In Philippine history, kung ang mga datu o ng mga pinuno ng mga barangay o clans, ay nais na bumuo ng mas malakas na political unit, ang gagawin nila, magsasama-sama sila at gagawin nila ang isang ritwal. Ang ritwal na ito ay tinatawag na “Sandugo” o “Isang Dugo” di ba? Sa English ay “One Blood or Blood Pact.” So sa ritwal na ito, hihiwaan ng mga Datu o ng mga pinuno ng barangay ang kanilang mga braso ng maliit na sugat. Pagsasama-samahin nila ang kanilang mga dugo sa iisang baso at yon ay hahaluan nila ng alak o ng wine.
Pagkatapos ay hahatiin nila ang inumin na iyon ng pantay-pantay sa kaniya-kaniyang mga baso at iinumin nila ito at walang tatayo hangga’t hindi nila nauubos ang laman ng baso nila. So ang ritwal na ito ay ang nagbubuklod o nagba-bind sa kanilang usapan at kapatiran. At pagkatapos nilang gawin ang ritwal na iyon, magiging isa na silang bayan, okay. At tatawagin nila ang isa’t-isa na magkakapatid kahit hindi sila magkakadugo. Siguro magkadugo na rin sila kasi ininom nila ‘no.
In the same way, meron ding nagbubuklod o nagba-bind sa isang
iglesya. Pero hindi lang ito pinagsama-samang dugo ng tao, kundi ito ay ang dugo, ang kamatayan ng Diyos na nagkatawang tao at ang muli Niyang pagkabuhay, ang iglesya ay binubuklod, bina-bind ng ebanghelyo o ng gospel. The gospel is a gospel that binds the church, the gospel is a church-binding gospel.
Our text for this afternoon is Philemon 1 to 7. Philemon 1 to 7.
Philemon po pagkatapos ng Titus bago ang Hebrews. Isang page lang po iyan; baka mahirapan po. So Philemon 1 to 7 Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved fellow worker and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, 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. For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.
Thanks be to God for the reading of His Word.
So starting today and for the next three Lord’s Day, we will go through the letter of Paul to Philemon. This is the shortest among all the New Testament letter written by Paul. Now, there’s a lot of probabilities why Paul wrote to Philemon. And for the sake of time, kinuha ko na lang yung mga most probable reasons. At yung consistent among different commentaries; kung ano yung background story, bakit sumulat si Paul kay Philemon.
It was said the Philemon heard the gospel and was saved through Paul’s three-year ministry in the city of Ephesus. At the same time, another man, by the name of Epaphras was also saved through that ministry by the Apostle Paul. Now take note that Philemon and Epaphras both have the same hometown and that is the city of Colossae. Philemon and Epaphras equipped for the gospel ministry, went back to their hometown. Epaphras is the one who preached the gospel. And people were saved, and then, that gave birth to the Colossian church. Ngayon, kung si Epaphras po ang nag-p-preach ng gospel, ano naman ang ministry ni Philemon? Well since si Philemon ay isang mayaman na tao, businessman at may malaking bahay, doon sa bahay nila nagmee-meet regularly ang church. So by this time po wala pa pong mga church building or chapel na katulad ng meron tayo ngayon. Ang mga churches po nagmee-meet sa mga bahay-bahay. At posible din na kasama nya na nag-aasikaso sa ministry yung asawa niya na nabasa natin kanina si Apphia na isa ring kristiyano. At malaki rin po ang possibility na yung anak nilang si Archippus ay pastor doon sa Colossian church. So makikita po natin dito ang isang mayamang pamilya na nagse-serve sa church in Colossae. At ang pamilyang ito ay mayroong mga slaves na tumutulong sa kanila sa kanilang mga gawain. Now just a side note po, yung slavery po nung time na ito, ancient slavery ay ibang-iba po sa klase ng slavery na posibleng alam natin na kung saan pinapahirapan at inaabuso lang yung mga tao based sa kanilang lahi o sa kanilang race,’no. Nung time po na ito, hindi naka- base ang slavery sa lahi o sa race ng isang tao. At actually ang slavery po nung time na ito ay form of employment. So hindi limited sa menial tasks yung trabaho nila. Maraming slaves po ang na-a-assign sa pag- manage ng business ng kanilang mga masters, mag-aral ng medisina, at iba pang mga matataas na uri ng