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 --> 00:00:20,072 Now come along, let's look into the Bible and see what God has 8 00:00:20,096 --> 00:00:21,700 for us here today. 9 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:26,776 All right, well, we're going to start a new study here this evening, 10 00:00:26,808 --> 00:00:27,980 a new book study. 11 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:31,780 If you're here with us for the first time, you're at a good time. 12 00:00:31,900 --> 00:00:34,788 And if you're meeting back with us, we just finished a study 13 00:00:34,844 --> 00:00:37,300 in the book of Jude and now we're gonna start in the book of 14 00:00:37,340 --> 00:00:38,212 Philemon. 15 00:00:38,276 --> 00:00:42,964 And so another book that you don't often hear preached on if you 16 00:00:42,972 --> 00:00:46,100 don't know where Philemon is, it's tucked in between Titus and 17 00:00:46,140 --> 00:00:46,868 Hebrews. 18 00:00:46,964 --> 00:00:50,440 So if you know where Hebrews is, go to Hebrews and go back a chapter. 19 00:00:51,100 --> 00:00:53,044 And that is just one chapter. 20 00:00:53,092 --> 00:00:56,550 Philemon is one chapter, 25 verses. 21 00:00:56,710 --> 00:01:00,790 And the reason why Philemon is not talked about as frequently is 22 00:01:00,830 --> 00:01:02,406 because one, it's so short. 23 00:01:02,478 --> 00:01:05,414 And most of the time the short books of the Bible get overlooked 24 00:01:05,462 --> 00:01:09,654 because a lot of times people think that smaller books have a smaller 25 00:01:09,702 --> 00:01:10,294 message. 26 00:01:10,422 --> 00:01:13,462 And that's why you hear minor and major prophets. 27 00:01:13,606 --> 00:01:16,118 But the minor prophets aren't the minor prophets because they're 28 00:01:16,134 --> 00:01:18,646 not important, they're just minor because they're smaller. 29 00:01:18,758 --> 00:01:20,470 And so that would be the thing with Philemon. 30 00:01:20,550 --> 00:01:24,816 Another reason why Philemon isn't always talked about is because 31 00:01:24,888 --> 00:01:26,624 it deals with a sensitive topic. 32 00:01:26,752 --> 00:01:30,096 Specifically, it deals with an individual who is a runaway slave. 33 00:01:30,288 --> 00:01:32,560 I'm a bond servant and we're going to talk a little bit about 34 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:32,992 that. 35 00:01:33,096 --> 00:01:35,488 And a lot of people have a hard time connecting the dots between 36 00:01:35,544 --> 00:01:38,848 the idea of what's Paul talking about in regards to the Gospel. 37 00:01:39,024 --> 00:01:42,368 But I think this is an amazing book of the Bible that, that talks 38 00:01:42,384 --> 00:01:47,856 about the law and grace, forgiveness, mercy and the opportunity 39 00:01:47,888 --> 00:01:49,632 to see people on the same level. 40 00:01:49,736 --> 00:01:54,098 The Bible teaches that when we become born again believers, there's 41 00:01:54,114 --> 00:01:56,242 no one that's more important than somebody else. 42 00:01:56,386 --> 00:01:58,706 No one holds a higher status in the eyes of God. 43 00:01:58,738 --> 00:02:01,842 We know that the Bible says there's, you know, no more Jew or 44 00:02:01,866 --> 00:02:03,410 gentile bond or free. 45 00:02:03,530 --> 00:02:07,074 And the beauty of the Gospel is that the gospel is for all. 46 00:02:07,162 --> 00:02:10,146 And when someone comes to Christ in redemption, it doesn't 47 00:02:10,178 --> 00:02:13,618 matter if they are multi billionaires or they have no money 48 00:02:13,674 --> 00:02:14,354 to their name. 49 00:02:14,442 --> 00:02:17,502 The Bible says that they stand before God the same way. 50 00:02:17,626 --> 00:02:19,414 And that's the beauty of the gospel. 51 00:02:19,462 --> 00:02:21,702 And so that's mentioned here in Philemon. 52 00:02:21,846 --> 00:02:25,370 Another picture in the book of Philemon is the picture of restoration, 53 00:02:25,710 --> 00:02:30,790 the idea of a runaway slave and then his master receiving him 54 00:02:30,830 --> 00:02:33,462 back and restoring that relationship. 55 00:02:33,526 --> 00:02:36,662 And I believe it's a beautiful picture of the relationship that 56 00:02:36,686 --> 00:02:40,198 God has with us in the restoration process of once we were 57 00:02:40,254 --> 00:02:43,972 enemies of God, now we are a part of his family. 58 00:02:44,086 --> 00:02:46,340 And so there's a lot of beautiful pictures here. 59 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:48,296 Who writes the book of Philemon? 60 00:02:48,328 --> 00:02:51,480 Well, we know ultimately God writes the book of Philemon, but 61 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:55,848 the, the human author is Paul, and Paul is in prison. 62 00:02:55,944 --> 00:02:57,752 Okay, So I want to paint the picture for you. 63 00:02:57,776 --> 00:02:59,720 A lot of tonight we'll be painting the picture and getting 64 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:02,184 the, the plane off of the Runway. 65 00:03:02,232 --> 00:03:04,616 And then for the rest of the study, we'll, we'll dive in deeper. 66 00:03:04,648 --> 00:03:06,568 But Paul is in prison at this point. 67 00:03:06,624 --> 00:03:08,216 He's a prisoner in Rome. 68 00:03:08,408 --> 00:03:12,080 And he has a guy come to him named Onesimus. 69 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:13,664 Onesimus is a runaway slave. 70 00:03:13,712 --> 00:03:18,000 And we find out that at some point in time, Onesimus gets saved. 71 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:19,808 And so Paul leads him to Christ. 72 00:03:19,864 --> 00:03:21,184 Paul is discipling him. 73 00:03:21,272 --> 00:03:24,112 And Paul realizes that Onesimus is a runaway slave from 74 00:03:24,136 --> 00:03:26,784 a guy named Philemon, which Paul knows Philemon, there was a 75 00:03:26,792 --> 00:03:27,456 connection there. 76 00:03:27,528 --> 00:03:28,576 And they have a past. 77 00:03:28,648 --> 00:03:32,704 And we actually see that Paul was personal friends with Philemon. 78 00:03:32,752 --> 00:03:36,128 And we know that because of the way that Paul addresses Philemon 79 00:03:36,144 --> 00:03:37,060 in this passage. 80 00:03:37,660 --> 00:03:40,644 One of the unique elements of this book is that Paul writes to 81 00:03:40,652 --> 00:03:41,668 an individual. 82 00:03:41,844 --> 00:03:44,724 Think about, most of Paul's epistles are written to churches, 83 00:03:44,772 --> 00:03:46,148 groups of people, right? 84 00:03:46,204 --> 00:03:50,260 So Ephesians would be written to the church at Ephesus, and, and 85 00:03:50,300 --> 00:03:51,476 so, and so on and so forth. 86 00:03:51,508 --> 00:03:53,028 Now, there are a few exceptions to that. 87 00:03:53,084 --> 00:03:57,060 We know first and second Timothy was written to Timothy as 88 00:03:57,100 --> 00:03:59,172 a pastor, but pastoring a church. 89 00:03:59,316 --> 00:04:03,060 So there was specific details for Timothy to learn and to grow 90 00:04:03,100 --> 00:04:06,160 in, but also for him to bring to the church. 91 00:04:06,660 --> 00:04:07,660 So there was that. 92 00:04:07,700 --> 00:04:10,876 There's also Titus, which was a passage of Scripture to another 93 00:04:10,948 --> 00:04:14,108 pastor there, but again, it was for the church as well. 94 00:04:14,244 --> 00:04:17,052 This is unique in the fact that it's written to an individual 95 00:04:17,116 --> 00:04:21,180 for an individual situation, for restoration of individuals, and 96 00:04:21,220 --> 00:04:23,612 not for the sake of the whole church, even though the church can 97 00:04:23,636 --> 00:04:25,388 benefit from what we can learn here. 98 00:04:25,524 --> 00:04:31,426 And so this was written approximately around 60 AD and the 99 00:04:31,498 --> 00:04:34,950 letter to Philemon is, is Paul's shortest letter. 100 00:04:35,850 --> 00:04:38,738 It deals with a sensitive topic. 101 00:04:38,914 --> 00:04:43,938 And if you don't understand the context of this topic, it'll 102 00:04:43,954 --> 00:04:45,682 be Very hard to kind of get past it. 103 00:04:45,786 --> 00:04:47,750 And that is the idea of slavery. 104 00:04:48,090 --> 00:04:52,338 Obviously we know that term slavery in the context of what we 105 00:04:52,394 --> 00:04:55,710 live in today and what we have come from in our country. 106 00:04:56,090 --> 00:04:59,410 But the type of slavery that would have been happening at this 107 00:04:59,450 --> 00:05:02,450 time and at this place in the book of Philemon is different than 108 00:05:02,490 --> 00:05:05,730 the slavery that we experience in our country, and that even is 109 00:05:05,770 --> 00:05:06,818 still happening today. 