Forgiveness

Philemon

Hopewell Baptist Church

January 30, 2022

Philemon (ESV)

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. 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. 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. 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.

This is the Word of the Lord our God. Let us pray.

Forgiveness

I. The Plight of Onesimus

a. Formerly (technically still) a slave to Philemon – v.16

i. Was useless to Philemon – v.11

ii. Sinned against Philemon

1. By running from him - v.11-12, 15

2. Some sort of debt owed to him, possibly – v.18

b. Onesimus’s Conversion

i. Now a brother in Christ – v.10-11, 15-16

ii. Useful to Paul in ministry – v.11-14

iii. Useful (likely) to Philemon – v.14-16

c. Onesimus’s Return

i. Onesimus must return to Philemon, as a believer

ii. Onesimus needs to seek forgiveness and reconciliation with Philemon

1. As a picture of Christ

II. The Peacemaking of Paul

a. Paul, the Apostle, imprisoned for the Gospel

b. Ministered to Onesimus, and lead him to belief in the Gospl

i. Discipled Onesimus to realize his need for forgiveness not only from God but from those he wronged – Philemon

c. Paul makes his case to Philemon by grounding it in the Gospel, in the love we have for Christ

i. Useless to useful – v.11

ii. Providence of God – v.15

iii. A brother in Christ – v.16

d. Paul loves both these men so much that Paul is willing to pay Onesimus’s debt to Philemon

i. v.18

e. Paul is confident that Philemon will be obedient, not to him, but to the Gospel, and forgive Onesimus and welcome him as a brother in Christ, useful in ministry

i. v.21-22

III. The Predicament of Philemon

a. Active within the church – v.4-7

b. The obligation to forgive

i. Believers have an obligation to forgive

1. Colossians 3:12-13

2. Philemon, in Colossae, will hear about forgiving as God has forgiven, in the letter to the Colossians

3. Because God forgave us, we can and must forgive others.

c. The act of forgiveness

i. Forgiveness is easier said than done.

IV. Application

a. Be like Paul

i. Blessed are the peacemakers – Matthew 5:9

ii. Be willing to take the hard stand, have the hard conversation,

iii. Disciple other believers to realize forgiveness is a grace given to us by God, even when we forgive others and ourselves are forgiven by others.

b. Be like Onesimus

i. We must recognize our need to seek forgiveness from those whom we have wronged, even if it is difficult to think about, nevermind do.

1. James 5:16

2. Ephesians 4:32

3. Matthew 5:23-24

c. Be like Philemon

i. We, as believers, are obligated to God to forgive those whom, have wronged us.

1. Colossians 3:13

2. Matthew 18:21-22

Forgiveness

Because God forgave us, we must forgive others.

V. Response – When we seek to make peace like Paul, seek forgiveness like Onesimus, and give forgiveness, like Philemon, we are really being Christ-like in our actions. We are putting on full display the love of Christ, the Gospel.

a. Repent and Believe

i. When we realize our need for forgiveness from God and turn from our sins, we receive that forgiveness as we call upon the name of Jesus.

b. Obedience

i. Baptism

ii. Membership

c. Surrender

i. Vocation

ii. Volunteer

Forgiveness