1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:01,272 All right, very good, very good. 2 00:00:01,296 --> 00:00:04,280 Well, we're going to go ahead and get our Bibles open to the book 3 00:00:04,320 --> 00:00:05,580 of Fine Lehman. 4 00:00:06,320 --> 00:00:07,064 Fine Lehman. 5 00:00:07,112 --> 00:00:10,408 If you're just joining us for the first time in here, if you don't 6 00:00:10,424 --> 00:00:12,744 know where Fine Lehman is, it's this little small book of the 7 00:00:12,752 --> 00:00:13,320 Bible. 8 00:00:13,480 --> 00:00:16,040 It's right before the book of Hebrews, right after the book of 9 00:00:16,080 --> 00:00:18,664 Titus there towards the end of the New Testament. 10 00:00:18,712 --> 00:00:22,820 It's only one chapter, one book, one chapter, and it's only 11 00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:26,184 25 verses, a small book of the Bible. 12 00:00:26,232 --> 00:00:28,916 But there's a big message here and, and we're going to actually 13 00:00:28,988 --> 00:00:30,084 conclude it here this evening. 14 00:00:30,132 --> 00:00:34,116 I'll do my best to summarize what we've gone over so far and conclude 15 00:00:34,148 --> 00:00:37,332 the main thought here that the Lord wants us to, to learn, I think, 16 00:00:37,356 --> 00:00:38,180 and grow in. 17 00:00:38,300 --> 00:00:40,932 But before I do that, I know I teased you a little bit at the very 18 00:00:40,956 --> 00:00:42,900 beginning saying we've got something really exciting coming 19 00:00:42,940 --> 00:00:43,428 up. 20 00:00:43,564 --> 00:00:46,948 And I know that sometimes when I'm sitting in a scenario where I'm 21 00:00:46,964 --> 00:00:48,852 thinking about that, I can't think about anything else. 22 00:00:48,916 --> 00:00:50,612 So I'm going to go ahead and just share with you what I was going 23 00:00:50,636 --> 00:00:52,480 to share at the end. 24 00:00:53,140 --> 00:00:57,004 We're concluding the study in the book of Philemon, which is, is 25 00:00:57,172 --> 00:00:58,380 good thing cuz we're done. 26 00:00:58,420 --> 00:01:01,340 But it's also a bad thing cuz, you know, what are we gonna do next? 27 00:01:01,460 --> 00:01:03,676 Um, and so there's always that, that struggle, what we're gonna 28 00:01:03,708 --> 00:01:04,108 do next. 29 00:01:04,164 --> 00:01:07,004 And of course I do most of the sermon prepping. 30 00:01:07,052 --> 00:01:07,308 Okay. 31 00:01:07,324 --> 00:01:08,364 And that's how it should be. 32 00:01:08,452 --> 00:01:11,324 I, I look and I pray and I say, okay, Lord, where do you want 33 00:01:11,332 --> 00:01:12,268 us to go next? 34 00:01:12,404 --> 00:01:16,540 But Lord really pressed upon my heart to take kind of a, A, a 35 00:01:16,580 --> 00:01:19,190 time of transition between our two book studies. 36 00:01:19,300 --> 00:01:23,362 And I want to extend to you an opportunity to be part of the sermon 37 00:01:23,426 --> 00:01:24,226 planning process. 38 00:01:24,298 --> 00:01:25,826 You would say, how do I do that? 39 00:01:25,978 --> 00:01:29,202 Well, for the next however many weeks, how long, however long 40 00:01:29,226 --> 00:01:34,818 this takes, I would like to open up to you to ask questions about 41 00:01:34,874 --> 00:01:36,930 the Bible and about the Christian life. 42 00:01:36,970 --> 00:01:39,778 Not about just random stuff, because I might not be able to answer 43 00:01:39,794 --> 00:01:41,858 those and I might not even be able to answer all the questions 44 00:01:41,874 --> 00:01:45,554 that you might have about God or the Bible or about our Christian 45 00:01:45,602 --> 00:01:46,126 faith. 46 00:01:46,258 --> 00:01:49,814 Um, but I would like to extend an opportunity for you to take tonight 47 00:01:49,862 --> 00:01:50,690 with you. 48 00:01:51,390 --> 00:01:53,958 Or you can ask the question tonight and turn it in. 49 00:01:54,094 --> 00:01:58,518 But one of these cards, I'll leave them out so they can be anonymous 50 00:01:58,614 --> 00:02:00,358 tonight after the service. 51 00:02:00,494 --> 00:02:04,470 And if you would like to write down a question or more than one 52 00:02:04,510 --> 00:02:05,090 question. 53 00:02:05,470 --> 00:02:10,342 I will try to do my best to formalize a sermon through that or 54 00:02:10,366 --> 00:02:11,436 a lesson through that. 55 00:02:11,558 --> 00:02:14,656 Uh, maybe it might not be one question, one sermon. 56 00:02:14,688 --> 00:02:17,136 It might be three questions, one sermon. 57 00:02:17,248 --> 00:02:20,048 Uh, but I would like to try to address some things that maybe you've 58 00:02:20,064 --> 00:02:20,560 been thinking about. 59 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:22,976 Maybe you've said, you know, I've always heard this, but I don't 60 00:02:23,008 --> 00:02:26,304 understand this, or why did this have to happen? 61 00:02:26,392 --> 00:02:28,560 Um, and what it might be is that I. 62 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:29,296 I might tell you. 63 00:02:29,368 --> 00:02:29,600 I. 64 00:02:29,640 --> 00:02:30,400 I don't know. 65 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:30,816 That's. 66 00:02:30,848 --> 00:02:32,080 That's ultimately God's plan. 67 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:32,512 And. 68 00:02:32,616 --> 00:02:33,392 And we. 69 00:02:33,416 --> 00:02:34,576 We don't have the thoughts of God. 70 00:02:34,608 --> 00:02:38,298 And so I might not be able to answer all of your questions, but 71 00:02:38,354 --> 00:02:41,322 if it's something to do with scripture, I will do my best to try 72 00:02:41,346 --> 00:02:45,850 to bring together an answer for you via sermon, via lesson. 73 00:02:45,930 --> 00:02:50,602 So I hope that maybe you can participate with that, and I will 74 00:02:50,626 --> 00:02:51,098 do my best. 75 00:02:51,154 --> 00:02:52,458 You don't have to write your name down. 76 00:02:52,514 --> 00:02:54,682 If you'd like to write your name down so that I can follow up 77 00:02:54,706 --> 00:02:58,522 with you, maybe for some clarifying questions, that would 78 00:02:58,546 --> 00:02:59,354 be totally appropriate. 79 00:02:59,402 --> 00:03:01,498 But if you say, you know, I don't want anyone to know that that's 80 00:03:01,514 --> 00:03:03,762 me asking that question, that's totally fine. 81 00:03:03,866 --> 00:03:06,770 Uh, please don't be offended if you write a question down and 82 00:03:06,810 --> 00:03:08,162 I don't speak on it. 83 00:03:08,266 --> 00:03:10,786 Um, especially if you leave it where you don't have a name. 84 00:03:10,858 --> 00:03:11,106 Uh. 85 00:03:11,138 --> 00:03:13,810 Cause it might just be that I don't feel like that is, you know, 86 00:03:13,850 --> 00:03:15,346 maybe a clear question. 87 00:03:15,498 --> 00:03:17,890 Um, I might even get up and say, hey, this question was asked. 88 00:03:17,930 --> 00:03:18,130 And. 89 00:03:18,170 --> 00:03:20,370 And I'll give you a different thought process on that. 90 00:03:20,410 --> 00:03:21,570 So I never. 91 00:03:21,610 --> 00:03:24,098 I don't think I've ever done this before since I've been here, 92 00:03:24,154 --> 00:03:25,922 or at least in a setting like this. 93 00:03:25,946 --> 00:03:27,986 And so this is extended to you. 94 00:03:28,058 --> 00:03:30,814 If you want to think about that, that's totally fine, too. 95 00:03:30,922 --> 00:03:35,542 If you want to share the word on Sunday morning, you can, but this 96 00:03:35,566 --> 00:03:37,558 is specifically for, like, the Wednesday night study. 97 00:03:37,614 --> 00:03:40,118 So, anyway, I'm gonna put these up here, and after the service, 98 00:03:40,174 --> 00:03:43,094 after our prayer time, I'll just put it on the front pew up here 99 00:03:43,102 --> 00:03:44,278 and you can grab one. 100 00:03:44,334 --> 00:03:44,902 All right. 101 00:03:45,006 --> 00:03:47,750 With that being said, now you know what the big question mark was. 102 00:03:47,790 --> 00:03:49,302 We can get into the book of Fine Leman. 103 00:03:49,366 --> 00:03:53,462 All right, so we are going to pick up in fine Lehman, actually 104 00:03:53,566 --> 00:03:55,942 in verse number 15. 105 00:03:56,126 --> 00:04:00,516 We looked at verses 15 and 16 last week, and that's where we ended. 106 00:04:00,628 --> 00:04:03,204 But I want to pick up where we left off, because there's. 107 00:04:03,252 --> 00:04:05,600 There's just an amazing message here. 108 00:04:05,900 --> 00:04:06,356 It's. 109 00:04:06,388 --> 00:04:10,996 It's really a picture of restoration between a guy named Philemon 110 00:04:11,028 --> 00:04:12,212 and Onesimus. 111 00:04:12,356 --> 00:04:15,812 Paul is kind of the one that's working as the middleman, the one 112 00:04:15,836 --> 00:04:20,080 who is exhorting a Philemon to receive Onesimus back. 113 00:04:20,380 --> 00:04:25,524 But really, too, I think that there is a picture of salvation inside 114 00:04:25,572 --> 00:04:27,908 of this story with Onesimus and Philemon. 115 00:04:27,924 --> 00:04:30,084 If you don't know what's going on, there's. 116 00:04:30,132 --> 00:04:35,252 There's a guy named Philemon who had a man named Onesimus as one 117 00:04:35,276 --> 00:04:36,436 of his bond servants. 118 00:04:36,548 --> 00:04:40,708 Onesimus fled Philemon's authority. 119 00:04:40,884 --> 00:04:43,636 And what we're going to actually understand through context 120 00:04:43,668 --> 00:04:47,492 is that Onesimus probably stole something from Philemon, fled 121 00:04:47,556 --> 00:04:48,440 to Rome. 122 00:04:48,780 --> 00:04:52,212 And in the process of fleeing to Rome and getting to Rome and trying 123 00:04:52,236 --> 00:04:54,846 to hide out in Rome, he comes across Paul. 124 00:04:55,038 --> 00:04:59,982 Paul leads Onesimus to Christ and begins to disciple Onesimus there 125 00:05:00,006 --> 00:05:00,654 in Rome. 126 00:05:00,782 --> 00:05:04,590 Now, the irony of all this is that Paul led Philemon, the. 127 00:05:04,710 --> 00:05:05,326 The. 128 00:05:05,478 --> 00:05:08,206 The master of Onesimus, to the Lord. 129 00:05:08,318 --> 00:05:09,582 And so there's a connection here. 130 00:05:09,606 --> 00:05:12,542 And so now Paul is trying to lead Onesimus to go back and make 131 00:05:12,566 --> 00:05:13,790 things right with Philemon. 132 00:05:13,870 --> 00:05:16,638 And he's writing this letter to Philemon to challenge Philemon 133 00:05:16,654 --> 00:05:20,028 to receive Onesimus back, not as a servant, but as we're gonna 134 00:05:20,044 --> 00:05:22,044 see here in a few moments, but as a brother. 135 00:05:22,092 --> 00:05:23,804 And there's a big difference in that. 136 00:05:23,972 --> 00:05:27,052 You know, I think that so many times within our world today, and 137 00:05:27,076 --> 00:05:29,580 even in our individual's lives, we. 138 00:05:29,620 --> 00:05:32,364 We think about people being more important or less important 139 00:05:32,452 --> 00:05:37,804 because of their status or because of their, you know, socioeconomic 140 00:05:37,932 --> 00:05:39,996 status or maybe even their looks. 141 00:05:40,028 --> 00:05:44,332 But what we can see here tonight is that Paul says, hey, Onesimus, 142 00:05:44,396 --> 00:05:47,840 now that he is your brother in Christ, he is equal to you. 143 00:05:47,940 --> 00:05:49,016 He is your brother. 144 00:05:49,128 --> 00:05:52,200 And so look at it here with me in verse 15, it says he. 145 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:52,440 He. 146 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:56,904 He's talking to Philemon about receiving Onesimus. 147 00:05:56,952 --> 00:06:00,056 And he says, for perhaps he therefore departed for a season, 148 00:06:00,128 --> 00:06:01,768 meaning he left you. 149 00:06:01,904 --> 00:06:04,472 He did you wrong, okay? 150 00:06:04,616 --> 00:06:07,740 That thou shouldest receive him forever. 151 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:11,480 So now he's saying, hey, he left you for a time, and he did you 152 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:12,840 wrong in a time. 153 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:15,880 But now when he comes back in this restoration, you now have an 154 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:17,576 eternal brotherhood. 155 00:06:17,688 --> 00:06:21,112 This new relationship that you have with Onesimus is not just a 156 00:06:21,136 --> 00:06:24,072 temporary one when it comes to servant and master. 157 00:06:24,136 --> 00:06:26,344 It's now an internal relationship as brothers. 158 00:06:26,392 --> 00:06:29,704 And even if you go back to verse 14, he says, but without thy 159 00:06:29,752 --> 00:06:33,672 mind, would I do nothing that thy benefits should not be, as it 160 00:06:33,696 --> 00:06:35,416 were, of necessity, but willingly. 161 00:06:35,448 --> 00:06:36,248 Meaning this. 162 00:06:36,384 --> 00:06:36,680 The. 163 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:40,760 The benefit of receiving Onesimus back is not something that 164 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:42,696 I want to force you to do as an apostle. 165 00:06:42,728 --> 00:06:44,088 I want to force you to do this. 166 00:06:44,224 --> 00:06:46,392 I could force you to do this, but I don't want to do that. 167 00:06:46,416 --> 00:06:48,088 I want you to do this willingly. 168 00:06:48,264 --> 00:06:53,592 And so that is the wonderful story that the restoration is happening 169 00:06:53,656 --> 00:06:55,960 in the Life of Onesimus and Philemon, verse 16. 170 00:06:56,000 --> 00:07:00,568 He says, not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother, beloved 171 00:07:00,664 --> 00:07:04,072 specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh 172 00:07:04,136 --> 00:07:05,624 and in the Lord? 173 00:07:05,752 --> 00:07:10,300 And so he says, receive Onesimus as a brother. 174 00:07:10,900 --> 00:07:13,692 And I think that that's an important message to see because 175 00:07:13,876 --> 00:07:17,644 now he's explaining to him that Onesimus is no longer underneath 176 00:07:17,692 --> 00:07:19,372 you, he is now equal to you. 177 00:07:19,396 --> 00:07:21,692 And that made me think about a passage of Scripture in the book 178 00:07:21,716 --> 00:07:22,284 of Galatians. 179 00:07:22,332 --> 00:07:25,452 If you have your Bibles, keep your finger there in Philemon and 180 00:07:25,476 --> 00:07:28,892 turn over to Galatians chapter three with me, because I think that 181 00:07:28,916 --> 00:07:33,900 this is a passage of Scripture that explains to us God's economy 182 00:07:34,020 --> 00:07:38,148 when it comes to worth as, as a human being. 183 00:07:38,284 --> 00:07:40,612 We could look at someone and we could say, well, because they 184 00:07:40,636 --> 00:07:44,484 have more money, they're more important, or because of the status 185 00:07:44,532 --> 00:07:48,852 that they have in their power, they're more important, or the way 186 00:07:48,876 --> 00:07:50,484 that they look, they're more important. 187 00:07:50,652 --> 00:07:53,156 You know, whatever you, you could come up with a bunch of reasons 188 00:07:53,188 --> 00:07:55,284 why someone is more important than the other. 189 00:07:55,452 --> 00:07:58,452 But what we can see here in Galatians chapter three is that we 190 00:07:58,476 --> 00:08:03,486 are one in Christ when, when we are saved and when we are adopted 191 00:08:03,518 --> 00:08:04,446 into the family of God. 192 00:08:04,478 --> 00:08:06,830 The Bible speaks of our salvation as many different things. 193 00:08:06,870 --> 00:08:10,382 There's a lot of analogies that God uses for our salvation, 194 00:08:10,446 --> 00:08:13,598 but one of the really cool analogies that God uses is adoption. 195 00:08:13,774 --> 00:08:16,670 Romans chapter 8 speaks of the adoption. 196 00:08:16,830 --> 00:08:19,342 And, and the beauty of the adoption is this. 197 00:08:19,446 --> 00:08:23,290 In, in the Jewish culture, when someone was adopted as a child, 198 00:08:23,750 --> 00:08:27,422 they were in the family of God, or they were in the family of 199 00:08:27,446 --> 00:08:30,390 their, their father in this case, but they did not receive all 200 00:08:30,430 --> 00:08:33,942 the benefits of that relationship until they became an 201 00:08:33,966 --> 00:08:34,630 adult. 202 00:08:34,790 --> 00:08:38,582 And so the Bible speaks of us being adopted with all the benefits. 203 00:08:38,646 --> 00:08:40,678 We're, we're adopted into the benefits of God. 204 00:08:40,694 --> 00:08:44,022 There's no waiting period for us to receive the benefits of God 205 00:08:44,086 --> 00:08:44,950 being our Father. 206 00:08:45,030 --> 00:08:46,982 So we are adopted into the family of God. 207 00:08:47,046 --> 00:08:50,790 And as we're adopted into the family of God, we are adopted with 208 00:08:50,830 --> 00:08:51,350 others, right? 209 00:08:51,390 --> 00:08:53,590 There's obviously other people that are saved. 210 00:08:53,670 --> 00:08:56,646 And so he talks about this In Galatians, chapter three, says verse 211 00:08:56,678 --> 00:09:01,090 26, for ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ 212 00:09:01,130 --> 00:09:01,910 Jesus. 213 00:09:02,250 --> 00:09:05,522 So, so think about that picture of God adopting someone into 214 00:09:05,626 --> 00:09:07,390 his family as a child. 215 00:09:07,770 --> 00:09:11,250 And as he adopts them in, it says that he adopts them by what? 216 00:09:11,290 --> 00:09:13,458 By faith in Christ Jesus. 