How The Gospel Transforms Our Relationship to the World
Philemon • Sermon • Submitted
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· 430 viewsWhen our relationshpi with God is changed, so is our relationship with others, not just in our personal relatioships or relationships with fellow believers but with everyone in the world; so to is our relationship with the world itself changed and how we live in it and interact
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
While his family was driving home from Church, having just had the dedication ceremony for their new born second child, their first born, but still young son began to act very sad, even sniffling back a sob or two. The parents asked the boy what was wrong, to which he replied. “when the pastor was dedicating my little brother during the service this morning, he prayed that he would be raised in a good Christian home, but I want him to keep living with us...”.
We might each ask ourselves the question, does is what we claim to be reflected in our lives? Do we practice what we preach?
Our interactions with others in the world should reflect our relationship with God.
The power of The Gospel changes our relationship to God and that change spills out into all aspects of our lives, including our relationships with others. Not only does our relationship with those we care about, such as family, friends and fellow believers change, but so to does our relationship with everyone, even strangers and society at large, even if they are not of the faith.
We see this example of how The Gospel changes our relationships with others and with society illustrated for us in Paul’s Letter to Philemon.
Philemon 1:1-3
Philemon 1:1-3
Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker,
and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Plea of Paul the Imprisoned Preacher
The Plea of Paul the Imprisoned Preacher
The Letter to Philemon was written by the Apostle Paul, as indicated in the greeting, in verses 1-3.
Paul describes himself in his greeting as a prisoner of Christ Jesus.
When Paul wrote his letter to Philemon, he was imprisoned in Rome, but he did not count himself a prisoner of Rome, but rather a prisoner for Christ, imprisoned for the cause of the Kingdom, for his Lord.
For Paul to be describing himself as a prisoner of Christ, or for Christ’s sake, and considering other Christians as his brothers, sisters and fellow workers and soldiers in the faith is miraculous and staggering evidence of Paul’s change of relationship with God.
Paul had once been a hater of Christ and His people, he had been trained as a Pharisee, under one of the greatest teachers of the Pharisees named Gamaliel; his world view had been to look down on others who didn’t agree with him and he had persecuted the Christians, delivering them over to imprisoned and punished.
We see in Acts 7:58 that when a young Christian named Stephen was preaching, the people became enraged at him for his message and they drove him out of the city and stoned him, and while they were stoning him, they laid their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul, Saul being the Hebrew version of Paul’s name.
We read further in Acts 8:1 that when persecution against Christians began, Saul, also known as Paul, had been in hearty agreement.
Yet, we see in Acts 9:1-19 that, while on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians there and bring them back to Jerusalem, his relationship with God changed when he encountered Christ while on the road; blinded by a light from heaven and hearing Christ, who rebuked him for his persecution of the Church and commanded him to go into the city and wait; after which his sight was restored through the prayer of a Christian named Ananias, he was baptized, filled with The Spirit, that is, he was saved, and from that day forward, dedicated his life to serving Christ.
Paul knew what it was to be forgiven, to have one’s relationship with God changed, and that transformed his relationship with others and the culture around him; now, instead of persecuting the Church, he was willing to suffer in order to carry the Gospel to others and lived out the Gospel in his life.
His relationships with others, with society, with the culture, was now reflective of who he was in Christ, of his relationship to the Lord.
When Onesimus, the escaped slave of Philemon, a leader of the Church in Colossae, from whom Onesimus had stolen, ended up in Rome and met Paul, he was saved under Paul’s ministry.
Though Onesimus was free spiritually, he was still in danger as a fugitive and as a believer, also needed to make amends with his master, Philemon, who was now his brother in Christ.
For these two reasons, Paul sent Onesimus back to Philemon, with the letter that bears his name, encouraging Philemon to accept Onesimus back as a brother; not to invoke his rights to punish him under the law, not to be like the culture they were a part of, but to forgive, just as he had been forgiven, and to embrace Philemon as a brother.
In verses 17-19, the over arching theme of the letter to Philemon is seen when Paul offers to absorb the consequences of Onesimus’ actions and for Philemon to receive Onesimus as though he were receiving Paul.
As Christians, they no longer lived as they had while in the world, but as a new, reborn people in Christ, sharing in the same faith. Paul’s plea was that this would motivate Philemon to allow the same love he and Paul and Onesimus had experienced in Christ to be manifested in their relationships with each other and would shine as an example to a lost world.
