Bob Weppler: page 1060 in your Bible, page 1060, right after Titus, right before Hebrews, a little tiny book of Philemon Doesn't even take up a full page, alright.
Bob Weppler: So the previous 12 times we have met in the Route 66 series, we have studied a book by the Apostle Paul and we have reached the 13th and last book that Paul wrote, not in chronological order, okay.
Bob Weppler: The first book that Paul wrote was Galatians, in 49 AD, and it was an 18-year period where he wrote these 13 books.
Bob Weppler: And the last one was second Timothy, in 67 AD.
Bob Weppler: Philemon is known as one of the prison epistles.
Bob Weppler: Why?
Bob Weppler: Because he wrote it while he was in prison.
Bob Weppler: The other books are Philippians.
Bob Weppler: He was in prison, the other books are Philippians, colossians and Ephesians.
Bob Weppler: Philemon, by the way, is a person, not a place.
Bob Weppler: The book of Philemon is linked with the book of Colossians.
Bob Weppler: Both letters were written at the same time, carried by the same person and delivered to the same Colossian church, a church that met in Philemon's home.
Bob Weppler: This letter is unique and it's important that we have plenty of background before we read the text.
Bob Weppler: I'm looking out at some ABF students here.
Bob Weppler: What does Pastor Doug always say?
Bob Weppler: What does he always emphasize?
Bob Weppler: He emphasizes the importance of social setting.
Bob Weppler: You must understand the social setting of the people to whom the author wrote, and I'm sure Michael would have plenty to say about that.
Bob Weppler: The reader needs to understand their town before we can correctly interpret and apply a passage in scripture to our town.
Bob Weppler: In other words, for us to understand the author's intention, we must understand who the author is writing to.
Bob Weppler: A casual reading of Philemon would lead the reader to believe that this is a simple story of forgiveness leading to reconciliation, in this particular case, a master, philemon, and a slave, onesimus.
Bob Weppler: But there is more here.
Bob Weppler: We'll get into this later.
Bob Weppler: First of all, what does Paul have to do with these two people?
Bob Weppler: We need to go back in time for our answer.
Bob Weppler: We go back about six or so years into around 55 AD, and Paul is on his third missionary journey.
Bob Weppler: He is in Ephesus, a place where he spent three years.
Bob Weppler: At some point, paul evangelizes a Colossian Gentile named Epaphras.
Bob Weppler: Epaphras returns to Colossae and plants the Colossian church.
Bob Weppler: Philemon is also a Colossian Gentile.
Bob Weppler: How did he come to faith, paul?
Bob Weppler: Probably in Ephesus, which is 100 miles from Colossae.
Bob Weppler: Worth noting there is nothing in scripture that says that Paul ever went to Colossae.
Bob Weppler: We assume that Philemon, a wealthy man was perhaps in Ephesus on business.
Bob Weppler: At some point he heard the preaching of Paul and accepted Christ.
Bob Weppler: Philemon would eventually return home and begin hosting a Colossian church in his house.
Bob Weppler: Let's move forward again, five years up to 60 AD.
Bob Weppler: Paul is now in Rome under house arrest.
Bob Weppler: At some point prior, onesimus fled from Philemon and made his way to Rome.
Bob Weppler: The Romans allowed Paul to have visitors.
Bob Weppler: Paul was actively evangelizing during this time.
Bob Weppler: And guess who?
Bob Weppler: Paul evangelized Onesimus.
Bob Weppler: Not only does Onesimus become a Christian, but he actively serves Paul in his ministry.
Bob Weppler: At some point, the two discover that they have someone in common Philemon.
Bob Weppler: Right around this time period, paul receives a visit from Epaphras.
Bob Weppler: Remember he was the guy who started the Colossian church.
Bob Weppler: Epaphras informs Paul that the Colossian church has been infiltrated with false teachers teaching a false gospel Problem.
Bob Weppler: Paul actually has two problems.
Bob Weppler: It's now time for him to act.
Bob Weppler: Priority one he must send Onesimus back to Philemon.
Bob Weppler: If he doesn't, it undermines the very gospel that he preaches, the gospel of reconciliation through faith in Christ.