217 00:09:13,634 --> 00:09:17,554 And so the thing that makes Onesimus's relationship different 218 00:09:17,722 --> 00:09:20,818 with Philemon now is because they both have faith in Christ. 219 00:09:20,874 --> 00:09:22,958 It's not that they both are a part of a church. 220 00:09:23,074 --> 00:09:24,806 It's not that they are both good people. 221 00:09:24,958 --> 00:09:28,742 It's not that they are both, you know, at the same status when 222 00:09:28,766 --> 00:09:30,086 it comes to their power. 223 00:09:30,158 --> 00:09:33,190 Because obviously at this point, Philemon still holds the power 224 00:09:33,230 --> 00:09:37,846 of master, and Philemon holds the power of master, and Onesimus 225 00:09:37,878 --> 00:09:38,534 is still the servant. 226 00:09:38,582 --> 00:09:41,814 But we see here that everyone is one because it says in verse 27, 227 00:09:41,902 --> 00:09:46,550 for as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put 228 00:09:46,590 --> 00:09:49,046 on Christ, meaning you're, you're baptized in the Spirit. 229 00:09:49,078 --> 00:09:53,936 And this isn't specifically talking about baptism as is the water. 230 00:09:54,088 --> 00:09:56,224 That is a picture of what happens, but it's speaking of the 231 00:09:56,232 --> 00:09:59,120 baptism that we have in Christ when the Holy Spirit indwells us. 232 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:02,992 And so he says, you've been baptized into Christ, you've put 233 00:10:03,016 --> 00:10:04,512 on Christ, meaning that's your identity. 234 00:10:04,576 --> 00:10:07,620 Now, verse 28, there is neither Jew nor Greek. 235 00:10:08,200 --> 00:10:09,740 Now, what is he saying here? 236 00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:15,104 He's not saying that, you know, you're not a Jew anymore. 237 00:10:15,232 --> 00:10:17,392 And he's not saying, oh, this person's not a Greek anymore. 238 00:10:17,456 --> 00:10:19,566 He, he's saying, it doesn't matter if you're a Greek or a Jew, 239 00:10:19,598 --> 00:10:21,310 you're equal in the eyes of God. 240 00:10:21,470 --> 00:10:22,478 Go goes on further. 241 00:10:22,534 --> 00:10:24,250 There is neither bond nor free. 242 00:10:25,030 --> 00:10:27,694 He's not saying that there, there, there are no more servants, 243 00:10:27,742 --> 00:10:28,734 there are no more masters. 244 00:10:28,782 --> 00:10:31,886 He says, no, if you're a master or a servant, you're, you're 245 00:10:31,918 --> 00:10:33,486 equal in the eyes of God. 246 00:10:33,598 --> 00:10:35,022 There is neither male nor female. 247 00:10:35,086 --> 00:10:37,758 Now the reason why we know in context that he's not talking about 248 00:10:37,814 --> 00:10:41,102 their identity is because we know that God is very clearly says 249 00:10:41,126 --> 00:10:42,558 there's males and females, right? 250 00:10:42,694 --> 00:10:45,294 There's, there's a distinction between that there's roles in, in 251 00:10:45,302 --> 00:10:48,426 the male and female relationships. 252 00:10:48,538 --> 00:10:50,714 And, and so he's not talking about, hey, there's no more gender 253 00:10:50,762 --> 00:10:53,322 anymore because that's, that's what our culture would want us to 254 00:10:53,346 --> 00:10:53,482 take. 255 00:10:53,506 --> 00:10:56,090 They would take this verse out of context, and it has been taken 256 00:10:56,130 --> 00:10:58,490 out of context, but that's not what he's talking about. 257 00:10:58,530 --> 00:11:01,754 He's saying that whether you're a man or a woman, it doesn't 258 00:11:01,802 --> 00:11:04,074 matter in the eyes of God when it comes to your salvation. 259 00:11:04,202 --> 00:11:06,106 Men are not more saved than women. 260 00:11:06,258 --> 00:11:08,986 Now, there are distinct roles, and I believe that there are distinct 261 00:11:09,018 --> 00:11:10,666 roles for men and distinct roles for women. 262 00:11:10,738 --> 00:11:14,398 But that doesn't mean that anyone is less special or more special. 263 00:11:14,534 --> 00:11:16,430 So he says, neither bond nor free. 264 00:11:16,470 --> 00:11:17,646 There's neither male nor female. 265 00:11:17,678 --> 00:11:20,750 For ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 266 00:11:20,830 --> 00:11:24,462 And if ye be Christ, then ye are Abraham's seed and heirs according 267 00:11:24,566 --> 00:11:28,526 to the promise, Meaning we are now beneficiaries of the Abrahamic 268 00:11:28,558 --> 00:11:29,262 covenant. 269 00:11:29,406 --> 00:11:32,110 You guys remember what the Abrahamic Covenant was? 270 00:11:32,150 --> 00:11:34,510 Some of you that have stayed with me for a long time here in Wednesday 271 00:11:34,550 --> 00:11:36,030 Nights, you know that Genesis series? 272 00:11:36,070 --> 00:11:38,878 I talked about Abraham's covenant for, like, every single 273 00:11:38,894 --> 00:11:39,790 week for, like, two years. 274 00:11:39,830 --> 00:11:40,474 Okay? 275 00:11:40,622 --> 00:11:44,034 We are the beneficiaries of the Abrahamic covenant because remember, 276 00:11:44,082 --> 00:11:46,882 one of the parts of the Abrahamic covenant was that all the 277 00:11:46,906 --> 00:11:50,386 nations of the world would be blessed by the seed of Abraham, seed 278 00:11:50,418 --> 00:11:51,794 of Abraham, Jesus. 279 00:11:51,842 --> 00:11:54,818 We're all blessed, and we are all now part of the family of God. 280 00:11:54,994 --> 00:11:58,754 And so that is, I believe, a theological truth in the book of 281 00:11:58,762 --> 00:12:01,778 Galatians that we see mirrored in the book of Philemon. 282 00:12:01,874 --> 00:12:04,994 Now, Onesimus and Philemon, though they have different roles 283 00:12:05,042 --> 00:12:08,658 in their culture, are now equal standing in the eyes of God. 284 00:12:08,674 --> 00:12:10,230 And so therefore, they are brothers. 285 00:12:10,570 --> 00:12:13,282 And so ultimately, when we look at our relationships that we 286 00:12:13,306 --> 00:12:17,394 have, you know, I could say, well, I'm your pastor, and I am. 287 00:12:17,482 --> 00:12:18,626 But first and foremost, I'm. 288 00:12:18,658 --> 00:12:20,270 I'm your brother Christ. 289 00:12:21,050 --> 00:12:23,682 I could look at someone that's working for me, and I could say, 290 00:12:23,706 --> 00:12:24,546 they're my employee. 291 00:12:24,578 --> 00:12:27,506 But if they're another believer, they're a brother in Christ 292 00:12:27,578 --> 00:12:29,522 before they are my employee. 293 00:12:29,666 --> 00:12:34,212 And so there's a relationship that's higher than our relationship 294 00:12:34,276 --> 00:12:35,044 here on this earth. 295 00:12:35,092 --> 00:12:37,508 There's a relationship that's an eternal relationship. 296 00:12:37,684 --> 00:12:40,900 And that's what Paul is trying to explain to Philemon here in this 297 00:12:40,940 --> 00:12:41,520 case. 298 00:12:41,980 --> 00:12:46,196 And so that's the interesting aspect of what this book is talking 299 00:12:46,228 --> 00:12:46,708 about. 300 00:12:46,844 --> 00:12:49,812 And so let's go a little bit further here. 301 00:12:49,996 --> 00:12:51,652 This is where it gets really interesting. 302 00:12:51,716 --> 00:12:52,228 Verse 17. 303 00:12:52,284 --> 00:12:54,356 He says, if thou count me, therefore, a partner. 304 00:12:54,388 --> 00:12:57,860 Paul is saying, hey, Philemon, if you think that I'm a partner in 305 00:12:57,900 --> 00:13:00,080 Christ, hear what I'm about to say. 306 00:13:00,630 --> 00:13:04,686 And we know by way of Paul's introduction that Paul and Philemon 307 00:13:04,718 --> 00:13:05,230 are very close. 308 00:13:05,270 --> 00:13:06,126 They're partners. 309 00:13:06,238 --> 00:13:08,622 They're Partners in the ministry for Christ. 310 00:13:08,806 --> 00:13:11,278 And so it would be like me coming up to you and say, hey, haven't 311 00:13:11,294 --> 00:13:13,134 I proven to you that I care about you? 312 00:13:13,222 --> 00:13:13,662 Haven't. 313 00:13:13,726 --> 00:13:16,654 Haven't we shared blood, sweat and tears in this work? 314 00:13:16,742 --> 00:13:18,926 And that's what Paul is saying to Philemon. 315 00:13:19,038 --> 00:13:22,526 If, if I'm your partner, then, then what? 316 00:13:22,678 --> 00:13:25,006 Receive him as myself, he says. 317 00:13:25,078 --> 00:13:30,584 Receive Onesimus, not as a servant, but as you would receive 318 00:13:30,632 --> 00:13:34,536 me, as you would receive your partner, the one who has had experience 319 00:13:34,608 --> 00:13:35,144 with you. 320 00:13:35,232 --> 00:13:37,848 You know, there, there's, there is something to be said about 321 00:13:37,904 --> 00:13:38,824 a shared experience. 322 00:13:38,912 --> 00:13:41,352 I don't know if any of you have gone through like a life or 323 00:13:41,376 --> 00:13:44,712 death situation with somebody, but for whatever reason, it kind 324 00:13:44,736 --> 00:13:46,824 of ties you together, kind of puts a bond there. 