The Responsibility and Benefit Between Christian Brothers

Read Philemon 1-7

We need to give a bit of attention to the first three verses before making our way to the main meat of the message this morning. A few notes that need to be made regarding the introduction of this letter. It is written by Paul, with the assistance of Timothy, while Timothy is imprisoned. More than likely this is while he is imprisoned in Rome. Paul seems to have a relationship with Philemon because of Philemon’s conversion during the time when Paul was ministering in Ephesus.

We don’t know much about the other two people, Apphia and Archippus, who are mentioned in verse 2 but we do know that Philemon was quite wealthy for two main reasons: because he had the money to own a slave and because his home was large enough to host the church.

It is understated so often just how special a relationship is between two Christian people. These are the sorts of relationships that are cherished and cultivated over time.

This is a special relationship that Paul has with Philemon. He refers to Philemon as a “beloved fellow worker” which helps us to understand what exactly Paul thinks of Him. This morning, I want to look at one responsibility and one benefit of having such a relationship.

First, we begin with

The Responsibility of Prayer

Verses 4, 5, and 6 tell that Paul has been praying for Philemon. But this is more than just a prayer here and there. As I read these verses, the idea that comes across is frequent prayers for this brother. The content of the prayer for Philemon comes to us in two categories. The first is expressing to the Lord thankfulness for this brother. Now, general thankfulness for a person is certainly acceptable but Paul is specific that He is thankful for love and faith and even more specific the love and faith that Philemon has for Jesus and the saints. What is being recognized in this prayer is Philemon’s closeness to the Lord. Paul knew where He had come from in his faith and his dedication to God.

It’s not just recognition of the relationship with the Lord but also the closeness that He has with his fellow saints. He loves them. He has faith in them as they work together for the sake of the gospel. It is of importance that we remain close in love and faith with both the Lord as well as those we are striving together with.

If we pause at the thankfulness, I want to urge you to express to the Lord often thanksgiving for those He has placed in your life. However, I also want to point out that these attributes of Philemon are things that you and I should set our sights on.

There is most certainly a tie between a person’s relationship with the Lord and their dedication to their fellow Christian. And we should be specific in our thankfulness to the Lord in these things.

But the second category of prayer here has to do with fellowship. Verse six in the English Standard Version says that Paul prays for the sharing of their faith but the word translated as sharing is the same word, Koinonia, most often translated as fellowship. The idea here is that the fellowship surrounding the faith may be effective because those that are sharing in fellowship have a knowledge of the truth of the gospel that has been made possible through Christ.

What a thing to pray for this man. He is asking that God would strengthen the unity of those that are in the church and that they would have a full knowledge of who God is and the wonderful that that have been afforded to us because of the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf. It is not just sweet fellowship and good meals. This is enriching conversation about the things of God as we share our faith with one another. When we talk about sharing our faith, it is most often in the vein of evangelism but it is also important that we frequently share our faith with one another to bolster each other.

And this is something that we should ask the Lord to increase in the lives of our Christian brothers and sisters. Prayer is the responsibility we have in Christian relationships. Next we have

The Benefit of Joy and Comfort

Paul tells us in verse 7 that he has gotten a great deal of joy and comfort from the love of Philemon. This is the sort of love that has greatly uplifted the saints that were in the church. The word refresh means to give rest in this case. We are looking at people who have been renewed by the simple love of Philemon.

It is necessary to ask the question, what is it that brings you joy? When we speak of joy from the perspective of the bible, it is more than momentary happiness. Instead it is long lasting gladness that stretches beyond any sort of circumstance. For instance, Paul speaks of such a joy in 2 Corinthians 7:4.

2 Corinthians 7:4 ESV

I am acting with great boldness toward you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy.

Or look at the first use of the word chara in the New Testament in Matthew 2:10.

Matthew 2:10 ESV

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

Because the wise men saw a star in the east, they had gladness because of a certain hope that Jesus had been born. The truth this morning is that there is a bond you and I have that brings us a great deal of joy. But beyond that, we should find joy when we see such a refreshing of the saints because of what we are doing.

Aside from joy, there is also comfort that Paul received from knowing of the work that Philemon was doing. This comfort is of encouragement and was consoling to Paul during his imprisonment. It was because Paul was highly invested in the Ephesian people, to know that they were being loved so well by Philemon put him at ease when he was unable to be there among them and minster to them. To give you a very personal example, it brings me great comfort knowing that Craig Batts is the pastor of Cross Timbers Free Will Baptist church where I grew up. I know that he loves the people there and serves them well. I know that they are receiving sound bible teaching and excellent pastoral care for a group of people that I love.

What a benefit for you and I to have when we join up with our fellow brothers and sisters. We are living in times when it is of great value to have cheer despite the circumstances.

Response

So, how do we respond this morning? We have a certain responsibility and a benefit that comes from such tight nit relationships deeply rooted in Christ.

Pray that the Lord would place someone in your life like Philemon.

Pray for one person as we respond. Thank the Lord for them and ask Him to bless the way they minister to the saints.

Praise the Lord for the joy and comfort you find in that person!