Amen.
We start our meetings of an evening, or normally we start this week, we read it at the end,
by reading a chapter of the Westminster Confession of Faith.
And we're up to chapter 30, which is a chapter of Church Discipline.
And we read it in our meeting this week.
And I know the Westminster Confession quite well, and yet I was incredibly struck by the words of that chapter.
In fact, I spent the rest of the weekend reading around it.
And I feel convicted that maybe we as a church, and certainly I have not taught you as a congregation on church discipline,
as we should have.
And it is a remarkable chapter, I'm not going to tell you about it, I want you to go home and read about it.
But it is an incredible chapter, which I think is very, very helpful to the church in this country.
One of the problems with church discipline in the UK is if somebody is put under church discipline,
and they disagree with it and don't like it, what happens?
Well, they normally, ordinarily go to the church five minutes down the road.
The church sometimes, occasionally, gives me a ring or checks, but very often more than often doesn't.
And so actually, church discipline has become, not impossible, but very, very difficult.
So churches like ours, I think, have thought well, bury it.
And that is to the detriment of the church.
It's to the detriment of the church because the church is a remarkable thing.
And I think Philemon teaches us that maybe in a way that no other book does.
Because it teaches us about our fellowship in the faith.
It teaches us about our participation in the faith.
Your sharing in the faith that it may become effective.
That's what Paul's prayer for the Philemon's was.
As we saw last time in verse 6 of this letter, his prayer for Philemon, his dear friend,
and the host of the gathering of the church in Colossae,
he prays that the effectiveness of the fellowship of the believers,
the fellowship, partnership that the believers share, would be seen.
And I would argue that the fellowship that the believers share is seen most clearly in difficult situations.
Where this fellowship changes things in unexpected ways.
There is, the background to this letter, a very difficult situation in the Colossian church.
And on the day that this letter to Philemon was read out before the believers gathered in his house,
it's still a running sore.
We fear that Philemon's confidence, or Paul's confidence,
that Philemon's participation in the faith would be effective
because of Philemon's track record in the fellowship of the believers.
Look at verse 7.
For I have derived much comfort and much joy from your love, my brother,
because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.
Philemon was a man who cared for his fellow Christians,
and he cared deeply in his words and his acts, and I have no doubt in his prayers.
He cared about other people's welfare, especially their faith in the Lord Jesus,
their love for one another, their hope.
And Paul had little doubt that Philemon's fellowship of the faith would be effective
in this difficult matter that the letter was now going to raise with him.
How does this work?
How does the fellowship of believers,
the fellowship of believers in the faith,
how does this fellowship become effective,
particularly in difficult situations?
By difficult situations, I mean,
if it were not for the fellowship of believers,
things would be really different.
We do not see the power of the fellowship of believers
simply when like-minded people share a great deal in common,
and they enjoy one another's company and friendship.
Now, there's nothing wrong with that.
There is nothing wrong with like-minded people
who share a great deal in common, enjoying each other's company.
But I want to argue that isn't really what the biblical idea of fellowship is about.
That will always be part of fellowship, won't it?
But the fellowship of the faith, fellowship in the faith,
in Christ, is much more powerful than that.
It's more than new mates, it's more than new friends I make at church.
And I want us to see, and I want us to know,
the power of the fellowship in difficult situations.
The situation in Colossae on that day,
when this letter was being read out,
was at the extreme end of difficulty.
We heard the story last time, two weeks ago.
Philemon was the man from Colossae,
who the Apostle Paul had led to faith,
some years earlier in Ephesus.
Paul is now at the house arrest in Rome,
where he'd met Anasimus.
The slave who'd run away from Philemon's household.
And we learn a little bit more about the difficulties
between Anasimus and Philemon in a few moments.
But Paul has now led Anasimus
to the same faith in Christ Jesus as Philemon had.
These three men are all believers in Christ Jesus.
These three men are in the fellowship of the faith.
And how is the fellowship of the faith going to be effective among them?
The Apostle, the slave, and the master.
Now let's take up the letter where we left it,
remembering two things.
We are to imagine that it's being read out aloud
before the whole gathering of believers in Philemon's home.
We saw that.
We alluded to that from verse 2,
and from verse 8 onwards,
down at least verse 21.