110 00:05:06,954 --> 00:05:10,466 Most of the time we link slavery to picking an individual 111 00:05:10,498 --> 00:05:13,986 from a certain group of people and their race or where they're from, 112 00:05:14,058 --> 00:05:17,234 and then stealing them, capturing them and putting them into 113 00:05:17,322 --> 00:05:18,750 servitude to them. 114 00:05:19,130 --> 00:05:22,242 And so that is not the type of slavery that is talked about here 115 00:05:22,266 --> 00:05:22,914 in this passage. 116 00:05:22,962 --> 00:05:24,930 And so there's a lot of people that will. 117 00:05:24,970 --> 00:05:26,870 And this is a sensitive topic. 118 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:29,768 And as a pastor, sometimes it's easy to skirt around, but we've 119 00:05:29,784 --> 00:05:30,440 got to address it. 120 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:33,896 Some people will think that the Bible doesn't condemn slavery, 121 00:05:33,928 --> 00:05:35,992 therefore the Bible is for slavery. 122 00:05:36,136 --> 00:05:38,792 And we need to be very cautious on that realm because we 123 00:05:38,816 --> 00:05:41,832 can get ourselves into some slippery situations if we agree to 124 00:05:41,856 --> 00:05:42,712 that premise. 125 00:05:42,856 --> 00:05:45,928 And so though the Bible does not out and out say that this type 126 00:05:45,944 --> 00:05:49,816 of slavery is wrong, we know that because Paul addresses Philemon 127 00:05:49,848 --> 00:05:53,032 not to say, hey, stop being a slave owner, but what does he say? 128 00:05:53,056 --> 00:05:54,808 He says to restore him back as a brother. 129 00:05:54,904 --> 00:05:58,872 Now, now there is some latitude in how that looks. 130 00:05:59,016 --> 00:06:01,416 But what I will say is that just because the Bible doesn't address 131 00:06:01,488 --> 00:06:04,200 that specifically, it never condones it either. 132 00:06:04,280 --> 00:06:07,912 And it specifically does not condone the type of slavery that 133 00:06:07,936 --> 00:06:08,840 we have mentioned already. 134 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:11,128 And I want to show you a few passages of scripture that actually 135 00:06:11,184 --> 00:06:16,088 talk about that, just so that we don't have a misunderstanding 136 00:06:16,264 --> 00:06:19,016 of, of what this is all talking about here. 137 00:06:19,088 --> 00:06:23,540 So what I would have you go to is Exodus chapter 21, verse 16. 138 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:27,020 I want to build a framework of understanding before we go any further, 139 00:06:27,060 --> 00:06:29,692 because a lot of times people will read the book of Philemon and 140 00:06:29,716 --> 00:06:33,340 because of their understanding of, of slavery and servitude and 141 00:06:33,460 --> 00:06:38,588 the whole dynamic of, of, of race and, and pressures against other 142 00:06:38,644 --> 00:06:40,732 countries, they would say, well, you know what, I can't even 143 00:06:40,756 --> 00:06:42,940 get anything out of Philemon because how could he accept him back 144 00:06:42,980 --> 00:06:43,964 in that same regard? 145 00:06:44,012 --> 00:06:47,676 Well, let's look at What Exodus chapter 21, verse 16 says, 146 00:06:47,828 --> 00:06:50,718 because we need to be very clear about what God says about taking 147 00:06:50,774 --> 00:06:54,450 someone against their will and putting them into servitude. 148 00:06:54,870 --> 00:06:58,542 The Bible says in Exodus 21, verse 16, and he that stealeth a 149 00:06:58,566 --> 00:06:59,182 man. 150 00:06:59,366 --> 00:07:01,582 And so that's what we're talking about taking someone that 151 00:07:01,606 --> 00:07:03,550 does not belong to them and putting them into service. 152 00:07:03,670 --> 00:07:07,022 He that steals a man and selleth him, or if he be found in 153 00:07:07,046 --> 00:07:08,750 his hand, he shall surely be put to death. 154 00:07:08,790 --> 00:07:13,102 And so we see that God's heart in that matter is that they should 155 00:07:13,126 --> 00:07:13,678 not do that. 156 00:07:13,734 --> 00:07:14,430 That is wrong. 157 00:07:14,510 --> 00:07:15,828 That is, that is a sin. 158 00:07:15,974 --> 00:07:17,320 Um, so we move on. 159 00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:18,936 You say, well, that's the Old Testament, Pastor. 160 00:07:18,968 --> 00:07:19,912 We live by the new. 161 00:07:20,016 --> 00:07:25,240 Well, if you go to first Timothy, chapter one, verse eight 162 00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:29,256 through ten, we see God speaking against certain actions 163 00:07:29,448 --> 00:07:31,420 here, even in the New Testament. 164 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:36,072 And so first Timothy, chapter one, verses eight through ten, tell 165 00:07:36,096 --> 00:07:39,320 us more about this idea of stealing someone and putting them 166 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:40,664 into servitude. 167 00:07:40,792 --> 00:07:43,096 And so if you look at verse 18, it says, this charge, I commit 168 00:07:43,128 --> 00:07:46,070 unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which 169 00:07:46,110 --> 00:07:49,638 went before on thee, that thou be, that thou by them. 170 00:07:49,694 --> 00:07:54,198 Midas war, a good warfare holding faith, and a good conscience 171 00:07:54,374 --> 00:07:57,814 which having some, which some having put away concerning faith 172 00:07:57,862 --> 00:07:59,290 have made shipwrecked. 173 00:08:00,270 --> 00:08:01,446 And so what we're conce. 174 00:08:01,478 --> 00:08:04,454 What we see here in this case is that I'm in the wrong verses. 175 00:08:04,502 --> 00:08:05,462 Well, I'm jumped ahead. 176 00:08:05,566 --> 00:08:06,486 So verse eight. 177 00:08:06,558 --> 00:08:07,062 Sorry about that. 178 00:08:07,086 --> 00:08:09,670 I had 18 written down, but I, I know now it's verse eight. 179 00:08:09,710 --> 00:08:10,220 Sorry. 180 00:08:10,350 --> 00:08:13,392 But we know that the law is good if any man use it lawfully, 181 00:08:13,456 --> 00:08:16,144 knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but 182 00:08:16,152 --> 00:08:18,352 for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and 183 00:08:18,376 --> 00:08:21,168 for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers 184 00:08:21,184 --> 00:08:23,056 and murderers of mothers, for manslayers. 185 00:08:23,088 --> 00:08:25,360 So he's listing all these things that the law fights against. 186 00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:28,784 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, 187 00:08:28,832 --> 00:08:29,776 for men stealers. 188 00:08:29,808 --> 00:08:32,880 That phrase men stealers would be taking people and putting them 189 00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:37,224 into servitude, putting them into slavery for liars, for perjured 190 00:08:37,272 --> 00:08:40,616 persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound 191 00:08:40,648 --> 00:08:41,064 doctrine. 192 00:08:41,112 --> 00:08:44,616 So we very clearly see that that type of slavery, taking someone 193 00:08:44,688 --> 00:08:48,312 against their will, selling them into servitude, would be, as 194 00:08:48,336 --> 00:08:50,600 the Bible says, against sound doctrine. 195 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:54,744 So, so if anyone ever says the Bible condone slavery in the, in 196 00:08:54,752 --> 00:08:56,056 the context that we understand, it's. 197 00:08:56,088 --> 00:08:57,576 It's wrong, it's not the case. 198 00:08:57,728 --> 00:08:59,400 So what type of slavery are we talking about? 199 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:01,912 We're talking about a type of slavery where someone basically is 200 00:09:01,936 --> 00:09:04,520 a bond servant, if you ever heard that term bond servant, which 201 00:09:04,560 --> 00:09:07,904 basically means this individual owed a debt, this individual 202 00:09:07,952 --> 00:09:10,000 did not have the funds to pay this debt. 203 00:09:10,080 --> 00:09:13,456 And so the agreement would be that they would come under the servitude 204 00:09:13,568 --> 00:09:16,256 of the master and they would work for them for a certain amount 205 00:09:16,288 --> 00:09:18,352 of time or maybe for their whole life. 206 00:09:18,456 --> 00:09:20,992 And they would do that so that they could repay a debt that they 207 00:09:21,016 --> 00:09:21,888 could not pay. 208 00:09:22,024 --> 00:09:24,656 And so it was someone signing up for something. 209 00:09:24,808 --> 00:09:27,712 And, and then on the other side of things, a lot of times what 210 00:09:27,736 --> 00:09:31,472 would happen is that some individuals, history tells us they 211 00:09:31,496 --> 00:09:34,410 would actually choose that path because it was a path of security. 212 00:09:34,560 --> 00:09:37,302 It was, it was essentially having an income without having an 213 00:09:37,326 --> 00:09:37,526 income. 