1 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:14,240 Now, I want us to begin by thinking about all the different 2 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:17,200 kinds of relationships that you've had throughout your life. 3 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:21,640 OK, Maybe when you were younger, the first relationships that 4 00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:24,760 you've had was with your parents and with your siblings. 5 00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:28,560 And then over time, you start to have relationships with your 6 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:32,240 friends from school, right? And other classmates and your 7 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:36,680 teachers, and then over time with your coworkers and then 8 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:39,760 your bosses who are above you and your subordinates who work 9 00:00:39,760 --> 00:00:42,640 under you. And then over time, maybe you 10 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:46,120 have relationships with your spouse and over time with your 11 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:48,360 children. And then you can go on and on, 12 00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:50,880 right? You know, all of us here, we may 13 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:54,000 have different kinds of relationships, but we all have 14 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:57,120 them. And after all this time, what 15 00:00:57,120 --> 00:00:59,000 have we learned about relationships? 16 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:02,280 They're easier than we thought, right? 17 00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:04,480 I'm just kidding. I'm just making sure that you 18 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:07,560 guys are paying attention, OK? Relationships are not easy. 19 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:11,080 They are hard. And even the best relationships, 20 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:14,080 we learn over time that they can become complicated. 21 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:17,200 You know, misunderstandings can still happen. 22 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:21,720 Expectations can be unmet. People can disappoint us and 23 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:25,080 then us in return, we disappoint others as well. 24 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:30,680 And then now when it comes to the church, you know, we kind of 25 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:32,880 expect things to be a bit different, right? 26 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:37,120 Because isn't the church where love is preach, where we're 27 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:39,840 supposed to care for one another as brothers and sisters in 28 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:42,400 Christ? So you'd expect that 29 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:46,200 relationships here in the church should be simpler and cleaner 30 00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:51,040 and less painful, right? But the more time that we spend 31 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:54,240 together as brothers and sisters, the more that you open 32 00:01:54,240 --> 00:01:57,560 up to each other and be vulnerable, the more that you 33 00:01:57,560 --> 00:01:59,520 realize that actually that's not the case. 34 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:03,120 That even brothers and sisters in Christ who've committed to 35 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:06,880 live together in the same local church, even they can disappoint 36 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:09,479 one another and hurt each other deeply. 37 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:13,320 It's a relationship in the church, including my church and 38 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:15,200 your church. It can get messy. 39 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:18,800 But brothers and sisters, praise the Lord that his word for us 40 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:22,360 today speaks into this messiness of our relationships. 41 00:02:22,640 --> 00:02:27,000 So church, the one thing for us today is this, when brothers and 42 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:32,120 sisters hurt each other greatly, we have the opportunity to love 43 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:37,360 each other deeply. So now please turn your Bibles 44 00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:41,000 to Philemon 1 to 25. We'll be taking a look at the 45 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:44,360 entire letter. It is quite short, but it is 46 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:48,360 very meaningful. So for context, this letter was 47 00:02:48,360 --> 00:02:51,560 written by Apostle Paul. He wrote this while he was in 48 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:54,920 prison at the time. And this letter is primarily 49 00:02:54,920 --> 00:02:58,880 going to be about two people. OK, you have Philemon and you 50 00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:02,160 have Onisimus. Now Philemon, you know, you can 51 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:04,520 think of him as the model church member. 52 00:03:04,920 --> 00:03:06,800 He's a faithful brother in Christ. 53 00:03:06,960 --> 00:03:10,560 He loves Jesus, He loves his fellow Christians as well. 54 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:13,640 And he even hosts a local church gathering in his house. 55 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:18,600 And then you have Onisimus. And Onisimus is Philemon's 56 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:22,520 bondservant or slave. So then legally speaking, he 57 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:27,160 refer to appeal to you. I'm in law and this is where 58 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:30,240 things get a little bit messy. OK, we don't know exactly what 59 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:32,480 happened, but based on the content of the letter, we can 60 00:03:32,480 --> 00:03:36,440 kind of put the pieces together. And it seems like Onissimus, he 61 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:38,880 ran away from his master of Philemon. 62 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:42,480 And it's even possible that he stole money or some or some sort 63 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:45,560 of property from him. But then sometime afterwards, 64 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:49,440 Onissimus, he, he met Paul while he was in prison and he came to 65 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:52,480 repent of his sins and put his faith in Christ. 