The Importance of Giving Thanks

Transcript

GR1662
12/9/2012
Importance of Giving Thanks
Philemon 4-7
Gil Rugh

We are in Philemon and we are going to be looking at verses 4-7 in this small one chapter letter, a unique letter, the only one of its kind in Paul’s letters. He has written to other individuals like Timothy and Titus as we noticed but nothing as personal and individualized as the letter to Philemon. He is one that he knows fairly well. He is comfortable speaking to but as we move through the letter we note that Paul uses considerable reserve and approaches him on the basis of spiritual realities, not just on the basis that we are friends so here is what I would like you to do for me but even their friendship is tied to what Christ has done for them and now he’s used them together.

You know, as we come to this section we are going to deal with the matter of thanks. It is a reminder to us what a key part thanksgiving to God plays in our lives as believers.

Come back to Psalm 107 before we look into Philemon. The Psalmist here draws attention repeatedly to the importance of giving thanks to God. One of the outstanding characteristics of us as believers is that we are a thankful people in whatever circumstance, in whatever situation. We come to God with hearts filled with gratitude. In our darkest times we can come and thank God for what? That Christ has promised, I will never you or forsake you, that God has promised to be our sufficiency so we think of thanks to God during times of blessing and happiness but you know, we should be filled with gratitude to God in what we call the lowest times as well. The Psalmist repeats again and again in Psalm 107 the way it starts out: “O give thanks to the Lord for He is good. For His loving kindness is everlasting.” And then he reviews some of what God has done. We don’t have time to read all this. It brings him to verse 8 again: “Let them give thanks to the Lord for His loving kindness for His wonders to the sons of men. He has satisfied the thirsty soul. The hungry soul He has filled with what is good.” Just everything brings him back to gratitude to God. Then he goes on to talk about “those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners on misery and chains…” the graciousness of God in responding to their cry which brings him to verse 15: “Let them give thanks to the Lord for His loving-kindness, and for His wonders to the sons of men!” Then more discussion, then verse 21: “Let them give thanks to the Lord for His loving-kindness, for His wonders to the sons of men!” Down in verse 31: “Let them give thanks to the Lord for His loving-kindness, for His wonders to the sons of men!” Down to the closing verse of the chapter: “Who is wise? Let him give heed to these things and consider the loving-kindnesses of the Lord.”

How good God has been to us. What a wonder that we should be called God’s children. That we should experience the hand of God directing and controlling our lives, bringing us the beauty of His salvation, the provision for the day by day needs knowing in every circumstance and situation that we are under His care, provided for by Him. You know, sometimes we get caught up in things and we forget to be thankful to God and give thanks to God.

Leviticus chapter 7, verse 12, we won’t go back there but it talks about offerings given to God, an offering to praise and with that we can join, he tells the people there, our sacrifice of thanksgiving. It would be a regular part of God’s people’s lives.

The book of Hebrews chapter 13, verse 15: “Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give…” praise, translated in my Bible, give thanks to God, His name. That is a sacrifice that we offer to God with our lips as we are constantly acknowledging Him, giving Him thanks for everything He does.

Come over to 2 Timothy in the New Testament, chapter 3. This is the negative side. 2 Timothy chapter 3, verse 2: A lack of thankfulness is a mark of self-centered unbelievers in these last days. 2 Timothy chapter 3 opens up: “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful [unthankful], unholy” and on it goes, “unloving,” but that ungrateful… One of the characteristics stands out with being unholy, being self-centered, being unloving. They never stop to acknowledge the sovereign God and His goodness, His provision and His blessings.

So it is a pattern of Paul in his letters to begin his letters with an expression of thanks to God. First thing Paul wants to do as he writes a letter, wants to acknowledge God’s goodness and grace in what He has done in the lives of those he is writing to. It gives you a greater appreciation of people. You know, we all have problems at one time or another with even believers. Sometimes even believers can get on your nerves, just irritate you. Paul had problems with the churches he dealt with but you know what helped him? He continually starts out when he has to write them, even when he is going to address problems and have to give rebukes. He starts out by saying, “I want to tell you how I have been thanking God for His work in your lives.”

