Philemon

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We sing #243.
Call Ben.
Shall we ask God's blessing?
Our God and our Father, we thank Thee.
That the windows of heaven have been opened to us and we've enjoyed many things.
These last two days.
We're thankful for those things that have warmed our hearts.
We're thankful too, for those things that have touched our consciences.
We pray for Thy blessing yet to follow on the things that we now have in our minds, the things we are yet to consider in this meeting before us. We do commend to Thee those that are on the road now for mercy as they go toward their homes. We pray Thy blessing on Thy word as we open it now for another hour.
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And we continue to ask thy blessing and help on the personal fellowship that's enjoyed between the meetings and with the ones that now remain here. We ask thy health. So we are shut up to Thee for more blessing our Father, and that ourselves to Thee for this time, praying that Thou wouldst bless our time and Thy word. Now a little season longer, we ask this in the precious name of the Lord Jesus, Amen.
I wonder, brethren, since, umm, perhaps we've taken up the First Corinthians chapter 3, perhaps it would be profitable to take up just one of these, uh, one chapter epistles. I suggest Philemon.
Because we have in the day that we live in, there's so many.
Situations that arise that are difficult among us, that require grace and patience with one another. And the Apostle Paul's example in connection with this difficulty with the slave Anessimus is very instructive to us, and it also gives a practical example of the tenderness of the heart of the apostle.
That suggests we perhaps could read this chapter and profit from it.
Exactly. Nice.
The Epistle of Paul to Philemon.
Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, And to Philemon, our dearly beloved and fellow laborer, And to our beloved Aphia and Octopus, our fellow soldier, and to the church in thy house. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God making mention of Thee always in my prayers.
Hearing of thy love and face, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus and toward All Saints.
That the communication of your of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you, in Christ Jesus.
For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the Saints are refreshed by thee, brother.
Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee in that to enjoin thee that which is convenient, 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, I beseech thee for my son Honestmus.
Whom I have begotten in my bonds.
Which in time passed was to the unprofitable, but now profitable to thee, and to me whom I have sent again. Thou therefore receive him that is mine own vowels, whom I would have retained with me, that in Thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel. But without thy mind would I do nothing. But thy benefit should not be as it were.
Of necessity, but willingly.
For perhaps easier for departed for a season, that thou should just receive him forever, not now as a servant, but above a serpent, a servant, a brother, beloved, especially to me. But now, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
If thou can be therefore a partner, receive him as myself. If he hath wronged thee or owed thee aught, put that on mine account.
I, Paul, have written it with my own hand. I will repay it, albeit I do not say to thee how thou OS done to me, even thine own self. Besides. Yeah, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord, Refresh my bowels in the Lord. Having confidence in thy obedience, I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt also do more than I say. But with all, prepare me also a lodging, for I trust that through your prayers.
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I shall be given unto you.
Their salute thee, Ipaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus. Marcus Aristarchus Dimas Lucas, my fellow laborers, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
This is, I believe, one of the pastoral epistles. And you'll notice that the pastoral epistles are, uh, grouped together in the word of God. We have first and second Timothy and then, uh, we have umm, uh, Titus, Philemon and umm. So the apostle Paul was used to, have gone to write to different individuals and in a, a very kind way in the power of the Spirit to write to them and to encourage them to walk in the path of faith and.
As we've mentioned before, every single portion of the Word of God is given to us because there's a real purpose.
And so here there was a difficulty in connection with Philemon and his household. A slave had escaped and uh, perhaps was known to Paul before. And Paul at this time that he writes this epistle, this letter, he, umm, was under house arrest. And uh, we could just refer to that in Acts chapter 28. He was, uh, let's look at it so that we get the umm, contacts properly.
We sometimes think that he was in a dark dungeon, but not at this point. He was under house arrest. Let's just look at uh, chapter 28 of Acts verse 30.
And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, preaching the Kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no man forbidding him. And so it's believed that at this time that he wrote the four epistles, the Epistle to the Colossians, Epistles, Epistle to the Ephesians, the Epistle to the Philippians, and then this Epistle.
To Philemon and instead of bitterness in Paul's heart, there was sweetness, the very sweetness of Christ and it was he was ministering grace. So he uses that term in verse 3. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. And then a little later on in the last verse, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. And so the answer to the ills, the difficulties.
In the life are to be answered by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. We're to have a gracious spirit with one another, not a hard unforgiving spirit. And so Paul here in the spirit of Christ ministers to Philemon and it's a very sweet letter.