214 00:09:37,558 --> 00:09:39,206 It was a way that they could have security. 215 00:09:39,358 --> 00:09:43,398 And if they trusted the person that was running the, the, the works 216 00:09:43,414 --> 00:09:45,894 there, they would, they would feel as if they had some security. 217 00:09:45,982 --> 00:09:48,870 Now probably there were individuals who abused that. 218 00:09:48,990 --> 00:09:50,790 And that's, that's human nature. 219 00:09:50,950 --> 00:09:53,606 But what we have to understand is that that's, that's what we're 220 00:09:53,638 --> 00:09:56,970 talking about when we're talking about Philemon and Onesimus. 221 00:09:57,470 --> 00:10:01,720 So, so the, the Bible gives instructions on how masters should 222 00:10:01,760 --> 00:10:03,752 treat their servants. 223 00:10:03,896 --> 00:10:06,120 We know that in the Old Testament and the New. 224 00:10:06,240 --> 00:10:09,704 And so what God does in, in the Old Testament and the New is 225 00:10:09,712 --> 00:10:11,300 he speaks to the heart of the matter. 226 00:10:12,480 --> 00:10:15,832 We know that if an individual has a heart for God and a heart for 227 00:10:15,856 --> 00:10:17,848 his Word, they're not going to abuse others. 228 00:10:17,904 --> 00:10:20,872 And Colossians chapter four talks about that relationship. 229 00:10:20,936 --> 00:10:25,368 And so, so at this case in time, I wanted to just kind of explain 230 00:10:25,384 --> 00:10:27,592 that because we know that all people are created in the image of 231 00:10:27,616 --> 00:10:28,122 God. 232 00:10:28,256 --> 00:10:32,502 Um, we, we know that the Bible speaks very clearly on loving each 233 00:10:32,526 --> 00:10:35,430 other and everyone stands before the same in the eyes of God. 234 00:10:35,510 --> 00:10:38,006 And so just for historical context, that's what we're talking 235 00:10:38,038 --> 00:10:38,566 about here. 236 00:10:38,638 --> 00:10:44,214 So Philemon didn't steal Onesimus from his homeland, put him 237 00:10:44,222 --> 00:10:44,726 into slavery. 238 00:10:44,758 --> 00:10:47,174 Onesimus had signed up for this as a bond servant. 239 00:10:47,222 --> 00:10:50,342 So context is, is key when we're talking about these types of 240 00:10:50,366 --> 00:10:51,622 sensitive things. 241 00:10:51,726 --> 00:10:56,004 So going back, let's start in verse number one, Paul a prisoner 242 00:10:56,052 --> 00:10:57,060 of Jesus Christ. 243 00:10:57,100 --> 00:11:00,292 Which is so interesting that Paul mentions that, because we know 244 00:11:00,396 --> 00:11:04,852 that Paul is literally a prisoner at this point, but we know 245 00:11:04,876 --> 00:11:07,812 that also he likens that to the spiritual side of things that 246 00:11:07,836 --> 00:11:10,068 he is, he is a bond servant to God. 247 00:11:10,164 --> 00:11:12,820 And so Paul paints a very interesting picture here. 248 00:11:12,860 --> 00:11:17,716 He's talking to Philemon about his servant and Paul identifies himself 249 00:11:17,748 --> 00:11:19,060 as a servant of Jesus Christ. 250 00:11:19,100 --> 00:11:23,548 And so he's setting the stage to explain what he's about to ask 251 00:11:23,604 --> 00:11:24,940 Philemon to do. 252 00:11:25,060 --> 00:11:26,860 And so I think that's important to note as well. 253 00:11:26,900 --> 00:11:30,396 And Paul, Paul paints an awesome picture here of his being 254 00:11:30,468 --> 00:11:32,508 a slave to Jesus Christ. 255 00:11:32,564 --> 00:11:33,900 So prisoner of Jesus Christ. 256 00:11:33,940 --> 00:11:35,324 And he doesn't say a prisoner of Rome. 257 00:11:35,372 --> 00:11:36,440 He could have said that. 258 00:11:36,980 --> 00:11:41,324 But he realizes that he is not under the power of Rome. 259 00:11:41,372 --> 00:11:43,772 He's under the power of God, no matter where he is. 260 00:11:43,876 --> 00:11:46,492 And I found that to be interesting as I was reading this, 261 00:11:46,596 --> 00:11:47,720 getting started here. 262 00:11:48,490 --> 00:11:49,714 And Timothy, our brother. 263 00:11:49,762 --> 00:11:53,234 So, so Paul is speaking on behalf of himself and Timothy unto 264 00:11:53,282 --> 00:11:56,434 Philemon, our dearly beloved and fellow laborer. 265 00:11:56,562 --> 00:12:01,314 And so just by way of verse one, we can tell that Paul and Philemon 266 00:12:01,362 --> 00:12:04,386 were not only acquaintances, but they were beloved. 267 00:12:04,418 --> 00:12:06,770 They were dearly beloved, they were close friends, and they were 268 00:12:06,810 --> 00:12:09,922 fellow laborers, meaning they worked together at some capacity 269 00:12:09,986 --> 00:12:11,266 within the church. 270 00:12:11,458 --> 00:12:16,816 And so Paul recognizes him as a close friend living in Colossi, 271 00:12:16,848 --> 00:12:18,064 by the way, Colossians. 272 00:12:18,192 --> 00:12:20,420 So he would have been at the church of Colossi. 273 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:23,712 A lot of, a lot of people would argue that he came from a different 274 00:12:23,736 --> 00:12:23,920 place. 275 00:12:23,960 --> 00:12:28,160 Some would actually argue, I think it was Thessalonica, but most 276 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:30,224 likely we can tell through connecting this all together that 277 00:12:30,232 --> 00:12:32,260 he is from Colossae. 278 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:37,184 So anyway, Paul's friendship with Philemon showed to be significant 279 00:12:37,272 --> 00:12:37,520 here. 280 00:12:37,560 --> 00:12:38,816 It was, it was an important thing. 281 00:12:38,888 --> 00:12:43,572 So he goes on to say verse two, and to our beloved Afia, which 282 00:12:43,756 --> 00:12:48,388 most people believe that was Philemon's wife, which she plays 283 00:12:48,404 --> 00:12:51,092 a role in this as well, which we'll talk about a little bit if 284 00:12:51,116 --> 00:12:53,076 we have time to get there. 285 00:12:53,228 --> 00:12:58,520 And then Archippus, which would be, they believe, his son. 286 00:12:59,260 --> 00:13:02,260 So this address to the family members shows that they had a personal 287 00:13:02,300 --> 00:13:02,676 relationship. 288 00:13:02,708 --> 00:13:04,356 He knew them on a personal level. 289 00:13:04,508 --> 00:13:07,412 And to the church in thy house, which is interesting because 290 00:13:07,436 --> 00:13:09,830 we see that Philemon was running a house church here. 291 00:13:09,870 --> 00:13:12,950 He was, he was overseeing to some degree the. 292 00:13:12,990 --> 00:13:13,926 The church within his. 293 00:13:13,998 --> 00:13:15,158 Within his own house. 294 00:13:15,294 --> 00:13:17,398 And that's really how churches were back then. 295 00:13:17,534 --> 00:13:22,134 If you look back at history, you look back at records, it wasn't 296 00:13:22,182 --> 00:13:25,730 until a couple centuries later that you started to see people having 297 00:13:26,030 --> 00:13:28,982 common properties for specifically a church. 298 00:13:29,126 --> 00:13:32,310 Leading up to this time, for many, many years, churches were based 299 00:13:32,350 --> 00:13:33,238 in the homes. 300 00:13:33,334 --> 00:13:36,616 And then they went out and then they would have these cell groups 301 00:13:36,648 --> 00:13:37,288 that they would have. 302 00:13:37,344 --> 00:13:39,416 And so it's interesting to see how that all works. 303 00:13:39,448 --> 00:13:42,424 And so this means that the church in Colossi was meeting in 304 00:13:42,432 --> 00:13:45,016 the house of Philemon for at least some point in time. 305 00:13:45,168 --> 00:13:48,136 And so the earliest Christians, they didn't buy property 306 00:13:48,168 --> 00:13:48,968 like we have here. 307 00:13:49,024 --> 00:13:53,060 They didn't have nice cathedrals that, that came Much later. 308 00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:54,632 And, and so that. 309 00:13:54,656 --> 00:13:56,152 I think that's a beautiful thing. 310 00:13:56,176 --> 00:13:58,312 And I think one of the things that we can learn from that is I 311 00:13:58,336 --> 00:13:59,240 don't think there. 312 00:13:59,280 --> 00:14:02,342 There are some pastors out there today that actually teach that 313 00:14:02,366 --> 00:14:03,622 we should move to that model. 314 00:14:03,686 --> 00:14:07,878 Actually, Alicia and I met someone not too long ago, and that's 315 00:14:07,894 --> 00:14:08,742 the model that they took. 316 00:14:08,766 --> 00:14:10,790 They're like, you know, no longer are we going to have church 317 00:14:10,870 --> 00:14:11,526 in a building. 318 00:14:11,598 --> 00:14:13,206 We're just going to do it from our house. 319 00:14:13,358 --> 00:14:13,718 And. 320 00:14:13,774 --> 00:14:15,702 And it wasn't like an excuse. 321 00:14:15,766 --> 00:14:17,478 They were really meeting with other people. 322 00:14:17,534 --> 00:14:19,302 He was a pastor and they were meeting the homes. 