Just run through this quickly with me. Come back to Romans chapter 1. We will pick up in the, some of these will be in the middle of the section but we will pick up with verse 8: “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the Gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers making request…” And on that he desires to come see them and so on but what first, “I thank my God for you.” God gets the credit for all that is done in their lives and if I can’t find things to be thankful for in the life of a believer the problem is not in them, it’s in me because God has done a work of grace in a believers life that work is not done and sometimes we focus on what is not done and that begins to irritate us and bother us. Paul starts out, “I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, for your faith is being proclaimed.”

Come over to I Corinthians, just after Romans, I Corinthians chapter 1. Most of these are in the 1st chapter of the letter because that is how Paul starts out and the Corinthian church is a problem church. Paul is going to have to say some harsh things to them but it is not a church without things to be thankful for. Paul is going to rebuke them for fleshliness and some of their conduct and unacceptable behavior. They are people who have a problem with Paul but note what he says in verse 4: “I thank my God always concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Every time I pray and bring you before the throne of grace I thank God for the grace of God which was given you. These are Corinthians. I mean you talk about a church that was a headache to Paul but they were a blessing to Paul and he keeps that before him and before them in his prayers even as he starts the letter.

Philippians, chapter 1, verse 3: “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the Gospel from the first day until now. For I am confident of this very thing that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you.” There are some issues that have to be dealt with even in the Philippian church and there are some ladies who have a conflict with one another. That has to be resolved but it doesn’t turn Paul, what we would say, negative. It doesn’t turn him into a person who is bitter or resentful. He is filled with gratitude at the work of God.

Colossians, just after Philippians; a letter related to our letter to Philemon as we have noted, verse 3 of chapter 1: “We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith and love.” You see a pattern and this is a continual pattern. Every time I am praying for you I am giving thanks to God. It keeps our prayer life balanced and it keeps our attitude in perspective. When I am giving thanks to God for His grace in your life, that keeps, even when we have to deal with problems in perspective, doesn’t it? It is true in our homes, right? If you are giving thanks to God for your husband, to your wife in your prayer life and you are thanking God for them and the way He has worked in their life and the good thing that He has done, that keeps in perspective and keeps us from what, from getting so absorbed with something negative or a problem that that begins to overwhelm and blur our thinking, the same in the church.

I Thessalonians, we keep going. We are getting closer to Philemon. I Thessalonians chapter 1, verse 2: “We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; constantly bearing in mind your work of faith…” and so on. It doesn’t mean he didn’t do anything but pray for them when he says, “I pray always…” but every time he prayed for them thanks is a part of it. I always include thanksgiving to God for you and His work in you and in the church there when I bring you before the throne of Grace.

II Thessalonians chapter 1, verse 3: “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as in only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged…” You will note he talks about what they are doing that manifests the salvation that they have entered into but the thanks goes to God. Now in that thanks is an indication that he recognizes and appreciates their faithfulness but his thanks is to God because He is the one who has worked in their lives to bring them to this place.

So then, we come to Philemon and we come to verse 4 and what does he say? “I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers.” The point being that thanks is always a part of his prayers for Philemon here. So here you have an individual but it is the same thing. Paul had a remarkable prayer life, didn’t he? I mean, he’s writing under the inspiration of Scripture. Remember how the Scripture is written, holy men spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. Peter said it happened in the Old Testament, same thing in the New Testament. So this is not just a man, you have to put something in the front of the letter and it’s nice to say something nice so we put this in. This is the Spirit of God directing Paul and reflecting from Paul what he truly did. “I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers.”

