Well, let me encourage you to turn to Philemon to have that open before us as we come to look at this passage, this great letter in detail. Many people have doormats either just outside their front door or just inside their front door and often the doormat will give a nice encouraging welcome sign. But you can buy doormats that have a different kind of message entirely. There are doormats that make excuses. The house was clean yesterday, sorry you missed it. There are doormats that are very honest. Come on in, we're not ready. There are doormats for prospective burglars. The neighbours have better stuff. And finally, there are doormats that actually aren't very welcoming at all. I don't know if you've ever seen it. I saw this on the internet once. It said, oh no, not you again. Perhaps there's people in your mind even now as we think about it. Probably not best to go there. Let's not. Do you see in Paul's letter to Philemon the question is this, what kind of welcome will Philemon give to a slave called Onesimus who used to work in his household? Now the name Onesimus means useful, but it's fair to say that in the past he hadn't lived up to his name. If you look at verse 11, Paul says there, formally, he was useless to you or unprofitable to you. That may reflect the fact that he wasn't a very good worker, perhaps he was a slacker, but it definitely reflects the fact that he had run away from his master disobediently and it seems also stolen some money from Philemon's wallet. Perhaps he'd taken Philemon's credit card and used it on his travels to meet his expenses. And let's be honest, it wasn't as though Philemon was a bad master. This wasn't a 12 years a slave scenario. As we saw this morning, Paul's character reference for Philemon is glowing. He was a good and faithful Christian man. He was a partner in the gospel. He was a man with a reputation for kindness and generosity. So clearly the issue is with Onesimus, not Philemon. And I guess the name Onesimus had become notorious in Philemon's household. because now it was a name with history. It was a name that brought up bad memories of disgrace and dishonor and betrayal and also sadness. And after leaving Philemon, Onesimus seems to have run away to Rome as a fugitive, perhaps hoping to start a new life, avoid being found out as a runaway slave, because at that time, if you were exposed as a runaway slave, you could face a death penalty. But then in the grace of God, what we read is that when he was there, he either came into contact or sought out someone who he'd perhaps heard about in Philemon's household, a Christian leader called Paul, who was in prison for his faith. And through Paul, he heard the message of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he became a Christian. Have a look at verse 10. Paul writes there, I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son, when I was in chains. Paul is saying look I became his father in the faith. Ananisimus had become a changed man so that Paul is able to say in verse 11, formerly he was useless to you but now he has become useful both to you and to me. I am sending him who is my very heart back to you. So to put it in Roger Hargreaves terms, Mr. Useless had become Mr. Useful. And although Paul would have loved Onesimus to stay with him in Rome as a valued Christian friend and co-worker, he sees that it is the duty of this changed man to return and go home to his master. He needs to do that to repair his broken relationship with Philemon. he needs to do that to put right what had gone so very wrong. And so Paul sends him back with the covering letter that we've just read and as we saw this morning it's a letter that urges response and reconciliation and restoration. It's a letter that calls Philemon to forgive and also to receive an SMS. What's more, as we also saw, it's an open letter. It is a letter that's public and not private. It's a letter not just to be read by Philemon, but also by the church that meets in Philemon's home. And so the church family there are not to be, as it were, distant bystanders from this situation. In other words, they are to be with Philemon in this. This is a shared responsibility that Paul is giving them, each one, to receive Onesimus back. The spotlight isn't just on Philemon. The spotlight is on the church as a whole. But you see, the question it leaves hanging is this. What kind of welcome will Onesimus receive? Will it be an arms outstretched welcome? Or will it be, oh no, not you again? And so firstly, this letter is a call to lovingly reconcile. A call to lovingly reconcile. And do you see as well from the tone of the letter and what Paul writes, it is very clearly a call that Paul expects Philemon and the church to obey. That as Onesimus returns, as he says sorry for his wrongdoing in the past, and as he asks them to forgive him in the present, that they are to forgive him. Because you see, in the Christian family, wherever you find it, be that Colossae, Rome, Shepherd Drive, or Belvedere, forgiveness is to be guaranteed. We forgive as God has forgiven us. It is one of the fundamental things about being a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, isn't it? It's what Jesus underlines so clearly in the Lord's Prayer when he says, forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. In other words, that as someone comes to us and genuinely asks us to forgive them for something that they've done wrong, that we are to forgive them and that we are to not make them work for it, that we are to forgive them willingly and humbly and freely and to do so recognising the extreme forgiveness that we have received through the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, that the vast ocean