323 00:14:19,366 --> 00:14:19,942 Uh, there was. 324 00:14:19,966 --> 00:14:20,886 There was a story. 325 00:14:21,038 --> 00:14:23,862 I won't say who it is, because some people might like him or not 326 00:14:23,886 --> 00:14:26,358 like him, but there was a pastor who had a mega church, and 327 00:14:26,414 --> 00:14:29,390 he realized that that was not biblical in his mind. 328 00:14:29,430 --> 00:14:31,742 And so he splintered that and said, okay, we're going to start 329 00:14:31,766 --> 00:14:32,686 a bunch of house churches. 330 00:14:32,718 --> 00:14:34,798 And it's an interesting thing to think about. 331 00:14:34,934 --> 00:14:36,222 I don't think that we have to do that. 332 00:14:36,246 --> 00:14:37,758 I don't think that that's necessary. 333 00:14:37,854 --> 00:14:41,134 But what I do think is that the spirit of that should be in regards 334 00:14:41,182 --> 00:14:43,342 to how we should meet and worship. 335 00:14:43,406 --> 00:14:46,062 So what we can see is that they were saved. 336 00:14:46,126 --> 00:14:48,622 People meeting in homes, they were worshiping together, they were 337 00:14:48,646 --> 00:14:50,050 having the bond of unity. 338 00:14:50,550 --> 00:14:55,358 They were supplied with some type of oversight, some type of accountability. 339 00:14:55,534 --> 00:14:58,702 Um, there was teaching present within the home, and there was the 340 00:14:58,726 --> 00:15:00,542 heart of fellowship and family within the home. 341 00:15:00,566 --> 00:15:02,782 And so therefore, I think those are elements that we should 342 00:15:02,806 --> 00:15:03,534 see within our church. 343 00:15:03,582 --> 00:15:05,294 And so it doesn't matter where you meet. 344 00:15:05,462 --> 00:15:07,758 It doesn't matter if you're meeting in the cathedral or you're 345 00:15:07,774 --> 00:15:09,918 meeting in a home, or you're meeting in. 346 00:15:09,974 --> 00:15:10,606 In anywhere. 347 00:15:10,638 --> 00:15:10,782 It. 348 00:15:10,806 --> 00:15:11,758 It doesn't matter as. 349 00:15:11,814 --> 00:15:14,734 As long as those elements are there, I think it's important to. 350 00:15:14,902 --> 00:15:16,158 To say that that's church. 351 00:15:16,254 --> 00:15:17,550 Okay, Verse three. 352 00:15:17,670 --> 00:15:21,342 This is Paul's common greeting, that he would give grace 353 00:15:21,486 --> 00:15:22,478 to you in peace. 354 00:15:22,574 --> 00:15:23,710 Grace and peace. 355 00:15:23,870 --> 00:15:27,710 Obviously, Paul preached grace and peace in all that he did from 356 00:15:27,750 --> 00:15:30,110 God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 357 00:15:30,150 --> 00:15:34,238 And so he gives this introduction, and we know that that's 358 00:15:34,254 --> 00:15:37,742 how Paul starts most of his introductions, is through grace and 359 00:15:37,766 --> 00:15:38,014 peace. 360 00:15:38,062 --> 00:15:39,770 Now let's get to verse number four. 361 00:15:40,070 --> 00:15:44,730 Paul is about to ask Philemon to do a very difficult thing. 362 00:15:45,750 --> 00:15:49,508 He's basically asking Philemon to forgive Onesimus. 363 00:15:49,654 --> 00:15:50,056 Why? 364 00:15:50,128 --> 00:15:52,632 Because Onesimus runs away. 365 00:15:52,816 --> 00:15:57,528 Now, that might sound bad, but for Onesimus, essentially was a death 366 00:15:57,584 --> 00:15:58,980 penalty on his head. 367 00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:04,740 If Onesimus did get caught and go back. 368 00:16:05,200 --> 00:16:10,392 Philemon had the opportunity and really, you know, he had the 369 00:16:10,416 --> 00:16:13,704 freedom to do with whatever he wanted to do with Philemon, at least 370 00:16:13,712 --> 00:16:17,162 in Roman law and in tradition, um, he could have kept them and made 371 00:16:17,186 --> 00:16:18,682 life a lot harder for him. 372 00:16:18,866 --> 00:16:23,562 He could have had him back and executed his judgment upon him by 373 00:16:23,586 --> 00:16:24,602 taking his life. 374 00:16:24,706 --> 00:16:28,314 And so Paul, he doesn't know how Philemon's gonna respond to what 375 00:16:28,322 --> 00:16:29,914 he's about to ask him to do. 376 00:16:30,082 --> 00:16:32,266 And so I think this is a really interesting thing that Paul 377 00:16:32,298 --> 00:16:35,178 does right before he asks him to do something very difficult and 378 00:16:35,234 --> 00:16:36,586 challenges him on this. 379 00:16:36,738 --> 00:16:39,594 He basically gives thanks for Philemon. 380 00:16:39,722 --> 00:16:44,072 And, and I think that, I'm not saying that Paul is, we used to say 381 00:16:44,096 --> 00:16:45,272 in the south, buttering them up. 382 00:16:45,296 --> 00:16:48,120 I don't think Paul is lying to Philemon, but I think he's coming 383 00:16:48,160 --> 00:16:49,144 with something positive. 384 00:16:49,192 --> 00:16:52,216 He's not, he's not just running in and attacking Philemon, 385 00:16:52,248 --> 00:16:54,904 Assuming that Philemon is going to have issue with this. 386 00:16:54,992 --> 00:16:59,256 He's going to come in and he's going to give Philemon thanks and 387 00:16:59,328 --> 00:17:01,096 give God thanks for their relationship. 388 00:17:01,128 --> 00:17:01,912 So let's look at verse four. 389 00:17:01,936 --> 00:17:05,992 He says, I thank my God, making mention of the always in my 390 00:17:06,016 --> 00:17:06,700 prayers. 391 00:17:07,120 --> 00:17:08,280 And so what is Paul saying? 392 00:17:08,320 --> 00:17:11,194 He says, I thank God for you and our relationship and I want to 393 00:17:11,202 --> 00:17:12,790 let you know I pray for you often. 394 00:17:13,490 --> 00:17:16,698 And so, you know, I, I, I've heard some people say, well, I don't 395 00:17:16,714 --> 00:17:18,474 need to tell that person I'm praying for them because I'm praying 396 00:17:18,522 --> 00:17:19,082 for them. 397 00:17:19,186 --> 00:17:21,386 Well, and God knows I'm praying for them. 398 00:17:21,458 --> 00:17:24,026 But the Bible here very clearly teaches us Paul's example 399 00:17:24,058 --> 00:17:25,850 of telling people that we're praying for them. 400 00:17:25,970 --> 00:17:28,250 And so I think we should tell people that we're praying for them. 401 00:17:28,290 --> 00:17:29,978 Now don't tell people that you're praying for them if you're 402 00:17:29,994 --> 00:17:30,842 not praying for them. 403 00:17:30,946 --> 00:17:31,354 Okay? 404 00:17:31,402 --> 00:17:33,162 Some of us maybe have been guilty of that. 405 00:17:33,266 --> 00:17:36,042 I probably at some point in my life have been guilty of that, of 406 00:17:36,066 --> 00:17:37,146 saying, oh, I'll pray for you brother. 407 00:17:37,178 --> 00:17:38,762 And I walk away and I don't pray for them. 408 00:17:38,786 --> 00:17:42,230 And so one of the, one of the tools that I have used recently is 409 00:17:42,540 --> 00:17:43,876 hey, just pray for them right there. 410 00:17:43,948 --> 00:17:47,556 Either pray with them or pray a silent prayer when, when you're, 411 00:17:47,588 --> 00:17:49,092 when you're thinking of them immediately. 412 00:17:49,156 --> 00:17:51,220 And actually that's a, that's a really interesting thing too. 413 00:17:51,260 --> 00:17:54,132 I think about a lot if someone comes to your mind throughout the 414 00:17:54,156 --> 00:17:55,364 day, pray for them. 415 00:17:55,532 --> 00:17:58,372 I, or, or take another step, pray for them and then reach out 416 00:17:58,396 --> 00:17:58,900 to them. 417 00:17:59,020 --> 00:18:01,396 I think that's been one of the things that, that I have seen recently 418 00:18:01,468 --> 00:18:04,484 is, is God has moved someone on my mind and my heart. 419 00:18:04,572 --> 00:18:07,124 It's been a blessing for me to say, you know what, I'm going to 420 00:18:07,132 --> 00:18:08,064 go ahead and call them. 421 00:18:08,172 --> 00:18:09,832 And they, and they were telling me, well, you know what? 422 00:18:09,856 --> 00:18:11,272 I just was, I was having a bad day. 423 00:18:11,296 --> 00:18:13,144 And when you called me, that really encouraged me and I had no 424 00:18:13,152 --> 00:18:14,472 idea they're having a bad day. 425 00:18:14,576 --> 00:18:16,184 But, but that, that's the Holy Spirit. 426 00:18:16,232 --> 00:18:16,872 That's the beauty of that. 427 00:18:16,896 --> 00:18:20,152 So Paul says, hey, I think about you and I pray for you. 428 00:18:20,336 --> 00:18:24,536 Verse 5, Hearing of thy love and faith which thou hast toward 429 00:18:24,568 --> 00:18:25,400 the Lord Jesus. 430 00:18:25,480 --> 00:18:29,192 So, so Paul recognizes Philemon's public testimony of his 431 00:18:29,216 --> 00:18:30,180 love for Christ. 432 00:18:31,280 --> 00:18:33,896 And so Paul makes mention of him to God. 433 00:18:33,928 --> 00:18:35,240 And, and Paul mentions that a lot. 434 00:18:35,280 --> 00:18:39,108 He, he talks about that in the book of Romans, Ephesians, 1st Thessalonians. 