Unchained 1 - Unchained Character

All of humanity finds themselves under the tyranny of death because of slavery to sin. Today, we're beginning a new series in the book of Philemon called "Unchained," discovering what it is to be forgiven and set free. Open to this small New Testament book with us and follow along.

It was the kind of thing that seven- or eight-year-old boys do. At least, it was the kind of thing that my friend Nathan and I did when we were that age. Who knew that a pile of greasy rags would burn so quickly? We certainly thought we had it under control. The field behind my parents' house had old orange groves, some dead orange trees, and a nice little clearing with a pile of rags and a lighter—just what a seven-year-old boy needs. Now my son will be seven soon, and I’m a little frightened.

Who knew that dried grass burned so quickly? It burns faster than a seven-year-old brain can process what to do. To this day, I don't know how it must have been a miracle of God's grace that we got that fire out. As we stood there in the middle of that newly blackened ground, two thoughts raced through my mind: first, my short life is over, and second, it's over because I have to go tell my parents.

Now, don't misunderstand; the impulse to go tell my parents was not some admirable desire to do the right thing. It was actually a compulsion fueled by fear that the fire might start back up. I needed to find my dad and tell him what I did so he could come out there and make sure that it was out. You would think that kind of event would reform a young budding pyro, but it didn't. In fact, I think it just shifted my desire from wanting to be a firefighter as a kid to wanting to be a pyro technician, a desire that stayed with me throughout high school.

The day the thing that shocked me more than anything was that I didn't get punished. It was a strange thing to me at seven years old, but that fast confession led to a complete pardon.

Interestingly enough, that's not the end of the story. The ironic end to the story came just about three years ago when I was standing in full uniform with a badge on, behind a podium representing the Escondido Fire Department as a chaplain. I was opening a new station with them down here, Station Four, right by Felicita Park. I'm sorry, actually, our Kit Carson Park opening Station Four, newly rebuilt just 23 years ago. It was the very station that actually services my parents' house here in Escondido.

As I stood there to open the service, not ten feet to my right was the project manager of the construction company—the project manager of the company that had rebuilt Station Four. And who was it? None other than my friend Nathan, who had helped me light that fire. I'm not kidding; that's a true story. Forgiveness is a great thing! Amen. God is truly gracious, and forgiveness is awesome.

We're starting a new series today, as you could tell from the trailer at the beginning, called "Unchained," on the book of Philemon. Philemon is a really small book near the end of your Bibles, right before a big book called Hebrews. You can open there if you'd like to; we'll read from it in just a moment.

The title of our series, "Unchained," will become clear over the next few weeks as we open up this book and walk through it. But just a brief headline over the book of Philemon: this book was actually a letter—a small letter, no more than 439 words—written nearly 2,000 years ago by a Christian pastor, the Apostle Paul. The Apostle Paul wrote many letters—13 in fact—in the New Testament. Most of those are written to churches, to gatherings of people like this. Some of those letters, three of them...

The letters in the New Testament were written to individuals, and this is one of those letters. It was written to a man by the name of Philemon. An interesting name, I'm sure it will be really hip to name your kids Philemon someday. Philemon was a man who lived 2,000 years ago in the city of Colossi, which is in modern-day Turkey. He was a wealthy man; we know that because of some of the things we will find in this letter. He was a wealthy free man who owned slaves in that day.

Now, I know that as soon as we mention the word "slavery" in the 21st century, we cannot help but picture the slavery that came about in our own nation, which thankfully was done away with in the 19th century as a result of the Fourteenth Amendment and ultimately the end of the Civil War. That is the picture that most of us have in our minds when we hear the word "slave" or "slavery."

I am not condoning it in any way, but in the first century, slavery was quite different. In fact, the Roman Empire was made up predominantly of slaves. It is believed that there were in excess of 60 million slaves in the Roman Empire. The largest portion of the nation, or the Empire, was slavery; it was the workforce of the nation.

Slaves in that day were not quite the same as slaves in the 19th century and before here in the United States. These were not individuals who were kidnapped and compelled to be in slavery. They were not individuals who were enslaved because of their race. Most of the time, they were in slavery because of a debt that they owed. It was predominantly indentured servitude. They served in the employ of a master, but they had many rights. The Roman government afforded them rights; they had rights to property, rights to marry, and rights that extended to themselves and their own personal property.

