Pastor Grant Brown's sermon "Philemon: An Example for Us All" explores the Apostle Paul's letter to Philemon, emphasizing its teachings on reconciliation, unity, and prayer within the church. Paul, writing from prison, appeals to Philemon not with apostolic authority but through love, encouraging him to accept Onesimus back as a beloved brother in Christ rather than a slave. This letter serves as a model for biblical reconciliation, showing how the gospel transforms relationships. Pastor Grant highlights that reconciliation begins and ends with prayer, urging the congregation to pray for one another to maintain unity and peace. The sermon draws parallels between Onesimus's redemption and the Christian experience, emphasizing that believers, like Onesimus, were once fugitives but are now embraced by God's grace.

Philemon, beginning in verse 1, I'd invite the congregation out to stand as God now speaks. Beginning in verse 1, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus and Timothy our brother to Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker and to Athia 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 for 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 Onesimus, 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, greets you as do Mark, Nebuchadnezzar, 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. When you read Paul's letter to Philemon, does anything surprise you? Well, maybe a lot of things surprise you. But one of the things that has continued to stick out to me as I've read and re-read and re-read this brief letter is the particular way that Paul speaks to Philemon. You just think about it, it would have been really really easy for Paul to write, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, and because I'm an apostle this is what you need to do, Philemon, and I expect it to be done immediately the end.

Straight into the point. I'm an apostle, Philemon, So listen to me and be reconciled to onesimus. Do it send the letter Would that make sense? I've asked several times in my head as I've been studying Paul, why do you write the way you're writing? You're an apostle.

Philemon's not an apostle. Why write all these additional verses that you write? Why write 25 verses when instead you could just write maybe five and get right down to brass taxes and demand action. Why waste all of this extra ink on all this other stuff? What's the answer?

It's not a waste. It's not a waste. Paul isn't wasting ink. No, God through Paul is telling me, as a pastor, here is how you handle mediation in your church, Pastor Grant and Pastor Matthew. Here is what biblical reconciliation looks like as you mediate between two parties who are in the Lord.

Here is how you stand in the gap and bring about reconciliation between two saints in the Lord in this body. And not just pastors but you too you are to imitate your pastors as they are imitating Christ and therefore you too must approach and desire reconciliation and unity and peace within this church. And Paul's letter to Philemon shows you how. Here is what must flavor. Here is what must guide your approach to biblical reconciliation and Mediation in the church when things haven't gone right when trouble has risen when it becomes difficult To forgive when it becomes difficult to be united.

Here's a guide. Paul's letter to Philemon. Second Timothy 3, 16 and 17. All scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness so that the man of God may be equipped and adequate, equipped for every good work. All scripture is inspired by God, including fine lemmon.

All scripture is profitable for teaching, including Paul's teaching to Philemon about how you are to understand slavery the way God would have you understand slavery. And Philemon is profitable for training in righteousness so that you may be adequate, equipped for every good work, every good work including the good work of biblical reconciliation and mediation and unity in the Lord. Paul is giving you, Paul is giving us in this letter a master class on biblical reconciliation mediation in the church of Jesus Christ in short Paul's example here is an example for us all Paul's example here is an example for us all. So I want you to see this. I want to see this together.

To do that, I think you need to be reminded of what's going on in this letter. So just briefly, remind you what's going on in Paul's letter to Philemon. Paul is writing this letter to Philemon, whom I used to call Philemon. Just like once in this, I was wrong. So You got Philemon, he's a dear brother to the Apostle Paul.

You can see that in verse one. Philemon, our beloved brother. So Paul also includes Aphia and Archippus, probably the wife and the son of Philemon in this letter, possibly. And then he also includes the church, which is meeting probably in Philemon's home. And the occasion that prompts this letter is the return of Onesimus.

Onesimus was the slave of Philemon. If you look in verse 15, look in verses 15 and 16 of this letter. You're going to find that Onesimus was Philemon's slave. And yet, in verse 12, Paul is sending Onesimus back to Philemon, which means that Onesimus had ran away. Onesimus was a fugitive slave, which, according to Roman law at the time, normally demanded death.

And to make matters worse, looking at verse 18 of our passage, it appears that Onesimus had stolen something from Philemon before he went on the run. So just get this, Onesimus has at least doubly wronged Philemon. From all accounts in this letter, far from being an evil slave master, no no, Philemon is a faithful Christian slave master. One who fears God, one who treats his slaves honorably according to the law of God? Why all accounts?

