Forgiveness from the Forgiven

Speaker 1: Good morning.

Speaker 2: Hey, good, somebody is awake out there, great. Good to see you in the House of the Lord today we invite you to give praise to your redeemer if you know the Lord this morning standards. We're seeing number two 40 if you're using the hymnal. Otherwise, look at the screen 240. First three stanzas of I Will Sing of my Redeemer.

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Speaker 1: Thank you for your good singing.

Speaker 3: Amen. Thank you all for being here on this beautiful Sunday morning in the Lord's House. Before it gets going any further, let's go and ask for God's blessing on the service. Father in heaven, thank you again for the wonderful day that you've given father, for your love, your mercy, Lord, that you are our redeemer, uh, but that is by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, that we have forgiveness of sins, Lord, as we meet together in your house, that you would fill our hearts with joy and a Lord with grace. Lord, help us to express that love and grace that you've given us. Back to you, Lord. Continue to bless our time together in Jesus name, I pray. Amen. You may be seated. You want to go over a few announcements. If you do have a bulletin, you can go ahead and open at this time. If you don't go and look on the screen, we have some some important announcements to go over. As you can tell, our pastor, Pastor Boyd, is not here today. He is filling in for a pastor in Stillwater who is taking some time off, I believe. So he called and asked him. And so you guys are stuck with me this morning and this evening as well. And so if you're a visitor here, please come back to hear our pastor preach. He's the primary pastor. You'll hear from him. And definitely you'd want to come back to to hear his preaching coming up on April the twenty first, which is this Wednesday, we'll have a missionary that will come and, uh, give a report as well as I believe. Preach for us, Walter Clark. There's also a senior o'doul activity. Our seniors will be heading out to the shepherds across Sheep Farm. And you don't have to be a senior to go, but they'll be heading out during the day. They'll go watch some sheep shearing and get to see some things that they do over there. They make you on all those wonderful things that we'll have lunch to follow at the Apple Barbro Cafe there at 1:00 p.m.. Five dollar donation is recommended by the Shepherds Cross Sheep Farm, April the twenty eight through May the 2nd. We're going to have a a candidate for the youth pasture position here at our church. He's kicking me out now. I'm just kidding. You guys are not laughing, so that's not a good sign. He's not. I'm going to be graduating to a more advanced ministry, adults. And and so we're praying for that. Clarence or Brittany Nettle's. They'll be visiting with us April the twenty four, twenty eight and the 2nd of May. We'll have some teen activities on that Saturday and we'll have a parent meeting on that Sunday to just to get to know this candidate for the youth pastor that will be coming in. And also coming up in May is our mother daughter brunch, 10:00 a.m. here at the church. The theme, I believe, is, um, Blossom or and I'm going to ruin this so someone else can someone help me with this as it Blossom Bloom Bloom special. The be the reason why I'm not in charge of ladies ministry. Uh, Bloom, please RSVP. This is a mother and and daughter activity. Have a good time to bring your daughters, uh to enjoy that. Uh we'll have a teen kayaking trip, uh we'll have a meeting before that. April the twenty fifth uh here that following the evening service. So next Sunday after the evening service, we'll talk about what the teens need to expect. We'll be heading out the fifteenth to go kayaking down the Illinois River. Looking forward to that. Be fun. Time with our teenagers are also we vacation Bible schools coming up, camps coming up. A lot of things that are happening this summer. And with vacation Bible school, we hope to have the same crowd that we normally have. And what that means is more toys, more donations. So if you have something that you like to donate, whether it's new old, make sure it's cleaned, uh, and be a good price for one of our kids. You can drop that off at the church. And so if you have any questions about the announcements, come see me. Just make sure you go look at this. All the upcoming things are in your bulletin. You can look on the back to see where we're at with our fundraising. A little table here showing where we're at with our fundraising for our playground and teen room. All right, Brother Arnie, come up and continue to lead us in some singing.

Speaker 2: We ask you to stand again if you would do as we're seeing No. Five, 16, whosoever, meaning me, will sing all three stanzas.

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Speaker 1: I want one. Oh, praise God that Jesus died for me.