Their job and task were to work to pay off their debt to their employer, their master, for the period of time that they served. Most of them served an average of ten years. However, because the conditions were so good for slaves, many of those who served in first-century slavery would opt to remain under the employ of their master even after they were removed from their indentured servitude. They were well taken care of, and to be a free man who was poor was often a much harder life than to serve in that capacity.

The reason I am telling you this is because the nature and purpose of the book of Philemon is deeply rooted in this context.

Philemon is very clear; it's only 25 verses long. The Apostle Paul is writing to his friend Philemon on behalf of a slave, a slave who had been in the household of Philemon but was no longer there because he was a runaway. As he ran away, he left from the city of Colossae, where Philemon lived, and he went about a thousand miles west. Ultimately, he ended up in the city of Rome.

Somehow, by the sovereignty of God, he ended up in the presence of the Apostle Paul, who at this time was there in Rome as a prisoner. By God's grace, Onesimus, the slave, came to be a Christian through the ministry of the Apostle Paul. Now, Paul, at this period of time in his life, is writing some letters. He has already written letters to the church at Ephesus, which we studied at the beginning of the year, and the church at Philippi, which we also studied earlier this year. He wrote another letter to a church in the city of Colossae, called Colossians, which we will be studying after we are done with the book of Philemon.

In the midst of these three letters to churches, he writes one letter to an individual, to Philemon. He sends that letter with a group of men, and Onesimus is among those men, to go back to the city of Colossae and take this letter to Philemon. It is highly likely that the very person who would carry this letter to the hand of Philemon was the runaway slave Onesimus.

Compounding the problem, it seems from what we can discover in this short letter that not only did Onesimus run away from Philemon, but when he did, he stole from him. This meant that Philemon had all authority to punish him, and the punishment could be very severe, up to capital punishment.

So here, the Apostle Paul, in the city of Rome, writes a letter and sends it with a runaway, thieving slave back to his master to carry it to him. As we will see, the nature of the letter is that of liberty and forgiveness. Many people have taken this letter, these short verses, and used it to say that this is a New Testament treatise against slavery. Unfortunately, that's not what it is.

I have said this is the abolitionist manifesto. Again, it's not really that, but it is a letter about liberty.

Point number one on your outline and your sermon guide in your bulletin: forgiveness is the key to liberty, and the gospel is the key to forgiveness. I believe that this point is incredibly important. Why is this such an important point? Forgiveness is the key to liberty, and the gospel is the key to forgiveness.

Although this short letter is not a treatise against slavery and cannot really be the abolitionist manifesto, it needs to be stated that where the Bible has gone, where the gospel has gone for the last 2,000 years, and where Christians have gone over the last 2,000 years of Christian history, liberty has followed. Please understand this: where the Bible, the gospel, and Christians have gone over the last 2,000 years, liberty has followed.

Liberty through better forms of justice, liberty from tyranny, liberty for women, liberty for slaves, liberty for all. Understand this as we sit here in 21st century America, where every one of our children learns those words in the Pledge of Allegiance, wherein we say that this is a nation with liberty and justice for all. We need to understand that there would be no nation with liberty and justice for all had it not been for a nation under a God who is gracious and forgives.

The liberty and justice for all that we enjoy and believe is important for all peoples in all places throughout the world is only possible because of the saving grace and forgiveness of God. As a whole, this nation at its founding understood that God is the one who brings forgiveness and liberty.

Liberty is not just for certain races; it's not only for certain socio-economic classes. It's not only for people who speak a certain way, look a certain way, or talk a certain way. That is liberty and justice for all, but it would not exist without the forgiving grace of God.

Forgiveness is the key to liberty, and the gospel is the key to forgiveness. This is essential not only for that reason but also because what was once branded as slavery is now referred to as human trafficking. Sadly, in the 21st century, it remains a major problem throughout the world, including in our own nation. Unfortunately, there is still slavery, although we have lessened the impact of the word by calling it human trafficking. It sounds different, but it's the same thing.