Bob Weppler: Onesimus needs to be reconciled to Philemon.
Bob Weppler: This can only happen if Philemon forgives Onesimus of his crime.
Bob Weppler: So now you're caught up.
Bob Weppler: Paul writes two letters the letter to the Colossians, a deeply doctrinal letter emphasizing the deity of Jesus.
Bob Weppler: The other is a personal letter to Philemon.
Bob Weppler: The letter to Philemon reconfigures the existing social relationships among three men Onesimus, Paul and Philemon.
Bob Weppler: The letter was an extremely delicate letter for Paul to write.
Bob Weppler: The apostle is explicitly asking forgiveness for a crime that deserved punishment.
Bob Weppler: Under Roman law, runaway slaves could be crucified, but there's another crime here.
Bob Weppler: Paul is breaking Roman law.
Bob Weppler: Runaway slaves could be crucified, but there's another crime here.
Bob Weppler: Paul is breaking Roman law.
Bob Weppler: Paul is harboring a runaway slave.
Bob Weppler: It's important at this point to discuss the sensitive subject of slavery.
Bob Weppler: Slavery in the Roman Empire was not based on capture and race, as in North America or Europe.
Bob Weppler: It was based on economics and birth.
Bob Weppler: It is estimated that slaves comprised one-third of the population back then.
Bob Weppler: Realizing that contented slaves are more productive, masters tended to treat them more leniently.
Bob Weppler: It was not uncommon for a master to teach his slave his trade.
Bob Weppler: It was not uncommon for masters and slaves to be good friends, to have a good relationship Clearly not the case with Philemon and Onesimus.
Bob Weppler: After all, onesimus ran away.
Bob Weppler: They didn't have a good relationship.
Bob Weppler: Their relationship needed to be transformed.
Bob Weppler: Philemon needed to see Onesimus from a different perspective.
Bob Weppler: Forgiveness and reconciliation would be possible would be impossible without a transformation.
Bob Weppler: The letter to Philemon is only 335 Greek words, but it packs a big punch.
Bob Weppler: It is highly persuasive.
Bob Weppler: Within this letter, paul provides the biblical definition of forgiveness, and he does it without even mentioning the word.
Bob Weppler: Forgiveness is the virtue that enables reconciliation.
Bob Weppler: The primary theme of this letter is reconciliation through forgiveness.
Bob Weppler: We will read that his appeal for forgiveness and reconciliation is centered on the greatest act of love in history, the cross of Christ.
Bob Weppler: Structure of the letter Four parts.
Bob Weppler: First, paul greets Philemon, his family and the Colossian church that meets in Philemon's home, and that's verses one through three.
Bob Weppler: Part two Paul praises Philemon, verses four through seven.
Bob Weppler: Part three most important section, the actual appeal, and that's from verses eight through 22.
Bob Weppler: And then, lastly, part four Paul makes his final greetings in verses 23 through 25.
Bob Weppler: So we're going to read through the entire letter.
Bob Weppler: Pay careful attention to the repetition of certain words.
Bob Weppler: Before we do, let's go to the Lord in prayer.
Bob Weppler: Heavenly Father, thank you for your word, thank you for this wonderful letter.
Bob Weppler: Please illuminate your word for us this evening, so that we may have our hearts opened, so that we may correctly interpret and, most importantly, father, apply this wonderful letter to our lives.
Bob Weppler: It is in your son's name we pray.
Bob Weppler: Amen.
Bob Weppler: Verse 1.
Bob Weppler: Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy, our brother, to Philemon, our dear friend and co-worker, to Apphia, our sister, to Archippus, our fellow soldier, and to the church that meets in your home.
Bob Weppler: Grace to you and peace from God, our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Bob Weppler: I always thank God when I mention you in my prayers, because I hear of your love for the saints and the faith that you have in the Lord Jesus.
Bob Weppler: I pray that your participation in the faith may become effective through knowing every good thing that is in us, for the glory of Christ, for I have great joy and encouragement from your love because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.
Bob Weppler: For this reason, although I have great boldness in Christ to command you to do what is right, I appeal to you instead on the basis of love.
