WEBVTT 00:00:00.880 --> 00:00:06.799 Friends, this is, as Jeff said at the beginning, a Sunday we've affectionately come to refer to as Launch Sunday. 00:00:07.339 --> 00:00:11.620 ! The first Sunday of our fall semester, our programming gets up and running. 00:00:11.880 --> 00:00:17.679 ! It lays dormant to some degree during the summer, and then we resume a lot of it in the fall. 00:00:18.100 --> 00:00:24.000 And one of the things that we do every time this year is to take a little time to remind ourselves 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:27.740 about the core of who we are and why we're here. 00:00:27.739 --> 00:00:30.039 What is the heart of Church of the Advent? 00:00:30.479 --> 00:00:37.479 What is that heartbeat, and what drives all of these ministries and efforts that we partake in? 00:00:37.539 --> 00:00:38.500 And the answer is simple. 00:00:38.579 --> 00:00:41.280 The heartbeat of Church of the Advent is the gospel. 00:00:42.219 --> 00:00:47.459 And it is our fundamental belief that the gospel changes everything. 00:00:48.399 --> 00:00:52.399 And so that's what we're going to talk about this morning, how the gospel changes everything. 00:00:52.459 --> 00:00:55.060 We don't just believe it intellectually, we see it at work. 00:00:55.060 --> 00:01:01.560 And the way we're going to do that is by looking at the book that we call Philemon. 00:01:02.219 --> 00:01:04.859 And this is a letter that Paul wrote. 00:01:04.980 --> 00:01:10.659 It's his shortest letter, just 25 verses, and yet I would argue it may be the most powerful. 00:01:12.159 --> 00:01:13.480 Absolutely the most powerful. 00:01:14.099 --> 00:01:18.960 It's a letter that Paul wrote to a man named Philemon concerning a runaway slave. 00:01:18.959 --> 00:01:27.479 And it's a case study that shows us the power of the gospel to work and to bring change and transformation. 00:01:27.959 --> 00:01:33.219 So what I'm going to do this morning is spend a little time giving you the context, the back story of Philemon. 00:01:33.559 --> 00:01:37.579 And then we're going to see how the gospel is at work in this letter. 00:01:37.659 --> 00:01:38.979 How it changes us personally. 00:01:39.919 --> 00:01:41.019 So personal transformation. 00:01:41.019 --> 00:01:44.239 How it changes things socially. 00:01:45.259 --> 00:01:46.579 Changes our relationships. 00:01:46.739 --> 00:01:47.659 So social transformation. 00:01:48.319 --> 00:01:50.379 And then finally how it changes the world. 00:01:50.539 --> 00:01:52.079 Cultural transformation. 00:01:52.359 --> 00:01:53.579 So personal transformation. 00:01:53.780 --> 00:01:54.719 Social transformation. 00:01:55.899 --> 00:01:57.419 And then cultural transformation. 00:01:57.539 --> 00:01:57.939 Let's pray. 00:01:59.819 --> 00:02:04.539 Our Lord and Heavenly Father, we thank you that we don't even have to invite you to be here. 00:02:04.640 --> 00:02:05.319 You are here. 00:02:06.199 --> 00:02:08.240 We're actually here at your invitation. 00:02:08.240 --> 00:02:13.280 And Lord, we pray that by the power of your Holy Spirit, our hearts would be opened. 00:02:13.439 --> 00:02:14.659 Our minds would be opened. 00:02:15.520 --> 00:02:18.980 That whatever you have for us this morning, you would prepare us to receive. 00:02:19.100 --> 00:02:22.320 Because that is our greatest need, whether we know it or not. 00:02:22.400 --> 00:02:24.560 We need to hear your voice. 00:02:24.780 --> 00:02:27.240 We need to encounter your living word, Jesus Christ. 00:02:28.219 --> 00:02:31.080 It's in his name that we ask this of you. 00:02:31.960 --> 00:02:32.260 Amen. 00:02:33.900 --> 00:02:35.700 So first, let me give you a little context. 00:02:35.699 --> 00:02:39.439 A lot of people aren't very familiar with Philemon and the back story here. 00:02:39.979 --> 00:02:43.099 But Philemon appears to have been a wealthy Roman citizen. 00:02:43.339 --> 00:02:44.659 And he's living in Colossae. 00:02:45.099 --> 00:02:46.299 And he owned slaves. 00:02:48.280 --> 00:02:52.939 Everybody in the first century Greco-Roman world who could owned slaves. 00:02:53.060 --> 00:02:53.719 It was normal. 00:02:53.859 --> 00:02:54.539 It was accepted. 00:02:54.919 --> 00:02:58.859 In some ways, it was different from the transatlantic slave trade. 00:02:59.039 --> 00:03:00.699 Slave wasn't based on race. 00:03:01.479 --> 00:03:04.399 Anybody from any race or ethnicity could be a slave. 00:03:04.400 --> 00:03:08.080 Some were educated and held important positions. 00:03:08.240 --> 00:03:11.900 And some had the opportunity to purchase their freedom. 00:03:12.020 --> 00:03:12.900 And so there were some differences. 00:03:13.060 --> 00:03:15.219 However, there were some similarities. 00:03:15.540 --> 00:03:17.640 Slaves were, at the end of the day, someone's property. 00:03:19.719 --> 00:03:22.520 And many of them faced harsh conditions. 00:03:22.780 --> 00:03:25.020 They could face abuse. 00:03:25.939 --> 00:03:27.400 They could face all kinds of mistreatment. 00:03:28.740 --> 00:03:29.540 Sexual exploitation. 00:03:29.539 --> 00:03:35.199 One of Philemon's slaves, Onesimus, runs away. 00:03:35.539 --> 00:03:41.379 And we can tell from the context that he steals something from Onesimus on his way out. 00:03:41.459 --> 00:03:43.280 So he adds insult to injury. 