66 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:54,400 So then praise the Lord for that. 67 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:59,200 But then, now the question is this, Well then, what's next for 68 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:02,560 the two of them? How is a Christian master and a 69 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:05,400 Christian slave who ran away from him and wronged him? 70 00:04:05,760 --> 00:04:07,840 How are they supposed to relate with each other now? 71 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:12,000 And so then Paul writes this letter in order to give guidance 72 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:13,760 to Philemon. And I think it's going to be 73 00:04:13,760 --> 00:04:15,880 great guidance for us today as well. 74 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:19,360 So let me read it for us. This is Paul's letter to 75 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:27,520 Philemon. Paul So first let's look down at 76 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:30,760 the introduction in verses one to three, because if you take a 77 00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:33,240 look, there's actually something quite interesting here. 78 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:37,200 And you see that, you know, Paul is not only addressing Philemon, 79 00:04:37,280 --> 00:04:41,280 but then he's also addressing Aphia an archopus. 80 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:43,680 And then notice who does he address? 81 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:47,440 The local church that gathers in his house. 82 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:51,480 Now this is interesting because this is not what we usually 83 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:54,480 think about when we think of a personal letter, right? 84 00:04:54,480 --> 00:04:58,640 Usually it's just to one person. But then what this tells us is 85 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:02,680 that even though this letter is primarily for Philemon, yes, but 86 00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:06,240 then after Philemon reads it, he's not meant to just hide it 87 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:09,800 or store it in a cupboard or under the bed, but he's to share 88 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:13,640 it with the entire church. So then when Paul was writing 89 00:05:13,640 --> 00:05:17,400 this letter, he also had the local church in mind. 90 00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:21,840 So now that let's look at the Thanksgiving portion, let's look 91 00:05:21,840 --> 00:05:24,800 at verses 4 to 5. So notice how Paul's 92 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:28,640 Thanksgiving, it also has the context of the local church in 93 00:05:28,640 --> 00:05:30,280 mind. Take a look. 94 00:05:30,280 --> 00:05:33,560 You know, Paul's not just saying thank you God that Philemon 95 00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:37,840 loves Christ, period. Now he says thank you that 96 00:05:37,840 --> 00:05:43,200 Philemon loves Christ and all the Saints, his brothers and 97 00:05:43,200 --> 00:05:46,800 sisters in Christ. And so really what what Paul is 98 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:50,240 thanking God for is that Philemon's Christian life was 99 00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:54,920 not live in isolation, but it was live together with fellow 100 00:05:54,920 --> 00:05:59,040 brothers and sisters in a church community that he loves the 101 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:01,960 whole church. That's why Paul's thanking God. 102 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:05,840 You know that phrase, all the Saints? 103 00:06:05,840 --> 00:06:08,760 You know, when we read that, it can sound a bit generic, right? 104 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:12,880 Just all the Saints. But imagine if you know, for 105 00:06:12,880 --> 00:06:15,400 Philemon, you know, these were specific faces. 106 00:06:15,760 --> 00:06:18,400 This is very personal for him. These are the faces that he 107 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:21,560 would see week in and week out in his home as they, as they 108 00:06:21,560 --> 00:06:25,360 gather, you know, people whom he shared joys and struggles and 109 00:06:25,360 --> 00:06:29,280 worries and concerns with, you know, very much like, you know, 110 00:06:29,280 --> 00:06:33,560 you guys as a church. Let's look at verse 6. 111 00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:38,360 It's not surprising to us then that Paul's prayer for Philemon 112 00:06:38,680 --> 00:06:42,080 is also going to involve the church community as a context. 113 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:46,680 Paul prays. I pray that the sharing of your 114 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:52,920 faith may become effective. Now the word sharing there, OK, 115 00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:56,640 sharing in the original Greek language, the word that was used 116 00:06:56,840 --> 00:07:01,760 is Koinonia, which means fellowship or partnership or 117 00:07:01,760 --> 00:07:05,280 relationship. And so verse 6 actually reads 118 00:07:05,280 --> 00:07:09,720 more like this. I pray that the Koinonia, I pray 119 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:13,720 that the fellowship of your faith may become effective. 120 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:17,480 So then Paul's prayer here is that Philemon would continue to 121 00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:21,160 be effective or, or continue to be active in the fellowship with 122 00:07:21,160 --> 00:07:24,160 other Christians. And so then now you may be 123 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:27,440 asking yourself, well, OK, well why is this Paul's prayer? 124 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:31,800 Let's continue reading verse 6. And it says, well, so that 125 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:35,360 Philemon would gain a fuller understanding of every good 126 00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:37,880 thing that we have for the sake of Christ. 127 00:07:39,040 --> 00:07:41,520 So what are the good things that we have in Jesus Christ? 128 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:47,680 You know a lot of things, right? Love, grace, mercy, unity. 129 00:07:49,120 --> 00:07:51,360 Well, the how can we have a fuller understanding of those 130 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:53,680 things? Well, it's through living life 131 00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:57,600 on life with other believers. Because if we think about it, 132 00:07:57,720 --> 00:08:01,200 you know, you don't just learn love by reading books, right? 133 00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:05,240 You learn love by loving real people. 134 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:08,240 You know. A Christian who's not part of a 135 00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:11,560 local church may learn truth about God and his people, OK, 136 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:15,560 spending time reading the Word, reading articles, going online. 137 00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:19,640 They may learn a lot about church and God and how his 138 00:08:19,640 --> 00:08:23,920 people are supposed to be like. But they'd be missing out on 139 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:27,400 something so vital and important as Christians. 