1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,528 Hello and welcome to the Middletown Baptist Church podcast, 2 00:00:03,624 --> 00:00:06,552 where we are proclaiming the truth to the world. 3 00:00:06,656 --> 00:00:09,672 My name is Pastor Josh and I want to thank you for listening to 4 00:00:09,696 --> 00:00:10,728 this podcast. 5 00:00:10,904 --> 00:00:14,616 I hope that this podcast can be a blessing to you and strengthen 6 00:00:14,648 --> 00:00:16,300 you in the word of God. 7 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:17,576 Now, come along. 8 00:00:17,648 --> 00:00:21,700 Let's look into the Bible and see what God has for us here today. 9 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:25,608 All right, so we are in the Book of Philemon. 10 00:00:25,624 --> 00:00:28,670 If you have your Bibles, you can turn there with me. 11 00:00:29,050 --> 00:00:31,298 If you don't know where Philemon is, it's. 12 00:00:31,394 --> 00:00:33,426 If you know where Hebrews is, it's right before Hebrews. 13 00:00:33,458 --> 00:00:37,186 So try to find Hebrews and go back a chapter and you'll find Philemon. 14 00:00:37,218 --> 00:00:38,642 Philemon is only one chapter. 15 00:00:38,786 --> 00:00:41,282 We've been going through two small books in the New Testament. 16 00:00:41,346 --> 00:00:43,874 We went through the Book of Jude, and now we're going through 17 00:00:43,882 --> 00:00:45,298 the Book of Philemon. 18 00:00:45,474 --> 00:00:49,586 If you're just joining us, this is only our second study here 19 00:00:49,658 --> 00:00:54,178 in this book, and I will try to recap the best that I can here 20 00:00:54,234 --> 00:00:54,594 tonight. 21 00:00:54,642 --> 00:00:57,266 As we move forward, we're going to try to get accomplished 22 00:00:57,298 --> 00:00:59,550 as much as we can here in the time that we have. 23 00:00:59,850 --> 00:01:03,442 It's a short book, but there's a lot of information, and it would 24 00:01:03,466 --> 00:01:06,850 be very easy to skim through this book and look at it just as 25 00:01:06,890 --> 00:01:08,034 a historical narrative. 26 00:01:08,082 --> 00:01:10,258 Just, hey, this is what happened to a guy named Philemon 27 00:01:10,274 --> 00:01:12,066 and Onesimus and Paul. 28 00:01:12,258 --> 00:01:15,442 But there are obviously deeper implications when it comes to the 29 00:01:15,466 --> 00:01:16,658 message of the gospel. 30 00:01:16,834 --> 00:01:20,722 And so just in way of context, understand the situation that we 31 00:01:20,746 --> 00:01:22,044 have in this book. 32 00:01:22,242 --> 00:01:26,776 We have a fella named Philemon who had a servant, a bond servant, 33 00:01:26,808 --> 00:01:28,824 a slave named Onesimus. 34 00:01:28,952 --> 00:01:30,840 Now, we talked a little bit about this last week. 35 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:34,280 This is not the same type of slavery that we are familiar with 36 00:01:34,320 --> 00:01:35,944 in our country's past. 37 00:01:36,112 --> 00:01:39,192 We know that God speaks against that type of slavery when 38 00:01:39,216 --> 00:01:42,264 it comes to stealing another individual and using them as property. 39 00:01:42,312 --> 00:01:45,576 The book of Leviticus, actually, with the law of God showing 40 00:01:45,608 --> 00:01:47,898 the heart of God said that that was an evil sin. 41 00:01:48,064 --> 00:01:50,054 And we even see that in the New Testament. 42 00:01:50,102 --> 00:01:50,710 Last week, we. 43 00:01:50,750 --> 00:01:52,150 We looked at the. 44 00:01:52,190 --> 00:01:55,862 The phrase in the King James Menstealers that is condemned by 45 00:01:55,886 --> 00:01:56,182 God. 46 00:01:56,246 --> 00:02:00,006 So this type of servanthood would be what we call bond servants, 47 00:02:00,118 --> 00:02:04,294 meaning they owed a debt to somebody and they went into an agreement 48 00:02:04,342 --> 00:02:07,702 with the master to say, you know what, I'll pay off my debt by 49 00:02:07,726 --> 00:02:08,102 doing this. 50 00:02:08,126 --> 00:02:09,590 I'm agreeing to what we're doing. 51 00:02:09,710 --> 00:02:12,806 And in many cases, we see through history that some individuals 52 00:02:12,838 --> 00:02:15,526 who were falling on desperate times, would actually seek after 53 00:02:15,678 --> 00:02:18,662 these opportunities because it gave them financial stability, it 54 00:02:18,686 --> 00:02:21,670 gave them a place to live, gave them an opportunity to. 55 00:02:21,710 --> 00:02:23,590 To have food and shelter. 56 00:02:23,750 --> 00:02:27,238 And so Onesimus, we don't necessarily know how he was treated, 57 00:02:27,334 --> 00:02:30,050 but we do know that Onesimus ran away. 58 00:02:30,430 --> 00:02:37,702 And so Paul is going to appeal on behalf of Onesimus to Philemon 59 00:02:37,766 --> 00:02:40,502 to say, hey, can you receive Onesimus back? 60 00:02:40,526 --> 00:02:41,358 Philemon? 61 00:02:41,494 --> 00:02:45,246 Now, the reason why Onesimus is different is because in the process 62 00:02:45,318 --> 00:02:50,142 of running, he comes across Paul in Rome and Paul leads him to 63 00:02:50,166 --> 00:02:50,446 Christ. 64 00:02:50,518 --> 00:02:53,566 Paul leads him in the Gospel and Onesimus is saved. 65 00:02:53,598 --> 00:02:55,406 And so now there's a different perspective. 66 00:02:55,518 --> 00:02:59,438 The perspective now was Onesimus, yes, was a runaway servant. 67 00:02:59,534 --> 00:03:03,582 He was in rebellion to his master, but now he's redeemed, now 68 00:03:03,606 --> 00:03:04,430 he's restored. 69 00:03:04,510 --> 00:03:06,046 Now he is part of the family of God. 70 00:03:06,078 --> 00:03:11,496 And so Paul is going to appeal to Philemon to have grace and mercy 71 00:03:11,528 --> 00:03:13,700 and receive Onesimus back. 72 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:18,296 But before Paul does that, Paul talks about Philemon's testimony. 73 00:03:18,408 --> 00:03:21,576 And if you read verses one through seven, we can see that Philemon 74 00:03:21,608 --> 00:03:23,016 had a wonderful testimony. 75 00:03:23,208 --> 00:03:26,776 He was actually personal friends with Paul, served with Paul, 76 00:03:26,808 --> 00:03:29,912 as we see in verse one, he says, you're a fellow laborer, and 77 00:03:29,936 --> 00:03:33,320 he talks about the love that he has for God and, and the love 78 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:35,352 that he has for God's people. 79 00:03:35,536 --> 00:03:37,304 And that's, that's an awesome testimony. 80 00:03:37,352 --> 00:03:38,024 Verse 5. 81 00:03:38,112 --> 00:03:40,632 If, if we could have someone tell us a good testimony, it would 82 00:03:40,656 --> 00:03:43,208 be this, that someone would love God. 83 00:03:43,384 --> 00:03:46,296 Or it says, as their love towards the Lord Jesus and toward 84 00:03:46,328 --> 00:03:47,416 all saints. 85 00:03:47,608 --> 00:03:51,720 And, and so Philemon's testimony was that he obeyed the 86 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:54,616 first and greatest commandment and the second greatest commandment, 87 00:03:54,648 --> 00:03:58,072 which is what Jesus said to love God with everything and to love 88 00:03:58,096 --> 00:03:58,952 your neighbor as yourself. 89 00:03:59,016 --> 00:04:03,184 So, so Philemon is not a man who is characterized by his anger 90 00:04:03,232 --> 00:04:04,416 or his sin. 91 00:04:04,528 --> 00:04:07,180 He's characterized by his relationship with Christ. 92 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:11,984 But even so, Paul realized that what he was about to ask Philemon 93 00:04:12,032 --> 00:04:13,392 to do was a very difficult thing. 94 00:04:13,416 --> 00:04:16,140 And that is to receive back someone who had wronged him. 95 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:19,792 And this passage of scripture specifically deals with restoration 96 00:04:19,856 --> 00:04:20,620 as well. 97 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:26,080 And, and if we're all honest with ourselves, we all ran away from 98 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:26,934 our master. 99 00:04:27,032 --> 00:04:30,826 Um, we know that as human beings, we were created in the image 100 00:04:30,858 --> 00:04:33,354 of God, but we were marred by sin. 101 00:04:33,482 --> 00:04:37,066 And so therefore, through our sin, we were rebels against God. 102 00:04:37,098 --> 00:04:40,190 The Bible says that we were enemies against God. 103 00:04:40,770 --> 00:04:45,466 And so when God saved us, when we came to him in faith and trusted 104 00:04:45,498 --> 00:04:47,802 in his grace, he restored us. 105 00:04:47,986 --> 00:04:51,482 So all of us have experienced the greatest act of restoration in 106 00:04:51,506 --> 00:04:52,990 the concept of salvation. 