In the 21st century, especially in the Western world and in America, it has become trendy to be a modern-day abolitionist, particularly among those known as the Millennial generation, born between 1980 and 2000. It is quite fashionable to call oneself an abolitionist and even to wear shirts that proclaim this identity. However, let me clarify something: you are not an abolitionist merely by wearing a shirt that says "abolitionist." You are not an abolitionist by liking or commenting on things on Facebook, nor by using the hashtag "abolitionist." It just doesn't work that way.

Based on what we find in the Scriptures and what we will see as we go through this letter, the best way to be an abolitionist, the best way to promote liberty and justice for all, is to be a minister of the gospel. To be one who promotes and shares the gospel is essential because forgiveness is the key to liberty, and the gospel is the key to forgiveness. There is no liberty and justice for all without the good news of forgiving grace in Christ through the gospel.

Please understand that this evil and wicked institution of slavery, or human trafficking, has been normative in every culture throughout human history until the gospel of Jesus.

Christ, it is the gospel that sets people free. It is the gospel that brings liberty. Therefore, if you want to be someone who promotes and sees the expanse of liberty and justice for all, then you and I need to be those who are committed to the work of the gospel and bringing forth the good news of the gospel.

Why is that? Because the greatest tyranny and the worst form of slavery in the world is not that which we see for one small group of people in one small area of the world. All of humanity is subject to the tyranny of death because of the slavery to sin. There are over 7.3 billion people on this planet today, and every single one of those people, including us, was born under the tyranny of death and the slavery to sin. All of us were born slaves to sin. The Bible speaks a lot about this, especially in the letters of Paul, particularly in Paul's letter to the church at Rome.

All of humanity, because of sin, is a slave to sin, and as a result, they suffer under the tyranny of death. But God! We love the "buts" of the Bible. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses and sins, sent forth His Son, born of a virgin, to die in our place on the cross. He did this to redeem us by His blood from slavery to sin, to set us free, to make us those who have been unchained.

If you're a Christian today, then you've been unchained from slavery to sin. You are no longer under the tyranny of death because the Redeemer, Jesus, has bought you back. That's good news! Where that message goes, it transforms the world. It transforms people, and people who are a part of cultures transform the culture. Where we see the gospel go and the good news of the liberty that we have in Christ—being set free from the bondage of sin and death—cultures are transformed.

Better now. I recognize that as you study through 2,000 years of church history, you can find all kinds of problems to point out and say, "That's an issue," or "That's a problem." There have been many people over the last 2,000 years who have called themselves Christians and done things in the name of the Bible and of Christ that are wrong. Even people who have promoted slavery using scripture are wrong. Christians and non-Christians alike should be ardently opposed to human trafficking and slavery. We should be completely against that because of what we find in the scriptures.

However, predominantly, when you look at what the gospel and the church have affected in the world, it has been a positive influence in almost every level of society where the gospel has gone. Whether it's science, technology, education, medicine, exploration, the arts, or music, or if it's the emancipation of minority peoples under oppression, wherever the gospel has gone, it has had a positive influence. Yes, there have been wicked people who have used the name of Christ and the church to do wrong things, but predominantly, where the gospel goes, it has a positive influence, and that's a good thing.

The gospel brings liberty from the tyranny of death because of the slavery to sin. I really cannot think of any area in society where the impact of the church has not ultimately been for the good. Though there are modern-day sociologists and anthropologists who like to say differently, when you really begin to peel back the big red herrings that they throw up and ask, "What about this in the name of the church?" or "What about this in the name of Jesus?" you cannot argue with this point: the greatest good in the world is the grace of God through the gospel.

The greatest good in the world in any age is the grace of God through the gospel. If you're a Christian today, you need to grasp this truth because we're constantly being told by a certain mindset and worldview in our culture today, which is very vocal, that the church has a negative impact on society and that God is bad for the world. There have been all kinds of people who have promulgated and propagated this idea.

This mindset, one of the most well-known, was held by Christopher Hitchens, who died a few years ago from throat cancer. He wrote a book called "God Is Not Great," and his whole point was that God and the church have had a negative impact on the world. However, the fact is that this is just not true. The greatest good in the world is the gospel of grace, and we need to stand upon that truth and not be browbeaten by people who have an agenda against God and simply do not like Him.

Most of those who write things like that usually have a reason for their disdain. I was having a conversation with an atheist once while we were both running on treadmills. We started talking about various topics, and he quickly revealed that he was an atheist. I think he was hoping to elicit some sort of shock value from me, but when you're running on a treadmill, you don't want to be shocked too much; you might fall down, and that could be painful. So, I wasn't really shocked by his atheism, as I had encountered many over the years.

As we continued our conversation, it became clear that his atheism stemmed from his anger at God rather than a reasonable discovery. His father had died of lung cancer, and he had prayed for his lifelong smoking father to be healed, but he wasn't. This experience shaped his view of God.

The gospel is the greatest good in the world, and we need to understand that and stand upon it. I believe that this is one of the key points we will see in the 25 verses we are about to read. So, would you open your Bibles to the book of Philemon? It is right near the end of your Bible, just before the larger book of Hebrews. If you have reached Revelation, you have gone too far; just back up. Philemon is a small book with only 25 verses.

Would you stand with me as we read just the opening words? In my Bible, it is on page 1993, but that may not help you at all. Philemon, verse 1: "Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved friend and fellow laborer, to the beloved Apphia..."

Kippis, our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers, hearing of your love and your faith, which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, His people.

That the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. For we have great joy and consolation in your love because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother.

Father, as we take a few weeks to unpack and look at the words in this letter, I pray that you would speak to us and that you would give us insight and understanding—not just into what is written in this text, but how it applies to our lives. How these 439 words, which were written 2,000 years ago, have any bearing on our lives living in Southern California in 2015.

God, would you speak to us? Lord, as we look at the world and see the terrible things that are happening in places throughout Africa or in the Middle East, and what's happening in Syria with people seeking refuge in Europe, and the things that are happening all around the world with ISIS, Iran, and Iraq—our hearts are broken.

But Lord, I pray that you would help us to see that the gospel, the good news, can bring transformation. It can bring about great things. So God, I pray that you would use even this text to reestablish in our hearts and our minds a love for the gospel. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those who had agreed said, "Amen." You can be seated.

Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, the Apostle Paul, at the time that he wrote this...

Paul was in a prison, or probably under house arrest, in the city of Rome. The story began in the New Testament, specifically in the book of Acts, chapters 22 through 28. Those last six or seven chapters of the book of Acts give us the story we studied together about a year or a year and a half ago here at the church.

Paul had taken a financial gift from Christians in Asia down to the Christians in Jerusalem. While he was there, a group of people who were against his ministry and the work of the gospel came against him. They laid hands on him, beat him up, and threw him into jail. They wanted to kill him, but he found himself protected in an odd way, in a Roman jail cell. This started a series of trials against Paul, where his accusers claimed that he was seditious against the Roman Empire. Of course, he was not; he was just a preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

As things continued over the course of two to two and a half years in this trial, Paul, having Roman citizenship, finally appealed to the highest court of the land. He said, "I appeal to Caesar," like the Supreme Court of the day. On the dime of the Roman Empire, they took him back to Rome, where he was waiting for his trial and his appeal before Caesar, who at that time was one of the craziest Caesars of Rome, a man by the name of Nero.

This period is referred to by most Bible teachers as Paul's first imprisonment. It is believed that he was jailed for a time, then released, and later brought back into incarceration, ultimately being martyred for his faith in Christ. During his first imprisonment, Paul wrote the letters of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and this letter to his friend Philemon.

He introduces himself as Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus. He knew that he was where he was because Christ Jesus had placed him there. Every time I read these words, "Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus," I am reminded that many people feel like they are in a stuck position. They feel incarcerated in a bad job, a bad class, a bad marriage, or any number of difficult situations. However, Paul understood that the difficult situation he was in was for the glory of God. This is an important encouragement, as there are times when we find ourselves in similar circumstances.

Ourselves and difficult things often lead us to cry out, "God, just get me out of this! Is there any way out of this?" In response, God says, "My grace is sufficient for you, and my strength is made perfect in your weakness." This was Paul's experience at that moment as he was going through his trials. Yet, still with joy, he writes these letters: Ephesians, Philippians, which we studied earlier in the year, Colossians, which we will study after this, and Philemon.

