Pastor Grant Brown's sermon, titled 'The Gospel Long Game', explores the transformative power of the gospel through the lens of Paul's letter to Philemon. He emphasizes how Paul's identification as a 'prisoner of Christ Jesus' is not merely a statement of physical captivity but a profound declaration of spiritual allegiance. The sermon delves into the controversial topic of slavery as depicted in the Bible, urging listeners not to apologize for biblical teachings but to understand and interpret them through the gospel's lens. Pastor Brown elaborates on the distinction between different types of slavery, emphasizing that not all forms are inherently evil, while condemning those that contradict the image of God, such as chattel slavery. He highlights the gospel's power to change hearts and, by extension, societal structures, advocating that the gospel's influence should lead to the abolition of oppressive systems. Through the story of Onesimus, a runaway slave whom Paul sends back to Philemon, Pastor Brown illustrates the gospel's potential to foster reconciliation and freedom. He argues that the gospel's long-term impact is evident in historical shifts, such as the abolition of slavery, underscoring the message that the gospel's triumph extends beyond individual salvation to societal transformation. The sermon closes with a reflection on the grace and peace afforded by Jesus Christ, which enable such profound changes.

Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker, and to Appiah our sister and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always making mention of you in my prayers because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints. And I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ's sake. For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper, yet for love's sake I rather appeal to you, since I am such a person as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus. I appeal to you for my child on Esimus whom I have begotten in my imprisonment, who formerly was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me. I have sent him back to you in person, that is sending my very heart, whom I wish to keep with me, so that on your behalf he might minister to me in my imprisonment for the gospel. But without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that your goodness would not be in effect by compulsion but of your own free will. For perhaps he was for this reason separated from you for a while, that you would have him back forever.

No longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you both in the flesh and in the Lord. If then you regard me a partner, accept him as you would me. But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I Paul am writing this with my own hand. I will repay it, not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self as well.

Yes, brother, let me benefit from you and the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ. Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you since I know that you will do even more than what I say. At the same time also, prepare me a lodging, for I hope that through your prayers I will be given to you. Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greet you as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow workers.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. May God bless the reading and now the preaching of His word. Amen. Amen. You may be seated.

Well, my oldest daughter, earlier this week, She asked me a very wonderful question during family worship as we sat around the dinner table. She asked me, Daddy, are you going to preach any more Christmas servants? And at first I said no. Then I stopped myself and I said, well actually, yes, because actually every sermon is a Christmas sermon when it comes down to it. I mean without Christmas the entirety of the Old Testament is gutted and there would be absolutely no reason for Paul to write this letter to Philemon if it wasn't for the incarnation.

And so after a few seconds of thought I told my daughter actually, Abby, I will. I will be preaching sermons about Christmas all year long, because Christmas is the foundation for everything. And so she smiled. She approved of that. And then she said, good.

So does that mean we get to keep singing more Christmas songs? To which I replied, probably not at church for a while, But we can sure sing it tonight. And then what followed from that conversation was the absolutely best rendition of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing you've ever heard from the lips of four little girls. I'm still smiling about it.

So we come now to Paul's letter to Philemon, a letter about how Christmas changes everything, even slavery, especially slavery. How the coming of Jesus, how his gospel changes everything about the way we view, and the way we live in his world, including the issue of slavery. So I suppose that's where we should start this morning, with slavery. The content of this book deals primarily with the issue of slavery. Now we just studied Titus not long ago and in Paul's letter to Titus who did Paul address in the middle of Titus chapter 2?

Do you remember? He addresses slaves And he told slaves to submit to their masters. And now in Paul's letter to Philemon, what do we find yet again? Slavery front and center. Paul in Titus tells slaves obey your masters.

He says the same thing in Ephesians. He says the same thing in Colossians. He says the same thing in 1 Timothy. Slavery, slavery, slavery, slavery. Philemon deals with slavery.

You mean you just read the letter, didn't you? What did you find in this letter that we've just read in these 25 verses? You find Paul writing to his friend Philemon about a runaway slave named Onesimus. There's a funny story about that word, Onesimus. For years, I'm 37, so for 36 years, as soon as I can talk, I've called that name Onesimus.

And I'm with a group of men at the Timothy Fellowship a year ago, and I'm reading from Philemon, and they look at me and they say, his name not Onesimus. Well, it's got the word one in it. I was wrong. It is Onesimus, or something similar. Anyway, so you have Onesimus who is a former slave of Philemon and for some reason Onesimus has run away.

