The First Congregational Church of Plainfield September 5, Sermon Title: Onesimus Goes Home. Reading: Philemon 1-21

Transcription

1 The First Congregational Church of Plainfield September 5, 2010 Sermon Title: Onesimus Goes Home Reading: Philemon 1-21 THE LETTER OF PAUL TO Philemon Salutation Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and co-worker, to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow-soldier, and to the church in your house: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philemon s Love and Faith When I remember you in my prayers, I always thank my God because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith towards the Lord Jesus. I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ. I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, my brother. Paul s Plea for Onesimus For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus. I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me. I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel; but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced. Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back for ever, no longer as a slave but as more than a slave, a beloved brother especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

2 So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self. Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. One thing more prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping through your prayers to be restored to you. Final Greetings and Benediction Epaphras, my fellow-prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow-workers. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. How many of you remember reading the letter of Paul to Philemon? This letter is quite short. What I read for you today is all of it. The recommended reading was verse 1-21 and the whole letter is only 25 verses so I decided it made sense to read it in its entirety. This letter from Paul is probably the most personal and most human of letters. He is writing from prison, most likely in Rome (Italy) or Ephesus (Turkey). The year is estimated at 60A.D. It seems that Onesimus was a slave that was owned by Philemon. We are not really clear from the letter why he ran away but he did. Onesimus ran away from his master, and it sounds like, he stole from Philemon as well. I am guessing that if I were a slave planning to get away from my owner, I would most likely not have the where-with-all to make the getaway and may need supplies and money to make the move. Maybe that s what Onesimus was up to but we can t be sure. Anyway, here we find Onesimus has made it from Colosse (southern Turkey) to either Ephesus which is also in Turkey on the southwestern shore or he made it all the way to Rome; which is a long, long way to go. Looking at a map, he would have had to travel to the shore of Turkey and take a boat around the tip of Greece then around the boot of Italy to the western shore of Italy to Rome. Either way, Onesimus was determined to get away from Colossae. Somehow he becomes acquainted with Paul. How this happens we don t know but I would vote for God s divine influence. From the letter, it is clear that he and Paul

3 become close and Onesimus becomes a Christian. Now Paul has a dilemma. Does he keep Onesimus with him to help him as he would like or does he abide by Roman law and send him to his rightful owner? Paul chooses to take the risk and send Onesimus back with a letter of appeal from Paul. Paul knew Philemon from the church in Colossae. Paul had taught Philemon about Christ and Philemon had become a Christian. Now, Paul is appealing to Philemon with all the strategy he can muster. I have to give Paul a lot of credit, he built a very persuasive argument and used some interesting tactics in his appeal. What would the punishment be for a runaway slave in that day? The punishment could be as severe as death. Paul loved Onesimus and he loved Philemon and his petition is that of a friend and brother in Christ. Let s take a little closer look at the argument that Paul presents. He begins by referring to Philemon as a dear friend and he also greets others including the church members that meet in Philemon s home. He not only sent the letter to the individual but to all the members of the church. This letter would have been read out loud to the church. And then of course, all eyes would be on Philemon to see his response. I would venture to say, that Philemon would be in a precarious situation. On the one hand, he was a wealthy slave owner and a runaway slave was supposed to be punished according to Roman law so for Philemon to do otherwise may be a cause to lose respect of the community and compromise his reputation. On the other hand, he was a Christian and forgiveness is at the very root of following Christ. God had forgiven Philemon and in turn, Philemon was also to pass along this great love and forgive Onesimus. What to do? The letter continues, Paul congratulates Philemon on the wonderful job he is doing sharing his faith and, the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you. Ouch, as a previous salesperson, I would say that Paul was presuming the sale from the beginning. Paul has laid the foundation, you might say he has qualified what comes next, his plea for Onesimus. I could command you, Paul writes but I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love, and not only that but I m an old man and in prison and this slave of yours has become a son to me. Paul has pulled out all the stops. You might even say that Paul was laying a guilt trip on Philemon.

4 Then Paul goes on to explain the logic of why, Philemon should welcome Onesimus. He explains that Onesimus was useless to him but now he was not only useful to him but a brother in Christ, so much so that Paul felt like he was sending away his own heart and wanted to keep Onesimus with him. A note of interest, the name Onesimus can be translated useful or beneficial. Paul then suggests that it all happened for a reason. Onesimus needed to be separated from Philemon for awhile so that he might return for ever as more than a slave but as a beloved brother both in the flesh and in the Lord. Then Paul goes beyond logic and he speaks words of absolute warmth and love, welcome him as you would welcome me. Then he vows to repay any debt that Onesimus might owe and reminds Philemon that, in fact, Philemon owes Paul his very life, his eternal life. Paul really showed character. He did what was right and he put his relationship with the church at Colossae and with Philemon at risk. He was asking for a lot and yet, he was asking for the obvious; if you believe in Christ and have accepted his forgiveness than don t deny the same for each other. I see three ways that this letter can influence us today. 1. Although we no longer practice slavery in our culture, we do continue to dominate each other in other ways. If we believe in Christ then it would follow that each day we attempt to move closer to the way he thought, spoke and behaved. He did not allow himself to be dominated and he did not dominate another. As you walk through your day take notice. Do you allow something or someone to drag you away from what you really believe? Do you find yourself sometimes forcing your choices on others? Do we see the speck in another s eye before we see the plank in our own? 2. Does any of you remember the movie Pollyanna? She always saw the bright side of things. She was an eternal optimist. Paul saw the bright side in Onesimus escape and ultimate return. He trusted that God knew the reason and there was a gift in the whole situation. That is no less true for you and me. Can you, can I, be so grounded and firm in our trust in God that just as sure in joyful situations as we are in challenging ones? Paul was firm in doing what was right and he was sitting in prison doing it. That is determination.

5 3. Paul called on Philemon to do the right thing even if it meant losing face. Losing his reputation and stature as a wealthy slave owner. We might not be able to identify with that but to Philemon, welcoming Onesimus back without punishment was big enough not to mention opening up to him as an equal, as a Christian. What could cause me or you to lose face. Are we prepared to walk the walk even if it means that our reputation might be at stake? It is Better It is better to be divided by truth than to be united in error. It is better to speak the truth that hurts and then heals, then falsehood that comforts and then kills. It is not love and it is not friendship if we fail do declare the whole counsel of God. It is better to be hated for telling the truth than to be loved for telling a lie. It is impossible to find anyone in the Bible who was a power for God who did not have enemies and was not hated. It's better to stand alone with the truth than to be wrong with a multitude. It is better to ultimately succeed with truth than to temporarily succeed with a lie." Source: Adrian Rogers, The Berean Call, Dec Our grounding, our foundation, our strength, our truth is in our relationship with God. We can do anything when we know that. Do you know that? Let s think about that. Amen.