Philemon 1 chapter, 25 verses. Hear now God's inerrant and infallible written word in these words. All a prisoner of Jesus Christ and Timothy our brother unto Philemon, our dearly beloved and fellow laborer, and to our beloved Apphia and Archippus, our fellow soldier, and to the church in thy house. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers, hearing of thy love and faith which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus and toward all saints, that the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother. Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient or appropriate, yet for love's sake I rather beseech thee, being such as one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ." Notice the second time in this short letter he's mentioned that he's a prisoner. Verse 10, I beseech thee for my son Anesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds, which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me, whom I have sent again. Thou therefore receive him, that is mine own bowels, whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministers under me in the bonds of the gospel. But without thy mind would I do nothing, that thy benefit should not be, as it were, of necessity, but willingly. For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou should receive him for ever, not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother, beloved, especially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh and in the Lord. If thou tell me therefore a partner, receive him as myself. If he hath wronged thee, or owed thee aught, put that on mine accounts. I, Paul, have written it with mine own hand. I will repay it, albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides. Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord, refresh my bowels in the Lord, having confidence in thy obedience. I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt also do more than I say. But withal, prepare also a lodging, for I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you. There, salute thee, Epaphras. my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellow laborers, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, be with your spirit. Amen. It would be interesting to know what you think of the letter of Paul to Philemon and the church that met in his home as I begin to focus your attention on it this morning. Can something so small be of such much benefit? Well, it certainly shouldn't take you very long to get through it and get on to something more substantial and more important A letter of only 25 verses and 455 words in the King James translation of this portion of God's Inerrant and Infallible Written Word cannot be that important. Oh, how different would the testimony of the visible church have been to the transforming power of the Gospel if the truth that Paul is infallibly inspired to write in this small letter was actually understood, actually believed, and actually applied. But the folly of thinking that just because something is short or small it cannot be of much use is a foolish idea, especially when you are dealing with the written Word of God. For example, is what we call the Lord's Prayer not small? considering it, its depth and its breadth. And when the old covenant temple was being rebuilt, what did the Lord say through Zechariah in Zechariah 4.10? For who hath despised the day of small things? The size of something, the length of something is no indication of how important or significant it is, especially when you are considering the Word of God. There are some massive books written by men. They'd be better put in the recycling bin. And the men would spend their time reading even a short letter like Philemon. Now I'm not disputing that it would be easy to quickly look at this letter due to its size, but to do so would result in missing many of the important and significant truths that are found in this powerful but small letter. In fact, I repeat what I've already said because I confess that my understanding of the importance of this letter has not been what it should be. For if the truths that Paul illustrates and declares in this letter were seen, were believed, and shown that they were believed by being applied by those who claim to be believers in Christ, the witness of the visible church throughout history in this world would have been far greater and far different than it has been. And so my hope and prayer is that as I work my way through this small letter, that your understanding of what it means to be a new creation in Christ Jesus, if you claim to be one, will be both challenged and helped by this letter. I would be so bold as to say that apart from the issue of states' rights, that is often talked about as being one of the contributing factors that resulted in the Civil War in this country back in the 1860s. I would be so bold as to declare that if the truth that Paul infallibly declares in this letter was really believed and applied by those who profess faith in Christ Jesus in the slave-holding states of this country in the years before the start of the Civil War, that a major factor in the American Civil War, namely slavery, would not have been present. That's how important this little book is, dear people. But I do not limit myself to the history of this country. Would William Wilberforce have had to have labored for so long in England to see the end of slavery if what Paul is teaching in this little letter was believed and practiced? Or would the Dutch Reformed Church by Leman on, as well as the church that met in his house on, in this letter, have been, if it had been believed, it applied. I seriously doubt that it would have been. You see, evidence that you understand the saving gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is seen in how you treat your fellow man. And especially how you treat