435 00:18:39,284 --> 00:18:43,060 And, and he says, the reason why I know that you love God is because 436 00:18:43,100 --> 00:18:45,080 of your evident, your testimony. 437 00:18:45,500 --> 00:18:47,124 You're pointing people to Christ. 438 00:18:47,292 --> 00:18:48,292 And that's what he says there. 439 00:18:48,316 --> 00:18:51,156 He says, hearing of your love and faith which thou hast toward 440 00:18:51,188 --> 00:18:54,680 the Lord Jesus and toward all saints. 441 00:18:55,020 --> 00:18:57,680 So, so the testimony is this. 442 00:18:57,980 --> 00:19:00,996 He loves God and he loves God's people. 443 00:19:01,148 --> 00:19:02,740 Okay, the saints, right. 444 00:19:02,860 --> 00:19:04,756 Sometimes it depends on your, your church background. 445 00:19:04,788 --> 00:19:08,094 When you hear that word saints, what you think of if you 446 00:19:08,182 --> 00:19:12,206 came from a Catholic background, saints are elevated individuals 447 00:19:12,238 --> 00:19:15,838 that are above us in our spirituality. 448 00:19:16,014 --> 00:19:18,382 But biblically speaking, when you hear the word saint, it's just 449 00:19:18,406 --> 00:19:19,470 talking about another believer. 450 00:19:19,550 --> 00:19:23,470 Okay, So I know that we, we could maybe be overthinking this, 451 00:19:23,510 --> 00:19:26,942 but I think that in verse five, we see the law of God. 452 00:19:27,086 --> 00:19:31,822 Okay, not the law as the Mosaic law, but the new commandment 453 00:19:31,886 --> 00:19:32,958 that he gives unto us. 454 00:19:33,014 --> 00:19:36,870 The first and greatest commandment is what to love God with 455 00:19:36,910 --> 00:19:38,310 everything and to what? 456 00:19:38,350 --> 00:19:39,850 Love our neighbor as ourselves. 457 00:19:40,270 --> 00:19:42,646 On those two things hang all the law and the prophets. 458 00:19:42,678 --> 00:19:46,150 And so our testimony shouldn't be, well, you know, I mean, it could 459 00:19:46,190 --> 00:19:46,726 be. 460 00:19:46,878 --> 00:19:48,070 We could strive to do this. 461 00:19:48,110 --> 00:19:51,222 Well, look at them like, they follow everything according to the 462 00:19:51,246 --> 00:19:51,382 law. 463 00:19:51,406 --> 00:19:53,046 They follow everything according to the Word. 464 00:19:53,078 --> 00:19:56,310 Or you could love God with everything and love others and everything 465 00:19:56,350 --> 00:19:57,510 else will fall into place. 466 00:19:57,630 --> 00:19:59,782 You will do the things that you should do if you love God and 467 00:19:59,806 --> 00:20:00,530 love others. 468 00:20:00,830 --> 00:20:02,902 And so we're going to see that kind of coming to pass here with 469 00:20:02,926 --> 00:20:03,930 Philemon. 470 00:20:04,270 --> 00:20:07,894 But, but, but no doubt, I think that that is the testimony 471 00:20:07,942 --> 00:20:11,030 that we all should be striving for in our life so that what someone 472 00:20:11,070 --> 00:20:13,526 would think about us, they would think that I'm an individual 473 00:20:13,558 --> 00:20:16,102 who loves Christ, I'm an individual who loves others, who 474 00:20:16,126 --> 00:20:19,210 shares the love of God towards all saints. 475 00:20:20,190 --> 00:20:25,206 So this is, I believe this is the foundation for effective, effective 476 00:20:25,238 --> 00:20:25,814 evangelism. 477 00:20:25,862 --> 00:20:26,070 Right? 478 00:20:26,110 --> 00:20:29,454 We're talking about going, we're talking about being salt and 479 00:20:29,462 --> 00:20:29,678 light. 480 00:20:29,734 --> 00:20:32,926 We're talking about loving, growing, connecting, serving. 481 00:20:32,958 --> 00:20:37,166 You know, you could say any slogan, but, but God has, has done 482 00:20:37,318 --> 00:20:39,102 wonderful things in our life. 483 00:20:39,286 --> 00:20:39,630 He. 484 00:20:39,670 --> 00:20:39,870 He. 485 00:20:39,910 --> 00:20:40,126 He's. 486 00:20:40,158 --> 00:20:40,542 He's. 487 00:20:40,606 --> 00:20:41,422 He's blessed us. 488 00:20:41,446 --> 00:20:42,542 And that's what verse six talks about. 489 00:20:42,566 --> 00:20:47,326 It says that the communication of thy faith may become effectual 490 00:20:47,518 --> 00:20:50,750 by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you, in Christ 491 00:20:50,790 --> 00:20:51,166 Jesus. 492 00:20:51,198 --> 00:20:54,814 Meaning, Meaning this, that, that as you, as you share your faith 493 00:20:54,862 --> 00:21:00,336 with others, as you share the truth of others, you're acknowledging 494 00:21:00,368 --> 00:21:01,872 what God has done in your life. 495 00:21:01,976 --> 00:21:05,424 And I think that's, that's the best route of evangelism, just telling 496 00:21:05,472 --> 00:21:07,740 people what God has done for you. 497 00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:14,752 And so now it was a matter now for Philemon to understand that, 498 00:21:14,776 --> 00:21:19,472 hey, as God has shared love and forgiveness to me and mercy to 499 00:21:19,496 --> 00:21:22,464 me, so, so you see Paul setting him up to say, hey, you know 500 00:21:22,472 --> 00:21:22,784 what? 501 00:21:22,872 --> 00:21:24,176 Look what God's done for you. 502 00:21:24,248 --> 00:21:26,416 Look how you shared the love of God with other people. 503 00:21:26,568 --> 00:21:29,392 And so the reason why you can do what I'm about to ask you to do 504 00:21:29,416 --> 00:21:30,896 is because of what Christ has done for you. 505 00:21:30,968 --> 00:21:34,912 So we have to communicate what God has done for us as we share our 506 00:21:34,936 --> 00:21:35,376 faith. 507 00:21:35,488 --> 00:21:39,616 And so some people would argue that Paul is talking about sharing 508 00:21:39,648 --> 00:21:42,896 material things, but I think in this case he's specifically talking 509 00:21:42,928 --> 00:21:44,340 about sharing his faith. 510 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:47,760 And the reason why I think that is, if you go to verse number 511 00:21:47,800 --> 00:21:50,090 six, it says that the community of thy faith may become 512 00:21:50,130 --> 00:21:52,602 effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you, 513 00:21:52,626 --> 00:21:53,706 in Christ Jesus. 514 00:21:53,898 --> 00:21:59,226 There's the idea there of, of acknowledging or sharing. 515 00:21:59,418 --> 00:22:04,590 That word is the word that we also use for fellowship or koinonia. 516 00:22:06,210 --> 00:22:09,610 And you ever heard of us having our fifth Sunday coin a Sunday? 517 00:22:09,650 --> 00:22:10,762 It's fellowshipping. 518 00:22:10,906 --> 00:22:13,466 And it's not just fellowshipping as, hey, how you doing? 519 00:22:13,538 --> 00:22:14,202 How's the weather? 520 00:22:14,266 --> 00:22:15,098 Did your team win? 521 00:22:15,154 --> 00:22:16,064 Did this happen? 522 00:22:16,202 --> 00:22:19,268 But fellowshipping for the purpose of edification, fellowshipping 523 00:22:19,284 --> 00:22:23,380 for the purpose of, of sharing our, our hearts with other people, 524 00:22:23,500 --> 00:22:25,956 of building them up, of encouraging each other. 525 00:22:26,028 --> 00:22:29,012 So there is that idea of, of the spiritual there in verse six. 526 00:22:29,036 --> 00:22:32,932 So it's not just about him sharing his goods or his services, 527 00:22:33,036 --> 00:22:37,108 but ultimately for the simple fact of him sharing the love of Christ 528 00:22:37,164 --> 00:22:37,812 to those around him. 529 00:22:37,836 --> 00:22:39,012 And then we'll look at verse number seven. 530 00:22:39,036 --> 00:22:44,462 It says, for we have great joy and consolation, that's comfort in 531 00:22:44,486 --> 00:22:48,862 thy love because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, 532 00:22:49,006 --> 00:22:49,810 brother. 533 00:22:50,870 --> 00:22:54,126 It's one of the rare times in which he recognizes someone as brother, 534 00:22:54,158 --> 00:22:56,046 which, that's why we do that within the church. 535 00:22:56,078 --> 00:22:59,050 That's why we acknowledge each other as brothers, not just friends. 536 00:22:59,590 --> 00:23:03,006 You know, we, we have that tight knit community in faith. 537 00:23:03,118 --> 00:23:06,990 But he says we have, talking about Paul and Timothy and the others 538 00:23:07,030 --> 00:23:10,122 that are around them, they have great joy and comfort in the 539 00:23:10,146 --> 00:23:15,066 love of Philemon because the bowels or the affections of the saints, 540 00:23:15,098 --> 00:23:16,826 the Christians are refreshed by thee. 541 00:23:16,858 --> 00:23:19,194 So he says Philemon is someone who's an encourager. 542 00:23:19,242 --> 00:23:20,394 We see that he's an encourager. 543 00:23:20,442 --> 00:23:22,110 We see that he's someone who loves. 544 00:23:22,530 --> 00:23:26,154 Paul remembers how Philemon had met the needs of other Christians 545 00:23:26,202 --> 00:23:29,978 both materially and physically and then spiritually and refreshed 546 00:23:29,994 --> 00:23:30,378 their hearts. 