Scanned it. UMM was a runaway slave and had probably been arrested.
It's probably how Paul either that or he had been caught in with someone else's servant and where Paul was In any case, Umm.
It could very well be that this letter was sent with him with an estimates at the same time as the letter from Khalisi. He's mentioned there umm, as one bringing them the, uh, the letter. But you know, in our culture we may not realize that a master had rights over the life of his slaves and Philemon would have been within his rights to put an SMS to death.
And that would not have been unusual then?
So that's just a little background here of what of what is taking place here. You know, Paul has brought to the Lord.
And he has a he's a real believer and he's been profitable to Paul, and now he's going back to a master who has the legal right to put him to death.
So that's the background.
There's another, uh, another thing too, and epistles to individuals. Often mercy is brought in, but not one addressed to the assembly. And you'll see, umm, mercy is not part of the Apostles salutation. It's grace and peace. Because he's not only writing Philemon and his wife, but he's writing to the whole assembly because, you know, things come into our lives.
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Very personally would affect the whole assembly, and here was something that was going to affect the whole assembly. And so the apostle has something to address with Philemon, but it's something that affects everyone in the assembly which met in his house. They all would have known an estimate back in his days when he was a Rascal and he ran away and maybe he had been.
Uh, a real trouble because he says unprofitable to thee at one time.
And now he's coming back as a brother in Christ. Well, here's something that is in in Satan's hands is going to disrupt the assembly is going to turn things upside down. And so the apostle is going to address the whole assembly because he wants the love to work by the Spirit of God in the whole assembly, not just with Philemon and Apia to prevent the enemy from getting an advantage.
What we see in this epistle is grace in action.
The Philemon, the slave, he's obviously brought into contact with Paul, and he gets saved through the grace of God by Lehman, is saved.
Now the question is, as far as Paul's concern, can he act in grace? Of course he can't. Uh, we.
Verse eight we're home, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoy thee whether you have Apostolic authority. He could have sold violin phylum and exactly what to do. In fact, he could have uh, uh, done with an estimates what or what to do without even consulting filing. But he acts in grace and there's a response in Paul's heart. He's seen God acting grace in the salvation of Philemon. What's the response in Paul's heart? Well, I can act in grace too and he gives.
He gives Philemon the opportunity to act in grace, not to exercise his rights.
That's that, to act in grace. And so it is when we see the grace of God and we see the grace of God in each one of us in our salvation, don't we then want to extend that same grace in our relationship with each other?
You would think with all of the praise that Paul seems to be heaping upon Philemon for his love, and you know, hearing of thy love and faith which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the Saints.
Umm, you would think that Paul wouldn't need to say a whole lot about this.
Yet Paul is going to great lengths.
To make an estimates welcome and safe. When he returns and it almost doesn't seem to match.
But you may see, have, may have seen this in yourself or in others, but sometimes some can be very, very spiritual, very, uh, loving of the Saints. It just seems like they're just so full of Christ and then some little matter.
We'll send them.
And they just go to law just like that. And if it isn't the law of the state, it's some legal thing that they see in scripture and and they just right away it seems like grace and love is just thrown out the window. This is the way it's got to be. I don't know if you've observed that. I have and.
I've had discussions with brothers about how they were treating the Saints or treating others.
And it's such a shame when they just seem to go to law. And again, I don't mean necessarily the law of the state, but they feel like they're in the right that they have the legal ground to be acting or doing what they're doing. And everything is just seems so cut and dry and legal. And just you go away saying, well, he was right. I can't argue with him. But where is Christ in all of this?
Where is grace and where is love?
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You know we always need to ask ourselves this question, especially when dealing with our brethren.
And even dealing with all men.
What would you want to be done to you?
You know, that's the test of love. The Lord said. Whatsoever you would want men to do to you, you do to them likewise. Now you can say, well, you know.
I I don't have to do that, you know, you just take it and swallow it.
And you want them to be meet some standard of spirituality, but their conscience is troubled.
Well, love would want to settle their conscience, wouldn't it?
Do you want your brethren to go away trouble, to have troubled consciences?
So, you know, it's wonderful how Paul here says, you know, I do have these rights.
But I'm not going there.
I'm not going there. That's not how we deal with that.
I wonder if in connection with this, we should read the first few verses of Philippians. Two. We often read from verse 5 onwards. We often don't read the first few verses of the chapter and.