Here’s what one person wrote: “An indication of Paul’s spiritual greatness was his habit of looking at everything from God’s perspective and finding something for which to be thankful.” And here, you will note how personal it is, “I thank my God.” You know, its Philemon’s God also but there is something personal in this for Paul. He’s my God. He’s yours too as a believer. But, it’s not just our God, He’s my God and I come to Him personally and address Him and I want you to know when I talk to my God I offer Him thanks for you. Isn’t it nice to know, I’m praying for you? I prayed for you today and I offered thanks to God for you and the work He has done in your life. Isn’t that an encouragement? You know, that’s encouraging to know you prayed for me and it wasn’t just a prayer, “Lord, continue to change them. Lord, help them to realize how difficult they are to live with.” No, this is thanks. I want you to know I am thanking God for you. That is how Paul starts out and an indication of his godly character. His focus is on God and the work He is doing and even in the most difficult believer, if they are truly believers; there is something to be thankful for, right? We can praise God and thank Him for His gracious work.

The specifics here that Paul prays about: “I thank my God always, making mention of you in my payers, because I hear of your love, and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all the saints.” Paul had heard of Philemon’s faith and love. Isn’t it interesting? Paul can talk to churches as a group and he can talk to an individual like Philemon and still genuinely speak of these things. Here for Philemon, “I hear of your love, and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all the saints.” How did he hear this? Paul did not establish the church as Colossae. I remember the indication we looked at when we started the letter was that Philemon was part of the church at Colossae. Paul didn’t found that church. In fact, come back to Colossians chapter 1. We are told who was used of God. We noted, perhaps, when Paul spent three years at Ephesus, Colossae, Laodicea, Hierapolis, some of these churches, they are in what we call Asia Minor. The workers went out to other places and we are told that a man named Epaphras in verse 7 of chapter 1 of Colossians and in this sentence that started out verse 3, about “giving thanks to God and praying for you” and then he talked in verse 5: “The hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the Word of truth, the Gospel,” the last part of verse 5. Verse 6: “Which has come to you, just as in all the world… and you have been “bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth.” So he has talked about the Word of truth, the Gospel at the end of verse 5, the grace of God in truth that you heard and understand, then verse 7: “Just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf.” And Epaphras was from Colossae.

Come over to chapter 4, verse 12: “Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God. For I testify for him that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis.” So he identifies Epaphras as one of your number and we are not told how Epaphras came to know the Lord and brings the Gospel to Colossae and Paul doesn’t say “he is one of my converts.” He may have been. He may have had contact while Paul was in Ephesus and then carried the Gospel to Colossae and become settled there. Now he’s with Paul and sends his greetings.

Come over to Philemon, back to Philemon. Come down to verse 23 and who do we meet? “Epaphras, my fellow-prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you.” So it may be from Epaphras that Paul has learned of the church at Colossae and more of their situation and more particularly of Philemon and more of the situation there. We are not given details but that would be one way since Epaphras is from Colossae where Philemon is and he is with Paul but Paul, at any rate, says in verse 5 that he has been thanking God “because I hear of your love, and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all the saints.” Paul mentions both the faith and the love of Philemon. I don’t know how I can do this for you. A Chiasmus, the Greek letter, Chi we might say it, it’s like the X. You are familiar with it from university in the sororities and that you use these. Well, chiasmus comes from that letter that looks like it’s in Greek, it’s an X shape and it means there is something in this corner that relates to something in this corner and something in this corner up here relates to this corner so if you connected the dots it would go like this. I say that because what you have here is what is called a chiasmus. “I hear of your love and of the faith you have toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all the saints.” I hear of your love, that connects toward all the saints so your love would be up here and connect to all the saints here. Your faith would be in this corner and connect to the Lord Jesus Christ down here so you read this and say, “Well, is he hearing of their faith toward all the saints?” No, it’s your love and faith toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints. Their faith isn’t toward the saints. Their love is toward all the saints. So what he is saying here to Philemon, the true and settled faith he has in Jesus Christ, and this is manifested as well by what? By the love he has for other believers. “The faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus,” that is significant because you know what? The church at Colossae was a church that had to battle the inroads of false doctrine; that kind of doctrine that undermined the person and work of Christ.

