I sat down with Jim, my pastor from high school, and I could tell that he wanted to talk to me about something, 
that he had something he was going to say that was going to be difficult. I don’t know about you, but when I 
sense a conflict arising in a relationship and something unpleasant beginning to occur I find myself tensing up 
and there is literally a chill that begins to set in the core of my body. So I come into the chapel with Jim and we 
sit in a pew and he says, “You know that you’re important to me and I love you”. And I’m thinking oh crap. I 
felt my core temperature drop as my toes began to curl up under my feet. I nodded and said, “Yes. I do know 
that Jim”. And he said, “Good, because I need to tell you that I think you are making a choice that is hurtful and 
could lead you into sin.” 

I’m going to finish this story next week. But I tell you what I have so far, to make this point: Being a Christian, 
putting our faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins, trusting in Christ for our salvation joins us to 
other believers in an intimate family unit. What I am saying is that being a part of the family of God means that 
we bear responsibility to and for one another. As believers in Christ the new relationship of believers share 
through Jesus Christ in the family of God is to take pride and place in all our other relationships and dictate how 
those other relationships in our lives are to be lived out. 

In other words my relationship to Cyndi as a sister in Christ is to supersede my relationship to her as husband. 
This means that by virtue of my being a part of the family of God and her being a part of the family of God it is 
that relationship as brother and sister in Christ that comes first and influences the relationship that we share as 
husband and wife. 

This is the heart of the message that we find in Paul’s letter to Philemon. In short we can summarize the 
teaching of Philemon with this: Christians have a responsibility to and for each other. We are family, and as 
part of God’s family we must take part in the the kind of familial community that God is creating. 

For the next two weeks we’re going to work our way through the letter to Philemon and explore the notion that 
in Christ we not only belong to one another, but more importantly believers have a responsibility to and for 
each other. In other words, as brothers and sisters in Christ we are obliged to support one another - to the point 
of sacrificing our own time, interests, and money - for our brothers and sisters in Christ. 

This morning our purpose will be to survey the letter to Philemon very broadly so that we throughly understand 
what is happening in this letter, so that next week we can look more specific at some of the principles taught 
that can enable us to see and understand the responsibility that we as Christians have to and for each other. 

So if you’re not already there I invite you to turn with me to the letter to Philemon, which can be found on page 
1183 in the sanctuary Bible. 

The letter to Philemon is nothing if it’s not brief. It is a mere 25 verses long and can be read on average in about 
2 minutes. Which usually means that people cruise through Philemon with little thought or attention given to it. 
There are 6 verses that consist of introductory and concluding remarks. Which means that a solid 20% of this 
letter is Paul simply saying hi and bye. Philemon is very intimate, perhaps the most intimate and personal of all 
Paul’s letters that we have in the Bible, and this leads to some problems in trying to understand what Philemon 
has to teach us. 

The first problem we find is a presumption of known details. Given that this is a personal letter, Paul does not 
give us a lot of background on the situations or characters that he speaks of. Since he is sending a personal 
letter, he assumes and rightly so, that those mentioned and involved all know the details of the situation. So why 


rehash it. But, this leaves most readers of Philemon, us, with questions about people and situations that the letter 
simply does not answers. Most of the questions raised can only be “answered” by speculating, theorizing, or 
simply guessing. 

Another problem that arises from the letter is the style in which Paul is writing. Paul is typically forthright and 
direct, not mincing words, and communicating with precision and in meticulous detail. Whatever is going on in 
this situation, Paul finds that he needs to use a great deal of tact and grace, and be overly diplomatic. Paul’s 
diplomacy shrouds his intentions at times and makes it difficult to know what it is precisely that he wants from 
Philemon. 

A third problem we find is defining who the players are. Since there is no information given on the majority of 
names people that are mentioned in this letter we will focus on the three that we actually have some information 
on. Verses 1-3 tell us Paul is the author of this letter and is sending it to Philemon, who we will learn about in 
verse 4-7, is a former ministry colleague of Paul’s. In verse 10 a third character is introduced named Onesimus. 
Onesimus is the reason Paul is writing, and in verse 16 we discover that Onesimus is no ordinary person, but is 
a runaway slave who is owned by Philemon. It is within this relational triangle that Paul will lay out the 
overarching teaching found in Philemon -that Christians are responsible to and for each other. 

This relational development leads us to another problem we need to address as introduction to Philemon - the 
issue of slavery in the 1st century. 

Unfortunately, our own nations history with slavery is one that is very dark and rightfully termed evil. And it is 
therefore far to easy, to read 21st century view of 18th century American slavery into the pages of the Bible and 
in particular the New Testament. The truth of the matter is slavery in the 1st century was viewed, even by 
Christians, very differently than we view it in a modern democracy. 1st century slavery would be viewed 
differently in four respects. 

First, slavery was an integral part of the social and economic world of the 1st century. Slaves had a wide variety 
of roles and assignments. Slaves would work the mines throughout the Roman Empire, or they may run 
businesses for their masters, tutor their master’s children, and in some cases serve as trusted and esteemed 
advisors - even to the Caesars. 

So much a part of the world of the 1st century was slavery that it would have almost escaped the notice of most 
early Christians - much like some of the moral evils inherent to our own economic systems, like greed, overconsumption, 
and indebtedness, tend to be overlooked by modern Christians. 

Further, slaves in the 1st century were found among every race, creed, color, and class of people. There was, in 
opposition to American slavery, no forced subjugation of a particular people because of their race. In addition, 
many people looking for stability in their lives and for their families would sell themselves into slavery. 

The second way that slavery in the 1st century would have been viewed differently than we do today is that 
freedom for slaves was not in the 1st century the obvious good that it is for the modern world. 