He ran away as a pagan, but in the sovereignty of God, Onesimus meets Paul, and Onesimus gets converted. God saves Onesimus, and now Paul is sending newly converted Onesimus back to Philemon. Just get that. Paul is sending a slave back to a slave owner. And he calls that slave owner a dear friend, a beloved brother.

Paul is returning a runaway slave to a man who owns slave, and Paul has a lot of nice things to say to that slave owner, Philena. What do you do with that? What do you do with the way that the Bible encourages slaves to obey their master? What do you do with the Bible giving instructions to slave owners about how to treat their slaves? What do you do about the Bible's inclusion of flavoring?

Here's one thing you don't do. You don't get embarrassed by it. You don't get embarrassed by what the Bible says. You don't apologize for what the Bible says. No, if you're tempted to do that, if you're tempted to say, well, I want to apologize, you'll be embarrassed about the way that God talks about slavery.

Stop thinking that you are more pure than God. You are not more pure than the Bible. You know it. I know it. God definitely knows it.

You are not more pure than the Bible. You know it. I know it. God definitely knows it. You are not more pure than the Holy Scriptures.

The Bible is the Word of God. It is the pure word of God, it is the righteous word of God, it is the perfect and pure word of the Holy, Holy, Holy God. And so when you get to the issue of slavery being in the Bible, you don't get to take your cultural sensitivities and the prevailing opinions of the world and lay it on top of the perfect and pure scriptures. And then demand that the perfect and pure scriptures shape up. No no no!

You take the Bible and you lay them on top of all of your cultural sensitivities and all of the world's prevailing opinions. You lay the Bible on top of them and the Bible tells your cultural sensitivities and the world's opinions to shape up. That's how that works. So don't apologize for what God's Word says. Don't be embarrassed by what God's Word says.

Instead, believe it and make it the standard by which you evaluate all the other things that you should be embarrassed about. There's a lot of things in your life and in this world that you should be embarrassed about. This ain't one of them. That's one thing. You also can't say, don't be embarrassed, you also can't say, well slavery was then, but this is now.

You can't say, well, God permitted slavery then, but now he doesn't. Because if you say that, then in the words of Doug Wilson, what will you say to the person who is a homosexual and tries to say the same thing to you? What will you do when a homosexual says to you, well that was then but this is now? God hated homosexuality, God called homosexuality an abomination, but that was then and this is now. If you can play the game that this was then and this is now with slavery, then I can play that game, says the homosexual, with that was then and this is now with homosexuality.

So that's what the homosexual will ask you. Don't play that game. Don't play that game. Instead tell that person, yes slavery is in the Bible. Yes, God permitted and God regulated slavery.

And yes, God also hates homosexuality then and now. So if you aren't to apologize for it, if you aren't to be embarrassed by it, then what are you to do with slavery in the Bible? What do you do with it? Well here's number one. Number one, recognize that because of how God's word describes slavery, that not all slavery, not all bond servanthood is evil in and of itself.

Not all slavery is evil. Now potentially that makes some of you uneasy. What did he just say? If that makes you think, uh-oh, my pastor is pro-slavery, then hold up. What are you?

What are you, Christian? 1 Corinthians 6 20, you have been bought with a prize, bought. In Ephesians 6 6, you are a slave of Christ Jesus. You're a slave in Jesus Christ, bond by Jesus Christ. Is all slavery evil?

There is a slavery that is evil. There is a slavery that is sin. Slavery to sin and slavery that is done in sin, those things are evil. Man stealing is sin. God forbids it in the eighth commandment.

And in Exodus chapter 21 verse 16, God declares, he who kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or he is found in his possession, shall surely be put to death. God hates man stealing. That's evil. That kind of slavery, man stealing, that kind of slavery that was in the trans-Atlantic slave trade is something that God hates. God abominates it.

God hates chattel slavery. Slavery that rejects the image of God in all men. A slavery that instead treats Image bearers of God merely as objects of personal property, that form of slavery flies in the face of God's law in the Old Testament regarding the way Israel was to care for their slaves. God hates chattel slavery. And so should you.

But there are also other types of slavery found commonly in the Old Testament like indentured servitude. Almost like a form of employment. Or there are forms of slavery as a means of mercy, when people who were conquered, rather than being put to the sword, were made into household slaves and cared well for as fellow image bearers, regulated by the law of God. God does not call those things evil, so neither should you. There was a type of slavery where slaves became like family.