Come back to Colossians chapter 2. Colossians chapter 2 unfolds something of this. The chapter opens up, Colossians 2: “I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf, and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face.” Again he mentions “Laodicea.” We have seen Hierapolis mentioned because these are churches in that Asia Minor area, the letters to the seven churches in Revelation would include some of these churches. They are all in that same area so Laodicea close enough here to Colossae that Paul mentions them. He has a great struggle on their behalf. He is concerned greatly for them and their growth. Why? Verse 4: “I say this in order that no one may delude you with persuasive argument. For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.” And Philemon would have been one of those in Colossae that demonstrates this stability of faith that Paul is thankful for in Jesus Christ and even though this false teaching was attempting to make inroads into the church, the church has stood firm in their faith in Christ and true to the truth concerning Christ and for what Paul says in writing to Philemon, Philemon would have been one of those who demonstrated this faith. The chapter goes on to talk about through the rest of the chapter the difficulties of this false teaching, the trying to press in at Colossae and Paul is very concerned for them even though he is imprisoned in Rome.

Come back to Philemon. He’s heard “of the faith you have toward the Lord Jesus and the love you have toward all the saints.” Genuine faith manifests itself with genuine love toward fellow-believers. That is a mark of a true believer. Saving faith transforms us and brings us into a relationship with one another that really supersedes all other relationships. It’s a stronger, more binding relationship than even our physical relationships, of those closest to us. It is a relationship that will go on for eternity, the love you have for all the saints.

Turn back to I John, almost to the book of Revelation, at the end of your New Testament. We are going to I John chapter 4. You will see how love is connected here to God’s work in our lives through saving faith. Verse 7 of I John 4: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” Remember Peter wrote and said, “In the salvation we have entered into in Christ we have become partakers of the divine nature.” We haven’t become divine but God’s character now becomes our character. So things characteristic of Him are to characterize us. We will see more of that in a moment. So God is love. That is not all God is. You can’t turn that around. You can’t say love is God. But God is love. That is one of His characteristics. So if we have been born of God we will partake of God’s character and His love will be manifest. The love we have for one another as His children. “By this the love of God was manifested in us [or among us, to us] that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love. Not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [the satisfaction] for our sins.” Beloved, [you note he keeps calling beloved, verse 7, beloved, verse 11, beloved, he is talking about the importance of them loving one another as fellow believers and I am writing to you as those that I love. “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His loved is perfected in us. Be this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.” What’s the connection? Well if we went to Galatians 5 what would it tell us? The fruit of the Spirit is love. So when we receive the Spirit of God He’s producing the character of God in our lives. So He has given us His Spirit.

Down in verse 16: “God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” Verse 19: “We love, because He first loved us.” Verse 21: “This commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.” So to claim I love God but I don’t really care much for Christians, then something is wrong because if I love God I will love the children of God. It is a family. We are God’s family. That doesn’t mean we are always as loveable as we might be but we love one another. It’s like your family, you love them, why? Well, they are my family. We love them. So what can I say? We love them; that is what God says. Now we are partaking of His character. The Spirit dwells in us. He’s given us His Spirit so we love one another.

Paul makes a practice. You know he connects the two in his letters. When he gives thanks to God it’s often for what, their faith and their love; interesting. He puts the two. It’s the faith toward God and the love toward one another, and because why, they go together; true faith in Christ and genuine love that puts us out for other believers. A self-sacrificing love like Christ manifests.