of forgiveness that we've received from God is to flow from us in streams to other people. If I can put it this way, it is the tap in the church that is always to be turned on. So that forgiveness is always to flow in the church. And when we consider the immensity of God's love and the depth of his forgiveness for us, it should be absolutely inconceivable for us to ever withhold forgiveness from anybody else. You know, as we've looked at this letter, we've seen that it was accompanied by a letter from Paul specifically to the church in Colossae as a whole. Both letters are carried using the same rucksack or briefcase. And in Paul's letter to the Colossians, interestingly, Paul touches on this issue of forgiveness. In Colossians chapter 3 verse 12, He writes words like this, since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. And then he writes these words, make allowance for each other's faults and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. So do you see, for Philemon and the fellowship, there is this kind of double whammy message, isn't there? There is the overarching principle that Paul lays out in his letter to the church, and then there is the practical, specific outworking that he sets out in his personal letter to Philemon, which is, look, Philemon, you need to forgive Onesimus. You need to be reconciled. Together, you need to repair and you need to rebuild your relationship. And by the way, did you also notice that Paul is asking even more from Philemon? Have a look at verse 17. He says this, he says, so if you consider me a partner, that is in the gospel, in Christ, welcome him as you would welcome me. You see, just imagine for a few moments if Philemon and Co knew that Paul was coming, that he was not only a faithful servant of Christ, but he was also a personal friend, as it were, of the Fellowship. And so I guess they'd want to give him the best welcome, wouldn't they? That the freezer for his arrival would be stocked with Tesco finest rather than Tesco value. The welcome mat would be well and truly out. The guest room would be made with pillows all fluffed up and perhaps even chocolates on the pillows, who knows? They'd be looking forward to meeting him and seeing him, wouldn't they? Now, think through what Paul writes here. He says, Paul, he says, you've got to welcome Onesimus as warmly as though you were welcoming me. By the way, do you see how that mirrors the Lord Jesus Christ? Because when the Lord Jesus Christ speaks to God the Father about us, he speaks about us in the same way, doesn't he? As you look at them, think of me. Receive those sinful people as you would receive me. Welcome them as you would welcome me. It's the same message. But of course we need to recognise that this wouldn't have been easy for Philemon. Let's be honest, forgiveness rarely is easy, is it? Can you imagine the hurt and perhaps the right anger that Philemon had and would have felt at the way Onesimus had treated him, particularly if he'd stolen from him. Notice here that Paul doesn't minimise the hurt or how emotionally hard this is, but you see the gospel must win in this situation. followers of Jesus, must obey Jesus. The transforming grace of God and the forgiveness experienced by God's people must be reflected by God's people. And so on one side Onesimus you need to admit your sin and ask for forgiveness, on the other Philemon you need to forgive. And gentlemen, this is the test you must pass. And by the way, it is the test that must be passed again and again in the Christian family by Philemon and Anisimus then, but it must also be a test that is passed by us here and now, and passed without limit as well. You see, the reservoir of God's forgiveness never runs dry, does it, for us? And it must never run dry in our lives either. And so, if there's a person that we have been called to forgive, then we are to forgive them. And if there's a relationship that we've been called to repair, then we must seek to do so. And if there's a gap that has opened up between me and another Christian believer, then I am to work very hard to close it, to protect the unity of the church and our relationship. And these things are non-negotiables. These are Bible basics, aren't they? And as with Philemon, as we put them into practice, so we prove that our faith in Jesus is very real. So firstly, we have a call to lovingly reconcile. But secondly, there is a call to live out gospel values as well. A call to live out gospel values. You see, as you read this letter, as you look at it, there is another deeper issue which, perhaps as we read it, feels a bit like an elephant in the room. It is that whole issue of slavery, isn't it? and how wrong slavery was and how wrong slavery is. And the question is, is Paul, what are you saying about that, if anything? Because inherently, we want Paul to say something about this, don't we? But on the face of it, he doesn't appear to correct Philemon about being a slave owner in the past or even perhaps still being a slave owner in the present. This letter certainly isn't a big appeal or campaign for the abolition of slavery at this time. And slavery was very much an ingrained part of the world at that time. What complicates it further, I have to say, is that in some places it isn't exactly very clear what Paul is trying to say here. Because the letter isn't as detailed and as specific as we might like it to be. There are issues that it seems to leave hanging. and an awful lot of ink has been spilt on discussing the various issues here. So as we read this letter we need to unpack it carefully and we need to understand it carefully. Firstly, let's ask that question, why isn't Paul speaking out and campaigning here about slavery? The