00:03:43.620 --> 00:03:44.500 And he runs away. 00:03:44.819 --> 00:03:49.519 And then eventually, Onesimus, in God's providence, meets the apostle Paul. 00:03:49.520 --> 00:03:55.060 And through that relationship, Paul tells Onesimus about Jesus. 00:03:55.820 --> 00:03:57.540 He becomes a follower of Jesus. 00:03:57.700 --> 00:03:59.379 He serves with Paul. 00:03:59.580 --> 00:04:01.820 It says that he becomes like a son to Paul. 00:04:02.100 --> 00:04:04.060 And Paul becomes like a father to him. 00:04:04.140 --> 00:04:06.640 So they develop a deep, loving, intimate relationship. 00:04:06.879 --> 00:04:09.080 Paul refers to him as his own heart. 00:04:09.160 --> 00:04:11.920 When I send him to you, I send my own heart. 00:04:12.140 --> 00:04:13.680 So they become very close. 00:04:15.020 --> 00:04:16.759 But then Paul does the unthinkable. 00:04:16.759 --> 00:04:20.379 Paul decides to send Onesimus back. 00:04:21.360 --> 00:04:22.439 Back to Colossae. 00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:24.219 Back to face Philemon. 00:04:24.420 --> 00:04:27.099 This master that he had escaped from. 00:04:27.259 --> 00:04:28.939 Paul decides to send him back. 00:04:29.060 --> 00:04:30.379 And it begs the question, why? 00:04:32.360 --> 00:04:34.719 Why wouldn't Paul shelter him and say, stay here. 00:04:34.779 --> 00:04:35.379 We'll take care of you. 00:04:35.500 --> 00:04:36.680 You never have to go back there. 00:04:38.899 --> 00:04:43.879 The answer, I believe, when we look at the letter, is that Paul believes, more than anything else, 00:04:43.879 --> 00:04:48.360 in the power of the gospel to transform people and relationships. 00:04:49.180 --> 00:04:53.519 And so it's because of his faith in the gospel that he sends Onesimus back. 00:04:54.899 --> 00:04:57.240 And so Paul writes two letters. 00:04:58.000 --> 00:05:00.699 The first letter is a letter we're very familiar with. 00:05:01.100 --> 00:05:03.040 The letter we refer to as Colossians. 00:05:03.420 --> 00:05:05.759 So he writes a letter to the Colossian church. 00:05:05.759 --> 00:05:09.360 And then he writes another letter to go along with that letter. 00:05:09.439 --> 00:05:11.899 This little letter that we refer to as Philemon. 00:05:12.719 --> 00:05:19.439 And then he entrusts these letters to Tychicus and Onesimus, which we see in Colossians chapter 4. 00:05:19.599 --> 00:05:24.579 And then he sends those two men on their way, carrying these letters back to the church in Colossae. 00:05:25.920 --> 00:05:28.740 And we need to understand, this is the background of the letter. 00:05:28.899 --> 00:05:30.099 But one thing is clear. 00:05:30.180 --> 00:05:33.360 Onesimus is risking everything by going back. 00:05:33.360 --> 00:05:36.240 He's risking everything by delivering this letter. 00:05:36.639 --> 00:05:38.300 Because he knows he's going to have to face Philemon. 00:05:39.160 --> 00:05:41.319 Under Roman law, he could face being whipped. 00:05:42.040 --> 00:05:48.740 Under Roman law, he could face being branded on his face to shame and humiliate him as a runaway. 00:05:49.939 --> 00:05:51.819 He could even face execution. 00:05:53.379 --> 00:05:58.040 His only hope is for the gospel to change Philemon's heart. 00:05:58.819 --> 00:06:01.879 So it begs the question, what does Paul actually write to Philemon? 00:06:01.879 --> 00:06:03.879 And that's what we're going to look at in more detail. 00:06:04.659 --> 00:06:11.199 First, Paul reminds Philemon how the gospel has transformed him personally. 00:06:11.939 --> 00:06:12.939 Personal transformation. 00:06:13.319 --> 00:06:14.899 So we look at verse 4. 00:06:15.000 --> 00:06:20.819 I thank my God always when I, Paul, remember you, Philemon, in my prayers. 00:06:21.259 --> 00:06:28.060 Because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints. 00:06:28.060 --> 00:06:31.759 This turns out Philemon is a Christian. 00:06:33.100 --> 00:06:40.939 Not only is he a Christian, the Colossian church was most likely a network of several house churches. 00:06:41.579 --> 00:06:47.920 And we can see from Paul's greeting that Philemon actually hosts one of those house churches in his home. 00:06:48.079 --> 00:06:52.899 So he's not only a Christian, he's a leader in the church and hosts the church in his home. 00:06:52.899 --> 00:07:00.279 And in verse 5, Paul says, I could command you to forgive Anesimus. 00:07:01.479 --> 00:07:02.699 I could command you. 00:07:02.739 --> 00:07:03.339 I have that right. 00:07:03.599 --> 00:07:07.979 But for love's sake, I prefer to appeal to you. 00:07:08.739 --> 00:07:17.219 And then in verse 14, he says that he wants Philemon to do the right thing, not under compulsion, but of his own accord. 00:07:17.359 --> 00:07:18.639 So what's he saying here? 00:07:18.639 --> 00:07:27.839 Paul believes that because Philemon is a Christian, he will be motivated to forgive Anesimus out of love. 00:07:27.899 --> 00:07:29.759 He says that I shouldn't have to command you. 00:07:30.199 --> 00:07:34.019 Because you're a Christian, you should be motivated to do this out of love. 00:07:35.659 --> 00:07:39.039 Now what difference does it make that Philemon is a Christian? 00:07:39.180 --> 00:07:42.079 What difference does it make when someone is a Christian? 00:07:42.079 --> 00:07:47.279 What's the thing that sets Christians apart from other people at the end of the day? 00:07:50.539 --> 00:07:51.719 It's not their goodness. 00:07:53.740 --> 00:08:03.979 In fact, if I'm honest and if you're honest, we can probably think of people in our lives who are from other religious backgrounds or maybe secular people who objectively, if you're looking by most people's standards, they live good lives. 00:08:04.039 --> 00:08:06.479 In fact, maybe they're better people than a lot of the Christians we know. 00:08:06.519 --> 00:08:07.259 So it's not their goodness. 00:08:07.259 --> 00:08:10.420 It's not their politics. 00:08:11.539 --> 00:08:15.500 We know just from the makeup of our church that there are good and faithful Christians on both sides of the aisle. 00:08:16.560 --> 00:08:18.659 So what is it that makes Christians different? 00:08:19.839 --> 00:08:29.659 The thing that sets Christians apart is that they know deep down that even though they don't deserve it, God has forgiven them. 00:08:29.660 --> 00:08:33.200 They've been forgiven by God. 00:08:33.600 --> 00:08:41.340 At some point in their lives, they came to God and they asked God for forgiveness on the basis of what Jesus had accomplished on the cross. 00:08:42.240 --> 00:08:49.420 And in response, God has loved mercy, poured love and mercy and grace into their lives. 00:08:50.820 --> 00:08:56.340 And people who have experienced that come to realize that God's mercy knows no bounds. 00:08:56.580 --> 00:08:59.100 God's love is immeasurable. 00:08:59.659 --> 00:09:11.779 You may have heard it put this way, that if you were to take all the sin of the world, all of the sin, all of the atrocities, all the worst evil, and you were to draw all of it together, 00:09:12.779 --> 00:09:21.139 it would be like a drop compared to the ocean of God's mercy and love. 00:09:21.139 --> 00:09:23.779 There is no comparison. 00:09:25.580 --> 00:09:30.840 And that drop would immediately be swallowed up by God's limitless mercy. 00:09:32.240 --> 00:09:34.580 So a Christian is someone who knows this. 00:09:36.039 --> 00:09:38.000 And that completely changes us. 00:09:38.100 --> 00:09:44.679 When you begin to taste of that ocean of love and mercy, it changes everything. 00:09:44.679 --> 00:09:49.599 Because apart from God's mercy, people have to deal with shame. 00:09:49.959 --> 00:09:51.639 And we have to deal with guilt. 00:09:51.819 --> 00:09:54.539 And some of us have to deal with deep self-hatred. 00:09:55.079 --> 00:09:59.919 With internalized messages that we've received, some of us from very early ages. 00:10:00.719 --> 00:10:04.699 That tell us we're not good enough, that we're insufficient, that we're disgusting, that we're tainted. 00:10:04.700 --> 00:10:15.580 People have to spend our lives looking for affirmation and looking for approval and trying to get attention and trying to find acceptance and belonging and meaning. 00:10:15.700 --> 00:10:17.340 We have to strive after these things. 00:10:17.600 --> 00:10:18.700 Not so for the Christian. 00:10:21.360 --> 00:10:22.180 Not so. 00:10:24.259 --> 00:10:25.300 No more shame. 00:10:26.340 --> 00:10:28.200 No more condemnation. 00:10:29.180 --> 00:10:31.400 No more chasing after those things. 00:10:31.399 --> 00:10:34.600 Only love. 00:10:36.840 --> 00:10:38.399 Only radical acceptance. 00:10:39.019 --> 00:10:41.220 A God who knows everything about you. 00:10:41.919 --> 00:10:43.759 And loves everything about you. 00:10:45.639 --> 00:10:48.740 And if you're a Christian and you're hearing this and you're thinking, well, that's not how I feel. 00:10:49.879 --> 00:10:52.459 I still struggle with guilt and shame and self-hatred. 00:10:52.559 --> 00:10:54.379 Or I still chase after these things. 00:10:55.879 --> 00:10:56.600 Let's be clear. 00:10:56.659 --> 00:10:58.399 That's not because the gospel isn't true. 00:10:58.399 --> 00:11:03.740 That's because sometimes we live like the gospel isn't true. 00:11:05.759 --> 00:11:07.980 And we need to be reminded because we forget. 00:11:09.259 --> 00:11:15.259 By the way, this is why we value and prioritize gathering together as a church body. 00:11:16.299 --> 00:11:18.860 This is why we try to find good Christian friends. 00:11:18.959 --> 00:11:21.600 This is why we spend time reading scripture and praying. 00:11:21.639 --> 00:11:25.500 Because we need to be reminded again and again and again and again of what is true. 00:11:25.500 --> 00:11:31.720 But all of this gives rise to one very important truth when it comes to Philemon. 00:11:33.399 --> 00:11:34.700 Here's what that truth is. 00:11:35.000 --> 00:11:46.899 Because Christians have been forgiven completely and embraced by God, Christians then have the ability to forgive every wrong committed against them. 00:11:48.379 --> 00:11:52.159 Christians have the ability to love everyone, even their enemies. 00:11:52.159 --> 00:11:54.659 It's like the Christian superpower. 00:11:55.699 --> 00:11:56.839 It really is. 00:11:57.559 --> 00:12:02.459 Christians have this unique power where we can forgive and love anyone in the world. 00:12:04.059 --> 00:12:05.000 Think about it. 00:12:06.120 --> 00:12:07.699 Why do we carry grudges? 00:12:07.839 --> 00:12:09.279 What are grudges all about? 00:12:09.419 --> 00:12:12.879 See, the reason people carry grudges has to do with our identity. 00:12:12.879 --> 00:12:22.019 Grudges are rooted in an identity that says fundamentally deep down, I am someone who was wronged. 00:12:23.360 --> 00:12:29.019 We allow the wrong, we allow the anger to define us. 00:12:29.659 --> 00:12:31.059 And that's why we carry the grudge. 00:12:32.279 --> 00:12:34.559 But the gospel changes our identity. 00:12:34.559 --> 00:12:41.839 We come to a place where we no longer define ourselves by the wrongs committed against us. 00:12:42.639 --> 00:12:47.419 We begin to define ourselves by the mercy that God has shown us. 00:12:47.419 --> 00:13:02.059 We know that whatever wrongs may have been committed against us, they're nothing compared to the wrongs that we committed against God by denying him, living as though he doesn't exist. 00:13:02.059 --> 00:13:13.039 And so at our core, a Christian says, I am fundamentally deep down someone who has been forgiven and loved and restored. 00:13:14.899 --> 00:13:20.879 And when that happens, what you find is that resentment no longer flows out of you. 00:13:21.339 --> 00:13:25.199 Instead, forgiveness begins to flow out of you. 00:13:25.200 --> 00:13:30.920 Let's put it another way, and if you're going to write anything down, write this down. 00:13:32.800 --> 00:13:38.840 Christians no longer treat people the way we think they deserve to be treated. 00:13:40.580 --> 00:13:43.220 Christians treat people the way Christ has treated us. 00:13:45.040 --> 00:13:47.940 It's a completely different way of seeing and relating to other people. 00:13:49.620 --> 00:13:52.100 It has nothing to do with what we think people deserve. 00:13:52.100 --> 00:13:56.259 It has everything to do with how Christ has treated us. 00:13:57.360 --> 00:14:03.500 This is why Paul says in verse 18, by the way, if Onesimus has wronged you at all or owes you anything, charge it to my account. 00:14:05.460 --> 00:14:08.240 Paul's saying, that's exactly what Jesus did for me. 00:14:09.440 --> 00:14:16.259 Jesus stood before the Father and said, whatever Paul has done in all of his days of rebelling against you and persecuting your followers, 00:14:17.320 --> 00:14:18.840 Jesus said, charge that to my account. 00:14:20.080 --> 00:14:21.720 Paul's merely doing the same thing. 00:14:22.100 --> 00:14:23.560 In this relationship. 00:14:24.279 --> 00:14:27.980 So at the most basic level, the gospel changes us personally. 00:14:28.139 --> 00:14:30.960 It gives us a new identity as people who have been forgiven. 00:14:31.460 --> 00:14:33.720 And it gives us the capacity to forgive. 00:14:35.180 --> 00:14:38.340 But the gospel doesn't stop at personal transformation. 00:14:38.720 --> 00:14:45.860 It flows outward into and changes our relationships with the people around us. 00:14:45.879 --> 00:14:47.600 And this is where we see social transformation. 00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:50.980 In verses 15 and 16, Paul says something extraordinary. 00:14:52.019 --> 00:14:52.899 Listen to this. 00:14:53.279 --> 00:14:53.879 Verse 15. 00:14:55.080 --> 00:14:56.420 He says this to Philemon. 00:14:57.340 --> 00:15:01.519 For this perhaps is why Onesimus was parted from you for a while. 00:15:02.560 --> 00:15:04.779 That you might have him back forever. 00:15:05.560 --> 00:15:11.019 No longer as a bondservant, but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother. 00:15:11.019 --> 00:15:11.960 Here's what he's saying. 00:15:12.059 --> 00:15:15.240 When Onesimus ran away, he wasn't a Christian. 00:15:16.480 --> 00:15:18.379 But now he has come to faith. 00:15:19.500 --> 00:15:22.000 And Paul is saying now that he's come to faith, it all makes sense. 00:15:22.079 --> 00:15:24.199 Maybe this was God's plan all along. 00:15:25.360 --> 00:15:29.579 God's desire was all along to transform your relationship with him. 00:15:29.580 --> 00:15:35.000 God's desire ultimately is that you would no longer be a master and a slave. 00:15:36.120 --> 00:15:43.259 God wants to take him away from you so that he can give him back to you, but no longer as a slave, as a beloved brother. 00:15:44.820 --> 00:15:48.800 The reason Paul assumes this is because that is what the gospel does. 00:15:49.639 --> 00:15:51.759 It gives us to one another, right? 00:15:51.940 --> 00:15:54.620 It transforms our relationships with other believers. 00:15:54.620 --> 00:16:02.019 It takes individuals from different social classes with different levels of status and authority. 00:16:03.080 --> 00:16:05.519 And it joins them together as a family. 00:16:08.080 --> 00:16:15.620 See, we have to understand that as a Jewish man living in a Greco-Roman world, 00:16:15.620 --> 00:16:23.299 Paul was immersed in a culture with deeply distorted ideas about ethnicity, class, and gender. 00:16:24.620 --> 00:16:35.779 It was a very hierarchical society with very clear social ladders, very clear lines of power and dominance. 00:16:36.220 --> 00:16:43.259 So Gentiles, right, the Jews, Paul was Jewish, the Jews refused to even associate with Gentiles. 00:16:43.360 --> 00:16:45.360 They referred to them as unclean dogs. 00:16:45.360 --> 00:16:58.440 When it comes to slaves and women, Aristotle had a massive influence over the Greco-Roman world that has extended all the way into the later medieval period. 00:17:00.379 --> 00:17:02.600 He taught that slavery was natural. 00:17:04.059 --> 00:17:07.380 He taught that some people are born marked for subjugation. 00:17:08.680 --> 00:17:11.339 He referred to slaves as living tools. 00:17:12.519 --> 00:17:13.860 It's like a tool with a soul. 00:17:13.859 --> 00:17:23.240 And so he reasoned that just as things like friendship or justice are impossible between a craftsman and a tool, 00:17:23.799 --> 00:17:30.059 so they would be impossible between a master and a slave. 00:17:30.399 --> 00:17:32.819 Simply a tool with a heartbeat. 00:17:35.599 --> 00:17:37.759 Aristotle had similar things to say about women. 00:17:38.619 --> 00:17:40.339 He taught there's a natural hierarchy. 00:17:40.339 --> 00:17:43.159 He taught that men are meant to rule. 00:17:44.139 --> 00:17:50.599 And he said that men are more naturally suited to rule because of their superior access to their rational capacity. 00:17:51.720 --> 00:17:55.919 And he taught that women are meant to submit, serve, and obey. 00:17:56.079 --> 00:18:00.559 That that is where a woman finds her purpose and finds her virtue. 00:18:00.559 --> 00:18:09.639 And so he similarly taught that true friendship is not possible between men and women because women were inherently inferior to men. 00:18:10.779 --> 00:18:13.639 And friendship, he says, is only possible between equals. 00:18:13.819 --> 00:18:14.359 True friendship. 00:18:14.359 --> 00:18:20.919 So not surprisingly, in Paul's culture, it was very common for Jewish men to pray this prayer. 00:18:21.399 --> 00:18:23.779 Blessed be God that he did not make me a Gentile. 00:18:24.799 --> 00:18:27.099 Blessed be God that he did not make me a slave. 00:18:28.179 --> 00:18:30.179 Blessed be God that he did not make me a woman. 00:18:32.519 --> 00:18:36.099 But we have to understand, the gospel changes everything. 00:18:36.740 --> 00:18:38.579 It changes everything. 00:18:38.579 --> 00:18:44.279 In Galatians 3, Paul writes, for as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 00:18:45.439 --> 00:18:46.099 What does that mean? 00:18:46.199 --> 00:18:48.119 Well, there is neither Jew nor Greek. 00:18:48.319 --> 00:18:49.960 There is neither slave nor free. 00:18:50.179 --> 00:18:51.679 There is no male and female. 00:18:51.859 --> 00:18:54.460 For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 00:18:54.639 --> 00:19:02.159 It would be impossible to overstate how radical this was sounded in the first century context. 00:19:02.160 --> 00:19:09.160 Because all of those relationships in the first century were relationships that were defined by dominance and status. 00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:11.320 One over the other. 00:19:11.480 --> 00:19:14.040 And so what Paul is saying is that the gospel comes in. 00:19:14.600 --> 00:19:19.440 And when the gospel takes hold, you see dominance hierarchies turned upside down. 00:19:19.779 --> 00:19:22.080 You see power dynamics done away with. 00:19:22.160 --> 00:19:27.900 The entire social structure is remapped according to Christ. 00:19:29.279 --> 00:19:31.700 So Paul's argument to Philemon is this. 00:19:31.700 --> 00:19:40.440 He says, Philemon, when you became a Christian, Christ joined you to all other Christians throughout the world and across history. 00:19:40.539 --> 00:19:45.640 By the way, in the beginning of the letter, when he refers to the sharing of Philemon's faith, he's not talking about evangelism. 00:19:45.720 --> 00:19:49.539 We see that and we think of that as sharing our faith in terms of evangelism. 00:19:49.759 --> 00:19:52.240 He's using the word, the koinonia of your faith. 00:19:52.240 --> 00:20:04.579 So when he refers to the sharing of your faith, he's referring to the fact that as a Christian, Philemon has entered into a mutually interdependent relationship with all other Christians. 00:20:04.700 --> 00:20:09.039 You now share in the faith of all Christians. 00:20:09.039 --> 00:20:18.659 And he's praying that Philemon fully and completely understands the implications of that for his relationship with his former slave. 00:20:18.660 --> 00:20:22.360 It changes everything. 00:20:23.380 --> 00:20:28.040 So he says, when you became a Christian, everyone, all the other Christians, they became your brothers, Philemon. 00:20:28.220 --> 00:20:29.200 They became your sisters. 00:20:30.220 --> 00:20:31.940 They became your fathers and mothers. 00:20:32.060 --> 00:20:33.620 They became your sons and daughters. 00:20:33.880 --> 00:20:37.180 Everything is different now because of Christ. 00:20:37.180 --> 00:20:39.940 And so his point to Philemon is this. 00:20:40.220 --> 00:20:45.019 So when it comes to how we treat other Christians, we cannot be selective. 00:20:47.060 --> 00:20:54.700 That's why he says in verse 17, so if you consider me, Paul, your partner, receive him, Onesimus, as you would me. 00:20:56.420 --> 00:20:59.740 He's saying, Philemon, this doesn't just apply to people we like. 00:21:01.100 --> 00:21:06.240 It doesn't just apply to people who occupy the same place on the social ladder as you. 00:21:07.180 --> 00:21:13.240 It doesn't just apply to the people that we agree with politically or theologically. 00:21:13.660 --> 00:21:17.920 It doesn't just apply to people who look like us or dress like us or act like us. 00:21:19.539 --> 00:21:21.940 He's essentially saying this, what he says elsewhere. 00:21:22.039 --> 00:21:25.980 There is no place for favoritism in God's kingdom. 00:21:28.460 --> 00:21:30.580 So here's how this is working. 00:21:30.740 --> 00:21:34.019 So far, we've seen the power of the gospel to bring personal transformation. 00:21:34.019 --> 00:21:38.819 And then it flows out of individuals into our relationships. 00:21:38.980 --> 00:21:41.500 And it begins to redefine our relationships. 00:21:43.019 --> 00:21:48.000 But there still remains one massive looming question that we have yet to answer. 00:21:49.200 --> 00:21:55.799 Why, oh why, doesn't Paul directly attack the institution of slavery itself? 00:21:55.799 --> 00:22:00.279 That's what I want when I read this. 00:22:01.059 --> 00:22:03.519 It's what most people these days want when they read it. 00:22:04.799 --> 00:22:07.879 And the answer is, he does. 00:22:08.500 --> 00:22:11.059 But not in the way we might expect. 00:22:11.659 --> 00:22:14.359 This brings us to the third point, cultural transformation. 00:22:16.039 --> 00:22:17.899 Verse 2, we see something very important. 00:22:18.819 --> 00:22:20.980 Paul's greeting includes the church. 00:22:20.980 --> 00:22:25.680 So this isn't just a private letter to Philemon, read this and then crumble it up and throw it away. 00:22:25.860 --> 00:22:30.079 This is a letter that he intended to have read publicly to the whole church. 00:22:31.360 --> 00:22:33.420 So you can imagine the scene, right? 00:22:34.319 --> 00:22:36.680 There's Philemon, the host of the church. 00:22:37.420 --> 00:22:38.400 Everybody's gathered together. 00:22:38.500 --> 00:22:39.799 They're standing up to read this letter. 00:22:39.940 --> 00:22:42.740 And there's Onesimus, standing right there, right? 00:22:43.539 --> 00:22:46.720 So as this letter is being read, everybody's looking at Onesimus. 00:22:47.200 --> 00:22:48.319 And everybody's looking at Philemon. 00:22:48.680 --> 00:22:50.039 And everybody's looking at Onesimus. 00:22:50.180 --> 00:22:51.700 And they're like, what's going to happen, right? 00:22:53.640 --> 00:22:58.079 It's amazing when you think of the relationship, by the way, between Colossians and Philemon. 00:22:58.160 --> 00:23:02.400 In many ways, the themes of Colossians resonate deeply with Philemon. 00:23:02.400 --> 00:23:09.559 And we can think of Philemon as a kind of case study application of everything that Paul talks about in his letter to the Colossians. 00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:11.380 Incredible to see that connection. 00:23:11.380 --> 00:23:14.680 So Paul intends for these letters both to be read to the church. 00:23:14.980 --> 00:23:20.300 And in doing so, make no mistake, he is challenging not just Philemon, but the church. 00:23:21.240 --> 00:23:26.900 He's calling the church to become a living preview of things to come. 00:23:29.120 --> 00:23:34.980 He's saying, just as I'm calling Philemon to do this in his relationship, I'm calling all of you to do this in all of your relationships. 00:23:36.360 --> 00:23:37.700 What is the church called to do? 00:23:37.700 --> 00:23:44.580 Paul would say, I believe, the church is called to offer to the watching world a preview. 00:23:45.620 --> 00:23:59.380 To offer to the watching world a vision of a reality in which social structures that are opposed to the gospel are replaced by relationships of love and mutuality. 00:23:59.380 --> 00:24:02.680 At every level of human relationship. 00:24:02.680 --> 00:24:09.500 When people come to this gathering, they should see something fundamentally different. 00:24:10.840 --> 00:24:14.680 This is why Rodney Stark, the historical sociologist, says, 00:24:14.680 --> 00:24:25.980 Of all the world's religions, including the three great monotheisms, only in Christianity did the idea develop that slavery was sinful and must be abolished. 00:24:28.779 --> 00:24:30.519 Paul planted a seed. 00:24:32.140 --> 00:24:33.180 He planted a seed. 00:24:33.180 --> 00:24:40.759 And that would eventually come to subvert and overturn the entire institution of slavery. 00:24:40.860 --> 00:24:41.360 But guess what? 00:24:41.440 --> 00:24:44.460 It took centuries for that to happen. 00:24:45.019 --> 00:24:48.080 It took centuries for that to unfold. 00:24:48.480 --> 00:24:56.660 Down the sidewalk from our house, if we walk down a couple of blocks, there's a place where the sidewalk has been completely busted apart. 00:24:56.660 --> 00:25:00.440 Because a tree has grown up right through the sidewalk. 00:25:01.540 --> 00:25:03.400 And it's a big, massive, beautiful tree. 00:25:04.700 --> 00:25:10.259 And every time I see that, I think about the fact that at one time, that was just a seed. 00:25:11.680 --> 00:25:14.800 And it was in the ground, and it was under where they laid that concrete. 