Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20031012.htm

EPHESIANS: GOD'S SURE PLAN FOR INSECURE TIMES
Part VIII: Mutual Edification In The Church Body By God's Power
H. Edifying When Deeply Wronged In Potentially Explosive Issues
(Ephesians 6:21-24 with Philemon)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

Most of the time, we can live the Christian life in a "comfort zone" where what we do that is right is rewarded, and where we can find God's blessing even if we are unjustly wronged.

However, occasionally, obtaining human justice in this life when we have been unusually wronged can lead to unusual harm to Christian unity and love. Here are is an actual case that illustrates this:

A Christian pastor I once knew loaned some other Christians $80,000 he had earned in the stock market and saved up for his retirement "nest egg." He had no pension through the Church -- that was his only "nest egg" beyond Social Security income. The believers who borrowed this money wanted to invest it in a venture that seemed to promise a lucrative return, and they planned to return the money to the older pastor once they made out well in their venture. However, the whole venture totally flopped, the elderly pastor lost his $80,000, and the men who had borrowed the money did not give him back even one cent! The elderly pastor also felt he would defame the name of Christ and violate 1 Corinthians 6:1 to sue for his money, but he was sorely pressed to find the funds to live adequately in retirement!



Well, HOW are WE to respond WELL when GREATLY wronged, but when taking even legally RIGHT action could do great harm to Christian unity and love?



(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )



Need: "I know we are to love fellow Christians as Paul taught us in Ephesians; however, if a great wrong has been done against me by another believer, and were I to exercise my rights and right the wrong,' HUGE damage to Christians would occur! What NOW?"
  1. When Paul wrote the Ephesian Epistle, a HIGHLY SENSITIVE issue had arisen affecting MANY believers in the area around Ephesus, threatening to WRECK their LOVE and UNITY:
    1. Paul noted he was sending Tychicus with the Ephesian letter to the Ephesian believers as an edifying messenger, Ephesians 6:21.
    2. Well, accompanying Tychicus was a runaway slave, Onesimus who had fled from his CHRISTIAN master, Philemon:
      1. When Paul wrote Ephesians, he also wrote Colossians and the personal letter to Philemon as is attested by Scriptural evidence:
        1. There are many personal references in Paul's letter to the Colossians that are common to his personal letter to Philemon, and the Epistles of Ephesians and Colossians are unusually similar in vocabulary and literary style, Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978 ed., p. 1690; Donald Guthrie, N.T. Intro., p. 492-499.
        2. Also, Tychicus took Onesimus with him to deliver these three letters as is attested by Paul's comments in Eph. 6:21 with Col. 4:7-9; cf. Zondervan Pict. Ency. of the Bible , vol. Five, p. 832.
      2. We also know from Philemon :1, 10-11, 15-16 that Onesimus, a runaway slave was returning with Tychicus as a new convert to his master, Philemon, J. B. Lightfoot, Colossians & Philemon , p. 314.
    3. As such, Onesimus stood in legal danger of being crucified by Philemon, a fact that threatened Christian unity all around Ephesus:
      1. Roman law allowed a master to crucify his slave for far lesser crimes than the great felony of running away from his master, Ibid.
      2. Yet, were Philemon so to punish Onesimus, other Christian slaves in Philemon's house would distrust him, ruining spiritual unity between Philemon and his other believing slaves.
      3. Such a division would not only affect Philemon's household, but also divide believers in the churches of Colossae and Ephesus:
        1. Due to the economy, geography and history of the Lycus Valley where Ephesus, Colossae and Philemon's house were located, the social ties in this valley ran very deep, Ibid., p. 30-31.
        2. Thus, were Philemon to crucify Onesimus, news of the event would spread throughout the Colossian and Ephesian churches, readily dividing masters and slaves in this area's churches!
  2. Accordingly, Paul told Philemon to put aside his legal rights to punish Onesimus and to treat him as a BELOVED BROTHER, and Paul placed an UNUSUAL EMPHASIS in Ephesians, a CIRCULAR letter meant for the WHOLE VALLEY on the NEED for godly LOVE to remain INCORRUPTIBLE in their churches:
    1. Paul put an unusual emphasis on love in the Ephesian letter: of his 13 epistles in the New Testament, one-sixth of his references to love appear in Ephesians, or double the concentration on the subject in comparison to Paul's other 12 letters, Bib. Know. Com., N.T., p. 614.
    2. Paul also put a great emphasis on the need for Christian love to be incorruptible in his closing benediction of Ephesians:
      1. Besides Ephesians, the closing benedictions of each of Paul's 12 other epistles in Scripture exalt God's grace or peace, Ibid., p. 500.
      2. Yet, in sharp contrast to these 12 other closings, Paul's Ephesians 6:24 closing extols the need for a incorruptible love, Ibid., p. 645.
    3. As Paul's letter to the Ephesians was written to those in the influential capital of the Lycus Valley, it was also intended to be a circular letter read by the other churches throughout that Valley, Ibid., p. 613.
    4. Then, in his personal letter to Philemon, Paul appealed to godly love as the motive for Philemon to receive Onesimus, Phm. :9-10, 12, 16:
      1. In writing to Philemon, Paul avoided using his apostolic authority to "pull rank" with Philemon; he rather chose to appeal to Philemon to treat Onesimus compassionately as a son, :9-10, 12.
      2. Of the relationship between Philemon and his former runaway slave, Paul suggested Philemon view Onesimus as a new "beloved brother," highlighting again the significance of love, Phm. :16.
Application: If DEEPLY wronged where we have a HUMAN RIGHT to regain our losses, but where DOING so will cause GREAT HARM to MANY CHRISTIANS, (1) we must TRUST in Christ to be SAVED and have the love of Christ put within us, John 3:16; Eph. 4:1-3 et al. (2) Then, in the Spirit's power (Eph. 5:18), we are to AVOID exercising our HUMAN RIGHTS and exercise COMPASSION to the wrongdoer, Ephesians 6:24!

