A Fresh Start — The Story of a Fugitive Finding Forgiveness & a Master Modeling Meekness

Introduction

Good morning Church!

It’s good to see each and every one of you who have joined us this morning for our first Sunday of 2025!

For those who were not here last week, I had asked for prayers concerning where God was going to lead us in this new year and I still desire your prayers.

I got an answer for this week but I really truly don’t know where He wants us to go from here. So many wonderful Books we can learn from and study!

But if you will remember, I did mention that I felt like God had laid on my heart the theme for 2025.

Now, I want to see if anyone remembers our theme for 2024 first?

(Bursting out the door in 2024!)

Well, we may not quite be bursting out the door just yet but what I will say is this…God added multiple new families to our congregation in 2024 and I’m thrilled to see what He’s going to do in 2025!

With that being said, as I sat and began to think about this new year and all the things going on in our world and all around us, I couldn’t help but to feel that this year, 2025, is going to be a year of great change.

Now, I don’t want to sit here and claim that I know what kind of change is coming our way but I feel deep down inside my heart that change of all different types, kinds and sizes will be coming our way in 2025.

Some may be good, some maybe not so good.

And there are some of us sitting here this morning that welcome change and then there are those of us sitting here this morning that don’t like change.

They like consistency. They like things to stay the same. And for them, change is not something that is taken lightly.

But here’s the thought that was placed upon my heart and the theme for this year....if change is coming our way and we’re going to have to do with it....then why not learn to thrive in the midst of change?

Hence the theme…Learning to Thrive in 2025!

I truly feel that not all change is bad. If we never changed, if we never adapted to change, we’d never evolve, we’d never think outside the box, we’d never grow, we’d never push ourselves further, we’d never go places no one has ever gone before!

But, if we learn to thrive in the midst of change, then we can allow change to make us better versions of ourselves.

I mentioned to you last week that although we may be coming to a close in the Book of Acts, some of Paul’s greatest works were written while he was imprisoned during his first stent in Rome and these Books were called The Prison Epistles.

One of these Epistles, the shortest of the four but by far one of the most powerful is a little Book called Philemon.

And in this tiny little one chapter Book we see change take place in a mighty way. We will see Paul speak of one man’s change while we also see him request another man’s change in a different way.

The title I have given to today’s message is this…A Fresh Start — The Story of a Fugitive Finding Forgiveness & a Master Modeling Meekness.

This little volume has definitely become one of my favorite and there is so much in this one little Book that we can take away and apply to our lives this morning.

Maybe you are here this morning and you are looking for a fresh start in 2025. Well guess what…there’s only one person who can give you that fresh start and His name is Jesus Christ!

And maybe you’re sitting here this morning and you have been saved but you are just needing a shot of change in your life; in your walk with God.

Well there’s something here for you too! But what I will say to you is this…you must be willing to change!

There’s an old saying, “You can’t continue doing the same ole thing day after day and expect anything to change!”

If you are here this morning, whether you are saved or lost, and you are seeking a fresh start, then you must be willing to change!

Stop shunning it! Stop allowing change to shut you down and paralyze you! Learn to thrive in the midst of change! Allow it to push you to do, to try new things and allow it to push you to new heights you didn’t even know were imaginable!

A Fresh Start…are you ready for one?

If so, and you have your Bible’s turned to the power packed Book of Philemon say, Amen!

Opening Statement

I want to begin this morning by saying, for those who enjoy reading and appreciate the structure of literacy, this little Book is a literary marvel written by Paul!

When you sit and just read it over and over and study it’s structure and it’s theme and how Paul goes about making his request to Philemon, you will begin to notice that every word, every sentence, every thought was well planned and prayed over by Paul as he penned this special letter.

And I don’t know if you picked up on it or not, but there are certain words that you can see that Paul uses over and over to drive home his request, the reason for his request, and his expectation of the request!

I heard one time that in order for a person to remember something they had to hear it at least three times.

As I was studying through the Book and just listening to it over and over I began to hear certain words that Paul was using over and over and so last night at about 12:30 I sat down on the couch once I got home from Harper’s tournament and just started writing down all the words, the theme’s you could see Paul driving home. Now, some of these are used way more than three times and a couple are just used twice but you can see the theme exalt itself all throughout the little Book.