325 00:13:46,912 --> 00:13:51,944 I remember back, I was six, I think I was 16 years old, 15 years 326 00:13:51,952 --> 00:13:52,830 old, I can't remember. 327 00:13:52,960 --> 00:13:58,658 But my mom and my dad took me to a place in North Carolina. 328 00:13:58,754 --> 00:14:00,098 I think it was North Carolina. 329 00:14:00,274 --> 00:14:02,866 My memory doesn't serve me well, but it's either North Carolina 330 00:14:02,898 --> 00:14:03,346 or Tennessee. 331 00:14:03,378 --> 00:14:04,578 Down, down in that area. 332 00:14:04,714 --> 00:14:06,658 And we went whitewater rafting. 333 00:14:06,834 --> 00:14:10,306 And my mom was always like, I want to go whitewater rafting. 334 00:14:10,338 --> 00:14:13,602 I remember from a baby, as far as I could remember back, my mom 335 00:14:13,626 --> 00:14:15,538 was like, my dream is to go whitewater rafting. 336 00:14:15,554 --> 00:14:16,386 I just want to do that. 337 00:14:16,458 --> 00:14:18,178 And my dad's like, finally we're going to go. 338 00:14:18,234 --> 00:14:22,716 And we went with some family, friends and so there was, you know, 339 00:14:22,788 --> 00:14:24,716 my parents friends and, and, and their child. 340 00:14:24,788 --> 00:14:29,132 We, we went, and so we, we went whitewater rafting and we were 341 00:14:29,156 --> 00:14:31,740 going down the river and I, I, I think I told the story before. 342 00:14:31,780 --> 00:14:34,956 I won't go into all the details, but basically our tour guide, 343 00:14:34,988 --> 00:14:38,156 our, our white water rafting guide was a little crazy and he ended 344 00:14:38,188 --> 00:14:40,284 up trying to do this trick where he would spin us and kind of 345 00:14:40,292 --> 00:14:42,204 like dump us over this little waterfall. 346 00:14:42,332 --> 00:14:45,324 And when he did that, the water went into the boat and I was 347 00:14:45,332 --> 00:14:46,156 thinking we were totally safe. 348 00:14:46,188 --> 00:14:47,734 I'm like, we're not going to go into the water. 349 00:14:47,852 --> 00:14:51,698 Sure enough, the whole raft like goes under and like all of us 350 00:14:51,754 --> 00:14:54,354 come out, except I think my dad was that my dad and the guide 351 00:14:54,402 --> 00:14:56,034 were the only two that stayed in the raft. 352 00:14:56,082 --> 00:14:58,594 And we're rushing down the river and all of us are trying to 353 00:14:58,602 --> 00:15:01,122 get saved and we're all pulling each other up and we all 354 00:15:01,146 --> 00:15:02,914 lifted up in, into that raft. 355 00:15:02,962 --> 00:15:04,514 We finally got in there right before we died. 356 00:15:04,562 --> 00:15:07,154 There was a Class 5 rapids on the, on the way and they're like, 357 00:15:07,162 --> 00:15:07,682 we Got to get in. 358 00:15:07,706 --> 00:15:08,802 So we all got in. 359 00:15:08,986 --> 00:15:11,314 But I remember that night we all just kind of sat around at the 360 00:15:11,322 --> 00:15:14,222 dinner table and we were like, man, we, we, we made it. 361 00:15:14,246 --> 00:15:15,758 And we were like, you know, together. 362 00:15:15,814 --> 00:15:17,630 We were bonded together because we went through that life 363 00:15:17,670 --> 00:15:18,238 or death experience. 364 00:15:18,294 --> 00:15:20,782 That's kind of how it is sometimes with ministry, like when 365 00:15:20,806 --> 00:15:23,454 we're serving together and, and we go through our bumps and we 366 00:15:23,462 --> 00:15:25,630 go through our struggles and we pray for each other and we see 367 00:15:25,670 --> 00:15:26,350 answered prayer. 368 00:15:26,430 --> 00:15:27,758 There's a bond there. 369 00:15:27,894 --> 00:15:30,910 And what Paul is saying here is this, hey, Philemon, we have a 370 00:15:30,950 --> 00:15:31,790 bond together. 371 00:15:31,910 --> 00:15:34,062 You trust me, I trust you. 372 00:15:34,246 --> 00:15:35,758 You love me, I love you. 373 00:15:35,814 --> 00:15:37,438 You give me the benefit of the doubt. 374 00:15:37,534 --> 00:15:38,798 I give you the benefit of the doubt. 375 00:15:38,814 --> 00:15:43,400 He says, I want you to receive Onesimus the same way. 376 00:15:43,780 --> 00:15:47,196 And that's really how we should receive all believers, all 377 00:15:47,268 --> 00:15:48,300 brothers and sisters in Christ. 378 00:15:48,340 --> 00:15:51,628 We should receive them as we would someone that we trust, someone 379 00:15:51,684 --> 00:15:52,220 that we love. 380 00:15:52,260 --> 00:15:54,028 And that's what exactly he is saying. 381 00:15:54,084 --> 00:15:56,828 So, so Paul stands beside Onesimus here. 382 00:15:56,884 --> 00:15:57,980 And what is Paul doing? 383 00:15:58,020 --> 00:15:59,692 He's requesting mercy. 384 00:15:59,836 --> 00:16:05,494 He, he wants Philemon to extend mercy to Onesimus. 385 00:16:05,542 --> 00:16:08,342 Now what is mercy, Biblically speaking? 386 00:16:08,406 --> 00:16:14,710 Mercy is God in, in the case of God, withholding punishment from 387 00:16:14,750 --> 00:16:16,294 us that we deserve. 388 00:16:16,422 --> 00:16:17,090 Right? 389 00:16:17,630 --> 00:16:21,654 So look at it from the perspective of Philemon and Onesimus. 390 00:16:21,782 --> 00:16:24,006 What did Onesimus deserve from Philemon? 391 00:16:24,038 --> 00:16:26,582 Well, Philemon had every right in his culture. 392 00:16:26,726 --> 00:16:32,432 He had every right within the Roman law to punish Onesimus for 393 00:16:32,456 --> 00:16:33,792 leaving and from stealing from him. 394 00:16:33,816 --> 00:16:36,352 It's actually was a capital crime, meaning he could have put 395 00:16:36,376 --> 00:16:40,592 him to death, Philemon could have put Onesimus to death, and there 396 00:16:40,616 --> 00:16:42,704 would have been no one that would have batted an eye. 397 00:16:42,832 --> 00:16:44,320 And so what is Paul doing? 398 00:16:44,360 --> 00:16:47,312 He says, hey, now that he's a brother in Christ, give him some 399 00:16:47,336 --> 00:16:48,128 mercy. 400 00:16:48,304 --> 00:16:50,480 And I think that's all of us really, in our life. 401 00:16:50,520 --> 00:16:53,504 We, when we, when we think about what God does for us and the 402 00:16:53,512 --> 00:16:57,320 great mercy that he extended us in salvation, all the more reason 403 00:16:57,360 --> 00:16:59,220 why we should extend mercy to others. 404 00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:03,336 One of the things that I think all Christians need to grow in, including 405 00:17:03,408 --> 00:17:09,416 myself, is extending mercy and grace in situations that, that sometimes 406 00:17:09,448 --> 00:17:10,200 can be difficult. 407 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:10,760 Right. 408 00:17:10,880 --> 00:17:13,640 Someone wrongs you, the immediate response is wrong them 409 00:17:13,680 --> 00:17:14,260 back. 410 00:17:14,560 --> 00:17:17,912 The biblical response, the Christlike response, is grace and 411 00:17:17,936 --> 00:17:21,260 mercy, forgiveness, patience. 412 00:17:21,930 --> 00:17:25,110 The word is really in, in the King James, long suffering. 413 00:17:25,450 --> 00:17:26,802 And, and so what does he say here? 414 00:17:26,826 --> 00:17:29,950 He says mercy, grace, extend that. 415 00:17:30,650 --> 00:17:37,474 And so Paul's appeal is, is a powerful appeal because he, Paul 416 00:17:37,522 --> 00:17:40,818 is standing beside a guilty man. 417 00:17:40,954 --> 00:17:44,770 He's Standing beside Onesimus, who is guilty, he has committed the 418 00:17:44,810 --> 00:17:45,430 crime. 419 00:17:45,930 --> 00:17:50,746 And, and if you think about it from the perspective of yourself 420 00:17:50,938 --> 00:17:54,586 standing next to Jesus, that's exactly what he does for us, right? 421 00:17:54,738 --> 00:17:57,882 In faith, when we come to him in faith, the Bible says that we 422 00:17:57,906 --> 00:18:02,570 have an advocate with the Father, meaning this Jesus, who is 423 00:18:02,610 --> 00:18:07,578 perfect, he stands next to us who are guilty and says, hey, look, 424 00:18:07,634 --> 00:18:08,586 have mercy, God. 425 00:18:08,618 --> 00:18:10,074 I'm, I'm gonna pay the price. 426 00:18:10,162 --> 00:18:11,994 And that's exactly what Paul says here. 427 00:18:12,082 --> 00:18:13,110 He says this. 428 00:18:13,490 --> 00:18:21,302 If he hath wrong thee, and he has, or O, with thee ought put that 429 00:18:21,326 --> 00:18:22,770 on mine account. 430 00:18:23,150 --> 00:18:25,046 So Paul is saying, Paul is saying this. 431 00:18:25,118 --> 00:18:29,526 If he took anything from you, if he owes you a debt, I will pay 432 00:18:29,598 --> 00:18:30,134 that debt. 433 00:18:30,182 --> 00:18:31,734 I will take care of that. 434 00:18:31,902 --> 00:18:33,190 And, and so what is he doing? 435 00:18:33,230 --> 00:18:35,094 He's vouching for Onesimus. 