Paul introduces himself as "Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother." We have been introduced to Timothy in the past. Paul met Timothy for the first time on his first missionary journey when he was planting churches in what is modern-day Turkey, known as Asia Minor back then, in a region called Galatia. Ultimately, Paul asked this young man, Timothy, to join him. At that time, Timothy was a young man, but by this point, he was probably in his 30s or even his 40s when Paul wrote this letter. Paul wanted Timothy to come with him, and so Timothy became a student of the Apostle Paul, a disciple of Paul's ministry. Ultimately, the mantle of Paul's ministry would be laid upon Timothy. After Paul's death, Timothy would go back and pastor the church at Ephesus, continuing the work that Paul was doing in that city.

Oftentimes, we see Timothy with Paul. Paul wrote two letters to Timothy, which we will study next year. He addresses Philemon as "my beloved friend and fellow laborer." Now, Paul is ultimately going to get to what business people call "the ask." He is going to make an audacious request: "Philemon, I know that Onesimus, your former slave, has run away from you. When he ran away, he stole from you, but he is a believer now, and you are a believer. You should treat him better. I want you to forgive him and free him, even though you have the authority to kill him." That, my friends, is an audacious ask.

If you know anything about making requests, you don't just jump into the ask. Paul, being a good pitchman, says to Philemon, "You are my beloved friend and fellow laborer." Philemon isn't your average Roman citizen of the day; he has special beloved character. Why does he have this special beloved character? Because the gospel of Jesus Christ has transformed his life. He was a changed man, a man who...

Through the work of the gospel and the ministry of the Apostle Paul, we see that Philemon came to faith because of Paul's preaching. Philemon was a changed and transformed man by the gospel of grace. So much so that Paul refers to him as his beloved friend and fellow laborer.

In verse 22, Paul writes to the beloved Apphia and Archippus, a fellow soldier, and to the church in their house. This short letter, although written personally to Philemon, was intended to be read aloud to a group of Christians who gathered together in Philemon's household. For all intents and purposes, Philemon was a connect group host, facilitating a gathering of Christians in his home.

A couple of other people are mentioned here. Most Bible teachers believe that Apphia was Philemon's wife, and it is widely believed that Archippus was Philemon's son. Archippus is also mentioned in the last words of the book of Colossians. In Colossians chapter 4, verse 17, Paul tells the church at Colossae to encourage Archippus to be faithful to the ministry that God has called him to.

It seems that Philemon, a connect group host in the city of Colossae, was there with his wife Apphia and his son Archippus, who was probably an adult at this point and might have been an elder in the church at Colossae. Paul instructs Philemon to read this letter aloud to the church that meets in their house, with his son and wife present.

Philemon was a good man and a leader in the church. As a connect group host, he was a Christian, hospitable, and a minister. We can infer from the fact that he had a house large enough to invite guests and that he owned slaves, like Onesimus, that he was a wealthy man.

Paul continues in verse 3, "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Nearly all of Paul's letters, of which he wrote 13 in the New Testament, begin with these words: grace and peace. This indicates that over the last 2,000 years, there has been a lot of teaching on these concepts, and many things have been said about grace and peace. In the ancient Greco-Roman world, these were common greetings.

You'd say to someone, "Grace," but among the Hebrews, the common greeting that you would use when you meet someone would be "Shalom," or peace. So, maybe Paul is saying hello to you Greeks, you Gentiles, and hello to you Hebrews. That may or may not be the case, but it sounds kind of good.

It has also been taught many times that grace and peace are often referred to by Bible teachers as the "twins" of the New Testament. They're always together, but grace is always first. Grace must always precede peace. For you and I to have peace with God, we must first be the recipients of the grace of God. So, he says, "Grace and peace." Bible teachers also highlight that it's always from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

You see, this grace that brings peace between God and man is given to us by God through Jesus Christ. He who knew no sin became sin for us—a gracious gift, a gracious sacrifice. There on the cross, He took your sin and my sin upon Himself so that we could come into a relationship with God, no longer be at war with Him, but have peace. Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Whatever we teach on these two words, we have to at least highlight this truth. Point number four on your outline: grace is the means of forgiveness. I know it says "salvation"; I changed it later and forgot to change it there. Grace is the means of forgiveness, and peace is the result. Grace is the way unto forgiveness, and peace is the result. Forgiveness is an act of pure grace.