107 00:04:53,640 --> 00:04:57,280 I preached in that church in West Virginia on Sunday morning, 108 00:04:57,320 --> 00:05:00,656 and I preached on Second Corinthians chapter 5, which speaks 109 00:05:00,688 --> 00:05:03,424 of the reconciliation that we have with God. 110 00:05:03,552 --> 00:05:06,752 So God reconciled us to himself, meaning he restored us. 111 00:05:06,776 --> 00:05:09,760 He brought us back to our original state, and that is a child 112 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:10,480 of God. 113 00:05:10,640 --> 00:05:14,400 And then, as all of us are saved, we now have what's called 114 00:05:14,440 --> 00:05:16,944 in Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, you can check me on this. 115 00:05:17,112 --> 00:05:20,880 It says that now we all have a ministry of reconciliation. 116 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:24,506 So the challenge is, is now that we have been reconciled to Christ, 117 00:05:24,578 --> 00:05:29,402 are we doing our best to serve others for that purpose of reconciliation? 118 00:05:29,546 --> 00:05:31,322 Are we trying to bring people to that? 119 00:05:31,426 --> 00:05:33,450 Now you would say, how can we do that? 120 00:05:33,490 --> 00:05:36,666 Well, he says that not only do you have a ministry of reconciliation, 121 00:05:36,778 --> 00:05:39,402 but you also have a word of reconciliation, which means we have 122 00:05:39,426 --> 00:05:40,346 a message. 123 00:05:40,538 --> 00:05:43,994 Now, you've been going to Middletown Baptist Church long enough. 124 00:05:44,082 --> 00:05:45,242 Hopefully you know this. 125 00:05:45,346 --> 00:05:49,192 But the ministry of reconciliation and the message of 126 00:05:49,216 --> 00:05:52,056 reconciliation all centers around the Gospel. 127 00:05:52,168 --> 00:05:55,032 We cannot have reconciliation without what Jesus Christ has done 128 00:05:55,056 --> 00:05:55,640 for us. 129 00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:58,232 The Gospel is the centerpiece of everything that we do. 130 00:05:58,256 --> 00:06:01,352 And the Gospel is the centerpiece of what Philemon is being 131 00:06:01,376 --> 00:06:01,752 asked here. 132 00:06:01,776 --> 00:06:05,832 In this case, you cannot forgive, you cannot restore, you 133 00:06:05,856 --> 00:06:09,224 cannot extend grace and forgiveness, as the Bible says, without 134 00:06:09,312 --> 00:06:12,120 the Gospel being at the core centerpiece of our lives. 135 00:06:12,160 --> 00:06:13,592 And so that's what we're going to talk about here. 136 00:06:13,616 --> 00:06:18,388 Paul is basically appealing with Philemon to enact the Gospel 137 00:06:18,484 --> 00:06:20,692 and how he deals with Onesimus. 138 00:06:20,756 --> 00:06:23,092 Okay, so I've kind of caught you up to that. 139 00:06:23,196 --> 00:06:27,076 And in so doing, what happens is, is that Paul says, hey, Philemon, 140 00:06:27,108 --> 00:06:27,732 I love you. 141 00:06:27,836 --> 00:06:30,132 You're my brother, you're my fellow laborer. 142 00:06:30,196 --> 00:06:31,252 This is how great you are. 143 00:06:31,276 --> 00:06:32,980 And so basically, he's complimenting him. 144 00:06:33,020 --> 00:06:35,940 He's not lying, but he's complimenting him, preparing him 145 00:06:35,980 --> 00:06:37,908 to ask him a very difficult thing. 146 00:06:38,044 --> 00:06:41,572 And now we have something of a confrontation in verse number eight. 147 00:06:41,596 --> 00:06:43,360 So we're going to pick up in verse number eight. 148 00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:46,840 And he uses that word there, wherefore. 149 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:48,136 Okay, wherefore. 150 00:06:48,248 --> 00:06:51,656 Now, when you see wherefore and therefore in scripture, it's 151 00:06:51,688 --> 00:06:54,600 a reference back to what he had just been talking about. 152 00:06:54,720 --> 00:06:56,088 So what did he just get talking about? 153 00:06:56,144 --> 00:07:00,008 He was just saying, like, how great Philemon was in loving God 154 00:07:00,024 --> 00:07:00,728 and loving others. 155 00:07:00,784 --> 00:07:02,872 He was saying, philemon, you've trusted in Jesus. 156 00:07:03,016 --> 00:07:05,192 Philemon, you understand the gospel. 157 00:07:05,336 --> 00:07:08,712 So because you understand the gospel, I'm about to talk to you 158 00:07:08,736 --> 00:07:09,224 about something. 159 00:07:09,312 --> 00:07:10,776 I'm going to confront you in the gospel. 160 00:07:10,808 --> 00:07:13,464 And I think that's important and I think it's a lesson that we 161 00:07:13,472 --> 00:07:15,864 should learn as well when we're dealing with other Christians. 162 00:07:15,992 --> 00:07:18,280 Now, when we're dealing with an unsaved person, it's totally, 163 00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:21,416 totally opposite because an unsaved person cannot understand 164 00:07:21,488 --> 00:07:24,920 the gospel until they have put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. 165 00:07:25,040 --> 00:07:27,928 The Bible says that the cross is foolishness to those that are 166 00:07:27,984 --> 00:07:28,580 lost. 167 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:29,272 So. 168 00:07:29,296 --> 00:07:31,432 But when we're dealing with a Christian and we're dealing with 169 00:07:31,456 --> 00:07:34,712 a confrontation, and we're dealing with something of an exhortation 170 00:07:34,776 --> 00:07:37,938 moment, exhortation again means coming alongside of someone 171 00:07:37,994 --> 00:07:39,298 and challenging them in something. 172 00:07:39,354 --> 00:07:40,994 That's what Paul is about to do. 173 00:07:41,162 --> 00:07:43,430 We should always start it with the gospel. 174 00:07:44,090 --> 00:07:49,970 We should always allow ourselves to not impart our opinions 175 00:07:50,130 --> 00:07:55,138 upon the situation, our experiences before the gospel. 176 00:07:55,234 --> 00:07:56,802 The gospel takes precedent. 177 00:07:56,946 --> 00:08:01,746 So he says, wherefore though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin 178 00:08:01,778 --> 00:08:05,310 thee that which is convenient. 179 00:08:06,130 --> 00:08:07,610 You say, what is he talking about there? 180 00:08:07,650 --> 00:08:12,522 He's saying this as an apostle, I have the authority to 181 00:08:12,546 --> 00:08:15,978 command you to do what I'm about to ask you to do. 182 00:08:16,114 --> 00:08:20,202 He says, you know, I, I could, but because I love you and because 183 00:08:20,226 --> 00:08:25,034 of the love of Christ in my life, I want to beseech you, beg 184 00:08:25,082 --> 00:08:29,434 you, being such a one as Paul the age and now also a prisoner of 185 00:08:29,442 --> 00:08:29,930 Jesus Christ. 186 00:08:29,970 --> 00:08:30,602 And so what is he saying? 187 00:08:30,626 --> 00:08:34,314 He says, I could force you, I could command you, I could impose 188 00:08:34,362 --> 00:08:38,810 fear upon your life to get you to a place of restoration with onesimus. 189 00:08:38,890 --> 00:08:42,298 But I'm going to ask you, I'm going to request of you in love and 190 00:08:42,354 --> 00:08:43,338 in humility. 191 00:08:43,514 --> 00:08:48,586 And, and so Paul even uses his age and his status as a prisoner 192 00:08:48,698 --> 00:08:51,146 to basically say, I'm, I'm humbly coming before you. 193 00:08:51,218 --> 00:08:55,834 I'm but the aged and imprisoned Paul for Jesus Christ. 194 00:08:56,002 --> 00:08:58,282 And so essentially what he's doing is he's saying, I love you 195 00:08:58,306 --> 00:09:00,230 enough to not force you to do this. 196 00:09:00,530 --> 00:09:04,154 And so a loving appeal is often better than an authoritative 197 00:09:04,202 --> 00:09:04,910 command. 198 00:09:05,330 --> 00:09:07,830 And I think that's something that we can learn in our own lives. 199 00:09:08,130 --> 00:09:12,586 If we're always, and maybe some of you hold leadership positions, 200 00:09:12,698 --> 00:09:16,510 if we're always enacting an authoritative command without a loving 201 00:09:17,010 --> 00:09:22,442 exhortation, a loving appeal, loving, you know, challenge, then 202 00:09:22,546 --> 00:09:25,482 you know what, the people that are receiving these challenges are 203 00:09:25,506 --> 00:09:27,834 going to receive them in the flesh instead of in the spirit. 204 00:09:27,882 --> 00:09:30,986 So, so Paul wasn't hesitate to command situations. 205 00:09:31,018 --> 00:09:33,962 We see that throughout the New Testament there was a time and a 206 00:09:33,986 --> 00:09:36,138 place for Paul to put his foot down and. 207 00:09:36,194 --> 00:09:37,978 And use authority. 208 00:09:38,154 --> 00:09:42,122 But in wisdom, he knew that this was a time and a place with 209 00:09:42,146 --> 00:09:46,510 the discernment of the spirit to appeal in love to Philemon. 210 00:09:46,930 --> 00:09:50,298 And so it was clear Paul would ask a favor for Philemon. 211 00:09:50,314 --> 00:09:50,506 He's. 212 00:09:50,538 --> 00:09:53,210 He's literally getting to that here in a moment. 213 00:09:53,370 --> 00:09:57,562 But before he asks Philemon to do what he's about to do, he kind 214 00:09:57,586 --> 00:09:59,470 of explains his situation. 215 00:10:00,690 --> 00:10:04,218 Maybe for lack of a better phrase, he's trying to explain to 216 00:10:04,354 --> 00:10:06,858 Philemon, hey, be sympathetic for me, okay? 217 00:10:06,874 --> 00:10:08,906 I'm getting old in the ministry. 