trabaho. Pero i-take note din po natin that the well-being, ang well-being po ng isang slave ay nakadepende sa kanyang master. Kung mabuti ang master niya, then maayos din ang buhay nya, pero natapat sya sa masamang amo, e masama din ang sasapiting ng slave na ito. And as we will see, as we study the letter to Philemon, Philemon is a christian slave, christian slave owner, and he is a good and generous master. But in spite of that, one of his slaves, by the name of Onesimus, ran away, stole a large amount of money or possessions from him. Itong si Onesimus, kahit mabuti ang kaniyang amo, pinagnakawan niya at tumakas. Now, you need to understand na itong ginawa po ni Onesimus ay dalawang capital crimes sa Roman Empire. Matinding krimen ito dahil ayaw ng mga Romano na gayahin ng ibang slaves ang pagtakas at pagnanakaw. Malaking prublema po kasi sa kanila yun dahil ang Roman Empire was built on slavery. Sobrang halaga ng slavery sa kanila. Kaya kung mahuli man ang isang runaway slave, they were imprisoned or executed, or atleast they were branded on their forehead ng letter “F” for “fugitivus” meaning fugitive or “CF” “cave furem,” ang meaning naman po ay “beware of theif.” Imagine kung nahuli si Onesimus at kung ang amo niya ay masama, for example lang masama si Philemon, posibleng tatakan sya ng “FCF” sa noo niya nung nahuli siya ng branding. So hindi maganda ang sasapitin ng isang slave na nag-ranaway at nagnakaw sa kaniyang amo. Now, alam ito ni Onesimus, kaya dumiretso siya sa pinaka-populated na lugar sa buong empire, which is the city of Rome. Approximately, eight hundred thousand ang population doon nung mga time na ito. So pwedeng-pwde siyang mag-disguise, gumamit ng alias names para makapagtago siya at hindi mahuli. Sabi ni Tacitus, isang historian, “it is in the city of Rome where all things horrible and disgraceful find their way.” At sabi din ng isang commentary: “there, Onesimus melded into the dark sordid world of alias names, lawlessness and immorality. And there, he and his money were soon parted. Dahil sa pagtakas at pagnanakaw ni Onesimus kay Philemon, sobrang dilim nang nangyari sa buhay niya.
Pero dahil ang Panginoon natin ay mabuti, at sa Kaniyang providence,
sa Kaniyang probidensiya, hinayaan Niya, ng Panginoon, na makarinig ng faithful preaching si Onesimus. Si Onesimus ay nagsisi at nagtiwala sa Panginoong Hesus para sa kaniyang kaligtasan. At sino ang ginamit ng Panginoon para marinig niya ang gospel? Muli, ang Apostle Paul, na ngayon ay nakakulong sa Rome dahil sa tapat niyang pangangaral ng ebanghelyo. Pagkatapos noon, naging evident sa buhay ni Onesimus yung kaligtasan na pinrofess niya. Nagpatuloy siyang makinig sa mga turo ni Paul at hindi lang iyon, ginawa niya rin lahat ng kaya niyang gawin para matulungan si Paul habang si Paul ay naka-bilanggo..to the point na ang sabi ni Paul sa sulat niya kay Philemon, dati siya ay useless, pero ngayon, siya ay useful na. And by the way yun nga po pala ang meaning ng pangalan na Onesimus, useful. Now, kasabay ng growth ni Onesimus sa christian knowledge and service, malamang nag- grow din po ang kaniyang conviction na ma-reconcile siya sa kaniyang master, na ngayon ay kapatid na niya sa pananampalataya. Na-imagine ko, possible siguro na narinig niya yung parang text natin kaninang umaga ‘no..na kung gusto mong mag-worship sa Panginoon at meron kang kagalit, i-lay down mo muna ang iyong offering at makipag-ayos ka sa iyong kapatid. Posibleng narinig niya iyon kay Paul, at ngayon, mas tumindi yung conviction niya para ma-reconcile siya sa kaniyang master. Pero we also need to see na very risky kung babalik siya kay Philemon ng walang letter of recommendation mula kay Paul. Baka isipin ng Colossian church nag-iimbento lang siya ng kuwento para makaiwas siya sa parusa. Kaya naman sumulat ng napakahusay na letter of reconciliation si Paul kay Philemon, nakikiusap na patawarin at tanggapin niya si Onesimus hindi lang bilang isang alipin kundi bilang isang kapatid. Now, malaki ang pabor na hinihingi ni Paul kaya ipinakita niya na ang basehan ng pakiusap na ito ay hindi yung kabutihan lang ni Philemon, at hindi lang din yung pagbabagong buhay ni Onesimus.