547 00:23:30,394 --> 00:23:35,772 And so when, when we love God and when we serve others, we, we 548 00:23:35,796 --> 00:23:40,396 refresh the ones that were initially and immediately impacting. 549 00:23:40,508 --> 00:23:42,588 But the Bible says that that's like a ripple effect. 550 00:23:42,724 --> 00:23:47,132 The more that we share Christ, the more that we love others, the 551 00:23:47,156 --> 00:23:49,676 more that that encourages other Christians that might be watching 552 00:23:49,708 --> 00:23:51,900 our lives and maybe encouraging them to do that to other 553 00:23:51,940 --> 00:23:52,428 people. 554 00:23:52,564 --> 00:23:55,676 And so it's kind of like the, the chain effect, the, the ripple 555 00:23:55,708 --> 00:23:57,932 effect when it comes to our love. 556 00:23:58,116 --> 00:24:00,988 And so I thought about that and I, and I thought about Philemon's 557 00:24:01,004 --> 00:24:03,650 testimony and I'm like, wow, this guy, this guy's an honorable 558 00:24:03,730 --> 00:24:04,630 individual. 559 00:24:04,970 --> 00:24:07,602 And so going back to our original conversation, a lot of people 560 00:24:07,626 --> 00:24:09,666 will say, well how could Philemon be honorable? 561 00:24:09,778 --> 00:24:12,706 Because of where he stands with Onesimus and, and no doubt maybe 562 00:24:12,738 --> 00:24:15,266 some other servants and slaves within his abode. 563 00:24:15,298 --> 00:24:18,530 There again, that's why I wanted to give you the context at 564 00:24:18,570 --> 00:24:22,002 the beginning that this is not just this evil guy, that Paul is 565 00:24:22,026 --> 00:24:23,730 overlooking his public sin. 566 00:24:23,810 --> 00:24:28,802 But no, Paul is explaining that God is, is, is evident in the 567 00:24:28,826 --> 00:24:30,300 life of Paul, of Philemon. 568 00:24:30,380 --> 00:24:38,764 So all of that to say what he's about to do now because verse 569 00:24:38,812 --> 00:24:42,780 number eight is where Paul kind of puts the rubber to the road. 570 00:24:42,900 --> 00:24:47,372 He, it's where he's going to take his leap of speaking the truth 571 00:24:47,436 --> 00:24:48,236 in love. 572 00:24:48,388 --> 00:24:51,644 Now he just flipped it and did love first and then he's going to 573 00:24:51,652 --> 00:24:51,996 do the truth. 574 00:24:52,028 --> 00:24:54,396 And I think that's actually something good because sometimes 575 00:24:54,428 --> 00:24:56,542 if we do the truth and we don't bring the love in yet. 576 00:24:56,566 --> 00:24:58,350 And we go, we were going to love them at the end. 577 00:24:58,470 --> 00:25:01,710 Well, that's sometimes it's like too little too late, right? 578 00:25:01,750 --> 00:25:04,958 And so sometimes what we can do, and I've done this before, before 579 00:25:05,014 --> 00:25:07,630 I can even come in and explain my heart on the matter. 580 00:25:07,750 --> 00:25:10,654 I come in saying the truth about an issue, and it is true. 581 00:25:10,702 --> 00:25:11,342 Right. 582 00:25:11,526 --> 00:25:14,350 But again, I think that what we have to do is demonstrate our 583 00:25:14,390 --> 00:25:20,270 love maybe even prior to the confrontation, prior to the appeal 584 00:25:20,430 --> 00:25:23,570 to, to change or the appeal to restore. 585 00:25:24,410 --> 00:25:27,762 And, and I think that one of the things that we can see in the 586 00:25:27,786 --> 00:25:33,250 New Testament that Paul speaks on quite frequently is the idea of 587 00:25:33,370 --> 00:25:36,950 restoration of a fallen brother or sister. 588 00:25:37,450 --> 00:25:41,202 You can see here in Philemon other passages of scripture that 589 00:25:41,226 --> 00:25:43,618 you could see that at would be Galatians chapter 6. 590 00:25:43,754 --> 00:25:46,722 I do want you to see that here because I think that this is, this 591 00:25:46,746 --> 00:25:47,378 is important. 592 00:25:47,514 --> 00:25:51,322 It's not exactly linked to Onesimus and Philemon because the 593 00:25:51,346 --> 00:25:54,202 situation with Onesimus and Philemon would be that Onesimus was 594 00:25:54,226 --> 00:25:55,642 not saved when he ran. 595 00:25:55,786 --> 00:26:00,682 So, so it was a, it was a broken relationship prior to Onesimus 596 00:26:00,746 --> 00:26:01,550 salvation. 597 00:26:02,130 --> 00:26:07,162 And so a lot of times what we do is we, we recognize the condition 598 00:26:07,226 --> 00:26:10,234 of the person and the moment of their, their sin. 599 00:26:10,282 --> 00:26:11,450 So what that means is this. 600 00:26:11,570 --> 00:26:13,818 You deal with an individual differently. 601 00:26:13,914 --> 00:26:17,146 I believe biblically speaking, you deal with an individual differently 602 00:26:17,178 --> 00:26:21,286 who had a life of sin prior to salvation, then have, have gotten 603 00:26:21,318 --> 00:26:23,590 right with the Lord and they're striving to do different 604 00:26:23,630 --> 00:26:23,830 things. 605 00:26:23,870 --> 00:26:25,718 There's a different way that we deal with that. 606 00:26:25,854 --> 00:26:29,334 And in, in the, in the contrast of someone who is a professing 607 00:26:29,382 --> 00:26:32,726 Christian, who is in a body of believers and then is in rebellion. 608 00:26:32,758 --> 00:26:32,950 Right? 609 00:26:32,990 --> 00:26:34,838 Because that's a different dynamic. 610 00:26:34,934 --> 00:26:37,414 The dynamic is, is that person was, was an enemy of God. 611 00:26:37,462 --> 00:26:39,078 So they, they act like an enemy of God. 612 00:26:39,094 --> 00:26:40,342 And we shouldn't be surprised by that. 613 00:26:40,366 --> 00:26:42,934 But now there's that transition in their life, there's 614 00:26:42,982 --> 00:26:44,348 that new creation in their life. 615 00:26:44,454 --> 00:26:47,056 There's that transformation that we talk about in Romans chapter 616 00:26:47,088 --> 00:26:47,472 12. 617 00:26:47,576 --> 00:26:49,504 Now we expect them to live like a Christian. 618 00:26:49,552 --> 00:26:51,152 Now we mentor them that way. 619 00:26:51,256 --> 00:26:55,648 So we treat unsaved people like unsafe people, right? 620 00:26:55,704 --> 00:26:58,192 Expecting them to be in rebellion to God. 621 00:26:58,256 --> 00:27:00,848 Then we treat Christians as we should treat Christians. 622 00:27:00,944 --> 00:27:04,336 It's not expecting them to be perfect, but expecting them to love 623 00:27:04,488 --> 00:27:07,504 God and to seek after him and seek after restoration. 624 00:27:07,552 --> 00:27:09,104 So we go to Galatians chapter 6. 625 00:27:09,192 --> 00:27:11,872 Galatians chapter 6 speaks of how to deal with a brother who has 626 00:27:11,896 --> 00:27:12,474 fallen. 627 00:27:12,632 --> 00:27:14,730 Brother, meaning someone who is saved. 628 00:27:15,310 --> 00:27:19,782 So it says, brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which 629 00:27:19,806 --> 00:27:24,486 are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness. 630 00:27:24,518 --> 00:27:28,006 So we restore them in meekness, considering thyself, lest 631 00:27:28,038 --> 00:27:29,046 thou also be tempted. 632 00:27:29,078 --> 00:27:33,350 Meaning as we can reject another brother who has fallen or 633 00:27:33,390 --> 00:27:36,870 sister who has fallen, we then could get to a place in our life 634 00:27:36,910 --> 00:27:38,576 where we're the ones that are sinning. 635 00:27:38,718 --> 00:27:41,964 And so there's that idea of, of love and restoration, bearing 636 00:27:42,012 --> 00:27:44,600 one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. 637 00:27:45,140 --> 00:27:46,732 And so there's that idea of a brother. 638 00:27:46,796 --> 00:27:53,420 So what do we do with someone who rebelled in their sin prior to 639 00:27:53,460 --> 00:27:53,884 salvation? 640 00:27:53,932 --> 00:27:54,796 They get saved? 641 00:27:54,908 --> 00:27:57,868 Well, we do what Philemon talks about here, what, what Paul's 642 00:27:57,884 --> 00:27:58,652 talking about here. 643 00:27:58,756 --> 00:28:02,188 Re receive them back, especially cause Onesimus is repentant 644 00:28:02,204 --> 00:28:02,524 here. 645 00:28:02,612 --> 00:28:04,880 We know that because of Paul's appeal. 646 00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:09,672 So verse eight and, and we'll just kind of touch on verse eight 647 00:28:09,696 --> 00:28:10,888 here as, as we move forward. 648 00:28:10,944 --> 00:28:13,416 So Paul speaks to Philemon regarding Onesimus. 649 00:28:13,448 --> 00:28:16,552 This is actually the first time we see him mentioned verse 8. 650 00:28:16,656 --> 00:28:20,420 Wherefore though I might be much bold in Christ. 651 00:28:20,880 --> 00:28:23,224 So, so now he's like, okay, wherefore. 652 00:28:23,272 --> 00:28:26,024 Anytime you see the word wherefore or therefore he's referring 653 00:28:26,072 --> 00:28:28,168 back to the prior statements. 