Paul’s Letter To Philemon-A Picture Of Forgiveness

Philemon 1:1-7 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To
Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker—  2  also to Apphia our sister and
Archippus our fellow soldier—and to the church that meets in your home:
3  Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4  I
always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers,  5  because I hear about
your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus.  6  I pray that
your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your
understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ.  7  Your love
has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have
refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.

Paul wrote to Philemon, a Christian brother living in Colosse. This is the only place
in the New Testament where Philemon is mentioned by name, but we do know
that he was a dear and loved friend to Paul.
Paul’s friendship with Philemon is shown by something significantly missing in his
greeting. Of the 13 letters Paul wrote to churches or individuals, in 9 of them he
called himself an apostle in the opening verse. In this letter (along with Philippians
and 1 and 2 Thessalonians), Paul appealed to his reader more as a friend and less
an apostle.
Apphia was the wife of Philemon, and Archippus was his son. This address to
family members is unique among the letters of Paul, but it makes sense
considering the content of the letter to Philemon. In the customs of that day,
Philemon’s wife Apphia would have been the supervisor of the slaves in the
household, so the letter concerned her also.
In this letter, Paul will appeal to Philemon regarding a runaway slave name
Onesimus who has met Paul and found salvation in Jesus.
Philemon 1:8-25 Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to
do what you ought to do,  9  yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. It is
as none other than Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ
Jesus—  10  that I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I
was in chains.  11  Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful
both to you and to me. 12  I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you. 

13  I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place
in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel.  14  But I did not want to do
anything without your consent, so that any favor you do would not seem
forced but would be voluntary.  15  Perhaps the reason he was separated from you
for a little while was that you might have him back forever—  16  no longer as a
slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even
dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord. 17  So if you
consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me.  18  If he has
done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me.  19  I, Paul, am writing
this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your
very self.  20  I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the
Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.  21  Confident of your obedience, I write to you,
knowing that you will do even more than I ask. 22  And one thing more: Prepare a
guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your
prayers. 23  Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings.
24  And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers. 25  The grace
of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
For three years during his third missionary journey, Paul ministered in Asia Minor
among the people of Ephesus. This was a very successful period for the apostle
who saw many people come to the saving knowledge of Jesus. That is where Paul
turned the entire nation right side up for the gospel.
One of the people who converted under Paul’s teaching was Philemon, a slaveowner
from the nearby city of Colossae.
Vs19b “..not to mention that you owe me your very self.”
Paul addresses Philemon as “Dear friend” and “fellow worker,” a title given to
those who served for a time alongside Paul. (Gospel writers Mark and Luke also
received this title in Vs24. Clearly, a relationship existed between Paul and
Philemon, and was established in Asia.
A slave named Onesimus had escaped from his owner, Philemon, and had run
away from Colossae to Rome in the hope that he could disappear into that very
populated, urban environment. Once in Rome, Onesimus, someway-somehow by
divine appointment, came in contact with Paul, who clearly led the runaway slave to faith in Jesus Christ.

Vs10 “…who became my son while I was in chains.”
Vs16 “..no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother.” 
Acts ends…With Paul in chains yet preaching the word boldly to all who came.
Onesimus gets saved and just happens to be a slave of Philemon someone who
worked closely with Paul and whom Paul led to Jesus as well in Ephesus.

Paul’s message/request to Philemon (and to us) is a simple one: Based on the
work of love and forgiveness that had been wrought/born/instilled in Philemon’s
heart by God when he was saved, show that same love and forgiveness to his
escaped/runaway slave Onesimus who is now a believer and a brother in Christ.
Paul also asks Philemon to consider sending Onesimus back to Paul, as the apostle
found him useful in God’s service. Vs14 Formerly he was useless to you, but now
he has become useful both to you and to me.

Paul did not minimize Onesimus’s sin. This was not some kind of cheap grace that
Paul asked Philemon to offer. No, there is always sacrifice required of us in
forgiveness. Pride, Anxiety, Frustration, Anger (when we forgive do we
lose/sacrifice anything good?) PEACE OF GOD
I think most of us here understand the difficulty of offering forgiveness when
we’ve been wronged. It doesn’t always come easy, yet as believers, we have to
recognize that our ability and willingness to offer forgiveness, is the direct result
of Jesus’s saving work on the cross. Everything He did was about forgiving us!
Because of that fact, forgiveness serves as a determining factor in who we say we
are and how we hope to live our lives. When we do not forgive, bitterness takes
root in our hearts and chokes out the work of the Holy Spirit in us. Derails our
faith and our focus.
Matthew 5:23-24 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there
remember that your brother or sister has something against you,  24  leave your
gift there in front of the altar. First, go and be reconciled to them; then come and
offer your gift.

Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  15  But if you do not forgive others
their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Until you learn to forgive you’ll
never understand or receive God’s forgiveness as you should)
Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other,
just as in Christ God forgave you.
Colossians 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a
grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 
Are there any relationships you have where forgiveness has been a struggle for you
since you accepted Christ’s forgiveness? Allow Paul’s letter to Philemon to
encourage forgiveness in our own lives.
Paul had already been planning to send a letter to the Colossian church by the
hand of Tychicus. So in AD 60 or 61 from a prison cell in Rome, Paul wrote this
personal letter to Philemon and sent Onesimus the slave back to Colossae.
Colossians 4:7-9 Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear
brother, a faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord.  8  I am sending him to
you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and
that he may encourage your hearts.  9  He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful
and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is
happening here.

A Couple more Reasons Philemon is so important?

• This Letter is a Picture of Salvation
• Philemon was offended by the sins of Onesimus, who had turned his back on him
  and run away from him.
• Philemon is a representation of The Heavenly Father
• Onesimus is a representation of us: A slave before he submitted himself to Paul
  who is a representation of Jesus, Heard the gospel, Had Change of Mind and Heart,
  Onesimus is a person of use now.
• Paul is a representation of Jesus (Our Mediator) Vs18-19 If he has done you any
  wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me.  19  I will pay it back—

This letter to Philemon reminds us that God’s revelation to humanity is intensely
personal. In more formal biblical works like the Gospels or Romans or even Paul’s
letters to churches at Philippi or Colossae, it might be easy to get the impression
that God doesn’t care or have time for the trials and tribulations in a single
household. Philemon stands as a strong piece of evidence to the contrary to that
belief.