The person being addressed there is Philemon,
in the singular.
So I'm taking it up from verse 8.
Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ
to command you to do what is required,
yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you.
I, Paul, an old man, and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus,
I appeal to you for my child Anasimus,
whose father I became in my imprisonment.
Formerly, when he was with you before,
Anasimus was useless.
But now he is indeed useful to you and to me,
and I am sending him back to you,
sending my very heart.
I would have been glad to keep him with me,
in order that he might serve me on your behalf,
doing my imprisonment for the gospel.
But I prefer to do nothing without your consent,
in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion,
but of your own accord.
For this reason, perhaps,
is why he was parted from you for a little while,
that you might have him back forever.
No longer as a bondservant,
but more than a bondservant,
as a beloved brother.
Especially to me.
But how much more to you,
both in the flesh,
and in the Lord.
Those who share faith in Christ Jesus,
I hope that's you tonight,
are brought into a very remarkable relationship,
with one another.
It is not a little thing,
to be a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ,
and to be in the fellowship of faith.
And to witness this particular example,
of the fellowship of faith at work,
and becoming effective,
we need to see the various relationships involved.
So first of all,
look with me on Paul's relationship to Philemon.
And Paul draws two aspects of that friendship.
Firstly, in verse 8,
accordingly,
he's drawing a conclusion,
from what we saw last time,
which is Paul's prayer in verse 6,
and his confidence in verse 7.
Verse 8,
accordingly,
though I am bold enough in Christ,
to command you to do what is required.
Paul is the apostle.
That is of course how he introduced himself,
isn't it?
In the book of Colossians.
He is moreover the person who brought
Christ to Philemon,
and Philemon to Christ.
And as an apostle of Christ Jesus,
by the will of God,
Paul was never timid,
was he of unchanging instructions,
and warnings,
and rebukes,
and even commands,
when the occasion warranted it.
And this occasion did warrant some of those things.
But one of the marvels of this little letter,
is how Paul holds back.
He holds back from explicitly telling Philemon
what he should do.
He refers to this point,
doesn't he,
to what is required.
What is fitting.
What is proper.
He doesn't actually indicate clearly,
just what that is.
He simply indicates,
doesn't it,
clearly,
that there is something he's hoping,
and he's expecting Philemon will do.
And we might feel it might be a lot easier,
for all concerned,
if Paul had just come out and told Philemon
what he expects of him.
But he doesn't.
It certainly makes life a lot easier
for preachers and commentators,
and PhD students.
There's a lot of speculation,
and a lot of guesswork,
and papers and books have been written,
trying to work out in verse 8,
what is required,
what that means at the end.
I think in some ways,
that's one of the keys to the letter.
Because Paul had good reason
for not simply telling Philemon what to do.
Though he could have done that,
look at verse 9.
Yet for love's sake,
I prefer to appeal to you.
He's a brother, isn't he?
I, Paul, an old man,
and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus.
You see, our fellowship in the faith
does not become effective through commands.
That's not to say there's no place for commands
in church life and in the Christian fellowship.
But in the Christian fellowship,
there is something better than commands.
There's something bigger than commands.
There's something more powerful than commands.
I appeal, says Paul.
I appeal.
I encourage.
I exhort.
And the reason is for love's sake.
Because of love.
Philemon's love for God's people,
he's already spoken about that in
verse 5 and in verse 7.
And Paul's love for Philemon
is mentioned in verse 1, isn't it?
Our beloved fellow worker.
It's implied in verse 7.
My brother.
Those who share faith in Christ
know the love of God.
And so they are to love one another.
Paul and Philemon did
because of love, says Paul.
I prefer to appeal to you.
And so to underline the lack of coercion.
He answers in verse 9,
I, Paul, an old man,
am now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus.
It's the second time he refers to his imprisonment.
And he answers age.
He is not coming down
on Philemon
with a heavy hand.
This is an old man speaking
and an old man in chains.
And just by the way, isn't it,
for those of us who are elders,
there's only three of us here tonight.
Hopefully a few more in the future.
We are significantly less important
than the Apostle Paul, aren't we?
And we are much less in a position
than to be given commands.