00:25:14.799 --> 00:25:28.539 And at the time, that tiny little seed compared to that massive block of concrete, the suggestion that that seed would ever break that concrete, much less even make a dent in it, would seem ludicrous. 00:25:28.619 --> 00:25:29.639 There's no possible way. 00:25:30.159 --> 00:25:30.960 Far too strong. 00:25:32.180 --> 00:25:33.379 But then the years passed. 00:25:34.779 --> 00:25:38.399 Year after year after year, and that seed took root, and that seed grew. 00:25:38.400 --> 00:25:47.480 And now that concrete that at one time seemed utterly impervious has been reduced to rubble. 00:25:49.140 --> 00:25:52.820 And the tree stands strong and beautiful and firm. 00:25:54.860 --> 00:25:59.220 Across the centuries, we have seen the fact that Paul planted a seed. 00:26:00.440 --> 00:26:04.680 And at the time, Christians made up a tiny fraction of a percentage of the population. 00:26:04.900 --> 00:26:06.360 They had no influence. 00:26:06.359 --> 00:26:08.479 They had no notoriety. 00:26:10.459 --> 00:26:11.939 But then that seed grew. 00:26:13.479 --> 00:26:15.279 And it grew over centuries. 00:26:16.240 --> 00:26:24.659 And across the centuries, if we look here and there, we begin to see Christians questioning and challenging the institution of slavery. 00:26:24.939 --> 00:26:28.659 They're looking at the scriptures, and they're looking at the culture around them, 00:26:28.659 --> 00:26:35.619 and they're starting to ask really hard, penetrating questions about the realities that they have up to this point taken for granted. 00:26:36.359 --> 00:26:46.019 All right, so Gregory of Nyssa, St. Bethel, Aquinas, and then an increasing number of popes. 00:26:46.439 --> 00:26:49.139 Here and there, then more and more, and then more and more. 00:26:49.279 --> 00:26:50.059 But it took centuries. 00:26:50.179 --> 00:26:59.899 It took over 1,800 years for Christians to finally come to the place where they would organize en masse against the institution of slavery itself. 00:26:59.900 --> 00:27:02.000 To abolish and do away with it. 00:27:02.019 --> 00:27:02.580 And guess what? 00:27:02.740 --> 00:27:06.900 The battle against slavery is still ongoing to this day. 00:27:07.000 --> 00:27:08.780 And some of you know this because that's what you do. 00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:11.360 But it took that long. 00:27:11.359 --> 00:27:14.899 So the point I'm trying to make is this. 00:27:16.179 --> 00:27:24.379 The gospel planted seeds meant to radically transform all of our social structures. 00:27:25.379 --> 00:27:31.199 And that is meant to begin in and be led by the church. 00:27:31.200 --> 00:27:36.240 It's meant to begin in and be led by the church. 00:27:36.680 --> 00:27:40.259 The church is meant to be a living preview of the new creation. 00:27:40.799 --> 00:27:43.980 Where all people are joined together as one. 00:27:44.080 --> 00:27:47.080 Where God has reconciled the world to himself. 00:27:47.319 --> 00:27:52.900 Where we live as one great family and radiate the glory of Christ. 00:27:53.120 --> 00:27:54.960 That's meant to begin here. 00:27:54.960 --> 00:28:00.500 And I would say that based on everything that Paul says in Galatians chapter 3. 00:28:00.620 --> 00:28:02.940 This is not only something that applies to slavery. 00:28:03.140 --> 00:28:05.539 It also applies to the way we think about race. 00:28:06.059 --> 00:28:06.819 And ethnicity. 00:28:07.640 --> 00:28:11.940 And I believe it applies to the way we think about and understand gender roles. 00:28:15.460 --> 00:28:18.079 So let's apply this with a few minutes that we have left. 00:28:21.100 --> 00:28:22.279 Personal transformation. 00:28:22.279 --> 00:28:27.879 The gospel transforms us into people of mercy and love. 00:28:29.859 --> 00:28:33.759 I believe that there are some of us here who are carrying grudges. 00:28:34.619 --> 00:28:36.639 Who are withholding forgiveness. 00:28:37.220 --> 00:28:38.500 For various reasons. 00:28:39.480 --> 00:28:41.920 And I would say that, and maybe you agree. 00:28:42.099 --> 00:28:47.099 Carrying a grudge around is kind of like dragging a bag of solidified waste everywhere you go. 00:28:48.359 --> 00:28:49.859 It weighs you down. 00:28:50.940 --> 00:28:52.160 It wears you down. 00:28:53.220 --> 00:28:55.399 The only person hurt by it is you. 00:28:57.180 --> 00:29:02.059 And I think some of us in this room may have grievances or grudges that we need to let go of. 00:29:02.619 --> 00:29:04.259 We have people that we need to forgive. 00:29:05.339 --> 00:29:07.680 And you can do that even if those people are long gone. 00:29:07.879 --> 00:29:09.019 Even if they've passed away. 00:29:10.299 --> 00:29:11.200 But here's the thing. 00:29:11.299 --> 00:29:12.519 If the gospel is true. 00:29:13.639 --> 00:29:16.319 Then we have not only the ability to forgive. 00:29:17.019 --> 00:29:18.379 But we have the imperative. 00:29:18.380 --> 00:29:21.120 And that's something that we can do right now. 00:29:23.020 --> 00:29:26.440 Number two, the gospel transforms our relationships. 00:29:26.840 --> 00:29:28.340 Social transformation. 00:29:29.120 --> 00:29:32.400 Our faith is not just private devotion to God. 00:29:32.400 --> 00:29:37.980 We live our faith out every day in the way we relate to and view other people. 00:29:38.060 --> 00:29:39.320 Especially other Christians. 00:29:40.660 --> 00:29:41.880 So let me ask you this. 00:29:41.960 --> 00:29:45.900 Are there other Christians in your life that you tend to look down on? 00:29:45.900 --> 00:29:49.259 Maybe because of political differences. 00:29:50.320 --> 00:29:52.200 Maybe because of theological disagreements. 00:29:53.160 --> 00:29:56.680 Are there other Christians on the other hand you feel inferior to? 00:29:56.680 --> 00:30:00.960 Are there Christians that you're intimidated by? 00:30:01.140 --> 00:30:06.360 Or you crave their approval because you see them as being so much better than you. 00:30:06.440 --> 00:30:08.140 So much further along than you. 00:30:09.380 --> 00:30:14.580 I would say either one of those things, either way, is a denial of the gospel. 00:30:15.820 --> 00:30:17.279 That person is your brother. 00:30:17.779 --> 00:30:19.080 That person is your sister. 00:30:19.079 --> 00:30:19.240 That person is your sister. 00:30:20.919 --> 00:30:25.439 And then finally, the gospel transforms the world. 00:30:26.039 --> 00:30:26.960 Cultural transformation. 00:30:28.279 --> 00:30:31.819 We cannot emphasize enough that the church is called to be a preview of the new creation. 00:30:33.199 --> 00:30:36.939 In this world, you may find status hierarchies. 00:30:37.519 --> 00:30:38.599 And social ladders. 00:30:39.319 --> 00:30:40.339 And power dynamics. 00:30:41.240 --> 00:30:44.379 And people like Aristotle may win the day. 00:30:44.380 --> 00:30:49.380 But in the church, we are called to be something completely different. 00:30:50.840 --> 00:30:56.460 We are called to be a reflection of the way things will be when Jesus comes again. 00:30:58.020 --> 00:31:04.740 But we have to be brutally honest about the fact that history shows us there's still a lot of work to be done. 00:31:05.280 --> 00:31:07.840 The church is still working this out. 00:31:08.200 --> 00:31:10.220 We are still working out. 00:31:10.660 --> 00:31:14.260 Where are we still holding on to culturally bound assumptions? 00:31:14.380 --> 00:31:22.480 And where are we leaning into and following the gospel and the authority of scripture? 00:31:22.720 --> 00:31:24.260 And where do those things overlap? 00:31:24.840 --> 00:31:26.740 And where do those things depart? 00:31:26.880 --> 00:31:28.300 And it is not simple. 00:31:28.560 --> 00:31:29.940 And it is not straightforward. 00:31:30.360 --> 00:31:32.500 And it requires an enormous amount of work. 00:31:32.900 --> 00:31:34.720 It takes a long time. 00:31:35.280 --> 00:31:36.740 It takes generations. 00:31:37.780 --> 00:31:43.020 It takes a continual willingness to check our assumptions against the witness of scripture. 00:31:43.019 --> 00:31:48.339 And it takes an enormous amount of grace and humility all around. 00:31:49.200 --> 00:31:54.519 Because we are continually having to do this work until Christ comes again. 00:31:55.019 --> 00:32:01.259 And just speaking honestly as your pastor, as just another follower of Jesus alongside you, 00:32:01.359 --> 00:32:06.740 this is one of the reasons that I have wrestled so much with the question of women's roles in the church. 00:32:06.799 --> 00:32:09.160 It's not the only reason, but it's one reason. 00:32:09.160 --> 00:32:10.779 And I have to be honest about that. 00:32:11.220 --> 00:32:13.680 Now that goes beyond the scope of this sermon. 00:32:14.160 --> 00:32:20.580 But if you want to dig into that more, come next week to the adult education hour starting at 9 a.m. 00:32:20.580 --> 00:32:24.900 And for the next few weeks after that, we're going to be digging into that topic specifically. 00:32:26.580 --> 00:32:27.259 Let's pray. 00:32:27.259 --> 00:32:31.440 Our Father, we thank you for your word. 00:32:32.119 --> 00:32:40.039 And we thank you ultimately that, Lord, we are reliant not on our ability to figure every tiny little thing out here and now. 00:32:40.400 --> 00:32:42.359 But we're here because of your grace. 00:32:42.779 --> 00:32:44.240 We're here because you love us. 00:32:44.640 --> 00:32:50.279 And we trust that you are working to bring this kind of renewal and restoration in us personally. 00:32:50.279 --> 00:32:54.559 And I pray for those of us in whose lives you're at work right now. 00:32:55.539 --> 00:33:01.139 To our relationships, Lord, I pray that you would continue to transform our relationships. 00:33:01.940 --> 00:33:07.480 Continue to help us let go of grudges to do the hard work of forgiveness and reconciliation where needed. 00:33:08.039 --> 00:33:11.920 That you would change the way we see one another when it comes to power and status, Lord. 00:33:12.319 --> 00:33:15.700 That you would make us truly into the family that you desire us to be. 00:33:15.700 --> 00:33:19.420 And, Lord, I pray that you would continue to work in us. 00:33:19.500 --> 00:33:21.980 That we might put something different on display. 00:33:22.240 --> 00:33:27.660 That we might live lives in this community that provoke questions only the gospel can answer. 00:33:28.539 --> 00:33:30.180 And we pray this in the name of Jesus. 00:33:30.559 --> 00:33:30.740 Amen.