654 00:28:28,344 --> 00:28:31,870 So Paul says, hey, love you, I'm thankful for you. 655 00:28:31,910 --> 00:28:32,878 You're a great guy. 656 00:28:32,974 --> 00:28:34,770 You have a great testimony. 657 00:28:35,110 --> 00:28:39,694 Wherefore now though I might be much bold in Christ. 658 00:28:39,862 --> 00:28:44,010 So, so he says, I, I, I, I need to be bold to you right now 659 00:28:45,190 --> 00:28:46,670 to enjoin you. 660 00:28:46,710 --> 00:28:52,414 Now enjoin is a word that we, we don't really use quite frequently, 661 00:28:52,462 --> 00:28:56,174 but it basically means I'm commanding you, I'm challenging you. 662 00:28:56,342 --> 00:28:59,542 And so he says, wherefore, whatever our relate, remember our 663 00:28:59,566 --> 00:29:02,130 relationship, remember you know, what we've gone through. 664 00:29:02,510 --> 00:29:06,630 Now I want to be bold to command you or challenge you that 665 00:29:06,670 --> 00:29:11,622 which is convenient in, in the case of, of convenience or, or fitting 666 00:29:11,686 --> 00:29:13,170 meaning, right, proper. 667 00:29:13,710 --> 00:29:15,286 That's, that's what he's saying here. 668 00:29:15,438 --> 00:29:20,770 Yet for love's sake, because I love you, I rather beseech you. 669 00:29:21,390 --> 00:29:23,810 So he says, I could command you. 670 00:29:24,210 --> 00:29:27,002 Because remember, Paul is not us. 671 00:29:27,026 --> 00:29:32,538 And the concept of Paul is unique in his standing before God 672 00:29:32,714 --> 00:29:35,002 because he was an apostle. 673 00:29:35,146 --> 00:29:38,186 An apostle is someone different than a pastor. 674 00:29:38,298 --> 00:29:38,618 Okay? 675 00:29:38,634 --> 00:29:40,106 And I'll be very clear about that. 676 00:29:40,178 --> 00:29:43,386 We believe that there was 12 apostles. 677 00:29:43,578 --> 00:29:47,642 Some argue 13 because of Paul coming in later and the replacement 678 00:29:47,706 --> 00:29:48,570 of Judas. 679 00:29:48,650 --> 00:29:50,932 But that's an argument for another day. 680 00:29:51,036 --> 00:29:53,972 But we believe that Paul was an apostle and the Fact that Paul 681 00:29:54,036 --> 00:29:58,040 held a different authoritative model in the early church. 682 00:29:58,380 --> 00:30:02,932 And so an apostle had to see Jesus and his ministry visibly and 683 00:30:02,956 --> 00:30:04,644 be called by God directly. 684 00:30:04,772 --> 00:30:08,484 And so therefore Paul had the authority within the early church 685 00:30:08,532 --> 00:30:11,204 to command people to do things because he was the mouthpiece of 686 00:30:11,212 --> 00:30:11,588 God. 687 00:30:11,684 --> 00:30:14,580 And so what Paul is saying here is this, as an apostle, I have 688 00:30:14,620 --> 00:30:17,474 every right to command you to do what I'm about to ask you to do. 689 00:30:17,652 --> 00:30:20,310 But he says, and I think this is important too, because within 690 00:30:20,350 --> 00:30:22,870 the church no one is more important than others. 691 00:30:22,910 --> 00:30:26,646 But different people hold different responsibilities and different 692 00:30:26,718 --> 00:30:27,530 authorities. 693 00:30:28,430 --> 00:30:29,750 That's the same within the household. 694 00:30:29,830 --> 00:30:33,238 I believe God ordains certain positions within the house with different 695 00:30:33,294 --> 00:30:34,262 authoritative levels. 696 00:30:34,326 --> 00:30:36,822 Not one more important than the other, just different. 697 00:30:37,006 --> 00:30:39,702 And so I think that this is a model for all of us who hold some 698 00:30:39,726 --> 00:30:42,566 sort of authority over someone else because all of us at some degree 699 00:30:42,598 --> 00:30:46,966 hold an authority over someone else depending on what your, your, 700 00:30:47,038 --> 00:30:47,990 your situation is. 701 00:30:48,030 --> 00:30:50,406 Okay, so we could command. 702 00:30:50,438 --> 00:30:53,238 Like I could com, I could constantly be commanding my children 703 00:30:53,374 --> 00:30:56,006 and my wife and the different people that are within the church 704 00:30:56,038 --> 00:30:56,630 and all that. 705 00:30:56,670 --> 00:30:59,222 I could constantly be commanding because of my position. 706 00:30:59,326 --> 00:31:01,814 But that's not a position of meekness. 707 00:31:01,942 --> 00:31:03,574 It's not a position of humility. 708 00:31:03,702 --> 00:31:04,582 So what does Paul say? 709 00:31:04,606 --> 00:31:07,526 He says, I could Command you, verse 9. 710 00:31:07,598 --> 00:31:09,398 Yet for love's sake, I'd rather beseech thee. 711 00:31:09,414 --> 00:31:14,654 Beseech means like to beg to, to appeal to, to, to be, to, to do 712 00:31:14,662 --> 00:31:17,690 it in a way that basically says, hey, can you consider this? 713 00:31:18,710 --> 00:31:22,350 So for love's sake, I'd rather beseech thee, being such a one as 714 00:31:22,390 --> 00:31:23,970 Paul the aged. 715 00:31:24,470 --> 00:31:25,822 So Paul refers to himself as. 716 00:31:25,846 --> 00:31:28,446 He's like, hey, I'm, for lack of a better phrase. 717 00:31:28,478 --> 00:31:29,982 He's like, I'm, I'm old, I'm beaten up. 718 00:31:30,006 --> 00:31:31,006 I'm, I'm, I'm aged. 719 00:31:31,038 --> 00:31:33,822 Okay, I don't, I, I don't really, I don't really want to come 720 00:31:33,846 --> 00:31:35,854 to you forcing you to do things anymore. 721 00:31:35,902 --> 00:31:37,578 I'm just coming to you in humility. 722 00:31:37,774 --> 00:31:42,670 Um, so Paul the aged and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ. 723 00:31:43,050 --> 00:31:48,066 So Paul says, I, I'm in jail, I'm old, so I'm just gonna appeal 724 00:31:48,098 --> 00:31:48,450 to you. 725 00:31:48,490 --> 00:31:50,710 Um, he talks about his circumstances. 726 00:31:51,130 --> 00:31:55,030 Um, but he's essentially asking a favor of Philemon. 727 00:31:55,370 --> 00:32:00,450 Um, he appealed to Philemon, sympathies as he describes him. 728 00:32:00,570 --> 00:32:04,390 But, but Paul is making an appeal based in the love, right? 729 00:32:04,490 --> 00:32:05,854 And I think that's important to see. 730 00:32:05,942 --> 00:32:10,686 And that's probably where we will kind of work our way to the 731 00:32:10,758 --> 00:32:11,934 landing here tonight. 732 00:32:12,062 --> 00:32:16,078 But when we are making an appeal to truth, when we're making 733 00:32:16,134 --> 00:32:20,910 an appeal to restoration, when we're making an appeal to maybe even 734 00:32:20,950 --> 00:32:24,382 a biblical confrontation, when it comes to an issue, I think we 735 00:32:24,406 --> 00:32:28,814 should take Paul's example of verses 8 and 9 and say, look, you 736 00:32:28,822 --> 00:32:29,486 know what? 737 00:32:29,638 --> 00:32:33,492 With all of this happening, I think what I would say is that I 738 00:32:33,516 --> 00:32:34,580 just want to appeal to you in love. 739 00:32:34,620 --> 00:32:36,004 I've proven myself to you. 740 00:32:36,092 --> 00:32:39,780 I'm just going to ask you to consider this thing to do, to do 741 00:32:39,820 --> 00:32:42,180 this opportunity here would be. 742 00:32:42,300 --> 00:32:45,440 Would be unfair for me just to force you into doing this. 743 00:32:46,700 --> 00:32:50,228 And so we end with verse 10. 744 00:32:50,284 --> 00:32:51,380 I beseech the. 745 00:32:51,500 --> 00:32:53,480 For my son Onesimus. 746 00:32:54,140 --> 00:32:56,628 And that sounds like the beginning of Philemon. 747 00:32:56,644 --> 00:32:58,560 That's where a lot of people pick up Philemon. 748 00:32:58,660 --> 00:33:04,552 But we'll end with the initial start of his appeal to Philemon. 749 00:33:04,616 --> 00:33:04,840 And. 750 00:33:04,880 --> 00:33:05,864 And he says something interesting there. 751 00:33:05,872 --> 00:33:09,496 I beseech thee for my son Onesimus. 752 00:33:09,528 --> 00:33:10,680 Now you're like, wait, what? 753 00:33:10,720 --> 00:33:11,900 Paul has a son? 754 00:33:12,240 --> 00:33:14,328 Not his biological son. 755 00:33:14,504 --> 00:33:17,816 We know that, that Paul did not have children. 756 00:33:17,888 --> 00:33:19,080 At least it doesn't mention that. 757 00:33:19,120 --> 00:33:20,520 He says he wasn't married. 758 00:33:20,680 --> 00:33:22,968 There's a lot of argument about was Paul ever married? 759 00:33:22,984 --> 00:33:26,562 Was he had a deceased wife, never mentions that. 760 00:33:26,586 --> 00:33:28,146 So the Bible doesn't speak to it. 761 00:33:28,218 --> 00:33:29,970 I would just say that Paul was never married. 762 00:33:30,050 --> 00:33:31,282 At least he wasn't married at this point. 763 00:33:31,306 --> 00:33:32,050 We know that. 764 00:33:32,170 --> 00:33:35,954 So Paul didn't have any children, but we know that he referenced. 765 00:33:36,002 --> 00:33:37,074 Well, let me give you an example. 766 00:33:37,122 --> 00:33:39,202 He references Timothy the same exact way. 767 00:33:39,226 --> 00:33:42,594 And we know Timothy wasn't his son because Timothy had parents. 