Philemon 1, 10-21 * September 16, 2007 * Pentecost 16 * Pastor Pagels

In then name of Christ Jesus, dear friends:

Many of us have (or at least have had) one. Maybe you left it behind when you packed up and moved out of your parents’ house. Or maybe it is tucked away in a bedroom closet or collecting dust under the bed.

What I am talking about is an old shoe box, but not any ordinary shoe box. Lift the lid off the box and you will discover something precious, a treasure of neatly folded, hand-written notes. Some people refer to them as love letters.

Whether they were written by your first love or your current love, these notes are special. They contain our most private feelings and emotions. And because these letters are so deeply personal, most people try to keep them hidden away where no one else will find them.

The sermon text for this morning comes in the form of a letter. Correctly understood, we might even call it a love letter. The apostle Paul wrote it (or at least a portion of it) with his own hand. Paul addressed it to Philemon, his dearly loved co-worker and Christian friend.

But Paul didn’t want Philemon to keep this letter to himself. He wanted him to share it with his family. He wanted him to share it with the church that met in his home (2). And because these inspired words are still being read in churches two thousand years later, there can be no doubt that this is…

NO ORDINARY LOVE LETTER

I. The love of Christ unites us

II. The love of Christ motivates us

In order to appreciate this letter it is important for us to understand the situation at the time when it was written. Paul penned these words from a Roman prison cell. He was optimistic about the outcome of his trial, but he also knew that his freedom was not guaranteed.

As I mentioned before, the recipient of the letter was a man named Philemon. He was a leader of the Christian congregation in Colosse (in the address Paul called him a “dear friend and fellow worker”). He had become a Christian through the preaching of the apostle, perhaps when he had worked for the better part of two years in nearby Ephesus (Acts 19:10).

The fact that Philemon owned slaves indicates that he was a man of some means, and it was the desertion of one slave in particular that prompted Paul to send his master a letter. Paul wrote: “I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains” (10).

Did you notice what Paul called Onesimus? He didn’t report: “Philemon, I have found your lost slave.” Paul called Onesimus his son. Paul explained that Onesimus had become his son while he was in chains.

Had Onesimus first seen Paul when he visited his master’s household? Did he remember how Philemon spoke so highly of this man of God? Or was it just an amazing coincidence that with all the millions of people in Rome this runaway slave ran into Paul?

We don’t know how it happened, but we can rejoice that it did happen. The Lord introduced Paul to Onesimus. Paul introduced Onesimus to his Lord. And that was the start of not one, but two beautiful friendships.

Through Paul Onesimus had come to know that Jesus was his Savior. And when Paul announced to this runaway slave that through Jesus he was free, free from sin, free from guilt, free from death, he gave thanks to God by giving himself to the work of the Lord.

Paul explains: “Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me” (11). Paul and Onesimus had more in common than the fact that they were both in trouble with the law. They shared a common a faith. They shared a common hope. And it didn’t take long for Paul’s son in the faith to become a trusted helper.

Onesimus had much to be thankful for, but he still had a problem. When he left his master’s household, he was not a Christian. From the moment he left his master’s house, he was a fugitive. The law demanded that runaway slaves be returned. The law allowed runaway slaves to be beaten and sometimes even killed.

Onesimus knew that. Paul knew that. But these two men were still hopeful because Philemon was a Christian, and Paul wrote to him with the hope that the reunion of master and slave would be a happy one: “I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you. I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do will be spontaneous and not forced” (12-14).

Paul could have exercised his apostolic authority and ordered Philemon to release Onesimus, but he didn’t. Paul could have applied just enough pressure to make Philemon do what he wanted, but he didn’t. He didn’t do those things because he wanted Philemon to do the right thing for the right reason. And so instead of demanding a certain course of action he suggested that all of this might be a part of God’s master plan:

He wrote: “Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good— 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 man and as a brother in the Lord” (15,16).