218 00:10:09,098 --> 00:10:09,546 I'm. 219 00:10:09,578 --> 00:10:09,786 I'm. 220 00:10:09,818 --> 00:10:11,946 I'm a prisoner in chains here in Rome. 221 00:10:12,058 --> 00:10:14,922 So just understand this would really be a favor for me. 222 00:10:14,946 --> 00:10:16,506 This would really benefit me. 223 00:10:16,658 --> 00:10:18,970 Even though we're going to see here in a few moments that Paul really 224 00:10:19,010 --> 00:10:21,506 doesn't want to let go of Onesimus, because actually he's. 225 00:10:21,538 --> 00:10:22,770 He's benefiting him. 226 00:10:22,890 --> 00:10:23,170 But. 227 00:10:23,210 --> 00:10:26,402 But we're gonna see that Paul puts God's plan before his own. 228 00:10:26,586 --> 00:10:28,082 There's so much that we can learn here. 229 00:10:28,186 --> 00:10:30,754 I won't try to get ahead of myself too far, but verse 10, he 230 00:10:30,762 --> 00:10:33,842 says, I beseech thee, beg the. 231 00:10:34,026 --> 00:10:36,150 For my son Onesimus. 232 00:10:36,490 --> 00:10:36,850 I. 233 00:10:36,890 --> 00:10:39,202 I think we talked a little bit about this last week, but this is 234 00:10:39,226 --> 00:10:41,762 not literally Paul's biological child. 235 00:10:41,946 --> 00:10:43,714 This is Paul's son in the faith. 236 00:10:43,762 --> 00:10:47,272 Um, we know that Paul references Timothy that way in the 237 00:10:47,296 --> 00:10:50,296 New Testament, and this speaks to Paul's relationship to Onesimus. 238 00:10:50,328 --> 00:10:53,592 So not only did he lead Onesimus to Christ and send him on 239 00:10:53,616 --> 00:10:58,280 his way, but Paul has now taken a fatherly figure in his life, 240 00:10:58,320 --> 00:11:00,280 a spiritual father figure in his life. 241 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:02,968 And I think that that's a relationship that all of us should 242 00:11:03,024 --> 00:11:03,576 have. 243 00:11:03,728 --> 00:11:05,192 A mentor, if you will. 244 00:11:05,296 --> 00:11:08,904 And so he says, hey, I have a son, Onesimus, whom I have begotten 245 00:11:08,952 --> 00:11:10,140 in my bonds. 246 00:11:10,880 --> 00:11:15,492 And so Onesimus, the escaped slave, escaped bond, servant of the 247 00:11:15,516 --> 00:11:15,988 one who left. 248 00:11:16,044 --> 00:11:19,092 Philemon now has gone off to Rome. 249 00:11:19,156 --> 00:11:21,524 And, and it's interesting that he would go to Rome. 250 00:11:21,652 --> 00:11:24,852 Um, I don't believe that he would have been seeking out Paul. 251 00:11:24,996 --> 00:11:28,564 Right, because if one wasn't saved, he's coming to Rome. 252 00:11:28,692 --> 00:11:32,532 And Rome, as you well know, is a highly populated city at this point. 253 00:11:32,636 --> 00:11:34,724 It's really the capital of the world. 254 00:11:34,892 --> 00:11:37,764 And so Onesimus is trying to run away from his master. 255 00:11:37,812 --> 00:11:41,570 But in so doing, I believe God providentially brought him to a meeting 256 00:11:41,610 --> 00:11:43,938 with Paul because there's a purpose in his life. 257 00:11:43,994 --> 00:11:45,826 And so Onesimus runs. 258 00:11:45,858 --> 00:11:47,090 He flees to Rome. 259 00:11:47,250 --> 00:11:51,826 He meets with Paul and Under Paul's guidance, he comes to Christ. 260 00:11:51,978 --> 00:11:55,426 He believes in him, and he is now a man of faith. 261 00:11:55,618 --> 00:11:55,986 It's. 262 00:11:56,018 --> 00:11:56,770 It's actually if. 263 00:11:56,810 --> 00:11:58,258 If you know a little bit about the. 264 00:11:58,314 --> 00:12:02,690 The history of Rome, it would be logical that Onesimus would go 265 00:12:02,730 --> 00:12:03,746 to Rome. 266 00:12:03,938 --> 00:12:07,970 It was the biggest city in the Roman Empire, and. 267 00:12:08,750 --> 00:12:11,350 And it was a place where he could hide, right? 268 00:12:11,470 --> 00:12:13,670 He couldn't probably hide in a little small town. 269 00:12:13,710 --> 00:12:16,598 They might be able to find him, but he could go to Rome and 270 00:12:16,654 --> 00:12:18,410 possibly go unnoticed. 271 00:12:18,910 --> 00:12:21,350 But I believe in God's providential plan. 272 00:12:21,390 --> 00:12:24,630 There was a meeting of Paul and Rome, and Onesimus meets the 273 00:12:24,670 --> 00:12:29,302 very same man that led his master, Philemon, to the Lord. 274 00:12:29,446 --> 00:12:33,958 If you go back, you know that Paul led Philemon to the Lord and 275 00:12:34,094 --> 00:12:35,446 was discipling Philemon. 276 00:12:35,478 --> 00:12:39,638 And now the very same person that led his master through the Lord, 277 00:12:39,654 --> 00:12:40,646 Onesimus finds. 278 00:12:40,678 --> 00:12:44,502 And God makes this an opportunity, I believe, what I call 279 00:12:44,526 --> 00:12:46,118 a providential opportunity. 280 00:12:46,294 --> 00:12:51,958 When Paul makes his appeal to Philemon, for Onesimus, he. 281 00:12:52,014 --> 00:12:54,406 He actually is following Roman culture. 282 00:12:54,518 --> 00:12:58,166 Roman culture was that a runaway slave could hide and find 283 00:12:58,238 --> 00:13:01,118 refuge in a religious altar. 284 00:13:01,254 --> 00:13:03,390 And it could have been someone's home, it could have been 285 00:13:03,430 --> 00:13:04,450 at a temple. 286 00:13:04,790 --> 00:13:07,902 And so what happens is, what most likely would have happened was 287 00:13:07,926 --> 00:13:12,750 Onesimus was running and trying to find refuge at a religious 288 00:13:12,830 --> 00:13:16,798 spot and therefore came across Paul, and therefore he came to Christ. 289 00:13:16,854 --> 00:13:19,774 And so Paul says, my son Onesimus, he led him to Christ. 290 00:13:19,862 --> 00:13:21,450 He's now discipling him. 291 00:13:22,070 --> 00:13:24,370 This is where it gets really interesting. 292 00:13:26,640 --> 00:13:31,336 I don't know if you know what the name Onesimus means, but there's 293 00:13:31,368 --> 00:13:34,968 a lot of names in the Bible that have great significance. 294 00:13:34,984 --> 00:13:38,440 And Paul actually plays off of Onesimus's name here in this next 295 00:13:38,480 --> 00:13:38,984 verse. 296 00:13:39,112 --> 00:13:41,480 Onesimus means profitable. 297 00:13:41,640 --> 00:13:43,848 Believe it or not, it literally means profitable. 298 00:13:43,944 --> 00:13:46,440 So Onesimus means profitable. 299 00:13:46,520 --> 00:13:48,296 Now look at verse 11 with me. 300 00:13:48,368 --> 00:13:52,062 It says, which in times past was to the unprofitable. 301 00:13:52,256 --> 00:13:54,850 So he makes a play on Onesimus's name. 302 00:13:54,970 --> 00:13:58,722 He says, okay, there was a time in your life that Onesimus was 303 00:13:58,746 --> 00:14:00,530 not a profitable person for you. 304 00:14:00,570 --> 00:14:01,150 Why? 305 00:14:01,450 --> 00:14:03,138 Because he ran, right? 306 00:14:03,274 --> 00:14:03,618 He. 307 00:14:03,674 --> 00:14:04,450 He ran from you. 308 00:14:04,490 --> 00:14:05,730 He wasn't benefiting you. 309 00:14:05,770 --> 00:14:08,354 There was no benefit of holding Onesimus there because he 310 00:14:08,362 --> 00:14:09,538 was in rebellion. 311 00:14:09,714 --> 00:14:10,610 And so he. 312 00:14:10,650 --> 00:14:12,418 He made a play on that name. 313 00:14:12,554 --> 00:14:17,026 And so now he was like, hey, there was a time where he was unprofitable 314 00:14:17,058 --> 00:14:19,848 for you, and you're probably angry at him, and you have every 315 00:14:19,904 --> 00:14:24,712 right in the Roman law to punish him, to maybe even put him 316 00:14:24,736 --> 00:14:25,460 to death. 317 00:14:25,760 --> 00:14:27,192 But what does he say now? 318 00:14:27,216 --> 00:14:31,860 He says, but now profitable to thee and to me. 319 00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:36,024 So he says, now Onesimus is onesimus for you. 320 00:14:36,192 --> 00:14:36,632 Mr. 321 00:14:36,696 --> 00:14:38,600 Profitable is now profitable for you. 322 00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:39,224 Why? 323 00:14:39,392 --> 00:14:41,620 Because he is now a brother in Christ. 324 00:14:42,080 --> 00:14:47,256 You now are on the same standing as Onesimus in your standing 325 00:14:47,288 --> 00:14:51,352 before God, though there was a time where you held a higher status 326 00:14:51,416 --> 00:14:54,520 because of your master to servant relationship. 327 00:14:54,680 --> 00:14:57,672 Now, in the eyes of God, the Bible teaches very clearly that we 328 00:14:57,696 --> 00:14:58,808 all stand equal. 329 00:14:58,904 --> 00:15:02,024 And so he says now, hey, there was a time where he was not profitable 330 00:15:02,072 --> 00:15:05,032 for you, but now, because he is a brother in Christ, he is going 331 00:15:05,056 --> 00:15:08,020 to be profitable for you and he's profitable for me. 332 00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:09,624 And so it's. 333 00:15:09,672 --> 00:15:13,140 I believe it's significant to note that Paul claims that in Christ, 334 00:15:13,750 --> 00:15:14,206 the. 335 00:15:14,278 --> 00:15:16,414 The person who has, at one point, useless. 336 00:15:16,462 --> 00:15:17,150 That's what he's saying. 337 00:15:17,190 --> 00:15:20,734 Basically, Onesimus was useless to you, specifically when 338 00:15:20,742 --> 00:15:22,334 he ran, right? 