your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. For I ask you, what did Jesus Christ do when He walked this earth? He went about doing good. He was goodness incarnate. And why did He come into this world? So it is not surprising to see Paul write to Philemon and the church that met in his house about what the only correct response is to a slave who has been delivered from his bondage to the world, the flesh, and the devil through the saving gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. But this is not the only truth. contained in this letter that I hopefully will be enabled by the Holy Spirit of God to show you, because he is the ultimate author of what Paul wrote in this letter. For in writing to Philemon, Paul is not only writing to a fellow believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, he is, as I have said, also writing to the church that was meeting in his house. A truth that is often overlooked by those who quickly read this short letter. Well, that's just a letter, a brief letter written to Philemon. No. And to the church that meets in your house. This is a letter for the church of Jesus Christ. This is a letter for the Grace Reformed Baptist Church of Amesbury. Because God, the Holy Spirit, was the ultimate author, so all believers in all churches, since this short letter is a portion of the completed authoritative and sufficient Word of God, is to be something that guides and directs our confession of being Christian. Now, one of the primary purposes of Paul in writing to Philemon and to the church that was meeting in his house is to lay before him what he should willingly do concerning his runaway slave Onesimus, who was converted by God under the preaching of Paul. One planted, another watered, but God gave the increase in regenerating the slave Onesimus. And the fact that Paul's purpose is to get Philemon and the church meeting in his home to consider this new position and condition of Onesimus is not only seen in the way he introduces himself to Philemon, in the opening verse of this short letter, but in many other ways through this letter. But notice, how does Paul begin this letter? Does he say, Paul, an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, as he began the letter of Galatians? See, the Galatian believers need to realize the authority of Paul. But here Paul is approaching it differently. He wants Philemon, he wants the church that was meeting in his house to realize there is something you should do willingly concerning slaves. There is something you should do willingly concerning a converted slave like Onesimus Philemon. He doesn't say Paul an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. No. How does he begin it? How does he begin this short letter? He begins by stating that he is, Paul, a prisoner. of Jesus Christ. Right at the start of this short letter, Paul is beginning to focus your attention on being in bondage. Not that being a prisoner of Jesus Christ is not the ultimate of freedom, it is. For even though Paul was a prisoner in Rome, he was free in many ways that those who were guarding him in prison knew nothing about. For if the Son of God sets you free, you will be free indeed. For in the way that Paul introduces himself in this letter, Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, he testifies to a truth that I am convinced, I'm absolutely convinced, I'm totally convinced of this, that it would transform your life, it would transform my life, if you and I 364 days of the year. If we could live our lives out under the truth of why Paul introduces this letter with this statement, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, I can say you could go out of this building rejoicing even if you were going out to die. Because what does Paul say? Five words. It's only five words in English. The first five words. Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ. But do you see? Do you see the glorious truth that Paul is testifying to by introducing himself in this way to Philemon and the church that met in his house? Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ. Now, where was Paul when he wrote this letter to Philemon? When he introduces himself to Philemon and the church in his home as a prisoner of Jesus Christ, where was he, dear people? He was a prisoner in Rome. He was a prisoner of Caesar. He was a prisoner of the Roman state. But notice, how does Paul see himself? He does not say, a prisoner of Caesar, pity me, feel sorry for me. He doesn't say, Paul, a prisoner of the Roman state. Now, Paul would not deny any of these facts. I mean, he's in Rome. He is a prisoner of the Roman state. What's he doing, dear people? What's he doing? He's looking beyond. He's looking beyond the Roman state. He's looking beyond Caesar. He's looking beyond the president and his circumstances. And he sees the one who is sovereign. He sees the One who is sovereign over all countries. He looks to the One who is sovereign over all leaders. He looks to the One who is sovereign over all countries. He looks to the Lord Jesus Christ. He was not a prisoner of Caesar. He was not a prisoner in Rome. Because Caesar had decided, well, at this point in time, I'm going to do some hard things to the church of Christ. Oh, he did do that. But Paul looked beyond what we would call second causes. He looked beyond what we would call second causes. He was a prisoner in Rome because the Lord Jesus Christ agreed that at this point, he would be imprisoned by Rome. Because I ask you, brethren, what truth undergirds the ability of Paul to say, Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ? What enables him to look beyond what the majority in the United States of America think is the only answer to all the problems they have in human government? What doctrine underlies, what truth underlies Paul's statement, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, that as I said, What is the glorious, biblical doctrine that undergirds Paul's saying? Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, what is it, dear people? It's the glorious, biblical doctrine of the Oh, how different your life would be, how different my life would be, dear brethren, if you and I could rest our souls in the truth of the absolute sovereignty of God over all things and all situations for His glory and the good of His people. One of the clearest evidences that someone who professes to be a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is not seeing Christ, or their situation correctly, is when they dislike the teaching of the absolute sovereignty of the Lord over it and them. And dear people, in illustrating this glorious truth that undergirds the ability of Paul to be able to say, Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ. But what did King Nebuchadnezzar have to learn? Even though he was told the truth by the prophet Daniel, what did he have to learn? He had to learn that the Lord is sovereign over kings and kingdoms. Daniel 4 verses 24-37, this is the interpretation as Daniel explains the dreams in Nebuchadnezzar. O King, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my Lord the King, that they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts to the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomsoever He will. And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots, thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee. After that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule Notice Daniel saying here, he's counseling them. But he didn't listen. He didn't listen to Daniel. Verse 28. Oh, this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar at the end of twelve months. He walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon. The king spake and said, Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the house of thy kingdom by the might of my power and for the honor of my majesty? While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven saying, O King Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken, the kingdom is departed from thee and they shall drive thee from men and thy dwelling shall be over thee, until thou know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomsoever He will. The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar, and he was driven from men. Indeed, he grasped his oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagle's feathers, and his nails like bird's claws. And at the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and notice, mine understanding returned unto me." Oh, boy, now I see things correctly. And I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honored Him that liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation, and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing, and He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his handers, saying to him, What doest thou? At the same time, my reason returned unto me, and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honor and brightness returned unto me, and my counselors and my Lord's son unto me, and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment, and those that walk in pride he is able to amaze. You see, Nebuchadnezzar had to eat grass like an ox for a time to understand what Paul knew. What did Paul know? No, Paul knew that he was a prisoner of Jesus Christ. He wasn't in prison because Caesar had decided it. He was in prison because God had decreed that he would be in prison at that point in time for the glory of the Gospel of Christ. What did the Lord reveal and declare about King Cyrus even before he was born? Isaiah 45 verses 1 to 5, Thus saith the Lord, who is anointed to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held to subdue nations before him, and I will loose the loins of kings to open before him the two-leaf gates, and the gates shall not be shut. I will go before thee and make the crooked places straight. I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut and sunder the bars of iron, and I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou may know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name. I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. I am the Lord, and there is none else. There is no God beside me. I girded thee, though thou hast not known me." Did Caesar acknowledge the Lord? Did Caesar know the Lord? He did not. But Paul knew that Caesar could not have put him in prison if it was not for his Lord and Savior, Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ. What does Solomon declare in Proverbs 21, verse 1? The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord as the rivers of water. He turneth it whithersoever he will. Was Paul in prison because his circumstances were outside the sovereign control of God? No. How did the Lord Jesus, the one Paul knew was sovereign over his being in prison, challenge Pilate when he was before him? Oh, I love these two verses in John 19 Pilate tries to put a little bit of pressure on our Lord. You know, he tries to pressure Him a little bit. He says, Oh, you're not answering me. Don't you realize that I'm mighty Pilate? I'm going to put a little bit of pressure on you. John 19 verse 10, Then Pilate said unto him, Speak thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Oh, I better start answering this man. Jesus answered, verse 11, now could have no power at all against me, except it were given me from above. Therefore, he that delivered me unto thee hath a greater sin. Notice he's challenging Pilate. I know who gave you the power. It was my Father in heaven. And you better realize, you hand me over to them, you're guilty of sin just as much as those who brought me to you. What did Paul The very one who is in prison as he writes to Philemon. What did