Sermon Tone Analysis

October 21, 2007

 

Philemon

 

The air was cool, warmed by the glow of the fire.

We were all sitting around that mesmerizing fire, satisfied by our gourmet meal, sipping coffee or hot chocolate, contemplating the one that got away.

A few of our guys had made friends with two guys who were camping close to our city of tents.

These two guys responded to an invitation to eat some of our camp side delights.

After these guys had consumed their fair share of our food, we invited them to join us in our bible study time.

They hung around with obvious discomfort.

As each song was sung, they casually made their way to the outer edge of our campsite, seeking to get lost in the shadows.

Before the singing had ended and the study had begun, those two guys had drifted off into the dark night back to the comfort of their own campsite.

In a matter of minutes, as we were sharing thoughts centered on the truths of Scripture, truths that can save, set free and change your life, those two guys were blaring Jimmy Hendrix from their campsite, as if to say, we have another way to go.

Thanks but no thanks.

Now based on the actions that we saw that night, I think it is safe to say that those guys were not believers in Jesus Christ.

I am not saying that to be a Christian you had to be at our little Bible study, but I am saying that when someone is a believer in Jesus Christ, you can see it.

When anyone decides to follow Jesus Christ, asking him for salvation, trusting him with their eternity, submitting their life to his will, you can see it.

My neighbor is a Cowboys fan.

I know he is.

I have never talked to him about liking the cowboys.

He has never come out and told me that he loves the cowboys.

I know it though.

Every weekend the cowboys play he has a large cowboy’s flag that he runs up a fifteen foot high flagpole, a cowboys football helmet that he proudly displays on the ground in front of the flagpole, and to top it off, right in the middle of his front yard, he has an ten foot tall inflated cowboy football player who looks as if he run over any car passing by his house.

I know that guy likes the cowboys.

You can see it.

When someone follows Jesus Christ, you can see it.

I.

Characters - I want to introduce you to three people that we will be talking about for the next several weeks.

A.

First, there is Paul.

Paul was a Pharisee, who formerly sought to exterminate everyone who was seeking to follow Jesus Christ.

Then he met Jesus Christ and everything changed.

He followed Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, the promised Messiah, the King of kings.

He was called by God to go and tell the Gentiles about this great salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

Paul, at the time we are looking at, was in prison in Rome.

He had a few people with him at the time he wrote this little letter about which we are talking.

Timothy, Paul’s true son in the faith, was with him.

Epaphras, a Colossian, and traveling companion.

Mark, also known as John Mark, this is Barnabas’ cousin, who wrote the gospel known by his name.

Aristarchus, a Thessalonian, who later died for the faith.

Demas who later deserted Paul because he was in love with this present world.

Luke, Paul’s faithful traveling companion, the author of the gospel of Luke and the book of the Acts of the Apostles.

B.

The second person is Philemon and his wife, Apphia, along with his son, Archipus.

This little family that was residing in Colossae, along with the church that met in their house was the recipient of Paul’s letter.

C.

And last but not least is Onesimus.

He is the focus of our story today so let’s get right to the story.

II.

The story:

A. It could have been a business trip to Ephesus.

Philemon, unaware of the life altering events that would soon take place, made his way from his hometown of Colossae to the city of Ephesus.

Paul was in Ephesus at the very same time.

We don’t know the details.

In fact we are just piecing together bits of information to draw some conclusions.

Paul may have been speaking and Philemon decided to go and check it out.

Paul and Philemon may have met in the marketplace or just passing in the street.

However Philemon met Paul, it was through Paul that Philemon met Jesus Christ.

Philemon heard the gospel, he believed in Jesus Christ and it changed his life.

B.

Back in Colossae, Philemon, now a follower of Jesus Christ, in all probability led his family to Christ and perhaps others.

He invited other believers into his own home and a church was born.

Philemon was a faithful follower of Jesus Christ.

You could see it.

C.

We don’t know how long Onesimus was under Philemon’s ownership.

Onesimus was Philemon’s slave.

Onesimus may have seen the entire transformation in Philemon.

At the very least he saw that Philemon was a believer in Jesus, that he followed Christ in all he did.

He had almost certainly heard the story of Philemon meeting Paul.

I can imagine Philemon telling all his family and all those in his house about this man who introduced him to Jesus, not only changing his life but giving him life.

D.

Onesimus clearly did not like his lot in life, no matter how good life was under the godliness of Philemon, he wanted to be free.

He knew the punishment for running away could be very severe – if caught.

He could have his legs and arms burned with hot irons, his forehead could be branded so everyone would know he had tried to runaway.

An owner of a slave could legally do just about anything to punish a runaway slave.

That didn’t matter.

Freedom, just the chance at freedom, would be worth the risk of life for Onesimus.

He carefully made his plans and the day came and everything fell into place perfectly – as if someone else was controlling the circumstances altogether.

He made it.

He was free.

If hiding and running scared for your life is freedom.

Onesimus most likely stole money or goods from Philemon that provided for his travel.

Amazingly he made it all the way to Rome, a place he could get lost in the crowd and find a new life.

Little did he know what a new life would really mean.

God knew.

E.

It is simply amazing how God works.

Paul was in Ephesus when Philemon came to town and Philemon met Jesus Christ.

Paul is now in Rome when Onesimus comes to town.

Again, we have not been given the details but we can seek to fill in some blanks.

I can imagine that this new life of so called freedom wasn’t all Onesimus had thought it would be.

Looking over his shoulder, wondering if he will be recognized or found by someone that has connections back in Colossae.

Whatever had happened in Rome, one thing is certain.

Onesimus hadn’t found what he was looking for.

He didn’t find his answers.

He was desperate.

Somehow he heard that the same Paul that Philemon had talked so much about, the same Paul that helped Philemon become alive, was in Rome.

Onesimus was willing to put himself in potential danger of being captured as a runaway slave by going to see Paul in prison.

He went anyway.

I wonder how many times he visited with Paul before he accepted Christ.

I would love to have heard those first conversations between them.