768 00:33:42,642 --> 00:33:42,946 Right? 769 00:33:43,018 --> 00:33:46,754 You know, he had Eunice and Lois grandparents there. 770 00:33:46,922 --> 00:33:50,642 And so in that case, Paul is referencing Onesimus in a different 771 00:33:50,666 --> 00:33:51,532 way as his son. 772 00:33:51,626 --> 00:33:54,440 And it's essentially a son in the faith he. 773 00:33:54,480 --> 00:33:54,968 He led. 774 00:33:55,024 --> 00:33:58,152 So, so we know that through context, he leads Onesimus to Christ. 775 00:33:58,256 --> 00:33:59,576 He's ministering to him. 776 00:33:59,648 --> 00:34:00,120 He's. 777 00:34:00,200 --> 00:34:04,168 He has that mentor, mentee, relationship, discipler, discipleship 778 00:34:04,264 --> 00:34:05,144 relationship. 779 00:34:05,272 --> 00:34:08,440 And I think that's important to see because we don't know how 780 00:34:08,480 --> 00:34:11,000 much Onesimus had grown at this point. 781 00:34:11,040 --> 00:34:12,152 We don't know where he was at. 782 00:34:12,176 --> 00:34:16,280 We do know later on that he was helping Paul to some degree. 783 00:34:16,440 --> 00:34:17,256 Um, so. 784 00:34:17,328 --> 00:34:21,072 So at this point in time, Paul is teaching Onesimus what it means 785 00:34:21,096 --> 00:34:23,072 to be a Christian, what it means to serve. 786 00:34:23,216 --> 00:34:24,592 And so he refers to him that way. 787 00:34:24,616 --> 00:34:26,672 And I think that that relationship is a relationship that 788 00:34:26,696 --> 00:34:30,496 all of us just tried to have, not just Paul, not just pastors, 789 00:34:30,608 --> 00:34:32,992 but I think Every Christian should find an individual who we 790 00:34:33,016 --> 00:34:35,872 could look to and say, that's my son or that's my daughter in the 791 00:34:35,896 --> 00:34:36,480 faith. 792 00:34:36,640 --> 00:34:40,256 I'm not in a prideful manner, like, look at all my converts, but 793 00:34:40,328 --> 00:34:43,552 to a place where there can be some type of relationship where I 794 00:34:43,576 --> 00:34:46,230 can guide you and share my experiences with you. 795 00:34:46,320 --> 00:34:48,602 And just as much as there's that, I think that we, some of us, 796 00:34:48,626 --> 00:34:50,010 should be Timothy's to. 797 00:34:50,050 --> 00:34:50,890 To a Paul, right? 798 00:34:50,930 --> 00:34:52,474 So I learned from that person. 799 00:34:52,642 --> 00:34:54,970 And so that's, that's an awesome reference there. 800 00:34:55,010 --> 00:34:57,146 As he says, he could have said my friend Onesimus. 801 00:34:57,178 --> 00:35:00,442 He could have said my acquaintance, my partner, but he 802 00:35:00,466 --> 00:35:01,290 says my son. 803 00:35:01,370 --> 00:35:02,394 And, and I think that's. 804 00:35:02,442 --> 00:35:06,650 That's really neat that he does that there and appeals to that 805 00:35:06,690 --> 00:35:09,370 element of Onesimus's relationship with him. 806 00:35:09,410 --> 00:35:11,520 So we'll come back. 807 00:35:11,690 --> 00:35:15,828 We'll come back, Lord willing, next week and we'll talk more about 808 00:35:15,884 --> 00:35:17,300 this appeal that he makes. 809 00:35:17,340 --> 00:35:19,460 Because this appeal is important, because it's important 810 00:35:19,500 --> 00:35:20,532 for Onesimus, right? 811 00:35:20,556 --> 00:35:23,316 It's important for the restoration between Philemon and 812 00:35:23,388 --> 00:35:24,228 Onesimus. 813 00:35:24,324 --> 00:35:29,236 It's important for Paul to have a good viewpoint of who Philemon 814 00:35:29,268 --> 00:35:29,364 is. 815 00:35:29,372 --> 00:35:30,756 Right, Because Paul's in the middle. 816 00:35:30,788 --> 00:35:31,076 Right? 817 00:35:31,148 --> 00:35:32,164 Because Paul's close to. 818 00:35:32,252 --> 00:35:32,660 Have you ever. 819 00:35:32,700 --> 00:35:33,556 Have you ever been the middleman? 820 00:35:33,588 --> 00:35:35,320 Have you ever been the person in the middle? 821 00:35:35,900 --> 00:35:39,330 It's tough, right, because everyone wants you to take sides. 822 00:35:39,500 --> 00:35:40,726 Usually that's what happens. 823 00:35:40,758 --> 00:35:42,150 Like, well, whose side are you on? 824 00:35:42,190 --> 00:35:44,454 It's like, well, I love this person and I love this person. 825 00:35:44,542 --> 00:35:47,730 I want them to be able to come back into conjunction together. 826 00:35:48,110 --> 00:35:50,822 And, you know, a lot of times we can get ourselves in trouble for 827 00:35:50,846 --> 00:35:51,446 being the middleman. 828 00:35:51,478 --> 00:35:55,290 Now Paul's a better man than me, and Paul had the apostolic authority. 829 00:35:55,630 --> 00:35:58,502 But, you know, for, for the most part, we know that when that 830 00:35:58,526 --> 00:36:01,542 letter is sent back to Philemon, Onesimus is there. 831 00:36:01,646 --> 00:36:05,622 So there's that personal confrontation, what, what sometimes 832 00:36:05,686 --> 00:36:06,804 ends up happening. 833 00:36:06,852 --> 00:36:09,332 And I don't want to get too far in a rabbit trail here, but you 834 00:36:09,356 --> 00:36:12,836 have like two individuals here, and this person needs restoration 835 00:36:12,868 --> 00:36:14,932 with this person, but they want to find restoration through 836 00:36:14,956 --> 00:36:15,956 somebody else. 837 00:36:16,148 --> 00:36:17,956 And no doubt there can be a mediator. 838 00:36:17,988 --> 00:36:21,828 But the best route, as Matthew 18 says, is, is to restore each other 839 00:36:21,884 --> 00:36:26,020 together in that personal way, if need be, bring in others into 840 00:36:26,060 --> 00:36:26,920 the situation. 841 00:36:27,500 --> 00:36:27,908 But. 842 00:36:27,964 --> 00:36:30,852 But it's not necessary initially. 843 00:36:30,916 --> 00:36:34,062 And so that, that's, that's a whole other story for another day. 844 00:36:34,086 --> 00:36:38,222 But Paul is going to encourage Philemon to obey, not him, but the 845 00:36:38,246 --> 00:36:42,094 Lord in how to treat someone on an equal plane and how to restore 846 00:36:42,142 --> 00:36:42,494 someone. 847 00:36:42,582 --> 00:36:44,782 And then I think that in here, this is the beautiful picture of 848 00:36:44,806 --> 00:36:48,606 how God treats us in that restorative process, because God 849 00:36:48,638 --> 00:36:49,582 does restore us. 850 00:36:49,686 --> 00:36:53,662 That's, that's what that word redemption means, to be bought back. 851 00:36:53,766 --> 00:36:57,890 So, so God created us in his image. 852 00:36:58,890 --> 00:37:01,058 We were, we were initially His. 853 00:37:01,194 --> 00:37:03,510 His children, so to speak. 854 00:37:04,090 --> 00:37:06,750 But sin separated us from Him. 855 00:37:07,130 --> 00:37:08,898 So redeem means to be bought back. 856 00:37:08,954 --> 00:37:12,802 So essentially what Jesus did is he came and paid the price for 857 00:37:12,826 --> 00:37:14,306 the wages of sin is death. 858 00:37:14,458 --> 00:37:15,858 The gift of God is eternal life. 859 00:37:15,914 --> 00:37:18,190 So, so Jesus pays the price. 860 00:37:18,890 --> 00:37:22,930 We are then, in faith, bought back and redeemed to Jesus Christ. 861 00:37:22,970 --> 00:37:25,070 And so there is that restoration process. 862 00:37:25,790 --> 00:37:28,534 The way Second Corinthians talks about it, it's the ministry 863 00:37:28,582 --> 00:37:30,090 of reconciliation. 864 00:37:30,590 --> 00:37:33,846 There's the message of reconciliation and then the ministry 865 00:37:33,878 --> 00:37:34,694 of reconciliation. 866 00:37:34,742 --> 00:37:36,086 So we're all reconciled. 867 00:37:36,118 --> 00:37:37,398 So we're all onesimus. 868 00:37:37,494 --> 00:37:42,406 We're all the runaway slave that has fallen and, and, and, and 869 00:37:42,478 --> 00:37:44,566 rejected the authority of our master. 870 00:37:44,598 --> 00:37:47,030 But yet God receives us back. 871 00:37:47,070 --> 00:37:48,970 And that's a beautiful, beautiful picture. 872 00:37:49,790 --> 00:37:52,454 Thank you again for listening to the Middletown Baptist Church 873 00:37:52,502 --> 00:37:53,206 podcast. 874 00:37:53,318 --> 00:37:56,060 I hope that this sermon has been a blessing for you. 875 00:37:56,360 --> 00:37:58,576 You would like to find out more information about our church 876 00:37:58,608 --> 00:38:02,272 or this sermon, you can find us at middletownbaptistchurch.org 877 00:38:02,416 --> 00:38:05,220 or find us on Facebook or YouTube. 878 00:38:05,640 --> 00:38:10,864 You can also email me directly at Josh Massaro, Middletown BaptistChurch.com 879 00:38:11,032 --> 00:38:12,896 if you've enjoyed this podcast. 880 00:38:13,008 --> 00:38:17,700 Please subscribe and follow along for future podcast and updates. 881 00:38:18,040 --> 00:38:19,168 Thank you so much. 882 00:38:19,304 --> 00:38:20,144 God bless. 883 00:38:20,272 --> 00:38:21,320 Have a wonderful day.