Sermon Tone Analysis

Fellowship/Partnership

Partner — Fellowship...Paul and Philemon were partners and more than that, brothers in Christ.

Together, they participated in sharing of the Gospel with the world.

Partner — Fellowship...Paul and Philemon were partners and more than that, brothers in Christ.

Together, they participated in sharing of the Gospel with the world.

Fellowship and Partnership...Paul and Philemon had Christian fellowship and as a result a partnership with one another

They had a relationship with Christ

They had fellowship with one another...were brothers in Christ…united together in the family of God by their faith in Jesus.

Together, they participated in sharing of the Gospel with the world as partners.

They were partners in sharing of the Gospel with the world.

They were doing life together loving Christ and each other with their life…with their attitudes, actions, time and stuff!

They had fellowship with one another.

“Fellowship in the N.T. basically means sharing and self-sacrifice with other believers.

As N.T. scholar J.R. McRay has noted, "Fellowship in the early church was not based on uniformity of thought and practice, except where limits of immorality or rejection of the confession of Christ were involved."

I think as Christians we sometimes forget what binds us together in fellowship as the church.

It isn’t the name on the door, our denomination, shared politics, morality, preference of music or type of worship…

We are bound together in fellowship with one another at a much more significant and deeper level than all of these might offer.

We are brothers and sisters in Christ…a part of God’s spiritual family in Jesus.

This kind of fellowship crosses denominational lines…crosses cultural barriers…crosses nation’s borders…crosses race and any kind of socio-economic obstacle we know or don’t know.

We have a relationship in Christ that is invaluable (it is impossible to assign value to it.)

This relationship (because of its nature in Christ) is perfect and can never be broken.

And because of this fellowship we also have a partnership.

We are partners together in the sharing of the ministry of Christ.

We are together ministers of His salvation…ministers of His reconciliation with the world.

Together, with the power and help of the Holy Spirit, we share Jesus and see people saved

When Paul asks for Philemon to be obedient to God in the matter of Onesimus he reminds Philemon of the fellowship and partnership the two of them have in Christ.

He wants Philemon to understand that Onesimus has now entered into that same fellowship/partnership…he has now become their brother in Christ and is on mission with them.

Paul was not asking anything from selfish motives but altruistic ones.

He

The shared life and sacrifice of believers in Christ now extended to Onesimus as well.

Philemon’s gracious acts toward Onesimus would be as if he were doing it for Paul…a man whom he loved and respected immensely.

Fellowship in Practice

“If he has wronged you” — Paul now takes on the role of minister of reconciliation between brothers in Christ.

We are natural ministers of reconciliation between the lost world and Christ.

We share the gospel with those who are lost so they might come to Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins and have new life in Him.

But, we may also on occasion play the role as agent of reconciliation between brothers and sisters in Christ.

Paul goes so far as to say he will right the wrong Onesimus cannot (remember fellowship in the new Testament church meant shared sacrifice).

Onesimus had stolen some amount of money as well as time of service from Philemon..and as they say, time is money…so Philemon’s financial loss at the hands of Onesimus was great…If this is to be an impediment to the reconciliation between the two brothers in Christ, Paul was ready to assume the debt owed Philemon

After all, Onesimus was an escaped slave and certainly had no means of paying back any amount of cash he had stolen from Philemon…and there was nothing he could do about repayment of time lost in service to Philemon as his slave.

Paul reminds Philemon that he himself owes Paul a debt...his soul and eternal destiny!

If Paul had not shared Christ with Philemon he would have remained lost and gone to hell forever.

If money and time are to be held against Onesimus then Philemon should consider that he owes Paul an infinite debt in consideration of what he gained through Paul.

Paul says, charge to my account what he owes you…and considering that you really owe me everything…the amount owed on the part of Onesimus should be considered paid.

Minister to Me

Let me be the beneficiary of the ministry so often associated with you…refresh me.

Allow me to relax and feel peace because of your love for God and all the saints…on account of your love for God, me and…Onesimus.