In fact, God's law mandated that Hebrews sold into slavery, normally for financial reasons, after six years, they had to be set free. After six years, God's law demanded that they be given the opportunity to go free. But listen to this, Some slaves wanted to stay. Some slaves wanted to continue to be slaves. And in fact, in Exodus 21 verse 6, if a slave was to be set free, but didn't want to go free, but loved his master, and wanted to stay in the household of his master willingly, God's law made a provision for that to happen.

A slave would take an awl and that awl would pierce his ear into the doorpost of that household. And the slave would be a part of that household forever willingly you had slaves in the Old Testament wanting to stay slaves because far from hating their masters they loved their masters this was their family this was their household they wanted to stay and so God's law allowed it, in fact God's law demanded that the slaves be given that right. So I just want you to hear that. There is a slavery that is evil, and there is a slavery that is not. And your opinions on the matter need to be God's opinions.

There is a slavery to sin, which is evil. But there is a slavery to Christ, which is the most wonderful thing in all the world. Just think about what Jesus Christ has done for you, Christian. Just think about it. You were a slave to your sin.

You were a captive to your lust. You were a servant of the devil. But Christ set you free. We sang it just a moment ago, didn't we? My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose and went forth, and I followed thee.

That's what Jesus does. He's in the business of setting slaves free. With His blood, Jesus Christ purchased you, He made you His own, and there is no greater master. There is no greater freedom, hear this, there is no greater freedom than being a slave to the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh Bob Dylan, oh Bobby Dean, he said it perfect.

It may be the devil or it may be the Lord, but we all got to serve somebody. You got to serve somebody. It's not whether you'll be a slave to somebody or not, no, no, no, but whose slave you'll be. It's not whether, but which. I know this morning if you do not know, if you do not know the freedom from the change of your sin and the condemnation of the devil fly this morning to the Lord of lords and the King of kings for he breaks the power of canceled sin and he sets the prisoner free his blood can make a foulest clean how do I know because his blood availed even from me.

So that's number one. There is a slavery that is evil. There is a lot of slavery that is evil. And you should call it as such. But there is also a slavery that God does not call evil, and so let the Bible, let God's understanding be your understanding and let God say what is evil and what is not and then agree with him.

That's the first thing that you should do with slavery in the bottom. Agree with God. Agree with God. Number two, this is massive. This is massive in your understanding of this letter to Philemon.

Number two, recognize what Paul is doing here in this book. Recognize what Paul is doing in his letter to Philemon. The Gospel has the power to not just change a human heart. It does change human hearts. But the gospel has the power to not just change a human heart but the power to change all the world.

As you read this letter I'm hoping to show you, I'm hoping that God gives you eyes to see, I'm praying that God would give you eyes to see how Paul reasons from the gospel to encourage Philemon to set Onesimus free. And by extension, all slaves in the world free because of the freeing power of Christ's gospel. I'll say that again. The gospel of Jesus Christ has power. It is the power of God unto salvation.

And that salvation works itself out by grace in a society that is increasingly saturated with that same gospel. That gospel, the gospel of Jesus, redeems slaves of sin and sets them free. And that same gospel then demands that any form of evil slavery must be abolished in the world where that gospel reigns supreme. So if you've ever doubted the triumph of the gospel of Jesus Christ on a national worldwide level. If you've ever doubted you thought, I mean come on Pastor Graham.

You've been talking during Christmas all Christmas long about the power of the gospel to reach the ends of the earth. Have you ever doubted the triumph of the gospel of Jesus Christ on a national, country to country, worldwide level? Well the very fact that chattel slavery in the Western world has been abolished, at least on a policy level, the very fact that chattel slavery, the very fact that the slave trade has been abolished, should be remarkable to you. It should demonstrate to you that the gospel of Jesus Christ does not just affect personal lives, it does, but it does not just affect personal lives, it does, but it does not just affect personal lives, but the gospel is so triumphant that it affects the lives of people collectively who make up entire nations. The gospel impacts the rule of kings and national leaders, the gospel of Galatians 3, in that there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free man, for we are all one in Christ Jesus by God's grace.

