MINISTER,
Rev. Thomas O. Scarborough.
Paul's
Epistle to Philemon. Philemon (Close).
Over
the last few Sundays, we have been dealing with Paul's Letter to
Philemon.
We spent a lot of time on some of the opening words, and today I am
going to cover the whole second
half
of the letter.
Paul
wrote this letter to Philemon
-- because his slave,
Onesimus,
had run away.
In
those days it was very serious indeed for a slave to run away from
his master. Often the master of that slave, when he or she was
recaptured, would keep the slave in chains, or brand
him with an iron,
or even kill
him.
Slaves
were not considered to be human beings.
These days, we supposedly look upon everyone
as a human being -- but I don’t think
so -- there are many ways in which we do not.
Human beings are what they always were,
and don’t genuinely
care for their fellow man or woman.
* * * * * * * * * *
But
this slave Onesimus, while he was in Rome,
somehow came into contact with the apostle Paul -- who at that time
was in chains in prison. And Onesimus received Jesus Christ as his
Saviour.
In
verse 10, Paul says: "Onesimus became my son
while
I was in chains" -- which means that, in the spiritual
sense, he was born
through the ministry of Paul
-- he became his son.
And
so Onesimus began to care
for Paul in his jail cell. The slave who didn’t want
to serve -- who ran away to Rome
-- became the loving servant of a prisoner in jail.
And in verse 13, Paul says to Philemon: "I would have liked to
keep
him with me ... to help me while I am in chains for the gospel."
But
for some reason
-- and we don’t know the reason -- it may very well have been
Paul’s discovery
that Onesimus was a runaway slave
-- Paul sent Onesimus back to his master.
* * * * * * * * * *
Now
this letter to Philemon is a very interesting letter, particularly
from the point of view that it deals with a very important problem.
There were 60 million
slaves at the time of Paul, and they were very badly treated.
How
will Paul approach this issue?
And this morning
we are really going to get to the heart
of the matter.
Let’s
notice right at the start that this letter has puzzled
many commentators. In one way, it’s about slavery,
and a runaway slave -- but in another way, Paul doesn’t talk
about slavery.
The
commentator William Barclay writes: “Paul says nothing
in this letter about the whole matter of slavery.
He does not condemn
slavery; he does not even tell Philemon to set Onesimus free.”
So
let’s take a look at what Paul does
say.
* * * * * * * * * *
Incidentally
I wonder if you have noticed that Paul seems more than a bit worried
about sending a runaway slave back to his master.
In
verse 9 he says to Philemon: "I appeal
to you ..." And again in verse 10: "I appeal
to you ... " And in verse 19, "See, I, Paul, am writing
this with my own
hand
..." And the commentator Matthew Henry lists fourteen
separate appeals
that Paul makes in this letter.
Another
sign that he is worried
is that he writes this letter not only to Philemon,
but to the whole Church
in his house.
He appeals to them all
-- not just to Philemon as the slave owner.
Let’s
take a close look at how Paul deals with this issue of slavery.
And this letter is important to us today,
because there are still
some vital things we can learn
from it today.
* * * * * * * * * *
Firstly,
we cannot miss the fact that Paul's whole focus and emphasis in this
letter is not
on slavery -- but rather it is on new relationships in Christ.
Verse
10 is a very important verse. In verse 10, we find compacted into
one verse Paul's basic approach to this whole issue. He says to
Philemon: "I appeal to you for my son
Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains."
Here
Paul is talking about a new family relationship
that he has with Onesimus through Jesus Christ. This young man, who
was just some wretched slave, has been born into
the family of God
-- and this changes everything.
Throughout this letter, Paul points to this new relationship.
In
verse 16,
Paul says to Philemon: "Accept him back, no longer as a slave,
but better
than a slave, as a dear
brother."
Onesimus belongs to the family
now -- he’s not just nothing.
Like
every other Christian, the eyes of Onesimus have been opened
-- new life
has entered his heart -- he has been washed of his sins
-- he has become a priest
to God
-- there is power
in his prayers
-- He is a useful instrument in the hands of the Holy Spirit -- and
so, so much more.
Sometimes
people say, “What’s the point of theology?
What’s the point of teaching?
We should just get on and do
it. We should focus on action.
We shouldn’t have so much airy-fairy
talk.”
But
actually, what we see happening in this letter is that all the
Christians involved here come to understand some basic Christian
realities
-- and that
is what lies behind all the changes.
They come to understand
what it means to be born into the Christian family.
Once you understand that,
there is only one thing you can
do with a born again slave.
So
let’s notice the importance of understanding Christian basics.