436 00:18:35,142 --> 00:18:39,478 He says, if Onesimus owes you money, if he owes you property. 437 00:18:39,574 --> 00:18:42,608 And so we can understand through context that when he left, 438 00:18:42,664 --> 00:18:46,112 he probably stole something from, from Philemon. 439 00:18:46,256 --> 00:18:48,208 And so Paul is saying, I will pay the price. 440 00:18:48,264 --> 00:18:49,888 That's exactly what Jesus does for us. 441 00:18:49,944 --> 00:18:53,472 He stands next to us, he's an advocate for us. 442 00:18:53,576 --> 00:18:56,352 And he says, hey, if this person has sinned, and we know we 443 00:18:56,376 --> 00:18:58,672 all have, he says, I will pay the price. 444 00:18:58,856 --> 00:19:00,592 And Jesus did pay the price. 445 00:19:00,776 --> 00:19:04,928 And so we see here, in this picture of restoration with Onesimus 446 00:19:04,944 --> 00:19:09,050 and Philemon is the picture of restoration between the, the sinner 447 00:19:09,210 --> 00:19:10,362 and God, right? 448 00:19:10,386 --> 00:19:11,754 And Jesus the advocate. 449 00:19:11,802 --> 00:19:14,666 And so Paul in that case is playing the role of Jesus. 450 00:19:14,778 --> 00:19:17,466 Now we know that Paul can't forgive Onesimus of his sin. 451 00:19:17,498 --> 00:19:21,466 Okay, so it's not a, an apples to apples situation, but we do understand 452 00:19:21,538 --> 00:19:23,098 that this is a picture of that. 453 00:19:23,234 --> 00:19:26,490 And so Paul's appeal here, here is, is really powerful because 454 00:19:26,530 --> 00:19:30,350 he's saying, on behalf of this guilty person, I will take the punishment. 455 00:19:31,090 --> 00:19:33,290 This servant of yours is my friend. 456 00:19:33,330 --> 00:19:34,202 He is my brother. 457 00:19:34,266 --> 00:19:36,792 So if you punish him, punish me. 458 00:19:36,976 --> 00:19:38,200 I will stand beside him. 459 00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:39,720 I will take the punishment. 460 00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:42,824 And, and I think that that is a, a beautiful picture of what Jesus 461 00:19:42,872 --> 00:19:47,896 does for us before the Lord, before our master, God the Father. 462 00:19:48,088 --> 00:19:55,640 And so I, I read verses 15, really verses 14 through 18 and, 463 00:19:55,680 --> 00:19:57,000 and 19 for that matter. 464 00:19:57,120 --> 00:19:59,224 And, and I see a picture of salvation. 465 00:19:59,272 --> 00:20:02,312 He says, I, Paul, have written it with mine own hand. 466 00:20:02,416 --> 00:20:04,232 Paul says, I'm writing this letter to you. 467 00:20:04,256 --> 00:20:06,376 I'm vouching for Onesimus. 468 00:20:06,408 --> 00:20:08,984 I am the one who is putting my name to this. 469 00:20:09,072 --> 00:20:11,400 I, I don't know about you guys, but when I put my name to something 470 00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:13,080 I like, I'M it, it matters. 471 00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:14,856 I don't want to just put my name to anything. 472 00:20:14,968 --> 00:20:15,960 Very cautious about things. 473 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:18,664 Like when someone gives me a contract, I sit there and I want 474 00:20:18,672 --> 00:20:19,320 to read everything. 475 00:20:19,360 --> 00:20:21,592 I want to make sure when I'm signing, because I'm putting my name 476 00:20:21,616 --> 00:20:21,832 to this. 477 00:20:21,856 --> 00:20:24,220 Paul says, I am putting my name to this situation. 478 00:20:24,720 --> 00:20:30,140 And, and so when Onesimus escaped, he stole from Philemon. 479 00:20:30,450 --> 00:20:31,978 He owed Philemon. 480 00:20:32,074 --> 00:20:35,306 But Paul is willing to say, I will put it on my account. 481 00:20:35,378 --> 00:20:36,250 I will do this. 482 00:20:36,290 --> 00:20:38,490 And so he's saying, here, here's an iou. 483 00:20:38,570 --> 00:20:40,550 I will pay the price. 484 00:20:41,650 --> 00:20:46,506 And so I think that that's an, an amazing picture of what Christ 485 00:20:46,578 --> 00:20:47,610 has done for us. 486 00:20:47,650 --> 00:20:51,066 And, and if you think about it from that perspective, it's a lot 487 00:20:51,138 --> 00:20:51,750 more. 488 00:20:52,370 --> 00:20:52,730 I. 489 00:20:52,770 --> 00:20:55,492 I would say it's a lot more of a. 490 00:20:55,626 --> 00:20:59,296 Of a struggle to get to that place of pride that, hey, I've earned 491 00:20:59,328 --> 00:21:01,740 this, I've done this, I've worked my way back. 492 00:21:02,440 --> 00:21:03,040 You know, I. 493 00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:06,096 I think the more we think about the Gospel, at least for me, 494 00:21:06,168 --> 00:21:08,768 the more I think about what Christ has done for me, the more 495 00:21:08,904 --> 00:21:11,696 I realize how helpless I am without him. 496 00:21:11,848 --> 00:21:15,632 And, and Onesimus is helpless unless Philemon receives him back. 497 00:21:15,656 --> 00:21:16,976 Unless Paul does this for me. 498 00:21:17,048 --> 00:21:21,408 If Onesimus, it just like, tried to do this on his own, he probably 499 00:21:21,504 --> 00:21:23,232 would have ended in destruction. 500 00:21:23,296 --> 00:21:25,104 He probably would have ended in brokenness. 501 00:21:25,152 --> 00:21:29,906 But because he has an advocate, and because Philemon loves 502 00:21:29,938 --> 00:21:33,826 the Lord, I believe that this all comes back to a place of restoration. 503 00:21:34,018 --> 00:21:37,218 And so Paul says in verse 19, I will repay it. 504 00:21:37,274 --> 00:21:41,714 Albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me, even thine 505 00:21:41,762 --> 00:21:42,386 own self. 506 00:21:42,418 --> 00:21:45,618 Besides, now, I don't know if you caught that there, but Paul says, 507 00:21:45,754 --> 00:21:47,538 I have written this letter with my own hand. 508 00:21:47,594 --> 00:21:49,730 I will repay what he owes you. 509 00:21:49,850 --> 00:21:54,924 Albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me, even thine 510 00:21:54,972 --> 00:21:55,564 own self. 511 00:21:55,612 --> 00:21:57,980 Besides, meaning he's what. 512 00:21:58,020 --> 00:21:59,196 What is he saying in everyday English? 513 00:21:59,228 --> 00:22:00,396 He's like, you owe me. 514 00:22:00,548 --> 00:22:01,676 I've done a lot for you. 515 00:22:01,748 --> 00:22:04,828 And if you go back, what did Paul do for Philemon? 516 00:22:04,844 --> 00:22:05,692 He led them to the Lord. 517 00:22:05,756 --> 00:22:08,604 So he says, look, I, give me some grace. 518 00:22:08,652 --> 00:22:08,860 Give. 519 00:22:08,900 --> 00:22:10,156 Give me the benefit of the doubt. 520 00:22:10,188 --> 00:22:12,844 Like I, I've come before you and I've done things for you and 521 00:22:12,852 --> 00:22:14,204 I've sacrificed for you. 522 00:22:14,292 --> 00:22:16,060 And so that's what we see here in this case. 523 00:22:16,100 --> 00:22:18,720 It's a given, given, giving relationship. 524 00:22:19,060 --> 00:22:24,412 So while Paul accounts the history of their relationship, I 525 00:22:24,436 --> 00:22:27,980 think that Paul, even though he probably could afford to pay Onesimus 526 00:22:28,060 --> 00:22:32,796 his expenses, he's appealing to Philemon, to the fact that, hey, 527 00:22:32,828 --> 00:22:36,172 look, I gave you grace, I gave you patience, and so you should do 528 00:22:36,196 --> 00:22:36,796 the same. 529 00:22:36,948 --> 00:22:39,132 And I think that's another lesson that we can learn in this 530 00:22:39,156 --> 00:22:42,120 passage of Scripture, is that if we gave people. 531 00:22:43,460 --> 00:22:46,460 And I know that this isn't something that's smiled upon in our 532 00:22:46,500 --> 00:22:50,490 society today because of so many wrongdoings, but if we give 533 00:22:50,530 --> 00:22:52,714 people the benefit of the doubt, specifically other brothers 534 00:22:52,762 --> 00:22:58,058 and sisters in Christ, there would be a lot more grace, love and 535 00:22:58,114 --> 00:22:59,546 mercy within the church, within. 536 00:22:59,618 --> 00:23:01,802 Within the fellowship of believers. 537 00:23:01,946 --> 00:23:03,562 Um, if you look at. 538 00:23:03,746 --> 00:23:04,154 Let's. 539 00:23:04,202 --> 00:23:06,394 Let's look at this together, I think this is important to see. 540 00:23:06,482 --> 00:23:08,842 Look at First Corinthians, chapter 13 with me. 541 00:23:08,866 --> 00:23:12,752 Most of you know this passage deals with love. 542 00:23:12,906 --> 00:23:14,068 This is the passage of love. 543 00:23:14,124 --> 00:23:19,124 This is the passage that is many times read at weddings, which 544 00:23:19,292 --> 00:23:20,660 understandably so. 545 00:23:20,780 --> 00:23:24,388 But it means so much more than just the relationship between husbands 546 00:23:24,404 --> 00:23:25,140 and wives. 