140 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:32,159 Because love grows when it is tested in a real environment, 141 00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:36,080 when you have to forgive, when you have to serve, when you have 142 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:39,480 to care, when you have to reconcile with one another. 143 00:08:40,559 --> 00:08:43,600 And so Paul assumes here that Christian growth, that it 144 00:08:43,600 --> 00:08:49,880 happens in church community. So then, friend, if you are here 145 00:08:49,880 --> 00:08:53,920 today and you profess faith in Jesus Christ, but you're not yet 146 00:08:53,920 --> 00:08:58,800 a member of local church, please consider being a member of a 147 00:08:58,800 --> 00:09:02,640 church, either this church or another gospel proclaiming 148 00:09:02,640 --> 00:09:05,680 church, where you'd be able to practice and to grow in your 149 00:09:05,680 --> 00:09:10,640 love for all the Saints. And for brothers and sisters who 150 00:09:10,640 --> 00:09:13,720 are already members of this church, including, you know, the 151 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:16,600 four new members that just joined this church this morning. 152 00:09:16,600 --> 00:09:19,600 Congratulations. You know, I'd want you, brothers 153 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:23,240 and sisters, to be prepared for something that may happen in the 154 00:09:23,240 --> 00:09:25,880 future. There may be a time in the 155 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:30,000 future when you start to question whether it'd just be 156 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:33,080 easier to not be a part of this church. 157 00:09:34,080 --> 00:09:37,360 You'll be tempted to think, you know what? 158 00:09:38,440 --> 00:09:43,480 Want to be easier for me to just worship God on my own, just to 159 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:46,520 listen to sermons online. I can listen to the songs that I 160 00:09:46,520 --> 00:09:50,240 want, and I don't have to deal with all the drama with these 161 00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:52,720 people who are kind of bothering me. 162 00:09:54,760 --> 00:09:58,320 And you know, if ever you ask yourself that question, to be 163 00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:00,800 honest with you, the answer is going to be yes. 164 00:10:01,360 --> 00:10:03,760 Yes, it's going to be much easier for you. 165 00:10:03,760 --> 00:10:09,120 But let me warn you, what Scripture teaches us is that 166 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:13,640 easier doesn't mean that's going to be helpful for you and your 167 00:10:13,640 --> 00:10:16,560 spiritual growth. I think it's going to be quite 168 00:10:16,560 --> 00:10:19,360 the opposite, actually. It's going to be harmful for you 169 00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:23,960 because just think about someone who is isolated from church 170 00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:25,960 fellowship. Think about what they're 171 00:10:25,960 --> 00:10:29,040 thinking about. You know, they're thinking about 172 00:10:29,920 --> 00:10:36,760 my worship, my time with the Lord, my righteousness, my love 173 00:10:36,880 --> 00:10:42,680 for Jesus, my, my, my, you know, ironically, you know, your 174 00:10:42,680 --> 00:10:44,720 worship can easily become self-centered. 175 00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:47,720 And brothers and sisters, you have to ask yourself, is that 176 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:50,480 what the Bible teaches about love and fellowship? 177 00:10:52,240 --> 00:10:55,520 You know, I, I think we all have this genuine desire to grow in 178 00:10:55,520 --> 00:10:59,160 our love for God and, and, and, and grow in our love for one 179 00:10:59,160 --> 00:11:04,400 another. But just like a fish matures in 180 00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:08,200 water, a Christian matures in church. 181 00:11:09,720 --> 00:11:13,120 That is the context that God has wonderfully designed for his 182 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:16,360 people. Church is where his people can 183 00:11:16,360 --> 00:11:19,560 express and grow in their love for him and for one another. 184 00:11:21,120 --> 00:11:25,440 So now look at verse 7. You know, Paul is so encouraged 185 00:11:25,520 --> 00:11:28,600 that Philemon, you know, loves his whole church and he did he's 186 00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:32,040 he's doing so tangibly. You know, people can see that 187 00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:34,000 he's opening up his entire home for them. 188 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:38,800 So Paul's encouraged and he says to Philemon, man, Philemon, the 189 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:42,560 hearts of the Saints have been refreshed through you. 190 00:11:44,600 --> 00:11:49,520 You know that that this makes me ask myself, you know, what would 191 00:11:49,520 --> 00:11:52,480 other church members say that about me? 192 00:11:53,760 --> 00:11:55,160 You know, that I think that's something that we can ask 193 00:11:55,160 --> 00:11:57,120 ourselves. You know, would my brothers and 194 00:11:57,120 --> 00:12:00,880 sisters, when they think of me, would they consider me as 195 00:12:00,880 --> 00:12:03,760 someone who's refreshing for their hearts? 196 00:12:06,720 --> 00:12:10,360 You know, what I trust is that God has been using the members 197 00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:14,440 of this church to refresh one another in your followership of 198 00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:16,800 Christ. And perhaps that's what you've 199 00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:18,840 observed, and I hope that's encouraging for you. 200 00:12:19,080 --> 00:12:22,080 Hopefully what you've observed is that members have been loving 201 00:12:22,080 --> 00:12:24,880 one another, not just theoretically, but then 202 00:12:24,880 --> 00:12:28,800 practically and visibly. And members are are lovingly 203 00:12:28,800 --> 00:12:31,960 serving your church and serving one another with their time, 204 00:12:31,960 --> 00:12:35,000 with their skills, with their talent, energy and treasures. 205 00:12:35,560 --> 00:12:38,360 And perhaps you're seeing that members are initiating Bible 206 00:12:38,360 --> 00:12:40,920 study with one another. Members are opening up their 207 00:12:40,920 --> 00:12:44,080 homes and having meals together. And perhaps not just, you know, 208 00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:47,080 older members that you already know, but then inviting newer 209 00:12:47,080 --> 00:12:50,040 members as well. You know, these are the kinds of 210 00:12:50,040 --> 00:12:53,240 things that are happening in your church that would be so 211 00:12:53,240 --> 00:12:57,120 refreshing to hear about because these are signs of spiritual 212 00:12:57,120 --> 00:13:01,720 life and growth. So members of Grace Baptist 213 00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:04,840 Church Tangara just want to encourage you to continue to 214 00:13:04,840 --> 00:13:08,200 show love and hospitality tangibly to one another. 215 00:13:08,640 --> 00:13:11,960 So even right now or even today after Sunday celebration, 216 00:13:12,080 --> 00:13:13,960 there's something that you can do right away. 217 00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:18,520 If you see a newer member or a visitor, please don't just 218 00:13:18,520 --> 00:13:21,400 ignore, ignore them. But you can practice love and 219 00:13:21,400 --> 00:13:23,560 hospitality by reaching out to them. 220 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:27,560 Or perhaps not a new member, but an existing member, but you just 221 00:13:27,560 --> 00:13:29,160 haven't talked to them in a while. 