That's what we must come to. But Onesimus takes the honorable treatment of Philemon and He robs Philemon and he runs away with some of Philemon's property. And so while on the run, away from Philemon on the run, Onesimus in the providence of God runs into Paul. And Onesimus hears the gospel of Jesus Christ, he repents of his sin, and he trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ and he's saved. Onesimus gets converted.

Paul says as much in verse 10. If you look in verse 10, I appeal to you for my child Onesimus whom I have begotten in my imprisonment. And then again in verse 16 Paul describes Onesimus as a beloved brother in the Lord. What does that tell you? Onesimus has been converted and Paul is sending this newly converted man back to Philemon that the two brothers would be united together in Christian brotherhood.

Verse 15, verse 15, Paul writes that you would have him back forever. How so? In what way does Paul ask Philemon to receive this thief and fugitive slave back into the fold? 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?

You are to see in Paul's letter how the gospel demands that we all view one another differently in the Lord. The gospel of Jesus Christ changes the way you approach unity and peace in this church. All of us former slaves to sin, all of us once fugitives on the run against the thrice holy God. All of us in this church now made new by the blood of Jesus Christ his son. That gospel changes everything about the way former thieves, former fugitives interact as those received by divine mercy and grace into the household of God changes everything.

So the way that Paul writes here to Philemon is truly an example for us all. Paul begins his example of biblical reconciliation with prayer. That's all we'll get to this morning. Paul's prayer in verses 4 through 7. Biblical reconciliation begins and biblical reconciliation ends with prayer.

Biblical reconciliation begins and ends with prayer. That's exactly the example set forth here in Philemon. Look in verse 4. Verse 4, the beginning of the letter. I thank my God always making mention of you in my prayers.

Now look at verse 22, look at the end of the letter to Philemon, verse 22. At the same time also prepare me a lodging for I hope that through your prayers I will be given to you. How does the letter begin and how does the letter end? With prayer. Paul's prayer, Philemon's prayer.

Biblical reconciliation, peace in this church, unity in the church begins and it ends with prayer. It begins and ends with the grace of God working through prayer. Martin Luther said it this way, to be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing. Therefore, it is a good thing to let prayer be the first business of the morning and the last business at night. So to them saints of Crossroad, peace and unity in this church begins and ends with prayer like daybreak and sunset so do you want to be United Church do you want to maintain the unity of the unity of the spirit and the bonds of peace oh I do then pray for one another Do you want to know how your pastors maintain their love for you?

They pray for you. I know of no better cure for any kind of despair, for any kind of irritation, for any kind of frustration, for a pastor, big time for myself, than to pray for the people that might do those things. It is way harder for pastors, not just me, but definitely me, it's much harder for pastors to get frustrated and worked up against their people when they spent their time and their energy on their knees crying out to God for those people, for their good. It's a whole lot harder then when members of this church, when you pray for one another in the way that Paul prays here for Philemon and Philemon prays here for Paul. It's a lot harder if you do that to then get off your knees in prayer and immediately go and choke each other out because of some debt you know a lot harder a whole lot harder to do that when you first been on your knees crying out to God, the God of all mercy to whom you yourself are to debtor peace and unity, reconciliation in the church begins and it ends with prayer.

So then, how should you pray? We're going to begin going through the Lord's Prayer in Sunday School, but we have here another example of a prayer. How then should you pray? Well, notice the way Paul prays in verses 4 through 7. Verse 4, I thank my God.

I thank my God. Notice first that you must be converted. I think my God, there's a possessive element to this prayer, you must belong to God. You must be His. He must be yours.

Isaiah 59 verse 2, John 9 31, 1 Peter 3 12, God will not hear your prayers apart from the fear of God and conversion. Is God your God? Have you cried out to God for salvation from your sins? That you could say, he is my God and I am his beloved that is the prayer that God will grant to the wicked That is the prayer that God will give heed to when the wicked speak. Oh Lord be merciful to me a sinner.

Oh Lord save me from my sin. That's regeneration. That's being born again. That is belonging to God through faith in Jesus Christ, so that you are made His child. And He, your Father, who delights to give good gifts, to answer the prayers of His beloved children, I thank my God.

You must know God. Second, Paul says, I thank my God always, always. Keep praying. You never, ever, ever outgrow your need for Christ. You never, ever, ever outgrow your need for His grace.