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Speaker 2: And as you see on the screen, there is power in the blood, we're seeing the first three stanzas here, number 252, there is power in the blood.

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Speaker 2: Thank you for your good singing.

Speaker 3: I'd like to thank the Arnim as Sharon for filling in today and the wonderful blessing and a help to me, I just thought I'd be so worn out by the time I led singing and got to preach. I don't want to be the main person you saw up here all day. And so I get tired of looking at me. And so I know you do as well to ask for the money to come up. We're going to pray for our offering once again. This offering is not for the admission of the service. This is just a free will offering to give back to the Lord. Watch what she's given to you, our ties and offering. So if you're a visitor here, this is not something that we require of you. It's just something that you can participate in. But it's especially for our members to continue on having lights, have a building, all these wonderful things that we to enjoy from sun to sun. But the mike, would you pray for us?

Speaker 4: Let's pray the heavenly father, we thank you for this day that you've given us, Lord, and we thank you for all who have gathered here today to worship you. And as we prepare to worship you to the giving of our ties and offerings. We realize that everything we have is a gift from you. And as we give back from those gifts, we pray, Lord, that you would bless those gifts and use them to spread the gospel and lead others to Christ. We want to pray today, Lord for Brother Matt, as he delivers your message, that message will be received and we will apply to our lives. We thank you in Jesus name, Amen.

Speaker 2: Now, Michigan, of course, is coming to sing for us my tribute.

Speaker 5: How can I say thanks for the things you have done for me, things so underserved, yet you have