That gospel works itself out in governments to such a degree that a nation throughout history, nations, begin to abolish slavery. That's gospel triumph across a world that has at least on a policy level abolished slavery. So if you're under any impression that the gospel doesn't have any place in politics or the public sphere, then what about slavery? Why is chattel slavery a thing we got rid of, here's the answer. Because the gospel of Jesus Christ triumphed in the public sphere and it affected national policy.

That's why. And that is a huge, that is the thing of what Paul is saying to Philemon. I think it's the biggest aspect of this letter's aim and content. The triumph of Christ's gospel in the individual and indeed in all of Christian society and all the world as the gospel goes forth the gospel changes everything. The gospel sets prisoners of sin free spiritually, and as men are set spiritually free from their sins, physical slavery becomes something that must be addressed.

But you can't have the second without the first. Paul urges Philemon to set Onesimus free. How is this working out in the letter to Philemon. Paul urges Philemon to set Onesimus free. To give Onesimus his freedom.

Why does Paul urge Philemon to give Onesimus his freedom? Did you read it? Well The answer is because Philemon was set free by Jesus. And if Philemon has been set free with him, how then can he not set his brother Onesimus free without? That's exactly what Paul urges Philemon to do.

If you look in the middle of his letter, look at verses 15 and 16 in the letter. 15 and 16. Look at the end of verse 15. Have him back, it says. Have him back forever.

So have Onesimus back. And then verse 16. No longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, Especially to me, but how much more to you both in the flesh and in the Lord? What's Paul doing? Paul is asking Philemon to have Onesimus back, but no longer as a slave, but a brother.

He's asking Philemon to set Onesimus free. What's he doing? He's doing what I'm calling, he's playing the long game. Paul is playing the long game in the letter. He's preaching the gospel.

He's calling sinners to repentance and faith in Christ. He's planting churches He's raising overseers and he's raising up deacons in the churches Knowing that the kind of long-term gospel that kind of long-term gospel Proclamation will change the world. He's planning churches, raising up overseers, raising up deacons, he's proclaiming gospel knowing that that kind of long-term gospel work will change the world. The gospel of Jesus Christ will change the world. Now, there will be no end to Christ's governance or of peace through the power of his gospel.

We've talked through that this Advent season. There will be no end to the triumph of Christ's gospel, to the increase of his governance, or of peace. There will be no end. And so Paul believes that. And so Paul plays the long game of that gospel proclamation to see the world made new, including the abolition of what is unbiblical evil slavery.

And we see that here even in Philemon. And I hope we're going to see it all the more clearly in the weeks ahead. In a nutshell, That's the content of Paul's letter. The gospel is so radical. Christmas was so earth-shaking that it demands that even the systems of the world change, because there will be no end to his governance or peace.

So that is the content of Philemon, the triumph of the gospel starting in the hearts of men, saturating a society and eventually the entire world. So we're gonna spend a lot of time on that weeks ahead, but with the time we have left I want to spend the rest of our time on some characters in this letter. At least those mentioned in the first three verses. Some characters in this letter. In verse one, we're told that the author of this letter is Paul.

Paul, and he's not alone, he's with Timothy. Timothy is there with him. And what do you notice about Paul's title in verse 1? What do you notice about Paul's title in verse 1? Well usually Paul begins his letters with Paul and apostle.

Isn't that right? You think about all his letters that he's written, Paul and apostle of Christ Jesus. Paul and apostle of Christ Jesus. You get to Philemon. He doesn't use his normal call sign.

What is Paul right? Paul a prisoner. Well that's unique. Why would he say that? Paul the prisoner.

Well, first let's talk about why it's so glorious that he uses it. Paul the prisoner, and who does he say a prisoner of? A prisoner of Christ Jesus. This is glorious. It's a really interesting thing to say.

A prisoner of Christ Jesus to me, while writing this letter, Paul is probably either in Ephesus or Rome. I think he's probably in Ephesus. Most of the commentaries that I read believe him to be in Rome. I think he's in Ephesus, but I'm in the minority, so it's probably in Rome. But it doesn't matter.

Either he's in Ephesus or a Rome or somewhere, he's in prison, but Paul doesn't say a prisoner of the Romans. He doesn't say a prisoner of the Romans. He doesn't say a prisoner of the Ephesians. No. What does Paul call himself?

A prisoner of Christ Jesus. Now what's Paul saying there? I think he's saying a lot of things, but he's saying at least this. God is sovereign. Christ rules and reigns.