They are not just irrelevant.
They are very important.
They change the world
-- because this is what happened in the Roman empire.
Encyclopaedia
Britannica says: "The sentiments that (Christianity) created ...
were the germs out of which (the slave class's) entire liberation
was destined." 60 million slaves
were liberated.
* * * * * * * * * *
Let’s
briefly notice reason a comment that Paul makes in verse 15.
He says to Philemon, “Perhaps the reason
he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have
him back ... as a dear brother.”
So
Paul is saying that there is a reason
behind Onesimus’ running away, and his journey to Rome -- although
he is not sure
that he understands
the reason.
Today
we know the reason. God used this incident to do away with slavery,
and God also turned Onesimus into a famous bishop
of the early Church.
There
are many people in our congregation
who have been driven
away -- who have fled
from their countries.
Paul is saying, “There is a reason.
God has a plan.”
He wouldn’t send you so far just for nothing.
And
if you broaden
your vision, you will see that there are great trends
across the continent of Africa, and across the world
-- and there is a reason for that, too.
God has a plan.
He is the sovereign
God, who has all things in His power.
* * * * * * * * * *
Secondly,
Paul not only talks about Christian basics, like salvation, and the
Christian family. He also speaks about changing our practice,
so that the things we do
come into line with the things we believe.
So
Paul has already spoken about our unity in Christ. And then
he pleads for the way that Philemon should treat
Onesimus.
In
verse 17,
Paul says to Philemon: "Welcome him as you would welcome me."
It’s a very vague
instruction, but the meaning is absolutely clear.
How would Philemon treat Paul?
Well, for one thing we see in verse 22
that Philemon would prepare a guest
room to welcome
him. And no doubt Philemon will have given Paul a royal
welcome -- it was to Paul that he owed his whole life,
because it was through Paul that he came to know the Lord.
Paul
also tells Philemon not
to demand anything back
from Onesimus that he destroyed or robbed
him of. He says in verse 18, “Charge it to me”,
but leave Onesimus alone.
And
in verse 21, Paul writes, “I know that you will do even more
than I ask.”
So
Paul is saying, “What does it mean
that Onesimus has been saved? How are you going to treat
him?
I
wonder what Paul would say to us today?
If he looked around our Church, and asked himself how we are
treating one another as Christian brothers and sisters. To what
extent does the spiritual truth match up with the practice?
Are
you making a true effort to live
in
redeemed
relationships?
* * * * * * * * * *
Let’s
notice incidentally that Paul sent Onesimus back to his master.
And it was only by sending Onesimus back
to his master that real change and transformation actually took
place.
Imagine
if Paul had not
sent Onesimus back to his master. Any real change in this
relationship would have been impossible. For truly effective change
to take place, it had to come from within that master-slave
relationship.
So
often people turn around and walk away
from situations. I have said to quite a few
people during counselling
-- you can turn around and walk away
from this situation -- often people do
-- or you can submit yourself to God and persevere and see a
breakthrough.
If
you have trouble in your marriage,
God doesn’t want you to walk away -- He wants to see a spiritual
breakthrough.
If you are thinking suicide,
God doesn’t want you to take the quick way out -- He wants you to
get through
this, and see a victory through Him.
There
do
come times, of course, where you need to move on
in life -- but what I am saying is that people often quit at that
point where it looks as though God is about to do a great work
in their lives.
* * * * * * * * * *
Thirdly,
in this letter to Philemon -- actually, through the events of history
that came about through
this letter to Philemon -- we see the power of a Christian example.
People
are copy-cats.
They love to copy what they see around
them. I still write electronics articles from time to time -- and
writer’s
etiquette
says you must not
tell anybody else what you wrote
about -- because it is quite likely that your idea will be swiped
even before it makes it into print.
Not
all of the Roman empire was saved
-- but the whole of the Roman empire copied
what the Christians
did, and two to three-hundred years later, slavery was gone.
They copied
what the Christians began.
The
Bible calls it salt and light. Jesus said: "You are the salt of
the earth ... you are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:13) --
and we should not underestimate the effectiveness of that salt and
light.
When you live as a
Christian truly should live -- when you truly live out redeemed
relationships -- you will have a major impact on the society round
about you.
A
very good example from history of this is the establishment of
hospitals, and field
hospitals, and clinics, and leprosy work, and schools, and literature
work. It was originally Christians,
through Christian love, who established these institutions.
It
was Christians
saw the need for it, and were motivated by the Holy Spirit to put
their love into action. And as the years went by, unbelievers saw
what these places meant to society, and either they were shamed
into imitating what Christians had done, or they were inspired
into imitating them.