If there'll be any consolation in Christ, if any comfort in love of love, if any fellowship of the street, if any bowels of mercies fulfilling my joy, that you could be like minded, and the sudden love being one of fraud and of one mind. Verse three, or is particularly before me. Let nothing be done through strife or thine glory.
But in loneliness of mind that each esteem other better than themselves, that's very challenging. Do we need to steam other feather than ourselves? That's what Scripture tells us to do. And that it goes on to give the perfect example of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let this look not every man on his own thing, but every man on the things of others. Let his mind be in you, which is also in Christ Jesus. And that we are very familiar with that.
But I'd note the verse 8, and I think that Mister Darby's translation is in being impounding fashions. A man he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, I think Mr. Darby says, entered himself. And what did he empty himself of his divinity? In no way but all those rights and privileges that he had as the eternal Son. He put them aside and and walked in lowly grace.
He didn't do a single miracle that benefited himself. We had that, the site would say.
As we had earlier this afternoon. Would you do so? No, he wouldn't do. A single miracle that benefited himself. Miracles that benefit others, Miracles that healed others, he would do. He was born in a Manger because there was no room for him in the end. He was the Creator and the Sustainer of the universe. A5 Star Hotel would have been no problem.
But he takes a holy place of lovely price, and he that and that.
The example that set before us, and I think we see that example in the way that umm Paul in in this epistle addresses violin.
He he, he, he gives an estimation of Philemon which is very commendable.
I think you could say Paul actually esteemed filing were better than himself. Now I know of course Paul was an apostle and we we've got to give him that place, but.
I think in practice he was he was applying the first few verses of Philippians 2.
I think we use the flash to improve the flesh and we find it it doesn't work and only Co only compounds the problem. But uh.
We we know that.
All had a great love for Philemon and respect for him. And as our brother mentioned, Apostolic authority, which he did not use here, but, uh, he didn't uh, call for the liberation of the Philemon from his servitude. He sent him back to his master Phoneman.
Wonderful commendation and request.
But he didn't ask for liberation from the position that he was in.
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So Christianity is not a moral force to build a better world, and we are not here to correct social injustices, but to manifest the character of Christ and uh.
So.
Filene was brought to the Lord and was a real encouragement to the apostle and he could have remained there in, I guess it was in Rome and ministered to the apostle. He was being a great help. But uh, Paul realized there was a, there was a first responsibility there. He had been the servant of the.
Philemon, that was his, uh, his original position there. Those things have to be made right first. And so, uh, he sends him back with this beautiful letter of, uh, of love and forgiveness. And I'm sure that Philemon answered in the same spirit, uh, in the same spirit.
Maybe, uh, profitable to look at, uh.
Job chapter 32. I just want to read verse 21.
Job chapter 32 and verse 21. Let me not, I pray you, accept any man's person, neither let me give flattering titles unto man, for I know not to give flattering titles, and so doing my maker would soon take me away. We might think, well, Paul was being very flattering in what he was saying to Philemon, but I don't believe that was the case at all.
He was actually speaking the truth. This man was an exceptional believer and so much so that his whole household was devoted to the service of Christ. And umm, so he had the assembly, uh, met in his home. There may have been several places in Colossi that the assembly met because it was a large city and maybe this was one of the homes that they met in, but that was the kind of home that uh, this brother had and he speaks of umm.
This man is a fellow laborer and he then speaks of archipelas as a fellow soldier and, umm, he just, uh, speaks very complimentary in a very complimentary way and sees Christ, the spirit of Christ in each one of these individuals. It's lovely, isn't it? And, uh, but he wasn't flattering. It was entirely sincere. And so we have a little picture painted to us in the words of Scripture of the character of this individual and his devotedness to Christ and devotedness to the Saints.
And now he, instead of interfering in, umm uh, Philemon's household in an untoward way, why he begins to uh, speak of the issue that is at hand. And umm, he desired that uh, Onesimus would refresh his heart. He says in verse seven that we have great joy and consolation in my love because the bowels or the heart of the Saints perhaps.
We could say it that way. The heart of the Saints are refreshed by the brother. Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoy thee, and that that which is convenient, yet for Love's sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the agent, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ. And so, as you say, instead of enjoining and using his Apostolic authority, he pleads, he intercedes.