And we would do well
to take note of Paul's manner
at this point.
There is,
and there may well be a time
and a place to wield authority,
but that was never
Paul's preferred way.
And it should never be
our preferred way either.
Because of love,
verse 9,
for love's sake,
I prefer to appeal to you.
And still we wait
for exactly what he wanted
Philemon to do.
The first hint comes in verse 10,
where Paul speaks
of a second relationship.
I appeal to you
for my child Onesimus,
whose father I became
in my imprisonment.
So let's see Paul's relationship
with Onesimus.
In the original,
he doesn't actually
mention the name
until the very end
of the sentence.
So he says,
I appeal to you
for my child,
whose father I became
in my imprisonment,
Onesimus.
But I can't imagine
the awkward silence
in the church fellowship
and the mention
of that name.
Everyone knew,
everybody.
Everyone knew,
no doubt,
of the escape
from Philemon's household
and perhaps
of the robbery.
And his presence
with Paul's envoy,
Tychicus,
must have caused
quite a stir,
wasn't it,
when the two of them
arrived in Colossae.
There must have been
some tension
and some difficulty
with Onesimus' presence
in the gathering
when that first letter
was read out.
You can imagine
the nudges
and the whispers
and the wide eyes,
the wonders
on people's face.
The look of utter
bewilderment
on those people
who'd never even
heard of Onesimus
and who've come
to the church recently.
They hear
Paul had written
with Tychicus,
I have sent you
Onesimus,
our faithful
and beloved
brother,
who is one of you.
But whatever people
may or may not
have guessed
about Paul's
letter to Philemon,
this now is the
first hint
that it has to do
with Onesimus.
But not to put
a too fine
point on it,
Onesimus represents
a very difficult
situation.
What Paul wants
to underline
about Onesimus
at this point
is that Paul
had brought him
to faith in Christ,
to new birth.
He is therefore
Paul's child
in his imprisonment
and Paul had
become his father
by being instrumental
in him receiving
new life.
He had left
Colossae as a criminal.
and he was
returning
a different man.
Just notice
how he's described.
It goes on
in verse 11
doesn't it,
to say formerly
he was useless
to you,
but now he is
indeed useful
to you and to me.
His name is
Onesimus
which means
literally
useful
or profitable.
It's a common
name for slaves
in those days.
It was probably
given to them
by their masters
in the hope
that they'd make
some money
in the hope
that they would
live up to it.
But apparently
this Onesimus
had not
lived up to his name.
And here's just
a little glimpse
isn't it
into Onesimus'
life before
he was a Christian.
Into the earlier
relationship there was
between this slave
and his master.
He was useless.
Perhaps he was
a troublemaker,
perhaps he was lazy,
perhaps he was
insolent,
perhaps he was
dishonest.
perhaps he was
all those things.
We have every
reason to think
that Philemon
certainly after
his conversion
he would be
a fair and
a just master.
He would know
very well
that he had
a master in
heaven before
whom he should
give account to.
But apparently
Onesimus was
a very
unsatisfactory
slave.
It is possible
isn't it
that Philemon
would not have
been very
distressed
when he ran
away.
I don't know
whether you've
got work
colleagues like
that.
I haven't got
work colleagues
like that.
But you know
how it is in the
office.
When somebody
is just better
when they don't
turn up.
The office is a
much happier
place when
they're not
around.
And maybe it
was like that
for Philemon
because previously
he was
useless.
But Paul
insists that
the man
returning to
Colossae is a
different man.
Now he is
useful.
Both to you
and to me.
More about his
usefulness in a
minute.
Now I know
we have some
difficulties with
this because of
the serious
problem that we
have with
slavery.
And we give
some thought to
those issues
when we look
to Colossae
chapter 3.
I'm not going
to revisit
that tonight.
You can get
the sermon
and listen
to that again.
But I do
think this
issue,
issue raised
by slavery
makes Philemon
a really
powerful case
study.
A powerful
case study
in the power
of the
Christian
fellowship.
Because here
we see two
men who have
not just
become Christians
but two
men who have
a very
difficult
history.
The useless
slave and
his master
are they
are now
both believers
in Jesus.
And how
will the
fellowship of
faith work?
Well Paul's
appeal is not
finished.