Bob Weppler: I, paul, an elderly man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus, appeal to you for my son Onesimus.
Bob Weppler: I became his father while I was in chains.
Bob Weppler: Once he was useless to you, but now he is useful both to you and to me.
Bob Weppler: I am sending him back to you.
Bob Weppler: I am sending my very own heart.
Bob Weppler: I wanted to keep him with me so that my imprisonment for the gospel he might serve me in your place.
Bob Weppler: But I didn't want to do anything without your consent, so that your good deed might not be out of obligation but of your own free will.
Bob Weppler: For perhaps this is why he was separated from you for a brief time, so that you might get him back permanently, no longer as a slave but, more than a slave, as a dearly loved brother.
Bob Weppler: He is especially so to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
Bob Weppler: So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would me.
Bob Weppler: And if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account.
Bob Weppler: I, paul, write this with my own hand.
Bob Weppler: I will repay it, not to mention to you that you owe me even your very self.
Bob Weppler: Yes, brother, may I benefit from you in the Lord.
Bob Weppler: Refresh my heart in Christ.
Bob Weppler: Since I am confident in your obedience, I am writing to you knowing that you will do even more than I say Meanwhile.
Bob Weppler: Also, prepare a guest room for me, since I hope that through your prayers I will be restored to you.
Bob Weppler: Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus send you greetings.
Bob Weppler: So do Mark, aristarchus, demas and Luke, my co-workers.
Bob Weppler: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Bob Weppler: Another question for you, abf students what are the three steps to studying the Bible?
Bob Weppler: Observation, interpretation, application.
Bob Weppler: That is how we are going to interpret the book of Philemon.
Bob Weppler: Step one, observation First part we observe a repetition of certain words.
Bob Weppler: Seven words are repeated at least three times Love, heart, prisoner, saints, brother, prayer and send.
Bob Weppler: All of these words are linked to the gospel.
Bob Weppler: Two we observe that Paul mentions a lot of people, but the person that is mentioned the most, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Bob Weppler: Verse 1, verse 3, verse 5, verse 6, verse 8, verse 9, and so on.
Bob Weppler: God the Father or God the Son are mentioned a total of 12 times.
Bob Weppler: Christ is central to Paul's appeal.
Bob Weppler: Three family terms Verse 1, timothy, our brother.
Bob Weppler: Verse 2, aphia, our sister.
Bob Weppler: Verse 7 and verse 20, paul refers to Philemon as our brother.
Bob Weppler: Verse 2, aphia, our sister.
Bob Weppler: Verse 7 and verse 20, paul refers to Philemon as his brother.
Bob Weppler: In verse 10, paul portrays a father and son relationship between himself and Onesimus.
Bob Weppler: Verse 16, he calls Onesimus a dearly loved brother of both he and Philemon.
Bob Weppler: What's Paul doing here?
Bob Weppler: Paul is connecting himself with Onesimus and Philemon.
Bob Weppler: Paul is their bridge to reconciliation, just as God the Son is the bridge who connects sinful mankind with God the Father.
Bob Weppler: Paul is emphasizing that we are one family in Christ.
Bob Weppler: Worth noting is the contrast with which Paul refers to those who are in Rome with him Mark, aristarchus, demas and Luke.
Bob Weppler: They're just co-workers Onesimus and Philemon.
Bob Weppler: Family Number four we observe how Paul is continually describing himself Verse one a prisoner.
Bob Weppler: Verse nine an elderly man and a prisoner.
Bob Weppler: Verse 10, in chains.
Bob Weppler: Verse 13, my imprisonment.
Bob Weppler: Verse 23, my fellow prisoner, when speaking of Epaphras.
Bob Weppler: But every time he calls himself a prisoner, it is for Christ Jesus.
Bob Weppler: If Philemon is unwilling to forgive Onesimus, he will remain in a prison of bitterness.
Bob Weppler: Lewis B Smedes wrote to forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.
Bob Weppler: Step two interpretation.
Bob Weppler: We've done well with our observations.
Bob Weppler: Let's use these observations and attempt to correctly interpret Paul's appeal to Philemon.
Bob Weppler: We mentioned the words love and heart.