We as a church are desperate for His Spirit to come and maintain our unity in the bond of his peace. We're desperate. So some of you had questions about Sunday school, vain repetition, but does that mean we don't? So you're saying we don't keep praying? I didn't say that.

You definitely keep praying. You're desperate for Him. That's the difference between vain repetition which treats God as a voodoo thing and desperate pleas for God. I need you. Way different.

Don't pray like the pagans. You pray like a Christian. You're weak. He is strong. You're not strong.

God is. I thank my God always. You're desperate for His Spirit to come and maintain the bonds of peace in this body. 1st Thessalonians 5, 17, and 18. Pray continually, give thanks continually.

Proverbs 3, 5, and 6. We talked about this just a number of Lord's days ago. In all your ways, that word all your ways, always acknowledge the Lord and he will make your path straight. Pray always. I was, it's funny, my girls are not quite old enough to understand digestion, but not long ago in family worship we were talking about how we were eating lots of good food.

And just the notion that you know you put a bite in your mouth and it dissolves and it goes into your belly and then tomorrow you wake up with energy yeah we just take it for granted do you know that if God just lifted his finger from the digestive process and said not gonna let that happen anymore you would stop I mean you don't think about it You put stuff in your mouth all the time. Sometimes your fingers. Sometimes food. But that turns into energy. You go, I am so desperate for God all the time.

And you just took a breath right now. How'd that work? Pray always. Third, I thank my God always making mention of you in my prayers. Beloved, there is nothing wrong at all with petition for oneself.

Prayer very much should be things that you are crying out to God for. There is room, there is example throughout the scriptures on praying and petitioning God for oneself. But prayer cannot just be for oneself. There is petition in prayer, but petition must also give way to intercession. Prayers for one another.

Prayers for one another, making mention of others in your prayers. So Crossword Church, these are your people. These are your people. Right here. That membership directory that you have, whether it's digital or paper, that membership directory contains their names.

It contains the names of your people. And those same names in that directory are the names written in the Savior's book. Those same names are written on your Savior's hearts. Will you not then put them in yours? They are written on your Savior's heart.

Will you not put them in your heart? Pray for them. Pray for these immortal souls. I mean, just think about it. Immortal souls.

They're not ever going to get snuffed out. Immortal. Whom Christ himself intercedes for, according to Romans 8 and Hebrews 7 will you not then join your Savior and interceding for these his people these your people or if you do say if you do that if you if you do pray for this your people if you spend your time and your energy in this way, I make mention of you in my prayers always. Think about this. If you do this, you will spend an eternity marveling and wondering in future glory at all the ways in which God your Father answered your intercessions for these beloved immortal souls in ways far more abundantly than what you could ask or think.

You'll be doing that forever. That seems to me like a good investment. Pray for one another. Fourth, your prayer must be characterized by love and faith. What must characterize your prayer is love and faith.

Find this in verses five and six. 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. Your prayer must be characterized by love and faith. Love and faith first in Jesus the Christ and second toward all the saints. So beloved, if you want to pray rightly, start first with love and faith in Christ.

In your prayers, marvel at His love for you. That while you were a sinner, Christ died for you. That while you were an enemy of God, God saved you. He poured out His love upon you. He gave you the gift of faith.

He gave you new spiritual eyes to see your sin. He gave you new eyes to see your desperate need for the Savior Jesus. He gave you a new heart that trusts in Jesus, a heart that now has the capacity to love one another because he first loved you. Turn your eyes upon Jesus who loved you and gave Himself for you. And then turn your eyes upon your brothers and sisters and view them in an entirely new light Because your heart can't help it If he did this for me Whoa Now look at what you're doing to my brothers and sisters.

You can't help but view your brothers and sisters differently because of the love of God, which is poured out within your heart through the Holy Spirit. Paul speaks here of love and faith in verse 6. Love and faith, and speaks in a way that says it's becoming more effective. He speaks of a love and faith that is effectual. It's ever increasing through the work of Jesus Christ within you.

The reality of love, that reality of affection for the brethren, I just want you to recognize that love and faith, particularly that word love, it saturates this letter. I don't know if you've noticed that, but I'm going to help you notice it if you haven't. That which comes from the heart, have you noticed that emphasis that Paul has placed on love in this letter? Look in verse 1. Philemon a beloved brother.

Look in verse 5. Paul uses the word love. We just read it. Verse 7, for I've come to have much joy and comfort in your love because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you brother. Verse 9, for love's sake.

