Philemon (partial)

Rather than focusing on upending social structures and changing the legal system, the New Testament focuses on addressing these issues at the level of the heart and at the level of the personal relationship. And you see, the ethic of the New Testament, rather than promoting revolution, what it does is it promotes an environment. in which unjust institutions like slavery will wither and die. And yet, beyond that, what we need to see, and was very clear in the letter to Philemon, is that Paul actually has far higher aspirations than a mere legal change of relationship between Philemon and Onesimus. In fact, if Onesimus comes back and Philemon were to just set him free, and fail to embrace him as a brother, Paul would regard that as a complete failure to live out the gospel. Let's look at what Paul says. Look first at verses eight and nine. Paul says, 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. And I think one reason Paul appeals is because he is requesting, he wants Philemon to do something that cannot be outwardly coerced. I mean, he's asking Philemon to do something from Philemon's heart. It is more than a legal request. And then look down at verse 15. Paul says, for this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while. that you might have him back forever, no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, as a beloved brother." This man who had, I mean, Philemon would have felt betrayed by. He had stolen from him. He had run away. He had been a trusted member of the household who had stolen and run, and now Paul says, receive him back, no longer as a slave, but more than a slave as a beloved brother. And back then, people did not go around saying, you know, what's up, bro? I mean, brother was a special, almost sacred term of family. I mean, they're talking about the closest, most intimate relationship there was. And Paul says, receive this man as your brother. And he doesn't just mean this in some spiritual sense. Look at what he says after that. He says, you know, receive him as a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. I mean, Onesimus was a specially beloved brother to Paul in the Lord, but Onesimus is gonna be far away, and you can be beloved brothers in the Lord far apart. But for Philemon, Onesimus is to be a beloved brother in the Lord and in the flesh. He's gonna be there physically. They are to be together in the same household, relating as brothers in Christ. I mean, this far transcends a mere legal relationship. This is the kind of thing that is why Paul says in Galatians 3, verse 28, that in Christ 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. It's not that every other distinction is obliterated, it's that they are transcended by this far more significant relationship that we share as believers in Jesus Christ. And that brings about reconciliation. That causes enemies to become family. And the application I want us to consider here is that we are all called to be like Paul. We are all called to be ministers of reconciliation. I mean, not only are we called to be reconciled ourselves, but we should be, like Paul, yearning for reconciliation within the body of Christ, so much so that we, like him, would go to great lengths to bring it about. I mean, friends, we preach a message to the world about reconciliation with God. How will that be compelling if we are not even reconciled to one another? And so do you see why Paul cares this much about reconciliation between this one slave and this one master? I mean, Paul is the Apostle Paul. He has all kinds of churches to worry about. He has all kinds of things to be doing. And yet he invests this much personal care and effort to write this letter and to personally ensure that Onesimus and Philemon are reconciled. He doesn't entrust this to anybody else. He does it himself. In fact, he's willing to put his own relationship with Philemon on the line. I mean, when you start paying attention to the way Paul says this, to be frank, Paul is rather pushy. Look at some of the things he does. Number one, he introduces the letter, not just to Philemon, but, you know, he mentions the whole church. With implication, he wants this read to the church. And then he says, in verses 8 and 9, look, I'm not commanding you, I'm appealing to you. And yet in verse 21, he says, confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. I mean, he's not leaving room for Philemon to say no. I mean, he sees this as critical for the witness of the gospel. In fact, Paul even intends, you know, he wants to be so sure that this reconciliation happens that he says in verse 22, at the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously delivered to you. He's planning to come pay a visit to make sure that this reconciliation is happening. And as for Onesimus' debt for having stolen from Philemon, look at what Paul says in verse 18. 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." So he says, look, I will pay the debt myself, just like Paul's master Jesus had paid Paul's debt. And he says, and he's not even above pointing out, Philemon, you're only a Christian because I share the gospel with you. I mean, he is throwing everything into this he can because he is this passionate, this desperate to see reconciliation in the body of Christ. And friends, this should challenge us. I mean, are we this determined to see reconciliation? That not only are we striving for reconciliation in our relationships, but that we are striving to make this church a place where reconciliation is a reality, where we are coming alongside one another, like Paul saying, look, if they wronged you, charge the debt to my accounts. Because we are so desperate to see the power of the gospel made clear to the world through the reconciliation it