Bob Weppler: In verse 9, paul states that his appeal for Onesimus is based on love.
Bob Weppler: What kind of love is Paul talking about?
Bob Weppler: He's talking about sacrificial love.
Bob Weppler: This is the Greek word agape Agape.
Bob Weppler: It is only through the spirit of Christ that a selfless love, a sacrificial love for other believers is possible.
Bob Weppler: Let's look at verse five again.
Bob Weppler: Verse five, because I hear of your love for all the saints and the faith that you have in the Lord Jesus.
Bob Weppler: Notice how Paul links love for the saints with faith in Christ.
Bob Weppler: Acceptance of the gospel is clearly evidenced in Philemon's behavior.
Bob Weppler: He is no false believer.
Bob Weppler: Paul's appeal to Philemon has always had its foundation in the sacrificial love shown by Christ on the cross.
Bob Weppler: When Philemon accepted Christ's sacrificial work on the cross as his only means to salvation, he became united to Christ as well as united to every believer.
Bob Weppler: This includes Onesimus.
Bob Weppler: This is true of all Christians who come to faith.
Bob Weppler: Love becomes the virtue that wraps the community of saints together into a perfect unity and is the touchstone of Christian conduct.
Bob Weppler: It forms the basis of Paul's appeal.
Bob Weppler: I'm sure that many of you know 1 Corinthians, chapter 13, the love chapter.
Bob Weppler: In verse 5, paul writes that love is not rude, not self-seeking, not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs.
Bob Weppler: So we know how Paul feels about forgiveness.
Bob Weppler: Let's now discuss the family terms that we spoke about earlier.
Bob Weppler: These were all subtle reminders that all who surrender to the Lordship of Christ are part of the same family, a relationship grounded in faith.
Bob Weppler: By his conversion, onesimus is Paul's son in the faith.
Bob Weppler: He is therefore a brother of Philemon, who Paul also brought to faith, is therefore a brother of Philemon, who Paul also brought to faith.
Bob Weppler: Philemon must accept that Onesimus is not the man he once knew.
Bob Weppler: Like him, he is a new creation.
Bob Weppler: Like him, he is an adopted son of the Heavenly Father.
Bob Weppler: They are brothers in the faith.
Bob Weppler: Because of the gospel, everything has changed.
Bob Weppler: The appeal must succeed.
Bob Weppler: If Philemon can't show the same sacrificial love to Onesimus that he shows to the Colossian saints, everyone loses.
Bob Weppler: Philemon's decision has massive implications, and not just for Philemon and Onesimus.
Bob Weppler: If Philemon can't forgive Onesimus, the entire Colossian church is affected.
Bob Weppler: This would certainly be an end to the church that meets in Philemon's house, but the person that's most affected here is the Apostle Paul.
Bob Weppler: We mentioned earlier that there was more to this letter than just a simple story about reconciliation and forgiveness between two men.
Bob Weppler: There's an additional appeal that we read of near the end of the letter.
Bob Weppler: Let's look at verse 7 again, for I have great joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.
Bob Weppler: What does Paul mean by refreshed?
Bob Weppler: We see that word again in verse 20.
Bob Weppler: To understand the word, we need to reread verses 17 through 21.
Bob Weppler: So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would me, and if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account.
Bob Weppler: I, paul, write this to you with my own hand.
Bob Weppler: I will repay it, not to mention to you that you owe me even your very self.
Bob Weppler: Yes, brother, may I benefit from you in the Lord.
Bob Weppler: Refresh my heart in Christ, since I am confident of your obedience.
Bob Weppler: I am writing to you knowing that you will do even more than I say.
Bob Weppler: The Greek word that is translated refresh, is the word that means to have rest, to have rest.
Bob Weppler: Paul will have rest if Philemon shows him the same kind of love that he showed the Colossian saints.
Bob Weppler: Paul is looking for even more than what he has asked Philemon to do.
Bob Weppler: Paul doesn't just want Philemon to forgive Onesimus and be reconciled to him.
Bob Weppler: He wants Philemon to free Onesimus so that Onesimus could return to Paul's ministry.