For the slave that obviously had done something that was wicked and illegal at the time, and yet he, umm, intercedes for him on the basis of grace, and umm seeks to present a favorable light upon the man as a new beginning, a new creature in Christ. And so he presents him, as in verse 10. I beseech thee for my son Anesthesus, whom I have begotten in my bonds.
What a privilege it was now for in how the Lord had arranged the circumstances in this slave's life to have come into the contact with the apostle himself, to be saved by grace, and now to have the apostle entreating Philemon. What? What to God? He gave us the spirit of desiring to entreat the Lord for one another. And perhaps, if I could put it this way, sometimes there are difficulties that arise in the assembly, and wouldn't it be a nice spirit if we could entreat with one another?
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On different issues that someone may have stepped on your toes, they may have offended you, they may have really caused some heartache perhaps, but to entreat in the same spirit. And so we have an example of the apostle Paul tender hearted man.
In love, beseeching, writing this letter, perhaps with tears to wondering whether the letter would be received.
I think we have a scriptural principle where we're not supposed to, uh, interfere with another man's household. Like in this case, uh, Philemon, because he's the head of his house now, it'd be a different matter. There was some evil or something like that. Then it becomes an assembly matter.
It's really nice and you see the spirit here.
Uh, her paws in the seating for an estimated our own hearts. We, we, we tend to, we, we see something, we, uh, in the flesh, we tend to get a little impatient about things and a snare that we could follow in fall into is to deliver ultimate and you don't do this and or whatever. That's, that's a stare that we can fall into and that always that always creates hard feelings and stress in the assembly.
Might be good to mention the names the meanings of some of these names.
And I'm not saying that it's categorically the actual meaning, but there are sometimes differences in the Bible dictionaries as to what the names, the meanings of the names are. But Philemon means affectionate. And the Spirit of God perhaps presents to us an affectionate man, soft hearted, tender hearted, but he could be, as a brother Ted said, perhaps legal and to the mark. And those are assembly matters. We deal with assembly matters in different way. But I, this man is a part of my business. He's a slave.
And I'm going to deal with them on a different basis, but you know, it's the Lord delights to just, uh, present to us that this man was affectionate and just turned to, uh, first Peter chapter 3. It's, uh, the Lord where Paul appeals to him on the basis of grace. And it says, uh, in verse 20 or first Peter chapter 2, I'm sorry, verse 20. What glory is it if when ye be buffeted for your fault, you shall take it patiently. But if when you do well, you and you suffer for it, you do, you take it patiently. This is acceptable.
With God for even hereunto where you called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example.
That you should follow his steps. Well, it's better to suffer and to take it patiently. This is acceptable with God, and so Philemon. His name is affectionate. The name Anessimus means useful or profitable.
He was an unprofitable slave, probably wasn't as productive as he should have been, and umm, he was perhaps a source of irritation and umm, we might say he may even have stolen from his master. In verse 18 it says, if he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee aught, put that on mine account. I, Paul, have written it with my own hand. I will repay it. Oh, it's a sweetness of Christ, you and I were.
10,000 talent debtors, every one of us.
None of one of us that could say we owe any less and it was impossible. We could never pay, repay. And so we can look at ourselves even in this little passage of Scripture and say the Lord has dealt with me and forgiven me such a great debt. And if we were honest with one another and we're honest with the Lord.
He forgave as much, and So what a wonderful thing it is to have grace and to forgive one another, and to become profitable as a result. There's nothing that destroys the life more of a believer than bitterness.
And either a trial like this could have made Philemon better or could have made him bitter. And by the grace of God, I believe we don't get the answer here in this epistle.
But we don't have the opposite answer in any of the other epistles. We never have Paul ever having to erase this question again. We know that he was set at liberty, and that he was perhaps at liberty for another five years after this was written. But umm, in grace, It's never addressed again.
It's beautiful how you see the Spirit of Christ here when the apostle Paul says that it's wrong. Thee, uh, anothe author, he will repay thee. You know that's a real spirit, the Lord Jesus Christ himself, because the Lord himself said I restored that which I took, not away.
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Parliament was a beautiful example of the encouragement in the Assembly.
Wherever it was here.
We find him refreshing the, the bowels of the Saints. That's a very high commendation. Are we refreshing the bowels of the Saints? We need that. We need that, umm, ministry that would, uh, strengthen us, umm, lift us up, cheer us, Apostle could say, strengthen the things that remain.
Umm, controversy won't do that on SMS was, uh, was also of a similar character We read in the second, uh, Timothy chapter one that he had looked up the apostle, the second Timothy one, uh.