Change Has to Happen in the Heart
Change Has to Happen in the Heart
Our relationship with God spills out into all aspects of our lives. It is only when our relationship with God has been transformed and we are walking in fellowship with Him that our other relationships can be changed as well. Our relationship with God is reflected in how we live our lives, our attitude, character, affections, desires, actions and, of course, our relationships with others.
We see this played out in Paul’s letter to Philemon, in the change we see in Paul and Philemon and Onesimus and their relationships to each other that transcended social, racial, cultural and economic barriers flowed out of their relationship with Christ, no longer as master and slave, victim and thief, but brothers in Christ.
Some might wonder why Paul or the other Apostle’s didn’t simply command that all Christians to free their slaves and attack such social structures, such as slavery.
The fact of the matter is the Apostles and the Church never promoted or even condoned slavery and such harmful institutions, but they had to live in the world they lived in.
Rather than try and attack such institutions or to enact some form of social change or revolution, they focused instead on changing peoples hearts through the power of the Gospel.
Just as with Philemon and Onesimus, once a person’s relationship with God is changed, change follows in all other areas of their life as well, making such divisions as master and slave or other worldly barriers irrelevant and impossible.
Our relationship to God must change first before anything else will.
We can look at what happened in America at the end of slavery as an example. Even though slavery was ended, there was still bitterness, still prejudice and hate. Those things didn’t go away just because of a change in mans law. The only thing that brings change is a changed relationship with God.
The only way social ills and injustices, such as prejudices, abortion, abuse and all the evils we see in the world will change is if a persons relationship to God changes.
When our relationship to Christ changes, so to does our relationship to the world.
Christians are Called to Christ and Counter to the Culture
Christians are Called to Christ and Counter to the Culture
Paul’s request to Philemon went against the culture of the day.
For example, in Roman culture, slaves had no rights, they were considered no more than property, and while they might one day be freed through some means, usually as a gift from their owner, while the remained slaves, they were considered less than human and many, even if freed, could often not expect a much better life than what they already had.
Slaves could come from anywhere and be of any race or background; usually they were prisoners of war, but one could also be sold into slavery to pay debts or as a means to support themselves.
The fact remained, whatever the circumstances of their position, they were the lowest status in society.
Philemon was likely a Roman citizen and one of some status, given his wealth, which we can infer from the text.
Paul was asking him not only to forgive Onesimus and accept him back, but to embrace him as a brother in Christ, and equal.
This was radically different than the accepted cultural norms of the times.
Paul’s appeal to Philemon was based in the their shared fellowship, koinonia in the Greek; which means a mutual participation.
Christians are called to be different; our transformed relationship with God necessitates a transformation in our relationship with others.
These transformed relationships with each other are described in Colossians 3:18-4:1, a letter which accompanied the letter Paul wrote to Philemon.
Husbands lead as servants and in gentleness, not being domineering, but loving and protecting their wives, and wives allow their husbands to fulfill the role God’s given them, supporting and encouraging them.
Parents don’t abuse or provoke their children, but love and teach them and children honor their parents.
Servants serve their masters honestly and masters are kind and gentle and forgiving to their servants, knowing that there’s only one true master to whom they are all accountable.
Christ did not come to simply fix what was broken, but to transform mankind, a new creation in Him and our lives are to reflect that.
Just as in the case of Philemon and Onesimus, their relationship could no longer be defined in terms of social roles, such as master or slave, but rather through their relationship in Christ, as equal partakers in the faith.
As Paul says to the Galatians in Galatians 3:28:
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
This transformation of our relationship to God, become a new creation in Him is reflected in our relationship to each other in Christ and also in our relationship to the world, how we, as Christians, live and treat others.
In the World, Yet Not of It
In the World, Yet Not of It
Part of how our relationship with God changes our relationship to the world, in a fundamental way, is that we are no longer part of the world.
In Christ we are transformed, in Christ we are being made a new creation, a redeemed humanity; as such, we are not part of this world, but of God’s kingdom.
1 Peter 2:9 and Titus 2:14 describes Christians as being different and set apart.
The world we live in is fallen and broken; ever since the fall in garden, man has sought to go his own way apart from God but when we are reborn in Christ, we are called to walk in a different way, in fellowship with God, in restored relationships, loving the things of God and hating the things that are not of Him.
We see this expressed in 1 John 2:15 and James 4:4, that we can’t walk in fellowship with God and a fallen world, holding on to the things that dishonor Him.
As Christians, we do not partake in the things of the world that are contrary to what God has revealed to us in His Word, but strive to live as Christ, being continually sanctified by The Holy Spirit to be more like Him.