Two areas we will look at, two passages: Ephesians chapter 1. Many of you are familiar and have studied this, the letters to the Ephesians and to the Colossians are very similar letters in content. Both are written by Paul during his imprisonment in Rome. In Ephesians chapter 1, verse 15: “For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you, and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you.” You see the same items because what? To hear of their faith, their profession of faith in Christ, wonderful but that has to be joined with what, a love for other believers. That’s what brings the church together, what binds us together, the work of Christ in our lives. We belong to Him and so we belong to Him then we have a relationship with one another. So Paul’s thanks here is given because, “I heard of your faith and your love, your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints.”

Colossians, the same thing. Colossians, chapter 1, verse 3. We’ve read this: “We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Chris Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints.” As Peter wrote, “Love covers a multitude of sins.” You know, when you really love someone, what? You overlook their faults and you appreciate the qualities that you see there. We talk about love is blind. We talked about this when we talked about family. Something is wrong. There is a breakdown when I begin to get absorbed with the faults of my spouse. It’s not that she has any. But if I did, that becomes a focal point. You know what happens? That grows and it grows and then pretty soon it’s hard for me, as I have shared with you, sometimes when I talk to couples that are having problems I said, “You know, there must have been something you liked in them at one time. Why did you marry such a terrible person that you don’t want to be around?” Well, it was different then. Yes, why? I loved them and so I overlooked the faults and focused on the good qualities. That’s what happens among us as believers, right? That is true love so “I am thankful for your faith in the Lord Jesus, your love to the saints.” Don’t claim to have faith in Christ but you don’t want to be around believers. And the love you have causes you to give yourself to them. That’s what enables the body to function. How much sacrifice goes on in the body? So many people doing so many things. We are here, able to concentrate on the Word because some people are taking care of babies, changing diapers well because they didn’t have anything better to do than come out and change dirty diapers tonight. No, they do it out of love and want to provide needs and provide for your benefit so you can sit here and hear the Word and the children can be taken care of. Well, all of the little things, the bigger things, all the things go together to what, enable the family of God to function. It is a manifestation of His work of grace.

Come back to Philemon. We have to pick another word up here. It’s “the love you have toward all the saints;” the word that has been so misused and abused. Now you know, certain groups give categories of saints after people have been dead for 100 years. They declare them a saint but Paul writes to living people. Philemon has love for the saints and as we have talked about on numerous occasions, the same basic Greek word is behind the word translated saint, the word translated sanctify and the word translated holy. The basic meaning in all those is to be set apart. Saints are those who have been set apart by God from sin for Himself. We are sanctified, that’s the work of being set apart for God. Being holy is what, being set apart from sin. That happens to us in Christ. Every single believer is a saint. So next time you introduce a fellow believer to an unbeliever say, “I want to introduce you to saint Bob.” Well, I think you’ve made a mistake, I know him. I don’t know that he is a saint but we are.

Come back to I Corinthians chapter 1. I often remind Marilyn, aren’t you happy to be married to a saint and she is but then I am too. I Corinthians chapter 1 and notice how the chapter begins, verse 2, the letter begins this way: “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus.” There is our basic word, hagiazo and various forms of that word but that is the basic word. You are sanctified. These are those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus. So when they have based their faith in Christ they are set apart by God for Himself. They become God’s own possessions. “You are not your own, you are bought with a price,” as he will say later in chapter 6. Then note what he says, “Saints, by calling.” Basically, this is the same root word we are talking about here, translated sanctified and translated saints. Then you will note in the margin of your Bible it says “Or holy ones,” because that is what saints are. They are holy ones. Sometimes this is translated holy and translated saints, usually in the beginning of letters like this or in speaking of people we talk about saints rather than holy ones but it could be translated holy ones. That is what saints are. Those who have been set apart by God for Himself, sanctified and are saints, set apart from sin now to live lives of holiness, lives apart from sin. How did this happen?

Come down to verse 30 of chapter 1: “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption.” As he started out in verse 2, here he emphasizes, it is in Christ that all this happens to us and it all happens. God’s wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, redemption so that all boasting is boasting in the Lord, not in us because this is all what He has done and bestowed upon us in Christ.