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Speaker 3: To God, be the glory. Amen. Amen for the things that he has done good, please turn in your Bibles to the Book of Lehman. If you need help finding the book of Lehman, go and look at your table of contents at the beginning. It may be a help to you. It's one of the shortest books. And the New Testament. Philemon. And if you don't have a Bible here today, we'll have the verses on the screen so you can follow along with us. We're going to be getting in verse number one. This is a letter, a letter written from Timothy to this man named Filemon. Flamin was a believer. He didn't really hold any special office other than he was a fellow laborer with. Paul, I'm still hearing some page turn ins, so we'll just wait just a few moments here for Filemon. There's not really any chapters is just one whole chapter, twenty five verses you would please once you have found your place in flame and go ahead and stand stand with me to give honor and reverence to the reading of God's word. And verse number one. Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy, our brother unto Philemon, our dearly beloved and fellow laborer. And to our beloved Athelia and our Chipper's, our fellow soldier and to the church in my house, grace to you and peace from God, our father in the Lord Jesus Christ, I thank my God making mention of the always in my prayers, hearing of thy love and faith, which has taught the Lord Jesus and toward All Saints Thou hast that the communication of my faith may be effectual by the acknowledging every good thing which is in you, in Christ Jesus. For we have great joy and consolation in my love because the bowels of the Saints are refreshed by the brother. Wherefore though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoying the that which is convenient, yet for love sake, I rather beseech thing being such a one as Paul the Aged and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ, I beseech thee for my son on Pessimist's, whom I have begotten in my bonds, which in times past was to be unprofitable but now profitable today. And to me, whom I have sent again, that they'll therefore. Receive him, that is my own battles, whom I have retained with me that and I said he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel. But without my mind, what I do, nothing that I benefit should be, as it were, of necessity, but willingly. For perhaps he therefore departed for a season that should receive him forever. Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother, beloved, especially to me. But how much more funds are they both in the flesh and in the Lord? If they'll count me, therefore a partner, receive him as myself, if he had wronged the or the OT, put that on my account. I, Paul, have written it with my own hand. I will repay it, Albi, I do not say to the how thou oast and to me even thine own self besides your brother, let me have joy of the in the Lord refreshed my balls and the Lord having confidence and the obedience I wrote unto the knowing that that will also do more than I say. But with all prepare me also a lodging for I trust that through your prayers, I shall be given until their salute the Paphitis, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, Marcus, Aristarchus, Demus, Lucas, my fellow laborers, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Be with you and your spirit. Amen. And you may have this at the end, it says, Written from Rome to Filemon by UN estimates of Servet. Father in heaven, thank you for the time that we have to look into your word. Lord, I pray that you would do the work and not me. Nor do we need you to speak to our hearts to help minister in our lives, your word, or would you honor your word and bless it? And I pray a man you may be seated. How many of you have read the Book of Lehman before you raise your hand, you may feel awkward admitting that you haven't. But you may have read it in passing. And you probably have wondered what on earth is being said, why is Paul addressing this person as opposed to someone like Timothy who would have been a pastor or to Titus, who also was a pastor? Probably wondering why is there this private correspondence to this gentleman named Filemon? And why don't we see other private correspondence in God's word? It would seem that God would want us to learn something about what Paul had to say or to ask Philemon. I'm taking a class for my master's called Introduction to Biblical Interpretation, and one of the assignments that I had previously worked on was mirror reading. And to give you an idea of what mere reading is we're reading is reading the texts that you've been given and then trying to suppose or to construct the background of what's happening. Not only that, you would know the characters in the text or the passage, but there would be a probable reasoning or a situation that that only one of the writers would know. And apparently we have only one writer here, Paul, and we have his point of view of of what transpired between Estimate's and Filemon. And so we're going to get one side of the story and we're going to try to construct the characters and what's going on in their life and why Paul is writing this letter this way to Filemon. Now, we don't know much about Suleiman, but we do know that he is an inverse number one, a dearly beloved friend of of Paul. Now, wouldn't that be something that you would be a close friend of Paul? Paul is not only just a missionary, but one of the reasons why the Gentiles had heard the gospel in the first place was because of his ministry to them. And so Philemon was a dearly loved friend of Paul. We see that in verse number 19, that Paul was the one that led them into the Lord, we can read that it says, I, Paul, have written it with my own hand. I will repay it, albeit I do not say to thee held close unto me, even thine own self. Besides, Paul here is alluding to the fact that. That flame, it was in debt to him because of the message that had given him and Paul had never been to colossi where Philemon was from, but that he must have met him in in one of his missionary journey. Some some commentators supposed that they had met in emphasis during Paul's stay there. And so we do know this, that Paul was, in fact, the one who led Philemon to the Lord. Uh. Not only a dearly beloved friend of Paul, this is also some information about Flamin, he was a fellow laborer with Paul. He was not a person who held official ministry position, but he was a notable follower of Christ, known for his faith, known for his love and known for his his giving to the Lord, as we see here, as we look continue in verse number two, it says this says. To the church in the house, Fleeman had had a large enough house, a big enough home to house the church that was meeting there