must remain in that condition in which he was called. Were you called while a slave?” So you see how he uses this as an application, an illustration. “Do not worry about it.” That is not the issue. But, if you are able to become free, do that. So he is not saying you are not allowed to be free. Oh no, God saved me when I am a slave that must mean he wants me to stay a slave forever. A slave often had opportunity to acquire their freedom, legally; if you have that opportunity, great. So when he says in verse 20: “Each man must remain in the condition in which he was called;” the general principle so that you don’t think that becoming a believers requires a change. But if you have the opportunity to better yourself, improve yourself, if you were a slave while working for someone and now you have a chance to own a business it doesn’t mean well God saved me when I didn’t own a business; therefore God saved me while I was single, that means I should stay single my whole life or what? Not so.

Verse 22: “For he who was called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedman; likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave.” He wants us to see everything from God’s perspective. If you are a slave and you are saved you are still a slave but you are free in Christ. If you are free and you are saved, you become Christ’s slave, right? So, see yourself in the situation that you have in Christ. You are bought with a price. Do not become slaves of men. That doesn’t mean, oh see, there he is. There is a verse against slavery. No, see yourself in your true spiritual condition and if you are a believer you shouldn’t be preoccupied with the fact you are a slave in the physical realm. You be occupied with the freedom you have in Christ and the privilege you have to serve Him in this situation. “Brethren, each one is to remain with God in the condition in which he was called.”

Come over to Galatians chapter 3, familiar verse, verse 28: “There is neither Jews, nor Greek. There is neither slave nor freedman. There is neither male nor female. You are all one in Christ.” Now he is not saying therefore you ought to do away with the distinction between male and female or slaves and masters or Jews and Greeks. No, the point is those aren’t the real issues. The real issue is our spiritual relationship in Christ. So whether you are a Jew or a Gentile in Christ we have been made one. So your nationality is not the issue. That doesn’t mean a Jew has to try to be like a Gentile or a Gentile like a Jew and the distinctions are there. They are not, though, the priority and the focal point.

One more passages: Colossians chapter 3. This is another of Paul’s prison letters and Philemon’s residency is Colossae where this particular letter was written. Colossians chapter 3, verse 22: “Slaves in all things obey those who are your masters on earth.” Masters according to the flesh, masters in the physical realm. In all things obey those who are your masters in the physical realm. “Not with external service as those who please men. Not with eye service, not while they are watching, only but with sincerity of heart fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work heartily as for the Lord rather than for man knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord, Christ whom you serve. Now that principle, I see myself as a servant of Christ. I may have the lowest position in the business, the most miserable job and I might be unfairly treated and why should I work hard? They sure don’t pay me for hard work. I work hard because I am not doing it for them. I’m not even doing it for the pay in the ultimate sense. I am doing it to please the Lord. So it is with a slave. He’s doing it to please the Lord. Then there are instructions to the masters. Chapter 4, verse 1: “Masters grant to your slaves justice and fairness knowing that you too have a master in heaven.” Don’t lose proper perspective. I must be a godly master, a godly boss and show justice and fairness because I’m doing it to please my master; so seeing things in the proper light and perspective. The world gets caught up with justice in the world and there is to be justice, masters that grant slaves justice. Not that we are not concerned but we as believers see things in a different light. I can pour myself into whatever God has given me to do because I am doing it for Him. Slaves say, “Well, this isn’t fair and I don’t get the benefit out of my work, my master does and he doesn’t provide the best condition.”


Come over to I Peter and then we have to get back to Philemon. I Peter chapter 2, note what Peter writes on this. Verse 18: “Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable.” Why, “this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a man bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. What credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.” Who are we trying to please? I’m not treated fairly. But that is in the hands of the Lord. I’m doing my work for the Lord but doesn’t mean well, I can get a better job where they will treat me better. I don’t have the right to do it. Slaves didn’t have that freedom. Sometimes we are in a situation and say well, “why didn’t I get a better job?” Well, because I can’t. Well I guess if we really believe in the sovereignty of God, in other words I am here because God has put me here. If I don’t have any alternative is God in a box. I’m in this position He has placed me and I must do the best for Him I can in this situation. That is the principle set down here.