547 00:23:25,300 --> 00:23:28,640 It's talking about biblical Christlike love. 548 00:23:29,020 --> 00:23:32,308 And, and when we think about it from the perspective of what Christ 549 00:23:32,364 --> 00:23:33,876 has done for us, it makes a lot more sense. 550 00:23:33,908 --> 00:23:37,636 But if you look at what it's talking about here in the King James, 551 00:23:37,668 --> 00:23:40,362 it uses the word charity, which is another word for love. 552 00:23:40,386 --> 00:23:42,950 It's the agape that, you know, love. 553 00:23:44,050 --> 00:23:47,818 So, so he talks about the, the uselessness of all of these great 554 00:23:47,874 --> 00:23:49,610 things if we don't have love. 555 00:23:49,650 --> 00:23:52,234 He says, you know, you could do all of these works of God, but 556 00:23:52,242 --> 00:23:53,242 if you don't have love. 557 00:23:53,346 --> 00:23:55,146 At the end of verse two, he says, I am nothing. 558 00:23:55,258 --> 00:23:58,378 At the end of verse three, it profited me nothing. 559 00:23:58,474 --> 00:24:00,250 And then he starts to describe this type of love. 560 00:24:00,290 --> 00:24:03,110 Verse four, charity suffereth long. 561 00:24:04,050 --> 00:24:06,250 Love is patient, okay? 562 00:24:06,410 --> 00:24:07,642 And is kind. 563 00:24:07,826 --> 00:24:09,590 Charity envieth not. 564 00:24:10,370 --> 00:24:13,658 Charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, meaning it doesn't 565 00:24:13,674 --> 00:24:17,402 lift itself up, does not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not 566 00:24:17,426 --> 00:24:21,082 her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil. 567 00:24:21,226 --> 00:24:22,842 And I want you to think about what that means there. 568 00:24:22,866 --> 00:24:26,634 At the end of verse five, it says, thinketh no evil. 569 00:24:26,682 --> 00:24:29,546 And in the original language, it's basically saying this, don't 570 00:24:29,578 --> 00:24:34,052 assume evil in a fellow brother and sister in Christ. 571 00:24:34,236 --> 00:24:37,412 And I think that's a lot of times what we do because of whatever 572 00:24:37,476 --> 00:24:40,868 has happened in our own life and maybe because of our own struggles, 573 00:24:40,964 --> 00:24:44,596 we assume the worst in another brother or another sister. 574 00:24:44,788 --> 00:24:50,196 And I've said this before to people, they might be having malicious 575 00:24:50,228 --> 00:24:53,172 thoughts, but what the Bible says is that our first reaction should 576 00:24:53,196 --> 00:24:54,020 not go there. 577 00:24:54,140 --> 00:24:56,900 It should give them the benefit of the doubt to say, maybe 578 00:24:57,060 --> 00:24:58,560 they don't mean it that way. 579 00:24:58,860 --> 00:25:00,420 Maybe they're having a bad day. 580 00:25:00,460 --> 00:25:01,716 Maybe I can extend grace. 581 00:25:01,748 --> 00:25:04,468 And when you think about Christ's love, one of my favorite 582 00:25:04,484 --> 00:25:05,812 verses, it was Romans 5:8. 583 00:25:05,836 --> 00:25:08,980 But God commendeth or demonstrated his love towards us 584 00:25:09,100 --> 00:25:11,012 in that while we were yet sinners. 585 00:25:11,076 --> 00:25:12,180 Christ died for us. 586 00:25:12,300 --> 00:25:15,012 God didn't wait till we got right and then died for us. 587 00:25:15,036 --> 00:25:17,524 He died for us in the midst of our brokenness. 588 00:25:17,652 --> 00:25:20,804 Someone described it to me this way, and I don't know the dynamic 589 00:25:20,852 --> 00:25:24,734 of what was in our Lord's mind at the moment he's being nailed to 590 00:25:24,742 --> 00:25:25,086 the cross. 591 00:25:25,118 --> 00:25:25,550 I don't know. 592 00:25:25,590 --> 00:25:28,862 I, I, we do know a few things about what was going on in his mind 593 00:25:28,886 --> 00:25:30,010 and what he was saying. 594 00:25:30,630 --> 00:25:32,590 But someone painted the picture to me like this. 595 00:25:32,630 --> 00:25:35,582 Like, if Jesus was about to go to the cross, he was about to be 596 00:25:35,606 --> 00:25:36,430 nailed to the cross. 597 00:25:36,510 --> 00:25:41,534 And if you came to his mind, which I believe that's a complete 598 00:25:41,582 --> 00:25:44,462 possibility, that he thought about all of us and he realized that 599 00:25:44,486 --> 00:25:47,150 we were going to sin, he still went forward and did that. 600 00:25:47,270 --> 00:25:49,406 And, and I mean, if you think about it, we're the ones that nailed 601 00:25:49,438 --> 00:25:52,064 him to the cross in our sin, but he still went forward and did 602 00:25:52,072 --> 00:25:52,192 that. 603 00:25:52,216 --> 00:25:55,104 And so I think about that type of love that we see in first Corinthians, 604 00:25:55,152 --> 00:25:55,920 chapter 13. 605 00:25:56,040 --> 00:25:58,512 And then I see Paul petitioning Philemon to have that 606 00:25:58,536 --> 00:26:00,420 same type of love to Onesimus. 607 00:26:00,760 --> 00:26:02,928 And, and that's, that's a challenge for me. 608 00:26:03,064 --> 00:26:04,300 How many of us? 609 00:26:05,560 --> 00:26:08,860 And, and I'm gonna try to challenge you tonight, but just, 610 00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:11,008 I'm challenging myself just to be honest. 611 00:26:11,024 --> 00:26:13,632 I'm struggling through this right now in my own heart to, to 612 00:26:13,656 --> 00:26:14,272 tell you this. 613 00:26:14,376 --> 00:26:16,656 I don't know, I'll give you a little peep peek behind the curtain. 614 00:26:16,688 --> 00:26:19,432 Sometimes as a pastor, I'm about to say something and like, 615 00:26:19,536 --> 00:26:22,872 the burden of, like, fear of like telling people this is like, 616 00:26:22,896 --> 00:26:23,848 hey, you know what? 617 00:26:23,904 --> 00:26:24,472 Don't say it. 618 00:26:24,496 --> 00:26:25,800 You know, they have that, that flesh. 619 00:26:25,880 --> 00:26:27,176 But I'm just going to say it to you. 620 00:26:27,248 --> 00:26:30,056 How many of us have had someone wrong us and we are not willing 621 00:26:30,088 --> 00:26:31,320 to like, restore with them. 622 00:26:31,360 --> 00:26:34,340 Like, no way, not going to happen again. 623 00:26:34,640 --> 00:26:36,008 That's off the table. 624 00:26:36,184 --> 00:26:39,144 And, and what the Bible says is that's, that's not the way that 625 00:26:39,152 --> 00:26:40,984 we should be living as brothers and sisters in Christ. 626 00:26:41,072 --> 00:26:43,848 We should be happy and ready to get back. 627 00:26:43,904 --> 00:26:45,703 That's, that's, that's biblical forbearance. 628 00:26:45,804 --> 00:26:49,232 If, if you look at, look at Galatians, chapter six with me. 629 00:26:49,256 --> 00:26:50,944 Galatians, chapter six, verse one. 630 00:26:51,112 --> 00:26:54,288 I don't, didn't plan to go here, but, but I think this is important 631 00:26:54,344 --> 00:26:58,768 to see because, because that's, because the thing about Philemon, 632 00:26:58,864 --> 00:27:03,072 I, I, I try to put my, myself in the shoes of the individuals that 633 00:27:03,096 --> 00:27:03,936 we read about in scripture. 634 00:27:03,968 --> 00:27:06,368 And I'm Philemon Onesimus. 635 00:27:06,544 --> 00:27:07,488 And this isn't right. 636 00:27:07,544 --> 00:27:08,416 I don't believe, okay? 637 00:27:08,448 --> 00:27:10,144 I don't believe in this, okay? 638 00:27:10,192 --> 00:27:13,940 But in Philemon's mind, Onesimus was his property. 639 00:27:14,310 --> 00:27:16,398 It was, it was a commodity for him. 640 00:27:16,534 --> 00:27:19,090 He used it for his financial gain. 641 00:27:19,510 --> 00:27:25,134 And Onesimus left, broke his contract because he was a bond servant. 642 00:27:25,182 --> 00:27:28,686 So Onesimus willingly went into a bond servant relationship 643 00:27:28,718 --> 00:27:31,278 with Philemon, then he broke that. 644 00:27:31,414 --> 00:27:35,550 So he wronged Philemon, culturally speaking, and then he 645 00:27:35,590 --> 00:27:36,782 stole from him. 646 00:27:36,966 --> 00:27:42,060 So if I'm Philemon, I'm like, man, this guy got off the chain. 647 00:27:42,400 --> 00:27:44,120 He, he, he, we, we let him go. 648 00:27:44,160 --> 00:27:45,112 He should get everything. 649 00:27:45,216 --> 00:27:47,672 We should, we should punish him to the fullest extent of the 650 00:27:47,696 --> 00:27:47,976 law. 651 00:27:48,048 --> 00:27:50,568 And when he gets back, I'm gonna remind him every single day 652 00:27:50,624 --> 00:27:51,080 what he did. 653 00:27:51,120 --> 00:27:52,760 That's what we do sometimes, right? 654 00:27:52,880 --> 00:27:56,696 Because we say we forgive somebody, but it's this, I forget 655 00:27:56,728 --> 00:27:59,912 what it's called, but it's like you bring up something by not 656 00:27:59,936 --> 00:28:00,728 bringing it up. 657 00:28:00,864 --> 00:28:04,520 So, for example, like let's, let's say there's a situation. 