Sunday – November 5, 2023, Cheshvan 21, 5784
Greetings brothers and sisters in the Kingdom of God and welcome back this study of the Book of Philemon. I am sure you have noticed that the individual teachings of this blog are trending shorter. We are in a sound bit, microwave generation, a shorter teaching may enhance digestibility, and may increase readership. The main theme of this Book of Philemon is intercession (intervention, mediation, arbitration, negotiation) and upon that I will focus. As with any Book of the Bible there are lots of Truths spoken of, but I will do my best to stick with intercession. What a wonderful God given gift and assignment for mankind to exercise one for the other.
Please take a moment to share this teaching, all of this Ministry’s teachings, as widely as possible. Thank you so much for sharing. Your sharing is vital to the dissemination of the Truth, the Gospel, the Good News. There are many excellent Anointed Bible teachers in the body of Christ but I pray the Lord has led you to be a part of these teachings, this Ministry. Now, let’s turn our attention to our primary Bible text from, you guessed it, Philemon. Please be sure you are reading out loud, yes out loud. You know why.
Philemon 1:9-14 (KJV)
9 Yet for love’s sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.
10 I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:
11 Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:
12 Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels:
13 Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel:
14 But without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly.
We left off last week with verse ten discovering at least in part, why the Apostle Paul is writing to Philemon. He is writing on behalf of a man named Onesimus, interceding if you will on the basis of love. This man Onesimus became a Christian due to the Apostles teachings while in prison. Makes one wonder if Onesimus was also a prisoner then perhaps became a willing volunteer attendant to the Apostle.
In any event the Apostle goes on to point out to Philemon at least part of what he already knows. Apparently Onesimus was an employee, servant, slave to Philemon. Later in verse sixteen we find their relationship described as Onesimus being a servant, but listen to the definition of that word, that relationship. This word servant in verse sixteen today we call a slave. Here is the definition from The Complete Word Study Dictionary – New Testament, a slave, one who is in a permanent relation of servitude to another, his will being altogether consumed in the will of the other. Generally, one serving, bound to serve, in bondage. The Apostle Paul points out that he, the Apostle, knows that this man was unprofitable to Philemon. Then he tells Philemon that this man is profitable to him (the Apostle Paul) and to Philemon. It would seem that the Apostle is speaking by faith based on the change in the man’s behavior since salvation. It seems that the man is a runaway slave.
Lord willing, I will pick up right here next Sunday.
Authored By: Dr. David R. Wood, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
2 Chronicles 20:20 b (KJV)
20 … Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (KJV)
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
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