Paul wanted Philemon to see that his temporary loss was his slave’s eternal gain. And even though these two men were separated by hundreds of miles they were closer than they had ever been before because the love of Christ had united them as brothers in the Lord.

Even though the outcome was uncertain, the tone of Paul’s letter was overwhelmingly positive. He didn’t prevail upon Philemon because he believed that the love of Christ would prevail in the end. And if the preservation of this letter is any indication, we have good reason to believe that it did.

I wonder how Paul would approach the topic of Christian unity today. If he sat down to write us a letter about our relationships with each another how would it sound? Would he praise Christian husbands and wives for loving and honoring each other, or would he criticize them for fighting all the time, or maybe worse, for hardly communicating at all? Would he commend Christian students for always treating their classmates with respect or would he condemn them for being so cruel? Would he find countless examples of Christians letting their light shine or would he find fault with us because there are so many times when we keep that light to ourselves?

Where the love of Christ shines brightly, the love of Christians will shine through. When the love of Christ is lost, the love of Christians will grow cold. And there are days when we are lukewarm at best, days when we take our salvation for granted, days when we take advantage of others, days when we fail to appreciate what God has done for us and where we would be without him.

Without Christ we would be lost. Without Christ we would be slaves to sin. And that is the kind of slavery from which no person can escape…except through the one person who was without sin. Jesus sacrificed himself to set you free. Jesus died on the cross to rescue you from eternal death. Not because you are a little better than other people. Not because you are a little less worse than other people. Jesus saved you and me because he loves us. It is his love that unites us. And it is the same love of Christ that now motivates us.

There was no doubt in Paul’s mind that Philemon was motivated to serve. Listen to what the apostle says about him in the opening verses of the letter:  “I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints…Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints” (4,5,7).

Philemon was a model of Christian faith and love, and he was eager to serve God and God’s people. When Paul saw Philemon’s faith in action it gave him great joy. He said: “The only thing that could give me greater joy, my dear brother, would be if your desire to serve was matched by a willingness to forgive.”

“If you consider me a partner, welcome him (Onesimus) as you would welcome me. If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self. I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask” (17-21).

How could Paul be so confident? How could Paul be so bold? Why was Paul certain that Philemon would do even more than he had asked? It wasn’t because Paul could see into the future. It wasn’t because Philemon owed Paul (which he did). Paul’s confidence in Philemon was based on his confidence in the gospel.

The one who called the gospel “the power of God (Romans 1:16)” had seen firsthand how powerful the gospel really is. He saw God’s Word change hearts. He saw God’s love change lives. And he was confident that the same gospel would motivate Philemon.

When he stopped to think about how much God had done for him, when he began to appreciate how the Lord had orchestrated these events to bring Onesimus to faith, the question in Philemon’s mind changed. It changed from “How can I possibly forgive my runaway slave?” to “How can I not forgive my Christian brother?”

I want you to remember this letter the next time your son or daughter disobeys you, the next time your friend (your Christian friend) disappoints you, the next time you are tempted to take revenge or hold a grudge. Remember how much Jesus loves you. Remember how much Jesus has done for you. Remember that every time someone does you wrong God is giving you an opportunity to forgive just as in Christ God forgave you.

I couldn’t believe it at first, but the other day I came across a website that actually allows a person to download love letters (www.romanceforeveryone.com). Are you in a long distance relationship? Do you need to say “I’m sorry?” Do you know what you want to say but can’t find the right words? With only few clicks of the mouse you will be able to find exactly you need.

This website contradicts the reason why people write/send love letters in the first place. Love letters are supposed to be personal. Love letters are meant to be special. A love letter should be meaningful to the person who writes it and the person who reads it.

If we use these criteria, then we would have to say that Paul’s letter to Philemon definitely qualifies. But this is no ordinary letter. This is no ordinary love letter because the love of Christ is no ordinary love. It unites us as brothers and sisters in Christ, and it motivates us to serve and forgive. Amen.