"PHILEMON AND ONESIMUS: RECONCILIATION IN FAITH"

>>>Concluding Philemon series

*First Week: “Reputation of Faith”

*Second Week: “Restoration to Faith”

*This Week: “Reconciliation in Faith”

>>>This week will be about the response Paul is wanting Philemon to give regarding Onesimus.

Philemon 17–25 “If then you regard me as a partner, accept him as you would me. But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account; I, Paul, have written this with my own hand, I will repay it (not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self as well). Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, since I know that you will do even more than what I say. At the same time also prepare me a guest room, for I hope that through your prayers I will be given to you. Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”

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>>>To understand this passage and book, there needs to be an understanding about slavery in the NT. Slavery is typically thought to be of racist American slavery and/or international slave trade involving children.

>>>Slavery in the NT (Rome)

*Slaves were sometimes POWs.

*Slaves were treated harshly, eventually there were laws that prevented such treatment.

*In several instances, slaves managed property and may have had property of their own, living better off than in freedom.

*Slaves could be freed for marriage to or adoption by their master.

*Slavery was a natural part of the economy and was not much of a big deal culturally.

>>>Paul (nor the entire Bible) never condones nor condemns slavery.

*Freedom was both promoted and “forbidden”.

*Christian slaves were to obey their masters. Christian masters were to be kind to slaves.

*Slaves took part in the church (they were even addressed).

*Paul looked at the bigger picture.

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Philemon 17 “If then you regard me as a partner, accept him as you would me.”

>>>Paul is sending Onesimus back to his master.

*This could have been a law regarding runaway slaves.

*This also could have been a “friend of master” situation, where a slave could find a friend of his master to mediate a situation between the two.

>>>Paul said to “accept” Onesimus as he would accept Paul.

*“accept” means “welcome”. Onesimus was to be welcomed back as a gospel partner just like Paul.

*In v. 16 Paul described Philemon as a “beloved brother”.

>>>In accepting/welcoming Onesimus, Philemon would have to treat him as a fellow believer and hold nothing against him. This acceptance even overrides how their culture said to deal with runaway slaves.

>>>This was not just simply about forgiveness but reconciliation.

RECONCILIATION>FORGIVENESS

>>>This is not to say that forgiveness is wrong, but that reconciliation is greater.

>>>(Illust.) If someone wrongs me, I can forgive him regardless of his apology, ever seeing him again, etc. It can be one-sided.

>>>Reconciliation is forgiving a repentant person and being reconciled (brought back) to the same if not greater relationship prior to the hurt.

>>>It must be two-sided.

>>>It is hard for all of us to deal with hurtful and divisive circumstances. It’s even harder to forgive people who caused the hurt/division.

>>>When these situations arise among believer, the solution must be more than just forgiveness, it should be reconciliation. Believers should be accepted as believers, especially when they come in repentance.

*Both are “good” even if their lives are apart.

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Philemon 18–19 “But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account; I, Paul, have written this with my own hand, I will repay it (not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self as well).”

>>>Paul does a great job mediating between Onesimus and Philemon in this letter.

>>>(v.18) Paul says that if there was anything Onesimus owed Philemon or did anything to him, let him (Paul) take care of it. Paul would handle what was material. This was about Philemon and Onesimus.

*This is where people believe Onesimus would have stolen from Philemon.

*Paul was allowing for Philemon to totally forgive Onesimus-not hold anything to him.

>>>(v.19) Carrying on the idea of reconciliation, Paul reminds Philemon of the spiritual debt he owes him. Paul helped Philemon to be reconciled to God.

CHRISTIANS ARE RECONCILED TO GOD.

2 Corinthians 5:18–19 “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their wrongdoings against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”

>>>Christians have been brought back into fellowship with God and given the ministry of reconciliation, bringing people to Christ.

*Reconciliation to God and, in the case of Philemon and Onesimus, reconciliation with others.

>>>Our wrongs were not counted against us when we repented. Therefore, we do not hold the wrongs of other Christians against them. We reconcile with people as we have been reconciled with Christ.

CHRISTIANS ARE SLAVES TO GOD.

1 Corinthians 7:22 “For the one who was called in the Lord as a slave, is the Lord’s freed person; likewise the one who was called as free, is Christ’s slave.”

1 Peter 2:16 “Act as free people, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bond-servants of God.”

>>>The words “slave” and “bond-servants” are the same Greek words used to describe Onesimus as a slave.

>>>When a person is saved he becomes Christ’s servant and Christ his master.

>>>Despite how culture said to treat slaves, Paul reminds Philemon that in his own reconciliation with God, he is also a slave to Him. He and Onesimus now serve the same master.

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Philemon 20–25 “Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, since I know that you will do even more than what I say. At the same time also prepare me a guest room, for I hope that through your prayers I will be given to you. Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”

>>>(v.20) Paul tells Philemon that his acceptance of Onesimus would bless and that it would “refresh” his heart.

*This is exactly how Paul described Philemon as “refreshing the heart of the saints” in v. 7.

*Philemon’s response to Onesimus will have an effect on other believers in the church.

>>>(vss.21-25) These closing verses swing back to the reputation of faith Philemon had. Paul was fully confident that Philemon would do the right thing in every way.

*Paul’s expectations of Philemon were not what he was telling Philemon to do but knowing already what he was going to do.

*Paul abruptly ends his appeal to ask for a room where he could stay after his prison sentence. Philemon was someone Paul could count on.

RECONCILIATION IS THE EVIDENCE OF A MATURING BELIEVER.

>>>It’s interesting that everything keeps circulating back to Philemon and his faith. Paul does not use this to guilt Philemon but appeal to him.

>>>Onesimus is a new believer and was coached by Paul about this reconciliation process. But the burden of reconciliation was primarily placed on Philemon, the more mature believer.

>>>All of us are to be growing and maturing in Christ. As spiritually older Christians, there starts to also be a higher responsibility and expectation of how to navigate through the world, especially conflict with other believers.

*There is an obligation we have to new Christians (welcoming them and helping them grow).

*There is an obligation we have to the church (unity and forgiveness).

>>>How are you helping “little siblings” in Christ grow in their faith? What is a situation in your life where there needs to be reconciliation? Be a maturing Christian and step into that responsibility.

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SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS:

1.) Coming out of the message, what are some things that resonated with you?

2.) Main Point: RECONCILIATION IS THE EVIDENCE OF A MATURING BELIEVER.

*How does our response to conflict, division, and hurt reveal our spiritual maturity level?

*What can be the consequences of believers who are unable to reconcile with each other?

*How can you show grace and patience with those who are new to the faith?

*Have a student close in prayer.