Bob Weppler: This is when Paul will be refreshed.
Bob Weppler: Paul being selfish here?
Bob Weppler: No, absolutely not Paul wants what is best for Onesimus.
Bob Weppler: What is best for Onesimus is to learn from Paul, to learn from his father in the faith, to learn from the man who brought him to Christ.
Bob Weppler: Remember verse 10?
Bob Weppler: As far as Paul is concerned, they're father and son.
Bob Weppler: This father and son relationship is 100% based on God's sovereignty and grace.
Bob Weppler: God, the Father, sent his only begotten Son to die for believers on the cross.
Bob Weppler: Remember that we observed the word sent as one of the repeated words.
Bob Weppler: All of the words that Paul chose in this letter have a purpose, and that purpose is to subliminally point Philemon to the cross.
Bob Weppler: He must see the cross.
Bob Weppler: It is by God's grace only that Onesimus came to faith and repentance.
Bob Weppler: It is by God's grace only that Onesimus found Paul in Rome, and it is by God's grace only that Philemon has the ability to forgive.
Bob Weppler: What is best for Onesimus is to serve Christ by serving in Paul's ministry.
Bob Weppler: Is there a better teacher?
Bob Weppler: Why will Philemon cancel Onesimus' debt?
Bob Weppler: Why will Philemon release Onesimus into Paul's care?
Bob Weppler: Because what Paul has done for Philemon is priceless.
Bob Weppler: You owe me even your own self.
Bob Weppler: Onesimus owes Philemon a material debt.
Bob Weppler: Philemon owes Paul a spiritual debt.
Bob Weppler: Onesimus owes Philemon a temporal debt.
Bob Weppler: Philemon owes Paul an eternal one.
Bob Weppler: Paul led Philemon to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, a debt that Philemon could never repay.
Bob Weppler: Let's look at verse 22 again, verse 22.
Bob Weppler: Meanwhile, also prepare a guest room for me.
Bob Weppler: I love this.
Bob Weppler: Paul has so much confidence that Philemon's going to do the right thing that he's going to go to Colossae and take Onesimus back himself.
Bob Weppler: So did the letter work?
Bob Weppler: Of course it did.
Bob Weppler: What book are we studying tonight?
Bob Weppler: We're studying the book of Philemon.
Bob Weppler: If it didn't work, it wouldn't be in the canon, right?
Bob Weppler: So, yes, he forgave Onesimus.
Bob Weppler: Praise the Lord.
Bob Weppler: But let's not forget about the other letter, the letter to the Colossians church.
Bob Weppler: Philemon and Onesimus would both be present when these letters were read aloud.
Bob Weppler: They would both be read to the congregation.
Bob Weppler: The letter to Philemon would be a public expression of Philemon's acceptance of both Paul's letter and Paul's wishes.
Bob Weppler: It is also incumbent on the Colossian believers to accept Onesimus as a brother in Christ.
Bob Weppler: So what became of Onesimus?
Bob Weppler: Well, about 50 years later, christian tradition has it that someone named Onesimus became the overseer in the church of Ephesus.
Bob Weppler: Ignatius, a patriarch, wrote this In God's name, therefore, I received your large congregation in the person of Onesimus, your bishop in this world, a man whose love is beyond words.
Bob Weppler: My prayer is that you should love him in the spirit of Jesus Christ and all be like him.
Bob Weppler: Wow, we can't be certain that this is the same Onesimus.
Bob Weppler: I for one, have faith that it is, and after all, he did learn from Paul.
Bob Weppler: We have come to the last step Application.
Bob Weppler: So how do we apply this letter to our lives?
Bob Weppler: Corrie Ten Boom wrote you never so touch the ocean of God's love as when you forgive and love your enemies.
Bob Weppler: During the Holocaust, the Ten Boom family, who were Christian, helped many Jewish people escape from the Nazis by hiding them in their home.
Bob Weppler: Corrie and her family were eventually caught and sent to the concentration camps.
Bob Weppler: Corrie survived, but sadly her father and her sister did not.
Bob Weppler: Was she bitter?