The word Prisoner is used 5 times.

The word Faith is used 3 times.

The word Love is used 3 times.

The word Kindness is used 2 times.

The word Grace is used 2 times.

But do you know what word is used and referred to more than any other?

It’s actually not a word but a person…The Lord Jesus Christ!

Paul refers to Jesus as either Lord, Jesus or Christ at least 9 times in 25 verses and 6 of those times were before he makes his request of Philemon!

Now, this wasn’t by happenstance or chance but by deep thought and precision!

Paul was trying to drive home multiple thoughts but more than anything, he wanted Philemon to know who he belonged to and why he was even able to call himself a Christian.

And I believe Paul’s goal in driving this thought home was successful because we’re sitting here reading this little Book today!

And there’s also other possible evidence that Onesimus was freed and used that freedom as an opportunity to get busy working for the Lord!

Listen to what Chuck Swindoll says...

It is the year AD 110. The emperor Trajan waits in Rome for a shipment from the East. Originating in Antioch of Syria and sent as a special gift to the emperor to win his favor, the cargo was being transported under the guard of ten Roman legionaries. They made it as far as the port city of Smyrna on the western coast of Asia Minor. There the group stopped as the soldiers rested from their long journey and weighed their options for completing the trip to Rome.

What is their precious cargo? Ignatius of Antioch—once the revered bishop of Antioch who had been a personal associate of the apostle John, now a shackled prisoner headed to Rome to be fed to the lions. His crime? Refusing to denounce Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, God and King.

But the hiatus in Smyrna gave Ignatius an opportunity to meet with Christian leaders eager to spend time with the famous pastor of the even more famous church of Antioch. The Roman soldiers saw no reason to prevent the harmless, old bishop of Antioch from receiving visitors. He wasn’t a flight risk, and he had been nothing but compliant with even their most unreasonable orders.

Among Ignatius’s visitors was the renowned Polycarp, head of the church in Smyrna, where the party had halted. Years earlier the apostle John himself had appointed Polycarp to the position of bishop (perhaps equivalent to a senior pastor today) in Smyrna. Also among the visitors were representatives from three churches south of Smyrna: Tralles, Magnesia, and Ephesus. Each of these churches sent leaders to meet Ignatius and lend support and encouragement during this trying time. The church in Tralles sent their bishop Polybius, while the Magnesians sent the bishop Damas along with other leaders.141 It’s not likely that either of those names would have carried much weight, even in those days. But the bishop of the renowned city of Ephesus was well known, as was the church there. Paul had written one of his Prison Epistles to the Ephesians, and Timothy had served there as pastor near the end of Paul’s ministry. Furthermore, the apostle John lived out his last days in Ephesus.

Who was the bishop of this prominent church in the early second century? A man named Onesimus. In a letter sent to the church in Ephesus to encourage them in their faithfulness to Christ, Ignatius described their bishop, Onesimus, as “a man of inexpressible love,” adding, “Blessed is the one who has graciously granted you, who are worthy, to obtain such a bishop.”

In the year AD 60 Onesimus was a runaway slave who had possibly stolen from his master, Philemon, and had fled to Rome, probably hoping to blend in and make a new life for himself. But while Onesimus was in Rome, the apostle Paul was also there under house arrest. Through the providential plan of God, Onesimus came to know Christ through Paul’s ministry and was convicted of his sin against his master, Philemon.

Therefore, Paul sent Onesimus back to his master in Colossae as a traveling companion of Tychicus—now not merely as a runaway slave but as a brother in Christ (1:16).

On their way to Colossae, Tychicus and Onesimus likely carried three letters: Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon. By the time they reached Colossae, Tychicus and Onesimus had already spent some days in Ephesus, delivering Paul’s letter, informing the Ephesians of news about Paul, and encouraging them (Eph. 6:21–22). The church there had undoubtedly seen the same qualities in Onesimus that Paul had experienced in Rome. Clearly he had made a positive impression on them.

Fast-forward fifty years to AD 110. That same former slave, Onesimus, now probably about seventy years old, is settled into a permanent ministry in Ephesus as the bishop. As the leader he earnestly contends for the faith against false teachers, building up that body in faith and love. In his letter to the church in Ephesus, Ignatius says, “Onesimus himself highly praises your good discipline in God, because you all live according to the truth and that no heresy dwells among you, but you do not even so much as hear anyone unless he speaks truthfully about Jesus Christ.”

The Greeting — (Vs. 1-3)

Chuck Swindoll — It seems quite likely, then, that Philemon was serving in a leadership role in the church at Colossae. Paul refers to “the church in [his] house” in Philemon 1:2. Philemon was more than a church member; he was a church leader.

We know that Archippus was a fellow minister in the church of Colossae (Col. 4:17).

John Phillips — Grace in the New Testament is unmerited favor; getting something we don’t deserve. Grace is the very essence of the gospel, what we have all received through Christ.

Suppose that you were to look out of your window just in time to see a young fellow making off with your car. You phone the police and report the theft, giving the car’s make, model, color, and license number. Then you sit back and await developments, not too hopefully perhaps. But the unexpected happens. You receive a phone call from the local police station. The sergeant says, “Sir, we have recovered your car and also have the young man in custody. Can you come down?”

You arrive at the police station and examine the car. No damage has been done. You go inside and the officer says, “Here’s the young man. Do you want to press charges?” At this point, you have three alternatives. If you say, “Yes, he stole my car, he deserves to be punished,” that would be justice. If you say, “Well, look here, officer, he doesn’t seem to have done any harm. I don’t think I want to have him booked,” that would he forgiveness. But suppose that you were to say to the young man, “Look here, son, you don’t need to steal a car. I have two. I’ll give you one of mine. Also, I’ll fill it up with gas for you and buy you a year’s insurance.” That would be grace. That would be giving him something that he did not deserve. That is exactly how God has treated us—with grace!

But it is not unaccompanied grace here. It is grace and peace.

Peace means that the war is over. We have “peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Once we were rebels, runaway slaves, and our hearts were filled with harsh thoughts against God. We had declared war on God’s claims, but now the war is over. We have peace.

Again, Paul uses the word deliberately, carefully laying his approaches to Philemon’s soul. He is going to tell him that whatever state of war existed between him and Onesimus is now over. He is surrounding Philemon with subliminal arguments of an incontrovertible nature—and Philemon has no idea yet of what’s coming. Paul, however, is hedging him in with reminders of all that he has received at God’s hands.

The Gratitude — (Vs. 4-7)

The Gracious Request — (Vs. 8-20)

Chuck Swindoll — Surely Philemon, who had also experienced the forgiveness and freedom that come from Christ, could understand the great principle of 2 Corinthians 5:17...

2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV 1900

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Having explained to Philemon the transformation Onesimus had experienced, Paul appeals to Philemon to grant Onesimus not only forgiveness but also freedom. It would be proper for Philemon to extend forgiveness to Onesimus. After all, it is a fundamental principle of brotherly love to as Eph. 4:32 puts it...

Ephesians 4:32 KJV 1900

32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

Vs. 18-19

R.E. Neighbour — Onesimus must have owed Philemon a large sum. However, Paul said: “Put that on mine account.” We owe the Lord Jesus Christ a far larger sum; yet He put all of our debt upon Himself.

How the words ring out, “He * * carried our sorrows”; “He hath borne our griefs”; “He was wounded for our transgressions”; “He was bruised for our iniquities.”

Thank God that He bore the sin of many, even our sin.

Philemon was not requested to collect a part of what was due. Paul wanted him to put it all on his account. Neither does God ask Christ to pay a part of the debt we owe. When the Lord cried. “It is finished” there was nothing left to pay.

When we think of what the Lord has done for us, do we not begin to wonder what we can do for Him? Think you that Onesimus, welcomed back again and forgiven his so great a debt, did not desire to serve his master with a new fervor?

To us it is absolutely impossible to know the depth of the goodness and grace of God in all that He has done for us, both on Calvary, in His empty tomb, and in His glorious present ministry, without being overwhelmed with a sense of our debt to Him. We can never love Him enough, praise Him enough, nor serve Him enough. The least that we can do is to bring to Him our little all and lay it at His feet, a willing sacrifice.

The Grateful Response Expected — (Vs. 21-22)

The Goodbye Greetings — (Vs. 23-25)