Living, Loving, Faith & the Gospel
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Living, Loving, Faith & the Gospel
Living, Loving, Faith & the Gospel
Ministry, Gospel and local church ministry is sometimes messy and complicated.
Those with whom we share the Gospel are broken and marred because of sin. It might not always be outwardly obvious but under the surface they are. Sometimes their lives are wrecks. Sometimes those who lives are wrecks are more ready for the Gospel and repent. Jesus phrased is this way.
I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
One of the subconscious barriers to ministry is that there are some who are much more comfortable when respectable sinners become interested in the Gospel and repent.
Respected leaders in the community rather than leader in organized crime.
Most of us have heard, I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?
Jn 4 - Samaritan woman or man by the well. - What would go through the minds of some congregation, when a woman who had lived with 5 men and the man that she was living with was not her husband? - Jn 4:16-18 - Like the disciples would we wonder why Christ was working in the heart of this woman?- Jn 4:27 - Or would we marvel at God’s saving grace and her witness for Christ to he neighbours who believed because of her witness, He told me all that I ever did?- Jn 4:39-42
How we handle the bad or messy news, says much more about who we are than how we handle the good news.
In the church in Rome, their good news was that Onesimus had come to faith in Christ. But there was some bad news. Onesimus was a run-away slave who had stolen from his master, Philemon in whose house the church in Colossae met. For the integrity of the Gospel and all concerned, wrongs had to be righted and broken relationships restored.
With this essential reconciliation in mind, Paul sent Onesimus back to Philemon in Colossae with his personal letter addressing:
The fact that our Lord by His Holy Spirit inspired and preserved this personal letter underscores some truths.
The issue at hand was important and needed to be addressed and resolved.
The issue was important to commit to a written document.
Confession of the wrong done, asking for forgiveness, offering restitution and the necessity of forgiving are all fundamental to the Gospel and the Christian life.
From Paul’s and the Scriptures perspective, Philemon had no option but to forgive.
If he did not forgive, the pain and injustice would be fed and eat away at Him and other relationships. Failure to forgive would also negatively impact the churches in Rome and Colossae.
It would produce spreading bitterness.
See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;
Giving Satan access, he undermines ministry.
Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.
Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.
Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
Hinders fellowship with God. The principle reason for this is that we have refused to listen to the Lord and His word. Trust also suffers.
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.
“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt.
Although the social/life situations of Paul, Onesimus and Philemon are all acknowledged as factors to be remembered, who they are in Christ was emphasized as the overriding reality in how they processed and resolved this issue that had to be resolved.
Greetings - vs 1-3
Paul - prisoner
First word in letter - this was from the Apostle Paul, the Apostle who met Jesus on the Road to Damascus, the one whom God had used to preach the Gospel and plant so many church, who had written was writing to the churches, one of which was Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae that met in the home of Philemon and now this personal letter.
and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house:
Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. And say to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”
I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.
Only time that Paul referred to himself as a prisoner, a prisoner of Christ Jesus. Here, he does not stress his Apostle, his authority or being a bondslave
Although a prisoner of Rome, Paul saw himself as imprisoned by Christ for the Gospel.
For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—
so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.
For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis.
And Timothy
Philemon - beloved fellow worker
Beloved - used of individuals and groups
Fellow worker - used by Paul for those who worked with him in the cause of Christ
Because Paul never visited Colossae, their connection probably began in Ephesus
For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face,
Apphia - probably Philemon’s wife
Archippus - perhaps their son or another leader in the Colossae church
In your house - church buildings not mentioned until 3rd century.
Philemon: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Introduction
First century churches met in homes, church buildings being unknown until the third century. The oldest known church was found at Dura Europos, on the bank of the Euphrates River in the Syrian desert. It dates from the first half of the third century, and had been made by joining two rooms of a house and building a platform (E. M. Blaiklock, “Dura Europos,” in The New International Dictionary of Biblical Archaeology, ed. E. M. Blaiklock and R. K. Harrison
Grace & peace ...
Paul’s standard greeting
Grace is the means of salvation. Peace is the result.
2. PHILEMON’S love & faith - vs 4-7
I thank my God always. Paul was always able to give thanks when he prayed for Philemon. It would seem that when he thought of and prayed for Philemon, there was no knot in the pit of Paul’s stomach that Philemon would lash out in a way that was characteristic of a Christlike believer.
