Dave’s Monday Blast – March 29, 2021

I wanted to wrap up our little series on Leaving our Mark as Ambassadors for Christ with one more example of our Lord choosing two unlikely individuals to be His hands and feet. This account is found in the book of Philemon. Pastor Phil has been walking us through this incredible little book the past several weeks. (You can check out the archived sermons here.)

So far we have examined the following three of four characteristics indicative of an Ambassador for Christ:
1. Faith in Spite of Circumstance. (2 Kings 5:1 – 4)
2. Prepared to Share All to Serve Others (John 6:1 – 9)
3. Belief in the Sovereign Plan of God (1 Samuel 23:16 & 17)

The fourth characteristic of our next unlikely, and certainly unwitting Ambassadors is found in Philemon verse 10 – 17. Forgiveness is all about forgetting. In this account we are introduced to Onesimus, an escaped slave who found salvation in Jesus while on the run.  However, this story is not just about Onesimus, it is also about Philemon, the wealthy church plant host in Colosse and good friend of Paul’s. His slave (Onesimus) had defrauded his master, stole from him and fled. We know from Scripture that Onesimus ended up in Rome, found Paul, and was converted into the family of God.

These unlikely Ambassadors were tasked by none other than the Apostle Paul himself to forgive one another and begin to consider one another as equals. It would require forgetting the past and being obedient to the Word. Philemon would not render just punishment toward Onesimus (could have been death), but would display his known character (verses 4 – 9) of forgiveness and restoration (this is what forgetting is all about). Paul knew that Philemon would welcome him back as a brother…not as a slave (verses 15 – 17).  For Onesimus, his role by returning was to seek forgiveness for his actions. This was a huge risk for him.

What can we learn from these courageous Ambassadors? Forgiveness is really about obedience. True forgiveness includes forgetting the wrongs. It is really the perfect example of being Image Bearers. Verse 20 informs us that the benefit of forgiveness is a refreshing of our hearts. We become like Him!