Come over to chapter 6 of I Corinthians. Look at verse 9: “Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God.” God drew us to faith in Christ. He washed us clean from the defilement and filth of sin. He set us apart for Himself and declared us righteous. That is the salvation that we have in Christ so we are saints.

Come over to I Peter chapter 1, all the way back just before I John where we were a little bit ago. I Peter chapter 1, verse 14: “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, [you see, God is holy because He is perfectly and completely set apart from all sin, all defilement] be holy.” It is a command. “Be holy yourselves also in all your behavior.” Everything I do is to be characterized by holiness “Because it is written, [and then he quotes from Leviticus] ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” That was one of God’s plans for His people in the Old Testament, His plan for the people in the New Testament. Anyone who belongs to God is to manifest the character of God in their behavior. Verse 15: “Be holy in all your behavior.” Why? Because God is holy. You say, “well I am not God,” no, but a child of God. If you are a child of God you manifest the character of God. Am I perfectly holy? No, but that ought to be my goal. He has made the provision for me to live in holiness. Sometimes I don’t want to. That is unacceptable that is why God gives us the command. Be holy, live like a saint, live a sanctified life. Paul is saying the same thing.

Come back to Philemon. “I hear of your love toward all the saints,” all the holy ones, all those who have been set apart by God for Himself and the faith you have toward the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 6: “And I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake.” Paul not only interceded and prayed for the Philippians offering thanks, he also prayed for them interceding and asking God to do something. So it is for Philemon, Philippians, Philemon here. “I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake.” Faith is expressed in behavior. That is what he is talking about here. “The fellowship of your faith may become effective.” The fellowship that he shares with other believers shows itself in action. That is the point. Similar idea Paul wrote to the Philippians in Philippians 1:5 that “He prays for them in view of your fellowship in the Gospel from the first day until now.” He writes to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 8:4. He wrote of fellowship and the support of the saints. Everything we are doing now we are doing in relationship with one another so I am praying that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing.” He wants him to continue to grow in the practical experiential knowledge, the full knowledge of all that we have in Christ. He will move on. Philemon has done well. He has been commended for his faith and his love but we don’t have a static faith. It is continually to be moving on and growing. And the fellowship we share in the faith is to move us on to greater demonstrations of love. What he is doing here, he is preparing Philemon for a request, to do something regarding his slave Onesimus. Now this is not underhanded. Remember the Spirit of God is directing in this. But the foundation for what Paul will be asking Philemon to do, at cost to himself, will involve overlooking a wrong done to him by his slave and perhaps going beyond that. So he is praying for him “that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake.”

Ephesians 1:3 Paul wrote that God “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies, in Christ.” Entering into a growing understanding and appreciation for all we have in Christ will impact an effect the way we relate to one another. It just can’t be any other way. So I’ve received every spiritual blessing in Christ. Am I now functioning in light of that? This knowledge, that word for knowledge there, that refers to a fuller knowledge and experiential knowledge of every good thing. If I am growing in Christ I appreciate more today than I did last week all I have in Christ. It’s not just something I can talk about. How does this impact how I relate to others, my attitude of forgiveness. I mean, I understand all the good things I have in Christ and what is one of the most wonderful things I have received in Christ, forgiveness. Where would I be without that? I have been forgiven, I have been redeemed. Well in light of that, I really understand that? Remember Jesus talked about that when He talked about the importance of forgiveness and Peter said, “Well, how often shall I forgive my brothers, should I do it seven times, I mean that’s a lot?” What did Jesus say? “Not seven times, seventy times seven.” Not to say well now I’ve got to make a list 490 and check them off. No. The point is you forgive as often as the need and opportunity comes. Why? Well, the more I grow and understand what God has done for me in Christ the more I am ready what, to manifest that in my dealings with others. What is more out of character than an unforgiving believer? But how often do you hear a believer say, “Well, I am at the end. I can’t forgive them anymore.” Oh really? Well so much for what Christ said. I guess that doesn’t matter, does it? What do you mean, I can’t forgive them anymore? So you are at 490 times, right? Are you keeping count? If you are keeping count you have a problem, right? From checking it off. Is there a limit to what Christ has done for me in the forgiveness I have received in Him? So he is not saying Philemon is not an unforgiving person but Philemon has to be ready to take the next step so to speak. You know, he is a godly man, obviously, he has stood for the faith even in the difficulties at Colossae as we saw with doctrinal issues but now there is a greater challenge and we don’t know what loss he might have suffered, what personal damage might have been done to him I this whole issue with Onesimus. Paul doesn’t go into that because it is not really relevant. What’s really relevant is you are going to have to address the fact are you willing to do what Christ has done for you? We think well, I can’t just let it go, why? If you are forgiven, I’m glad God let it go. He doesn’t bring my sins up. They are done. They are covered: “As far as the east is from the west.” He’s not there to remind you, “Well, I forgave you yesterday. I don’t know if I can do it again today.” We are ready to remind people of how many times we forgave them. Not manifesting the character that Paul is talking about here so he’s encouraging him and preparing him.