222 00:13:29,400 --> 00:13:32,200 It would be a good opportunity for you to reach out to someone 223 00:13:32,360 --> 00:13:36,040 that you don't normally talk to and really just foster 224 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:38,600 friendship with one another in this church. 225 00:13:38,960 --> 00:13:43,240 So may you continue to do that GBCT to love your whole church, 226 00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:47,000 tangibly refreshing one other's hearts as you live in 227 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:51,120 fellowship. OK, so first, loving the whole 228 00:13:51,120 --> 00:13:56,040 church and then second, loving a specific brother. 229 00:13:57,760 --> 00:14:00,800 And you know, Paul is going to get more specific here, OK. 230 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:03,680 And I think this is going to be so helpful for us, right? 231 00:14:03,960 --> 00:14:07,600 Because I think we would all say, you know what, I love the 232 00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:10,280 church. You know, none of us would say I 233 00:14:10,280 --> 00:14:11,600 am not sure if I love the church. 234 00:14:11,840 --> 00:14:13,880 I think we would say I love the church. 235 00:14:15,720 --> 00:14:20,720 That love is going to be tested when it all comes down to a face 236 00:14:21,280 --> 00:14:24,680 to a name, to a specific member, right? 237 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:27,120 Because maybe we can say, you know, we love the church in 238 00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:32,160 general, but then that one brother or sister, I'm not so 239 00:14:32,160 --> 00:14:35,280 sure. OK, so now, you know, Paul gets 240 00:14:35,280 --> 00:14:39,040 specific and he now gets into the matter at hand is this 241 00:14:39,040 --> 00:14:42,280 complicated relationship between Philemon and Onissimus. 242 00:14:43,720 --> 00:14:47,000 Now to help us follow along in this part, think of this second 243 00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:51,560 part as being as unfolding in three movements, OK. 244 00:14:51,560 --> 00:14:55,040 And in each movement, in each movement, Paul's going to give 245 00:14:55,040 --> 00:14:57,640 us a clearer picture of what he wants Philemon to do. 246 00:14:58,640 --> 00:15:03,160 All right, So 3 movements, first movement, verses 8 to 14. 247 00:15:03,320 --> 00:15:08,560 Please look down at your at your Bibles in verses 8 to 9, Paul 248 00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:11,960 clarifies that even though he is bold enough to command Philemon 249 00:15:11,960 --> 00:15:15,520 to do what is required, which is to forgive Onissimus, but he 250 00:15:15,520 --> 00:15:17,160 doesn't want to do that. He doesn't want to command him 251 00:15:17,160 --> 00:15:20,360 to do that. Instead, he prefers to appeal to 252 00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:23,320 him to encourage him to do that out of his own accord. 253 00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:27,720 Take a look in verse 14, he repeats the same idea. 254 00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:30,640 He doesn't want finally men to do anything out of obligation, 255 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:34,080 but out of his own accord. So, you know, you have to ask 256 00:15:34,080 --> 00:15:37,160 yourself, why is this repeated? Why is Paul trying to make this 257 00:15:37,160 --> 00:15:41,360 explicitly clear? He doesn't want to command, and 258 00:15:41,360 --> 00:15:46,960 he says the reason in verse 9, for the sake of love, for the 259 00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:49,520 sake of love. He doesn't want to just merely 260 00:15:49,520 --> 00:15:53,240 command Philemon. He wants Philemon to obey the 261 00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:57,640 Lord out of his own volition. You know, Paul knows that he 262 00:15:57,640 --> 00:16:00,480 could have just forced Philemon to receive Onessimus back. 263 00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:02,960 You know, that's how life was like in the Roman Empire. 264 00:16:02,960 --> 00:16:05,960 You know, obedience is valued. You simply have to obey the 265 00:16:05,960 --> 00:16:08,440 order of a superior officer. They tell you to jump. 266 00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:10,640 You say you know how high, and they just jump. 267 00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:13,040 Doesn't matter whether you want to do it or not. 268 00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:15,920 But imagine how this would have looked like. 269 00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:20,640 OK, Imagine Philemon just obeying Paul's command. 270 00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:24,200 OK, Paul, I obey you. Fine. 271 00:16:24,240 --> 00:16:26,560 I'll, I'll, I'll receive honestness. 272 00:16:26,640 --> 00:16:29,800 You know, I I'll at least pretend like everything's OK. 273 00:16:30,480 --> 00:16:35,080 But then inside there's still this bitterness towards this 274 00:16:35,080 --> 00:16:39,400 fellow brother in Christ. Now, can that really be called 275 00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:43,400 love? Now, would it be really loving 276 00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:47,040 for Paul if all that he cared about was the end result, right. 277 00:16:47,040 --> 00:16:50,640 As long as everything looks OK in this church, then you know 278 00:16:50,640 --> 00:16:51,920 what? That's, that's all that we care 279 00:16:51,920 --> 00:16:55,160 about. No, you know, Paul's not OK with 280 00:16:55,160 --> 00:16:56,960 that. You know, that's not the kind of 281 00:16:56,960 --> 00:16:59,440 culture of love that God's family is supposed to have. 282 00:16:59,880 --> 00:17:02,000 As if we can just hide everything under the rugs, all 283 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:05,240 the messy bits. But what Paul understands here 284 00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:10,520 is something crucial that you cannot force love, you know, 285 00:17:10,520 --> 00:17:12,599 obedience that comes from pressure. 286 00:17:12,599 --> 00:17:14,599 It may look right on the outside, right? 287 00:17:14,599 --> 00:17:19,800 You it, it looks OK, but it does not produce Christ like hearts 288 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:21,680 and genuine love for one another. 289 00:17:22,440 --> 00:17:24,560 You know, Paul doesn't want mere compliance. 290 00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:30,120 He wants real spiritual fruit. And so then instead of asserting 291 00:17:30,120 --> 00:17:33,160 his authority, Paul presents himself humbly. 292 00:17:33,160 --> 00:17:38,040 You know, I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for 293 00:17:38,040 --> 00:17:42,280 Christ Jesus. So notice intentionally he's not 294 00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:45,680 playing the power card as an apostle, which he could have, 295 00:17:46,560 --> 00:17:50,080 but he's appealing as a brother. Why? 296 00:17:51,120 --> 00:17:54,400 Because he knows that God looks deeper at the heart, not just 297 00:17:54,400 --> 00:17:57,520 what's on the outside. And ultimately, you know, Paul 298 00:17:57,520 --> 00:18:00,320 wants to please God. He's a prisoner for Christ 299 00:18:00,360 --> 00:18:02,920 Jesus, imprisoned for the sake of the gospel. 