339 00:15:22,502 --> 00:15:26,446 A servant is useful if he is there, but if he runs, he's not useful 340 00:15:26,478 --> 00:15:26,814 anymore. 341 00:15:26,862 --> 00:15:31,150 So he says, hey, this person who had no benefit, this person who 342 00:15:31,190 --> 00:15:36,510 had no usefulness now in Christ has been made useful now has 343 00:15:36,550 --> 00:15:41,562 a purpose, now has a plan, now can work together with you for the 344 00:15:41,586 --> 00:15:42,698 cause of the Gospel. 345 00:15:42,794 --> 00:15:46,426 And so by making this clear to Philemon, Paul really, I think he's. 346 00:15:46,458 --> 00:15:51,562 He's gently stirring, gently hinting to Philemon that he would 347 00:15:51,586 --> 00:15:55,834 like to retain the services of Onesimus, though he's not gonna force 348 00:15:55,882 --> 00:15:56,410 that to happen. 349 00:15:56,450 --> 00:15:57,946 He says, hey, he's. 350 00:15:57,978 --> 00:16:00,362 He could be profitable for you, but he's very profitable for 351 00:16:00,386 --> 00:16:00,858 me. 352 00:16:00,994 --> 00:16:03,258 He's helping me out here in my ministry. 353 00:16:03,434 --> 00:16:05,386 And we're gonna get to that here in a few moments. 354 00:16:05,418 --> 00:16:09,182 But I think we can't gloss over verse 11 because there's so 355 00:16:09,206 --> 00:16:11,358 much to be said about that even in our own lives. 356 00:16:11,414 --> 00:16:16,382 I mean, before we came to Christ, if you think about it, what 357 00:16:16,406 --> 00:16:17,410 was our purpose? 358 00:16:17,910 --> 00:16:18,638 You know, for. 359 00:16:18,694 --> 00:16:21,870 For many of us, our purposes might have been different before 360 00:16:21,910 --> 00:16:23,050 we came to Christ. 361 00:16:23,350 --> 00:16:27,662 But after we come to Christ, we now have, really, biblically speaking, 362 00:16:27,726 --> 00:16:32,334 one purpose, and that is to glorify God, that is to have a ministry 363 00:16:32,382 --> 00:16:36,676 of reconciliation, that is to walk in the love of Christ, to demonstrate 364 00:16:36,708 --> 00:16:37,844 the love of Christ. 365 00:16:38,012 --> 00:16:43,732 And so, just as Onesimus went as a runaway servant, useless to 366 00:16:43,756 --> 00:16:47,604 his master, now that he comes to Christ, he now has a purpose and 367 00:16:47,692 --> 00:16:49,172 a plan for his life. 368 00:16:49,276 --> 00:16:52,756 And I believe that Paul is speaking to specifically Onesimus 369 00:16:52,788 --> 00:16:55,572 in this case, but I think he could be speaking to all of us when 370 00:16:55,596 --> 00:16:57,840 it comes to our new hope in Christ. 371 00:16:58,380 --> 00:17:04,862 So verse 12, he says, whom I have sent again, so Paul is going 372 00:17:04,886 --> 00:17:10,702 to send Onesimus back with the hope that Philemon will allow him 373 00:17:10,726 --> 00:17:11,886 to return again unto Paul. 374 00:17:11,918 --> 00:17:13,166 So what Paul is saying is this. 375 00:17:13,238 --> 00:17:16,370 I'm going to send Onesimus back to get all this restoration, 376 00:17:17,110 --> 00:17:20,702 but my prayer is that you would send him back to me because 377 00:17:20,726 --> 00:17:22,222 he's a great help to me. 378 00:17:22,406 --> 00:17:24,974 And this shows just how much Onesimus has changed. 379 00:17:25,022 --> 00:17:29,250 He once was a person who ran from his responsibilities. 380 00:17:29,410 --> 00:17:32,578 Now Onesimus is having people basically fighting over him. 381 00:17:32,634 --> 00:17:34,898 Now, Philemon's not going to fight over him yet because he doesn't 382 00:17:34,914 --> 00:17:35,666 know that he's changed. 383 00:17:35,698 --> 00:17:37,250 But once he gets the letter, he. 384 00:17:37,290 --> 00:17:38,350 He will know. 385 00:17:38,890 --> 00:17:42,162 And so, verse 12, whom I have sent again, thou therefore receive 386 00:17:42,226 --> 00:17:42,834 him. 387 00:17:43,002 --> 00:17:43,986 So here's. 388 00:17:44,098 --> 00:17:44,690 Here it is. 389 00:17:44,730 --> 00:17:47,474 Here's Paul's thesis, here's Paul's challenge. 390 00:17:47,602 --> 00:17:50,430 Receive Onesimus back. 391 00:17:50,810 --> 00:17:52,962 But he's actually going to tell him to receive him back in a 392 00:17:52,986 --> 00:17:53,904 special way. 393 00:17:54,082 --> 00:17:56,948 He says, that is mine own bowels. 394 00:17:57,044 --> 00:17:58,292 Now, if you. 395 00:17:58,396 --> 00:18:01,060 If you're not familiar with two different things, if you're not 396 00:18:01,100 --> 00:18:04,884 familiar with King James English, and if you're not familiar 397 00:18:04,932 --> 00:18:09,012 with Koine Greek, Koine Greek is the common Greek of the day. 398 00:18:09,036 --> 00:18:11,956 That this was actually written in, this is not going to make sense. 399 00:18:12,068 --> 00:18:12,868 Okay? 400 00:18:13,044 --> 00:18:14,340 He says, receive him. 401 00:18:14,380 --> 00:18:16,004 That is mine own bowels. 402 00:18:16,132 --> 00:18:17,092 You like bowels? 403 00:18:17,156 --> 00:18:17,428 Bowels. 404 00:18:17,444 --> 00:18:18,468 What is he talking about here? 405 00:18:18,524 --> 00:18:22,322 Well, again, if you understand their culture, the. 406 00:18:22,426 --> 00:18:25,266 The seat of emotion was not their heart. 407 00:18:25,418 --> 00:18:28,050 Today we would say my emotions are found in my heart. 408 00:18:28,090 --> 00:18:28,290 Right? 409 00:18:28,330 --> 00:18:31,426 Your heart is broken, your heart is overjoyed. 410 00:18:31,618 --> 00:18:32,658 For them, the. 411 00:18:32,714 --> 00:18:35,058 The heart was the mind, if you will. 412 00:18:35,114 --> 00:18:37,650 So if they were talking about thinking, they were talking about 413 00:18:37,690 --> 00:18:38,510 the heart. 414 00:18:39,050 --> 00:18:42,402 But if they were talking about emotions, they were talking about 415 00:18:42,586 --> 00:18:43,938 the bowels, the. 416 00:18:43,994 --> 00:18:44,936 The stomach. 417 00:18:45,098 --> 00:18:48,444 And so the reason why they would do that is because some of 418 00:18:48,452 --> 00:18:50,588 you know you'll feel your emotions in your stomach, right? 419 00:18:50,644 --> 00:18:53,452 And sometimes you might even have a feeling, butterflies in your 420 00:18:53,476 --> 00:18:54,140 stomach of something. 421 00:18:54,180 --> 00:18:59,660 So he's essentially talking to Philemon to receive him as his own 422 00:18:59,700 --> 00:18:59,948 heart. 423 00:19:00,004 --> 00:19:03,292 Meaning this Onesimus had done something wrong in the fact that 424 00:19:03,316 --> 00:19:04,764 he had escaped his master. 425 00:19:04,892 --> 00:19:06,508 And it was time to set that right. 426 00:19:06,564 --> 00:19:10,412 So Paul was willing to send him back, but what Paul wanted him 427 00:19:10,436 --> 00:19:13,000 to do was to receive him in a special way. 428 00:19:13,750 --> 00:19:18,318 So like I mentioned before, under Roman law, Philemon had every 429 00:19:18,374 --> 00:19:22,530 right to have total control over Onesimus. 430 00:19:22,950 --> 00:19:23,310 And. 431 00:19:23,350 --> 00:19:27,390 And it wasn't unusual for people like Onesimus to be crucified 432 00:19:27,550 --> 00:19:30,810 for things that were less serious than this. 433 00:19:31,430 --> 00:19:36,334 And so what Paul is saying is his receive him back, but receive 434 00:19:36,382 --> 00:19:37,838 him back in this way. 435 00:19:37,894 --> 00:19:39,008 Basically, this. 436 00:19:39,134 --> 00:19:41,400 Consider him as my own heart. 437 00:19:42,500 --> 00:19:43,724 Consider him like me. 438 00:19:43,812 --> 00:19:46,380 Receive Onesimus like you would receive me. 439 00:19:46,500 --> 00:19:48,040 That's what Paul is saying here. 440 00:19:48,340 --> 00:19:51,980 Paul is basically saying to Philemon, don't receive him back 441 00:19:52,020 --> 00:19:53,356 as a runaway slave. 442 00:19:53,468 --> 00:19:56,812 Don't receive him back as someone who is unprofitable for you, 443 00:19:56,836 --> 00:19:58,236 who has wronged you. 444 00:19:58,388 --> 00:20:02,268 Receive him back as you would your fellow brother in Christ. 445 00:20:02,324 --> 00:20:04,360 Receive him back as you would receive me. 446 00:20:04,990 --> 00:20:10,326 There's individuals in my life that are very special to me because 447 00:20:10,398 --> 00:20:13,702 of their investment in my life when it comes to leading me to Christ 448 00:20:13,806 --> 00:20:15,046 and discipling me. 449 00:20:15,118 --> 00:20:16,054 I can think of some of. 450 00:20:16,062 --> 00:20:18,646 You Remember Pastor David Goforth, who came here for the marriage 451 00:20:18,678 --> 00:20:19,350 conference? 452 00:20:19,510 --> 00:20:20,770 It was two years ago. 453 00:20:21,070 --> 00:20:22,422 He's my spiritual mentor. 454 00:20:22,486 --> 00:20:23,350 I love him to death. 455 00:20:23,390 --> 00:20:25,750 And Pastor Goforth came up for my ordination. 456 00:20:25,830 --> 00:20:28,870 I remember we put him up in our house, and I was so nervous. 457 00:20:28,950 --> 00:20:29,942 I was like, pastor, go for. 458 00:20:29,966 --> 00:20:30,582 It's coming to my house. 459 00:20:30,606 --> 00:20:31,864 I mean, this guy's my hero. 460 00:20:31,982 --> 00:20:32,852 And I'm like, he's. 461 00:20:32,916 --> 00:20:34,676 So I told Alicia, we got to get everything ready. 