I remember being seven years old, anticipating the rod of correction. Have you been there, anticipating the rod of correction? There is foolishness bound in the heart of a seven-year-old, but the rod of correction drives it far from him, as Proverbs teaches. I anticipated the rod of correction.

I didn't get that, and still to this day, almost thirty years later, it lingers in my mind: that act of pardoning grace. I didn't deserve it at all. I was at fault; it was a foolish act. I should have received punishment, and I didn't. It was an act of grace. Forgiveness is always an act of pure grace.

To support this with Scripture, would you turn in your Bibles to the left? From Philemon, you will pass Timothy, Titus, Colossians, and Philippians. Go back to the book of Ephesians, chapter 1. In Ephesians chapter 1, verse 7, the Apostle Paul, the same author of the book of Philemon, writes this: "In Him" (capital H, in Jesus) "we Christians have redemption through His blood." He died on the cross; His blood was spilled, and He redeemed us. That is, He purchased us, slaves, back to Himself. He redeemed us by His blood, not with corruptible things like silver and gold, but with His precious blood. In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace.

Forgiveness is an act of pure grace. Paul, in those simple words, "Grace and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord," is reminding us of this very important truth: the position that we have at peace with God is because of His great grace and that He has forgiven us. Paul continues in verse 4. If you would like, you can turn back to Philemon chapter 1. There is only one chapter, but in verse 4, he writes, "I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers."

Philemon was a praiseworthy individual, a praiseworthy individual for whom the Apostle Paul gave thanks to God. He says, "Philemon, when I think about you, every time you come to my mind, I just praise the Lord for you. I give thanks: God, thank You for a guy like Philemon." I wonder, do you have friends like that? Are you a friend like that? A friend for whom people give thanks to God when they think about you? Why was Philemon a praiseworthy individual? Why did...

All give thanks to God for him. Well, look at what he says in the next verse. In verse 5, he writes, "Hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints." Philemon had the marks of Christian maturity—at least two out of three of them: faith and love. The marks of Christian maturity, I would say, are faith, hope, and love. Here, Paul acknowledges that Philemon has faith and love for God, but also towards God's people.

For Paul to be able to acknowledge that Philemon had faith and love for God and God's people, it must be true that Philemon's faith and love were tangibly expressed. We all recognize and understand that we can have mental faith, where we accept something as true, and we can have verbal love. Yet, we can believe something and say something, and it never really affects the way that we live; it never affects our actions.

We all know that someone can say to us, or we can say to another, "I love you," but then that is just blind, empty, vain words that mean nothing. However, with Philemon, that was not the case. His love toward God, his faith toward God, and his faithfulness and love toward others were expressed in the way that he lived. So much so that Paul, a thousand miles away in a prison cell in Rome, says, "I've heard about your faith and your love. You're a praiseworthy person, and I give thanks to God for you because you have active faith and love."

A faith that works! James in the New Testament says faith without works is dead, but not this guy Philemon. He had an active, vibrant faith that overflowed in tangible expressions of love to others. So, Paul gives thanks to God for Philemon's tangible love and faith.

Additionally, he says, "And I pray for you." Not only do I give thanks to God for you, but I pray this prayer for you. In verse 6, this is Paul's prayer for Philemon: "That the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus." Paul's prayer for Philemon was that his faith and love would increase and abound, that it would overflow in more expressions of faithful love to others, and that it would become more effective. Paul could pray this prayer for Philemon with absolute faith and absolute confidence that it would come to pass.

Number five on your outline: forgiving grace is a seed that produces sweet fruit. When God's grace and forgiveness come into the heart of a person who has suffered under the tyranny of death because of the slavery of sin, His grace cuts the chains. The cross of Christ destroys that bondage and enters your heart. When that grace takes root, it imparts the DNA of the goodness and grace of God into your life, transforming us from the inside out.

You see, a lot of people think that they can't come to God or to church until they clean up and fix their lives. The reality is that you will never be able to clean up and make your life all better. If you're waiting for that to come to God, you'll never come to Him. What the Scriptures reveal is that as we come to God totally broken and just say, "God, I set fire to my life, and it burned everything. Everything's charred and black. Help!" He forgives us and gives us His grace. That grace enters our hearts and transforms us from the inside out, making us different.