Everything that Paul heard about Philemon was good.
Love & faith - for the Lord Jesus Christ and all of the saints
Love - agape
Epaphras - fellow labourer of perhaps Elder in Colossae
Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.
Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you,
Effective sharing of your faith
Sharing - fellowship - koinonia -
because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
Effective- energes - powerful - the act of forgiveness that Paul is requesting will be a huge testimony of God’s grace - will become
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
BECOME effective for full knowledge knowledge of every good thing that in us for the sake of the Gospel
If we know, we should do.
Comfort & refreshed others
Joy and comfort to Paul
Kindness
Hearts of the saints have been refreshed - saints should refresh other saints.
3. Paul’s plea (to Philemon) for ONESIMUS - vs 8-16
Appeal versus command for love’s sake
In our interactions and hearing each others hearts, are we motivated because of love or because we have been commanded.
Earlier in 1 Peter - Live for the will and glory of God or because something is commanded
Loving & leading is first of all about a trusting/caring love relationship. We lead the flock of God because we love them. The flock follow the shepherd because there is a common love for the Lord.
But in the instance when the sheep do not respond because of love, sometimes a command is the last option.
Paul’s appeal is based on love
COULD HAVE COMMANDED
“You shall not murder.
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
IN SOME LIVES AND CONGREGATIONS THERE IS A LACK OF FORGIVENESS. THIS IS NOT JUST A FAILURE OF SOME TO FORGIVE, BUT THERE ALSO THOSE WHO FAIL TO FORGIVE THOSE WHO FAIL TO FORGIVE THOSE WHO FAIL TO FORGIVE!
Some might say that there was no apology. In some cases there was no apology. In other cases there was. With the passing of time, some things cannot be dug up and accurately assessed. While that is the case, it does not mean that all involved cannot say they are sorry and forgive, draw a line in the sand and go on.
When that is not done, our understanding and insight is distorted.
For the Gospel’s sake - appeal
Onesimus, my child
Appeal from Paul and for Onesimus
Whose father I became in my imprisonment
Aged - Paul probably over 60
In prison - no comfort
When and how has God used your imprisonment
COVID
Work place
Health - lady/believer hospitalized with a deteriorating spin
DOES OUR DEMEANOR DRAW PEOPLE, EVEN UNBELIEVERS TO US WHERE EVER WE ARE OR DO GO THROUGH LIKE WE WERE BAPTIZED IN “PICKLE JUICE?”
Useless to useful
By God’s grace a different man
Sending my very heart - splanchma - bowels
Wished to keep Onesimus but could not without consent of Philemon
Essential accord
Not by compulsion
When a person is compelled - you made me do it, I has no choice - their hearts will not be open to what God can do.
Fellowship Baptist Kimberley - IMPRISONED BUT BY FAITH TRUSTED GOD AND OTHERS
Bond servant to beloved brother
Paul does not call for Onesimus to be set free
Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ.
Treat him as a brother
Both in the flesh and the Lord
4. Paul’s plea to PHILEMON - vs 17-22
Reconciliation/repayment & reception
If you consider me you partner, receive him as you would me.
HOW DO WE RECEIVE OUTSIDERS?
HOW DO WE RECEIVE THOSE WHO HAVE WRONGED US?
Church is small town impacted by a segment of a family who left because the pastor refused to perform the wedding of a believing family member to an unbeliever.
RESOLUTION needed and offered - essential component to apology and forgiveness
“Speak to the people of Israel, When a man or woman commits any of the sins that people commit by breaking faith with the Lord, and that person realizes his guilt, he shall confess his sin that he has committed. And he shall make full restitution for his wrong, adding a fifth to it and giving it to him to whom he did the wrong. But if the man has no next of kin to whom restitution may be made for the wrong, the restitution for wrong shall go to the Lord for the priest, in addition to the ram of atonement with which atonement is made for him.
Paul would make restitution as needed.