answer is because it isn't that kind of letter. Paul isn't writing here for the world at large at this time. He isn't standing up and speaking out. He isn't saying how the Roman world should be run at this time. Today, in our very different time, some Christian leaders do now and again have the opportunity to share their views on how the world should be run and how governments should act. And we have to say that some use their opportunity more wisely than others. But in these early years of Christianity, you see, there was no public voice. There was no forum to request cultural change. There was no open debate about how Rome should rule. You couldn't sign a petition. You couldn't send an email to your local MP. You couldn't appear on Question Time to debate the issues. But that doesn't mean that Paul wasn't concerned about these issues. And I'm sure as Paul looked at the broad canvas of this Roman society, he very much wanted those evils of slavery removed. But in this letter, he isn't dealing with the broad canvas. He's just focusing on one specific issue and one group of people. He couldn't speak into the big picture of society at that time. But what Paul could address were the individual church situations where the church, God's new society, were grappling with how the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ should be now lived out. And so as Paul writes here, he's not challenging the world about its behavior. He's challenged Christians about their behavior. By the way, do you notice how lovingly Paul deals with this as well? I think that if you held Paul's letter up to the light, you'd see a watermark of love. Remember, as Paul writes here, he writes as an apostle. He isn't writing as a kind of run-of-the-mill preacher or pastor. He's writing as an authorized spokesman for the Lord Jesus Christ, someone who is appointed directly by Jesus. And the apostles had the right not only to tell churches what to believe, but also how to behave. So here when it comes to Onesimus, Paul could command Philemon to do what he needed to do. Paul has that right. But notice that Paul uses a different approach with this old friend. It is as though he puts his authority as an apostle to one side, that he takes his apostle badge off. and he chooses a very tactful, loving approach instead. Have a look at verse eight with me. He says, therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. Do you see what he's doing there? He's writing Christian love and friendship, and he expects, via Lehman's response, to mirror and echo that love. That right response isn't going to be something he commands, but it's going to be something that he asks for. And he'll leave it with Philemon and the church to decide how to act, the things that they need to do. Although, if you look at verse 22 where Paul says he might be visiting soon, I guess that might be a little incentive, mightn't it? So what does Paul actually seem to ask here? How does he want Philemon and also the church to treat Onesimus? But what's important just to underline, firstly by sending Onesimus back, Paul is recognizing the legal rights that Philemon has as Onesimus' master. And by doing that, what Paul is doing, he's also recognizing that Christians still have to live and work and operate in the structures and situations of the societies that they're part of. Structures that can't be changed overnight. So Paul isn't making a kind of a revolutionary challenge here to the society of that day. This isn't a cry freedom letter in that sense. But is Paul just accepting the status quo? Is he just accepting the reality of slavery in this Christian home? In other words, is Paul simply saying, well, look, Philemon, when Onesimus returns, things will just have to go back to the way they were. Take him back and keep him as a slave, but treat him well. No, just look at that letter. It's much, much more than that. And actually, to understand what Paul is asking, we need to look at the key verse in the letter, which is verse 16. But let's read it from verse 15. Paul writes, perhaps the reason he, that's Onesimus, was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever, 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. You see, Paul wants Philemon to go much, much further than putting a welcome mat out and giving Anesimus a cup of tea and a flapjack when he arrives. Notice, too, that Paul is also asking that they go far beyond just showing forgiveness. You see that he's essentially asking them to live out Christian family values. He said, I want you to live out the reality of the gospel in the way that they treat Onesimus and in the way that they relate to him. And so when you kind of put all that together personally, I think what Paul is saying here is this. Philemon, I'm sending Onesimus back to you. But he is a different Onesimus to the one who ran away from you. Now he is returning to you as a new creation in the Lord Jesus Christ. The old is gone and the new has come. And he returns to you not as a slave, but as a much loved Christian brother, a fellow believer with equal standing to you in the Christian family. And that is how you need to welcome him, and that is how you need to treat him. And finally, even when you welcome Onesimus back, I don't just want you to treat him as a Christian brother on Sunday mornings, but then treat him as a slave Monday to Saturday. I want you to treat him as a Christian brother every single day of the week. Which means that although Monday to Saturday he may continue to work for you in your household, at least for a time, more on that in a minute, But as he works, as he serves, he is not to be devalued in any way. And although legally he may continue to be a slave in the