462 00:20:34,708 --> 00:20:35,524 We got to take care of him. 463 00:20:35,532 --> 00:20:37,028 We got to take them, all the nice restaurants. 464 00:20:37,124 --> 00:20:39,476 The reason why I did that, why, is because I love him, right? 465 00:20:39,548 --> 00:20:40,884 He means something to me. 466 00:20:40,972 --> 00:20:43,412 And so I wanted to give him the best reception that we could 467 00:20:43,436 --> 00:20:43,764 have. 468 00:20:43,852 --> 00:20:45,572 And he got there, and he is like, what are you trying to be all 469 00:20:45,596 --> 00:20:46,100 fancy for? 470 00:20:46,140 --> 00:20:47,028 You know, we're fine. 471 00:20:47,044 --> 00:20:50,084 But the truth is, is that what Paul is saying is, hey, if you respect 472 00:20:50,172 --> 00:20:54,356 me, if you love me as your spiritual father or your spiritual 473 00:20:54,388 --> 00:20:57,348 brother, hey, receive Onesimus the same way. 474 00:20:57,404 --> 00:20:59,868 Because that's how we're supposed to receive all saints, all. 475 00:20:59,924 --> 00:21:01,036 All believers. 476 00:21:01,228 --> 00:21:03,180 So he says, receive him in my own heart. 477 00:21:03,220 --> 00:21:05,000 Be merciful unto him. 478 00:21:05,540 --> 00:21:05,900 And. 479 00:21:05,940 --> 00:21:06,476 And so that's. 480 00:21:06,508 --> 00:21:07,612 That's what he's talking about here. 481 00:21:07,636 --> 00:21:09,196 He says, re receive him on this regard. 482 00:21:09,228 --> 00:21:13,340 In the verse 13, he says, whom I would have retained with me, meaning 483 00:21:13,420 --> 00:21:16,380 Paul has a desire to keep him. 484 00:21:16,500 --> 00:21:20,380 Paul's like, you don't know how beneficial Onesimus is to me. 485 00:21:20,420 --> 00:21:21,132 He's helping me. 486 00:21:21,156 --> 00:21:22,236 He's encouraging me. 487 00:21:22,308 --> 00:21:23,628 He's lifting me up. 488 00:21:23,764 --> 00:21:26,524 Now, we don't know exactly what Onesimus was doing for Paul, 489 00:21:26,572 --> 00:21:28,480 but remember, Paul is in bonds here. 490 00:21:28,580 --> 00:21:29,912 Paul is in house arrest. 491 00:21:30,016 --> 00:21:32,168 So Paul's limited in who he can reach. 492 00:21:32,304 --> 00:21:35,032 But what we can probably understand through context is that 493 00:21:35,056 --> 00:21:39,640 Onesimus is carrying messages for Paul out to those that were being 494 00:21:39,680 --> 00:21:40,616 ministered to. 495 00:21:40,768 --> 00:21:41,080 So. 496 00:21:41,120 --> 00:21:42,360 So he's doing a great work here. 497 00:21:42,400 --> 00:21:46,264 So he says, whom I would have retained with me that in thy stead 498 00:21:46,312 --> 00:21:49,400 he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the Gospel. 499 00:21:49,480 --> 00:21:53,944 So not only is Onesimus ministering to others around in Rome, 500 00:21:53,992 --> 00:21:57,338 but, but he's really, as you see here, he's ministering to Paul, 501 00:21:57,514 --> 00:21:58,922 he's encouraging Paul. 502 00:21:58,986 --> 00:22:00,746 He's, he's an encourager. 503 00:22:00,858 --> 00:22:02,730 He, he's being a Barnabas to Paul, right? 504 00:22:02,770 --> 00:22:04,890 He's encouraging him as he's there in change. 505 00:22:04,930 --> 00:22:10,154 And so, and so Onesimus, if he stayed with Paul on behalf of Philemon, 506 00:22:10,202 --> 00:22:12,346 he would be serving Paul. 507 00:22:12,458 --> 00:22:17,946 And, and secondly, if Onesimus stayed with Paul, he would be helping 508 00:22:17,978 --> 00:22:18,954 a man who was limited. 509 00:22:19,002 --> 00:22:22,048 So he's extending Paul's reach and we see that he would be working 510 00:22:22,104 --> 00:22:23,056 in the gospel ministry. 511 00:22:23,088 --> 00:22:25,072 And I love how Paul puts it there. 512 00:22:25,096 --> 00:22:29,264 At the end of verse 13, he says he would minister unto me in 513 00:22:29,272 --> 00:22:33,620 the bonds of the Gospel or the chains of the Gospel. 514 00:22:34,120 --> 00:22:37,632 Wouldn't it be amazing if we were all bound to the Gospel in every 515 00:22:37,656 --> 00:22:41,980 area of our life, that that was what we were servants to? 516 00:22:42,280 --> 00:22:47,216 Instead of servants to our culture or servants to our own opinions 517 00:22:47,328 --> 00:22:54,216 or servants to our own self exaltation, but servants to the Gospel, 518 00:22:54,328 --> 00:22:55,900 like hey, whatever it takes. 519 00:22:56,320 --> 00:22:58,264 A good servant follows his master. 520 00:22:58,312 --> 00:23:00,904 And if our master is the Lord, then our heart should be based in 521 00:23:00,912 --> 00:23:01,256 the Gospel. 522 00:23:01,288 --> 00:23:03,260 And that's what he's saying about Onesimus. 523 00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:06,248 But this is what Paul says, verse 14. 524 00:23:06,304 --> 00:23:07,336 This is, this is great. 525 00:23:07,408 --> 00:23:10,520 And I think this is a good example for all of us in, in deference 526 00:23:10,680 --> 00:23:11,820 and meekness. 527 00:23:13,610 --> 00:23:14,818 Remember what meekness means? 528 00:23:14,874 --> 00:23:17,150 Meekness means strength under control. 529 00:23:18,330 --> 00:23:20,722 So if you think about it from this perspective, Paul could say, 530 00:23:20,746 --> 00:23:22,226 look, finders keepers. 531 00:23:22,338 --> 00:23:24,194 Onesimus is mine now. 532 00:23:24,362 --> 00:23:29,314 I have every right to keep him under my ministry because look what 533 00:23:29,322 --> 00:23:30,162 he's doing here. 534 00:23:30,266 --> 00:23:31,870 It's profitable for us. 535 00:23:32,650 --> 00:23:34,594 But Paul exercises meekness. 536 00:23:34,642 --> 00:23:38,350 He has the strength to do that and no one would question him. 537 00:23:38,650 --> 00:23:43,804 But Paul in his meekness says, I'm gonna put Philemon first. 538 00:23:43,972 --> 00:23:45,880 I'm gonna put another brother first. 539 00:23:46,180 --> 00:23:47,532 And, and so he does. 540 00:23:47,636 --> 00:23:51,308 Verse 14, he says, but without thy mind would I do nothing meaning 541 00:23:51,324 --> 00:23:52,908 this without your consent? 542 00:23:53,004 --> 00:23:54,320 I won't do anything. 543 00:23:54,660 --> 00:23:58,284 I, I'm going to send Onesimus back to you and it'll be your decision. 544 00:23:58,452 --> 00:24:00,908 He defers to his fellow brother. 545 00:24:01,084 --> 00:24:04,780 He puts Philemon in a place where he can make that decision. 546 00:24:04,900 --> 00:24:06,316 And that's a respectful decision. 547 00:24:06,388 --> 00:24:09,402 That, that's a, that's, that's a demonstration of respect for a 548 00:24:09,426 --> 00:24:10,790 fellow brother in Christ. 549 00:24:13,250 --> 00:24:17,402 A lot of times this kind of dynamic can happen within churches. 550 00:24:17,466 --> 00:24:22,410 And you can have pastors who are trying to steal other people 551 00:24:22,450 --> 00:24:23,114 from other churches. 552 00:24:23,162 --> 00:24:25,962 And there's this competition, and there's this whole idea that, 553 00:24:25,986 --> 00:24:27,050 hey, they're at my church now. 554 00:24:27,090 --> 00:24:31,194 And instead of seeing everything in the gospel ministry 555 00:24:31,242 --> 00:24:34,768 as a competition, we should see it as we're all on the same team. 556 00:24:34,874 --> 00:24:37,716 And me helping you is me helping the gospel. 557 00:24:37,828 --> 00:24:42,292 Me helping this ministry is how we can both lift each other up. 558 00:24:42,316 --> 00:24:45,988 And the desire would be that as I lift you up, you lift me up. 559 00:24:46,124 --> 00:24:49,812 And I hope that you've seen our church striving to do that as 560 00:24:49,836 --> 00:24:51,332 we bring other pastors in. 561 00:24:51,356 --> 00:24:53,076 I mean, that's unique for me. 562 00:24:53,148 --> 00:24:56,020 It's unique for me to say, hey, let's bring another pastor in 563 00:24:56,060 --> 00:25:01,038 across the state, across the, you know, country, and say, hey, 564 00:25:01,054 --> 00:25:01,886 let's go help him. 565 00:25:01,958 --> 00:25:02,846 Because you know what? 566 00:25:02,918 --> 00:25:04,702 Truthfully, can I. 567 00:25:04,726 --> 00:25:06,030 I'll be transparent with you tonight. 568 00:25:06,110 --> 00:25:08,126 And if you're still with me, you'll. 569 00:25:08,158 --> 00:25:09,182 You'll get this. 570 00:25:09,366 --> 00:25:11,806 There's a lot of things that we need to be done at our church, 571 00:25:11,918 --> 00:25:12,430 okay? 572 00:25:12,510 --> 00:25:12,750 I. 573 00:25:12,790 --> 00:25:15,710 I could use more volunteers at Middletown Baptist Church. 574 00:25:15,790 --> 00:25:19,438 And so my flesh would say, why would we want to go help another 575 00:25:19,494 --> 00:25:21,610 church when we have enough work here? 576 00:25:22,150 --> 00:25:23,998 But that's not the heart of God, right? 577 00:25:24,054 --> 00:25:26,654 That's not the heart of the gospel ministry. 578 00:25:26,702 --> 00:25:28,432 And we can see that here with Paul, right? 579 00:25:28,526 --> 00:25:35,292 Paul sitting here in Roman house arrest with most likely a centurion 580 00:25:35,436 --> 00:25:36,732 chained to him. 581 00:25:36,916 --> 00:25:39,036 He could have really used Onesimus in his ministry. 