in colossi. And so there's a couple of things that we can draw from Philemon is that he was a man who had wealth to own a big home. But also we'll see later that he was a man that had servants that would that he had that he had purchased, that he had made. So we know this, that he was a generous, loving and faithful man of God. A path for us here, if we're going to have to draw a little conclusion, I may have I may have started in the wrong set. But when you read the book, Filemon, it's amazing that you don't follow your notes. You have a problem. Philemon is is a book that also should be read with a book of Colossians. Now, I'm going to I'm going to jump back and forth in a few places so I can show you this connection. Look in the book of Colossians, just a few pages over in your Bible and chapter number four. In verse number nine, it says with an estimate a faithful beloved brother Paul had sent. Ed Taiki is one of these fun Greek names, TICAS, to travel all the way to colossi to give a report of Paul's life, but also to find out how things were going at the church in colossi. And alongside of tackiest, he sent a brother named on estimate's. This is the same on estimates that Paul is referring to in the Book of Filemon. Also, we'll see here another name in verse number 12, a path for us, who is one of you? A servant of Christ. It's the same path for us that's mentioned in the twenty third verse of Lehman there. Salute the papers. My fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus of for was known to be the the the starting pastor of the church in colossi, and that he ended up going to help Paul leaving another man by the name of our Kappos to to take over the work. And we see the name our archbishops in verse 17 of Chapter four of Colossians. It says this and say to our Chicca first take me to the ministry, which now has received in the Lord that thou fulfill it and it's the same. Take a piss that is in verse number two to our beloved Ophelia and our capice, our fellow soldier. And so we're going to see parallels between the book of Colossians and the Book of Filemon. They are companion letters, meaning this is that the book of Colossians was a general letter written to the entire church and the believers that assembled in that church about general issues that they were struggling with or general issues that they were facing. The companion letter for Lehman was not written to the group Persay, but to a very specific man that met or actually housed the church at Colossi. And so this is how these two stories meet together. These two letters meet together is that they have the same men that are mentioned and in their books and they give some details as to what their position was in the ministry that they were that they were they were fulfilling. And so Lehman was the was the address of the letter, the specific letter written by Paul in this letter. We see a couple of things that would be common to Paul's letters. We'll see a greeting in verse three. Grace to you and peace from God, our father in the Lord Jesus Christ, as well as a prayer of Thanksgiving and a prayer of expectation. What Paul would want to see take place in the lives of the here. It says this, I think, my God, making mention of these make mention of the always in my prayers hearing of my love and faith, which all has toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the Saints. And so that would be something that Paul, a veteran, a veteran missionary, writes a letter to a group. Then on side of that writes a letter to a unique and a very specific person saying, listen, I want to thank the Lord for you. I'm glad that these things are evident in your life, that that we've heard of your faith. We've heard of your love for the Lord, their love for the brethren, and how you've given of your home, how you've shown hospitality. And so Paul is is definitely praising the faithfulness of Philemon and praising his his his love for the brethren there. But then he has a purpose. In verse number six, he says this, that the communication of my faith may be come effectual. The other way we could say that is that the witness, the communication of his faith would be his outward testimony. The communication of his faith would be effectual or effective. One of the reasons why Paul wrote this letter to Filemon and especially to Philemon, was that he wanted his faith. To be an effective witness for everyone around him, and I think that's something that we should desire in our own life, is that our testimony, our faith in the Lord, our love for others would be evident everywhere we go and that it would be effective for God's use. When you want that in your own life. And you're in your workplace and in your home among your family, you'd want to have an effective witness, that you'd want to be the one that would draw more people to the Lord. And Paul desires for Fleeman to continue doing the things that he's already doing. He says, well, how how could he have a more effective witness? Look, in verse number six, again, it says, by the acknowledging of every good thing, which is in you, in Christ Jesus, the the greater understanding that Philemon would have about his relationship with Jesus would affect the effectiveness of. His testimony and some of these things are things that I want to say that I'll come back to as the story progresses, verse seven makes it clear to us that his his testimony was already effective to some extent, it says, for we have great joy and consolation. And I love because the bowels of the Saints are refreshed by the brother. He says, listen, when we've heard of your testimony, we've heard of your your faithfulness to the Lord. It was motivational. It was invigorating that we have a brother that was so giving that we have a brother that was so loving, that was was so faithful to the Lord's work. Now, verses one through seven, we would call the opening of the letter, and if you read Paul's letters, his letter to Timothy, his letter to the Ephesians and icons to the Galatians, you'll see this same pattern of an opening of an introductory remarks, a greeting, a prayer of expectation, a prayer to God of thankfulness. And then within that, you'll see a purpose of why Paul is writing the letter that he's writing. And you say, you know. Fellowman, I want you to have an effective witness for the Lord, I want your your your witness to go to a greater extent. I want more people to be drawn to the Lord because of the things that God is doing in your life. That's a reason why Paul is riding that. He says it's already taking place, we're already refreshed, we're so invigorated, we're so refreshed by what you've already done. Now in verse number eight, there's a wherefore and if there's a waterfall, then we need to understand that what Paul has already said is a buffer to what he's going to request a Filemon. Of what we do, right? We kind of button people up before we ask them to do something. Sweetheart, you do a phenomenal job cooking and everything you make is so yummy. Could you make, like, some cookies real quick? You know, we kind of we kind of butter people up in the sense of, you know, it's not it's not a bad thing. I mean, obviously, if it's only to get what we want out of it, yes, it's a bad thing, but it's not a bad thing to to remind people of the faithfulness of how they affected our lives, the blessing they are to us, the the strength and the courage that their testimony gives us. There's nothing wrong with that. And that's what Paul's doing, is he's he's he's leading up to this point to remind not only the of all the good things that are taking place in his life, but there's something more that that's needful for Philemon to do. Remember, it's at the hand of a Nessim is that this letter would transfer from Paul to Filemon. Now, there's something in the story that we haven't covered that we need to deal with. Before we see what Paul is going to ask of Lehman. As you read this small book, you see that there's there's another character that comes, comes before us, comes alive, is a man named on Pessimist's. On Estimate's was a slave servant slave to Filemon. And and investments had ran away from his master and it would seem from the text and we'll read this later, how that it costs something of Filemon that on Imus left, that there was something injurious, something that was made have been stolen monetarily or even because of uneasiness. Running away left Philemon in a bind. He lost a servant. He had lost a worker, which would cost him production of something that would cost him some money of losing this this servant. And he ran away. And it was common for slaves to run away from their master and flee to a city that was large metropolitan as a metropolitan city. Say that again, I'll mess it up even more. And that city was wrong. And Rome was filled with runaway slaves, you think about it, know no one knows you there, you can you can escape in the crowd. And so by the providence of God, this is kind of unique. That God already noufal new Filemon because he led them to Lord, but by the presence of God, the paths of Onassis and Paul Cross. Paul was enslaved there at Rome, he was awaiting trial, and while he was awaiting trial, he was allowed to have visitors, he was allowed to preach, he was allowed to be visited a minister, too. And it seems as if on Pessimist's was somehow made his way into the path of Paul and had heard the gospel and gotten saved. The Bible says this. If you look and says this in verse number ten and says, I beseech you for my son on estimate's whom I have begotten in my bonds, the idea is that he didn't have a son name on estimates of physical son, but a spiritual son. So in that he led to the Lord assuming that he was discipling to do the work of the ministry. And so their paths cross, so once this was a runaway slave that that cost his master wages is now a born again believer who is now profitable to the work of the ministry. Even Paul says that verse number 11, which in times past was to be unprofitable but now profitable to me and to the. Is he says that that on estimates was ministering in his place, whether he knew it or not. He was still considered to be his slave, even though he was a runaway slave. He was ministering to Paul, helping Paul, encouraging Paul, doing things for the ministry of what Paul was doing there in Rome. He was a profitable. Slave. Now, Paul, as an apostle and as one of the the main missionary are leaders there in the in the in the in the work of God, could have just told the layman, you need to receive an estimate and think nothing about it. He just told them, listen, I know he's hurt you. I know he ran away from you. Just don't make a big deal about it. Don't have him beaten, don't have him executed, which he could have him beaten and executed for being a runaway slave. He says, listen, don't treat in that way at all. He could have commanded it. He could have said, I could have just told you to do it and you would have been expected to do it. And verse number eight, he says this wherefore I thought I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin the. That that which is convenient, I mean, yes, he was helping Paul Watson, just let him stay with me. Let him stay at my side, don't make a big deal about it. He could have commanded that, but it says a verse number nine, for love sake, I rather beseech thee being such a one as Paul The Age and now also the prisoner of war, he says, listen, I'm not going to tell you what to do. I'm just going to urge you I'm going to ask you, uh, with with with eagerness to consider this argument that I'm about to to address. And then he continues on with his plea, his request of. Of Lehman, it says, I beseech you for my son on estimate's, look at the grammar there. He says, my son on estimates it's. It's a term that we see also that Paul used for Timothy, his son in the. Philemon was was a dear man to Timothy, he greatly loved. Excuse me, an estimate was a great friend and a dear son to two pole, he says this, he says, which in times past was to the unprofitable, now profitable, and me into the he says, whom I have seen again now, therefore receive him that that is mine own because he says, listen, receive him as if he was my son. Receive him as if you're receiving someone that's that's related to me. Why would he why would he even say things like that? Because he knew Philemon cared about Paul. He knew Filemon cherished their relationship together. Paul and William, his relationship, he says, listen and receive him as if you're receiving my own blood. My own family. What does the Nessim has done to deserve this treatment from Paul? I mean, he was he was an outcast of society. He was a runaway slave in the mind of the typical Roman. He was he was worthless. He all the only thing that he deserved was more punishment. Even execution for the things that he has done to his master. No one would look at the social standing of an estimate and say, wow, there's worth there. But Paul did. It says this Salvacion changed everything. In the mind of Paul. It changed the value. Of a runaway unprofitable. Slive. And he's trying to. Trying to get the layman to understand, listen, things have changed now. He says this, who lives and again, that we're seeing as my own battles is the first number 13 whom I would have retained with me, says, listen, I would have just kept them with me. I would have made the decision, and just without even telling you, I would have just I would have kept anything but. He said, I want I want to know your mind, I want to know what you would have him do. He owes you, he's he's your servant, he's your bond servant, he's your indentured servant. Obviously, there was something that this uneasiness owed to Suleiman, whether it was from his father's debt or his own debt, is in this situation. He says, I want I want to know what you would want to have done, and in the Greco Roman world, a slave was to be considered as living property. They could do whatever they wanted with them and they were taught to treat them right because it was part of their possession. It was part of of their own work in their own life. And so there was a good thing to take care of their servants. But here, Paul saying, listen, I want you to be the one to determine what the future of investments will be. Whether he stays with me, whether he comes back to you, whether you put him before the magistrates, whether you have him beaten, whether you have him executed or whatever the case may be, I'm putting him before you. But he's profitable to me. And he's profitable to you. Verse 15 for perhaps he therefore departed for a season that thou should receive him forever. Paul's Paul is trying to get layman to understand the working of God in these two men's life. What would normally happen when there was a good master and someone who who loved his servants, that at his death at the will, he would release them to be free men or free women, but they would still remain in their household to be taken care of and to serve for a lifetime. And so what Paul is trying to get the layman to understand is, listen, this might be just the working of God that he had to leave. He ran away, but by the province of God, he met me here, the gospel. He got saved. And though he only departed for a season, he's to be received back in your home as a restored brother, not a restored servant, but as a restored brother in the faith. Verse 16 alludes to that now, not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother, beloved, especially to me. But how much more do they both in the flesh and in the Lord? So the request that Paul makes is, is is is this to flamin? Listen. Yes, he is a runaway slave, but he's been born again. He's a child of God. He's very valuable to the ministry of God. God's using him, God's working through him. But because of the situation that he has put himself in and yes, there are situations that are passed before salvation, the things that we must deal with. There's something that has to be dealt with. And he has to be received back by you. Or however you would see fit. But Paul compelling him to consider his argument. In verse 17, there's there's something very unusual, and I think I think you'll understand why it's unusual and how it applies to us today. This is what Paul is about to do for uneasiness. He says, if you count me, therefore, a partner. Partner, a fellow laborer in the work of God, which would be a rhetorical question on Paul's behalf, because he obviously was a fellow laborer, a friend. Receive him as myself. Said. When you look at an estimate when he comes to you. Because he would be right there handing him the letter to Filemon and it would be read before him and Filemon. He says when you when you hear this one, an estimate is right for you, don't look at him as an estimates, the runaway slave whose cost you something, who may have stolen from you. We don't know all the details. Who has done you wrong? Don't look at him like that, but look at him as if he were me. See, Paul was imputing upon on estimates his goodness, his relationship with Lehman is that he's not he's not just who he once was. He's as if he were me. And he says this to follow, he says this If he had wronged or the put that on my account. Paul doesn't name here anything specific. To the to the wrongdoing of omniscience, to Filemon, but he says this regardless of what he has done. Cancel it. And put it on me. Cancel his debt and I will do whatever he has taken from you. I will repay it as if it were my own account. Once again, I I ask you, what has an estimate done to receive such treatment? Paul says, I have I have run it with my own hand, I will repay it lba, I do not say to the how the artists onto me, Oh, listen to me. Thine own soul, thine own self. Besides another thing that Paul. Is telling Philemon in this is that, listen, you are at the same place on asthmas was even though you were not a runaway slave, you were a wealthy man at a big home. But listen, he received the same salvation you received of me. And you both have an owling in debt to me as. The one who's shared the gospel with you, he doesn't really belabor this point, he just makes it. Makes it known, he says, your brother, verse 20, let me have joy of the in the Lord, refresh my mouth and Lord. Paul deeply cared about estimates and how Philemon responded to them. This wasn't a you get to think about it situation. This is here he is, this is what he's done and everyone would know what an estimated. Everyone who knew Filemon would know that Investements was a runaway slave that had run away from and taken things from a flame and cost him something, he's right there. He looks different. He talks different. It's different. But he's still on estimates. And Philemon has to make the decision, how is he going to respond? To help solve uson estimates and what God has done enormous and estimates his life. After his experience, all this hurt and pain from it, how is he going to respond to this? How is he going to respond to the transformation that God has done in this man's life, even though he has suffered wrong of him? How is he going to respond? Paul wants him to respond. In a favorable way, he wants to receive him. Receive him back into his house joyfully. To bring Paul in, those that would hear of this joy to refreshes his heart is his soul the most part. So listen, I want you to do this because it's so important to me. First twenty one. Paul, having wrote in this written this letter, knew fully and his testimony enough to know that Lehman was going to obey, was going to have a favorable response, having confidence and in obedience. I run into this another part that's important, knowing that that will also do more than I say. All that Paul wanted is to have him to be received and forgiven. Of the things that he has done. To flamin. But Paul was confident in the faith of Lehman and the testimony of Lehman to know this, that he would go beyond forgiveness. In the life of an estimate's, all would be beyond it for him. And that he would dwell in his house or allow or allow investments to continue serving the Lord alongside of Paul. And the last part of the letter tells us that Paul desired to lodge with them after his release from Rome to prepare a place for him, then the this is the first twenty to twenty twenty five is the closing of the letter. It's go it goes back to the salutation of fellow saints and then eventually to the benediction of Paul, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Be with your spirit. Amen. As we consider this letter to and there's many things that I believe that we can apply in our life, but there's one thing that I believe the Lord would have me to. To communicate with you this morning. The imagery of what Paul does for an estimate's. Is similar to the imagery that Christ has done for us. On estimates, it's a runaway slave, worthless. There's nothing that I could do to get a favorable response. From Filemon, there's nothing he could do on his own power, his own strength. Paul came along. Paul led him to the Lord more than that. He said, listen. I'm imputing my goodness upon on estimates when you see him. Receive him as you would receive me. When you and I trust and in crisis our savior. God did not find us favorable based upon our own righteousness as. By your own goodness. By our our good behavior. He found a stable not because that we decided to turn over a new leaf or decided to be religious. He acceptance not based on our life stage. Our past sins are past righteous, he accept this solely upon the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ to our account. Because of all that Jesus has done, when you and I received Christ as our savior, all those debts of sin that we owed to the Lord or placed on Jesus. And Paul said. Whatever he owes you all that he's done wrong. That's on me. I will repay all of it. I will I will restore what you've lost. Jesus Christ became sin. Who knew Sam? That we might be made what the righteousness of God in him. You trust in Christ is your savior, God is not looking at OK, now what what good have you done? Is it good enough? What laws have you followed? I mean, did your good outweigh your bad? All he sees when you and I place our faith and trust in Jesus alone to save us. Is the perfect, righteous standing of his son. On our account. And there's nothing we can do to add to it, and there's nothing we can do to take away from it. And God restores us a relationship with him, not based on the fact that we want to be restored. Based on. His son's death, burial and resurrection. Did we deserve it? Now. But it satisfied the master. It satisfied God. We placed our faith and trust in him. Another another idea that I want to bring out is this I realize that we live lives. With imperfect people. That harm us and do us wrong. Would anyone agree to that? I would. People that may say stuff behind our backs may cost us hurt, physical hurt, emotional hurt, spiritual heart. People that have left let us down. People with unfulfilled promises. People that, yes, they should have done the right thing but didn't. Maybe they were being hateful, mean. Let me remind you. That the cross settles everything. Every debt is paid at the cross. See what you mean by that, the reason why we should forgive others that have wronged us is not because of the forgiveness that they seek from us. Because of the forgiveness that we have received from Christ. So what if that person never tries to restore a relationship with me? Should I forgive them? Have you been forgiven? Do you know anything to the Lord? And you should forgive them. Well, I'll forgive them, but I will never forget how they treated me. I'll never forget the wrong they've done. I'll never forget the pain they've caused. Really? Does God remember all those things about you? To see when you fail him. I knew you'd fail me, liar. Blasphemer, your culture is fornicator, you murder, you hater. No. How do you see us? As a righteous. Before the Lord. Without blame, without fault. But you don't know what they did to me. How was Philemon to receive an essence? To forgive him and to welcome him as a brother. But that only that only applies to Christians, then apparitions of Christians let me down. How many times should we forgive people? Seven times now, seven times seven. Jesus gave them a incalculable amount amount. Remembering this when someone's done is wrong, when someone has hurt us, when someone has cost us something, whether they've stolen from us, taken from us, destroyed something, hurt a. However it may be. How should we? Treat them. Or to forgive them as we are forgiven. Without any reminder of wrongdoing. Paul told the Corinthians. Love thinketh. No evil. I don't know who has hurt you, who is wronged you. I don't know the bitterness that is in your heart. Maybe it was the guilt, whatever it may be, that's hurting you right now. Jesus does not want you to take it with you. Doesn't want you to hold on to it. He commands us to forgive others. As he has forgiven us. That means. Completely. To see them as a brother or sister, to see them as a soul, that God wants to save a life that God wants to change. One that Jesus Christ has died for. One that Jesus wants to redeem. To be a child of God, one that Jesus wants to grant eternal life in a place called heaven. Wants to say from the depths of hell. To restore him unto himself. To complete them. You have to see them as God sees them. We wanting to show that the love that we have received from God to them as well. Let's pray. Father in heaven. Thank you for your words here today. And Lord, I know it's a hard, hard message to receive. And it could be there someone here today that has been trying their best. Trying to get to heaven. Trying to be good enough. Praying, prayers being kind. But. They must realize that there's only one way, and that's through Jesus, he has done everything that they needed to do perfectly. And all they need to do is put their faith and trust in him to be their savior. And you will save them. Lord, if there's anyone here today who's not saved, you'd give them boldness to come talk to someone at the front to talk to the person who brought them. And ask them, well, how how how can I get saved? How can I trust in Jesus? How can I have eternal life? And be forgiven of God, and they would today would be the day of their salvation. Lord, I'd say most people in this room here today are saved. You know, you as lord and savior and because of the course of life that we live, we are hurt. We are. We have expectations, um. That are not met and people have wronged us and hurt us. And Lord, you tell us to go to those and to forgive them and to reconcile to them, Lord, and tell us to forgive those who have hurt us and. I pray, Lord, that we would act upon the love and forgiveness that we have received of view. Interview others the way you see them. Help us be like a policeman. He sees. I'm not as a hurtful person. But as a profitable. Helpful to. In the hands of God. As a blood brother, a son. I was to respond as you'd have this to Lord and Jesus, I pray, Amen. Where there are any leads us in a time invitation and please stand Lord words in your heart somehow this morning

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Speaker 3: Hey, man, thank you for your faithfulness to the word of God and responding to him as he has led you, we have the Smith family coming to unite with our church this morning from the Emmanuel Baptist Church there in Sky took. And I know pastor is not here, so I don't know if this is a different precedent, but I believe a. We can ask forgiveness later if we do something we shouldn't have, but I'm I'm just kidding. This is just fine. So I like to have them them saying all all those who are willing to receive them in our church family signify by a hearty arm in arm and all those opposed. All right. Well, praise the Lord for that. We're going to have them here at the front. Their daughter, Bethany, just a couple of weeks ago receive Christ is her savior and she wants to follow the Lord and believer's baptism. We're going to try to work that out for next week with pastor and looking forward to that. Praise the Lord for your dear family and thank for you coming forward this morning. Well, let's go ahead and add a word of prayer or to have them here at the front. Make sure you come by and greet them and let them know you'll be praying for them and encourage them. And let's ask for God's blessing. Lord, thank you for. All the good things that you have done in our life and father, the forgiveness that you have displayed in our life, and I pray, Lord, that we continue to serve you and love one another as you have loved us, Lord bless the Smith family, Lord, and all those Lord who a Lord or are willing to join and serve the Lord here at the Baptist Tabernacle. And there might be some that might be encouraged by their obedience, Lord, and desire to work in their life. Lord bless us as we go our separate ways. Bring us back together tonight. And Jesus and I pray a man.

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