Charge It To My Account

• From Segregated to Integrated

• From Excluded to Included

• From No Rights to Equal Rights

Then there is a wonderful statement about God’s providence. Paul suggests that God allowed Onesimus to run away so that he would find Paul in Rome and be led to Christ and thus be sent back to Philemon—not as a slave but as a Christian brother. In these verses Paul does not explicitly tell Philemon to release Onesimus but he comes very close. In any case, we see here Paul’s amazing faith in the “Invisible Hand” of God moving through every part of human history.

SOMETIMES WE GIVE UP ON ONE ANOTHER TOO EASILY. Or we prefer the bombastic approach when something much more low-key is need. I’m thinking of a LETTER – PHONE CALL – LUNCH TOGETHER – BREIF WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT - a challenge to the downhearted, going out of our way to intercede for those in need. That’s what Paul did for Onesimus. He got involved, he took a chance, and he made a personal appeal to Philemon.

Because of this type of love – Onesimus was able to go back free of the fear of punishment. Do you see the parellels between Onesimus and us?

• Although we should be punished for our sins

• Jesus told his heavenly Father to Charge it to my Account – I will pay for those sins.

• Jesus paid for our sins on the cross so that we now can serve our God without fear of punishment

I can imagine that Onesiums held that letter from Paul in his hand. He kept it right there in the grip of his hand the whole way home. I bet he never let that letter out of his sight.

• So should it be with our letter from God

• This Book

• The Bible is our standing assurance that what we have believed is not in vain

• That though sin and the devil tried to disgrace us

• God saved us and set us free and wrote a letter to us reminding us along the way

• You are accepted – It has already been paid

I can imagine that Onesimus turns the letter over to Philemon and what Paul said in essence was that if Onesimus owes him anything, “put that on my account - Charge it to my Account ” In all the New Testament, you will not find a better illustration of SUBSTITUTIONARY ATONEMENT.

• What Onesimus owed, Paul volunteered to pay

• When Paul paid the debt, Philemon would be satisfied and Onesimus would be free of any obligation

• This is the gospel in human terms

ALL OF US WERE GOD’S ONESIMUS -

• We were slaves to sin

• Chained to evil

• Continually running away from God

• But Jesus went to the Cross

• Paid the price for our sins

• So that God’s justice was satisfied once and for all

--Although Jesus was without sin – He took our sins to the Cross – Charge it to my Account

--Although Pontius Pilate found no fault in Jesus – he found fault in us but Jesus said – Charge it to my Account

--He suffered, bleed and died – can’t you hear him say – Charge it to my Account