Thankful for Freedom (2)

Introduction

Today I want to share with you guys about freedom.

America i

Pray

The America we live in right now is a “Free Country,” but it hasn’t always been that way.

As I’m sure you guys are already aware, America has had some great history, and some incredible things have happened in and through this great country, but at the same time, there are things about our history that aren’t that pleasant to look at.

Slavery was a major issue in this country for hundred’s of years.

We often think of American Slavery as the time between the mid 1600’s to the mid 1800’s when this country went through it’s great Civil War and the North won the freedom that we have today, but you can go back as early as the beginning of the 1500’s and see that Slavery was still going on in this country in some measure or another way before it was actually legal.

And I won’t go into all the details of the slavery that went on, because it was a pretty horrible time for the people, but I want you guys to see that there was literally a time where, in certain states, you could literally walk down to a local auction house, and purchase an African-American man, woman, or even child, to become your slave and work for you. And you were pretty much allowed to do with that person whatever you wanted. If that person didn’t work hard enough, you had every right to punish that person.

So the freedom that we have today is actually something relatively new. If you think about it, it’s only been 150 years since the slave movement has been going on. That might seem like a long time, but it’s really not all that long compared to how long America has been around. And I will say to you guys that Christianity has had a major influence on the end of slavery in this country. There were tons of Christians who were involved in the Underground Railroad (Have you guys learned about the underground railroad? Basically it was a bunch of routes that slaves could take to escape the southern states where slavery was legal, to the northern states where it was not). Very important books and other literature was written to push the end of slavery, and even in the government at that time I believe there was a very strong Christian influence helping to abolish the slave movement.

But today, my goal is not to give you guys some super deep history lesson about America.

Instead, I really want to show you guys a few things this morning that I am hoping and praying will cause us all to have a deeper level of thankfulness for the freedom that we have in this country, and even more importantly than that, the freedom that we have from our sin as followers of Jesus Christ.

So today we are going to be looking at a little, but very interesting book in the New Testament.

And in this book,

And in this book, we are going to look at the relationship between a slave-master, and his slave, and how the gospel of Jesus Christ was able to effect their relationship. We’re going to see how powerful this gospel is in bringing true spiritual freedom.

If you guys have your bible’s, turn with me to the book of Philemon.

It’s a little hard to find because it’s only one chapter, but if you get to the book of Hebrews, it’s going to be the book just before that.

So this book is pretty short, so we’re just going to blast our way through it this morning. And hey, after we’re done, you can tell your friends that you have studied the book of Philemon and look really smart.

So let’s start in verse 1

English Standard Version Chapter 1

Greeting

1 Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,

To Philemon our beloved fellow worker 2 and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house:

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philemon’s Love and Faith

4 I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, 6 and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. 7 For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.

Paul’s Plea for Onesimus

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.

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.

Final Greetings

23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, 24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.

25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

English Standard Version Chapter 1

1 Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,

To Philemon our beloved fellow worker 2 and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house:

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

So right here we learn a couple of things about the book of Philemon:

First off, we learn about who wrote this letter

Is anyone able to tell me by looking at the first verse who wrote this letter?

>>>If they say Timothy too, say that Timothy was kind of like Paul’s side-kick, that Timothy followed Paul around a lot in his ministry, which is why Paul put him in the letter

So Paul wrote the letter, now is anyone able to tell me who the letter is written to?

>>>So the letter was written to Philemon, and we’re not totally sure who Apphia and Archippus are, but most likely Apphia is Philemon’s wife, and Archippus is his son.

>>>Philemon had a church in his house

And that was a very common thing in this day. Churches often met in houses.

And I think that brings up a good point for us today.

What makes up a church?

Does a building make up a church?

No, and never in the bible is the word church used with a building. It’s always used to talk about the people.

So Philemon’s house wasn’t anything special, it was just a place where the church in his hometown would meet

It was a place where fellow believers would get together an enjoy worship and fellowship and community under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.