sinful society that you're part of, in your eyes, he is to be much more. He is to be a brother. And as with all your servants, as a Christian master, you are to treat him with human dignity, is to treat him as a human being of equal value, created in the image of God. In other words, you are to grant him full human rights. I think that's what Paul is pointing to when he writes those words. He's very dear to me, but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord. And what is interesting is actually from the letter it seems as though Paul is going to leave Philemon and Onesimus to work out what all that looks like in practice with Onesimus' past but behind him and living in the present in a Christian family and in Christian love. And also in time that may mean that Philemon grants Onesimus his freedom, particularly in the light of verse 21 where Paul writes this, confident of your obedience, I write to you knowing that you will do even more than I ask." And I think the even more there is that when Paul comes to stay in Philemon's home, as he hopes to in the future, for bed, breakfast, and evening meal, that Philemon will take the further step of giving Onesimus his full freedom so that Onesimus can then go with Paul and serve as a fellow gospel worker with Philemon's blessings and prayers. So just as we draw the strands of this letter together, Paul isn't calling here for the abolition of slavery in Rome. and he isn't calling for full human rights to be spanned out across the Roman Empire, even though as a Christian he is in no doubt that that is what he would like to see. But he cannot call for these things at present. He's not in a position to call for those things at this time. In fact, by the way, if he had campaigned for those things at this time, it would have pulled him away from the main priority that Jesus had given to him, which is to reach sinful people with the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ. But also at this time, a campaign like that could well have brought a violent response from the Roman authorities. and possibly ended up making life a lot worse for slaves right across the Roman Empire. You see, it was a society that needed to be navigated with very careful wisdom. But you see that what Paul is seeking to address here is what human rights look like in God's new society, that is, in the church of Jesus Christ. And that it is to be a place where human beings are valued as God values them. and that they're to be valued in that way no matter what their social standing and that this society is to be a new society that treats human beings as God wants them to be treated with care and with compassion and with dignity and with love. I don't know if you've ever seen those pictures of countries at night and it's easy to make out those areas where people live, isn't it? Because they shine out in the overall all darkness. You see little spots of light where people live and those individual spots of light shining from homes and shops. Do you see here that Paul cannot influence the overall darkness of Roman society at this time? He hasn't the voice and he hasn't the forum to do that. That will come in time many years later when Christian men and women will have the voice to influence society. And of course in this country it was the voice and campaign of a Christian man called William Wilberforce in the 19th century that led to the abolition of slavery across the British Empire. But that isn't something that Paul can do in the first century. But what Paul can influence, what he can speak into at this time, as the Christian faith begins to spread, as churches are planted, he can speak into individual churches and individual situations. and he can encourage them to faithfully live out the values of their faith visibly, so that they shine like lights in a dark world, so they show the difference that Christian faith makes, so they live out the true values of the gospel and point people to the Lord Jesus Christ. So that wherever the gospel goes out in the world, with all the world's wrong ideas and evil social structures and twisted ways of treating human beings, that God's new society, God's new way of life, and God's new values shine out. And by doing so, they show how good the light is, and they show how wrong the darkness is. And that is the challenge that Paul brings to Philemon. And of course, it is also the challenge that this letter brings to us if we are Christians today. to live out these values in the society that we are part of, to make sure that the values of this letter are lived out faithfully in the churches and church families that we are part of. And it is a challenge that we prayerfully need to take hold of, to live out. and also as we have opportunity today to speak out and to consistently be people of care and compassion and real love. It's interesting in the Bible we're not told how this situation works out but I like to think that Philemon read Paul's letter and after doing so gave Onesimus the biggest bear hug he'd ever had in his life. Welcoming home at first but with them then working and living this out as Christian brothers before sending Onesimus out to serve Christ with Paul. That Philemon's godly character continued to shine out and that he continued to be known for his faith, his love, his generosity, and his kindness. Well, by God's grace, let's pray that we will too. Let's take a few moments, let's again reflect on God's word to us this evening. Let's think through its impacts in our lives. If the Holy Spirit has laid particular issues on our heart, then let's pray those through, asking for his help to obey and to be the people and to respond that he calls us to be. Let's take a few moments of quiet.