THE GOSPEL CALLS US TO A FAMILY

Are we treating one another as family?

INTRO:

How would you define Love?

How would you define Family?

How would you define Grace?

What is Love?

The Deepest, unyielding affections and desires expressed from one person to another best illustrated in the marriage of one woman and one man.

What is Family?

A group of people with unconditional requirements from one another bonded by DNA and/or adoption on mission, moving towards the same goal in faith, love, unity, and selflessness.

What is Grace?

Getting something you don’t deserve.

These three traits, Love, Family, and Grace, should mark us, not only as believers, but as the Church, God’s community united in the gospel.

The way we define our church is.

BBC exists to display the glory of God, revealing what He accomplished in Christ, making disciples of all nations.

This is who we are AND what we are called to do.

We exist to show God, only by Jesus’ actions and grace, and we are trying to tell the world about it.

But just because we know that…

Do we believe what we know?

The Gospel calls us, as a Church family, to treat one another as such: a family.

So this morning we are going to read from the book of Philemon.

This is one of the last books of the New Testament.

Its a very interesting book.

Paul is writing to Philemon about a guy named Onesimus.

Let’s see what Paul has to say.

Philemon 8-16 “8 Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, 9 yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— 10 I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. 11 (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) 12 I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. 13 I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, 14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. 15 For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, 16 no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.”

Philemon 17-22 “17 So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. 18 If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ. 21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. 22 At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you.”

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Who is Onesimus?

Onesimus was a bondservant of Philemon.

What is that?

Well in the first century you had workers, slaves, and Bondservants.

Workers are obviously typical people who do a job for an agreed upon amount of money.

Slaves are people who worked for others permanently. There was a sense of ownership, but not in the sense that Western culture has in our recent history of slavery.

Slavery was, is, and always been bad, so I’m not about to say first century slavery was a good thing (and the Bible never says that either).

However, it was different and that’s important.

The main difference is that in the first century, slaves assumed the identity of their master.

So let’s say I’m a slave to Ian and Ian is very prominent in his society.

If Ian sends me out in public to run an errand for him, as his slave, I now am to be treated as anyone else would treat Ian.

To say that more simply.

In the first century, Slaves assumed the identity of their masters.

If someone were to mistreat me, or not respect me, that would be the same culturally as mistreating and not respecting Ian which could have serious consequences.

This is one reason why Paul opens the book of Romans with the sentence:

Romans 1:1 “1 Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,”

Again, metaphorically for first century culture, Paul calls himself a slave because “He identifies with Jesus!”

Slavery is not, has not, and never will be a good thing.

But it is interesting how the first century culture worked and operated.

A third form of servant is a Bondservant.

This is one who works to pay off a debt.

So again, if I owe Ian $10,000 and I can’t pay him.

I can become His bondservant for a time until I can pay off that debt.

Once the debt is paid, I am free again.

This was a fairly common practice where people would essentially sell themselves for short amounts of time to pay off debts.

EXEGESIS:

Onesimus was a bondservant of Philemon.

All we really know this morning is 2 things.

Onesimus did something against Philemon. Maybe he stole from him, who knows.

As a result, Onesimus ran away.

After running away, Onesimus met Paul while Paul was in prison.

Perhaps Onesimus got caught for something himself and was put in prison for a time.

In either case, Paul says, “I became his father while I was in chains… He was useless to you, but now he is useful both to you and to me.”

Here’s what we know then this morning.

Onesimus is not who he was.

By the grace of God and the discipleship of Paul.

Being Changed by the gospel, we are useful in Christ!

Onesimus once was useless, but now he is a believer, and in Christ, he is useful!

This is kind of a play on words because Onesimus’ name means “useful” or “Profitable”

In other words, He was not living up to his name, but now in Christ! He is useful!

The last thing following does is make you useless...

We in Christ should never be vague, inefficient, and/or useless.

In Christ, we are useful for His glory!

Now think back a moment…

What if Philemon was a man of great worldly importance?

It would have brought much shame on Philemon’s name for his bondservant to run away.

Paul has to be sensitive here to making his plea with Philemon.

So Paul says in verse 9, “For love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you.”

Paul says, In love… listen to what God has done!

Onesimus is changed.

He is useful!

How am I useful for Christ?

How can God use me to accomplish his story?

Am I asking Him to use me for His story?

On behalf of Onesimus, Paul is saying, “Philemon, Onesimus’ story is not done yet! Would you take him back?”

2. Being changed by the gospel welcomes us into Family.

Paul in vs. 16 says, “no longer as a bondservant, but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother...”

This is where the gospel is so amazing!

Paul asks Philemon… Take him back… not as a bondservant, but as a brother.

Not as a worker, but as family…

Don’t just let him assume your identity in public culturally, but also at your home.

What grace the gospel calls for.

Now consider, Onesimus, someone who has no doubt hurt Philemon in the past, is not changed by the power of the gospel.

Will Philemon forgive?

The answer we don’t know,

but the question is the same for us?

Will I forgive?

Our church is not always the most welcoming, but shouldn’t we be?

Why wouldn’t we be?

3. Being Changed by the gospel, we are Gracious.

The only reason people are not forgiving is because they do not fully realize how much they have been forgiven by the almighty God.

How good, great, kind, and gracious He is with us.

How we should reciprocate that to those around us, and do so generously.

What if our REACTION was grace always.

Would you ask God for that?

That your reaction would not be complaining or grumbling, but Grace…

God would truly bring revival to that spirit of humility in His church.

Lastly this morning,

Philemon 17-19 “17 So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. 18 If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self.”

Paul says, whatever debt he owes, give me that debt…

Paul is in prison. He can’t afford debt.

But whether Paul can afford it or not is not the point.

Paul, a hopeless man by the worlds standards, would take on more burdens if just one man would free another.

Is that not the grace of Christ?

That He would go to the cross even for one of us to follow Him?

I have to think on the cross, the only relief Jesus felt was when the thief claimed faith.

Jesus then turns and says graciously, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”

What grace is offered to us.

To know we could be experiencing the earthly consequences of our sins, with no hope of life, and STILL GOD would call us to himself.

As long as we have breath, Jesus is drawing us in.

We need to never lose sight of that .

In Christ, the gospel calls us to treat others as family.

To treat others with that same grace.

How can I treat someone with that grace this week?

Lets go to small groups.