The seed of God's forgiving grace affects our lives; it produces sweet fruit and makes us different. This was most certainly the case with Philemon. I guarantee that after he had been a recipient of the grace of God and the forgiveness of God through the gospel preached by the Apostle Paul, there was a huge transformation in his life.

Paul says in verse 7, "We have great joy and consolation in your love." Who is the "we"? Paul, Timothy, and whoever was with him. He says, "Listen, we've been hearing reports about your tangible expressions of love. We've heard about your faith, and it makes us happy. It comforts us, encourages us, and fills us with joy." Why? Because the hearts of the saints, the people of God, have been refreshed by you, brother. People have been overjoyed and filled up because of your life and the expression of God's grace through you.

Grace is moving through your life, and we have been made happy by it. The interesting thing is that Paul writes in one of his other letters, specifically in Philippians chapter 1, verses 15 and 16, that there were some people, while Paul was in prison in Rome, who were acting spitefully. They apparently called themselves Christians, but they were trying to make Paul's day worse, making his situation more miserable. As if it wasn't bad enough that he was facing execution for crimes he didn't commit, these individuals were working against him to add to his suffering.

Yet, while there were those people doing that, Philemon was one who brought joy to Paul. He lived his life in such a way that it brought happiness to the Apostle Paul and to Timothy as well. The forgiving grace of God is a seed that produces sweet fruit, or it should produce sweet fruit in our lives. How has God's grace changed you or me? Has it affected us and transformed us? It should be evident in the way we live our lives.

As we close, we only have a minute or so left, but I want to leave you with a few questions to ponder this week as we go from here. What is the effect of your life upon the lives of others? That is a challenging question. Philemon's life, his beloved character, was so transformed by the work of God's grace that people were refreshed by him. Paul was encouraged by him and found joy in him.

What is the effect of your life and my life on those around us? How have we been affected by the grace of God to affect others? Are people refreshed by your beloved character, or are they repulsed? Finally, has God's forgiving grace influenced you to be gracious, forgiving, faithful, and loving to others? Has God's forgiving grace affected you so that you are more gracious, loving, faithful, and forgiving to others? I ask this question because if it hasn't, we need to reflect on our lives and the impact we have on those around us.

You're not a Christian if God's grace and His forgiveness have not affected you to also be gracious and forgiving. It's not me saying it; Jesus said it in the Gospel. If you forgive men their trespasses, He will not forgive you yours. Jesus said that.

Now, this does not mean— and I don't want you to misunderstand me— that you just easily forgive everybody. It doesn't mean there's not a struggle. We've all experienced that struggle where someone has done something to us, and we're struggling with being gracious and forgiving. That struggle is real, and that struggle is the struggle of a Christian. I guarantee you that Philemon had a little bit of a struggle when there at his door, standing before him, was Onesimus, the slave who had run away and stolen from him, handing him a letter from the Apostle Paul. I can guarantee you there was a little bit of a struggle in his heart, and we've all felt that struggle.

But listen, here's what's going to happen. Monday— actually, it probably happened before this day's over— God is going to give you and me a chance to try this out. By 10 a.m. tomorrow morning, you're going to have 30 different people that are going to upset you. Pardon my French, but it's going to happen, especially if you're driving south on the 15 tomorrow morning like I will be when I take my kids to school. You're going to have people really tick you off tomorrow, and we're going to have an opportunity to see if this works out. How has the forgiving grace of God affected you and me? It may be a struggle, but His grace should transform.

Amen. Would you stand with me as we close in prayer? God, I thank You that You have given us liberty through the Gospel. I pray this morning for any who might be standing here that have yet to experience that freedom from the tyranny of death and slavery to sin. Lord Jesus, I ask that You draw them to Yourself, because You're the one who, there on the cross, made that possible. The cross destroys the binding chains of sin and death, and Lord, I pray that You would use us to be those.

We carry that good news to others because, in our workplaces, on school campuses, and around the county, we will come into contact with many people who are still under the tyranny of death, shackled in slavery to sin. The gospel sets them free.

God, give us a passion for sharing that good news. We praise You and thank You in Jesus' name. And all those that agreed said, "Amen."