Lesson: In view of the DAMAGE that might otherwise come not only to Onesimus, but to the love and unity of the whole Lycus Valley region's churches, Paul urged Philemon to FOREGO his RIGHTS to CRUCIFY Onesimus, and opt for LOVING FORGIVENESS to his runaway slave.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 When I began this message, I alluded to an aging pastor I once knew who had loaned his hard-earned and sole $80,000 retirement "nest egg" out to other Christians in a business venture. As you will recall, when the venture failed and these men did not return him a cent of his money, the former elderly pastor wondered what to do about it as he really needed more than Social Security income in his retirement.

In God's grace, he decided not to pursue his wrongdoers due to the damage it could do to the Body of Christ, but to start over, earning money for his "nest egg" even in his older years by again investing in stock mutual funds. God blessed his effort, and he saved up a sizable "nest egg" even in the few years available to do so; he was able to have a decent retirement life before passing on to be with the Lord.

In fact, a number of years before his passing, he sent me $5,000 from his second retirement "nest egg" of earnings, money my family used at a time of great needs years ago here at Nepaug Church! In part, because of the way I saw the Lord bless his investing efforts in such a short time, I as a pastor without a regular pension plan have sought to implement his efforts for building my own retirement "nest egg," and I have then been able to help others in our Church who also lack regular pension plans start to do the same for their retirement years as well!



If we BELIEVE in Christ and suffer a GRIEVOUS wrong, and were we to try to gain back what we have lost for that wrong to the HARM of MANY of God's people and God's testimony, GOD expects us to RESPOND in compassion and to PROTECT Christian love and unity even if it means putting up with our OWN temporal "loss" in the process, cf. 1 Corinthians 6:7b.

May we recall Paul's words in Ephesians 6:21-24 in their relation to the case of Onesimus, and may we recall the example of this older Christian and the unjust loss of his $80,000 retirement "nest egg." May we recall what God has DONE with the example of how he REACTED to the injustice done to him as it affects even our OWN welfare here at Nepaug! Then, IGNORING the loss, may we move FORWARD with compassionate love, not seeking to reclaim our unjust losses at the cost of great Christian love and unity, and all for the sake of Christ!