Instead, Paul based his appeal for reconciliation to the truth that now,
both of them, Philemon and Onesimus have been saved thru faith by the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and they now belong to the same family, the family of God, which is the church. We can say that they are now bound to one another. Nakatali na sila ngayon sa isa’t-isa. And what binds them is the gospel that saves them. And that is our message for this afternoon. The gospel of Christ is the Strong cord that binds the church together.
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST IS THE STRONG CORD THAT BINDS THE CHURCH TOGETHER. Ang ebanghelyo ni Kristo ang Matibay na Lubid na Nagbubuklod sa Iglesya. Now what are some of the visible results when a church is bound together by the gospel? Ano ang itsura ng isang iglesya, ng isang simbahan na itinatali o pinagsama ng ebanghelyo?
Now these will be the two evident results. There will be fruitful fellowships and there will be restored relationships.
There will be fruitful fellowships and there will be restored relationships. Let us consider the first one, FRUITFUL FELLOWSHIPS. Now our text this afternoon, verses 1 to 7, is the opening of Paul’s letter to Philemon. And the first thing that we must notice is that this section reflects Paul and Philemon’s fruitful fellowship.. Paul and Philemon’s fruitful fellowship. Pansinin po natin kung paano in-address ni Paul ang mga tao doon sa greetings niya..verses 1 to 3. Tinawag niya si Timothy na brother, si Philemon na beloved fellow worker, si Apphia na sister, si Archippus na fellow soldier, and he also greets the church, the whole church in Colossae. Now compare that to how Paul sees the christians and the gentiles before his conversion. You see, Pau, before his conversion, before his conversion to Christianity, he is a radical Pharisee. He persecuted the church, he kills christians, and he probably calls the gentiles, which most of the Colossians are, he calls them dogs. Now there’s a stark difference on how endearing, sobrang, sobrang endearing ng kaniyang pagtawag na yon sa Colossian church versus sa tingin niya dati sa mga gentiles at sa mga christians nung hindi pa siya naco-convert. Now this shows na naging possible lamang yung fellowship between Paul and Philemon as well as the other brethren dahil sa saving work of the gospel ng Panginoong Hesus. At hindi ba ganun din tayo mga kapatid? Walang ibang nagbubuklod sa atin kundi ang gospel ng ating Panginoon. Now, this fellowship that Paul and Philemon have calls, he calls it in verse 6, the sharing of your faith, kung pwede nyo pong tignan, it is the sharing of your faith. Yung original na Greek word po for sharing has the same or related Greek word sa word na fellowship or partnership. So sa original language po magkakalapit yang mga words na yan: sharing, fellowship, partnership. At yung fellowship po na tinutukoy dito ni Paul ay hindi lang basta yung kumain sila ni Philemon ‘no na magkakasama, nag-usap tapos nagkape tapos uwian na, okay. Hindi po ganung klaseng fellowship. Well, siguro isang parte yun, kumain sila ng sama-sama. Pero ang understanding nila ng fellowship ay since we have a common faith in Christ, we will share a common life together for Christ. Ulitin ko po: SINCE WE HAVE A COMMON FAITH IN CHRIST, WE WILL SHARE A COMMON LIFE
TOGETHER FOR CHRIST. That means you will support the needs of