And it's Jesus Christ who has me here. It is Jesus Christ in whose hands I rest, even in these chains. Rome can't do a lick of anything. Ephesus can't do anything. The lesser rulers, the lesser magistrates, the world can't do anything apart from that which is purpose by the Lord Jesus Christ who rules over them all.

I'm not a prisoner of Rome, I'm a prisoner of Christ. I'm in these chains why? Why, because Rome outwitted God? No! Because God is sovereign.

I'm a prisoner of Christ Jesus. So right out of the gate, Paul's done it again. Even his imprisonment is to the glory of Jesus Christ. Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus. And so dear saints, just let it, this as, and just as a brief aside, let us understand our hardships and our approach to our sufferings in this new year in a way similar to Paul.

God is sovereign and we can trust him. Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus. And you're going to notice, you probably already have, that Paul continues to come back to that title, prisoner of Christ Jesus, prisoner of Christ Jesus, chains throughout this letter. In fact, I'm going to go ahead and point it out to you. Look in verses 9 and 10.

What's there in verses 9 and 10? Verse 9, you're going to see prisoner of Christ Jesus there at the end of verse 9. Prisoner of Christ Jesus. Verse 10. Look at verse 10.

I appeal to you for my child Onesimus whom I have begotten in my imprisonment. He keeps bringing these realities up. Look at verse 13. My imprisonment for the gospel. There at the end of verse 13.

My imprisonment for the gospel. Then look at verse 23 towards the end. Epaphras, my fellow prisoner. Paul is continuing, saturating this brief letter with prison language, chain language. Why is that?

Why does he keep bringing up the idea of being a prisoner? Do you think it has anything to do with the fact that he's writing a letter about slavery? He's bringing up his chains and now he's bringing, he's writing a letter about slavery. Do you think that has anything to do with it? I do.

And so does theologian G.K. Beale and I quote, Paul's reference to himself as a prisoner throughout this letter is an appeal to Philemon to give up his rights of slave ownership for the cause of Christ just as Paul has given up his personal rights to become a prisoner of Christ." End quote. So what's the deal with Paul bringing up his imprisonment throughout the letter? Paul has been in bonds for the sake of Jesus. So would you not, Philemon, release these bonds for me?

Paul, if you could, Paul is, in essence, Philemon, you'd take these bonds off me, wouldn't you? I mean, if you had the power to release me from my prison, from my bondage, You'd do it for me, wouldn't you, wouldn't you, Philemon?" That's what Paul's saying. And what would Philemon say? Of course I would, Paul! Of course I would!

And so Paul's arguing. If you'd set me free, Philemon, If you could set my chains free, since you can't do it for me, won't you do it for my beloved child Onesimus? If you can't do it for me, I'm in Ephesus or Rome. You can't get here for me to do it for me. Well, I'm sending one back that you can do it to.

I'm sending one back called Onesimus that you could set free in my place. I think Paul is telling Philemon, Philemon, because Jesus has taken you out of your bonds of sin spiritually. Will you not do the same for your slave Onesimus physically? Set him free as a brother in the Lord? That's what is going on in Paul's use of this title, prisoner of Christ Jesus.

Verse 1, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker. Now the end of verse 1 describes Philemon, who was a beloved brother of Paul. Paul knows Philemon well. Philemon knows Paul well. This is a letter chiefly to Philemon, but notice it's also addressed to some others.

It's not just to Philemon. Look at verse 2. And to Afia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house. Now Paul lists three additional audiences for this letter beyond Philemon. Who are they?

Afia, Archippus or you could call it Archippus, and the church meeting in their house. There's three additional audience members. Now we cannot be sure, so I'm not saying this real dogmatically. Don't come up to me after the sermon and say, man, how could you? I don't know if this is true, but I think it is.

Many theologians, myself included, think that it is likely that Aphia is Philemon's wife and Archippus is likely Philemon's son. Now again, we can't be sure, but it is at least a possibility. Archippus is mentioned in Paul's letter to the Colossians and is given the title fellow soldier here in this passage. So Paul and Archippus both are men who together have experienced hardship in the service of Christ. They know suffering, they know it intimately.

And Paul honors Archippus greatly by giving this title here, fellow soldier, to this man. And so again, it's possible that Philemon, Afia, Archippus, they're all part of the same household. And here's why I think it's likely. Because what is the aim of Paul's letter? Paul's aim is the restoration of a runaway slave, Onesimus, to his master Philemon.