Verse 12, I have sent him back to you in person, that is sending my very heart. Verse 16, beloved. Verse 20, refresh my heart. This is saturating this book. This letter, this prayer is saturated with love, with affection.

And what does Paul say about that love? Verse 6, my prayer is that it ever increases. My prayer for you five women is that it becomes more and more effectual, not just for you but for the whole church. It becomes more and more effectual. It's like my little girl.

A couple of nights ago, telling Carissa, Mommy, I'm getting really big. I think I might have a baby in my belly soon." And my wife saying to her very wonderfully, oh, that would be wonderful after you grow up and daddy finds you a godly husband to marry. And then she says to Karissa, yes, but I'm almost this big. She puts her hands way up here I'm almost this big ever increasing Ever more effective my daughter expects to grow she yearns for it. She longs for it Lord willing it will come She longs to grow so to those who belong to Jesus Christ.

They long to grow. They long to increase and be more effective for the Lord Jesus. Why? Because it is the Lord Jesus who says to a sheep love one another as I have loved you And his sheep can you will grow in love because God who is love lives in you That's first John 4 First Corinthians chapter 13, verse 13. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three, But the greatest of these is love.

It's very important to note, Church, the way that Paul structures this letter. Notice verse 1. I want to point out some structure here. Notice verse 1. Paul calls Philemon a beloved brother.

Now that's verse 1. That's the beginning of this letter. Now go all the way down to verse 16. What do you find in verse 16? Who does Paul call beloved brother at the end of his letter?

Onesimus. He calls Onesimus a beloved brother. Do you think that's just happenstance? Verse 1, Philemon, you are a beloved brother to me. Verse 16 towards the end.

And Philemon, so is Onesimus. Onesimus is a beloved brother too. Why does Paul do that? Why does Paul do that? Because through the gospel, Philemon and Paul are united in love by grace through faith in Jesus.

They're united in love by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. And so to that same gospel that unites Paul and Philemon has united Paul and Onesimus together in love. So what does that mean for Philemon? The same gospel that unites Paul and Philemon and unites Paul and Onesimus, That same gospel unites even Philemon and Onesimus together. I used to teach math, so bear with me for just a second.

A equals B. Philemon and Paul. B equals C. Paul and Onesimus. So A equals C.

Philemon and Onesimus. Children, if you thought math wasn't important, Paul uses math logic. We call that the transitive property of mathematics. All right? Amen.

So you children, you learn that math. Important. That logic. Philemon, you are a beloved brother to me and when Esimus is the beloved brother to me and so when Esimus ought to be a beloved brother to you if I leave him. Why?

Because the gospel of Jesus Christ changes everything about the way we view one another. In Christ we are beloved brothers, beloved brothers and sisters. In Christ we are made children of God. Declared by God the Father to be his beloved children, he declared that at our baptisms, just as Jesus' only begotten Son was declared to be his beloved son and his baptism. Now we aren't the eternally begotten son of God, we're not Jesus.

But in Jesus Christ, through faith, we are made adopted children, beloved of God. That changes everything about the way you view one another in the Lord in this church. In the Lord we are beloved brothers. Just think about what that means. We are beloved children together.

I hope you see how this is building to Paul's appeal to Philemon in verses 15 and 16 that we're going to get to soon. That Philemon would receive Onesimus back. Hopefully we'll get to that next Lord's Day. He's a beloved brother, Philemon. Onesimus is a beloved brother, same as you.

He's bought with the same blood as you. And me, a beloved brother. So you can see in the structure how Paul structures it, beginning and the end. He structures the letter with that phrase, beloved brother, but he does this with more than just beloved brother I want to show you another place Paul does the same thing the same kind of literary device same kind of logic in verses one and verse 13 one and 13 just with different terminology instead of beloved brother Paul uses the idea of being a fellow worker. I want to point this out to you.

Look at verse 1. How does Paul describe Philemon? Look there with me. To Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker. Philemon is a fellow worker.

Fellow worker. Now go down to verses 12 and 13. What does Paul say there in verse 12 and 13? I have sent him, I've sent Onesimus 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 what? Minister to me in my imprisonment for the gospel.

I wonder if you see it. Philemon, you're a fellow worker, you're a fellow minister. Verse 13, And Philemon, so is Onesimus. Onesimus is a fellow worker too. He's doing what you would do if you were here with me.

He's laboring with me here, just as you would labor with me here, if you were here. He's laboring with me here, just as you labor there, Philemon. You're both laboring in the gospel. You see what he's doing there? Philemon, I appeal to you.