Verse umm.
The end of the chapter there Speaking of an SMS, the Lord grant mercy unto the House of onusiferous with OFT refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain. When he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently and found me. There's another example of that, the helper in the assembly.
There must have been many prisons, but he sought the apostle out very diligently.
It was, uh, a reproach to be looking up a prisoner, uh.
In Rome he, he, uh, suffered that reproach, and not only he, but his family also.
So, uh, with, umm, with the Philemon, he uh, was a real.
Gear and help to the uh in the assembly where he.
Gathered there and the church in his house.
Commendable.
By Lehman, we noticed two in the address to the second churches. The spirit of light looks first of that which is commendable, doesn't it? And so.
I just wonder if you look at that each other in that way, we can easily get the spirit of criticism and do we first look first at that which is commendable in each other. I was thinking of, uh, First Corinthians 4, I believe a reference to the project and seed of Christ.
And to the Lord's hand we will bring to light that hidden things are dark. Will may manifest the councils of the heart, and then shall every man in praise of God.
Now have I sat in the meeting with a brother for 20 years and never seen what God's got a price when he.
Do I look for what God is gonna praise in my family?
There was an apparent real turn around in an estimated life. If you look at Colossians chapter 4, the apostle speaks there to the assembly. He writes that letter to Colossi.
Perhaps he wrote those two letters to Colossi addresses uh Philemon, but Colossians chapter 4 and verse 7. All my state shall pick us declare unto you who is a beloved brother and a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord, whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose that he might know your estate and comfort your hearts with an estimates a faithful and beloved brother in the new translation says.
Faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you, they shall make known unto you all things which are done. Isn't it nice? He was in a very short time. We're not told what the time period is, but he was found to be faithful, loyal, devoted to Christ, and had endeared himself to the apostle Paul. He was beloved.
And beloved really just means, very, very greatly loved. And so the apostle, his affections were one. This man had really endeared himself. And so he conducted himself with a spirit of grace. He wasn't going to go back to Philemon the same way that he came.
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And what a privilege it is for us, rather than to sit under the sound of the word, to come to a conference like this, and to go home and in a practical way, love our brethren better.
I'd like to ask a question. What did OR lesson Mr. How did or lesson us feel himself?
I would say the example could be taken in the book of Ruth where Nioma says I have gone out full and come back empty. But the Lord looked upon her and the maiden, her daughter-in-law, and blessed her. I think that was happy and glad because of the apostle Paul. And we can't be the same way if we fall and fail.
But there is the love of our brethren and sisters.
Who accept us for our failure and we must acknowledge our failure ourselves indeed. But to show that love and that comfort and that forgiveness and to be brought back in the assembly. So an SMS, is anybody else got a thought on what Odessamus might have thought about this?
There may not be any scripture for it.
What do you think of an SMS being converted?
Probably in Rome. And the time would come when he would say, you know, Paul.
I was a slave, a man named Philemon, and I did it pretty wrong, Paul would have said. I know that man.
Well, he could have stayed in Rome, you know, Kept laboring for Paul, never had to face it.
But Paul no doubt said, no, we got to set this right by Lehman. Oh, I don't want to go back there. He's going to be awful angry with me. Well, don't you worry. I'm going to write a letter.
I'm gonna write a letter and you take it back.
And they'll fix everything. And so he would have written that letter and given it to an SMS to take back. And you, you know, this is conjecture, I have to say, but we don't know the details. But he would have come back. And here comes that Rascal and SMS. Oh, here he is. Good riddance. Glad he was gone. He was just trouble. Always here. Here he comes back again.
And would have come up.
I don't know if he would have said anything, but he would have handed that letter.
Sephylenes. You can imagine Philemon opening this from Paul.
From their apostle Paul and starting to read down through this letter with an SMS standing there.
Waiting to see the response.
Not only that, this letter was read before the assembly I believe.
And there was a response there too, because an estimates was going to come back as a functioning member in the assembly in Philemon's house.
It's important to recognize that he went back verse 12, whom I have sent again.
I think it's an important thing for us to remember that when we get off track, we need to go back to the point where we got off the rails. And Paul in his wisdom and his spirit of grace here, wouldn't any fear in what the work of the Spirit of God with this man, Onesimus, and the work wasn't complete yet. There needed to be restoration. This man needed to face the consequences. He needed to face the man that he had wronged.