He clearly
wants
Philemon
to be under
no misapprehensions
about his,
that is Paul's
relationship with
Onesimus.
You see verse
12, I am
sending him
back to you.
Sending
my very
heart.
That is the
fellowship of
the faith at
work already.
Let's put the
difficulties between
Philemon and Onesimus
to one side for a
woman and let's
consider Paul and
Onesimus.
Consider the
improbability of
the Jewish
prisoner from
Rome and the
fugitive Gentile
on the run.
The slave
and the Jewish
prisoner finding
anything at all
in common and
yet Paul says
he is my
very heart.
The affection
of Paul the
apostle for
Onesimus the
slave was deep
and strong and
that is the
fellowship of the
faith at work.
And further
verse 13 he
says I would
have been glad
to keep him.
I would have been
glad to keep him
with me in order
that he might
serve me on your
behalf during my
imprisonment for
the gospel.
Paul was
certainly not
sending Onesimus
back to Philemon
because he
wanted to.
If it were a
matter of Paul's
preference he
would have kept
Onesimus with
him.
He'd been caring
for Paul in some
way during his
imprisonment but
more likely given
the words that
Paul actually
uses here Onesimus
was helping Paul
in gospel work.
Can you see that?
During his
confinement in Rome
they were
working together.
They were
laboring together
in the gospel.
And they were
working together
well.
Onesimus was
indeed useful to
Paul in the
sense he was
standing in for
Philemon so to
speak.
Because you
remember that
Philemon in all
probability had
served like this
with Paul in
Ephesus.
So let's
thirdly see Paul
and Philemon's
relationship
concerning
Onesimus.
Paul's
relationship to
Onesimus was
not the only
reality of the
fellowship of the
faith.
We've already
seen something of
Paul's relationship
to Philemon and
his relationship
to Onesimus
that is of
consequences.
So Paul
continues in
verse 14.
But I
prefer to do
nothing without
your consent
in order that
your goodness
might not be
by compulsion
but of your
own accord.
Or back when
we started
on again in
verses 8 and
9.
Paul did not
want Philemon's
hand to be
forced either
by apostolic
command,
verse 8,
or by an
apostolic
pre-emptive
action,
verse 4,
14.
What Philemon
did,
literally the
good thing,
was to come
from his
heart,
not from
forced
necessity.
Now I
wonder whether
you're beginning
to see how
the fellowship
of the faith
becomes effective.
It's being
effective,
being gradually
filled in for
us.
We still
haven't heard
exactly what
Paul expects
or wants
Philemon to
do.
He just
calls it
in verse 14
that good
thing.
Which may
well remind
us of verse
6,
where the
fellowship
of the faith
becomes
effective in
the knowledge
of every
good thing
that is
in us
with a
view of
Christ.
That might
remind us
of the
prayer in
Paul's
other letters
that believers
would be
filled with
the knowledge
of God's
will so
that they
would bear
fruit.
In every
good word.
But we
still don't
know.
We still
don't know
precisely what
it was that
Paul was
expecting
Philemon to
do.
The point
however is
that the
good thing,
whatever it
might be,
must come
from Philemon's
believing
hearts.
Can you
see that?
Not by
believing
compulsion
if it's
going to
be for
the
fellowship
of the
faith
to become
effective.
It must
be of
his own
accord.
Now before
Paul actually
tells Philemon
what he
expects of
him,
and he
actually
will
before
the
day
is
out,
let's
see
Paul
Philemon
and
Anasimus
and the
Lord.
He's
got one
more
observation.
Anasimus
may well
have been
useless
previously.
He may
well have
caused
some
difficulty
for Philemon
by his
running
away.
He may
well have
stolen
him.
And all
of these
actions
were wrong,
but Paul
knew who
it was
that rules
over the
affairs of
men and
women.
We cannot
infallibly
discern his
purpose,
particularly
with events
that are
involved in
wrong human
actions.
We can't
discern.
Sometimes,
and especially
with the benefit
of hindsight,
we can't
guess what
God's purpose
was for us
in the hard
situations that
life brings.