Benefits
Confidences
Philemon’s obedience and forgiveness
Philemon: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Chapter 3: The Motives of One Who Forgives
Sir Thomas More, Lord Chancellor of England under Henry VIII, spoke the following words to the judges who had unjustly condemned him to death: “As the blessed apostle St. Paul … consented to the death of St. Stephen, and kept their clothes that stoned him to death, and yet be they now both twain holy saints in Heaven, and shall continue there friends for ever, so I verily trust, and shall therefore right heartily pray, that though your Lordships have now here in earth been judges to my condemnation, we may yet hereafter in Heaven merrily all meet together, to our everlasting salvation” (Cited in R. W. Chambers, Thomas More [London: Bedford Historical Series, 1938], p. 342). More’s statement exhibits the beauty of forgiveness. So also do the words of Stephen, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” (Acts 7:60), and of our Lord, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what
Guest room, visit, answered prayers
5. Final fellow greetings - vs 23-25
Fellow prisoners/fellow workers - 5
Epaphras, Mark, Aristarchus, Demas & Luke
Paul did not live his life alone
Epaphras
Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.
Mark, John Mark - fell away on 1st missionary but through help from Peter, a changed man
Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem,
And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus,
She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son.
Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.
Aristarchus - Jewish believer, native of Thessalonica
Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus.
And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica.
And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us.
Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him),
- Demas
For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Luke
Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas.
Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.
Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
What Paul is not possible in the flesh
The Book of Philemon ends here. But had Philemon not forgiven Onesimus, other references to Philemon as the one who refused the grace of God to forgive.
Reconciliation and the Gospel are inseparable. Because of that, we are called to a ministry of reconciliation - 2 Cor 5:18-20
“Through Christ, God reconciled the world to himself.” - 2 Cor 5:18-21
At the heart of the Gospel
Initiated by God before most of us were born, recognized our sin.
God took the initiative
Christ took the initiative.
2. “On behalf of Christ, we plead with others to be reconciled to God.” - 2 Cor 5:20
On behalf of Christ, we continue to plead.
Be reconciled to God - not so have a good marriage, be happy and successful. People must come to understand that they are sinner and need to be reconciled to God.
We plead with them as those who never forget that we are reconciled sinners.
3. Because of Christ and the Gospel, we plead with people, especially believers to be reconciled to each other - Matt 5:23-24; 18:15-20
The word of God underscores the need of and the pattern for reconciliation.
When we know a believer has something against us we need to leave our offering and try to make things right.
When we have wrongly avoided a believer, we need to take the initiative apologize and make things right.
Churchill Heights - Ian Bowie
Other churches and other pastors have not always been so Scriptural and gracious
Me and Ted Searle
Philemon: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Chapter 1: The Spiritual Character of One Who Forgives
The importance of forgiveness is a constant theme of Scripture. There are no less than seventy-five different word pictures about forgiveness in the Bible. They help us grasp the importance, the nature, and the effects of forgiveness.
• To Forgive Is To Turn The Key, Open the cell door, and let the prisoner walk free.
• To Forgive Is To Write In Large Letters across a debt, “Nothing owed”
• To Forgive Is To Pound The Gavel In a courtroom and declare, “Not guilty!”
• To Forgive Is To Shoot An Arrow So high and so far that it can never be found again.
• To Forgive Is To Bundle Up All The garbage and trash and dispose of it, leaving the house clean and fresh.
• To Forgive Is To Loose The Moorings Of a ship and release it to the open sea.
• To Forgive Is To Grant A Full Pardon to a condemned criminal.
• To Forgive Is To Relax A Strangle hold On a wrestling opponent.
• To Forgive Is To Sandblast A Wall Of graffiti, leaving it looking like new.
• To Forgive Is To Smash A Clay Pot into a thousand pieces so it can never be pieced together again. (John Nieder and Thomas Thompson, Forgive and Love Again [Eugene, Oreg.: Harvest House, 1991], p. 48)
Forgiveness is so important that the Holy Spirit devoted an entire book of the Bible to it. In the brief book of Philemon, the spiritual duty to forgive is emphasized, but not in principle, parable, or word picture. Through a real life situation involving two people dear to him, Paul teaches the importance of forgiving others. Following the introduction in verses 1–3, Paul describes the spiritual character of one who forgives in verses 4–7. Such a person has a concern for the Lord, a concern for people, a concern for fellowship, a concern for knowledge, a concern for glory, and a concern to be a blessing.