Some
of our members work in hospitals and in charitable programmes, and so
on. Sometimes they seem to be getting nowhere from day to day -- but
remember that this is what has changed societies before.
The
same applies to your daily work,
and your marriage relationship, and your circle of friends,
and your outlook on life, and all sorts
of things -- it is all salt and light.
Others people observe you and see how relationships can be, and
begin themselves to change.
When you live as a
Christian truly should live -- when you truly live out redeemed
relationships -- you will have a major impact on the society round
about you.
But
ultimately we don't want to shame
others into action, or force
them into action -- that’s not our goal
-- but rather we want to bring them into a new relationship with God.
As soon as the inner
man
changes through Christian conversion and the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit,
then by God's power, major changes take place in relationships and in
society -- as we so clearly see in this Letter to Philemon.
* * * * * * * * * *
Now
today I also want to follow up on just one verse that we looked at
last
time, which deals with our purpose in life.
In
this verse 11, Paul wrote about Onesimus, who was
useless
-- we don’t know how,
but he might truly have been a useless
character -- but now he has become useful
both to Philemon and to Paul. Verse 11 reads: “Foremerly he --
Onesimus -- was useless
to you -- but now he has become useful
both to you and to me.”
Last
Sunday I spoke about real examples
about how people change
when they come to know Jesus Christ.
Now
this morning I would like to talk about the deeper spiritual
truth
that is involved.
Something
that is useless
is something that does not have a purpose.
If
you have been washed up on a uninhabited sandy island with a crate of
floor polish, you may safely say that that floor polish is useless.
It has no purpose on a sandy island. Or if you are using a
screwdriver, and the end breaks off, the screwdriver may be said to
be useless.
It has no further purpose.
Formerly
Onesimus was useless.
His life had no purpose. It had no usefulness. His life was
profitless. And not only that, but Onesimus, according to this
verse, was not of any usefulness to anyone.
In
fact the Bible tells us that each one
of us, before we know the Lord, is useless.
The
Bible says, "All
have turned away. They have together become worthless."
Romans 3 verse 12. And that includes the so-called righteous and
virtuous.
Another version of the Bible says they have together become
unprofitable
-- useless. And the version The Message
says, “They’ve wandered down blind alleys.”
Can’t
you be profitable even if you don’t know
God
Him in your life?
Let’s
look at this in stages.
Supposing you are a gangster, sowing destruction and hurt. Is your
life useful?
I think you would say no,
it is not.
Supposing you are a husband who strikes terror into the hearts of
his wife and family, and abuses them. Is your life useful? Probably
no.
But
supposing you are a shopkeeper
who is 80% honest -- or a nurse who mostly does her job.
Is your life useful?
The Bible says no.
Let me use some
illustrations so that we can better understand this.
I
have spoken before about a Church member who called me to his bedside
shortly before he died -- he died the next day.
And he said to me over and over, "I have wasted
my life. I have only realised it now."
"I have wasted
my life. I have only realised it now."
His
family were quite perplexed
about this. This man was a well respected old man in the community.
Nobody could say a bad word about him. He had been decent to his
family and friends, and had given to the Church and to charity. But
he himself knew that all his good deeds had not had any purpose.
He
realised too late that he had missed the real purpose
of his life, which was the Lord his God.
What makes a life
useful? What gives it a useful purpose?
The highest way to look
at this question is to look at it from God's point of view.
What
makes a life useful is if it is useful to God.
If it is not useful to God, how can it be useful at all? If it is
useful only for things and people that pass away -- and not for God
-- how can it ultimately really be useful or have any purpose?
The
apostle Peter says in 1 Peter 2:25 -- and he is speaking to Christian
believers: "For you were
like sheep going astray.
But now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your
souls."
Our lives become useful
only when we become useful to God, through a new relationship with
Him.
* * * * * * * * * *
And
there is another
reason why our lives can only be useful when we find the Lord -- a
very important reason -- and that is that it is only then
that we are filled with the Holy
Spirit.
It is
only then that we can go beyond our own human
limitations, and be filled with the presence and power of the Holy
Spirit.
There
is a world of difference between being good
-- living a good human
life, if that’s really possible
-- and truly flowing over with the Holy Spirit in one's life.
* * * * * * * * * *
I
would urge you to come into a new relationship with God this morning.
The
way to do that is very simple. Ask God, through what Christ has done
for you, to forgive you for your sins of the past -- for the
sinfulness and purposelessness of your life as you have lived it
until now. And ask Him to take control of your life -- your whole
life -- through His Holy Spirit.
AMEN.
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