Alright, come back to Philemon, verse 17, Paul mentioned his appeal in verse 10: “I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus.” But now, he makes his actual request and this is the real purpose of the letter when you get to verse 17: “If then you regard me as a partner, accept him as you would me.” So I am appealing to you on the behalf of Onesimus when we come to verse 17 so we have come through a lot of the letter, the bulk of the letter and you come to verse 17 and you finally see here is my appeal, “If you regard me a partner, accept him as you would me.” Paul basis his appeal on his relationship with Philemon because again, Philemon has had no relationship with Onesimus as a believer and sometimes if we have really been harmed by a person it’s hard for us to get over it. You say, “Oh, they have become a believer.” Sure, but it doesn’t fix what they did to me thought, does it? It doesn’t replace the loss I’ve had, does it? You know the consequences I suffered because of their, wait a minute. So this is where Paul brings it. You will note there is no excuse offered for Onesimus’ behavior. All Paul wants to say is he has been made new in Christ but he realizes Philemon may be having a hard time getting beyond the personal situation here so Paul’s appeal becomes very personal. “If you regard me a partner.” The word partner, we are familiar, used to be common. We would use this Greek word, koinonos, fellowship, what we used to call small group meetings, koinonos groups and so on. “If you regard me a partner,” one you have fellowship with and of course, Onesimus was led to Christ by Paul himself. Of course I consider myself in fellowship, in relationship with Paul. Well then, I am basing my appeal on that.

I Corinthians 1:9 says “God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship [that is the word translated partnership] with His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.” Keep your marker there and just turn back several pages to I John chapter 1, verse 3: “What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have [here’s our word] fellowship with us, and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.” So John wants them, through faith in Christ, to have fellowship with him and in fellowship with him they’ll be in fellowship with not only John but with God the Father and God the Son because we become members of God’s family.

Back in Philemon - “if then you regard me as a partner…” one you are in fellowship with, have a relationship with. Now we know Philemon is a solid believer and a faithful servant because earlier in the letter in verse 1: “Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved brother and fellow-worker.” He’s a fellow-worker. Paul views him as one joined with him in the ministry of the Gospel. So when he says down in verse 17: “If you regard me a partner…” He’s already called him a fellow-worker. Is Philemon going to turn his back on Paul? “If you regard me a partner, accept him as you would me.” You say, “Well, that’s easy for you to say, Paul, you weren’t the one wronged. I mean here you are, I’m in Colossae in Asia Minor and you are in Rome and you bump into my miserable slave you brought such grief to me and perhaps to his family since slaves were a part of the broader family situation which enabled them to do the damage they often did and now you bump into him in prison and share the Gospel and he gets saved and you think everything ought to be alright everywhere. You don’t even know what great damage he did to me. You don’t know the financial loss I took or whatever and then you say, “Accept him as you would me.”

Paul’s foundation here is what he wrote to the Romans in Romans 15:7. “Wherefore, accept one another just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.” So Paul steps in here in the place of Christ if you will, in his appeal. “Accept him as you would me.” He could have said it like he did to the Romans, “accept him as Christ accepted you when you heard the Gospel.” But Paul uses himself since he has this personal, human relationship with Philemon. “Accept him as you would me.” Paul had said in verse 12: “I have sent him back to you in person that is, sending my very heart.” So the bond that he had established in this relatively short time with Onesimus is real and deep. What about any loss to Philemon? You just write it off. That’s what Paul asked him to do. He says in verse 18: “If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.” That’s the big step here. If this is a barrier, if you feel that you are owed something for the wrongs he has done, the loss you’ve incurred, charge that to my account. Now this is the one who was formerly useless as we saw in verse 11, the one who was formerly useless. So whatever kind of problems that Philemon had with Onesimus leading up to when Onesimus ran away and whatever was involved in his running away Paul says, not even going into all the details. He doesn’t say now Onesimus told me that he did this and this or stole this or this or did this or this that cost you this so I’ve added it up. No, he just says whatever it is, you decide and I will pay it.

Now Paul’s not a wealthy man. He’s a man who supported himself with his own hands he says often from place to place but he is willing to take on the responsibility. The bottom line, Philemon, if this is a barrier to your receiving Onesimus back, welcoming him as a brother, forgiving him, charge it to my account. I will pay it. No pressure. What do you do if you are Philemon? Alright, Paul, I will send you a bill. Not likely. So Paul doesn’t tell him what he has to do he just leaves him no real choice. I mean, I’ve got to squeeze it out of Paul, I guess. I don’t think this. I don’t think that happened and here basically, what is Paul doing? He is acting like Christ acted toward us.

Back up to Colossians since it’s associated with this letter because of Philemon’s association with Colossae. Colossians chapter 2, look at what Christ did, verse 13: “When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions.” Verse 14: “Having cancelled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” In other words, I have taken all the debt that you incurred with your sin, the penalty that came to you and I took it and paid it off. Sometimes they would nail to the cross the reason for the crucifixion. “This is the King of the Jews.” That is what He is being crucified for a challenge ultimately to Roman authority would be the reason Pilate’s giving even though the Jews have a problem with that. He paid the debt, He cancelled out our debt. “The wages of sin is death.” This is the debt I piled up that I can never pay. Christ paid it, cancelled it out, paid in full. So really what Christ has done for Paul and for Philemon and also Onesimus now Paul is saying, “Philemon, here’s an opportunity for to grow, another area of growth and maturing.” That’s why Paul has handled it the way that he has.