Paul write to the idolatrous Athenians? Acts 17.26, And hath made of one blood all nations of men, for to dwell in all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation, the bounds of their habitation, where Paul would be at that very moment. is the decree of God. And to your, dear people, to your everlasting blessing, or to your everlasting danger, God decreed that you would be in this place this morning, either rejoicing at the truth of the preached Word of God, or saying, oh, when is it going to be done? When is it going to be over? When is it going to be finished? I've got more important things to do than to listen to the preached Word of God. God decreed that at 1153, on March 22, 2009, you would be in this place. You see, Paul did not just preach it. He preached it to the Athenians. And hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation. Paul did not just preach it. in his life. Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ. Paul looked beyond Caesar. Paul looked beyond Rome to the Caesar of Caesars, to the King of Kings, to the Lord of Lords, to the President of Presidents. He looked to the Lord Jesus Christ. Rome might have me imprisoned, but it is only because of my Lord Jesus. Now, does this imprisonment mean that Paul was not important to Jesus? Or what does Matthew write? The words of our Lord in Matthew 10 verses 29 to 31. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall in the ground without your father? But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not? Therefore ye are of more value than many sparrows. Just another way of applying the truth of the absolute sovereignty of God. Oh dear people, you want to impoverish your souls? You want to impoverish your souls? You want to shrink your soul? You want to dishonor the Lord? Then don't rejoice in the truth of the absolute sovereignty of God over all things, over all situations, over all circumstances. Now sadly, dear people, there are those who profess to be Christian who do not apply the truth of the absolute sovereignty of God over all things like Paul does, even to the point, dear people, of having a Christ-dishonoring book sold in many Christian bookstores. For I've seen this book in many Christian bookstores, Why Bad Things Happen to Good People, written by an unbelieving rabbi. That book shouldn't be in a Christian bookstore. It's an un-Christian book. It's a God-dishonoring book. It's a radical book. The title alone should warn any discerning Christian that this book is going to teach error. A correct title would be, Why Do Good Things Happen to Bad People? Nobody ever asks that question. Everyone says, well, why does it have to happen to me? No, why do good things happen? people that are rebels against God. Why do good things happen? Why does God continue to pour His Son and His blessings out upon this world that mocks Him and blasphemes Him and rejects Him? That's a question to ask! That's a wonder! To have a book with the title, Why Bad Things Happen to Good People in a Christian Bookstore, And how does this rabbi answer this unbiblical question? Why bad things happen to good people? He answers it by saying that there are some things beyond the control of God. We have to give him the benefit of the doubt. He's doing the best he can. But what does Paul say? What does Paul say, dear people? A prisoner of Caesar. Well, I know my Lord, He's my Lord, but you know, He can't control Caesar. I mean, the world's a big place. I mean, keeping the sun up in the sky, His mind's distracted. Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ. He wasn't in prison because the Lord was doing the best He could. But after all, knowing where is everyone and all the situations they're going through, it's just a little bit too much, even for God. God deliver you, dear people, from such God-dishonoring heresy. I ask you, are you applying the truth that Paul was a prisoner of Jesus Christ through your own life? Huh, I'm not a prisoner. I freely came into this building this morning. I believe I'll be able to freely leave this building this morning. I'm not a prisoner. How can I apply it? Well, what are you? What are you? Where are you? Well, let's see. I'm a widow. Are you a widow of Jesus Christ? Because you would not be a widow if it was not for Christ Jesus. But I'm single. Are you single of Jesus Christ? Because you would not be single if it was not for Jesus Christ. Are you a husband of Jesus Christ? Are you a wife of Jesus Christ? Are you healthy of Jesus Christ? Are you rich of Jesus Christ? Are you poor of Jesus Christ? Are you young of Jesus Christ? Are you old of Jesus Christ? You would not be who you are and where you are if it was not for the Lord Jesus Christ. And Paul knew that. Dear people, just think of how different our lives would be if we could live this truth out. Just think how different this country would be if every senator If every congressman was a congressman of the Lord Jesus Christ, if the president was the president of the Lord Jesus Christ, I ask you, would our brother in the Lord, Larry, have to give you a document over lunch about the Freedom of Choice Act? If the congressmen and senators and presidents of this land were leaders under the authority I know what the answer is, dear people. That piece of paper would never have had to have been written. Oh, if we could just lay hold of this truth. I'm a wife, I'm a husband, I'm a single person, I'm an employee, I'm an employer of Jesus Christ. I look beyond and see Him as King of kings and Lord of lords sitting on His throne, having all authority in heaven and earth been given unto Him. I'm a preacher of the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm a teacher of the Lord Jesus Christ. How men can get behind a pulpit and teach things that contradict the Lord Jesus Christ! Dear people, I can't understand this. They're going to have to