Freed slaves often had a difficult time making a living once they were freed. Being freed, they had lost any 
source of income, as well as many times, the status that being attached to their master carried. 


Third, 1st century christians were a tiny religious group living within an all-powerful authoritarian empire. As a 
small group of people they simply lacked the means and tools to influence public policy. Frankly, politically 
motivated social justice simply did not blip on their radar screens. And think about that, it was the power given 
through the American political and judicial system that enabled the Abolitionist Movement, utilizing Christians 
in their churches, to bring about the emancipation of slaves in the United States. That kind of influence was not 
sought, was surely not offered, and was simply unavailable to 1st century Christians. 

Finally, the perspective on slavery in the 1st century differed from our modern perspectives in that 1st century 
Christians, and this is probably the most important distinction of the four, did not understand their calling in 
terms of political social justice. They rejoiced in their identity as the people of the new realm inaugurated by 
God through Christ. But they also knew quite well that the “old realm” continued to exist and that it would exist 
until Christ returned in glory. And granting this realism about the continuing existence of the “world that is”, 
with its many social injustices, the New Testament Christians focused on the creation of an alternative society, a 
realm in which, whatever the realities around them, kingdom values would be lived out. 

And it is the living out of kingdom values that Paul wants to address very specifically with his fellow partner in 
ministry and his brother in Christ, Philemon. Through this brief but powerful letter, Paul will challenge 
Philemon and by extension us to live out the kingdom value of Christians being responsible to and for each 
other. 

There’s one more problem that needs to be addressed. We looked a moment ago at some of the central 
characters in this letter; Paul, Philemon, and Onesimus, and I left one out. 

Look again at the end of verse 2. This letter is also addressed to the church that meets in Philemon’s house. And 
this means that this letter was being read in front of Philemon’s congregation. Now we do not know if Philemon 
was the pastor of this church or if he was simply the host. We do know that from that phrase, “and to the 
church that meets in your home”, that Philemon is a leader of some sort in his church. 

Christians are not alone. When we are joined to Christ, we are joined to others. Many of us tend to see the 
church as loose association of people who happen to hold the same religious views. 

Paul, however, and the New Testament in general, saw membership in the church as something far more, and in 
Philemon we see this moved to the forefront. 

Paul understood that what Philemon decided to do with his unfaithful slave Onesimus, a purely private matter 
over which Paul had no final say, had ramifications for the entire house church. As we will see next Paul allows 
Philemon to decide completely for himself what he will do, but he expects that he will consider how his 
decision will have impact on his community of faith. 

The reality is, things have not changed in this regard. How church leaders respond, and for that matter how 
church attenders respond, too everyday decisions directly effects the spiritual health of the whole congregation. 
Being joined to Christ and joined to others means that as people who are a part of the new community that God 
is building we are responsible to and for each other. The decisions I can make about my life, can effect you. And 
the decision you can make about your life can effect me. We are in this together. 
With this background in place, we are now ready to look at Philemon in more detail, and with our remaining 
time this morning begin to look at the 1st of 6 ways that the kingdom value of Christians being responsible to 
and for each other is developed as we move through Philemon. 


In verse 4-7, Paul speaks in a loving, tender, and warm tone as he begins to address Philemon directly. In these 
verses we find the first way that the kingdom value of Christians being responsible to and for each other 
finds form -we pray for and genuinely care for one another. Paul writes, “I always thank my God as I 
remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. I 
pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing 
we have in Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you brother, have refreshed 
the hearts of the saints.” 

As I said near the beginning of the sermon, Paul is exercising a great deal of tact and diplomacy as he builds 
towards the issue he wants to discuss with Philemon. Paul knows that what he will be asking for will be difficult 
for Philemon to hear and even more difficult for him to act on. And wanting Philemon to act in a way that will 
perhaps benefit Paul but more importantly honor their Lord Jesus Christ, Paul wants to clearly establish with 
Philemon that they are brothers in Christ, that they are responsible to and for one another, and being active 
participants in the community that God is building, Paul seeks to remind Philemon again that, “Hey man, were 
in this together”. 

How does Paul communicate to Philemon that they’re in this together? He prays specifically for him and 
encourages Philemon. After thanking God for Philemon and Philemon’s faithfulness to Jesus and his people, 
Paul prays that Philemon will continue to have success in the ministry that he is engaged in where he lives and 
in his house church. 

After praying for him, Paul then simply encourages Philemon by again specifically telling him about the things 
that he is hearing Philemon is doing and the blessing and refreshment that Philemon has brought to the other 
Christians he is in contact with. 

Christians are responsible to and for each other. One of the ways that we are able to live this principle out is 
to pray for and genuinely care for one another. 

I don’t know about you but there is a great deal of refreshment that comes from not only being told that I am 
being prayed for but being told specifically what someone is praying for me. I need to hear these things from 
time to time. This is especially true when it comes to genuinely caring for one another. Paul does this by 
encouraging Philemon in the work that he is doing - pointing out in quick detail some of the things that 
Philemon is doing well. 

“Philemon, you are a great man of faith, and man with loving and compassionate heart. I know this about you 
because I have seen it as you share your faith, and frankly I have benefited from it personally as you have 
refreshed me and others. Keep it up.” Do you need to just be encouraged sometimes by what others see in you? 
I do. I resinate with Mark Twain’s comment on this, “I could live for two months on the strength of a single 
compliment”. Folks we need to be in regular prayer for one another and seeking to genuinely care for one 
another. 

This kind of activity is the beginning point of the principle that Christians are responsible to and for each other, 
and next week we’ll look at the remaining ways we can live this kingdom virtue out in the situations and 
circumstances of our lives. 

Let’s pray.