CHAINS AND FREEDOM
Text: Philemon 1:1-25
1 Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer,
2 And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house:
3 Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers,
5 Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints;
6 That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
7 For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother.
8 Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient,
9 Yet for love’s sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.
10 I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:
11 Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:
12 Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels:
13 Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel:
14 But without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly.
15 For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever;
16 Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?
17 If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself.
18 If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account;
19 I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it: albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides.
20 Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my bowels in the Lord.
21 Having confidence in thy obedience I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt also do more than I say.
22 But withal prepare me also a lodging: for I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you.
23 There salute thee Epaphras, my fellowprisoner in Christ Jesus;
24 Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers.
25 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
Intro:
- Author: The Apostle Paul.
- Recipient: Philemon – a wealthy businessman, slave owner.
- The letter to Philemon is a prison epistle along with Philippians, Colossians, and Ephesians.
It is being delivered along with the Epistle to the Colossians by Tychicus and Onesimus, one of the main characters of the Epistle to Philemon.
The theme is
1. Paul And The Main Actors
1) Paul the Apostle
- Paul claims here to be a prisoner of Jesus Christ, not an apostle. This is a personal letter. There is no need to defend or affirm his
- The phrase “prisoner of Jesus Christ” means that Paul is in jail because Jesus put him in jail, not simply because he preached the gospel or broke some Law, either Jewish or gentile.
2) Philemon
- Philemon was a slave owner who had been wronged by one of his indebted servants/slaves.
3) Onesimus
- Onesimus was a runaway slave of Philemon. He owed a debt to Philemon.
2. Paul’s Appreciation (vv. 1-7)
1) Paul’s
- Philemon was dearly beloved. He was a good friend of Paul, a fellow laborer. (cf: Gaius of 3rd John)
- Philemon was a probable convert of Paul (v. 19) from when Paul was in Ephesus.
- The term fellowlaborer was used to refer to those who were involved in official ministry leadership.
- It seems quite likely that Philemon served in some official capacity at the church in Colossae.
2) Paul’s thanksgiving (vv. 4, 5, 7)
- Paul thanked God that Philemon was a man of love and faith, both toward God and the saints. Philemon exercised faith in God and he was faithful to the brethren.
- He refreshed his brothers in Christ.
3) Paul’s
- Paul prayed that God would make Philemon’s witness effective so that others would come to know Jesus as Savior.
- How can our witness be more effective? It’s not magic. We need to know every good thing that is in us because of Jesus.
3. Paul’s Appeal (vv. 8-16)
- In verse 8 Paul now pivots to his main purpose in writing this brief letter with the word wherefore.
“I beseech you to please receive Onesimus.” - Paul appeals to Philemon on the basis of five things:
1) Philemon’s
- The word “Wherefore” in verse 8 means “accordingly.” It ties it to the last phrase in v. 7. Because Philemon was a refreshing Christian, because he had a good reputation, Paul encouraged him to refresh the Apostle’s heart.
2) Christian love (v. 9)
3) Onesimus’
- Onesimus was no longer simply a slave; he was a brother in Christ.
- Salvation did not alter the legal situation or cancel the debt owed by Onesimus.
- However, his standing had changed with God and Philemon must take that into account.
- If God forgave, Philemon could forgive.
4) Onesimus’ value (vv.11-14)
- Onesimus was valuable to Paul in his ministry. Onesimus’ name means “profitable.” Paul makes a play on words here with both names. Philemon means “affectionate.”
- If Onesimus was going to be profitable, then was Philemon going to be affectionate?
5) Providence of God (vv. 15-16)
- God is in control of every situation of life, even this one that Philemon found himself in.
- In God’s providence, Onesimus ran away as a slave so that he could return as a brother.
4. Paul’s Assurance (vv. 17-25)
Paul here makes two suggestions:
1) Receive Onesimus as you would receive me
2) If he owes you anything, put it to my account
- Note Paul’s confidence: “
- Note Paul’s other confidence: He was confident that Philemon would go above and beyond that which he asked of him.
- Note Paul’s confidence: “
5. Application
1) Relationally between us and God.
- Jesus did for
- Just as Philemon received Onesimus because of, or on account of, Paul, God has forgiven and received us on account of Jesus.
- Our sins were imputed to Christ. His righteousness was imputed to us by faith in Him.
- God did not overlook our sins. Love paid a price. Jesus paid for our sins to satisfy God’s justice. Love that pays a price is called grace. We are saved by God’s grace. We have Christ’s righteousness imputed to us by grace.
2) Relationally between us and others (human level).
- We can forgive others because God has forgiven them (i.e. Jesus paid for their sin).
- Forgiveness is a legal transaction whereby we lay an offense at the foot of the cross knowing that Jesus has paid for it.
- If Jesus has forgiven someone of his or her sin, then surely we can forgive also.