Sermon by Pastor Ben-Israël
Bible Passage: Philemon 1:1-25

Introduction: The Five Points of the Teaching

Beloved in the Lord, we are in our morning meditation in the book of Philemon.

I am Pastor Ben-Israël, one of the servants in this Kingdom department.

Shalom!

We are beginning the book of Philemon, and we will divide this teaching into five points.

1. The Foundation of a Church Is the Home, a Family

The first point is that the foundation of a church is the home. It is a family.

Where two or three are gathered together in His name, He is in their midst.

Another thing we see concerning the Church is what the Bible says in Psalms:

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” — Psalm 133:1 (KJV)

That is where God pours out His blessing.

In other words, there are many things that are poured out and experienced in a church.

The first is the presence of Christ among those who gather in His name.

Another is the blessing.

God has poured out all kinds of blessings in heavenly places, as Ephesians 1:3 tells us.

He has already blessed us.

The fact that we are a church means that we are a blessed body. We are a blessed people.

The third thing we see in a church, beyond the presence of Christ, is that God also pours out His grace and peace among people who gather for His cause, to become one body with Christ.

2. The Ability to Intercede

Philemon 1:4

My second point is the ability to intercede.

Every believer has the quality of intercession.

Every believer, I repeat, has the quality of intercession.

Paul says in this passage that he mentions Philemon's name in his prayers.

We are called to pray, to intercede, so that God will not destroy a people.

3. Having a Good Testimony of Faith and Love

Philemon 1:5-7

The third point is that we must have a good testimony of faith and love.

Remember that Revelation 12:11 says that we overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, but not only by the blood of the Lamb: also by our testimony.

You must have a good testimony, because your testimony comes before your words.

A good testimony even comes before appearance.

There are people for whom doors have been closed because they had a bad testimony.

And I pray for you that you may have a good testimony, because your testimony can go before you in many things.

Joseph did not come out of prison because he prayed a lot, but because he had a good testimony of faith and love among the cupbearers who were close to Pharaoh.

I pray that you may have a good testimony and that people will appreciate you because of the testimony of faith and love that characterizes you.

What Overcomes the World Is Our Faith

Quickly, what overcomes the world is our faith.

It is not spiritual warfare.

Do you want to overcome the world? Have faith!

Faith Must Be Put into Action

The second thing, still within this point concerning the testimony of faith and love, is that faith must be translated into action.

You must not simply say that you have faith.

You must put your faith into practice, and that is proof that you know God.

A man of faith does not need to say that he knows God.

We can see in his life that he truly knows God.

Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego: people saw that they knew God because of their attitude, because of their firm assurance in the faith.

And everyone began to worship the God of Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego because He had delivered them from the fire.

Love must also be translated into actions.

Comforting Others in the Christian Community

Finally, we must comfort people in the Christian community.

We are called to translate our love into action to comfort and encourage others.

There was Barnabas, who was called the son of encouragement, because he was someone who loved even a pagan, who was the Apostle Paul, a persecutor.

And this encouraged Paul to become the well-known writer we know in the Bible.

4. Knowing How to Recommend Others

Philemon 1:8-16

The fourth part of my message is about knowing how to recommend others.

You know that there is a job opening, and you have the ability to employ or hire someone.

I urge you to develop the habit of helping other people work where you work, or where you have the power to recommend them.

Paul was able to recommend Onesimus because he had influence with Philemon.

He could say to Philemon:

“Here is this man; I present him to you. Let him work, not as a slave, but as a brother by your side.”

I pray that we may have people who know how to recommend others.

May there be fewer unemployed people because we know how to recommend people.

May there be fewer people without work because we have recommended them, because we have started something and hired them in our company.

The ability to recommend others for service leads us to have a strong church made up of people who truly share common goals.

Remember that in Genesis 11, it is written that nothing could prevent them from accomplishing what they wanted to do because they spoke the same language.

Let us therefore be people who also recommend others because of the love we have for them.

5. The Qualities of a Good Spiritual Father

Philemon 1:10-21

The last point, my fifth point, concerns the qualities of a good spiritual father.

A Good Spiritual Father Knows How to Defend His Children in the Faith

A good spiritual father is not simply someone who carries the title of father.

He is someone who knows how to defend his children in the faith.

He defends them.

Even when they have done wrong, he takes the time to work with them privately so that he can defend them publicly, showing that their past behavior is no longer the same.

He takes the time to work with someone who was a pagan yesterday so that he may become a good Christian today.

A Good Spiritual Father Carries His Children in His Heart

The second quality of a good spiritual father is that he carries his children in his heart.

A spiritual father is someone who says, as Paul says, I believe, to the Galatians:

“I feel the pains of childbirth for you again.”

He is someone who carries his church, his children in the faith, with passion, with a heart devoted to their advancement and progress.

A Good Spiritual Father Helps His Children Grow in Faith

Another quality of a good spiritual father is that he helps his child grow.

He helps his child become mature in faith and develop in faith.

He is also able to help if his child has incurred debts.

The father must help him pay off those debts so that his reputation, as well as the reputation of the father or the child, will not be tarnished.

A Good Spiritual Father Knows How to Grant Favors to His Children

Another quality we see is that he can grant his children favors that he does not grant to everyone.

I pray that you may be a father who grants favors to his children, or that you may have a father who grants you favors.

A Good Spiritual Father Knows How to Pray for His Children

The last quality, and the one I love, is the quality of prayer.

A good spiritual father knows how to pray for his children.

And I pray this morning for you, just as the Apostle Paul concluded this passage of Philemon by saying:

“May grace and peace be your portion.”

Final Declaration and Blessing

You will experience things this year because God Himself will be recommending you.

You will experience things this year because God Himself will give a good testimony about you.

You will experience things this year because the Holy Spirit will intercede with groanings that cannot be uttered on your behalf.

May God bless you!

— Pastor Ben-Israël