This puts us at odds with the the fallen world we live in.
Jesus said:
“If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.
Christians were often hated in the early Church, not unlike today, because they went against the culture norms; not acknowledging the pagan gods, or participating in the veneration and worship of figures such as the emperor; they didn’t take part in the violent blood sports of the day and the lives reflected a total reversal of many of the established social structures.
Yet, as Christ’s people, our relationship to the world is changed in that we no longer conform to the world, but are instead, being conformed to Christ’s image, living in the world, but not longer living in sin, but in Christ, as a reflection of Him and a light in the darkness.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
A Peculiar People of Purpose
A Peculiar People of Purpose
Just because we are not of the world does not mean that we are to just disengage.
Though we are not of the world, we have a mission here, to advance the Kingdom of Christ.
We are not waiting for a kingdom that is to come, but are instead ambassadors of the Kingdom Christ has established, advancing the Gospel of the Kingdom until Christ comes and places all things under His feet and brings every enemy into submission.
In John 17, while praying for His disciples, Jesus describes how though we are not of the world we have been sent into it.
David Mathis commented on Jesus’ words this way:
Jesus is not asking his Father for his disciples to be taken out of the world, but he is praying for them as they are “sent into” the world. He begins with them being “not of the world” and prays for them as they are “sent into” the world.
David Mathis, https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/lets-revise-the-popular-phrase-in-but-not-of
We are not to just sit around and wait for Jesus to come back, but are to live for Him.
In Matthew 5:13-14, Jesus calls His people the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
Light shines in the darkness.
Salt is a symbol of life and purity.
As Christians, we are to let our light shine in the world, and like salt which preserves and heals, we are have an effect on the world.
As we walk in fellowship with God, we are to demonstrate His love and proclaim His Gospel to the world.
Living and Loving Like Christ
Living and Loving Like Christ
Just as Paul was not trying to change the world through human means, but by bringing people to Christ, we advance Christ’s Kingdom by allowing Him to live through us and proclaiming the Gospel so that through Christ’s saving work, all these other things can come as well as, as people’s relationships with God are transformed.
Our relationship to the world is no longer to participate as part of it, but to proclaim the Gospel of the kingdom in it and show Christ’s love through our loves, letting Him live in us.
In Luke 9:54 we see a village reject Jesus and this angered His disciples and they asked Him if they should call down fire on those people for what they did; to which Jesus rebukes them, reminding them that He came to save people.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:37-48 to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, to turn the other cheek if someone strikes us, to go two miles if someone compels us to go one. Just as God sends rain to the righteous and the unrighteous, we are to show compassion, even to those who wrong us, to display the love of God in us to everyone, to live as the new creation we are as God’s people, showing His love through our lives.
Jesus showed no partiality, but took the Gospel to everyone, such as the woman at the well in John 4 and Zaccheus, the tax collector in Luke 19 and even offering forgiveness to the thief on the cross and praying for The Father to forgive those who crucified Him.
The man we know as Saint Patrick was born sometime around AD 386 and at 16 was kidnaped and enslaved by pirates and taken to Ireland where he lived as a slave for around six years before escaping to freedom and returning to his homeland and become a member of the clergy. One would think after his harsh treatment while being enslaved that he would never want to return to Ireland after escaping; however, Patrick instead set out back to Ireland, in AD 432, to take the Gospel to those who had so wronged him, knowing that the Gospel that saved him was for them as well.
When we live our lives, we are to do everything we do as unto Christ.
Jesus said in Matthew 25:40:
“The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
Every person bears God’s image and our relationship with the world and the people in it is to reflect the same love that Christ showed us, loving others as Christ loved us, because they are His creation.
When we feed the hungry, cloth the naked, give to the poor, house the homeless, aid the sick, it is to be done with an evangelistic spirit, letting our light shine, letting Christ live through us.
God doesn’t hold us responsible for the outcome, only for our motivation.
Be A Reflection
Be A Reflection
In our lives, people in the would should see the reflection of Christ’s love, the manifestation of our relationship with Him.
The way we treat each other as Christians is a reflection of our faith to the world.
“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
When our relationship with God changes, it changes how we interact with the world, it enables us to live a life that would be pleasing to Him.
If we wish to advance the kingdom, if we wish to engage the world for Christ, we can do so by allowing Him to live through us as His people, just as we see happen in Paul’s Letter to Philemon, and let our relationship with Him be reflected in our relationship with the world.