Back up to Colossians chapter 1, a similar kind of thing that Paul is writing to the Colossians here. Verse 9: “For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you [similar to where we are with Philemon’s letter. Now Paul says what he is praying for them, his intercession for them, what?] To ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” You want to walk according to the will of God in a way that is consistent with what God would want me to do. “You walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God,” and on it goes, “Strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” Then he goes on to talk about what He has done for us. “He rescued us from the domain of darkness.” So we want to be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. He wants Philemon, this is my prayer for you, Philemon, that you will continue to grow. I thank God for his work in your life; the love you’ve shown to the saints and I’m praying that you’ll continue to grow in fuller ways. We are never done growing. You know what? Our problems become the opportunity for us to trust God, right, to manifest His character. I don’t have to manifest a forgiving spirit when no one ever does me wrong. You know what happens when someone does me wrong? Now I have the opportunity to be forgiving or not forgiving. I lose my perspective because I get so focused on the wrong that was done for me. I can’t do anything about what somebody has done. I can do something about me and my response to what has been done and that is what God is telling Philemon through the Apostle Paul.

Back to Philemon, verse 7. Now this is not part of Paul’s prayer but it is going to be a transition to the main point of the letter and we will be taking a break here at verse 7: “For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.” So you see here Paul has had…I want you to continue to grow in all the fullness of the spiritual blessings God has bestowed upon us, becoming more and more like Christ. “And I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love.” Paul is not fawning over Philemon here because you know he’s writing what God would have him write. He was genuine. It has been a blessing to Paul. It brought him joy and comfort in the love that Philemon has shown. They are not personally to Paul, with Paul being in his home or something like that but you know Paul took it personally and it was a refreshing thing to him to hear of a believer functioning in a godly way and being such a blessing to other believers that that caused him joy.

You see something here. The fruit of the Spirit is joy. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, but the Spirit often uses other people in bringing these things to our lives. It’s not just well the spirit just directly into my heart. Sometimes it’s into my heart through other believers and Paul can speak of the joy he has and the comfort and the love that Philemon has shown because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