And so
Paul continues
in verse 15
for he says,
for this
perhaps is
why he
was parted
from you
for a
while,
that you
might have
him back
forever,
and no
longer as a
bond servant,
but more
than a bond
servant,
as a beloved
brother,
especially to
me, but how
much more to
you, both in
the flesh and
in the Lord.
It's an
extraordinary
thing that has
happened.
the useless
slave was
lost to
Philemon
for a
time.
It's not
at all
clear to
me that
Philemon
was particularly
anxious to
have him
back, but
God's
purpose in
this may
well have
been precisely
that Philemon
would have
Onesimus
back forever,
but not as
a slave.
That would
not be the
defining
relationship
between
these two
men.
That would
not be the
relationship that
would go on
forever.
The
relationship that
would go on
forever is
that they
would be
beloved
brothers,
just as
he had
become to
Paul.
A loved
brother in
the flesh
and in
the Lord.
And that
is not
just in the
spiritual
sense, but
in the
reality of
human
relationships.
These two
men were
now to be
loved
brothers to
one another.
And that
is the
fellowship of
the faith
at work.
So what
is it
exactly Paul
hoped Philemon
would do
with all
that preparation
he's now
about to
tell him.
And he
does so
from verse
17.
Now I
don't know
whether we're
going to
come back
to the
rest of
this
letter,
but I'm
going to
read it
to you
and you'll
get the
gist of it.
Verse 17.
So if you
consider me
your partner,
again that's the
fellowship word,
so keen to
Philemon,
receive him
as you
would receive
me.
That's
something,
isn't it?
If he's
wronged you
at all or
owes you
anything,
charge that
to my
account.
And I
think we're
all to
understand that
Onesimus has
wronged Philemon.
I, Paul,
write this with
my own
hand.
I will
repay it to
say nothing of
your owing me,
even your own
self.
Yes,
brother,
I want some
benefit from
you in the
Lord.
Refresh my
heart in
Christ Jesus.
Confident of
your obedience,
I write to
you,
knowing that
you will
do even
more than
I say,
at the same
time,
provide a
guest room
for me,
for I'm
hoping that
through your
prayers,
and now he
breaks back
into the
pruer,
and he's
got the
whole group
in mind,
through your
prayers,
I will be
graciously
given to
you.
The
path for
us,
my fellow
servant in
Christ Jesus
sends
feet into
you,
and so
does
Mark,
our
starkest
demons,
live to
my
fellow
workers.
The
grace of
the Lord
Jesus
Christ be
with your
spirit.
There is a
little footnote
to the story
that I want
to finish
with.
But I'm
pretty sure
that the
survival of
this letter
is evidence
enough that
Philemon
heeded the
appeal.
I don't
think we'd
have it if
Philemon
hadn't acted
on this.
And
indeed,
history has a
very tantalising
fact that we
cannot be
certain to
connect with
this.
But at the
beginning of
the second
century,
right at the
start of the
second century,
there was a
bishop of
Ephesus named
Onesimus.
And it
could be a
most remarkable
conclusion to
one of the
Bible's most
amazing stories.
But whether or
not the
Ephesus bishop
was Onesimus,
something remarkable
happened at
Colossae.
The
fellowship of
faith,
the
participation of
faith in
Christ Jesus,
sharing in
that most
profound of
all human
experience,
became
effective.
And once
we see
this,
we cannot
rest content
with our
fellowship in
the faith that
we have at
IBC just
being friendships
that may well
have happened
anyway for
like-minded
people with
much in
common enjoying
each other's
company.
That is not
church.
Of course,
there's nothing
wrong with
that.
But the
fact that
there are
no slave
masters
listening today
to my
knowledge,
and no
runaway
slaves,
and the
fact that
we feel
so removed
from the
particular
situation
represented
here in
this letter
does not
mean for a
moment that
we can
remain
unaffected
by this
word.
Because let
us see that
our fellowship
in the
faith at
work,
at work in
the difficult
situations
that life
brings along,
in the
relationships in
church life
that are to
say the
least awkward
between people,
people who have
good reasons
not to get
along,
people who you
might have an
unfortunate history
with.
Our fellowship
in the faith
has yet more
wonderful work
to accomplish
amongst us.
And let our
fellowship in
the faith
become more
and more
effective.
Let's pray.