I’ve Been Changed!
Philemon 8-25
Introduction:
Every person has a life story. That story can be summed up on one word: achievement, success, power, wealth, family… tragedy, failure, brokenness.
Christian = Grace! Every Christian’s life is a story of grace.
Another Word = Changed!
Before & After = in life of every child of God – before grace & after grace!
Onesimus = testify – “By the grace of God, I’ve been changed!”
**In Onesimus we see a picture of ourselves!
Quote: “We are all Onesimus’s.” – M. Luther
1. Grace Redeeming!
Onesimus = prodigal – runaway slave… in process of his running away he had stolen from his master Philemon.
Flees = to Rome – plan was to lose himself, melt into the teeming masses of that great metropolis.
Onesimus = run away from Philemon – couldn’t run away from God!
**But there was unseen hand of God was at work… orchestrating the events of Onesimus’s life… bring him contact with another man in chains – Apostle Paul = the prisoner of Jesus Christ!
Why = God go to such great lengths to work in the life of an insignificant slave?
Answer: v.9 – “Yet for love’s sake”
God = loved Onesimus – not one thing in Onesimus’s life cause God to love him… nothing in us to cause God to love us – He simply loves us!
Grace = God lavishing His love upon undeserving sinners like you and me!
Onesimus = learned that there was a slavery worse than human slavery – slavery to sin.
**Lot of people like Onesimus claiming to be free but really slaves…
Rom. 7:14 – “Sold under sin.” = born slaves to sin and Satan.
Rom. 5:12 – “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”
Onesimus = listening as Paul told him everything about himself, he already knew but didn’t want to admit.
TOLD HIM OF ONE WHO COULD SET HIM FREE!!!
Luke 4:18 – “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”
Great Doctrine of Redemption:
Col. 1:14 – “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:”
“Redemption” – to buy out of the slave market…to pay a price… to purchase and set free!
Onesimus = Jesus loved you so much - he left Heaven and came to earth… cradled in the womb of a virgin… went to an old rugged cross… purchased your redemption! Save you and set you free!
See = Onesimus as tears streamed down his face… bowed his head and trusted Jesus as his Savior!
Instant = forgiven! Sins were gone! Chains fell off! First time in his life knew what it meant to be truly free!!!
What Jesus did for Onesimus… He can do for you!
**I don’t know what your shackles are, but Jesus can set you free!!
John 8:36 – “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
Hear Onesimus as left jail cell singing…
“Redeemed how I love to proclaim it.
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.
Redeemed by His infinite mercy,
His child and forever I am!”
Christians = redeemed, set free, yet living as slaves – chained…
Past sin and guilt, bitterness, anger, unforgiveness, sour attitude, critical spirit, etc…
Phil. 3:13,14 - Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
2. Grace Restoring!
Cf. whatever relationship Onesimus had with Philemon before he ran away was now broken. A wrong done!
Now, Paul sending Onesimus back to Philemon to right that wrong.
Great Apostle is acting as Onesimus’ mediator.
“Mediator” = a go between, one pleads the case of another… reconcile Onesimus and Philemon… restore a broken relationship.
Paul = pleading Onesimus’ case to Philemon
vv.8-12 – “therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels.”
vv.13-15 – “receive him forever.”
vv.16,17 – “receive him as myself.” = welcome him as if it were myself… when see Onesimus, see me… accept him for my sake.
Exactly what Jesus does for us!
1Tim. 2:5 – “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”
Jesus = our Mediator – our go between, the One who pleads our case… at Calvary Jesus reached up with one hand in the hand of God and reached down with other hand in the hand of man and brought us together, reconciled us through His cross!
Saved = presents us to the Father – receive Him as myself! Receive him as if it were Me… when see Kevin, see Me. Accept Kevin for my sake!
Eph. 1:6 – “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”
3. Grace Repaying!
Look: vv.18,19 – Philemon, I know that Onesimus has wronged you, taken from you… whatever cost “put that on my account… I’ll repay it!
Doctrine of Imputation:
“Impute” = accounting term – to reckon, to credit, to put to one’s account.
Illust: Go to bank… make a deposit… imputation takes place. Teller credits or puts to your account the amount of money deposited… shows up on your record… Bank Statement.