one another para magawa nyo ang will ng Panginoon. THAT IS TRUE AND FRUITFUL FELLOWSHIP. So for example, si Philemon, nakita nya na need ng meeting place ng church sa Colossae, so naisip niya sige, bubuksan ko nga yung bahay ko para doon mag-minister si Epaphras. At since mayaman siya, possibly tinutulungan niya yung mga church members sa kanilang financial needs. And in that way partner sila ni Paul. Why? Because Paul also wants the gospel to propagate and also maalagaan yung mga churches and Philemon is doing that in the Colossian church. Meron ding possibility na si Philemon ay nagse-send mismo ng material or financial support para kay Paul para kahit nakakulong si Paul, siya rin ay makapag-preach ng gospel. So yun po ang Fruitful fellowship na tinutukoy natin dito. Nagtutulungan kayo na magawa ang will ng Panginoon at hindi aimless yung time nyo together, ‘no. Pero the question is this: Saan tmutubo or nag g-grow ang mga ganitong klaseng fellowships? Fruitful fellowships grow in the fertiled ground of the gospel. Fruitful fellowships grow in the fertiled ground of the gospel. Mas mabunga ang mga puno at halaman kapag malusog ang lupa and in the same way, magiging fruitful din ang mga fellowships natin kung tayo ay firmly rooted in the healthy ground of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Brethren, kung bawat isa sa atin ay babad as katotohanan ng ebanghelyo. At kung, hindi lang basta yung gospel, but the application of gospel in the different parts of our lives. Kung tayo ay babad sa mga ganung katotohanan, ano kaya ang magiging hitsura ng ating mga fellowships? Saan kaya gagamitin ng Panginoon ang mga fellowships na nabubuo sa atin if we are all rooted and grounded in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ? Now another question to consider: What does a fruitful fellowship look like? At makikita natin yun the way Paul addresses the recipients binibigyan tayo nito ng hint in verses 1 to 3.
Ano ang hitsura ng isang fruitful and true fellowship? Una, tinawag niya si Timothy and Apphia na brother and sister or brethren. And that implies na ang true fellowship in the true fellowship, you care for one another as is you are family member, as if you are one blood. That’s one evidence or that is one, isang bagay na makikita natin sa isang true fellowship. Pangalawa, ano’ng tawag niya kay, ano ang tawag niya kay Philemon? Philemon is his fellow worker. It means it implies the true fellowship, in a true fellowship, you work together to advance the gospel or to minister to others or to minister to one another. Pangatlo, ano ang tawag nya kay Archippus? Fellow soldier. It means or it implies that in a true fellowship, you fight together against falsehood and sin. Yun ang makikita natin sa mga fruitful at true fellowships. Ano pa po ang ibang hints na makikita natin, verses 4 to 6. The way Paul opens the letter give us more hints. You have a fruitful fellowship when, number 1, you pray for one another, and you acknowledge God’s work in each other’s life, when you exhort one another to progress in your faith and when you love one another by sharing your joys and your comforts. Lahat po iyan nandoon yan sa verses 4 to 7.
Now on the other hand, mga kapatid, ano ang hitsura ng isang unfruitful fellowship? Unfruitful fellowships are characterised by sin. There’s gossip, there’s flattery, there’s toleration of sin. Number two, it is characterised by idleness. Aimless; walang direksyon toward godliness, walang direksyon toward the mission of the Lord. At pangatlong character ng isang unfruitful fellowship ay apathy, or you don’t care for oone another. You just care for yourselves. You don’t care for other people.
So, how are your fellowships lately brethren? If you will assess yung mga fellowships mo noong mga nakaraang araw, nung mga nakaraang linggo, how was it? Are they fruitful or unfruitful? Now if you see something wrong with the fruit, you need to go and examine the root. And here’s the challenge for us, brethren, pursue gospel-centred and fruitful fellowships. Pursue gospel-centred and fruitful fellowships. Kung nais natin na maging fruitful ang mga fellowships natin, dapat nating panatilihin yung centrality ng gospel sa ating mga fellowships.