And how much better it is with us when there is a misstep in my life or in yours, there are some misstep and we can just go back to the place, go back to the person that we wronged and to say I've sinned. We don't have the words that a Messiah might have said, but as you say, but he went back now therefore receive him that is.
My own bowels.
But he would have had to go back.
00:45:02
Brother Gordon used to often tell us as young people.
When he would speak at a wedding, he would say, there are some little phrases I want to tell you about that will make for a smoother life in your marriage and they sometimes will help in other situations that the first one was, I'm sorry.
I made a mistake or maybe I sinned. Please forgive me, I love you.
Sometimes we just make things hard for ourselves because we won't go back to the person that we wronged and affirm our love, affirm that there was a wrong, and humble ourselves. That chapter that our brother referred to in Philippians chapter 2 presents for individuals that were marked by humility. The first one in that chapter 2 is the Lord Jesus. The next one is the apostle Paul himself. Then he mentions Timothy as an example of humility. And the last one?
I think was Epaphroditus 4 examples of those that humbled themselves and there was blessing to the Saints as a result.
It's my Steve offer, maybe a little different picture of what might have happened, which is, you know, it says Paul says I sent him.
And, uh, maybe Paul didn't say. Don't worry. You know, the way he wrote this letter. I'm not sure, Paul.
Was all that confident that it was going to be OK.
You know when you read here how he beseeches and he's.
You know, continually besieging. And he even gets down to the point where he says not to mention that you owe me your life, you know?
Uh, but.
Having been genuinely saved.
Would have to submit to whatever Philemon was going to do and had the legal right to do it. And you know there is sometimes when we offend our brethren.
And we think we have the right to require.
Or expect forgiveness.
Uh, you know, if you're the offender, you don't, you don't have any standing to put that on here on the offend.
And as Christians, we don't do that.
We just submit to whatever is is due and it's a a wonderful thing if we meet with grace rather than with the law. But you know, you don't have a standing to require your brethren to forgive you. And now overseers, especially in the assembly, have responsibility in this matter. And if there's someone with an unforgiving spirit that has to be addressed, that that is part of oversight.
But what you do when it involves the leading ones themselves, you know that becomes a troubling to the rest of the assembly.
Leading ones should be in step.
You know there should be nothing between them, the leading ones, you know, that is. If there is a difficulty between leading ones and assembly and it doesn't get taken care of, it's just a matter of time. There will be a, you know, care meeting is a good time for leading ones to open themselves up to one another.
And be willing to take it on the chin of need to be open and don't go out of that care meeting with anything unresolved. That should be your goal because the rest of the assembly is gonna be immediately affected by what's going on between leaders.
But again, the apostle here, I think, is sending this man back.
And it's a question mark.
I'm not. I can't guarantee anything to you in SMS.
What you did, I mean, he's got every ground to put you in prison or worse.
But uh, I think enough. Unless was, uh, would have just said.
You know, I deserve worse. I deserve health for eternity. And now I'm saved and, and he just submitted and said I'll go.
There's another aspect of things that we don't think of perhaps normally in this, but Hagar made, or Sarah made Hagar's life miserable and she fled. And it says in Corinthians that, umm, about an if she depart, let her depart, let her remain unmarried. It's possible for a husband to treat his wife so poorly that she just feels like she has to run to her mother and father, whatever it might be. Uh, very sad situation when a husband won't love his wife the way she ought to be loved.
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And umm, so here it's possible that in the, we know that he was an affectionate man, tender hearted, but the place of slavery in the Roman Empire wasn't, uh, very pleasant one. And umm, we need to be careful not to conduct ourselves in such a way that, uh, those that are in, are in our employ, those that, umm, work for us, those that, umm, we have some interface with, don't feel the need to just escape. We treat them so badly. And so the believer.
In the workplace and in other aspects of responsibility needs to treat those that are in, in the under his authority with kindness and with love. And I believe that this is perhaps how it was in Philemon's household. But I just throw, just suggest this in connection with, umm, this, uh, situation. God doesn't give us all the details because there's every single case is unique.
An unforgiving spirit can cause a lot of problems. Uh, as.
Our brother Ted brought out in the assembly and in our individual walk with the Lord. This is brought out very clearly in Matthew 18. We won't take time to read it.
Completely. But you remember the parable that the Lord brings before us in connection with the Kingdom of heaven here.
