A Letter About Forgiveness- Be Different Series

Series: Action [#152]

A LETTER ABOUT FORGIVENESS- BE DIFFERENT

Philemon 1:1-25

Introduction:

Thank you for all of the prayers, texts, calls, gifts, and food. As Pastor of Bel Aire for almost 25 years, I have spent many hours with people while their loved ones were having surgery. I have sent many texts and made many calls during these times; but when it is you, it is different. Karen had her surgery on Wednesday and the Oncologist removed all of her female organs. They found a tumor the size of a baseball in her uterus. While we are waiting for the test results from the lymph nodes to know for sure that the cancer is completely gone, the Oncologist believes that it is all gone.

Waiting in the Waiting Room with my parents and brother was unpleasant. Karen and I had spent 4 hours in the Pre-Operative Holding Area before she went into surgery; and then we waited for another 3½ hours while she had surgery. I hate waiting. About every hour, we would get information; but it was never enough to satisfy me. I had to see her before I would feel better. I thank God that I had people there with me- There were several men in the Waiting Room that were not so fortunate. They were by themselves waiting.

This morning, as we begin studying the 1 Chapter letter from Paul to Philemon, I want you to see how important it is to have Christian people around you and there for you. This letter focuses on forgiveness and serving God with one another.

Philemon 1:1-7

Bel Aire, you have also given me great joy and encouragement. I also pray that your faith be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share. Unfortunately, it seems that most Christians are adapting to this World too well. We should be different than this World. While that is easy to say, it sure is difficult to do. Paul wrote this letter from a Roman prison to a wealthy man named Philemon who hosted a Church at his house. Paul wrote to him about a runaway slave that belonged to Philemon by the name of Onesimus. Paul used this situation to show us how to be different than the World.

Philemon 1:8-16

If you want to be different, then you must…

1. Face your problems.

We often deny that we have a problem. We like to sweep our problems under the carpet. Onesimus was a new believer in Christ and had been helping Paul, since Paul was stuck in prison. Paul needed Onesimus, but knew that Onesimus needed to do the right thing. He needed to go back to his owner and serve him to his best ability. Just because he was now serving God didn’t mean that he wasn’t responsible for his other responsibilities.

Often, it is easier just to run away and hide. What problems have you been denying and running away from? When you face a problem, you have a couple of choices.

You can…

* Complain about them.

Tell everyone about how terrible your situation is. Yell at God about how unfair He is. Just gripe about everything.

You can…

* Hold onto them and feed them.

Just hold it in and think about it over and over again. Just allow it to get worse and worse until you explode.

You can…

* Give them to God and leave it with Him.

Stop trying to do it on your own and give it to God and leave it there.

Philemon 1:11

If you want to be different, then you must…

2. Focus on the right time frame.

Don’t focus on what was, but on what can be.

You can focus on…

* The past.

The past is the past and we cannot change it. The past is only useful for us to make changes to past mistakes and continue to do the right things.

* The present.

This is actually where your focus needs to be. God has you where He does on purpose.

* The future.

You don’t know what the future holds. You don’t need to be worrying about what might happen.

Philemon 1:17-25

If you want to be different, then you must…

3. Remember who you are.

Philemon had to make a choice- He could have Onesimus beaten, arrested, executed, or just let it go. Onesimus had to make a choice- He could go back and risk punishment, he could stay right where he was, or he could go somewhere else.

When we are saved, we become a new creation. We are often faced with our identity.

You can look like…

* The old you.

You can choose to handle it like you have always handled it. Get mad, cuss, punch somebody, lie on somebody, spread gossip, etc…