In 2 Corinthians 5:21 it says, “God made him who knew no sin to become sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” He paid our debt in full and bestowed on us the wealth of His riches and His righteousness. That’s the contrast. So great illustration of what Christ has done for us. You know, great little letter to remind us of God’s sovereignty in situations and in the most personal situations where perhaps the greatest hurt has occurred we have opportunity to manifest the character of Christ.

What could someone do to me that I say, “Well, I could never forgive him for that. I don’t think I could ever get over that.” When compared to what Christ has forgiven me, I mean my debt was of eternal nature, would involve an eternal hell. That’s how serious my debt and offense against God was and He forgave me and Paul wrote to the Ephesians in 4:32 and said what? “Just as God, in Christ, has forgiven you, you be forgiving each other.” That’s the standard. It’s not well, what they did to me was this much, I mean I could forgive him. It’s like Peter, “How often should I forgive my brother Lord? Oh well, I forgive him seven times. Jesus said, “No, seventy times seven.” And that ends up to be nothing in light of what God has forgiven you. If you are an unforgiving person you have not come to understand true forgiveness in Christ.

I Peter 4:8 says, “Love covers a multitude of sins.” This is basically what Philemon is be challenged to. Now we have these foundational principles. Philemon has obviously manifested godly character in a variety of situations as a fellow-worker of Paul in the Gospel but now there is a new challenge that’s why I think we are never done growing. Never say, “Well, this next situation, I handled them all that way and no, we don’t know what the Lord will bring into our lives but we do know that what comes into my life He will bring there. That doesn’t mean that, well this was done by the most wretched, sinful, vile person with the worst intentions. That may be but that doesn’t mean that God is out of control. So Lord, I don’t know Your purpose. Selling Joseph into Egypt was a wretched, vile deed but God was in charge of that. We can trust the Lord in this. We can appreciate also how God works sovereignly in salvation. We don’t give up on anyone. The round-a-about ways that God works. What didn’t God just saved Onesimus in Philemon’s house? You realize Onesimus was a slave in the house of Philemon who was a believer, God, let’s just cut through this. Why are You going to bring this misery to one of Your children, Philemon, through this worthless slave and then send him off to Rome to get saved so You can send him back to Philemon? I have a short-cut Lord, just save him at the house of Philemon. This would save Philemon some trouble, it will save Onesimus a trip and we get the end result, Onesimus is saved. Now, I want to play God. All that to say is we don’t give up on anyone. I don’t know what the Lord is doing but I know He is in control and that worthless slave, I mean he will never come to know the Lord. No, it doesn’t. Well he was in my house. I shared the Gospel with him, he heard it many times and he still functioned like he did. He’s a hardened, lost soul, a reprobate if there ever was one. Well, that’s who God saves.

So tough parents, difficult situations, children, grandchildren, Lord if you don’t save them here I don’t think they will get saved when they get out in the world and look, they have gone farther from You and now they are out of our influence. Now Onesimus is out of the influence of Philemon and this godly home. What hope is there for him? It’s what we all have, it’s in the Lord, right? We sing this song, our hope is in the Lord and we are reminded of that.

So lessons to Philemon become lessons for us. So that the Lord brings things into our lives and give us opportunity to grow, to trust Him and to see Him work. My concern, your concern has to be what? I want to function as a godly person, handle this is a way that is pleasing to the Lord, recognizing Lord, men meant it for evil but You mean it for good because “All things work together for good for those who belong to You.”

Let’s pray together. “Thanks you Lord for the riches of Your grace, the way You work in carrying out Your sovereign purposes. Lord, we are not able to comprehend the ways You can work that You removed Onesimus from the house of Philemon, a godly influence there, a testimony of the Gospel there, the manifestation of a godly life and yet in his sinful desires as he was running from Philemon and running from You, You were directing and guiding to bring him to the place of submitting and believing in the Savior. Thank You Lord for Your sovereignty over all. Thank You for Your work in our lives. Thank You for the opportunity we have to grow even as Philemon had another opportunity to make another step in his growth in maturity in Christ. Bless us in our service for You in the days of the week before us. Lord may every day be a day in which we remind ourselves, this is a day that belongs to You, a day in which we are serving You in all that we do. Use our testimony to impact others with the Gospel of Christ in whose name we pray, amen.