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Message Notes:
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. 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. – Philemon 1-7 (ESV)
YOU CAN’T CONQUER WHAT YOU DON’T CONFRONT
If you avoid difficult things, great things will avoid you. — George Brimhall
If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done. — Ecclesiastes 11v4 (TLB)
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: —
Philemon 1-2 (ESV)
Characters of the story:
Paul - imprisoned apostle
Philemon - led to Christ in Ephesus
Apphia - probably Philemon’s wife
Archippus - probably Philemon’s son
Onesimus - Philemon's slave
7 Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. 8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, 9 and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here. — Colossians 4v7-9 (ESV)
So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. — Philemon 17 (ESV)
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. — Galatians 3v28 (ESV)
How do I confront mistakes from my past?
1. Let your foundation of thought be your new life in Christ
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. — Philemon 3 (ESV)
21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. — Ephesians 4v21-22 (NLT)
2. Take responsibility, accept mistakes
Onesimus hasn’t been of much use to you in the past, but now he is very useful to both of us. - Philemon 11
Taking responsibility means never blaming anyone else for something you are being, doing, having or feeling. — Susan Jeffers
3. Apologize and Ask for forgiveness
23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. — Matthew 5v23-24 (ESV)
“A stiff apology is a second insult. The injured party does not want to be compensated because he has been wronged he wants to be healed because he has been hurt.” Gilbert K. Chesterton
4. Pray for personal restoration and then relational reconciliation
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. — 1 John 1:9 (NIV)
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.— James 5v16 (ESV)
“The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. — Joel 2:24-25 (ESV)
