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PREPARE
Paul’s letter to Philemon, a friend and Christian leader, is an appeal on behalf of Philemon’s runaway slave, Onesimus, who has also met Jesus and found refuge with Paul. While slavery was a common practice in the Roman empire, with legal support backing it, Paul’s basis for his appeal is the love and forgiveness of Christ. Paul is helping Philemon learn to forgive and receive his former slave back, not as a slave but now as a brother in Christ. Paul offers to pay Onesimus’ debt seeking to transform the relationship between the two men from master/slave to equals in the family of God. Jesus Christ paid our debt, transforming us from former enemies into beloved children of God.
The hero of this story is Jesus whose life, death, and resurrection make us equal citizens of God’s kingdom. People from completely different backgrounds—like Paul, a former Jewish leader; Onesimus, a runaway slave; and Philemon, a Gentile slavemaster—are brought together by the gospel under the lordship of Jesus Christ.
Jesus helps us when we have trouble forgiving or seeing others as equal members of God’s family. In light of God’s love for us, we can be loving, kind, and forgiving to our brothers and sisters in Christ for the glory of God.
LISTEN
Verses: Philemon 1:1-25
Main Point: Christ’s radical forgiveness makes us brothers.
1. Christ’s Radical Forgiveness
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” - Ephesians 4:32
2. We Are Brothers
“There is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.” - Colossians 3:11
REFLECT
1. What impacted you most from this week’s message? What challenged you or encouraged you?
2. Paul repeats several terms or ideas between his praise for Philemon (vv 4-7) and his request for Onesimus (vv 8-20). List at least 3 of them.
3. Read Colossians 1:13-23 and 2 Corinthians 5:14-21. How does reconciliation impact our witness to the world?
4. Name someone in your life that you’ve been able to reconcile with because of Christ. Is there anyone that you have yet to reconcile with?
5. What role does the church play in the reconciliation process? What role did Paul play in reconciling Philemon and Onesimus?
6. With which character(s) from this sermon series have you resonated the most? Why?
7. What is your biggest takeaway from this series as a whole? How has God challenged, convicted, and comforted you this summer?
ACT
- What is one specific thing you can do this week to put into practice what you learned in this message?
- How can you deepen your relationship with God and follow Him more closely this week?
- Who is someone you can share what you learned with?