„h Abraham Lincoln, when an attorney, was approached by a wealthy man who passionately insisted on bringing a suit for $2.50 against an impoverished debtor.
„h Lincoln tried to discourage him, but the man was bent on restitution.
„h When he saw that the man would not change his mind, Lincoln agreed to take the case and asked for a legal fee of $10, which the plaintiff paid.
„h Lincoln then gave half the money to the defendant, who willingly confessed to the debt and paid the $2.50!
„h Restitution was made through the act of a third party. The proceeds were given freely to Lincoln, and he passed them on to help restore another.
„h That is precisely what our message is about this morning.
1. Introduction / Background
A. Philemon was a believer in Colossae, who came to Christ through the evangelistic efforts of Paul. He was a wealthy man; a leader within one of the Colossian churches. He was also a slave owner, as many wealthy people of his time.
01. He owned a slave called Onesimus, and at some point this slave ran away from home, probably taking some property from his master Philemon to finance his travels
02. It is reasonable to assume that Philemon was enraged by this; he had likely paid good money for this slave
(a) OT price for a good slave was 30 shekels of silver (same as a donkey)
(b) By comparison, 12 shekels would pay your rent for one year
B. Onesimus was on the run;
01. His crime (runaway slave) was punishable by death under Roman law (let alone the probable theft charge)
02. Somewhere in his travels, he encounters Paul. He probably ministers to Paul as a servant would, and through the testimony of Paul, he too becomes a Christian.
03. This creates a genuine dilemma. Paul desires to keep Onesimus with him, but realizing he is better of with his master, he sends him back to Philemon.
04. The real problem is how will Philemon respond to Onesimus?
C. Enter Paul, who writes a letter to Philemon on behalf of Onesimus. He sends it with him as he returns to Colossae.
01. THIS IS NO ORDINARY LETTER.
(a) Paul asks not just that Philemon spare his life (which is significant)
(b) He also expects him to accept Onesimus
(i) Not as a slave, BUT AS A BROTHER! PART OF THE FAMILY!
2. Scripture Exposition
A. Greeting (vv.1-3)
B. Thanksgiving and Prayer (vv.4-7)
01. I always remember you and thank God for you (appreciation)
02. I hear about your faith / your love for the saints (reputation)
03. Be active in sharing your faith (admonition)
04. So you will have full understanding of everything we have in Christ (expectation)
C. The Plea for Onesimus (vv.8-21)
01. Therefore¡KHERE IT COMES! A transitional conjunction that means ¡§because of what has already been shared¡¨
02. A play on words (v.11) Onesimus means ¡§useful, profitable¡¨
03. I¡¦m sending him back
(a) If you consider me a partner (v.17)
(b) Welcome him as you would welcome me
(c) Not as a slave, but an equal; a brother; joint heirs in Christ
(d) HERE IS THE CENTER OF THIS LETTER ¡V
(i) If he owes you anything from the life he led before, charge it to me!
(e) Writing with my own hand
(i) Use of secretary, with final greeting from Paul¡¦s hand
(ii) This letter is so personal, he writes it all
(f) I will pay it ¡V even though you owe me your very life!
(g) Imagine being Onesimus, appearing before Philemon with this letter
(h) Imagine being Philemon!
(i) Onesimus has not one redeeming quality. It is Paul¡¦s intercession and justification of him before an angry master
(ii) How else can he answer? How could he justify rejection?
D. Paul¡¦s final plea (ie. the CLOSE)
01. I do wish to have some benefit from you (another play on Onesimus¡¦ name)
02. Refresh my heart in Christ (cf. 7)
03. Confident of your obedience (not to me but to Christ)
3. Consider the three characters in this story in light of our own justification
A. Onesimus; a runaway slave, doomed to die under Roman law.
01. A thief and a runaway slave
02. Worth no more than a donkey before his rebellion
03. Onesimus represents the sinner
(a) Standing before an angry God, unable to make restitution for his sin
(b) Sentenced to death for the sins he has committed
(c) No redeeming qualities apart from those given to him by someone else (Paul)