You are close, turn to III John verse 4, another one page letter. III John, just before the book of Revelation, a little book one chapter of Jude in there but III John and we are going to verse 4. What does John write? “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth;” walking in the truth, not just having factual knowledge about the truth but living their lives in the realm of the truth, walking there. Their constant pattern of life is lived within the realm of God’s truth. So, “I have come to have much joy because of your faithfulness to the Lord,” Paul is telling Philemon back in verse 7: “I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.” I mean the report that’s been brought to Paul is Philemon has been a great blessing in our life. He has demonstrated his love and sacrifice to help us; to be a benefit to us. You see how Paul is transitioning to where his request is. I would like you to build on that, to go another step that will probably be harder than any you have taken so far so the foundation being laid, the comfort, verse 7: “I have come to have much joy and comfort.” You know the word comfort here, we talk about the Holy Spirit in John’s Gospel, chapter 6. Jesus said, “If I go I will send the helper [we sometimes use the Greek word, the paraklete , paracaleo, para, alongside, caleo, to call the Holy Spirit will be the helper, the One who comes alongside to help, to give aid. That is the word translated comfort here, same basic word. “I have much joy and comfort.” Comfort comes from that foundational word, to come alongside, to give help and aid, so comfort. Again you see the Holy Spirit is the comforter but He uses other believers to bring comfort and you see how that love that binds us together is essential because it’s part of the work of the Holy Spirit to produce what He only can produce in the life and it comes through. Here Paul has experienced joy and comfort through the activity of Philemon being an instrument in the hands of the Holy Spirit. It’s not love directed toward Paul in verse 7, comfort in your love, but it’s hearing of that directed toward other believers. The saints have been refreshed through you brethren, refreshed.

Listen to this, Christ’s words in Matthew chapter 11, verses 28 and 29. We won’t turn there for time. “Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” That word rest, same basic word that we had translated refreshed here. The saints have been refreshed through you. Refreshed, given rest. You know what a blessing it is. Some people I feel, rested up, refreshed. That is what Christ said He would provide: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me. I am gentle and humble in heart and you shall rest [there’s our word] for your souls.” Paul says, “I have been refreshed by your love demonstrated to the saints.” Again you see the Holy Spirit bringing that rest, refreshing to Paul’s spirit. It has uplifted him. Here he is, a prisoner in Rome but to hear of Philemon’s faithfulness and the way that he demonstrated his love for other believers was used of the Spirit in Paul’s life. That is the way we are to function, a godly way among ourselves as believers. He calls him brother, pressing his binding relationship to him.

Alright, think about Philemon’s life. We are about 2000 years after Paul writes this letter and you know what? We are still being blessed by Philemon. Little did Philemon know when he got this letter from Paul that his actions, his functioning as a believer should function would be a blessing to believers down through 2 millennium of church history. How many millions of believers have benefited from Philemon’s faith in Christ and love toward the saints?

We don’t know the impact of our lives. We don’t know what God is doing with us. It seems like well, it’s a small thing. If it wasn’t for this little letter we wouldn’t know anything about Philemon but his life was making an impact. Not because he was a world-wide figure like the Apostle Paul but because he is a servant of Christ functioning as he should. Now he has another opportunity Paul is about to enter into.

You know we can shrivel our thinking to such a small perspective that we forego having the impact for Christ that we could have. This is just a personal situation. This is just a man and a disagreement with a slave who hasn’t functioned as he should but it has a lot broader ramification than that. We belong to the living God. What we are doing is significant before the throne of God in heaven. I mean that is not minor, that is major in how God uses us to accomplish His work in the lives of others and to bring glory to Him. So have our faith settled and be stable in Christ and then that love that characterizes us and that love will have its greatest opportunity when the pressure becomes the greatest. Then we have opportunity to manifest more fully and more clearly that work that God has done and continues to do in our lives to bring Him glory.

Let’s pray together. Thank You Lord for this little letter to Philemon, for the work of the Spirit as He guided Paul in the writing of it, for the reminder it is to each of us so long after this little letter was written. Neither Paul nor Philemon or others involved would have any idea of the impact and so it is as You work in our lives. You are the sovereign God. We belong to You. We cannot grasp the significance of what You are doing in our lives. How important it is that we be faithful in every circumstance and every situation. That we be holy as You are holy in all our behavior. That we be manifesting Your character that we might be an encouragement, a blessing, bring refreshment to other believers but above all to be a testimony giving honor to You as You work in and through us. Use us in the days of the week before us as Your servants to bring honor to Yourself we pray, in Christ’s name, amen.