658 00:28:04,600 --> 00:28:07,542 I'm not saying that we do this in our house, but let's say, for 659 00:28:07,566 --> 00:28:11,798 example, there's a husband and wife and I, maybe the, the, the husband 660 00:28:11,894 --> 00:28:15,302 did something wrong and the wife goes, well, I'm not even going 661 00:28:15,326 --> 00:28:18,134 to bring up what you did last Friday, okay? 662 00:28:18,262 --> 00:28:20,934 By her not bringing up, like saying that she's not going to bring 663 00:28:20,942 --> 00:28:21,174 it up. 664 00:28:21,182 --> 00:28:21,942 She brought it up, right? 665 00:28:21,966 --> 00:28:22,902 So that's sometimes what we do. 666 00:28:22,926 --> 00:28:26,006 Sometimes passively we bring up issues that don't need to be brought 667 00:28:26,038 --> 00:28:26,326 up. 668 00:28:26,398 --> 00:28:28,182 And so Philemon could have been like that. 669 00:28:28,206 --> 00:28:29,766 He could have held it over his head. 670 00:28:29,838 --> 00:28:31,142 But what does Paul say to do? 671 00:28:31,166 --> 00:28:32,934 He says, restore a brother. 672 00:28:33,062 --> 00:28:34,342 Galatians, chapter 6, verse 1. 673 00:28:34,366 --> 00:28:35,942 He says, Brethren, he's talking to Christians here. 674 00:28:35,966 --> 00:28:40,406 By the way, if a man be overtaken in a fault or a sin, ye 675 00:28:40,438 --> 00:28:44,102 which are spiritual, ye which are walking in the spirit, restore 676 00:28:44,166 --> 00:28:49,574 such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest 677 00:28:49,622 --> 00:28:54,294 thou also be tempted, meaning receive them back, restore them back 678 00:28:54,382 --> 00:28:55,142 in meekness. 679 00:28:55,206 --> 00:28:57,030 Meekness is gentleness. 680 00:28:57,110 --> 00:28:58,806 Meekness is strength under control. 681 00:28:58,878 --> 00:29:00,148 Meekness is not weakness. 682 00:29:00,254 --> 00:29:04,712 Restore them back, meaning you, you could, you could beat them 683 00:29:04,736 --> 00:29:07,832 down for what they've done wrong, but having the strength not 684 00:29:07,856 --> 00:29:10,696 to do that, having the restraint not to do that. 685 00:29:10,768 --> 00:29:11,592 And so what does he say? 686 00:29:11,616 --> 00:29:12,328 He says, do that. 687 00:29:12,384 --> 00:29:12,936 Why? 688 00:29:13,088 --> 00:29:14,712 Lest you be tempted. 689 00:29:14,776 --> 00:29:18,696 Meaning you could fall into the same trap that they have fallen 690 00:29:18,728 --> 00:29:18,968 into. 691 00:29:19,024 --> 00:29:22,568 Because you're not willing to restore, you're not willing to forgive. 692 00:29:22,744 --> 00:29:25,816 Then he goes on to say, bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfill 693 00:29:25,848 --> 00:29:26,892 the law of Christ. 694 00:29:27,056 --> 00:29:28,916 So we go back to Philemon and Onesimus. 695 00:29:28,948 --> 00:29:29,108 Let's. 696 00:29:29,124 --> 00:29:29,812 Let's wrap this up. 697 00:29:29,836 --> 00:29:32,772 I know that we've kind of talked about this point for a long 698 00:29:32,796 --> 00:29:38,084 time, but Paul has confidence that Philemon will restore onesimus 699 00:29:38,132 --> 00:29:38,436 properly. 700 00:29:38,468 --> 00:29:38,932 Verse 20. 701 00:29:38,956 --> 00:29:43,412 Yay, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord. 702 00:29:43,476 --> 00:29:47,732 Meaning what you are going to do is going to bring me joy, refresh 703 00:29:47,796 --> 00:29:49,720 my bowels in the Lord. 704 00:29:50,940 --> 00:29:52,260 We don't usually talk that way. 705 00:29:52,300 --> 00:29:52,796 Okay, okay. 706 00:29:52,828 --> 00:29:57,068 I don't come up to you in church and go, you've really refreshed 707 00:29:57,084 --> 00:29:58,204 my bowels today. 708 00:29:58,372 --> 00:29:59,804 What is he talking about here? 709 00:29:59,892 --> 00:30:04,524 The word bowels in the Greek was the seat of their emotions. 710 00:30:04,652 --> 00:30:08,268 It was where they felt their feelings, so to speak. 711 00:30:08,444 --> 00:30:12,364 So Paul says, do this for me so that I can receive joy in my feelings. 712 00:30:12,412 --> 00:30:12,620 I. 713 00:30:12,660 --> 00:30:14,012 I want to feel joy towards you. 714 00:30:14,036 --> 00:30:14,220 I. 715 00:30:14,260 --> 00:30:15,084 I want to be happy. 716 00:30:15,132 --> 00:30:18,412 I want to have this type of excitement in knowing that you're 717 00:30:18,476 --> 00:30:19,400 having restoration. 718 00:30:19,500 --> 00:30:20,672 And so what does this mean? 719 00:30:20,776 --> 00:30:23,936 I believe this means that as Christians, we should be happy when 720 00:30:24,088 --> 00:30:27,216 people that aren't even related to us are restored. 721 00:30:27,408 --> 00:30:29,840 Like, like when restoration happens between two other people, 722 00:30:29,880 --> 00:30:31,552 we don't go, oh, that's not my problem. 723 00:30:31,656 --> 00:30:33,632 No, we should rejoice when they're rejoicing. 724 00:30:33,696 --> 00:30:34,512 And that's what Paul says. 725 00:30:34,536 --> 00:30:37,140 I will rejoice when you have this restoration. 726 00:30:38,520 --> 00:30:40,048 The word here, joy. 727 00:30:40,224 --> 00:30:44,176 Where, where he says, yea, brother, let me have joy of the word 728 00:30:44,208 --> 00:30:46,410 joy literally means prophetic. 729 00:30:46,520 --> 00:30:47,030 Like. 730 00:30:47,150 --> 00:30:48,054 Like profit. 731 00:30:48,102 --> 00:30:51,238 Not profit as like foretelling the future, but profit meaning gain. 732 00:30:51,334 --> 00:30:53,078 Like, you know, you make a profit. 733 00:30:53,174 --> 00:30:54,310 So he says, let me. 734 00:30:54,350 --> 00:30:55,910 Let me understand this prophet. 735 00:30:55,990 --> 00:30:57,014 Let me have this prophet. 736 00:30:57,062 --> 00:30:59,190 And if you remember, Onesimus meant. 737 00:30:59,270 --> 00:31:00,630 What does Onesimus's name mean? 738 00:31:00,670 --> 00:31:01,958 It means profitable. 739 00:31:02,134 --> 00:31:05,878 So, so Paul plays off of Onesimus's name throughout this whole 740 00:31:05,974 --> 00:31:06,230 book. 741 00:31:06,270 --> 00:31:09,830 And so he says, let me have Onesimus of so. 742 00:31:09,870 --> 00:31:14,194 So it would be like someone's name being profitable. 743 00:31:14,322 --> 00:31:17,522 And, and so he's essentially saying he's using Onesimus. 744 00:31:17,586 --> 00:31:18,978 It's a double meaning, so to speak. 745 00:31:19,034 --> 00:31:19,346 So he's. 746 00:31:19,378 --> 00:31:22,802 He's plugging in Onesimus's name, basically saying, you restoring 747 00:31:22,866 --> 00:31:25,650 Onesimus brings me Onesimus. 748 00:31:25,730 --> 00:31:26,450 That's what he's saying. 749 00:31:26,490 --> 00:31:28,946 You restoring the, the. 750 00:31:29,018 --> 00:31:32,338 The prophet Onesimus is bringing me profit in my life. 751 00:31:32,474 --> 00:31:35,698 And so, so Paul is, is very crafty in how, how he does that. 752 00:31:35,834 --> 00:31:38,514 Verse 21, Having confidence in thy obedience, he has confidence 753 00:31:38,562 --> 00:31:39,978 in Philemon to restore. 754 00:31:40,114 --> 00:31:43,162 I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt also do more than 755 00:31:43,186 --> 00:31:43,482 I say. 756 00:31:43,506 --> 00:31:45,258 He says, I believe you're gonna do more. 757 00:31:45,394 --> 00:31:48,042 You're gonna have better restoration than I've ever imagined. 758 00:31:48,106 --> 00:31:50,922 And so he, he's basically saying, this is gonna refresh my 759 00:31:50,946 --> 00:31:52,710 heart in the Lord for you to do this. 760 00:31:54,130 --> 00:31:56,922 Earlier on in this letter, Paul said that Philemon was a man 761 00:31:56,946 --> 00:32:00,474 who refreshed him before in the past, and he has confidence that 762 00:32:00,482 --> 00:32:01,590 he will do again. 763 00:32:02,210 --> 00:32:06,778 So, so Paul's letter was an appeal to full restoration, full 764 00:32:06,834 --> 00:32:07,430 hope. 765 00:32:08,220 --> 00:32:11,860 Paul had every reason to expect that Philemon would do what 766 00:32:11,900 --> 00:32:13,360 God would want him to do. 767 00:32:13,900 --> 00:32:16,916 Then he says in verse 22, but with all, prepare me also a lodging. 768 00:32:16,948 --> 00:32:18,948 So he says, hey, make a place for me too. 769 00:32:19,004 --> 00:32:21,252 After you have Onesimus make a place for me. 770 00:32:21,356 --> 00:32:24,500 For I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you. 771 00:32:24,620 --> 00:32:27,080 And so this showed their close relationship. 772 00:32:27,420 --> 00:32:30,880 Paul wanted to have the hospitality of Philemon's home again. 773 00:32:31,740 --> 00:32:33,764 And he knew that he was praying for him. 774 00:32:33,852 --> 00:32:36,724 Paul wanted Philemon to pray, and he didn't think that the prayers 775 00:32:36,772 --> 00:32:38,534 were just like a formality. 