stand before Him. They're going to have to give an account that on March the 22nd you preached a message that denied truth that I declared in my Word? Oh, dear people, I'd rather dig ditches for the rest of my life than to stand behind a pulpit and preach something that I do not believe Christ has given me the authority to preach. I'm an old person of Jesus Christ. I'm a young person of Jesus Christ. Now, does this mean that it's wrong to pray for deliverance from difficult situations? No! Paul asked for prayer that he would be delivered from prison, but while he was in prison, he knew he was there because the Lord decreed that he should be there and would be there. He was afflicted with some type of thorn in the flesh, but that did not prevent him from asking Him to be healed, but once he realized He realized that he was not going to be healed of it. He asked that the Lord would grant him the grace. My grace is made sufficient in weakness and sustain him through it. He rested in the grace of God to enable him to endure the circumstance, the situation that he was going through to the glory of God. And even as he asked for prayer to be delivered from prison, he knew that the Lord was using his imprisonment for his good and the good of the body of Christ. What he says in Philippians 1 verses 12 and 13, But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel. So that my bonds in Christ are manifest. Notice, my bonds in Christ. He's not saying my bonds in Caesar. So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace and in all other places. I sent men in prison. Christ Jesus is Lord. Because, dear people, what is the point of praying for healing? What is the point of praying for the conversion of someone you know and love who is outside of Christ, unless the Lord is sovereign? Now, what's the point? I mean, I've never understood these people who fight tooth and nail for the freedom of the will. Then why do you pray? I mean, if God... But I tell you, when you're praying for the salvation of a lost loved one, you don't talk about the freedom of the will. You say, Lord, have mercy upon them. Lord, bring them. Lord, show them their deadness and depravity and sin. Lord, have mercy on them, even as you had mercy on me. Lord, show them their amazing grace, even as you showed it to me. That's how you pray, dear people. Because you know that your Lord is sovereign. You pray to the Lord because you know that the Lord is sovereign in salvation. Why did Paul say, Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ? Because he knew his situation was not outside the sovereign control of his Lord and Savior. The Lord turns the hearts of kings wherever He chooses. So if He is pleased, He can deliver me from this prison or keep me here. But while I am here, I will acknowledge that I am here because of Him. Oh, the truth of the absolute sovereignty of God, if you were to lay it to hearts, brethren, should enable you to lay down and sleep contented that the Lord knows what you are going through because He has decreed it for His glory and for your good. Romans 8, 28, and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose. There are no kings outside the sovereign control of God, dear people. There are no renegade molecules outside the control of God. Are you struggling with some health issue? Cancer cells are not sovereign. Blood clots are not sovereign. The Lord is. And He can use and is using whatever you are going through to your good and His glory if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, if you apply the truth as Paul does here. Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ! How this truth should cause you to tremble and cry out to the Lord for salvation if you are not a true confessing believer in Him, because if He is sovereign over kings, and He is, He is sovereign over me. He is sovereign over you. He is sovereign over every non-believer. He has the ability and power to bring every non-believer before His throne in final judgment. And if any non-believer was sane, they would be crying out, but I'm not ready to stand before Him in final judgment. Because I've sinned against the One who holds my breath in His sovereign hands in thought, when indeed I've lived my life as if the Bible is not true and that the truth of God is a myth. What hope is there for me? Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner. Lord, make me a prisoner that I might know the freedom that is only possible in acknowledging the truth that You are absolutely sovereign over all things and all circumstances. Dear people, you think I'm preaching to you this morning. And I am. But there's somebody else I'm preaching to. I'm preaching to me. I'm preaching to me. Because I know how I respond when things don't go the way I think they should go. I know how I respond when things get a little difficult. And the health of my wife isn't what I would like it to be. I know how I respond in flesh to people. I need this message as much, if not more, than you do. I've never been in prison, but Paul could say, Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ. Why? Because he knew who his Lord was. He is the Lord of Glory. He is the King of Kings. He is the Lord of Lords. There is nothing outside His control for His glory and the good of His people. Oh, if you and I could apply this truth, if you and I could apply this truth as we go forth from this place to difficult situations, to blessed situations, Oh, apply it. Apply the truth of the absolute sovereignty of your Lord and Savior, believer, to your present situation as Paul did. And know the blessing that can only flow from living your present life out unto the glorious soul. Blessing, blessing truth of the absolute sovereignty of your Lord and Savior over all things and over all circumstances. Oh Lord, bless this truth to the hearts of your people this morning. Let us pray.