Sometimes it is easy to use the gifts God has given us for His kingdom and at other times it is more difficult.

Our feelings, fears and personal ambitions can get in the way of our gifts and the Lord’s intentions for our life.

A man once came to a preacher and said to him: 'I was filled with joy in the meeting yesterday, and now it has all gone—all—and I do not know what to do.

It is as dark as night.' `I am so glad,' was the reply.

He looked at the servant of Christ with astonishment and said: 'What do you mean?'

`I am so glad,' was the reply.

He looked at the servant of Christ with astonishment and said: 'What do you mean?'

Yesterday God gave you joy, and today He sees you are resting on your emotions instead of Christ, and He has taken them away in order to turn you to Christ.

You have lost your joy, but you have Christ none the less.

Did you ever pass through a railway tunnel?'`Yes, often.' Did you, because it was dark, become melancholy and alarmed?' `Of course not.'`And did you, after a while, come out again into the light?'`I

am out now,' he exclaimed, interrupting the servant of Christ; 'it is all right-feelings or no feelings.'

`Yesterday God gave you joy, and today He sees you are resting on your emotions instead of Christ, and He has taken them away in order to turn you to Christ.

You have lost your joy, but you have Christ none the less.

Did you ever pass through a railway tunnel?'

`Yes, often.'

`Did you, because it was dark, become melancholy and alarmed?'

`Of course not.'

`And did you, after a while, come out again into the light?'

`I am out now,' he exclaimed, interrupting the servant of Christ; 'it is all right-feelings or no feelings.'

This could not have been the most easy time for Philemon to exercise his spiritual gifts.

He had felt himself wronged by the theft of both money and property at the hands of Onesimus…and now he is being asked to forgive on both counts…and to see Onesimus in a new light…an equal…a partner…a brother in Christ and partner in the ministry of the Gospel…and in the process to set Onesimus free!

Paul was encouraging Philemon but it would be the Holy Spirit who led him to right response to the challenge given him.

Paul is confident of Philemon’s obedience to God because Paul has seen his life and heart up to this point.

He knew Philemon to be one who listened to God and followed His leading.

In fact, Philemon was the kind of person who sought to obey God to the fullest extent he knew how and even more…he would go the extra mile.

Conclusions

How do you see yourself in the world in which we live?

If I ask you that question how would you respond?

Husband, father, teacher, accountant, realtor, daughter, son, pastor, salesman…or would you go deeper?

We too often define ourselves wrongly…we define ourselves in terms of physical birth and what we do…things such as I am an American, firstborn of James and Donna…and the pastor of Harwood Terrace Baptist Church

God sees us in a much more profound way…a much deeper way.

He sees us in terms of Himself, His life and call to be a part of who He is and what He is doing

So who are you?

Christian…follower of Jesus

Brother or sister in Christ

Partner in the sharing of the Gospel...an agent of God’s love.

Minister of reconciliation between the world and Christ…between brothers and sister within the church…an agent of God’s love.

Do you see yourself as person in fellowship/partnership with Jesus as well as your brothers and sisters in Christ?

How far are you willing to go in the call to fellowship/partnership with the body of Christ?

To what extent will you live your faith?

I think this is a question we have to continually ask ourselves because there is a constant temptation to put limits upon what we are willing to do for Christ and our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Paul expected Philemon to go all the way because that was his pattern as a believer...but there was no guarantee.

Would Philemon forgive and receive Onesimus as a brother in Christ?

Would he repent of owning Onesimus and slavery in general?

Would Philemon refresh Paul?

Would he exercise this special gift of the Spirit when difficult to do so?

Are you and I willing to let go of our life, trust God and follow Him?

No matter the cost?

Following Jesus is not always be easy.

It will cost us in terms of our reputation in the eyes of the world..cost us financially…cost us in terms of time too.

It will cost us our selfish ambitions, temporary pleasures, comfort, sense of security and sometimes even our life.

How far are we willing to go?

What about this…are you willing to share the in the sacrifice required to share the Gospel with the lost?

Are you willing to share the sacrifice required to love and minister to your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ?