Charge It To Me - Philemon 1:10-18

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The communion meditation today is based on a passage of Scripture from the New Testament, Philemon 1:10-18. In this passage of Scripture, we read about the story of Paul, Onesimus, and Philemon. As Paul loves, befriends, and intercedes for Onesimus, we recall from Paul's example how Jesus loves, befriends, and intercedes for us. We are reminded that freedom is not free, and Jesus offered His life on the cross to free us from sin and death. As we partake of the bread and drink from the cup, we remember Jesus. All Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation (NLT) and are used with permission.

Transcript

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The title of my communion meditation today is "Charge It to Me." I read from Philemon 1:10-18 (NLT). All Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation (NLT) and are used with permission.

10 I appeal to you to show kindness to my child, Onesimus. I became his father in the faith while here in prison. 11 Onesimus hasn’t been of much use to you in the past, but now he is very useful to both of us. 12 I am sending him back to you, and with him comes my own heart.

13 I wanted to keep him here with me while I am in these chains for preaching the Good News, and he would have helped me on your behalf. 14 But I didn’t want to do anything without your consent. I wanted you to help because you were willing, not because you were forced. 15 It seems you lost Onesimus for a little while so that you could have him back forever. 16 He is no longer like a slave to you. He is more than a slave, for he is a beloved brother, especially to me. Now he will mean much more to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.

17 So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18 If he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge it to me. 19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it. And I won’t mention that you owe me your very soul!

As I reflected on Apostle Paul's letter to Philemon, I cannot recall if I ever heard a sermon preached, participated in a Bible study, or heard a verse quoted from this letter. Be that as it may, I was immediately drawn to Paul's love for Onesimus. We don't know the circumstances of how they met; nevertheless, Paul did not care that Onesimus was an escaped slave, and Onesimus did not care that Paul was a Roman prisoner. Their new relationship was founded on their shared belief in Jesus. Paul became a father to Onesimus and Onesimus became a son to Paul. Together they were brothers in the Lord. How the gospel breaks down barriers and levels the playing field! Yes, Paul saw a slave, but he knew Onesimus' greater problem was that he was a slave to sin. Only in Jesus could he know true freedom. With respect to his past behavior, Paul was still concerned that Onesimus may have wronged Philemon and incurred debts, all which he was willing to pay. He encouraged Onesimus to return to Philemon and for Philemon to accept him once he returns. By now, this story may be tugging at your heartstrings; it is because it is our story. All of us were slaves to sin until someone shared the good news of the gospel with us. We were guilty of wronging our master and incurring debts we could not pay. Just like in our story, these offenses were not born by us but by a friend who dearly loved us. As newborn persons, this same friend appealed to our master to accept us, not as a slave, but as a beloved family member. Paul is imitating Jesus, our self-sacrificing friend who pays our debts and appeals to the Father to accept us as His sons and daughters. Freedom is never free, and in no case is this more evident than the price Jesus paid for our sins, His own life. As we assemble today to partake of the bread and drink from the cup, we remember our Friend and Savior, Jesus Christ. With respect to our sins, Jesus told the Father, "Charge it to me!" Let us pray.

Abba, Father. Today we bless and set aside this bread and the fruit of the vine in this cup to remember Your Son, Jesus. We know that the bread represents His body that was nailed to the cross, and the fruit of the vine represents His blood that He shed for us. As we pour out the wine from the cup, we are reminded of how Jesus poured out His own blood that our sins might be forgiven. Abba, Father, what a wonderful story of love and reconciliation nestled between Titus and Hebrews. Just as Onesimus is loved and befriended by Paul, we are loved and befriended by Jesus and reconciled to the Father. We are now His sons and daughters! We are grateful He was willing to settle our debts by offering His life on the cross. We remember Him just now as we partake of the bread and drink from the cup. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Today, Jesus invites you to partake of His supper. I read from Matthew 26:26-28 (NLT).

26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” Let us partake of the bread.

27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many." Let us partake of the cup.

And the assembly of believers said, "Amen!"

Until next time, from Numbers 6:24-26, "May the LORD bless you and protect you. May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you. May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace."

Artist's Note: If you have questions about the Lord's Supper, I invite you to visit my website, https://eatthisbreaddrinkthiscup.com, for a brief overview. The Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast is listed in most podcast directories, and I invite you to add my podcast to your favorites and be notified of new posts. There is a written transcript that accompanies each podcast, and you are free to use the transcript in accordance with US copyright law. My prayer is that you will benefit personally from this time with Jesus and encourage others to observe the Lord's Supper. In these trying times, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus!