Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev19990214.htm

PHILEMON: DESTROYING INSTITUTIONAL EVIL WITH INDIVIDUAL GRACIOUSNESS
Part I: Starting To Overcome Evil In Institutions By Exampling Personal Grace
(Philemon 1-10, 13-14, 17-19)
  1. Introduction
    1. Many Christians are concerned about the depth of evil in the institutions around them. The Supreme Court sanctions abortion, Congress tolerates atheistic evolution and the suppressing of Creationism in public schools that we are taxed to support while our President defends homosexuality. We can add to this the evil faced in marital, family or other human institutions at more local levels.
    2. Since Christians are to make disciples of all nations according to Acts 1:8, that commission eventually faces and counters such institutional evils. The only question is how to do it effectively and uprightly!
    3. The contents of Paul's Epistle of Philemon heavily influenced the Christian community of his day to nullify evils in the institution of slavery. Since Christianity itself eventually nullified Rome's power, one can say that Paul through Philemon paved the way for how we are to correct evils in man's institutions.
    4. We start a three part series on overcoming institutional evil using Paul's example in the Philemon Epistle:
  2. Starting To Overcome Evil In Institutions By Exampling Personal Grace, Phm. 1-10, 13-14, 17-19.
    1. When Paul wrote his epistle to Philemon, Onesimus, whom Paul had led to Christ while he was in a Roman prison, was in danger of being crucified by fellow Chistian, Philemon fo r being a thieving, runaway slave:
      1. Onesimus had run from his Christian master after having apparently stolen from him, ending up in Rome where Paul had led him to Christ, Phm. 10-11, 15-16, 18.
      2. Philemon, Onesimus' master, as we know from Colossians 4:7-9, 17 combined with Philemon 1-2, 10 was a believer who lived in Colossae.
      3. Since runaway slaves could be legally crucified by their masters, Paul faced the awesome task of calming the troubled waters between fellow believers, Philemon and Onesimus due to the evils of vengeance that slavery promoted in the Empire, J. B. Lightfoot, Colossians and Philemon, p. 314.
    2. Paul sought to overcome the evil retribution often practiced in such a case by appealing to Onesimus' master in this Epistle to Philemon through exampling great personal GRACE as follows:
      1. Though nowhere else in his Biblical epistles does Paul introduce an epistle as such, he introduces himself as "a prisoner of Jesus Christ" in Philemon 1. This title would evoke compassion and a sense of obligatory self-restraint from Philemon as he recognized Paul was suffering as a calling from Christ!
      2. Throughout the letter, Paul used encouraging, kind words though he suffered as a prisoner, something that would motivate Philemon to feel obliged himself be kind as Paul was toward him, Phm. 3-7
      3. Paul laid aside his right to order Philemon rather to beseech him to restore Onesimus, Phm. 8-9a, 12, and referred to himself as the aged apostle in Phm. 9b, a term in a culture that demanded respect for and gentle care toward the elderly. This all would spark a sense of obligatory self-restraint in Philemon.
      4. Paul lovingly called Onesimus his beloved son in the faith, something that would put an obligatory sense on Philemon in regards to self-restraint from wanting to crucify Onesimus, Phm. 10-12.
      5. Paul considerately relayed how he had made Onesimus return to his master, Philemon though he could have retained him, and that out of trust for Philemon and respect for his ownership of Onesimus, Phm. 13-14. This would have he ld Philemon's trust and made him more oblidged to heed Pauls urging of him.
      6. Paul also used his own fellowship with Philemon as a basis for his call for self-restraint to him, v. 17.
      7. Though a prisoner without income, Paul asked Philemon to put to his own charge any costs that Onesimus incurred, v. 18-19a. This ultimate act of grace evoked obligatory self restraint in Philemon.
      8. Paul told Philemon that he owed Paul his own soul as Paul had led him to faith in Christ, something that would have further urged obligatory restraint on Philemon's part, Phm. 19b.
      9. Paul explained that he planned to visit Philemon once he was released from prison, a further encouragement for Philemon to show restraint against Onesimus as Paul would check up on him, v. 22.
Lesson: Exampling great personal sacrifice, Paul roused Philemon's sense of similar obligatory self-restraint so he would refrain from taking troubling retribution against runaway slave, Onesimus.

Application: We like Paul can begin to counter the evil in institutions by our exampling great grace to others, for that EXAMPLE influences others with an obligatory sense of self-restraint from doing evil!