300 00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:06,560 And so then for the sake of love, for the sake to please his 301 00:18:06,560 --> 00:18:11,600 Lord Jesus, Paul lays down his authority so that Philemon can 302 00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:16,080 have this wonderful opportunity as a Christian to love a fellow 303 00:18:16,080 --> 00:18:19,600 brother, to please his Lord Jesus, to love his brother 304 00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:23,480 genuinely. You know, brothers and sisters, 305 00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:27,480 this is something that we can keep in mind as well, you know, 306 00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:30,840 in the in the messiness of relationships in church. 307 00:18:31,200 --> 00:18:34,320 You know, sometimes we may not be the one to be in conflict, 308 00:18:34,480 --> 00:18:37,920 but maybe kind of like Paul here, maybe, you know, a couple 309 00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:40,080 of brothers and sisters who are in conflict. 310 00:18:41,200 --> 00:18:44,520 Well, then if that's the case, you know, your role is not to 311 00:18:44,520 --> 00:18:48,000 be, you know, on this person's team or that person's team. 312 00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:51,800 You're not trying to fire up one side or, or to hate on the other 313 00:18:51,800 --> 00:18:55,840 side, but you are team Jesus, OK? 314 00:18:55,840 --> 00:18:59,320 You're not just trying to get to the end results as fast as 315 00:18:59,320 --> 00:19:01,760 possible. Because, man, to be honest, it's 316 00:19:01,760 --> 00:19:06,040 so uncomfortable watching, you know, two people be in conflict. 317 00:19:06,240 --> 00:19:08,800 Can you guys just make up? It's trying to make me 318 00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:13,520 uncomfortable, you know. But yes, we want, we want to see 319 00:19:13,520 --> 00:19:16,480 that. But more than just the mere 320 00:19:16,480 --> 00:19:21,760 appearance of peace, what we want is reconciliation and 321 00:19:21,760 --> 00:19:24,640 spiritual growth for our brothers and sisters. 322 00:19:25,360 --> 00:19:28,720 That's what we want. And yeah, that's that's going to 323 00:19:28,720 --> 00:19:32,760 be harder, is going to take more patience, more energy, more 324 00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:36,840 effort, especially if it's if it's taking a longer time than 325 00:19:36,840 --> 00:19:40,320 we'd like. But what we want is to help them 326 00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:43,320 to see for themselves, you know, what it would look like to 327 00:19:43,320 --> 00:19:45,560 please Jesus out of their own free will. 328 00:19:46,680 --> 00:19:50,880 That is the culture of disciple that I know you're trying to 329 00:19:50,880 --> 00:19:55,120 cultivate here in this church, that lovingly you care enough 330 00:19:55,120 --> 00:19:58,280 for your brother and sister that you want to help them in their 331 00:19:58,280 --> 00:20:00,800 followership of Christ more than you. 332 00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:04,000 You want to feel comfortable. You want to see spiritual growth 333 00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:08,440 for them. And so I think the question on 334 00:20:08,440 --> 00:20:12,400 our minds now may be, well, how can we do that? 335 00:20:12,680 --> 00:20:15,800 How can we help our brother and sister during this time? 336 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:18,600 Well, let's see what Paul does here. 337 00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:20,320 This is going to be our second movement. 338 00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:23,200 OK, look down at verses 15 to 17. 339 00:20:24,720 --> 00:20:28,600 Like a good brother, Paul points Philemon to the Lord's 340 00:20:28,600 --> 00:20:33,240 sovereignty and to his goods purpose, verses 15 to 16. 341 00:20:34,360 --> 00:20:37,640 For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, 342 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:41,240 that you might have him back forever, no longer as a 343 00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:44,320 bondservant, but more than a bondservant as a beloved 344 00:20:44,320 --> 00:20:48,040 brother. So notice that Paul is not 345 00:20:48,040 --> 00:20:53,000 minimizing the pain here. He's not saying, Philemon, this 346 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:56,320 wasn't that bad, you know, just get over it, you know? 347 00:20:56,320 --> 00:21:02,280 Instead, he tells Philemon, Lift up your gaze, Philemon, Look at 348 00:21:02,360 --> 00:21:07,040 eternity, you know, ask yourself, Philemon, what if God 349 00:21:07,040 --> 00:21:10,800 was at work even in the loss? Philemon, what if this painful 350 00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:15,040 separation led to eternal brotherhood in heaven? 351 00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:20,600 You know, in the eyes of the world, Onissimus may still be a 352 00:21:20,600 --> 00:21:22,280 slave. That's his status. 353 00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:26,560 But in Jesus Christ, he's now family. 354 00:21:27,760 --> 00:21:30,920 You know, the world may still label their relationship as 355 00:21:30,920 --> 00:21:36,480 master and slave, owner and property, victim and offender. 356 00:21:37,560 --> 00:21:42,480 That's not what God sees. What God sees is Philemon and 357 00:21:42,480 --> 00:21:49,200 Onissimus, brothers in Christ, equal in spiritual status and 358 00:21:49,200 --> 00:21:54,040 both children of the living God. And so then Paul, you know, he's 359 00:21:54,040 --> 00:21:57,120 not asking Philemon to forgive Onissimus because he deserves 360 00:21:57,120 --> 00:22:00,960 it, but because Christ has completely redefined who both of 361 00:22:00,960 --> 00:22:04,360 them are. And by the way, you know, this 362 00:22:04,360 --> 00:22:07,200 would have been completely insane and unheard of during 363 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:11,240 this time because at this time, you know, as much as 1/3 of the 364 00:22:11,240 --> 00:22:14,040 Roman Empire was consisted of slaves. 365 00:22:14,960 --> 00:22:17,960 So you can imagine, you know, they really don't want nearly 366 00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:22,000 1/3 of the population even having the thought of running 367 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:25,880 away or even worse, rebelling against the empire. 368 00:22:27,280 --> 00:22:30,160 So then what? What do they do when they catch 369 00:22:30,440 --> 00:22:32,360 a slave who was trying to run away? 370 00:22:32,800 --> 00:22:37,560 They would brutally beat them and some would even be crucified 371 00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:40,760 and killed. And for some, they would brand 372 00:22:40,760 --> 00:22:45,280 on their forehead with the hot iron the letter F in Latin, 373 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:50,040 which stands for fugitive. And it'd be a mark of shame for 374 00:22:50,040 --> 00:22:52,760 their, for this runaway slave for the rest of their life. 375 00:22:54,080 --> 00:22:58,520 So if Onissimus's master was not a Christian, that's what he can 376 00:22:58,520 --> 00:23:01,080 expect if he returns to his master. 