Philemon 18-22 (NASB)

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Matthew 1:18-23 (NASB)

18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, since he was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. 20 But when he had thought this over, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a Son; and you shall name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 Now all this took place so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled: 23 “Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they shall name Him Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”

Luke 1:30-38 (NASB)

30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 But Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also the holy Child will be called the Son of God. 36 And behold, even your relative Elizabeth herself has conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called infertile is now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the Lord’s bond-servant; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Galatians 4:4-5

4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, 5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons and daughters.

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Philemon 8-17  (NASB)

⁸ Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper, ⁹ yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you—since I am such a person as Paul, an old man, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— ¹⁰ I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom I fathered in my imprisonment, ¹¹ who previously was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me. ¹² I have sent him back to you in person, that is, sending my very heart, ¹³ whom I wanted to keep with me, so that in your behalf he might be at my service in my imprisonment for the gospel; ¹⁴ but I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that your goodness would not be, in effect, by compulsion, but of your own free will. ¹⁵ For perhaps it was for this reason that he was separated from you for a while, that you would have him back forever, ¹⁶ no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. ¹⁷ If then you regard me as a partner, accept him as you would me.

Sermon Series Theme: The Gospel transforms human relationships and social conventions as Christians are faithful to live out its truths spiritually and practically.

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Philemon 1-7 (NASB)

¹ Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker, ² and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to 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, making mention of you in my prayers, ⁵ because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints; ⁶ and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake. ⁷ For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

Sermon Series Theme: The Gospel transforms human relationships and social conventions as Christians are faithful to live out its truths spiritually and practically.

Outline:

• Greetings (1-3)
• Prayer and Praise (4-7)
• The Plea or Appeal (8-17)
• The Pledge or Promise (18-22)
• Closing Verses (23-25)

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Guest Speaker: Wanye Truong

Matthew 10:28 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

²⁸ And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

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God reveals Himself through His words and actions. One example is the history of Israel’s redemption from Egypt. Three purposes of the plagues were:

1. God demonstrates His power.
2. God distinguishes between His people and others.
3. God Hardened the heart of Pharoah.

In the final plague (Exodus 12:1-42) the people were spared through the death of a substitute – a spotless lamb. The lesson is that redemption requires the death of an innocent substitute. But all the sacrifices since the first Passover were not satisfactory. They pointed to the final, acceptable sacrifice of Christ.

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Colossians 4:15-18 (NASB)

¹⁵ Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the church that is in her house. ¹⁶ When this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part read my letter that is coming from Laodicea. ¹⁷ Say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.” ¹⁸ I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my imprisonment. Grace be with you.

One general principle that can be derived from these greetings and instructions is the authenticity of Scripture. This epistle was dictated and personally signed by the Apostle Paul. It gives specific instructions and greetings to named people. All Scripture describes real events that really happened exactly as described.

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Colossians 4:7-14 (NASB)

⁷ As to all my affairs, Tychicus, our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information. ⁸ For I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts; ⁹ and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of your number. They will inform you about the whole situation here. ¹⁰ Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also Barnabas’s cousin Mark (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him); ¹¹ and also Jesus who is called Justus; these are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are from the circumcision, and they have proved to be an encouragement to me. ¹² Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God. ¹³ For I testify for him that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis. ¹⁴ Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also Demas.

Outline: A Portrait of servants for Christ that pictures the vital importance of faithful partners and friends in Gospel ministry.

1. Tychicus – The Reliable Servant
2. Onesimus – The Saved Slave
3. Aristarchus – The Steadfast Soldier
4. Mark – The Restored Scribe
5. Jesus/Justus – The Unsung Saint
6. Epaphras – The Ceaselessly Supplicating Shepherd
7. Luke – The Skilled Specialist
8. Demas – The Worldly Deserter

Note: Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus and Mark were covered last week. Jesus/Justus, Epaphras, Luke and Demas are covered in this week’s sermon.

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Colossians 4:7-14 (NASB)

⁷ As to all my affairs, Tychicus, our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information. ⁸ For I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts; ⁹ and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of your number. They will inform you about the whole situation here. ¹⁰ Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also Barnabas’s cousin Mark (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him); ¹¹ and also Jesus who is called Justus; these are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are from the circumcision, and they have proved to be an encouragement to me. ¹² Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God. ¹³ For I testify for him that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis. ¹⁴ Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also Demas.

Outline: A Portrait of servants for Christ that pictures the vital importance of faithful partners and friends in Gospel ministry.

1. Tychicus – The Reliable Servant
2. Onesimus – The Saved Slave
3. Aristarchus – The Steadfast Soldier
4. Mark – The Restored Scribe

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