iForgive
Philemon 1:4-25
By: Sis Leonor Fernandez
Forgiveness is the most God-like and the most Christ-like act a Christian can do. None is more divine than forgiveness .Never are you more like God or Christ than when you forgive because that is what God does, that is what Christ does. Forgiveness is a magnificent virtue.
The theme of forgiveness is obviously throughout the Scripture emphasized. But there are some high points where we see the forgiveness of God in bold relief. One of them may be the most familiar and my personal favorite is the story of the prodigal son from Luke 15. A father who had two sons and one of the sons was weary of being in the father's house and wanted to go and live on his own and take all of his inheritance. And he did that, left the house, wasted all his inheritance in sin. And then when he reached rock bottom, wanted to come back and be only a servant in his father's house because being a servant in the father's house would be better than being what he had become. And so he started on the road back. The father didn't even wait for the son to get there. He ran to the son when he saw him in the distance. His words were not unkind.. Jesus tells us what the heart of forgiveness is like, it is eager, not reluctant, it doesn't even wait for the sinner to arrive
Yet the Lord warns us also from that story of the prodigal son that such forgiveness will be unappreciated, such forgiveness will be misunderstood. The son who never went anywhere didn't appreciate this at all and was angry with his father for being so forgiving.
And there are a lot of sort of "in the house" children who will pout and call you a fool for such stupid forgiveness and tell you ought to send him back to the pig sty where he belongs.
But what do you know? What you must know is that God is far better able to deal with any offense against you than you. He is able to deal with the consequence of sin far better than you. He has the truest understanding of the issue. You are limited in understanding. He has the highest authority, you have none. He is impartial and just, you are selfishly partial. He is omniscient and eternal, sees the end of everything, you are short-sighted, ignorant, seeing nothing beyond the moment. He is wise and good and all He does has perfectly righteous purposes, you are ignorant and blinded by your anger and your purposes may be evil. And He is a forgiving father. He says that He can only love and He will always love even the one that does not deserve forgiveness.
Who Can Forgive?
Philemon 1:4-7
4 I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. 6 I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. 7 Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.
1. He who has a concern for the Lord
Philemon 1:5 because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus.
A forgiving person has a concern for the Lord. He is very concerned for the Lord. He loves the Lord, wants to honor the Lord, is desirous of that which expresses his faith in the Lord. And because his faith is real he has the capacity to forgive. He has a new nature, a new creation, the indwelling Spirit that gives him that ability
2. He who has concern for people
Philemon 1:5 Because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus.
This is agape love, this is love of choice, love of the will, love of self-sacrifice, love of humility, This is the love that says it's not emotion with me, it's obedience. I'm not compelled to serve you because there's something about you that's attractive, I'm compelled to serve you because there's something about the power of God within me that moves me that way
3. He who has concern for fellowship
Philemon 1:6
6 I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ.
Here he adds another concept. He is saying you have true saving faith, you have true spiritual love and you have a desire for fellowship. Your faith pursues fellowship. He calls it the fellowship of your faith. I want to forgive you because I don't want chaos in the fellowship, I want harmony, I want peace, I want unity. The word fellowship, koinonia is a hard word to translate actually, most often it is translated as fellowship but when we talk about fellowship we usually mean enjoying somebody's company, What we're talking about here is belonging,
HOW can we FORGIVE?
1. Reception
Philemon 1:10-11
10 that I appeal to you for my son Onesimus who became my son while I was in chains. 11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.
The first element in forgiveness is just to open up your life and take the person back. Let him in your life. And forgiveness begins with reception personally. Close the gap. Cross the rift. Heal the wound. Forgiveness starts with forgetting the grudges and forgetting the offenses and just opening your life and letting them in. Forgiveness is very one-dimensional. But where there is repentance and change and value, you take them back.
2. Restoration
Philemon 1:15-16
15 Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever— 16 no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord.
Paul suggests that not only should you open your arms and take him back but you need to put him back into service, you need to put him back into function and ministry., "For perhaps... and here he appeals to the providence of God. Let us not mitigate the guilt of Onesimus, obviously what he did was wrong, but I just want you to consider that maybe God had a purpose." And Paul says perhaps because no man can see the secret providence of God at work.
3. Restitution
Philemon 1:7-18
17 So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18 If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. 19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self.
There has been wrong done and that wrong needs to be dealt with. How will it be dealt with? It has to be repaid. And so there has to be restitution. How is he going to deal with restitution? He said, "If then you regard me a partner, a koinonon, a fellow partaker of spiritual life, if you regard me a partner, accept him as you would me." Welcome him as you would welcome me. Forgive him as you would forgive me. Hold an obligation against him as you would hold an obligation against me. Just take him back just the way you'd take me.
WHY do we FORGIVE?
Philemon 1:20-22
20 I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. 21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask. 22 And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers.
What motivates someone to forgive? Certainly forgiveness is bold. Certainly forgiveness is brave. Certainly forgiveness is heroic. But at the same time it should be normal for a humble Christian. So it is on the note of motives that Paul closes the letter with some gracious but pregnant words meant to excite the heart of Philemon to forgive Onesimus. And each one of his final remarks in those remaining verses carries in it the embryo of a truth that acts as motivation for us to forgive as well.
1. In recognition that we can be a blessing to others
Philemon 1:20
20 I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.
We forgive because it will rejoice the heart of another. The forgiveness of Onesimus by Philemon will bring spiritual joy and refreshment because Paul loves both those men. Paul wants them to be one. Paul loves the unity of the church. Paul wants Colossae as a church to see that forgiveness as a great example, an object lesson. Any failure to forgive will injure that relationship, it will injure that church. It will mar its ministry and its effectiveness and it will misrepresent the power of the gospel to the unconverted world that's watching.
2. In recognition that we are called to be obedient to the Lord.
Philemon 1:21
21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.
“I have confidence in your obedience." And he touches that heart string again in Philemon that is plucked by the need to obey God. "I do have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper, yet for love's sake I rather appeal to you." So Paul never did command him. Paul is just saying I know you'll obey the Lord in this. Paul is confident that Philemon is a godly man. He is confident that he will act in a right way to obey God's command to forgive.
3. In recognition that we are accountable to our godly leaders
Philemon 1:22
22 And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers.
Paul is really exercising some spiritual authority here. I'm going to check on you. It's a gentle compulsion. It's really not a threat, it's a promise. This is optimistic. I hope that through your prayers I shall be given to you. He knows that the sovereignty of God works its purposes but he also knows that the sovereignty of God works its purposes through prayer. Paul literally paints him into a corner. I'm coming and I'm expecting that what will free me are your prayers. Now Philemon is saying to himself...I don't pray, he doesn't get out of prison...I don't want to be responsible for him being in prison, I've got to pray for his release. That's spiritual accountability.
4. In recognition that we are not alone but a part of a fellowship.
Philemon 1:23-24
23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. 24 And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers.
He's saying you can't act independently of the fellowship. You don't act alone. If you don't forgive, you will fracture the love bond that exists between these men and you. You will violate their expectations of you. You will set a bad example for them. You can't do just what you want to do as if you existed alone. You not only have a level of accountability to one who is your spiritual leader, but you have a level of responsibility to set the standard for those who are your spiritual friends.
5. In recognition that we can only be empowered by the grace of God
Philemon 1:2 5 25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit
That's Paul's final words and he puts the quill down and what he is saying is, "Philemon, I just want to remind you that in order to do this you're going to have the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ." You can't do it on your own. Human nature couldn't forgive this offense. This familiar benediction is really a prayer and not very general here but very specific that divine grace may be granted to Philemon and all his family and the church at Colossae, all of you, so that you can forgive Onesimus. Paul is asking what is not possible in the flesh because the flesh wants vengeance. What is not possible by the law is that the law wants justice. But what is possible by grace, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, working with your spirit, your inner man. That's the same grace that allowed Christ to forgive. Paul says may you have that same grace to forgive that allowed Christ to forgive.
CONCLUSION:
Matthew 18:21-22
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven.
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