377 00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:06,600 So to have a slave master, you know, receive his runaway slave 378 00:23:06,800 --> 00:23:11,360 without beating them, that'd be, that'd be unheard of. 379 00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:16,160 And to have them be then treated as equal in status and part of 380 00:23:16,160 --> 00:23:19,520 the family, that's completely insane. 381 00:23:19,520 --> 00:23:22,320 You know, that that would have completely overturned the entire 382 00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:26,000 Roman Empire upside down. So is that really what Paul is 383 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:29,600 telling Philemon to do here? Look at verse 17. 384 00:23:29,920 --> 00:23:33,600 Just in case Philemon's questioning it, Paul makes it 385 00:23:33,600 --> 00:23:39,680 very, very clear, verse 17. So if you consider me your 386 00:23:39,680 --> 00:23:44,400 partner, receive him as you would receive me. 387 00:23:46,480 --> 00:23:50,560 Philemon Think of the friendship that we have. 388 00:23:51,360 --> 00:23:54,440 Think of how much we care for for one another deeply. 389 00:23:56,040 --> 00:24:00,720 Philemon Count that towards this other person. 390 00:24:01,240 --> 00:24:05,040 Treat this person who's wrong you as you would treat me. 391 00:24:06,160 --> 00:24:10,480 When he comes back, imagine it's me returning to you. 392 00:24:12,520 --> 00:24:15,960 You know what that means is that they're just they're not meant 393 00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:18,400 to just politely tolerate each other. 394 00:24:19,040 --> 00:24:21,640 Right? As in, OK, you're a brother, but 395 00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:23,760 I'm not going to talk to you and I'm not going to be praying for 396 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:25,760 you. I'm just going to be OK being in 397 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:28,840 the same room with you. No, this is more than that. 398 00:24:29,240 --> 00:24:32,880 OK, So what Paul has in mind here is full reception. 399 00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:37,040 Paul is saying treat Onissimus the way that you would treat a 400 00:24:37,040 --> 00:24:41,160 fellow worker, friend and a beloved brother. 401 00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:45,720 So imagine having to do that for someone who's stolen from you. 402 00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:48,320 You know, I'm not saying that that's going to be easy. 403 00:24:49,280 --> 00:24:52,560 What's going to be easier is just to say that you've forgiven 404 00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:55,280 them, at least from a distance. You know, I've, I've forgiven 405 00:24:55,280 --> 00:24:58,040 this person, but then only from a distance. 406 00:24:59,360 --> 00:25:03,480 But brothers and sisters, the the gospel doesn't just remove 407 00:25:03,480 --> 00:25:08,560 guilt from far away, it restores relationships in an intimate 408 00:25:08,560 --> 00:25:12,000 way. So then, you know, what does 409 00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:15,640 that mean for us today? Well, this means that in Jesus 410 00:25:15,640 --> 00:25:19,840 Christ there is hope of reconciliation, even with fellow 411 00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:22,360 brothers and sisters. Brothers and sisters in Christ 412 00:25:22,360 --> 00:25:26,320 who you think, no, that it's too much, that there's no way that 413 00:25:26,320 --> 00:25:28,760 we can get back together. We, we've, we've done each other 414 00:25:28,880 --> 00:25:33,440 too much wrong. Even then, reconciliation is 415 00:25:33,440 --> 00:25:37,440 possible in Jesus. We trust that the God who made 416 00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:42,200 us a family will sustain us as a family, that the Holy Spirit is 417 00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:45,240 working in our hearts, sanctifying us, shaping us to be 418 00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:49,520 more like Christ. And so members of this church, 419 00:25:49,520 --> 00:25:53,560 you know, ask yourselves, who is your onesimus? 420 00:25:54,800 --> 00:25:57,360 You know, is there a brother or sister who God is placing in 421 00:25:57,360 --> 00:26:01,240 your hearts whom you need to forgive and to receive as a 422 00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:02,640 fellow brother or sister in Christ? 423 00:26:03,640 --> 00:26:06,480 Perhaps the Holy Spirit is putting a name or a face in your 424 00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:12,440 heart right now. Or maybe you thought that you 425 00:26:12,440 --> 00:26:17,280 already forgiven this other person, but then now God's Word 426 00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:21,320 is challenging us to reassess what true forgiveness looks 427 00:26:21,320 --> 00:26:24,720 like. Again, not just tolerating A 428 00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:27,320 fellow church member without speaking to them or without 429 00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:31,400 further interacting with them, but receiving them as if you're 430 00:26:31,400 --> 00:26:35,240 receiving a dear friend. You know, that's not what the 431 00:26:35,240 --> 00:26:40,000 world is going to teach you. What the world teaches you is 432 00:26:40,080 --> 00:26:43,600 it'd be easier to just forget about that person, you know, 433 00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:45,920 move on. They're making your life harder 434 00:26:45,920 --> 00:26:49,520 anyways. Just seek the relationships that 435 00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:53,600 are beneficial to you. But God's Word today challenges 436 00:26:53,600 --> 00:26:55,720 us to do some, to do something different. 437 00:26:58,760 --> 00:27:02,680 And so in the same way, we can ask ourselves a, a second 438 00:27:02,680 --> 00:27:06,040 question as well. Who is your Philemon? 439 00:27:07,400 --> 00:27:10,240 You know, is there someone who whom you've actually wronged 440 00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:12,280 that you need to seek forgiveness from? 441 00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:16,640 You know, if there is, then this text today also challenges us to 442 00:27:16,640 --> 00:27:20,080 humble ourselves to ask that person for forgiveness. 443 00:27:20,680 --> 00:27:24,120 And then when you do, brother or sister, don't feel like you are 444 00:27:24,120 --> 00:27:28,320 entitled, as if you deserve their forgiveness because you 445 00:27:28,320 --> 00:27:31,600 technically don't. But in Christ there is 446 00:27:31,600 --> 00:27:34,440 reconciliation. So give that other brother, 447 00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:38,840 sister even time to reflect and to respond to you if that is 448 00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:43,760 needed. Now let's take a look at the 449 00:27:43,760 --> 00:27:47,520 final movement. OK, verses 18 to 28. 450 00:27:49,760 --> 00:27:53,680 So Paul says something bold here to Philemon verse 18. 451 00:27:55,160 --> 00:28:00,600 If he has wronged you at all or owes you anything, charge that 452 00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:06,320 to my account. So verse 19, Paul is personally 453 00:28:06,360 --> 00:28:09,640 guaranteeing this, you know, up to this point in the letter, you 454 00:28:09,640 --> 00:28:12,600 know, maybe Timothy or another brother may be the one who's 455 00:28:12,600 --> 00:28:16,120 writing down this letter as Paul is telling them what to write. 