776 00:32:38,582 --> 00:32:40,662 He believed in the power of prayer. 777 00:32:40,726 --> 00:32:41,654 And so he says, you know what? 778 00:32:41,662 --> 00:32:41,878 I. 779 00:32:41,934 --> 00:32:43,030 I pray that I can be back. 780 00:32:43,070 --> 00:32:44,870 And so you pray for that same thing. 781 00:32:44,990 --> 00:32:48,310 Then we see him do a normal thing that he does at the end of 782 00:32:48,350 --> 00:32:49,126 many of his letters. 783 00:32:49,158 --> 00:32:51,926 He does a conclusion where he greets other people. 784 00:32:51,998 --> 00:32:53,702 There, verse 23. 785 00:32:53,806 --> 00:32:57,942 There salute the Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ, Marcus 786 00:32:58,086 --> 00:33:02,582 Aristocracy, Demas Lucas, my fellow laborers, the grace of our 787 00:33:02,606 --> 00:33:04,250 Lord Jesus Christ be with you. 788 00:33:04,350 --> 00:33:05,282 Be with your spirit. 789 00:33:05,346 --> 00:33:06,146 Amen. 790 00:33:06,338 --> 00:33:07,186 And so he. 791 00:33:07,258 --> 00:33:11,954 He talks about these other individuals that, that he's thankful 792 00:33:12,002 --> 00:33:12,306 for. 793 00:33:12,378 --> 00:33:16,402 And then he ends it with his normal grace message. 794 00:33:16,466 --> 00:33:19,310 There we see some, some. 795 00:33:19,610 --> 00:33:22,050 Some enduring principles that I think that we can take with us 796 00:33:22,090 --> 00:33:23,910 from, from this letter. 797 00:33:24,250 --> 00:33:27,510 One, it would be for the importance of restoration. 798 00:33:27,850 --> 00:33:30,922 Number two, the importance of brotherly love. 799 00:33:31,066 --> 00:33:35,482 I think number three, it's the understanding of our equal nature 800 00:33:35,546 --> 00:33:37,818 before God and our salvation. 801 00:33:37,994 --> 00:33:41,386 And then ultimately we see the beautiful picture of God's mercy 802 00:33:41,418 --> 00:33:44,522 and grace in salvation through Onesimus and Philemon. 803 00:33:44,666 --> 00:33:48,074 And so, you know, you could look at Philemon as just a letter 804 00:33:48,122 --> 00:33:49,786 from Paul to another guy. 805 00:33:49,818 --> 00:33:52,122 Named Philemon just trying to receive Onesimus back. 806 00:33:52,146 --> 00:33:55,482 Or you could look at it as a bigger picture of the grace of God 807 00:33:55,546 --> 00:33:57,088 and a picture of salvation. 808 00:33:57,234 --> 00:33:59,828 And there's so much you can learn just from 25 verses. 809 00:33:59,924 --> 00:34:00,932 I've heard a lot of people say. 810 00:34:00,956 --> 00:34:03,236 I just, I never even heard about Philemon. 811 00:34:03,268 --> 00:34:04,820 It just gets lost in the shuffle there. 812 00:34:04,860 --> 00:34:05,396 It shouldn't. 813 00:34:05,428 --> 00:34:09,332 It's a, it's an awesome, awesome book of the Bible that I 814 00:34:09,356 --> 00:34:13,092 believe has a lot of theology in it, even though it isn't explicit 815 00:34:13,156 --> 00:34:13,876 necessarily. 816 00:34:13,988 --> 00:34:18,740 We see kind of theology put to practice, practical theology because, 817 00:34:18,780 --> 00:34:19,620 because like we're going to re. 818 00:34:19,660 --> 00:34:22,788 We're going to go through a study in a, in a while on Sunday 819 00:34:22,844 --> 00:34:24,604 mornings in the book of Romans. 820 00:34:24,652 --> 00:34:25,100 Okay? 821 00:34:25,180 --> 00:34:26,940 Just kind of giving you guys a glimpse in the fear. 822 00:34:27,020 --> 00:34:30,156 After Second Corinthians, we're going to go to Romans and Romans 823 00:34:30,188 --> 00:34:32,412 is packed with theology, which is good. 824 00:34:32,436 --> 00:34:33,660 We need theology. 825 00:34:33,820 --> 00:34:35,484 Theology is just the study of God. 826 00:34:35,532 --> 00:34:36,028 Okay? 827 00:34:36,124 --> 00:34:38,108 What we believe about the things of God. 828 00:34:38,204 --> 00:34:43,020 But theology in our brains that don't, that, that, that it, 829 00:34:43,060 --> 00:34:45,532 that it doesn't connect to our actions is empty. 830 00:34:45,596 --> 00:34:45,820 Right? 831 00:34:45,860 --> 00:34:49,932 There's, there's people that sit in, in college classrooms that 832 00:34:49,956 --> 00:34:52,988 are professors that know everything about the theology of 833 00:34:53,044 --> 00:34:55,924 the Bible but yet don't understand that it's a practical 834 00:34:55,972 --> 00:34:57,640 thing that we're supposed to apply. 835 00:34:57,980 --> 00:35:01,700 And so there is the theology that we must know to apply these 836 00:35:01,740 --> 00:35:04,644 things to action, but many times we don't connect it to the 837 00:35:04,652 --> 00:35:04,916 action. 838 00:35:04,988 --> 00:35:09,684 I think Philemon is an awesome story of a challenge to Philemon 839 00:35:09,732 --> 00:35:12,996 to practice what he believes about the love of God. 840 00:35:13,188 --> 00:35:17,812 Because if we understand God's salvation, we will be able to forgive. 841 00:35:17,956 --> 00:35:20,674 If we understand God's salvation, we can be patient. 842 00:35:20,812 --> 00:35:24,598 If we understand God's forgiveness, we can endure in mercy 843 00:35:24,694 --> 00:35:28,518 and love like a First Corinthians type of Christian. 844 00:35:28,614 --> 00:35:32,934 And so it's always, I hope you'll see a theme for as long as 845 00:35:32,942 --> 00:35:33,686 I have breath. 846 00:35:33,798 --> 00:35:36,022 The theme will always be the gospel, right? 847 00:35:36,046 --> 00:35:39,158 It always, always, always goes back to the gospel. 848 00:35:39,254 --> 00:35:40,966 And that's what we see in the book of Philemon. 849 00:35:40,998 --> 00:35:44,050 The gospel message exalted, lifted up. 850 00:35:44,750 --> 00:35:47,430 Well, we could talk more, but I think that's enough for us here 851 00:35:47,470 --> 00:35:47,894 this evening. 852 00:35:47,942 --> 00:35:49,126 That's the study of Philemon. 853 00:35:49,158 --> 00:35:52,310 So we've, we've gone through Jude and Philemon and like I said, 854 00:35:52,350 --> 00:35:55,942 we, we are gonna go into a longer study in the Old Testament 855 00:35:56,006 --> 00:35:56,902 in the future. 856 00:35:57,086 --> 00:35:58,310 But I don't know exactly when. 857 00:35:58,350 --> 00:36:00,518 It just depends on how many questions you guys ask. 858 00:36:00,574 --> 00:36:01,222 Okay. 859 00:36:01,366 --> 00:36:04,326 It could be a question about a book of the Bible. 860 00:36:04,358 --> 00:36:06,406 It could be a question about a person in the Bible. 861 00:36:06,518 --> 00:36:09,782 It could be a practical question of today, like what do we 862 00:36:09,806 --> 00:36:11,290 do if this happens? 863 00:36:11,950 --> 00:36:12,950 As a Christian? 864 00:36:13,030 --> 00:36:15,094 Is it right to fill in the blank? 865 00:36:15,142 --> 00:36:15,590 Right. 866 00:36:15,710 --> 00:36:18,290 And, and I think that there can be some hot button issues. 867 00:36:18,710 --> 00:36:22,878 I will tell you that I don't want to get into a lot of my preferences 868 00:36:22,894 --> 00:36:23,454 and opinions. 869 00:36:23,502 --> 00:36:26,622 I can tell you my opinions and preferences, but I'm going to speak 870 00:36:26,686 --> 00:36:28,270 predominantly to Scripture. 871 00:36:28,430 --> 00:36:31,790 What does scripture have to say about something if it's an issue 872 00:36:31,830 --> 00:36:34,334 of, well, Pastor, what's your preference on this matter that's 873 00:36:34,382 --> 00:36:35,822 not talked about in Scripture? 874 00:36:35,966 --> 00:36:38,910 The best I can do is try to find a biblical principle that might 875 00:36:38,950 --> 00:36:40,330 apply to that. 876 00:36:40,790 --> 00:36:43,950 But what I would say is that we want to really try to stick to 877 00:36:43,990 --> 00:36:47,110 things that we can go back and look at in Scripture. 878 00:36:47,690 --> 00:36:50,290 If you want to know my preference or my opinion on certain 879 00:36:50,330 --> 00:36:53,282 things, I would love to have a cup of coffee with you. 880 00:36:53,306 --> 00:36:55,794 Or we could sit around and talk about that. 881 00:36:55,962 --> 00:36:56,674 But that's. 882 00:36:56,722 --> 00:37:01,090 I, I try to save my pulpit for biblical things that we can point 883 00:37:01,130 --> 00:37:03,986 to Scripture because I only have so much time to do so. 884 00:37:04,138 --> 00:37:07,282 So if you want, if you want me to tell you what's going on in world 885 00:37:07,386 --> 00:37:10,194 politics and economy, I can't do that for you right now. 886 00:37:10,202 --> 00:37:10,642 I just not. 887 00:37:10,666 --> 00:37:11,682 That's not my expertise. 888 00:37:11,746 --> 00:37:15,106 But what I can tell you is how we can respond to those things within 889 00:37:15,178 --> 00:37:15,490 Scripture.