582 00:25:39,068 --> 00:25:41,400 But he says, you know what, Philemon, you first. 583 00:25:42,820 --> 00:25:44,124 I hope this helps you. 584 00:25:44,212 --> 00:25:47,740 Now, if you see so fit for him to come back, send him back, but 585 00:25:47,780 --> 00:25:49,484 I'm gonna defer to you. 586 00:25:49,652 --> 00:25:51,868 And so Paul makes this appeal, and. 587 00:25:51,924 --> 00:25:56,358 And he makes it in wisdom, but at the same time, he wants to leave 588 00:25:56,374 --> 00:25:57,702 it up to Philemon. 589 00:25:57,846 --> 00:25:59,410 So he appeals in love. 590 00:25:59,950 --> 00:26:02,326 And he didn't trample over the rights of Philemon. 591 00:26:02,358 --> 00:26:03,526 And I think that's important to notice. 592 00:26:03,558 --> 00:26:08,566 I mean, we could, in our Christian life, trample over others 593 00:26:08,638 --> 00:26:10,518 if he's like, whoever's stronger, right? 594 00:26:10,574 --> 00:26:11,462 That's how our culture is. 595 00:26:11,486 --> 00:26:14,854 Whoever speaks the loudest, whoever has the most type A personality, 596 00:26:14,902 --> 00:26:16,374 usually gets the. 597 00:26:16,542 --> 00:26:17,638 Whatever they're going after. 598 00:26:17,694 --> 00:26:22,012 But as a Christian, sometimes there is wisdom and love and deference, 599 00:26:22,076 --> 00:26:23,388 meaning, I don't have to have that. 600 00:26:23,444 --> 00:26:23,692 I don't. 601 00:26:23,716 --> 00:26:25,260 I don't have to win that. 602 00:26:25,380 --> 00:26:27,020 And, you know, we realize that in. 603 00:26:27,060 --> 00:26:30,812 In conversations and with family and with spouses, like, we 604 00:26:30,836 --> 00:26:33,980 don't have to be the one who comes out every time the Victor, 605 00:26:34,060 --> 00:26:34,876 it's, it's, it's. 606 00:26:34,908 --> 00:26:37,920 In this case, Paul says, I'm gonna take the back seat. 607 00:26:38,260 --> 00:26:38,572 So. 608 00:26:38,596 --> 00:26:38,988 Verse 14. 609 00:26:39,044 --> 00:26:40,828 But without thy mind would I do nothing. 610 00:26:40,924 --> 00:26:44,140 That thy benefit should not be, as it were of necessity, but 611 00:26:44,180 --> 00:26:45,120 willingly. 612 00:26:45,540 --> 00:26:50,208 What he's saying here is this you receiving back Onesimus. 613 00:26:50,384 --> 00:26:54,480 I want this to be something that you do willfully in the Lord. 614 00:26:54,640 --> 00:26:57,072 I don't want this to be something that I'm forcing you to 615 00:26:57,096 --> 00:26:57,660 do. 616 00:26:58,120 --> 00:27:02,016 And so, so Paul makes his appeal and, and he says, hey, I want 617 00:27:02,088 --> 00:27:06,176 you to do this, but I don't want to force this decision on you. 618 00:27:06,248 --> 00:27:11,344 If I demanded would be a good deed that you were basically, you 619 00:27:11,352 --> 00:27:12,144 know, you were. 620 00:27:12,232 --> 00:27:13,312 It was a compulsion, right? 621 00:27:13,336 --> 00:27:15,074 I, I forced you to do this. 622 00:27:15,232 --> 00:27:19,822 But if it was voluntary, it would make the whole situation more 623 00:27:19,846 --> 00:27:23,294 pleasant and I believe have a greater impact in the life of Philemon. 624 00:27:23,342 --> 00:27:26,318 So, so what does that look like in the Christian life here we, 625 00:27:26,374 --> 00:27:31,262 we can try to force people to obey scripture. 626 00:27:31,406 --> 00:27:33,930 I could and I have. 627 00:27:35,190 --> 00:27:37,614 We could set up a list of rules and I could police you and 628 00:27:37,622 --> 00:27:40,526 I could be out and about Middletown with my little notebook 629 00:27:40,558 --> 00:27:41,806 and saying, okay, what are they doing? 630 00:27:41,878 --> 00:27:44,102 I'm going to follow them around and oh, oh, oh, did you do 631 00:27:44,126 --> 00:27:44,262 that? 632 00:27:44,286 --> 00:27:45,174 Oh, you know, you. 633 00:27:45,262 --> 00:27:48,838 But the truth is, is that I could sit here and take roll on Sunday 634 00:27:48,894 --> 00:27:49,574 morning for church. 635 00:27:49,622 --> 00:27:51,798 Okay, so, and so wasn't here this Sunday. 636 00:27:51,854 --> 00:27:54,262 So I'm gonna make a, you know, Baptist buck. 637 00:27:54,326 --> 00:27:56,358 Take that off there and you know, add a Baptist buck. 638 00:27:56,374 --> 00:27:58,294 Cause this person came to every service this week. 639 00:27:58,382 --> 00:27:59,798 And you think about that. 640 00:27:59,934 --> 00:28:02,370 In many ways, we, we, we do that. 641 00:28:02,910 --> 00:28:08,230 But how much more profitable, how much more of a blessing is it 642 00:28:08,270 --> 00:28:11,184 when someone does something for the Lord out of their own will, 643 00:28:11,302 --> 00:28:11,628 right? 644 00:28:11,684 --> 00:28:14,332 They're because they love God, not because they were forced to do 645 00:28:14,356 --> 00:28:14,920 something. 646 00:28:15,380 --> 00:28:17,756 I could sit down and have my children like. 647 00:28:17,828 --> 00:28:18,332 And I have. 648 00:28:18,356 --> 00:28:19,180 And I do. 649 00:28:19,300 --> 00:28:21,004 I force my children to read the scriptures. 650 00:28:21,052 --> 00:28:21,532 I do that. 651 00:28:21,556 --> 00:28:22,844 Okay, guilty. 652 00:28:22,892 --> 00:28:26,588 I say, guys, you need to read because if you don't spur some people 653 00:28:26,644 --> 00:28:27,740 on, they won't do it, right? 654 00:28:27,780 --> 00:28:29,600 So you gotta set a standard. 655 00:28:30,260 --> 00:28:35,932 But if I constantly tell my children and force my children to 656 00:28:35,956 --> 00:28:39,100 do these spiritual disciplines and there's never a connection about 657 00:28:39,140 --> 00:28:42,076 the why behind it and they never want to do it, you know what's 658 00:28:42,108 --> 00:28:42,460 going to happen? 659 00:28:42,500 --> 00:28:45,624 The moment that dad's thumb of pressure is on them, they're going 660 00:28:45,632 --> 00:28:47,464 to say, well, that doesn't mean anything to me because I was 661 00:28:47,472 --> 00:28:49,352 doing it because dad forced me to. 662 00:28:49,536 --> 00:28:52,760 But if there is a Love that's fostered in that environment and 663 00:28:52,800 --> 00:28:55,496 that one day, hopefully that they're doing the things that God 664 00:28:55,528 --> 00:29:00,264 has called them to do in love and not out of fear, out of fear 665 00:29:00,312 --> 00:29:01,608 of being punished. 666 00:29:01,704 --> 00:29:03,432 And so I think that that's what Paul is doing here. 667 00:29:03,456 --> 00:29:06,648 Paul says, I could force you to do this, Philemon, and receive 668 00:29:06,664 --> 00:29:09,646 him back and I could sit there and get you guys together. 669 00:29:09,768 --> 00:29:12,834 But what I want you to do is I want you to do this out of your love 670 00:29:12,922 --> 00:29:15,602 for God and your love for Onesimus. 671 00:29:15,746 --> 00:29:18,626 And so it's so much more beneficial to do it that way. 672 00:29:18,698 --> 00:29:24,066 I had an English teacher in high school and she was like, I'm 673 00:29:24,098 --> 00:29:26,546 tired of spoon feeding you guys, okay? 674 00:29:26,578 --> 00:29:27,842 You guys better get it on your own. 675 00:29:27,866 --> 00:29:29,858 I'm spoon feeding you guys all this information. 676 00:29:29,994 --> 00:29:32,690 And she would get onto us and she says, you guys need to be little 677 00:29:32,730 --> 00:29:34,338 birds and fly it out of the nest, okay? 678 00:29:34,354 --> 00:29:35,710 I remember her saying that. 679 00:29:36,140 --> 00:29:40,660 And, and I could sit here and, and read Bible verses and give you 680 00:29:40,700 --> 00:29:43,348 all the, the, the commentaries. 681 00:29:43,524 --> 00:29:44,900 And that is beneficial, right? 682 00:29:44,940 --> 00:29:48,340 Being spoon fed still nourishes you, but how much more 683 00:29:48,380 --> 00:29:54,180 beneficial is it that you as an individual take those, those thoughts 684 00:29:54,260 --> 00:29:56,164 and those directions and say, you know what? 685 00:29:56,172 --> 00:29:57,748 I'm going to study the Word for myself. 686 00:29:57,844 --> 00:30:00,932 I think all of you that have retained something or grown in your 687 00:30:00,956 --> 00:30:04,062 own personal study, it's way more beneficial to do that than have 688 00:30:04,086 --> 00:30:04,990 someone tell you about it. 689 00:30:05,030 --> 00:30:08,510 Like it's me getting up here and saying, guys, and pretend like 690 00:30:08,550 --> 00:30:11,810 none of you guys have ever had chocolate, Okay? 691 00:30:12,150 --> 00:30:14,430 I think that's a pretty universal thing. 692 00:30:14,470 --> 00:30:16,350 Most people like chocolate, okay? 693 00:30:16,430 --> 00:30:16,718 What? 694 00:30:16,774 --> 00:30:18,942 Pretend like none of you have ever had chocolate in your life. 695 00:30:18,966 --> 00:30:21,982 And I get up here and I'm trying to describe it to you and 696 00:30:22,006 --> 00:30:23,934 you could maybe understand it to a degree. 