brings among the people of God. So we have seen Onesimus' repentance, Paul's request. Now finally, let's look at Philemon's responsibility. Now, of course, we've already indirectly seen what Philemon was called to do. Unfortunately, we don't know what actually happened when Philemon received this letter. Verse 21, Paul expresses his confidence that Philemon would do even more than he said, right? So I think we have good reason to hope that Philemon did forgive and embrace Onesimus. But regardless of what Philemon actually did, what I want us to consider is that it was his responsibility to do so. And bear in mind that Philemon was of critical importance to his church. I mean, look at the beginning of the letter. The church meets in his house. Paul talks about all of the wonderful things Philemon has done. He says, verse four, 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. I mean, Philemon is, in many ways, he's a model Christian. He's probably very wealthy, he's probably one of the main financial contributors to this church. And yet, all of that means nothing. If Philemon cannot live out the most fundamental, elementary thing that the gospel demands by receiving his brother in Christ. I mean, he is called upon to receive this man who betrayed him. To forgive him and receive him back. To receive him, Paul says, verse 17, the way he would receive the apostle Paul himself. And you know, I want us just to think for a minute about the fact that this receiving, I mean, it requires Philemon opening up his heart and receiving Onesimus, not suspiciously, not begrudgingly, but as a beloved brother. And I think this should especially challenge us. Whenever we've been sinned against by a brother, and they repent, And we arrive at that place where we just feel content to say, you know, I've forgiven them in my heart, but we're just not reconciled with our life. You know, when we come to that place where we just feel content to just kind of have this relational distance, and we say, you know, I've really forgiven this person in my heart, but our lives are just gonna be apart. And I just want you to notice that Paul leaves Philemon no such option. I mean, he says to receive your brother both in the flesh and in the Lord. And you know, how do you think Paul would have felt had he come to visit? And he finds Onesimus. And Onesimus tells him, well, he's like, how's it going? He's like, well, yeah, I'm back in the house. But you know, Appiah, Philemon's wife, you know, well, she counts the spoons every night before bed. You know, where he comes back and he's like, how's it going? And it turns out, well, Philemon doesn't sit by Onesimus at church. They don't eat together, they don't talk. I mean, does that seem like what Paul would be pleased with? That that would reflect the gospel and the power of reconciliation? And you know, the point I want us to consider is that real reconciliation requires opening ourselves up to people who've hurt us. I mean, you can't have a real relationship without some risk of being hurt again. But friends, Christ died for us. And if he did that, then surely we can accept the risk of being hurt for the sake of his people. And if the gospel is a reality, then surely we can open ourselves up, not based on confidence, so much in the person who's repenting, but confidence in the power of the gospel to transform. You see, Onesimus really was a changed man. And the gospel really does change people. God really does work in our hearts. And so if reconciliation is going to happen in real life messy situations, we need to be people who not only forgive our brother from the heart, but also welcome into our lives, trusting the power of the gospel to transform and to restore. So we've seen Onesimus' repentance, we've seen Paul's request, and Philemon's responsibility. And this shows us how the gospel brings about reconciliation in real life messy situations by producing repentant hearts, by commissioning us as ministers of reconciliation, and by obliging us to forgive and receive one another as family. But finally, I want to point out that the story of Philemon also paints a wonderful picture of the gospel itself. Because you see, in reality, we are all Onesimuses who have run from our heavenly master. We are all thieves who have stolen from the God of heaven. And just as Onesimus happened to find the best possible man to mediate between him and Philemon, so in Christ we have the best possible mediator between God and men. the man Christ Jesus. And just as Paul can say to Philemon, whatever he owes, charge that to my account. So our mediator Jesus Christ has gone before God and says, whatever they owe, charge it to mine. And though we don't know how Philemon responded when Onesimus came back to him. We do know how our Heavenly Father responds when we come to Him. You know, there's a certain story about a son who left his father and wasted all of his father's possessions and then finally decided to go home. And as the son went, he thought to himself, if only my father will receive me to be a slave in his house. And Jesus tells us that that father saw his son a long way off and ran to him and embraced him and put the best robe on his shoulders and sandals on his feet and a ring on his finger. And that father received him not as a slave, but more than a slave as a beloved son. And friends, that is the gospel of reconciliation that we preach. That is the story of God the Father being reconciled to us through his son, Jesus Christ. And friend, if you're here today and you're not a Christian, you have been invited to return home to God in Christ. And friend, we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. And for those of us who have received this message, may God give us grace to live it out. Amen. Let's pray.