Bob Weppler: Perhaps, initially, but we wouldn't read, we wouldn't know of her ministry if she didn't eventually release herself from a prison of bitterness by forgiving with her whole heart.
Bob Weppler: She forgave her enemies, she forgave the people that killed her family.
Bob Weppler: Between the 1950s and the 1970s, corrie traveled to 64 countries speaking and teaching about Christ and the necessity for Christians to forgive.
Bob Weppler: What an amazing example of Christianity in action.
Bob Weppler: What an amazing example of grace CS Lewis wrote, to be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable.
Bob Weppler: Because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.
Bob Weppler: Christ calls on all his followers to initiate forgiveness seeking and forgiveness granting, regardless of whether or not we see ourselves at fault.
Bob Weppler: Let's go to God's word for an example of forgiveness that directly affected the apostle Paul.
Bob Weppler: You can turn there if you like.
Bob Weppler: It's Acts 7, verses 58 through 60.
Bob Weppler: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
Bob Weppler: He knelt down and cried with a loud voice Lord, do not hold this sin against them.
Bob Weppler: And after saying this, he fell asleep.
Bob Weppler: Our Lord prayed a similar prayer while hanging on the cross Father, forgive them, I know not what they're doing.
Bob Weppler: Stephen, the first Christian martyr, prayed that God would forgive the men who were complicit in his death.
Bob Weppler: This included a young man named Saul.
Bob Weppler: Sometime later, god answered Stephen's prayer by forgiving this young man and bringing him to faith on a road to Damascus.
Bob Weppler: As we know, the young man would become the apostle to the Gentiles and start using his Roman name, paul, who would go on to write 13 books in the New Testament, nearly half.
Bob Weppler: God uses the prayers of Christians as the means to his eternal end Amen.
Bob Weppler: 1 Thessalonians 5.17 instructs us to pray without ceasing.
Bob Weppler: As you recall from our observation, the word prayer was also repeated many times, not an accident.
Bob Weppler: What about forgiveness?
Bob Weppler: How often are we to forgive?
Bob Weppler: After all, forgiveness is pretty hard.
Bob Weppler: Our Lord gives us the answer Matthew 18, verses 21 through 22.
Bob Weppler: Then Peter approached him and asked Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me?
Bob Weppler: As many as seven times, I tell you.
Bob Weppler: Not as many as seven.
Bob Weppler: Jesus replied, but 70 times.
Bob Weppler: Seven, in other words, every time.
Bob Weppler: Our Lord was teaching his disciples that forgiveness is essential in the kingdom of God.
Bob Weppler: It is only through forgiveness of sins that mankind is reconciled to a holy God.
Bob Weppler: God, the Father, cannot look upon sin.
Bob Weppler: Sin must be punished.
Bob Weppler: He poured out his wrath on his son 2 Corinthians 5.21.
Bob Weppler: For our sake, he made him to be sin, who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Bob Weppler: We are a forgiven people.
Bob Weppler: We have a father in heaven who sent his only begotten son to take the punishment and death that we deserve.
Bob Weppler: We trust God's free gift of grace.
Bob Weppler: If we shift our focus from our own selfishness to the selfless love that Christ showed us on the cross, we should be able to forgive every time and when we do, just like the love and forgiveness that Philemon showed Onesimus and Stephen showed Paul, amazing things can happen.
Bob Weppler: Amazing things that only God and his absolute sovereignty can do.
Bob Weppler: These are the words in a famous hymn by Charles Wesley.
Bob Weppler: By Charles Wesley Amazing love, how can it be that thou, my God, should die for me?
Bob Weppler: Let's pray, father.
Bob Weppler: Thank you for this amazing letter.
Bob Weppler: Thank you for teaching us about forgiveness.
Bob Weppler: Thank you for forgiving us.
Bob Weppler: Thank you for sending your son to the cross.
Bob Weppler: Take the punishment that we deserve.
Bob Weppler: Thank you for justifying us.
Bob Weppler: Father, be with us on our sanctification road as we move forward in life.
Bob Weppler: Be with us, father.
Bob Weppler: Help us to be dependent on you, surrendering to your son, yielding to the spirit.
Bob Weppler: In the son's name we pray, amen.