697 00:30:23,982 --> 00:30:25,070 You go, well, that sounds good. 698 00:30:25,110 --> 00:30:26,846 It sounds similar to this. 699 00:30:26,918 --> 00:30:28,958 And I bet you I would like it. 700 00:30:29,014 --> 00:30:30,532 He seems like he really likes it. 701 00:30:30,606 --> 00:30:32,568 You know, there's a lot of Christians out there today that that's 702 00:30:32,584 --> 00:30:35,176 how they're receiving the gospel message or that's how they're 703 00:30:35,208 --> 00:30:37,224 receiving different elements of scripture. 704 00:30:37,272 --> 00:30:39,208 It's like, well, it sounds exciting for him. 705 00:30:39,264 --> 00:30:41,384 I don't know if I can really relate to that. 706 00:30:41,472 --> 00:30:45,784 The, the, the truth is is that now let's say new hypothetical, all 707 00:30:45,792 --> 00:30:49,384 of you have had chocolate and I explain it to you and you can understand 708 00:30:49,472 --> 00:30:50,088 what I'm saying. 709 00:30:50,144 --> 00:30:52,664 You can say, yeah, I know exactly what he's talking about. 710 00:30:52,832 --> 00:30:55,224 That's the same thing when it comes to the area of Scripture. 711 00:30:55,272 --> 00:30:58,216 Okay, so we what, what he's doing here is he's trying to teach. 712 00:30:58,328 --> 00:31:01,544 I believe Paul is trying to teach Philemon a spiritual lesson 713 00:31:01,592 --> 00:31:03,672 that I don't want to force you to do everything. 714 00:31:03,776 --> 00:31:05,384 There's a time and a place for that. 715 00:31:05,472 --> 00:31:08,200 But at this point, I want you to do this in the decision of love. 716 00:31:08,320 --> 00:31:12,232 And so Paul gave Philemon the freedom to do what was right in love 717 00:31:12,336 --> 00:31:16,456 before God, and he gave him the freedom to do it in his own choice 718 00:31:16,488 --> 00:31:19,100 and not out of Paul's compulsion. 719 00:31:19,600 --> 00:31:21,902 So that's what verse 14 is talking about. 720 00:31:22,056 --> 00:31:26,870 He says that it would benefit you not out of necessity, but willingly. 721 00:31:27,370 --> 00:31:28,722 And that's, and that's exciting. 722 00:31:28,786 --> 00:31:31,298 That's exciting for all people who are working in the ministry, 723 00:31:31,394 --> 00:31:35,410 pastors, teachers, when your students or when your congregation 724 00:31:35,570 --> 00:31:38,754 has that light bulb moment and when there's that idea of, hey, you 725 00:31:38,762 --> 00:31:38,962 know what? 726 00:31:38,986 --> 00:31:40,226 I read this in Scripture. 727 00:31:40,338 --> 00:31:46,242 I, I can't tell you how much my heart is warmed and excited and 728 00:31:46,266 --> 00:31:48,274 lifted up when someone comes up to me and says, hey, I've got 729 00:31:48,282 --> 00:31:49,746 a question about this passage of scripture. 730 00:31:49,778 --> 00:31:52,462 I was reading this, and even if it's like, I'm confused and I 731 00:31:52,486 --> 00:31:54,430 don't know what this is, that's exciting for me because that 732 00:31:54,470 --> 00:31:57,246 shows that, hey, we have people that are hungry and thirsting 733 00:31:57,278 --> 00:31:58,450 after righteousness. 734 00:31:58,950 --> 00:32:02,126 And, and I, and I've had some people even say in the past, hey, 735 00:32:02,158 --> 00:32:04,622 Pastor, I didn't want to bother you with this, but I, I had 736 00:32:04,646 --> 00:32:08,126 a question about scripture or had an observation about scripture. 737 00:32:08,238 --> 00:32:10,810 There's a lot of things that would bother me in my life. 738 00:32:11,190 --> 00:32:14,286 I tell you, the top of my list that doesn't bother me would be talking 739 00:32:14,318 --> 00:32:15,294 about scripture. 740 00:32:15,422 --> 00:32:17,342 And, and I, and I would encourage you to talk more about 741 00:32:17,366 --> 00:32:19,070 scripture to people that are around you. 742 00:32:19,110 --> 00:32:25,056 So he says, do it out of love, for perhaps he therefore departed 743 00:32:25,088 --> 00:32:28,180 for a season that thou shouldest receive him forever. 744 00:32:28,680 --> 00:32:30,560 Now what is he saying here? 745 00:32:30,600 --> 00:32:36,112 Well, Paul explains God's hand at work in Onesimus's life because 746 00:32:36,136 --> 00:32:38,528 he says, like, hey, you ever heard someone say, well, I don't 747 00:32:38,544 --> 00:32:39,840 know why that had to happen. 748 00:32:39,960 --> 00:32:42,592 Maybe Philemon was even thinking that maybe Philemon was 749 00:32:42,616 --> 00:32:44,992 like, why did Onesimus have to leave me? 750 00:32:45,016 --> 00:32:46,740 He really left me in a tough spot. 751 00:32:47,320 --> 00:32:50,240 Well, Paul is going to, basically, to the best of his ability, 752 00:32:50,320 --> 00:32:54,624 explain to Philemon why Onesimus left. 753 00:32:54,792 --> 00:32:56,624 And, and he essentially says this. 754 00:32:56,712 --> 00:32:58,464 He departed for a little while. 755 00:32:58,632 --> 00:32:59,264 Yes. 756 00:32:59,392 --> 00:33:02,960 So, so Paul is admitting Onesimus's wrongdoing. 757 00:33:03,120 --> 00:33:05,740 But Paul then says, hey, he's coming back. 758 00:33:06,120 --> 00:33:08,540 And so he departed for A while. 759 00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:10,528 But what does he say? 760 00:33:10,584 --> 00:33:14,930 He says, but then he's going to come back, that you may receive 761 00:33:15,010 --> 00:33:16,390 him forever. 762 00:33:17,290 --> 00:33:21,042 And this was one aspect of the purpose that Paul saw in God's hand. 763 00:33:21,146 --> 00:33:26,710 In the escape of Onesimus, Philemon had lost a servant. 764 00:33:27,850 --> 00:33:33,874 But through Onesimus's runaway and through his transformation, Philemon 765 00:33:33,922 --> 00:33:36,530 had gained a Christian brother who. 766 00:33:36,650 --> 00:33:39,050 A brother in Christ is something forever. 767 00:33:39,170 --> 00:33:40,826 A servant is temporary. 768 00:33:40,938 --> 00:33:45,194 So he says, you lost your worker, so to speak, for a temporary 769 00:33:45,242 --> 00:33:47,322 time and that was a minor inconvenience. 770 00:33:47,466 --> 00:33:51,802 But what you gained in this process is a brother in Christ that 771 00:33:51,826 --> 00:33:54,602 will last forever and that's way more valuable. 772 00:33:54,746 --> 00:33:57,370 So Paul is basically explaining this was the hand of God. 773 00:33:57,450 --> 00:34:01,242 Onesimus had to leave so that he could come to Christ so that you 774 00:34:01,266 --> 00:34:04,426 could then gain a brother, so that there could be a greater spiritual 775 00:34:04,458 --> 00:34:04,746 impact. 776 00:34:04,818 --> 00:34:09,546 And so what Paul is doing here is he's highlighting the eternal 777 00:34:09,578 --> 00:34:10,458 perspective. 778 00:34:10,634 --> 00:34:14,090 The eternal perspective of I might have to go through something 779 00:34:14,210 --> 00:34:17,070 so that something else happens for the cause of the Gospel. 780 00:34:17,410 --> 00:34:18,826 He gained a Christian brother. 781 00:34:18,858 --> 00:34:24,618 And I, I think verse 15 is a, a beautiful, beautiful picture of, 782 00:34:24,674 --> 00:34:27,914 of this aspect of what really matters in this world. 783 00:34:28,002 --> 00:34:32,100 Philemon could have been so upset that he had lost one of his 784 00:34:32,140 --> 00:34:32,436 workers. 785 00:34:32,508 --> 00:34:36,292 And that might have been a financial loss, that might have been 786 00:34:36,476 --> 00:34:39,332 whatever type of loss, an embarrassment to his community. 787 00:34:39,516 --> 00:34:41,960 But now he has something even greater. 788 00:34:42,540 --> 00:34:43,076 And that's. 789 00:34:43,108 --> 00:34:45,940 As Christians, you know, we could focus on the here and now. 790 00:34:45,980 --> 00:34:49,428 We could focus on the material, the things that are as, 791 00:34:49,484 --> 00:34:51,092 as Jesus mentions in the Gospels. 792 00:34:51,156 --> 00:34:54,916 These things are going to have rust and be corrupted and pass away. 793 00:34:54,988 --> 00:34:58,492 Or we could be excited about what's going to last for eternity. 794 00:34:58,676 --> 00:35:02,236 And what I would say to you is this, and, and this is, this is. 795 00:35:02,308 --> 00:35:04,524 I'll end with this kind of. 796 00:35:04,612 --> 00:35:06,716 But this will be a challenge. 797 00:35:06,748 --> 00:35:08,280 And this is a challenge for me. 798 00:35:09,460 --> 00:35:12,012 Look, look, don't literally look around right now. 799 00:35:12,036 --> 00:35:17,004 Cause it might be awkward, but look around your fellow and brother, 800 00:35:17,132 --> 00:35:19,532 your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. 801 00:35:19,636 --> 00:35:22,332 This is who we're spending eternity with. 802 00:35:22,516 --> 00:35:24,040 Can you ever think about that? 803 00:35:24,750 --> 00:35:29,610 And, and you know, I think that so many times we allow minor 804 00:35:30,910 --> 00:35:35,650 material, fleshly things cause division amongst us. 805 00:35:36,350 --> 00:35:38,774 But if we see it from the greater picture like this means nothing 806 00:35:38,822 --> 00:35:40,582 in the grand scheme of eternity because that's going to 807 00:35:40,606 --> 00:35:42,250 be my brother forever. 