Bankrupt spiritually… record in Heaven showed that we owed a debt they could not pay.
2,000 yrs ago Jesus took our sins and nailed them to His cross! Not some of our sins or many of our sins or even most of our sins – all our sin – past, present and future!
Saved! Sin’s Forgiven!
Record in Heaven:
Debit column: list all our sins… stamped in big red letters – Paid in full!
Credit Column = stamped in bold letters – THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF JESUS CHRIST!!!
JESUS TOOK OUR SINS AND GAVE US HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS!
2Cor. 5:19a,21 – “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them… For he hath made him to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
Times = even after saved – disobey our Heavenly Father… old accuser… look there, look what Kevin’s done! Deserves to die!
Mediator /Advocate = Jesus Christ the righteous - sitting at the right hand of the Father – says, “Father, put that on my account!!!” I paid for that sin!!!
1John 1:9 –“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
1John 1:7 – “the blood of Jesus Christ his son, cleanses us from all sin.”
O What a Savior!!!!
4. Grace Rearranging!
Cf. the Onesimus that is returning to Philemon is not the same Onesimus that ran away.
Testimony = “I’ve Been Changed!”
Grace = saves us– is the grace that changes us!
Titus 2:11,12 – “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;”
Singing: O what a wonderful change in my life has been wrought, since Jesus came into my heart!
It’s different now!!!
Moment Onesimus robbed his master and fled for Rome he was a condemned man. Now months later he returns home a changed man.
Returning for Onesimus was a serious and even dangerous matter.
Roman Law = enacted harsh penalties for runaway slaves – crucified, a lesser punishment was to be beaten with cat-o-nine tails and forever branded with the letter “F” for ‘Fugitive’ on the foreheads.
Onesimus’ = willingness to make the wrong right was evidence of the change had taken place in his life – different man!
A. Slave to a Son.
Look: v.10, 15-16
No longer a slave but a son… a brother beloved… now part of the family of God. On equal footing with both Paul and Philemon.
Look: Col. 4:7-8
Gal. 3:28 – “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Ground = level at the foot of the cross!
B. Unprofitable to Profitable.
Look: v.11
Onesimus = useful or profitable.
Philemon = where at one time Onesimus was unprofitable or useless to you… now he is profitable or useful both to you and to me.
Look: vv.13,14
C. Fugitive to Forgiven
Look: v.10 – “whom I have begotten in my bonds.”
Moment Onesimus received Jesus Christ as his Savior he was forever forgiven.
Same true of us. No longer slave, now son, unprofitable, now profitable, fugitive, forgiven!
Illust: Man sick of the palsy – “Be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee.”
Forgive = to take away – our sins gone! Removed as far as east is from the west… cast behind His back… dropped into the sea of His forgetfulness!
Heb. 10:17 – “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.”
Good News = Never face our sins again!
Paul = Philemon God has had mercy and forgiven Onesimus… now I am asking you to have mercy and forgive him.
Look: vv.20,21
Philemon = story of grace & mercy, friendship & forgiveness, reconciliation and renewal.
God = has given us the ministry of reconciliation.
2Cor. 5:18 – “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;”
Heart of the Gospel!
Wrong in your life that needs to be made right… relationship that needs to be restored.
Two Reasons Forgive
1) My Sake (v.20b)
2) For the Lord’s Sake
Interesting = not told how things turn out. We are left in suspense. Did Philemon forgive Onesimus??? Yes! Onesimus went on to become the pastor of the church in Ephesus.
History: early church Ignatius martyred for his faith = in his letter to the Ephesians writes about Onesimus…
“I received, therefore, your whole multitude in the name of God, through Onesimus, a man of inexpressible love, and your bishop in the flesh, whom I pray you by Jesus Christ to love, and that you would all seek to be like him. And blessed be He who has granted unto you, being worthy, to obtain such an excellent bishop.” – Ignatius, Letter to the Ephesians.
Conclusion:
There is an old worn gravestone in the church yard of St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church in Olney, Buckinghamshire, England.
Epitaph: "John Newton, Clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long laboured to destroy."
I’ve Been Changed!