Be reconciled to Onesimus. Why? Because he's on the same team. He's no longer against us. He is for us.

He is serving Christ. He is serving me. Which means if he's serving me, Philemon, he's ultimately serving you. What was Onesimus before he ran away? A slave, a servant of Philemon.

And now Paul is saying, Onesimus has been converted, and now he's serving me. And in serving me, he is right back to serving you, Father. Because if you were here yourself, Father, if you were here with me in prison, you'd be doing exactly what Onesimus is doing. But Onesimus, he's here instead of you. So Onesimus is doing it for you on your behalf, since you're over there and I'm over here.

So I think this really helps with the logic of verse 11. We're going to get to verse 11 hopefully next Lord's Day. We're going to try to tackle 8 through 25, one sermon. We're going to touch it for just a second. Verse 11.

What does Paul say in verse 11? Onesimus formerly was useless to you but now is useful both to you and to me. Onesimus was formerly useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me. So pair this statement with the idea of Philemon and Onesimus being fellow workers together. Just think about it.

We'll talk more about it next Lord's Day. Onesimus used to be useless to you Philemon. He was useless. He wasn't a very good slave. He didn't serve well at all.

But now, he's a slave of Jesus Christ. And this service to me, an apostle of Jesus Christ, is precious. The gospel has changed everything about this man, Onesimus. And he's no longer useless, No, no, far from it, but useful to both of us. Why?

Because it is as if you yourself, Philemon, are here. When I have Onesimus by my side, Philemon, it's as if you yourself are here. Onesimus is a fellow worker serving on your behalf. He's serving Christ just as you serve Christ. He's no longer useless.

No, no, no. He's the very definition of useful. That's the logic of verse 11. So receive him back, Philia. Have Onesimus back again.

Why? Because the gospel of Jesus Christ changes everything, including the way you view this former slave who caused you great pain, who caused you great grief, and who's brought great harm upon you and your household. The gospel changes the way you view one another in the Lord because both of you are slaves in the Lord. And so in the rest of this letter, Paul makes an appeal to Philemon. Rooted in the gospel, Paul appeals to Philemon in the following verses that Philemon no longer view Onesimus in the same way he used to view him, but to have him back no longer as a slave, but As a brother in the Lord, the love of Christ, the redemption that is in Christ that demands it.

And so this is why Paul writes the way he writes. This is the way we should pray for one another and approach one another as we think through mediation, as we think through unity and maintaining the bond and spirit of peace in this body. But before we close, I want to make sure that you understand what Paul is saying here to you. Just think about this, Onesimus has ran away. Onesimus has spurned the goodness and the kindness of Philemon.

And far from running away, which is offense enough, Onesimus has stolen from his master, and he has ran away in hostility against his Lord. Friends, you are to read this letter, and what are you to think of? You're to think of the truth that you too ran away. You very much know what it means to be an onesimus Christian. You ran away.

You ran away in hostility against the God who made you, against the God who created you. You ran away a sinner, a fugitive in your sin. You ran away an enmity with God, a slave to sin, a slave to self. You ran away a God hater. You ran away thinking to rob Him of His glory.

You ran away in your sin in ways far worse than Onesimus ran away at his no one seeks for God no now one but God in his almighty kindness God in his sovereign grace God because of His great love chased you down to save you. And wonder of wonders, as he overtook you in his sovereign grace, he did not give you what you deserved. What did Onesimus deserve? Onesimus, according to Roman law, deserved death for being a runaway slave, and in ways far, far greater than Philemon's forgiveness of Onesimus. Far from death, God Almighty gave you life and life abundant.

Your Lord chased you down and Christian he died in your place so that you the fugitive would no longer run away but instead you might run into the arms of your Savior Jesus the Christ by faith the Savior who was crucified and was risen for you, who redeemed you and your life from the pit that you wholeheartedly ran into and made you a citizen, an heir, and a child of his beloved kingdom, demonstrated right here. So you should be able to sing in just a moment. Amazing grace. How sweet the sound. That saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost, I once was onesimus but times ten. But now I'm found. I was blind, but now I see. Pray with me. Father, I thank you God for the love and the faith which you have worked into this body, and to these saints, through the Lord Jesus.

And I pray that the fellowship of our faith become more and more effective and increase all the more through the knowledge of every good thing which is in this your people for Jesus sake. In His name we pray, Amen.