Sunday – December 10, 2023, Kislev 27, 5784
Greetings dear children of God and welcome back to this stirring account of intercession, love, and forgiveness in the Bible Book of Philemon. Wow, this year is nearly spent, Thanksgiving is behind us, Christmas and the New Year are coming up rapidly before us. What a wonderful time of year, especially if we keep our eye on the Truth remembering to whom we are thankful and who we are celebrating. Before we delve into our primary Bible text for this Sunday, please take a moment and share this teaching as widely as possible. One last thing, don’t forget my newest book Awake, Arise, and Triumph – Be Love which would make a wonderful Christmas gift for anyone. Use the following link to purchase now: https://amzn.to/3MVTysq
Now, let’s turn our attention to our primary Bible text in this wonderful Book of Philemon.
Philemon 1:19-25 (NIV)
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.
Last Sunday I left off talking about verse nineteen of our text above. It starts off good with the Apostle offering to pay for any losses Onesimus caused Philemon. Then mid-verse it seems to take a bad turn with Paul reminding Philemon that he is indebted to the Apostle. Let’s take a look at it in the Amplified Bible.
Philemon 1:19 (AMP)
19 I, Paul, write it with my own hand, I promise to repay it [in full]—and that is to say nothing [of the fact] that you owe me your very self!
Does this seem to go against the Christian, love (agapē) grain? Let’s take a look at the Message Bible.
Philemon 1:19-20 (MSG)
19 This is my personal signature—Paul—and I stand behind it. (I don’t need to remind you, do I, that you owe your very life to me?)
20 Do me this big favor, friend. You’ll be doing it for Christ, but it will also do my heart good.
On the one hand the Apostle Paul is asking his brother, perhaps son in the faith, to do a favor, to receive Onesimus in love and that he, Paul, will even be good for any losses Philemon sustained. He points out that Philemon will be doing this for Christ but it will also make him, Paul, very happy, even joyful. Then on the other hand the Apostle Paul says don’t forget you owe me bigtime. Was this proper for the Apostle Paul? If Philemon does as the Apostle is asking, will he be doing it out of love for Paul and this beloved brother, Onesimus, or manipulation (guilting – “you owe me one”). More next week.
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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