Lagi po nating naririnig ‘no yung gospel-centred preaching. Nae-enjoy nyo po ba yung gospel-centred preaching? Yah. Pero how about our fellowship? Is it gospel-centred? Now I’m not saying na dapat paulit-ulit lang na recitation ng gospel yung mga usapan natin. If we truly understand the gospel of Christ, we know na may epekto ito sa bawat parte ng buhay natin. So we should pursue that. Alamin natin ano ang implication ng gospel ng Panginoon dito sa pinag-uusapan namin ngayon o sa activity namin ngayon? Hindi dapat tayo mawala doon sa, hindi dapat mawala yung gospel doon sa sentro ng ating mga pagsasamahan, mga kapatid. Now ang nagiging prublema natin ay una, pag ayaw natin ng fellowship. You want to stay alone. So usong-uso ito ngayon, individualism, huwag ninyo akong pakialaman, buhay ko ‘to, okay naman ako, okay lang ako. Kumusta ka? Okay lang ako. We want to stay away, we want to stay alone at ayaw nating pakialaman tayo ng mga kapatid natin sa pananampalataya. That’s one problem. Ayaw natin sa fellowship, ayaw natin sa true fellowship. Another problem is that, gusto nga natin ng fellowship, but we don’t want uncomfortable conversations. And so we settle sa mga shallow conversations na safe, di ba? Alam mo, yung small talks, alam mo ‘yon, isang oras, dalawang oras na small talks lang yung pinag-uusapan nyo. So we don’t want uncomfortable conversations. We know that when we apply the gospel in our conversations, in our fellowships, there is that risk na tayo ay ma-correct, na tayo ay ma-rebuke dahil sa ating mga sins. But that’s too uncomfortable kaya wag na lang natin i-brought up.But you see brethren, if we will not confront the sinfulness of our sins, how can we see the beauty and power of God’s grace and mercy in Christ in our lives? How can we help one another mortify sins? How can we have fruitful fellowship if we are not willing to do the hardwork pf plowing our sins?
Now in the church history, I think one of the example ng fruitful
fellowship ay yung meetings in a tavern called the White Horse Inn. In 1520, a small group of English scholars met there together to discuss and debate the reformed writings of Martin Luther. Some of the men went regularly, some of the men who went regularly were Robert Barnes, William Tyndale, Miles Coverdale, Nicholas Ridley, Hugh Latimer, Thomas Cranmer, Thomas Bilney and others. And out of this small bible study where the centrality of the gospel was cultivated, came the men who will be responsible for he reformation in England. Are you thankful for the Puritans? I mean, eto yung pinagsimulan nila, okay. Nagkaroon ng reformation sa England dahil sa mga lalaking ito. Are you thankful for your Old Testament and New Testament English bible? It is William Tyndale and it is Miles Coverdale who, huh, anong tawag dito, nag-translate ng bible to the English language. And many of them were martyred for their commitment to the gospel. You see today, in the sight of White Horse Inn, there is a blue plaque that says, and I quote: “Sight of the White Horse Inn Known As Little Germany” dahil palaging si Luther ang pinag-uusapan nila. Where Cambridge scholars debated the works of Martin Luther in the early 16th century, a birthplace of the Reformation in England, a birthplace of the Reformation in England.
Now how about us, mga kapatid? What are the things birthed in
our fellowships? Is it giving birth to things that please God? And if the gospel is the centre of our fellowships, it will; it will birth to things that please our Lord. Now it is glorious to have fruitful fellowships but since there are still in-dwelling sins even for christians, relational conflicts is inevitable. And surely, these conflicts can disrupt the fellowship of the saints. But the good news is brothers and sisters, even for that kind of problem, Christ, through His gospel has a remedy. And that leads us to our last point, RESTORED RELATIONSHIPS.
Restored Relationships. Now Paul tactfully laid the foundation for his plea of reconcilation between Philemon and Onesimus. Maingat niyang inilagay yung pundasyon. Wala pa po tayo doon sa plea nya, mags-start po iyon sa verse 8 next Lord’s Day. Nandito pa lang tayo sa laying ng foundation para sa kaniyang plea for reconciliation. Pero, spoiler lang po, in verse 17, Paul will use his partnership with Philemon as a pillar or basis para tanggapin ni Philemon si Onesimus. Ang sabi niya, if you consider me your partner, receive Onesimus as you receive me. But the question is, what is the foundation of their partnership pillar? And it’s again in verse 6, the sharing of their faith. That is their fellowship that is rooted and grounded in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, there is no other foundation brethren. Whether for cultivating fruitful fellowships or in restoration of relationships, it is the gospel of Christ, we can be reconciled to one another because we are both reconciled to God through the Lord Jesus Christ. No other foundation, mga kapatid.