808 00:35:42,830 --> 00:35:45,718 And, and that's why, all the more reason why we shouldn't fight 809 00:35:45,774 --> 00:35:48,090 now because, because I think there's. 810 00:35:48,510 --> 00:35:51,632 I don't know how this will be in heaven, but I think there might 811 00:35:51,656 --> 00:35:54,112 be some awkward moments when we get to heaven and we see some 812 00:35:54,136 --> 00:35:56,720 people that we were like, wow, I know you're a brother in Christ. 813 00:35:56,760 --> 00:35:57,392 But now we've got. 814 00:35:57,416 --> 00:35:58,288 But we're just not gonna be. 815 00:35:58,344 --> 00:35:59,552 There's not gonna be a sin nature there. 816 00:35:59,576 --> 00:36:00,672 So I don't know how that's all gonna be. 817 00:36:00,696 --> 00:36:02,352 I hope there isn't any of that. 818 00:36:02,456 --> 00:36:05,900 But the reality is, is that I think that we should grow more because 819 00:36:07,480 --> 00:36:11,472 thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 820 00:36:11,616 --> 00:36:11,920 Right? 821 00:36:11,960 --> 00:36:13,952 That was Jesus's model prayer. 822 00:36:14,096 --> 00:36:14,400 So. 823 00:36:14,440 --> 00:36:16,464 So as it is in heaven, there's complete unity. 824 00:36:16,512 --> 00:36:18,660 I don't believe that there's Christians fighting in heaven. 825 00:36:19,000 --> 00:36:22,496 So I believe it's God's will that we as Christians should be walking 826 00:36:22,528 --> 00:36:26,128 in unity now and therefore thinking about the eternal thing. 827 00:36:26,184 --> 00:36:31,648 So let's say, for example, a brother slights me, and it's something 828 00:36:31,704 --> 00:36:34,220 that greatly offends me. 829 00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:38,624 Am I going to approach that situation from the fleshly perspective, 830 00:36:38,672 --> 00:36:40,880 the material perspective, or the eternal perspective? 831 00:36:40,960 --> 00:36:42,816 I'm gonna have a lot more grace with an individual. 832 00:36:42,848 --> 00:36:44,848 If I'm thinking about that's my fellow brother, that I'm gonna 833 00:36:44,864 --> 00:36:46,220 spend eternity with one. 834 00:36:47,140 --> 00:36:48,412 And I've been trying to work on that. 835 00:36:48,436 --> 00:36:53,036 I've been trying to see individuals not as an enemy, but 836 00:36:53,108 --> 00:36:55,240 as a brother in Christ. 837 00:36:56,020 --> 00:36:58,876 And then he we'll have to do 16, because that's. 838 00:36:58,908 --> 00:36:59,500 That's the thought. 839 00:36:59,540 --> 00:36:59,900 And then. 840 00:36:59,940 --> 00:37:00,492 Then we'll be done. 841 00:37:00,516 --> 00:37:01,852 We'll come back another time. 842 00:37:01,956 --> 00:37:04,188 He says, not now as a servant. 843 00:37:04,364 --> 00:37:11,332 Don't receive him back as a servant, but as. 844 00:37:11,476 --> 00:37:15,108 But above a servant, a brother, beloved. 845 00:37:15,284 --> 00:37:16,500 This is the main verse. 846 00:37:16,580 --> 00:37:18,708 Like you could take any verse with you in. 847 00:37:18,764 --> 00:37:20,276 In Philemon, it's this. 848 00:37:20,428 --> 00:37:23,412 Don't receive him back as a bond servant. 849 00:37:23,556 --> 00:37:28,116 Receive him back as a beloved brother, especially to me. 850 00:37:28,268 --> 00:37:30,020 But how much more unto thee? 851 00:37:30,100 --> 00:37:32,388 Both in the flesh and in the Lord. 852 00:37:32,564 --> 00:37:37,582 He says, hey, look, you could receive him back in many ways, but 853 00:37:37,606 --> 00:37:40,610 how I'm challenged you to receive him is receive him as a brother. 854 00:37:41,270 --> 00:37:45,486 He basically here is reintroducing Onesimus to his master. 855 00:37:45,678 --> 00:37:48,926 He's like, hey, by the way, this is your new brother, Onesimus. 856 00:37:48,958 --> 00:37:52,654 I remember when we brought Silas home to Nora and Micah. 857 00:37:52,702 --> 00:37:56,142 Actually, believe it or not, I remember when we brought Nora home 858 00:37:56,166 --> 00:37:56,558 to Micah. 859 00:37:56,574 --> 00:37:58,958 Micah was 2 years old, and we still have a video of it. 860 00:37:59,014 --> 00:38:00,494 Micah's like, I want to hold my sister. 861 00:38:00,542 --> 00:38:02,222 And we put Nora in his hands. 862 00:38:02,366 --> 00:38:04,366 And of course, we were watching, and Micah had his hands 863 00:38:04,398 --> 00:38:07,508 like this, and Nora just laid across here, and he looked at her, 864 00:38:07,564 --> 00:38:08,932 and he like, Looked away, looked at her. 865 00:38:08,956 --> 00:38:10,276 And then he just was like, I'm done. 866 00:38:10,348 --> 00:38:11,428 And we took her away. 867 00:38:11,564 --> 00:38:16,004 And then, you know, when Silas was born, Mike and Nora a lot older 868 00:38:16,052 --> 00:38:18,228 and they didn't get to see him when he was born. 869 00:38:18,404 --> 00:38:19,828 It was the. 870 00:38:19,884 --> 00:38:21,012 He was in the nicu. 871 00:38:21,156 --> 00:38:23,604 And so they weren't allowing children in the nicu. 872 00:38:23,652 --> 00:38:24,452 Well, we got. 873 00:38:24,556 --> 00:38:27,476 Long story short, we got permission to bring our kids in. 874 00:38:27,548 --> 00:38:29,572 And I remember that day when they got to introduce. 875 00:38:29,636 --> 00:38:32,148 We introduced Micah or Silas to, to Micah and Nora. 876 00:38:32,164 --> 00:38:33,528 And it was an exciting moment. 877 00:38:33,684 --> 00:38:36,240 That's basically what he's saying here now. 878 00:38:36,280 --> 00:38:40,832 He says, you lost a servant, but now here's your new brother in 879 00:38:40,856 --> 00:38:41,328 Christ. 880 00:38:41,464 --> 00:38:45,584 That's an exciting moment and hopefully one that Philemon understood 881 00:38:45,632 --> 00:38:46,480 there to be that way. 882 00:38:46,520 --> 00:38:48,080 And he says, hey, you know what? 883 00:38:48,120 --> 00:38:49,456 This is an exciting thing. 884 00:38:49,528 --> 00:38:51,540 He's not your servant, he's your brother. 885 00:38:51,960 --> 00:38:56,400 And in this relationship as brothers, Paul basically says, hey, 886 00:38:56,560 --> 00:39:00,580 remove the master servant relationship. 887 00:39:02,870 --> 00:39:06,958 It is now a brother to brother relationship under the bond of love 888 00:39:07,014 --> 00:39:07,850 in Christ. 889 00:39:08,150 --> 00:39:09,502 We'll talk more about that. 890 00:39:09,606 --> 00:39:13,050 I'm at my end now, but we'll pick that up next week. 891 00:39:13,830 --> 00:39:16,810 Actually, no, we won't make it up next week. 892 00:39:17,590 --> 00:39:19,182 Silas's surgery is next week. 893 00:39:19,206 --> 00:39:20,654 So I won't be here next week. 894 00:39:20,742 --> 00:39:23,742 But in two weeks, Lord willing, I will be back. 895 00:39:23,846 --> 00:39:27,742 And we will be doing, starting at verse 16, just talking about the 896 00:39:27,766 --> 00:39:30,564 beauty of that because there's so much more to talk about. 897 00:39:30,652 --> 00:39:35,044 Paul speaks of there's no longer bond nor free, no longer Jew 898 00:39:35,092 --> 00:39:36,360 or Gentile. 899 00:39:36,700 --> 00:39:39,092 And we're going to talk about what that verse means, because that 900 00:39:39,116 --> 00:39:43,140 verse doesn't mean that, hey, none of us have any more differences 901 00:39:43,220 --> 00:39:45,300 when it comes to how we act and how we look. 902 00:39:45,340 --> 00:39:47,252 No, that still, we still have differences. 903 00:39:47,316 --> 00:39:47,636 Right? 904 00:39:47,708 --> 00:39:48,660 We all look different. 905 00:39:48,780 --> 00:39:51,220 We all can walk in here and realize that this person's different 906 00:39:51,260 --> 00:39:52,068 than this person. 907 00:39:52,204 --> 00:39:54,532 So we're going to talk about what the spiritual implication of 908 00:39:54,556 --> 00:39:56,556 that means one day. 909 00:39:56,628 --> 00:39:57,116 So we'll. 910 00:39:57,148 --> 00:39:58,332 We'll talk about that when we come back. 911 00:39:58,356 --> 00:39:59,356 So thank you so much for attention. 912 00:39:59,388 --> 00:40:02,396 I know that was a long lesson, but through the study of Philemon, 913 00:40:02,428 --> 00:40:05,020 I've just really grown to appreciate this book more and more 914 00:40:05,060 --> 00:40:10,860 when it comes to the idea of the gospel and restoration and be 915 00:40:10,900 --> 00:40:13,800 praying about that even in your own life there. 916 00:40:14,980 --> 00:40:17,644 Thank you again for listening to the Middletown Baptist Church 917 00:40:17,692 --> 00:40:18,444 podcast. 918 00:40:18,572 --> 00:40:21,080 I hope that this sermon has been a blessing for you. 919 00:40:21,470 --> 00:40:23,766 If you would like to find out more information about our church 920 00:40:23,798 --> 00:40:27,462 or this sermon, you can find us at middletownbaptistchurch.org 921 00:40:27,606 --> 00:40:30,410 or find us on Facebook or YouTube. 922 00:40:30,830 --> 00:40:35,334 You can also email me directly at Josh Massaroiddletownbaptistchurch 923 00:40:35,382 --> 00:40:39,798 dot com if you've enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and follow 924 00:40:39,854 --> 00:40:42,810 along for future podcast and updates. 925 00:40:43,230 --> 00:40:44,342 Thank you so much. 926 00:40:44,446 --> 00:40:45,334 God Bless. 927 00:40:45,462 --> 00:40:46,510 Have a wonderful day.