456 00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:21,200 But then at this point, Paul himself is taking the pen with 457 00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:24,520 stylus and he's writing this in his handwriting. 458 00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:28,560 I, Paul, write this with my own hand. 459 00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:32,920 I will repay it. You have that guarantee for me, 460 00:28:32,920 --> 00:28:36,840 you know. Paul then makes a note that 461 00:28:36,960 --> 00:28:41,200 Philemon himself, technically he owes a debt to Paul because the 462 00:28:41,200 --> 00:28:44,560 eternal life that he has in Jesus, that was partly due to 463 00:28:44,560 --> 00:28:47,800 Paul's ministry. So then, you know, what Paul's 464 00:28:47,800 --> 00:28:51,440 doing here is that Paul is reminding Philemon of the 465 00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:55,760 eternal debt that he himself used to owe to God. 466 00:28:57,040 --> 00:28:59,560 And this is a debt that we all owe as sinners. 467 00:29:00,600 --> 00:29:03,720 You know, the truth is that we had, we have a debt that we 468 00:29:03,720 --> 00:29:07,840 could never pay back because how can you pay back countless sins 469 00:29:07,840 --> 00:29:09,760 and wrongdoings against a holy God? 470 00:29:10,400 --> 00:29:13,680 You know, no amount of money or good works would ever be enough 471 00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:17,080 to cover that debt. I think as Philemon's being 472 00:29:17,080 --> 00:29:20,800 reminded of this, I imagine that he's being reminded of the 473 00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:25,800 gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus was the one who looked at 474 00:29:25,800 --> 00:29:33,160 our sins and said, charge that to my account, I will repay it. 475 00:29:34,840 --> 00:29:39,280 And Christ died on the cross for the sins of his people, paying 476 00:29:39,280 --> 00:29:43,240 that debt that we never could with his blood, so that now 477 00:29:43,480 --> 00:29:47,760 anyone who would believe in Him would not gain eternity in hell, 478 00:29:48,440 --> 00:29:52,160 but would gain eternity in heaven with God our Heavenly 479 00:29:52,160 --> 00:29:55,120 Father, and with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ as well. 480 00:29:56,280 --> 00:30:00,280 So then for Anissimus, this should have reminded him that 481 00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:03,760 Jesus has already. For, for Philemon, sorry, this 482 00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:05,560 should have. This should have reminded him 483 00:30:05,880 --> 00:30:10,720 that Jesus has already paid an infinitely greater debt than the 484 00:30:10,720 --> 00:30:13,200 one that Anissimus could have owed him. 485 00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:17,960 You know, when he thinks about that, how could it not soften 486 00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:23,080 his heart? So, brothers and sisters, does 487 00:30:23,080 --> 00:30:26,400 the gospel still soften your hearts? 488 00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:30,920 Doesn't the gospel remind us that the church member who 489 00:30:31,040 --> 00:30:34,520 wronged you is the one whom Christ already died for? 490 00:30:35,160 --> 00:30:38,200 You know, doesn't that convict us to forgive that person as 491 00:30:38,200 --> 00:30:40,120 Christ has already forgiven them? 492 00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:45,560 And you know what? Perhaps you want to. 493 00:30:46,360 --> 00:30:51,160 Perhaps what you're thinking is I know that I should and I want 494 00:30:51,200 --> 00:30:55,280 to, but it's just really hard and I just can't. 495 00:30:57,680 --> 00:30:59,400 And I think that's why it's difficult. 496 00:30:59,400 --> 00:31:02,760 I think it's because our tendency when we, when we want 497 00:31:02,760 --> 00:31:07,040 to try to forgive someone is we actually try to reason on why 498 00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:10,400 this person should be forgiven. You know, we're really trying to 499 00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:12,880 convince ourselves, right? So then maybe we're trying to 500 00:31:12,880 --> 00:31:15,400 weigh the pros and the cons. Let me just think about this. 501 00:31:15,720 --> 00:31:19,360 Maybe I should actually forgive this person. 502 00:31:19,840 --> 00:31:22,600 But then as you list all the pros and the cons, you know what 503 00:31:22,600 --> 00:31:26,040 your conclusion probably is. No, you know what? 504 00:31:26,040 --> 00:31:28,000 This person does not deserve forgiveness. 505 00:31:28,160 --> 00:31:32,840 So many more cons. But you know what? 506 00:31:32,840 --> 00:31:36,920 That's the thing. Forgiveness is unfair. 507 00:31:38,240 --> 00:31:42,040 The kind of forgiveness that the Bible teaches us is unfair. 508 00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:46,960 Because what's fair is for that person to be punished right for, 509 00:31:47,240 --> 00:31:50,480 for, for hurting you and and causing serious harm to you. 510 00:31:50,880 --> 00:31:53,080 They, they don't deserve your grace and mercy. 511 00:31:53,560 --> 00:31:56,280 What they deserve is some sort of penalty from you. 512 00:31:58,520 --> 00:32:02,640 But then what you're choosing to do is not to punish them, but 513 00:32:02,640 --> 00:32:07,120 then to show them mercy, to extend grace to them, to love 514 00:32:07,120 --> 00:32:10,120 them, to receive them. As a brother, you know that's 515 00:32:10,120 --> 00:32:13,600 not fair. But even as I'm describing that, 516 00:32:14,160 --> 00:32:20,280 how close does that sound to the gospel of God's grace and mercy 517 00:32:20,280 --> 00:32:24,360 that he's poured out on us, not treating us the way that we 518 00:32:24,360 --> 00:32:27,600 deserved, but extending grace and mercy. 519 00:32:29,680 --> 00:32:31,240 You know, that's the beautiful thing. 520 00:32:31,560 --> 00:32:34,600 Each time that we choose to forgive and to show grace and 521 00:32:34,600 --> 00:32:38,120 mercy to a fellow brother or sister, we are replaying, we are 522 00:32:38,120 --> 00:32:43,560 displaying the gospel of Jesus to one another, a picture of a 523 00:32:43,560 --> 00:32:46,880 relationship that was broken, but then healed and reconciled 524 00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:49,240 through the power of the gospel and the Holy Spirit in our 525 00:32:49,240 --> 00:32:52,320 hearts. What's what is going to require 526 00:32:52,320 --> 00:32:57,720 us is for us to take up our cross and to die to self because 527 00:32:57,720 --> 00:33:00,040 what we personally desire is going to be revenge. 528 00:33:00,760 --> 00:33:04,760 But then we're not choosing to satisfy our own flesh, but what 529 00:33:04,760 --> 00:33:09,160 we're choosing to do is, yes, something that is unfair, but 530 00:33:09,160 --> 00:33:11,760 something that is loving to the other person. 531 00:33:11,960 --> 00:33:15,440 We're choosing to glorify God in our decision making. 532 00:33:17,360 --> 00:33:22,880 So then when a brother or sister hurts you greatly, you have an 533 00:33:22,880 --> 00:33:27,920 opportunity to love them deeply and to proclaim the gospel 534 00:33:28,200 --> 00:33:32,320 boldly. Look at verse 21. 