Now when dealing with relational conflicts, the gospel must be our foundation. The gospel must be our foundation that sets our direction on how to work on it. And again, relational problems are unavoidable. Ofcourse mga kapatid, as much as we can, we must preserve the unity and harmony in our local church. Even our church covenant says na hindi dapat tayo easily offended. Pero what if, what if mga kapatid, hindi talaga naiwasan at nagkaroon talaga ng conflict? Let’s say na- offend ka ng sobra sa ginawa ng kapatid mo sa pananampalataya. And in that scenario, you have two options. Your first option kapag na- offend ka ng sobrang tindi at sobrang tindi ng temptation para magalit at hindi magpatawad. In that scenario, your first option is you can submit to the objective authority of God’s word with the gospel as its foundation. Or pangalawa, pangalawang option mo, you let yourself be carried away by the subjective, distorted and even simple impulses of your emotions. Those are the two options. Now in this scenario, yung binigay natin na example na scenario na iyon, yun mismo yung kinakaharap na scenario ni Philemon. You see, yung letter para kay Philemon at yung letter to the Church in Colossae, yung Colossians natin ngayon sa New Testament, sabay yan na sinend ni Paul at according to Colossians 4 7 to 9, sino daw ang nag-deliver ng letters na ito mula sa Rome papunta sa Colossae? Papunta sa bahay ni Philemon? Let’s read – Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. So una si Tychicus. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, 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. So sino ang may dala ng letter to Philemon? Si Tychicus at si Onesimus. Now, put yourself in the sandals of Philemon for a moment. Nakita mo may dalawang taong dumarating sa bahay niyo. Kilala mo yung isa, si Tychicus. Kilala mo rin yung isa, si Onesimus. Ta’s nagtataka ka, bakit magkasama ‘tong dalawang ‘to?
Sabihin natin na hindi mo pa nababasa yung letter ni Paul at para sa ‘yo, na para sa ‘yo. For example, ikaw si Philemon. Ano ang maiisip o mararamdaman mo pag nakita mo na itong slave na lumayas at pinagnakawan ka ay ngayon, papunta sa bahay mo? So what are you going to do if you are Philemon? At gaya ng sabi natin kanina, pwede nating, pwde nating i-consider. Ang pwedeng gawin ni Philemon kay Onesimus, pwede niyang ipakulong, ipa-execute o lagyan ng branding na “FCF” sa noo. Fugitivus Cave Furem. Fugitive and Beware of Theif. And ang society nila nung time na iyon, susuportahan si Philemon kung gagawin niya iyon. Kung magiging masama siya kay Onesimus at hindi niya papatawarin, yung Roman society will support him dahil kapag ang isang slave owner ay hindi kayang magparusa sa slave, makikita nila na yung slave owner na iyon ay very weak. At maiisip ng mga slaves na ah, pwede pala naming gawin yung ginawa nung slave na yun, basta-basta na lang siyang pinatawad. Now alam ni Paul na maraming, maaaring may ganitong temptation na kaharapin si Philemon kaya para matulungan siya na labanan yung possible anger at unforgiveness sa kaniyang puso, Paul reminded Philemon of the forgiveness of Christ in Colossians 3 verses 11 to 13. I’m thinking na unang binasa yung letter to Colossians, ‘no. At tignan po natin uli Colossians 3 11 to 13 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Ibig sabihin, kahit ano pang background mo, kung nananampalataya ka sa Panginoong Hesus at sa Kaniyang gospel, tanggap ka niya. Tanggap ka ng pamilya niya, ng church. And then, Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, now imagine you’re Philemon, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving, forgiving each other; At ano ang basis ng forgiveness na iyon? as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Now it seems like those verses are written specifically for Philemon. Pero tingin ko pwede rin sa church dahil baka sila rin nagkaroon ng anger towards Onesimus dahil iniisip nila, itong alipin na ito pinagnakawan yung may-ari nung bahay kung saan tayo nagme- meet. So posibleng nagkaroon din sila ng anger at bitterness towards him. Now Paul knew that the temptation not to forgive may come and his remedy is to remind them of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, to remind them that our sins, brethren, our sins against God is greater than the sins done against us.
But you see if you are a christian, the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross and received the full punishment and wrath that you deserve. He paid it all on that cross and as for you christian, you receive grace, mercy, forgiveness, love, adoption, justification, sanctification, and someday glorification. Hindi ba sapat na reason yun for you to forgive your brother? That is a very good reason for Philemon and also for us, brethren, to forgive as we have been forgiven. And that’s the challenge for us this afternoon. FORGIVE ONE ANOTHER AS GOD IN CHRIST FORGAVE YOU. Forgive one another as God in Christ forgave you.
