Liberated

PreService Announcements

Lake Baptisms

Hot Sizzling Summer Nights

Intro

Announcements:

John Bushnell (Next week interview)

Lake Baptisms

Hot Sizzling Summer Nights

This is a very personal Letter.

Don’t think of Slavery in the south

Slavery during this time was not based on race or ethnicity.

Slaves were conquered during war.

A large portion of slaves were people who had debts they couldn’t pay off and they began to work for there masters (bondservant)

Slaves often worked short stints because they would pay off their debts.

70-80% of people alive on the Italian peninsula, at one point in their life, would’ve been a “slave”!

“slave”

Philemon 4–22 ESV

I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, 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. For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you. Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. 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, but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, 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. So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. 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.

Philemon 8–20 ESV

Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. 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, but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, 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. So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.

Philemon 8-20

Slavery in the NT

We all need an advocate

Philemon 8-

Philemon 8–20 ESV

Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. 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, but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, 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. So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.

Don’t think of Slavery in the south

Slavery during this time was not based on race or ethnicity.

Freedom isn’t forced, it’s given.

Slaves were conquered during war.

A large portion of slaves were people who had debts they couldn’t pay off and they began to work for there masters (bondservant)

Slaves often worked short stints because they would pay off their debts.

70-80% of people alive on the Italian peninsula, at one point in their life, would’ve been a “slave”!

Freedom isn’t forced, it’s given.

Philemon 8–10 ESV

Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment.

Philemon 8-

Have you ever tried to force someone to be better.

It doesn’t work until they realize they need it.

Laws doesn’t change the heart, God does.

Paul knows he could leverage his authority and command Philemon to release this man and forgive him his debts yet he doesn’t do it. Rather he appeals “for love’s sake”

Philemon 14 ESV

but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord.

Philemon

Decision reveals a transformed heart.

A decision that is freely chosen is an act that reveals the nature of your heart.

Paul knows if he doesn’t go after the heart of Philemon then the decision wont affect the heart.

You can make the right decisions yet still have a bad heart.

Paul has seen Onesimus convert, he was on the right track, he was repentant, he was a follower of Jesus, but Paul isn’t just advocating for Onesimus, he’s fighting for the heart of Philemon.

Real Life Example:

My child can listen to me and do what I ask but she can do it with a bad heart.

I discipline to protect her heart.

If you don’t discipline your child you are not protecting their heart.

I’m not telling you how to discipline, that’s for another sermon, but if you let your kids get away with anything they want then their hearts are attaching to whatever their puney, underdeveloped brains think is best.

My job is to protect her heart.

We had an 1.5 hour freak out rodeo.

She decided she didn’t want to listen, she refused to do a simple task I had asked her to do.

We are trying to teach her to listen right away not after the 3rd or fifth ask but right away.

I calmly spoke to her, I didn’t escalate to her level. She literally screamed for an hour and a half.

Paul is trying to reveal Philemon’s heart and protect it.

Liberation Requires Participation

The Death and Resurrection of Jesus are not mentioned at all in this book.

WE ARE SEEING A LIVING, BREATHING EXAMPLE OF THE GOSPEL

The reason is because Paul is literally stepping in and acting as Christ.

Liberation Requires Participation

Philemon 17–19 ESV

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

Paul is living out the gospel.

Paul’s Brilliance:

Paul is putting on display the gospel.

Paul is literally being Jesus on behalf of Onesimus.

“Receive him as you would me”

“If he has wronged you or owes you anything, charge it to my account.”

Paul is communicating something powerful to Philemon.

John 8:34 ESV

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.

True liberty is meant to break the barriers between people.

The “Have” and “Have-nots” become irrelevant

John 8:36 ESV

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Overview of Wall-e

Impala and Efrom Smith

He was tired of going through the motions.

Sin presents an insurmountable wall.

He was unsatisfied with what it meant to be human.

We need Christ to come and get us.

He realized there was more out there

Then we can live the way we were meant to live.

He realized he was like a fish trying to survive on the land.

Paul is trying to get Philemon to see over the wall.

Freedom comes when you realize you have sinned before God and he has taken that debt upon himself.

Freedom comes when you realize you have sinned before God and he has taken that debt upon himself.

Freedom comes to the fish when he is kicked back into the water.

The sun might feel good

The scenery might be great.

But he isn’t made for the land and so freedom can only be found in the water.

Paul is calling Philemon to Free his slave and attribute his debts to himself.

Philemon can legally go after Paul if Onesimus doesn’t return.

The Bondage of the Heart goes beyond physical chains

Paul is living out the gospel and in it reveals the bondage that is still in Philemons life.

Philemon is the free man, so why is Paul just advocating to him.

PAUL KNOWS THAT BONDAGE GOES BEYOND THE PHYSICAL.

Paul is calling out the bondage in Philemon’s heart.

Paul is challenging the heart of Philemon.

Philemon could’ve....

Pressed charges

forcibly got his slave back.

made Onesimus’ life terrible.

Paul is trying to show Philemon

God could’ve....

Pressed charges

Taken his life

made his life terrible

Punished him for his sins

Philemon needed an advocate

He needed a substitute.

Jesus was that substitute.

Jesus took the penalty of Philemon’s sin.

Jesus made it so Philemon could be in the family of God.

Paul is confronting Philemon’s worldview.

Paul risks everything for a slave!

Philemon needed to be confronted with the reality that Onemismus wasn’t his slave anymore but rather his brother.

“If happiness is the greatest good then we are failing.” (Gregory of Fred)

If Philemon did what made him happy then he would keep him as slave and continue to make money off o

Philemon needed to be confronted with the reality that Onesimus wasn’t his slave anymore but rather his brother.

Philemon 16 NASB95

no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

Captain G. McCrea - “I don’t just want to survive, I want to live!”

Captain G. McCrea - “I don’t just want to survive, I want to live!”

For the Christian it means not just believing a set of beliefs but it is engaging with them.

Paul is engaging with the slave and the owner.

Paul is talking with the have’s and the have nots.

In Christ we are family.

Classes of people become irrelevant

Have and Have nots become irrelevant.

Master and slave become irrelevant because those classes can’t exist in the Kingdom of God.

Why?

We are family.

If you have a brother that is in trouble or making poor decisions, you walk with them through it. You look at a brother or sister different than you do the barista who makes your latte.

You participate in family whether you want to or not.

Brothers Basketball Game

We played 2v2 basketball and the loser had to take laxatives.

I was reluctant to participate but agreed because it was family.

We lost and had to take the “medication”

Paul is asking Philemon an important question,

“Onesimus is your brother, will you participate in the gospel with him.”

Will you do something that will financially hurt you?

Will you participate in the gospel by forgiving his sins and receiving him, not as a fugitive but family.

Imagine being Onesimus, with this letter, knocking on the door to Philemon’s house. The door being opened and Philemon seeing the slave who committed a crime against him. Imagine handing the letter to him and then standing there as Philemon opened and read the letter. Imagine the stare at the ground as Philemon pondered the words on the page.

DONT DO OFFERING< hand it over to GREG!