This, uh, servant who refused to forgive and.
And uh, put it in mundane terms, carried a grudge, uh and uh.
The Lord in his government, he did not forgive that that person.
Those bitter feelings that, uh, we have to acknowledge arise in our hearts sometimes. We should judge what we judge. The things that our brethren don't see. We won't have to judge the things that they do see. And, uh, that spirit of forgiveness. Not that we are.
L like or or.
Passing over the sin.
But I think of Romans chapter 12 There umm.
Uh, if it is uh, verse umm 19 dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves would rather give place unto wroth which is written, Vengeance is mine, I will replace, saith the Lord. We take these things into our own hands and try to resolve them in righteousness.
We're going to probably, uh, fail. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him, if he thirst, give him drink. From so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. What does that mean by the kindness that we show to our brother? Uh, we lead him to self judgment to judge that situation that has arisen in his life and dishonored the Lord by the spirit that we show here.
We lead him to self judgment that's placing the coals of fire on his head.
And instead if we're overcome with evil.
Uh, we won't show that Spirit may not overcome of evil how often we are but overcome evil with good. Isn't that the Spirit the Lord Jesus manifested? What evil did he meet when he came into this world? Rejected, Despised. Umm.
Criticized, we might say, he said, they said he had a devil, a wine bibber and so on, but he went on manifesting the character of God and the love of God and he didn't retaliate. He never retaliated. Uh, he showed the spirit of love and, and, uh, grace in all his pathway down here.
The last few verses of this epistle.
Are so sweet the verse 21 having confidence in thy obedience, I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt also do more than I say, but with all prepare me also a lodging, for I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you. And so he just umm in all of the uh in beseeching had confidence that umm the Lord would have his way.
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You know, the King's heart is in the hand of the Lord as the rivers of water. He turneth it whithersoever he will. And so Paul couldn't do more than just write the letter. And we have the word of God-given to us to instruct us and to help us to know how to display the spirit of grace with one another. And there's confidence if we walk in the Spirit, to be confident if we talk to one another. And there was just the beseeching for one another in matters of trespass.
That there would be fruit for the Lord. So Paul even says, you know, I hope to come again. He wanted to go to colossi and he knew that this letter was a very difficult letter to write. It was a difficult situation and he didn't want to interfere in the assembly, didn't want to interfere in the home. And but he trusted that there would be an open door for him to come back. And I just say this, that sometimes there may be a difficulty, maybe personal difficulty, and someone might seek to.
Just give a word of advice or turn to the Scriptures and give a little light, shed a little light on the situation and we should be receptive to hear the word of God. Let's never get the idea that they don't have a right to tell me or to try to instruct me. But you know, the apostle takes a low place and it's wonderful to just receive a little bit of instruction, perhaps from an older sister, perhaps from a younger person. And I have personally had young person come to me and say I want to read you a portion of scripture brother and umm.
I want to just perhaps correct a little bit of something. I remember those occasions and I thank my God for the love of the brother that came to see me.
Verse six that the effectual that the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is that should read in US in Christ Jesus this.
Epistle shows the practical side of Paul's doctrine and it's working out and the individual life and collectively in the assembly life and.
And if Paul is gonna have a lodging in our homes?
That Paul's doctrine is going to have a place in our homes and in the assembly. It'll be seen in the practical outworking of faith that works by love.
My receipt #10.
Subscription Closing Revelation Chapter 22.
Revelation 22.
Verse 20.
He would testify us these things, said sure.
Early I come quickly.
Amen. Even sowed. Umm, so Jesus.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Amen.
God loving Father, we.
Busy thanks for.
Time we've had.
To.
Consider the Slovene epistle and.
See I grace manifested.
Think of perfect example of my well beloved son, Lord Jesus.
You know the grace of.
Or Jesus Christ, though he was rich, yet for your sake to become poor.
Precious Saviours.
For that wonderful example.
8934.
The grace that thou hast shown us.
Thank you for worth of Thy spirit, each of our hearts.
To be able to show that grace to one another.
Yeah, you to continue to work by thy spirit. Confess how often we fail.
And thank you for bringing these thoughts, our hearts and consciences.
So we pray. Let us be awake. I soon return, Lord Jesus.
He manifests it more.
So I may receive glory, honor, he says. Thank you so much for thy love, and continue to ask you for thy blessings.
And care for the rest of the time that we're here giving you thanks for my precious name, Lord Jesus, you know.