Now first po, for those who don’t believe in the gospel, it is understandable why you have a hard time to genuinely forgive… understandable. The truth is, you cannot forgive deep in your heart because you never knew what it means to be forgiven. Yes, it is understandable, but know that your unforgiveness now will face the righteous judgment of God soon if you don’t repent and believe in the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. If you don’t believe in the gospel and you are unforgiving, that is the proof that you haven’t received mercy and grace from the Lord. Repent now and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Trust Him now! Trust Him now and be saved from your sins and be forgiven! Be forgiven. And you will be enabled to forgive those who sinned against you.
Now but for us, brothers and sisters, for us believers, are you harbouring anger and unforgiveness in your hearts? Meron bang galit at unforgiveness sa puso mo kapatid? How many days? For how many weeks, for how many months, for how many years? Brethren, what is hindering you to forgive? Especially your brother or sister that was also forgiven by the Lord. What’s hindering you? Have you forgotten the vastness of God’s mercy and grace that is being poured out to you even now! Even now brothers and sisters. Binubuhusan ka ng grasya ng Panginoon. Think about it. You have a thousand reason. You have thousand upon thousand of reason to forgive and you have no reason not to forgive. The problem comes when we close our eyes to the gospel of Christ and every spiritual blessing in Him..that’s the problem. Instead, we open our ears and hear our own feelings of anger and bitterness. Yun ang rason bakit hindi tayo makapagpatawad mga kapatid.
Now back to Onesimus, Philemon and Paul. Ano po sa tingin ninyo? Was Onesimus accepted and forgiven? Pinatawad ba siya ni Philemon? Some argued that the preservation of this small letter and its inclusion in the New Testament proves that Philemon responded positively. One commentator describes kung ano ang posibleng nangyari sa kanila. Ang sabi ng isang commentator, and I quote: “Who could resist Paul’s plea for reconciliation? Especially when it was read to the whole church while Philemon and Onesimus stood before them. Surely forgiveness flowed, there was undoubtedly repeated embraces and kisses.
Onesimus has repeated confession forgive me, forgive me, forgive me, forgive me and Philemon’s constant response, that is enough my dear brother, that is enough my dear brother, that is enough my dear brother. As the church watched, there was constant praising of God.” Now, that’s just a possibility. But that might be a reality in your life if you forgive as God in Christ forgave you. Go back to the gospel, my brothers and sisters. If you are having a hard time, having a hard time to forgive, go back and remember that you have been forgiven, you receive mercy and grace.
As a conclusion, Fruitful Fellowships and Restored Relationships are the glorious outcomes when a church is bound together by the strong cord of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us pray.
Our Father in heaven, Lord, we don’t deserve oh God the least of Your blessings. Lord, we don’t deserve oh God to be forgiven. What we deserve is Your judgment, oh God. But Lord, because of the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Panginoon, kami ay nakatanggap ng kapatawaran sa aming mga kasalanan. Kami ay tumanggap ng grasya at ng kaawaan, Panginoon. Maraming salamat po o Diyos sa kabutihan Niyo sa aming lahat. Sa mga kapatid ko na nandito ngayon. Maraming salamat Panginoon na Kayo Panginoon ay nagpatawad ng kasalanan. At Panginoon, even yung mga kasalanan na gagawin pa lang namin, nakita Niyo na ngunit pinatawad at minahal Niyo pa rin kami. At Panginoon, tulungan Ninyo po ang bawat isa na nandito ngayon na posibleng nahihirapan na magpatawad. Tulungan Ninyo po Panginoon na makita nila ang kapatawaran na galing sa Inyo. At ma-extend nila ang forgiveness na iyon Panginoon sa kani-kanilang mga kapatid. Dalangin ko po Panginoon, dalangin ko rin po na ang mga fellowships namin ay maging fruitful, oh God. Tulungan Niyo po kami na hindi mawala sa sentro ng aming mga usapan at samahan ang gospel ng aming Panginoong Hesus na Siyang nagbubuklod sa amin bilang isang iglesya. Maraming salamat po sa katotohanan na narinig namin ngayong hapon na ito. Ito po ang aming dalangin sa Pangalan ni Hesus, Amen.