B. Philemon; a wealthy slave owner, master of Onesimus, a leader in the church at Colossae
01. Has no reason to spare this slave¡¦s life
02. Resolved to carry out the punishment due to Onesimus
03. Has done nothing illegal, immoral or unethical; was not the cause of Onesimus¡¦ crime
04. Philemon represents God
(a) Angry over the sin of his creation
(b) Prepared to carry out the judgement with full authority
C. Paul; the mediator, one who would restore Onesimus to a right relationship with his master.
01. Wants to connect the two in love
02. Petitions Philemon to accept Onesimus on the basis of THE DEBT THAT PAUL WILL PAY ON HIS BEHALF
03. Brings Onesimus from death to life by appealing directly to Philemon
04. Paul represents Christ
(a) Willing to pay a debt he did not incur
(b) Justifies the sinner (Onesimus) completely before an angry God (master)
(c) Provides not simply salvation, but fellowship and communion
(d) Took our place at Calvary
„h During the war between Britain and France, men were conscripted (drafted) into the French army by a kind of lottery system. When someone’s name was drawn, he had to go off to battle.
„h There was one exception to this, however. A person could be exempt if another was willing to take his place.
„h On one occasion the authorities came to a certain man and told him he was among those who had been chosen. He refused to go, saying, "I was shot 2 years ago."
„h At first they questioned his sanity, but he insisted that this indeed was the case. He claimed that the military records would show that he had been conscripted 2 years previously and that he had been killed in action.
„h "How can that be?" they questioned. "You are alive now!"
„h He explained that when his name came up, a close friend said to him, "You have a large family, but I am not married and nobody is dependent upon me. I’ll take your name and address and go in your place." And that is indeed what the record showed.
„h This rather unusual case was referred to Napoleon Bonaparte, who decided that the country had no legal claim on that man. He was free. He had died in the person of another!
„h This principle of substitution is also at the heart of the gospel. The Savior willingly took our place, died in our stead and paid the penalty for our sin. The law, which demands the ultimate punishment, has no claim on us, for we died years ago in the person of Christ.
„h Because of he took our place and paid our debt, we can be justified before God. We can also share our new found joy with others as we lead them to Jesus
„h During the war between Britain and France, men were conscripted (drafted) into the French army by a kind of lottery system. When someone’s name was drawn, he had to go off to battle.
„h There was one exception to this, however. A person could be exempt if another was willing to take his place.
„h On one occasion the authorities came to a certain man and told him he was among those who had been chosen. He refused to go, saying, "I was shot 2 years ago."
„h At first they questioned his sanity, but he insisted that this indeed was the case. He claimed that the military records would show that he had been conscripted 2 years previously and that he had been killed in action.
„h "How can that be?" they questioned. "You are alive now!"
„h He explained that when his name came up, a close friend said to him, "You have a large family, but I am not married and nobody is dependent upon me. I’ll take your name and address and go in your place." And that is indeed what the record showed.
„h This rather unusual case was referred to Napoleon Bonaparte, who decided that the country had no legal claim on that man. He was free. He had died in the person of another!
„h This principle of substitution is also at the heart of the gospel. The Savior willingly took our place, died in our stead and paid the penalty for our sin. The law, which demands the ultimate punishment, has no claim on us, for we died years ago in the person of Christ.
„h Because of he took our place and paid our debt, we can be justified before God. We can also share our new found joy with others as we lead them to Jesus
„h During the war between Britain and France, men were conscripted (drafted) into the French army by a kind of lottery system. When someone’s name was drawn, he had to go off to battle.
„h There was one exception to this, however. A person could be exempt if another was willing to take his place.
„h On one occasion the authorities came to a certain man and told him he was among those who had been chosen. He refused to go, saying, "I was shot 2 years ago."
„h At first they questioned his sanity, but he insisted that this indeed was the case. He claimed that the military records would show that he had been conscripted 2 years previously and that he had been killed in action.
„h "How can that be?" they questioned. "You are alive now!"
„h He explained that when his name came up, a close friend said to him, "You have a large family, but I am not married and nobody is dependent upon me. I’ll take your name and address and go in your place." And that is indeed what the record showed.
„h This rather unusual case was referred to Napoleon Bonaparte, who decided that the country had no legal claim on that man. He was free. He had died in the person of another!
„h This principle of substitution is also at the heart of the gospel. The Savior willingly took our place, died in our stead and paid the penalty for our sin. The law, which demands the ultimate punishment, has no claim on us, for we died years ago in the person of Christ.
„h Because of he took our place and paid our debt, we can be justified before God. We can also share our new found joy with others as we lead them to Jesus
