Philemon, a Faithful Follower of Christ
Pastor Paul Lee
Philemon 1:1-7
Greeting
1 Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our beloved fellow worker 2 and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philemon's Love and Faith
4 I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, 6 and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. 7 For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.
Introduction:
I. THE AUTHOR OF THIS EPISTLE —The Apostle Paul
II. THE ADDRESSEES OF THIS EPISTLE — Philemon, a slave-owner at Colossae.
III. THE PLACE AND THE DATE OF THE WRITING OF THIS EPISTLE
IV. THE BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE EPISTLE
Philemon was a wealthy Roman citizen in Colossae. Onesimus – a runaway slave.
V. THE PURPOSE OF THIS EPISTLE - to encourage Philemon to receive back his
runaway slave, Onesimus.
Looking into the texts Philemon 1:1-7
1. THE WRITERS - Paul and Timothy 1 Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
A. PAUL - Paul calls himself “a prisoner of Jesus Christ.”
B. TIMOTHY - Paul associates Timothy with himself.
2. THE READERS – 1 To Philemon our beloved fellow worker 2 and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house:
A. “PHILEMON”—Paul calls him “our dearly beloved and fellow worker (laborer).”
B. “APPHIA”—She is called “our beloved Apphia.” She probably was the wife of Philemon.
C. “ARCHIPPUS”—Paul calls him a “fellow soldier.” Archippus probably was Philemon’s son.
D. “THE CHURCH IN YOUR HOUSE” No record of special church buildings until the third century a.d.
SO, IT DOES INFER THAT THE CHURCH MET AT PHILEMON’S HOUSE.
3. THE WISH— 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philemon – a faithful follower of Christ 4 -7
1. FAITH in Christ 4 I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints. Philemon had a growing authentic faith in Christ.
2 Peter 3:18; In John 15, Jesus affirms the vital importance of abiding in Him:
To “abide” is to live, continue, or remain; to abide in Christ is to live in Him or remain in Him.
John 15:4–5 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
1 John 3:6 NLT - Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is.
2. LOVE expressed 5 because I hear [KEEP HEARING] of your 1st faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and of the 2nd LOVE for all the saints.
Jesus - John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
1 John 4:7-8 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
Verse 2 - Philemon even exercised God’s love by opening his home for church meetings.
VERSE 7, Apostle Paul writes - For I have derived much joy and comfort (encouragement) from your LOVE, my brother because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.
The word “refreshed” (anapepautai, see also v. 20) is the same word that Jesus used in Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest - (“refreshment”) he would give those who came to him.
TRUE GENUINE CHRISTIAN LOVE leads to encouragement and refreshment in the body of Christ, building up the church and promoting unity and joy.
Love expressed and a love that refreshes (7)
The 3rd Characteristic of Philemon, a faithful Christlike follower, is -
3. Partnership in the gospel 6 and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.
The word SHARING Greek is “Koinōnia.” – fellowship = mutual sharing = PARTNERSHIP.
6 And I am praying that IN YOUR PARTNERSHIP OF THE GOSPEL, you may become effective/active knowing that you have understanding and experience all the good things we have in Christ.
Acts 4:20, “for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”
2 Peter 3:9 God is patient, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Partnership: Living Out Christ’s Mission Together
Conclusion
QUESTIONS AND APPLICATION
1. Take time to reflect on your faith in Christ. How does your trust in Him influence your daily life?
How can you grow in faith?
2. Encourage others in such a way that it brings spiritual refreshment. A simple, well-timed
encouragement, a note of affirmation, or an act of kindness can refresh someone’s heart.
Who in the church or community could benefit from a word of encouragement today?
3. Evaluate your role in the broader mission of the church. How can you actively participate in building
up our church and advancing the gospel? Consider serving in a ministry or outreach effort.