535 00:33:32,320 --> 00:33:38,280 You know, Paul is confident that Philemon would do even more than 536 00:33:38,280 --> 00:33:40,200 what Paul is asking him to do here. 537 00:33:41,040 --> 00:33:45,200 So we're not told exactly what that what that means, but if we 538 00:33:45,200 --> 00:33:48,960 look down at verse 22, you know Paul is hoping to visit Philemon 539 00:33:48,960 --> 00:33:53,560 again and to stay at his house. So imagine with me how that 540 00:33:53,560 --> 00:33:56,560 would look like. OK, how amazing would it be for 541 00:33:56,560 --> 00:34:00,760 Paul to arrive at his house and then when the door opens up for 542 00:34:00,760 --> 00:34:06,840 him, he is greeted by Philemon and Onissimus hand to hand, 543 00:34:07,080 --> 00:34:10,520 welcoming him together side by side with smiles on their faces. 544 00:34:11,560 --> 00:34:15,639 How amazing would that be? You know, I'm also imagining all 545 00:34:15,639 --> 00:34:19,480 of us together in heaven, standing side by side with Paul 546 00:34:19,600 --> 00:34:23,120 and Philemon and Onissimus and worshipping God together. 547 00:34:24,199 --> 00:34:26,719 You know, in heaven, we're not going to be relating with one 548 00:34:26,719 --> 00:34:32,800 another as master and slave, victim and offender, but as 549 00:34:32,800 --> 00:34:37,440 brothers and sisters in Christ, as one family of God. 550 00:34:40,120 --> 00:34:44,280 So church, as we conclude, I just want to point us back to 551 00:34:44,280 --> 00:34:47,560 verse 6. Take a look at verse 6, please. 552 00:34:49,159 --> 00:34:52,960 You know, Paul prayed that through Philemon's fellowship 553 00:34:52,960 --> 00:34:57,840 Koinonia in the church that he would have a deeper and fuller 554 00:34:57,840 --> 00:35:00,560 understanding of every good thing that we have for the sake 555 00:35:00,560 --> 00:35:03,880 of Christ. And what I pray for is the same 556 00:35:03,880 --> 00:35:08,400 thing for this church, that yes, the more that you invest in 557 00:35:08,400 --> 00:35:11,640 friendships with one another, the more that you'll probably 558 00:35:11,640 --> 00:35:13,800 hurt one another. OK, to be honest, that's how it 559 00:35:13,800 --> 00:35:16,360 is. But may that provide you with 560 00:35:16,360 --> 00:35:19,840 more opportunities for reconciliation, for forgiveness, 561 00:35:20,040 --> 00:35:23,160 for grace and mercy, and this and the showcasing of the 562 00:35:23,160 --> 00:35:26,280 gospel. So Church, Please remember the 563 00:35:26,280 --> 00:35:30,520 one thing from Philemon, when brothers and sisters hurt each 564 00:35:30,520 --> 00:35:34,920 other greatly, We have the opportunity to love each other 565 00:35:35,480 --> 00:35:37,760 deeply. Let's pray. 566 00:35:42,480 --> 00:35:48,760 Heavenly Father, Lord, you are great, You are gracious, you are 567 00:35:48,760 --> 00:35:52,080 merciful. Lord, we are sinners. 568 00:35:52,320 --> 00:35:55,000 We, we have disobeyed your commands, we have wronged you. 569 00:35:55,400 --> 00:35:58,240 We owe you such a huge debt that we could never pay back. 570 00:35:59,040 --> 00:36:04,800 But Lord, we, we thank you that you did not relate with us as 571 00:36:04,800 --> 00:36:10,680 victim and offender. But Lord you, you decide to show 572 00:36:10,680 --> 00:36:15,120 mercy and grace to your people and Jesus Christ, you came from 573 00:36:15,120 --> 00:36:20,080 heaven to earth to die on the cross for our sins, to take our 574 00:36:20,080 --> 00:36:24,440 debt to to die for our debt, to pay it so that we wouldn't have 575 00:36:24,440 --> 00:36:27,840 to, so that in the future, those who believe in you will not be 576 00:36:27,840 --> 00:36:32,400 in hell, but in heaven for eternity with fellow Saints as 577 00:36:32,400 --> 00:36:37,000 well. Lord, we pray for this church, 578 00:36:37,360 --> 00:36:41,200 Grace Baptist Church, Tangarang, that they'd be able to live out 579 00:36:41,200 --> 00:36:47,280 your word in Philemon, that just as we've wronged you greatly, 580 00:36:47,560 --> 00:36:53,200 You've shown us deep love. Lord, may this church, even in 581 00:36:53,200 --> 00:36:56,720 moments when they hurt each other greatly, help them, Lord, 582 00:36:57,440 --> 00:37:01,960 to love each other deeply. And may the gospel be proclaimed 583 00:37:02,040 --> 00:37:05,560 through the relationships in this church, both through the 584 00:37:05,560 --> 00:37:08,880 older members and the newer members who just joined as well. 585 00:37:09,120 --> 00:37:11,840 Lord, we lift up this this prayer into your hands. 586 00:37:12,240 --> 00:37:14,720 We surrender this church into your sovereignty. 587 00:37:14,920 --> 00:37:37,320 In Jesus name we pray, Amen. As we remain seated, let's take 588 00:37:37,320 --> 00:37:41,600 a moment church to reflect personally on God's word that 589 00:37:41,600 --> 00:37:43,320 was just preached to us by our brother. 590 00:37:45,400 --> 00:37:53,560 Such profound, simple, deep truth that we can gain from 591 00:37:54,840 --> 00:38:01,360 Paul's appeal to Philemon here. And so I want us to think about 592 00:38:03,640 --> 00:38:06,800 what have we learned about ourselves this morning through 593 00:38:06,800 --> 00:38:13,400 this, this preaching about how, yeah, maybe we even in this 594 00:38:13,400 --> 00:38:16,680 church, in the context of this church, maybe we are pleasant 595 00:38:16,680 --> 00:38:18,240 with one another. But maybe there's still 596 00:38:18,240 --> 00:38:22,040 unresolved things in our hearts that we just refuse to let go 597 00:38:22,040 --> 00:38:26,400 because it's so hard. Because maybe as we run down the 598 00:38:26,400 --> 00:38:29,480 pros and the cons as we don't think it's worth it or that 599 00:38:29,480 --> 00:38:34,360 person don't deserve our forgiveness, maybe we are on the 600 00:38:34,360 --> 00:38:36,360 other side. Maybe we have wrong others and 601 00:38:36,360 --> 00:38:39,440 we just think we are oath forgiveness. 602 00:38:39,440 --> 00:38:44,360 Or we assume that it's OK without actually coming to that 603 00:38:44,360 --> 00:38:53,920 person and being reconciled and asking, have we prayed that the 604 00:38:53,920 --> 00:38:57,640 sharing of our faith may become effective for the full knowledge 605 00:38:57,640 --> 00:39:02,560 of every good thing that is in US for the sake of Christ, just 606 00:39:02,560 --> 00:39:06,960 like Paul says here. And then let's think about what 607 00:39:06,960 --> 00:39:12,800 we learn about God again, how just as Paul says here, you 608 00:39:12,800 --> 00:39:16,680 know, let it be charged to my account that Christ had done the 609 00:39:16,680 --> 00:39:20,200 same for us. And that is the basis of which 610 00:39:20,200 --> 00:39:25,080 we can learn to be forgiving and be reconciled to other people 611 00:39:25,240 --> 00:39:28,720 because Christ has forgiven our debts. 612 00:39:30,360 --> 00:39:33,320 And so let let our church be this morning after this 613 00:39:33,320 --> 00:39:39,080 preaching Lord be be more and more conformed to to the picture 614 00:39:39,080 --> 00:39:45,040 that that that the Lord has for us here to how would life and 615 00:39:45,040 --> 00:39:47,840 relationships we play out differently among us here this 616 00:39:47,840 --> 00:39:50,280 morning If you really believe this truth of God's word. 617 00:39:51,400 --> 00:39:54,680 So as we remain seated and you have your Bible open in front of 618 00:39:54,680 --> 00:39:56,160 you. Let's just take a few moments to 619 00:39:56,160 --> 00:40:00,640 reflect on this truth and after a few minutes, we'll continue in 620 00:40:00,640 --> 00:40:04,920 our response together by singing a song together as a as a church 621 00:40:04,920 --> 00:40:07,000 family. Let's do that together now.