Think about this. Onesimus is to be restored into the household of Philemon, his household. And so it would make a lot of sense. It would be appropriate to include all the members of Philemon's household in this letter, particularly by name. So again potentially, Appiah and Archippus, members of the household, And because of the gospel, Onesimus should be set free as a brother in Christ so the whole household should know it.

And also should the church. So regardless if you think this is a single household or not, the important thing to understand is that these saints, they're meeting together in the house, probably the house of Philemon. There's a congregation meeting in this house and that congregation is a church. So it's big enough that there is, it is, God calls it a church. And the end of verse two tells us that this letter was also written for them, the church, the final C this morning.

Now, if you look at the end of verse two and all of verse three, let's just read that together. And to the church in your house, verse 3, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. G.K. Abil, I'm going to quote him again, he states this, perhaps Paul includes the church as recipients of this letter so that they will encourage Philemon to heed Paul's appeal to him. That's one thing.

Or perhaps Paul includes the church since Onesimus illegally ran away from Philemon. This has fractured the entire church community so that not merely Philemon but also the whole church needs to forgive Onesimus and receive him back as a Christian brother. Both notions are probably in mind." End quote. Well, notice the ending of Paul's introduction in verse 3. This is huge.

Notice the ending of Paul's introduction in verse 3. This is huge. Notice the ending of Paul's introduction in verse 3. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I want you to think about what Paul is asking Philemon here to do.

This is a massive thing. Paul is asking quite a lot of Philemon. He's asking a lot of the church. He is asking for Philemon and the church that's meeting in Philemon's home to forgive a man who has wronged them very greatly. The more you read this letter, the more you'll pick up.

And there's a lot going on here. Paul is asking a lot. He's asking Philemon and the church to be reconciled to a man who has treated them spitefully. He's asking Philemon and the church to be reconciled to the man to receive a man back who is probably stolen from them. And now he comes back to them with nothing but himself.

He's stolen from Philemon. Paul says later in the letter, I'll pay back what he owes you. So Onesimus has probably taken something, probably of great value. Onesimus has left with great value, he comes back with only himself. And now he's converted.

Paul is asking a lot, isn't he? How on earth is something like that possible where that kind of man who is going to leave in spite, that kind of man who is going to steal from you, that kind of man who is going to leave evilly, You want us just to receive Him back? How is that possible? How is that possible? How on earth is reconciliation possible with all of this lousy baggage that you're reading about in this letter?

You'll see more of it the more you read. How is it possible? Only the grace of God in Christ Jesus. It's the only way this is possible. Only the grace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ makes this reconciliation possible.

It has to be from the Lord who was crucified, who was buried, and who was raised so that every enemy of peace would be put under His feet. It Has to be from Him. Paul's letter begins with grace. If you read the entirety of the letter, what does it end with? Verse 25.

Go ahead and say it. Grace. Grace. It begins with grace, it ends with grace. All that Paul is reasoning from, all that Paul is asking is impossible apart from the sovereign grace of God in Jesus Christ.

It's impossible. So peace, reconciliation, peace between the house of Philemon and the runaway slave Onesimus is possible Because the Lord Jesus is our peace vertically Between God and man in Jesus. What do we sing at Christmas God and sinners? Reconciled yes So peace is only possible for those in Christ For those in Christ peace is a certainty Why? How can Paul have so much confidence?

You'll read there in the middle of the letter, I have confidence in you, final amen, you're going to do the right thing. In fact, you're not just going to do the right thing, you're going to go above and beyond, final amen, I know it. How could Paul say such a thing I know that you'll do even more than what I asked how can Paul have so much confidence that what he writes will happen what's the answer because the promise of Christmas was that there would be no end to the increase of Christ's government or of peace. Not just vertically, but from the vertical peace with God comes horizontal peace with God to the ends of the earth and This letter to Philemon shows us how I? Hope over the next couple of weeks you see that clearly how Philemon shows us how the promise of Christmas works itself out in households and to the ends of the earth.

So there you go Abigail another Christmas here. Praise God. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven thank you for this your word. Please please help us to rightly ingest it.

Please. Perhaps I've said some hard things, but Lord, I think they came directly from your word. Lord, what is true cause it to remain for Jesus' sake. In his name I pray. Amen.

Thanks for watching!